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 :-)
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