Sunday 15 December 2013

Ironman Western Australia 2013 (said in an Aussie accent)

Four years ago I did my first Ironman.  I was woefully unprepared. I had no formal swim training and preferred to spend my surfing rather than counting laps.  I had just bought a bike but looking back I rode it like a bit of a clown.  You know, the ones on the unicycles, who go really slow so they can juggle (I can't juggle).  And I could run, but lets face it, evolution makes this happen to everyone (well, everyone who wants to stay uneaten).

Back then I remember looking  the pro's with awe.  Clearly they were some kind of superhuman with their freakish fitness and flash gear. 
Back then I never thought one day I would be lining up at the pro start.
Bearing this in mind, in Busselton I decided to be as down to earth and humble as possible.  This was largely determined by how broke I was.  I think I was possibly the only pro... in fact, the only triathlete there, who had to catch the bus.  Everywhere.  I had to time racking my bike on Saturday with the bus timetable.   Luckily we had a family friend come down for the race on Sunday (with a car, woop woop), otherwise chances were I would have had to have slept in transition overnight.
As a bonus though, the bus drivers were very friendly and chatty  :-)

After a win at the Karapiro Half Ironman four weeks prior, I was ready for another hit out over Ironman distance.

Race morning was pretty much perfect - the ocean was nice and flat with only a little swell out toward the end of the jetty.  And there were no sharks (well, none that I could see).
I had a pretty good swim, managing to hold on to Maureen Hufe's feet for a 59min swim.  Unfortunately she ditched me rather quickly on the bike, being the super cyclist she is.
Going in to transition I wasted a bit of time getting tangled up in my wetsuit.  Prior to leaving my Orca Alpha split a seam.  Orca were brilliant in repairing it, and sent it back to me with instructions for the courier to deliver it before Tues (when I flew out).  The couriers clearly misread this as "keep this as long as possible" as Tues morning they didn't know where it was, and then finally located it just after my plane took off.  So I raced in my old 3.8, which is only loosely classified as a wetsuit now due to it falling apart and sporting a massive hole on the leg.  The hole which I managed to stick my foot through trying to get it off.
Once I finished my own private wrestling match with my wetsuit in transition, I hit the bike.
The temperature was a cool 25 degrees with not much wind on the first lap. The course was a flat, fast 3 lap course.  Laps 2 and 3 were a bit more chaotic trying to dodge age groupers, and we had a nice headwind spring up too just to keep it interesting.
Came off the bike in 5hrs10.

I hit the run feeling pretty good, and tried to stick to my pacing.  I always get a little too excited about the prospect of running a marathon after 180km on the bike, so I tried to keep my pace in check.  I felt awesome.  Until the 20km mark, when someone clearly flicked the "feel sick" switch.  I slowed down a bit and soldiered on to the end.
Total run time was 3hrs17.

I was the 6th pro to finish, out of a field of 12.  I was pretty happy considering the quality of the pro field there.  In hindsight, there are things I could have done better, but this is only one step in my journey.

Congrats to the race winners, Elizabeth Lyles and Jeremy Jurkiewicz, and fellow kiwi athletes Michelle Bremer and Melanie Burke for their 4th & 5th placing.

A big thank you to Sandie for looking after us in WA, my sister Nadine for consenting to be dragged along as support crew, SkyCity, Bob's Bikes, Adidas Eyewear, coach Keegan Williams (VO2Coach.com), swim coach Cameron Stanley, Roger for giving me a leave pass, and the Busselton bus drivers for always being on time!

Sunday 1 September 2013

Challenge Penticton 2013

If asked to sum up Challenge Penticton in one word I would be hard pressed to decide between "beautiful" and "brutal".  But I think this is what makes this such a spectacular race.

I arrived in Penticton ten days prior to the race.  I got a bit of an opportunity to head out and do some training on the course, as well as scoping out some of the more challenging parts of the course.  I really must applaud the person who decided to include not one but two climbs over separate mountain ranges in the same race.  All before running a marathon, of course. 

Four days out from race day, while out riding and battling the winds at the back of the course (did I mention the wind??  As if the climbs weren't going to be challenging enough!!) I got bitten by a wasp.  Now this is something that doesn't really happen to me.  Enough so that I hadn't realised up until this point that I was allergic to wasps.  Being a trooper (and I didn't rate my chances hitch hiking), I rode another 70km with a throbbing leg.
I woke up the next morning to find from my knee down to my foot my leg was twice the size, very red and very hot.  Being a typical triathlete, I did what all triathletes do, and went down to the pool for a swim, ignoring the glowing red puffy thing attached to my knee.  Apparently this was the incorrect thing to do (as was finishing my ride the day before) as told to me by the doctor I then had to visit.  In short I was given some pills to take that "may cause drowsiness" (read: they knocked me out senseless every time I took them).  Additionally my appetite vanished - for those who know me, this is a serious thing as I am usually always eating.  Not ideal pre-race prep!  However after two days the swelling had reduced enough for me to put my foot into my bike and running shoes. 

Race morning dawned and for once I had no nerves.  This was either due to spending the last three days in a drug-induced fog, or due to the fact that everyone involved with this race was so supportive and friendly - it is hard to get nervous when everyone wants only the best for you.
The swim was rough with a lot of chop but I managed to settle into a small group with Jen Annett, Trish Deim and Janelle Morrison. 
Out of the swim I got on to my bike but soon lost Jen, Trish and Janelle who proved to be powerhouses on the bike.
I knew this was going to be a hard day at the office when 60km into the bike I began to feel like my legs were working really hard.  And I hadn't even hit Richter's Pass yet. 
Things looked up a bit when I caught sight of Trish on Richter's Pass proving I had made up some ground again, but I soon lost her on the long descent over the other side.  Note to self:  load bike with bricks for descending...
By the time I hit the final stages of the 20km climb at Yellow Lake I was concentrating very hard on not thinking about running a marathon.  My legs were hammered.


The final 20km of the bike had some good descents back to transition, enough for me to convince myself I actually wanted to run a marathon.
Off the bike on to the run course I couldn't quite seem to hit my targeted pace, so I settled for as close as I could and tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery along lake Skaha.  I managed to make up some ground, passing Trish a few km's out from the turnaround, putting me in 5th place.  I caught sight of Jennifer Luebke in the final 4km and I managed to gain some ground on her, but not enough to move into 4th.  Finishing 23sec behind her for 5th place with nothing left in my legs I could only be happy.

 

For my first pro race I definitely learnt a lot and was happy with the effort I put in. After talking my nutritionist Mel, I can see now that taking those pills a few days out interfered with my body's ability to absorb things.  Wasps are now my least favourite creatures!

Well done to everyone who completed the race!

I want to say a huge thank you to the team who put Challenge Penticton on.  I feel honoured to have been able to race in the inaugural race here.  The entire team, the volunteers and the community were just absolutely awesome.  In particular to Kelly Hall the pro coordinator for the fantastic job she did, and for opening her home to us.  I have never seen anyone work so hard but be so enthusiastic all the time!  She really made this experience very special for a lot of us pros.  Also to Judy Sentes who made us very welcome in her home and in her family.  Roger and I have gained some lifelong friends who we hope to see again next year!




Finally thanks to my sponsors SkyCity for getting me over to Canada; to Bob's Bikes for all the prep they put into my bike; to Saucony for my fast running shoes and racing apparel; and to Adidas Eyewear.  And to all my friends and family who provide me with so much support and encouragement.  Lastly to Roger who always believes in me, making pursuing my dream possible.

Sunday 4 August 2013

Winter Training - roll on somewhere warm!!

I would like to think I have survived my winter training this year with minimal moaning.  Some of my training buddies may beg to differ as I have probably assaulted their ears with my whinging about the cold without even being aware of it (I do recall standing in Keegan's garage next to my bike refusing to take my Ugg boots and puffer vest off not so long ago...).

The winter has seen some pretty solid training going into the bank.  Under swim coach Cameron Stanley I seem to have finally figured out how to move forward in the water (but still not how to dive in without my goggles moving).  Thanks to the purchase of a new Trek and a bike fit from David Bowden at Speed Theory I am starting to feel a lot stronger on the bike.  And thanks to some good old fashioned long run mileage my body seems to have discovered a very efficient way of running with what feels like minimal energy being used.  I also seem to have figured out how to run about 26km with no fluid or gels (thanks to Roger who got dropped carrying some vital fluid on the mountain bike one day...).  I am sure this may all come in handy for the inaugural Challenge Penticton in three weeks!

My winter training was rounded off with the Taupo Half Marathon.  A great race with a stunning course on the edge of the lake and some amazing views of a snow covered Ruapehu.  Despite having just completed some solid training over the last two weeks training buddy Candice and I managed to pull off a decent race, Candice taking the win with me not too far behind for second.  Overall I am happy with the progress I have made this winter and can't wait to test it out in Penticton on the 25th Aug!

Saturday 4 May 2013

Rotorua Marathon 2013

So this year saw me packing my bags (in my usual pre-race rush) to get down to Rotorua for annual run around the lake.  This is one marathon that is fast becoming an annual event on my race calendar.  Its a good honest course (i.e. you physically want to die in the last 5km), it has a brilliant atmosphere and the spot prizes offered here are out of this world thanks to some very generous sponsors.

I went in to this race with no big expectations.  All I wanted to achieve was to come in under the 3hr mark, preferably a little faster than the 2hrs59 I ran last year.  I was feeling pretty good - coach Keegan has had Candice and I doing some really strong sessions over the last few weeks; and Tanya Momo had given me a couple of legendary massages that left my legs feeling super light.

At the boom of the cannon we were off.  I always seem to have this habit of starting out a little too quickly, so this year I really made sure I stuck to my pacing plan for the first 5km, despite runners shooting past me at sub 4min/km pace.  I had to constantly check my watch, as I was convinced I must have been running 5min km's - I was being passed left, right and centre, and felt like I was running a tad slow.  But no, my pacing was spot on, so I made the decision to ignore everything and just stick to that.  My aim was to stay as comfortable as I could for the first half, and then wind it up a bit in the second.

I knew I was sitting comfortably in 3rd place, and was pretty happy to catch 2nd place once we hit the back of the lake.  Knowing Gabrielle O' Rouke was sitting in 1st place I resigned myself to trying to hold my 2nd place, happy in the knowledge that this triathlete could make it on to the podium amongst pure runners.
So you could imagine my suprise to catch Gabrielle on what is fondly called Heartbreak Hill, and pass her!  At this point I really had to discipline myself to stick to my pacing, instead of trying to race off into the distance, despite the fact I was sure she was hot on my heels.
While running I noticed a cyclist on a mountain bike in a high vis vest, who cycled along at a steady state constantly glancing back.  I ran along, thinking "wow, someone has the most awesome support person.  They are pacing them the entire way and making sure they aren't losing them.  That's commitment!".  It took me until the 32km mark to realise this was the "Lead Female" bicycle, and he was in fact, glancing back at me.  Yup, this is definately not a position I find myself in!

Once I hit 32km, my aim was to just run strong for 10km.  I met an awesome runner (Aaron) who was keeping pace with me for most of the run, and the encouragement he kept giving me was awesome.  Likewise Rog, who I had given permission to rant, rave and yell at me to get me through what I anticipated being the hardest part of the race.
I was convinced Gabrielle would run me down, I just hoped to keep up a strong enough pace that it would be closer to the finish than further, as I didn't know how I would have matched up in a head to head!  It wasn't until the last 2km that I realised if I wanted it, this race was truly mine.

Crossing the finish line was awesome, even if it was one of the slower winning times in Rotorua.  I was happy to see training buddy Candice cross in 3rd place not too far behind me, knowing she had completed this after a decent training week.
Gabrielle and Candice definately kept me working and I feel privleged to run against strong athletes like them.

A big thank you to the race organisers, Event Promotions and the Lion Foundation for yet another brilliant event.  Next year is the 50th anniversary race, a must do if a marathon is on your bucket list.
Also to Skyline for the excellent dinner they put on for the winning athletes, event organisers and associated VIP's - the meal here was definately worth running a marathon for!


Wednesday 6 March 2013

Ironman NZ 2013

Ironman NZ was a dream come true this year - and that was just the weather!  I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was by the prospect of 1). Sunshine and 2). Heat!!!!!  These two factors alone had me very, very excited about race day.

Race day dawned promising to be a stunner of a day.  The lake was flat and glassy, things were looking good! 

The swim went well - aside from losing my transponder at some point.  I was out the water in under an hour (a first for me) and got to experience first hand the joys of a much emptier transition.  This is the first time I have ever had my very own volunteer (in fact, I had two....TWO!!) there to rip my wetsuit off me - usually I arrive in with the masses and resort to removing my own wetsuit.

Once I got over the excitement of my wetsuit removal, it was out on to the bike course.  After spending months chasing (read: gasping, panting and getting black spots in my vision) Candice up hills the bike course felt almost too easy.  Lap one went by quickly and comfortably, I rode on to lap two feeling very optimistic.  Until just before Broadlands I heard the dreaded combination of a motorbike and a blast on the whistle - apparently I had taken more than 20 seconds to pass through the draft zone of a guy I was passing.  I was gutted.  I hadn't even been aware that it had taken me slightly longer to pass; add this to the fact that I would rather commit a felony than draft during a race.  Those four minutes were some of the longest in my life.  Back on to the bike I felt on the back foot (I gave up counting the number of girls who had passed in those four minutes), but soon worked my way back up the field, and back toward my favourite part of the race - the marathon!

The first 20km of the marathon flew by.  I felt comfortable, and had managed to work my way up to first age grouper overall.  The support out on the run course was phenomonal.  I looked forward to the various spots where I knew my friends and family had stationed themselves.  By 30km my run began to unravel a little - I began to feel slightly ill and let my pace drop.  The last 7km my pace dropped even more and I felt like a first year uni student at the end of an O week filled with very cheap rum.  Not good!  With 1km to go, Kira Flanagan caught me, to get first age grouper in overall.  I tried to put up a bit of a fight, but with not much left in the tank I had to settle for second age grouper overall and just had my lucky stars to thank that she was an age group below me.
I still walked (well, stumbled) away as an age group winner, setting a new course record for the 30-34 age group in 9:56:29.  This put in me in 6th overall.

A huge thank you to the volunteers who were out on the course far longer than I was, you make this day possible for us.  Thank you to my sponsors - Adidas Eyewear and TopMark nutrition, and a massive thank you to Bob's Bikes who do so much for me.
Thanks also to Ben and Fitness Locker MultiSport Club for all the support and pre-race pep talks! And to coach Keegan Williams for teaching me how much further I could go.
Lastly, a massive thank you to my family, my in-laws and Roger.  The support, encouragement and belief in me that you provide is invaluable. 

I have come out of the race feeling good, and a little wiser.  I will be looking forward to my next challenge!

Monday 11 February 2013

New Plymouth Half

The weekend saw me and Roger head down to New Plymouth for the fantastic Wells Half Ironman.  This is the second time I have done this race, and I have loved it both times.  Amazing weather, the BEST race packs I have ever seen, a vibrant atmosphere, a hilly but beautiful bike course and a run along the ocean.  What more could a girl want?

Friday saw me doing my usual pre-race ritual.  That is, running around like a headless chicken as I always manage to fully book myself up with clients until our designated leaving time, and I like to leave things like packing and organising spare gels/drink until the very last minute.  I then like to add to my stress levels by having to Fill Up The Car With Petrol, usually with no knowledge of how much money I actually possess (and some knowledge that like mortgages and 10 carat diamonds, petrol is hideously expensive).  Once all of this is accomplished and we are on the road, I kind of feel like I have already just completed a Half Ironman.

Race day dawned a beautiful day, as only the Naki can put on.  I have been really focussing on swimming a little better, so I was keen to see if I could stay within touching distance of the front group that would inevitably break away.  I successfully did this all the way to the first buoy.  While I was high fiving myself in my head, and thinking of how awesome I felt, I turned too close to the buoy and stuck my arm through the netting encasing it.  Cue 3 seconds of frantic floundering (while I randomly thought "aaaah, so this is what poor dolphins feel like when they are caught in nets...."), and then common sense kicked in and I extracted my arm the same way it got in.  Unfortunately the front girls were long gone, and it was a slower swim all by myself.

Out on to the bike it was hard work all the way.  This bike course is honest.  Which is a nice way of saying you will work your butt off on it no matter what.  I managed to work my way up a few places, and rode back in to transition around the point that I began thinking "I would like to get off my bike now".  Coming off the bike into the three lap run, I learnt I was 5-6min behind Hilary.  I wasn't sure how fast she was running, but thought I would aim to gain ground on every lap (and hopefully not have a repeat of last year's performance of being 2 seconds too slow in the finish chute).  Things panned out a little differently to that, with me catching and passing Hilary on lap 2, and then running scared on lap 3 as I imagined she was right behind me the entire way.

I crossed the finish line in 2nd place, behind training partner Candice Hammond who stamped her dominance on the course with a new course record.  It was also good to see fellow VO2Coach'ed athlete Graham O'Grady winning with a new course record in the men's race.

A big thank you to Bob's Bikes for fitting my new Profile Design aerobars on in time to race, to replace the bars wrecked in the crash (and for constantly tuning my bike to my race wheels!).

Sunday 3 February 2013

Woohoo, 2013!! And another Ironman!

So 2013 is well and truly here, and this is going to be a great year!  After ending 2012 with a bang (or more accurately, a crash) 2013 can only get better.

December was a pretty busy month, the end of the year flew by.  Three weeks after racing Kona, I was on the start line for the Karapiro Half Ironman.  My pre-race prep of sitting on a beach in Waikiki consuming my body weight in ice cream is obviously my secret weapon, as I walked away from the race with a win and some not very tired legs.

After this I joined the Other Side - as support crew and #1 spectator for Roger, doing his very first half ironman at IronMaori.  This was a great event to watch, with so much encouragement and positive energy out on the course.  It was great to see Rog smiling his way through the entire event (in fact, I think he is still smiling from it) to finish in a very respectable time of 5:25.  Very proud of him for getting out there and giving it a good go!

After this it was back into business mode at the Rotorua Half Ironman.  This was my very first triathlon a few years ago now - I remember being so nervous the night before I actually wanted to die.  I had fantasies of cyclones hitting Rotorua resulting in a cancelled race...yup, that nervous! 
This year I finished well over an hour faster than that day (and I wasn't the second to last person out the water this time due to my then philosophy of "why swim when you can surf"...yup, I was that slow!).
This has to be one of my favourite races.  It is a tough, honest course but beautiful - made even more so by the new offroad run this year.  A must do race on any triathlete's bucket list for sure.
I managed to snag second place behind the super speedy Anna Ross, and walked away with a life-sized stuffed dragon for my effort, which Roger now uses to terrify the dogs.  Will race for soft toys :-)

The plan after Rotorua was to get back into some solid training.  Three days later, riding back from my first really good training session with Keegan, Candice and a visiting Tamsyn, I got involved in a reluctant game of chicken with a truck.  I would love to say that I flexed my muscles of titanium, and left an Erin-shaped dent in the side of the truck, but sadly this was not the case.  Scotty the bike and I came off second best, while my anti-indicating, anti-giving way opponent made a speedy exit from the scene.  I wish I knew where he lived, so I could have given him the Road Code for Christmas (well, that and something else that starts with black and ends with eye...).
A few very concerned motorists stopped, one lady even insisted on trying to put bandaids on my road rash - not an easy task, considering the size of a band aid, and then the size of my road rashed butt cheek.  I am flattered that she thought my bum was that small.
Bob's Bikes did a great job of fixing Scotty up and getting me back out cycling in no time, despite the Christmas rush in the shop - thanks guys!
A couple of easy weeks later and I was ready to roll again (aside from an abnormal fear of trucks).

January saw some good quality miles go under the belt, all in preparation for IMNZ.  I made the decision not to race this month to really focus on building some strength for Ironman.  I finished off the month with a solo effort weekend down in Taupo which has left me feeling great.

The countdown for IMNZ is back on, with the wee matter of the New Plymouth Half next weekend just for fun :-)