15.07.08
Posted in Triathlon, Sport at 7:55 am by AB
I went out for out Tuesday 12 k run this morning with Danielle. Craig was over the other side of the country for some ‘business’ in Perth. It hurt like hell this morning. I feel like Danielle ripped my legs off and then put them back on with some really bad suturing. Personally, I’m blaming Ben Gathercole and his first indoor trainer session of the season that we had to endure last night. My legs were super sore after that… and on the grand scheme of things it really wasn’t that bad.
It can only get easier right??
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22.01.08
Posted in Triathlon, Sport at 10:59 am by AB
The Audax Alpine Classic is this weekend. My family has headed down to Bright in Victoria quite a few times for this event. Usually I stay around in Canberra and take part in the Canberra Capital Triathlon Festival and I always wonder why as some of my worst races have been in Canberra.
So this year I am heading down to Bright to take part in the Alpine Classic. There are a number of ride options, but I have decided I might as well jump in at the top and take on the 200km option. The ride takes on Falls Creek and Mt Buffalo as part of the fun. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up compared to RAMROD, which was 250km and had 3000m of vertical. At least this time I won’t be doing the whole ride on my Time Trial Bike.
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07.01.08
Posted in Triathlon, Sport at 1:12 pm by AB
Crazy! A whole 7 days have already disappeared from 2008 (I’ll have to start my Christmas shopping soon) and now that the irregular nature of the Christmas/New Years period is over and routine begins again, it’s time for me to build some consistency into my training and use the next few months to return my fitness base to levels it’s been previously over the next few months.
It was a big week between Christmas and New Years as I tried to get an early jump by doing 500km over 5 days. The riding took in some big climbs too, as we threw in Honeysuckle, Fitz’s and Orroral Valley on day 3 and Corin Dam on day 4. Needless to say with not a huge base to work on it hurt like hell and left me quite tired and lacking for energy over the last week.
Saturday I did a Cotter/Uriarra loop and beside a slight sting in the legs on some of the climbs I began to feel good and even though it was only an 80k ride, I felt pretty good, and not like the previous week where past 60k I was hurting. On the Australia Day long weekend, I’ll be heading down to Bright in Victoria for the 200km Alpine Classic and i was thinking I should have waited till next year, but now I’m feeling a lot more positive about it.
Being a Monday it’s time for the weekly summer club TT session. For the first time this season I have bought out the weapon. Victoria and I will be seeing how she goes in her first tilt after a lengthy spell in the paddock. It was helping Danielle train for Ironman the last time she was out for a gallop.
So that’s the goal for January, consistency…
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01.01.08
Posted in Triathlon, Sport at 12:01 am by AB
Welcome to 2008 and welcome to a year in the life of a want-to-be Ironman. This year broughton.id.au will be primarily devoted my goal of breaking the Broughton Family Ironman record.
The Ironman is a 3.8k swim, 180k bike and a 42.2k run. My sister Danielle has completed one, and I have decided that she has had her moment in the sun, and with her self imposed semi-retirement has held the family record for long enough.
So in December at Busselton, Western Australia I will set out to break the 13:50 she set as the Broughton family record in 2007 at Port Macquarie.
I am coming of a year interrupted by injury and illness. My fitness base is lacking following the struggle I had with exercise induced asthma in 2007, but I seem to have some more control over that and looking to build a solid platform over the next few months.
I have just completed a 500k block on the bike between the 27th and yesterday as a kick-start to the year. And with that momentum behind me the plan is to have a consistent couple of months through to April to rebuild my fitness base, and from there begin the more targeted training towards Ironman.
So keep coming back as I continue the march into December 2008 and see what the year throws at me not only in training but work and everything else that goes on during the year.
Happy new year everyone…
Aaron Broughton
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26.09.07
Posted in Sport at 10:08 am by AB
Grand Final Day
Well the end of the season has come and gone. It was a great feeling to get to umpire in the grand final. Standing there listening to the National Anthem as you prepare to control 44 players going in to battle was a pretty surreal feeling. That feeling soon disappears though as the ball is bounced and the teams go at it. This year’s grand final was played between Queanbeyan and the Sydney Swans Reserves and as Grand Finals so often do, it delivered a good contest. It was strange, I hadn’t really thought about it too much during the week but upon arrival at the ground it was obvious that the day was something different.
During the week I had been placed on a course of medications to try and relieve the recently diagnosed exercise induced asthma. As such I felt that it was the most free I had been able to run all season. It made a big difference, and I felt a lot more comfortable on the field than I had all season. It’s hard to put it all into words but it certainly was a great experience. In the end the Sydney Swans Reserves were a little too strong for Queanbeyan, but the Tigers put up one hell of a show. Thanks to Mick, Greg, Luke, Michael, Dave, Kate and Matt who formed the umpiring team along with me. And to the Queanbeyan club official who called us F…… C… as we were in the tunnel after the game do us all a favour and during the summer, grab a mirror and have a long hard look at yourself.
Boundaries v Fieldies
Last night was the annual Boundary Umpires versus Field Umpires grudge match. In what was possibly the worst game played at Greenway Oval all season the Umpires gathered to settle disputes that have been raging since the corresponding game last year. The Boundaries looked like they would have the legs to out run the Field umpires, but just before the bounce down the Fieldies were able to take 18 on to the field. The Fieldies were able to assert some physical dominance early and let by stellar performances from Michael Kennealy, Rob Sirr, Aaron Gladki Alice Broughton, Peter Auld and Elise O’Dea were able to control the game from Siren to Siren.
The game was played in the usual sledging nature with players using their mouths to make up for the lack of skill. In the end the Field Umpires were able to able to run out to a 9 goal victory.
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22.09.07
Posted in Sport at 2:12 pm by AB
It’s been a big week this week. Tuesday night we had the AFL Canberra Umpires Grand Final Appointments night. I was fortunate enough to have had a reasonably good season and knew that i had umpired pretty well over the first two weeks of the finals. I was therefore hoping i could be a chance to earn a start in the AFL Canberra Grand Final. You attend these functions hoping to hear your name announced, but not until it is do you allow yourself to get to excited. Anyway getting to the point i have been appointed to the Grand Final alongside Michael Kennealy and Greg Healy (who will also be doing his first grand final).
Also happening this week is that i finally got some answers about my breathing problem. It seems somehow i have developed exercise induced asthma. So that explains the shortness of breath and inability to feel comfortable while exercising. Now armed with three new medications i might be able to actually approach something similar to normal. This means i also might be able to make a return to triathlon.
Till next time!
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12.09.07
Posted in Sport at 8:55 am by AB
I must have done something right on the weekend as I am back again this weekend; either that or I am getting the pity game and three others are already pencilled in for the big one next week. Needless to say the appointments have been handed out for the AFL Canberra Preliminary Finals and I have been given the nod in the big Belconnen v Queanbeyan matchup. Given the strength of the Sydney Swans Reserves over this season and the last couple of seasons the Preliminary Final has become one of the biggest games on the calendar. I’m looking forward to the challenge and enjoying what game day brings. Praying for good weather; last Saturday didn’t exactly turn out the best of weather.
Hopefully a strong performance will put me into the mix for the Grand Final the week after. For now the focus is solely on this weekend’s game.
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05.09.07
Posted in Sport at 10:00 am by AB
September… The grass looks greener, the weather is warmer, the air smells sweeter, and football takes on a whole new dimension. Ladies and Gentlemen, September is finals. The crowds grow, the stakes rise and the football becomes fast, frenetic and furious. Yes I am aware that essentially those three adjectives imply pretty much the same thing, but it’s a fair indication of how football is played this time of year.
The AFL Canberra finals get under way this week and while I congratulate all the teams who have made it this far; let’s talk about the other side of the coin for a while. I’m referring of course about those who make the sacrifice to umpire football in Canberra; those men and women who get out there each week and make sure the game comes together.
The hard men and women of orange have been training since well before the season has begun, continued to slog it out on the training track two nights a week (and lets be honest when all you have to look forward to week after week at training is running it’s a struggle at times) and finally their moment has arrived too. Like players the chance to participate in a Grand Final is the ultimate for any umpire, whether it is at the MCG on the last Saturday in September or the U18’s at Manuka Oval it’s something an umpire will remember for ever.
Competition for position is tight; a club playing in a Grand final gets to choose 22 players. For the umpires only 8 will participate in the match, and when you narrow it down to individual disciplines it’s even less, because there is no way a Field Umpire would be caught running the Boundary. The pressure is frightening; a player might miss a goal or two in a game, but if his team wins he’s likely to keep his spot the next week. An umpire misses one or two obvious decisions… well that’s their season done. The scrutiny that the umpires coaching staff places on umpires rises, no stone is left unturned.
At the end of the day though that’s why we do it, it’s a challenge. Like anything in life when the pressure mounts, those that can handle it will stand out and earn their accolades. The 44 umpires this week have proven that they can consistently do the job during the proceeding 21 rounds; yet only 24 will remain on Grand Final Day. Cutting half your team in 2 weeks, what football club does that this time of year?
Congratulations to all umpires who had received the nod for this week.
2nd Semi Finals:
Seniors - E McDonald, A Broughton, K Tingey, M Baker, C Simms, L Roberts, J Savage, C Larter
Reserves - R Powell, B McGlynn, P Baldwin, D O’Dea, T Hocking, J Jenkin, K Griffiths
U/18’s - R Sirr, J Savage, K Jones, D Decarvahlo, B Decarvahlo, C Seveque, R O’Dea
1st Semi Finals:
Seniors - M Kennealy, G Healy, A Rowles, D Hutchinson, J Smith, S Vincent, D Puren, K Pratt
Reserves - A Gladki, L Harrison, S Lawrence, N Smith, T Wilke, P White, M Ferguson
U/18’s - M Goiser, R Hutchings, L Broadhurst, A Elmitt, C Hughes, A Wood, R Harrison
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13.04.07
Posted in Triathlon, Sport at 11:37 am by AB
A few people have been blaming me for the lack of content following up from Danielle’s race. In the words of Homer Simpson… “You can cram it with Walnuts ugly!!”
The best story is the one told by the individual themselves and broughton.id.au has been waiting almost two weeks now for Danielle to get her act together and write a race report. As soon as Danielle furnishes me with her version of events I will post it here in all it’s glory.
Perhaps you can email the girl herself, tell her that you are really looking forward to reading it on broughton.id.au and we may get some action.
If we have to wait much longer I’ll write it for her, and she will not like that.
Aaron Broughton
Team Danni #226 - Public Relations
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02.04.07
Posted in Triathlon, Sport at 10:18 am by AB
The Bank of Mum and Dad and broughton.id.au congratulate Danielle Broughton on realising her goal and becoming an Ironman.
Danielle finished the gruelling 226 kilometre journey in a time of 13 hours and 50 minutes and in doing so claimed the Broughton Family Record for the Ironman distance. Danielle will be posting her story here at broughton.id.au in the near future.
We will also follow the rest of Danielle’s story as she now is preparing to get the obligatory Ironman tattoo.
Photos of Danielle racing will also be online soon.
Congratulations Danni.
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