Meet A Race Pacer - Brett Housley

1. How long have you been doing Triathlon? What do you like about Triathlon?                       

Going on 12 years of Triathlon/Endurance sports. I love the overall challenges of training and racing Triathlons, seeing hard work payoff through discipline and dedication. I also meeting like minded people and forging friendships with great people I may not have otherwise met. Sitting around post event trading race stories and never letting the truth get in the way! Ha.

2. What was your sporting background pre-triathlon?                                                                        

I grew up playing Cricket in the winter and Soccer in the summer. Little bits of swimming and running, but I never had the patience for it as a kid.

3. What are your best race results?   

Building for and breaking the 10 hour barrier at Ironman Western Australia, Pete and I worked a plan that was spot on and crossing that finish line was very rewarding. Same year going low 4:20's overall at Sunshine Coast 70.3 was a highlight as well. But one race that sticks out was my first Cairns 70.3 under Pete, I realised what a benefit of having a coach with a plan that I bought into was, I went more than 10mins faster than my previous 3 Cairns 70.3's with relative ease compared to being self-coached!

4. You live in Cairns which is notoriously hot and humid, how does that affect your training? What adjustments do you make for this?       

November to April is definitely hot, humid and wet.  Being smart is key, but also hard at times. I work outdoors as well, so plenty of hydration and mineral/vitamin replacement before, during and after training. Early mornings to beat the heat and know when to push and when to say, not today. 'Easy' workouts can be harder to get through in Summer then it would seem sometimes.  You learn a lot about your body training in these conditions thats for sure!

5. Your job as an electrical engineer often means you are called away, to get the grid functioning, for lengthy periods. How do you adjust training during these periods?      

I always pack swimming and running gear with me. I hunt down a gym if possible. Training is a great way for me to de-compress, so I just find the time whether before or after work.  We can often be in remote locations, but they make for great running destinations. Wildlife and farm animals can give you some strange looks when you come running by, thankfully no run ins as yet.  Kangaroo's are sketchy though.....

6.How do you find working with a coach that is based somewhere else? How long have you been working with Race Pace Coaching?    

I first contacted Pete in late 2013, begun working with him in early 2014 and have not looked back since. I believe this is because I understand his plan and how he likes to build my approach to races, but most of all I trust him.  No nonsense, no fluff and no BS training that Pete delivers is exactly what I like. The fact that he isn't based here in Cairns has never worried me as his style of coaching can be delivered face to face or through correspondence. The best part is, any queries I have about workouts, personal issues etc, Pete gets back to me in a very timely manner and does so with no fuss and understands that life isn't always a smooth ride. 

7. What do you regard as your strengths and weaknesses? How are you addressing the weaknesses?      

I guess mentally i am always up for the challenge, even when things don't go my way.  This helps in this type of sport at times, Pete has given me more help and insight into the mental approach which has been great. Physically I have found under Pete's guidance that I am runner, I find this to be my strongest leg and often the easiest to train for. My weakness would be cycling, I am not as strong as I would like to be, and some times I am too conservative on the bike during races through not backing myself. I have definitely improved a lot on the bike since Pete has begun coaching me, through strength, pace, cadence and HR workouts i have found improvement and i believe i can achieve more going forward. 

8.What races are you planning for the rest of 2017?   

Well I just raced Hell of the West - Brilliant event, would recommend to anyone and everyone! Cairns 70.3, Melbourne Marathon, Hervey Bay 100 would be the big ticket events and local events around the area such as TriPort, GBR HM, Grin N Bear it, etc. Plenty of options up this way!