Race day report-Sorry very long

Challenge Cairns Race Report- 5^th June 2011. (Apologies in advance very very long!!! More of a short story really than a race report) You might need a beer or a cup of tea before you sit down to read this!!

My decision to enter my first Iron distance race was made in late 2010.  I had yet to race my first half. I had entered the Port Macquarie 70.3 the previous May 2010 , with entries selling out in one week for a race that was 12 months away.  At the time of entering the half it felt like the ultimate challenge. I was shaking when my sister Megan entered us both in the 70.3 at Port.

I have been doing triathlons now for nearly 3 years and had only raced 3 Olympic distance races before my first half in May 2011 followed by the fully in June 2011.  I have steadily seen my results improve going from a 3hr race at Noosa (Olympic distance) to a 2hr 40min the next year.  I also had a good season with the sprint distance stuff finishing 8^th overall in my age group for the Gatorade series in 2011. This is a far cry from my first few triathlons where I was pretty much last in my age group!!  I never been a very athletic person and I dabbled in a few team sports at school but was never very good at them.

However, my triathlon journey is not about the results and the places.  It is about the fantastic friendships I have made over the past 3 years in the sport, the achievement of committing to a routine and a lifestyle and pushing yourself to do something many people would never dream of.  I have been lucky to have the support of great group of people (coaches and friends) within my squad Brisbane Tri Squad (BTS), along with my husband Brett who is also afflicted with the triathlon addiction.  My work place has also been supportive especially over the last few months when training has been eating into time at work on the odd occasion; however, it is all swings and roundabouts.

I think my decision to enter the full Iron distance at Cairns came at a point in my life when I needed something out of the ordinary to focus on.  The past 6 months had been tough for my family.  Dad had suffered a mild heart attack in May 2010 and we watched as his health declined.  After numerous specialist appointments, he was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  This was then revised a couple of months ago to Subnuclear Palsy.  This disease is rare only 1300 people in Australia have been diagnosed with it and Doctors are not sure of the cause. There is no available treatment. The effects of this disease are devastating. Dad is almost wheel chair bound and has lost most of his speech.  Mum needs a carer in each day to help with his daily routine.

My Dad has worked a life on the land. He was always a very physically strong and fit man. Family friends used tell us stories of seeing Dad out running along the road near our family property.  My parents had a cattle property nearly Emerald which had been in Dad’s family since the early 1900’s.  After a full days work on the property he still managed to go out for a run.  Amazing!  My sister and I adored spending time with Dad. Because we lived too far from school Mum taught us at home, we used to break our necks to finish school for the day so we could go out mustering on our horses with Dad or drive around the property.  My Dad is the quiet type and doesn’t say a lot.

My husband Brett says what chance does the poor man have living with a house of 3 women (of course he could rarely get a word in!!)  I know however how proud Dad is of his girls.  I remember once as a teenager having a fight with him over something trivial I am sure.  Dad said to me “Everything I have ever worked for is for you girls.”  It makes you understand the love of a parent.

Over Christmas 2010 Dad hit a low point mentally.  The embarrassment, humiliation, and frustration of his disease was getting to him.  We had a family dinner for New Years Eve on the coast and then Brett and I dropped Mum and Dad back up to Maleny.  As we went to go Dad broke down and started crying. He said to me “you be careful on your bike I don’t want you to die”.  In my 34 years I don’t think I had ever seen my father cry, even at his mother’s funeral.  I sat there for 10 minutes sobbing and hugging him.  I think it was what he needed someone to acknowledge that it was tough for him and that he wasn’t coping.  From that point on I knew that I would be racing at Cairns for my Dad.

I talked over my decision to do the full iron distance at Cairns with my husband Brett and he was supportive. He said you have shown the commitment to consistent training over the past 12 months so you will be fine.  I entered the race then spoke to my coach Mark, the head coach of BTS.  I was nervous about the conversation when I asked Mark if he would write a program for me to get to Cairns.  I had visions of Mark laughing at me (if you know Mark he would never do this, funny how the mind works though).  Mark looked at me and said yep your ready you will get there. 

My 20 week Iron distance training program started in mid January.  By this time there was 6 of us from BTS doing the full at Cairns, Jacqui, Ray, Andrew, Shane and Berlinda.  We also had the BTS IMNZ group and IMOZ group training along side us.  I went and watched my good friends Alicia Newman and Sarah Hulme complete there first IM’s in Taupo NZ.  The girls had a brilliant day and it gave me confidence that I would get through my day as well.  I then watched the IMOZ group at Port Mac after my half. Again the guys and girls did so well.

The first month of the program was swimming, swimming and swimming. I think I was swimming 6-7 times a week. It wasn’t until the 16 week mark that things got a bit harder. The hours on the bike were building and a 5-6 hour Sunday ride became the norm. My training load went from avg 10-12 to nearly 15-17hrs per week,  I was so lucky to have Jacqui to do most of my long rides with. The boys were a bit faster than us so we left them to it and Berlinda lived on the Gold Coast so she did her training there.

Jacqui and I passed many an hour on our long rides chatting about life.  It was nice to have the support of such a great training buddy and friend.  I also kept in touch with Berlinda  from our Gold Coast squad and we all supported each other. There were weeks when things were tough and a text and email from Jac and or Berlinda kept me going.  As women we can very hard on ourselves, second guessing ourselves, so the girls helped me keep on even keel and put things into perspective.  The boys were also fabulous I could not have asked for a nicer more supportive group of people to share the Cairns experience with.

I have to also mention my wonderful husband Brett, who kept me fed and watered during my training.  Brett was the ultimate bike mechanic making sure my bike was well maintained and running safely.  Brett coped more than the occasional training meltdown over the 20 weeks, but thankfully, we got there. He understood how hard it can be training for an ironman given he had done one the previous year.  I have promised him a new TT bike as thankyou.  He is pretty lucky!!

RACE DAY

The alarm went off at 4am.  I had been awake since 3:30. I felt rested and managed 6 hrs sleep.  I had my breaky and then my stomach started to turn, so I popped a couple of degas tablets (these things are a godsend).

We all piled in the car and drove out to Yorkeys Knob, the start was about 20kms out of Cairns.  I put all my drinks on the bike and then it was time to get in the wet suit.

There were lots of hugs with squad members, other tri friends and supporters and I held it together pretty well until I went to say goodbye to Brett and then they reality of what I was about to do hit me.  I shed a few tears then pulled it together and walked to the start with the rest of the full crew.  We all wished each other well then found our spots at the start. It was a beach start so we started standing in waist deep water.  I got talking to the girl beside me she said she was nervous, I told her you will be fine.  I asked her if this was her first full and she said no its my 6^th and then she laughed when she heard it was my first. She said I should be the one supporting you!!

Before we knew it the race had started, no Ironman cannon or musket, just a horn. I settled into a nice rhythm after a few minutes. The course was quite technical we had a total of 7 buoys to swim around on each lap and given it was a m shape there were several sharp turns. I kept saying to myself get on a nice pair of feet or hips and ride the magic carpet along.  Before I knew it I was standing up after my first lap, I glanced down 34minutes xx. Great I was swimming better than my half swim at port. We ran up the ramp and around beach about 90mtres before re-entering the water. I reckon this took me about 3 minutes.  The half guys were in waiting for their start. Next thing I knew I had 50 or so age group men doing the half smashing over the top of me.  This was unsettling and as each wave started and the faster people swam through it was hard to get into a rhythm. In general, the swim was pretty clean except for one guy who pushed me down under the water at my shoulder blades. Pity I couldn’t get the fist working fast enough!!   At last I was back out stood up in about 1hr 13 mins.  I was happy enough, I knew the 2 laps and beach run was going to take me a bit extra time.

I grabbed my gear bag for the bike. The vollies were a bit new so they just stood watched me struggle out of my wetsuit ( not to worry they will get this sorted for next time).  Brett told me to take my time in transition and make sure I had everything.

 In total T1 was about 10 minutes, but I used the time to put on sunscreen and make sure all my food was in my jersey pockets. Brett joked that I should have packed a knife and fork as I had so much food.  Finally, I was on the bike.

The road looked pretty good.  Brett passed me about 3 minutes into the bike after his half swim. It was nice to see him.  The first section was a bit rough in parts with a narrow shoulder. In general most people took it easy through this bit ( it really should have been a single, no passing zone as it was a bit narrow).  I was as far left as possible without running into rough loose gravel, when some rude guy screamed at me “get over, get over. Sorry buddy my hearing is gone .Have a nice day.

My legs felt pretty heavy for the first hour or so. I was sitting on about 27kms hour.  So many people had told me take it easy on the bike. I remember reading Dave Doyle’s race report for IMOZ and him saying “you have a marathon to run after this take it easy on the bike”.  The course was very scenic the ocean was aqua/green blue, just beautiful. 

I hit Rex Hill, the highest point of the course , the climb was fine and the view was awesome.  I decided I needed to stop off at the porta loo at the 2^nd aid station.  I was just about to walk over to the loo when this guy pulled up and barged in front of me.  Oh well he looked in a hurry and a bit of a serious stick insect so I just let him go. 

The half people turned before Port Douglas, after this the course thinned out. It was nice to get a few call outs from people I knew who were heading back home on the half ride. I saw Brett again and he gave me wave and smile.  I see Andrew, then Ray, Jac and Shane all heading back for there second lap, they were all looking good. I am pleased they are all having a good race.  .

Just as I was about to reach Port Douglas, I heard the motor bike behind me. My instant reaction was to panic, I was looking around there was no one near me surely I wasn’t being done for drafting.  The guy said it’s ok just letting you know the pro men are about to pass you.  I turned around to see Macca flash past on his second lap.

I reached Port Douglas and heard my name being called. It was Jacque G, then Muffy and finally I saw Anthea Howard. It was great to see familiar faces.

I also see Berlinda on her way into Port, she says she is having a tough day as her stomach had been playing up

After the turn at Port Douglas things started getting harder. I thought to myself I wish I didn’t need to do another lap. My feet were starting to hurt like never before, the hot spots were so bad I felt like my cleats were burning a hole through my shoe. At one stage I  was pedalling with one foot at a time out on top of my shoe.  I tried to take my mind off things by looking at the gorgeous ocean and breathing in the salt air.  I was hurting on the bike like I had never felt before.  The 190km ride we did with the squad was way tougher in terms of gradient and I didn’t have this much pain that day.  I guess you are a racing at a different intensity on race day.

There are a small group of us battling away on the bike.  I was a bit annoyed when I saw the faster riders riding in big groups of 10 or so and drafting away as there was minimal TO bikes on course.  As much as the 12 metre rule at IM races is annoying I do think it results in a much cleaner race.  A lovely American girl and I are riding about the same pace and finally we roll into transition. 7hrs 24mins (including 2 loo stops, not so bad).

As much as I wanted to get off the bike, my mind turned to the 42km run I had ahead of me whilst I was sitting in T2.  I thought to myself come on lets get this done.  As soon as I was out on the run course all the pain from the bike was gone.  I was running well and everyone around me was walking.  I must have passed about 10 people on my way into town.  I was surprised that I was able to hold the run together.  Whilst everybody said the run into town was going to be tough because it was a lonely 19kms stretch with no spectators other than the aid stations, I actually enjoyed it.  It was cooling off ( about 3:30 in the afternoon) and I was happy in my own thoughts. Before I know it 12kms had gone by.  I saw a familiar green BTS singlet running towards me. It was coach Mark out for an afternoon run.  It was nice to have a bit of a chat and soon I hit the Esplande. My first 21 kms was done in 2hrs30mins.

I saw Ray heading home on his last lap with only about 3kms to go, he had a great race and I was so happy for him.  I ran along the length of the Esplanade and through the crowds I saw my sister Megan, Brett and the BTS crew and friends all waiting for me to pass on my first lap.  I got a bit emotional, as I had not seen anyone much since leaving Port Douglas about 4 hours ago.   Finally, I got my first band, that first lap seemed like it never ended. 

I see my good friend and training buddy Jacqui Elliot collect her last band whilst I was on my first lap.  We walked through the aid station together; I gave her a hug and told her to enjoy the finish.  It gave me a bit of a boost to see her on the way to finishing, but that was short lived.

Whilst I had managed to only walk through aid stations, things started to unravel for me at about 30kms.  I hear people talk about the wall, I hit it big time.  My legs started to feel like blocks of cement and mentally I still wanted to run but I couldn’t. I walked more extended stretches for about 5kms, then I started to feel better.  I told myself I didn’t come here to walk the marathon and got going again.  At one stage I was jogging and there was a bloke walking who passed me.  I made a comment to that effect and he just said keep going matey you will get there!!! I laughed to myself maybe it was quicker walking.   Parts of the course were very dark with minimal people around, it was easy to slacken off when things were getting tougher.  

As the night wore on each time I arrived at the aid station the lovely vollies would say what do you want water, ice, electro mix, lollies, coke?   I would stare blankly for a few seconds unsure what I needed and then make a decision.

I ran past the support crew on my second last lap.  Kristen one of my squad friends knew I was doing it tough, she said do you want some company for the last lap. So she met me after I had done the pier and kept me going for the last 6 kms I needed to get done showing up at points on the run.  Finally I collected my red ( last lap band) it was like holding the winning lotto ticket!!!

The feeling of running down the finish shute was amazing, all the pain of the last 14hrs plus hrs was dissolved.  The great thing about challenge races is that you can have family members run with you up the finish, so my sister Megan ran with me.  I could not wipe the smile off my face.  I even managed a skip and high 5 to some people in the corporate box at the finish line. 

Whilst my day was much longer than I expected (I initially was hoping for between 12.5hrs and 14hrs) I was happy to finish in 14hrs:51 minutes.  I needed no medical assistance and felt good the next day.  It is easy to downplay the achievement and feel disappointed about not hitting a certain goal time, but if you finish an iron distance race, you are part of an exclusive club of people.  Less than 1% of the Australian population has completed an ironman.

So may people have told me I have inspired them (I am a bit embarrassed when I hear this as I never think of myself as a role model).  My message is simple if you believe in yourself and commit to a goal you can achieve what you want in life.  It took me 34 years, plus one iron distance race to learn that lesson!.

Thank you

There is a long list of people who have helped with my journey who I need to thank.  My husband Brett, for his support and encouragement and his never failing belief in me.  Brett had 2 flats on his half IM day at Cairns, but he said to me afterwards I am glad I got the flats instead of you.  That sums up him up.

My Mum and Dad and sister Megan ( Dad you are always in my thoughts). 

To the numerous friends, family and work colleagues for your words of support and donations to my Every Day Hero cause for Parkinson’s Queensland.  I have raised nearly $2,700 well exceeding my initial goal of $2,000.

My Brisbane Tri Squad coach Mark Turner, for getting me drawn into the crazy triathlon sport at a Suncorp staff Bridge to Brisbane run training session 3 years ago. When Mark first met me a 5km run was a big achievement for me!  Mark has since coached me through my first Ironman distance race.  Your words of encouragement and support have been awesome.

To the great bunch of people Ray, Jac, Shane, Berlinda and Andrew who I trained with for the full at Cairns.  We lived in each other pockets, on our bikes and at the Valley Pool for the past 20 weeks, I couldn’t have asked for a better group to train with.  And to my wider group of triathlete friends who have supported me, provided wonderful advise and encouraged me along the way!!.

Race week is here

Hi all getting ready for the bid day on Sunday! I am touched and overwhelmed by the support well wishes and donations I have received from friends and family. You can follow my progress on race day via the live tracker. My race number is 143 link attached.

2 Weeks- Taper is beginning

The end is in sight!!! I started the week feeling a little tired after a very busy social weekend.  My feet are on the improve and I have got some awesome K Tape for running. Lucky for me the only colour the physio had left was hot pink!! Goes with my race day out fit of course.  For those who have never heard about K Tape it is a lighter tape that can be used instead of strapping tape. The stuff is marvellous. I don;t know if it is mental but all my runs since I have started using the tape have been pain free.

I did the Tuesday morning squad run at West End.  I covered about 10.3km including 10 push ups every 5 minutes in an hour. Thankfully I had my lovely Ironman buddy Krista to chat with as we ran along the river. Krista has just completed her first IM at Port Macquarie and she has been great to bounce last minute race day tips off.   Something that Krista said to me at training which I think is a great thing to keep in mind on race day is "don't worry about what other people are doing on race day and what time you are doing, it is your race not theirs and it is your box to tick".  It is often difficult on race day to not get consumed by what others are doing. Feeling the need to speed up when passed on the bike,  worrying about not achieving the magical goal race time, wanting to stack well against others in your age group and squad. 

Because the training routine has become so much a part of my day to day life I have become a little blase about the commitment it has taken over the past 5 months to get through it all. It is my new normal!!!  It is easy to forget that for most people the effort of even getting to the start line of your first Ironman race is an achievement in itself.  This is something very important to remember what ever happens on race day.

I have found myself with lots of energy to burn this week.  I have had 2 nights where I have been awake in the middle of the night. Clearly not having the same volume of training is impacting my sleep patterns.  It is nice to wake and go to a training session through feeling like you have got some energy rather than that constant tired feeling.   Unfortunately work has become very very busy so I have been diverting my extra time not training into work as I try to tie up some lose ends before I go on leave next week. Its Murphy's law that everything hits just as I am about to go on leave.

I finished the week with a solid windtrainer session on Friday morning ( the legs were a little sore after 15 x 3 min, hard efforts in the big ring.  Then on Saturday morning I joined the squad for a ride out to Cleveland ( 85kms) including a social breaky afterwards.  I always look forward to a chat, coffee and breaky after a ride!!

Sunday morning I only had to do an 1hr30mins. I set the alarm for 6:30am as I was meeting some friends for coffee.  I thought to myself this is probably the first Sunday in the last 18 weeks where I haven't (a) been up at 5am, (b) ridden 4 plus hours or raced!!  I happily rolled around the riverloop. One thing all this riding has done is given me a lot more confidence on the bike. Whilst I prefer not ride on my own and I am happy to also set out for ride on my own if I need to.

3 Weeks- Almost there ( A week of over commitments)

It is hard to believe that I started the program in January and the last 17 weeks of my life has been devoted mainly to working and training. 

The big ride last weekend has given me a huge amount of confidence going into the race.  I think I had built the ride up to be something impossible ( I has some small doubts before hand, however I have proven to myself that I can ride 190km in much tougher terrain ( I hope) than the Cairns course and still feel ok running off the bike.

My feet are still giving me grief and I talked to coach Mark before my physio appointment on Tuesday.  The physio has told me to run only every 2 days to give my feet some recovery. The main plan is to just get me to the start line. Whilst I am concerned about the fact my last long run was at Port Mac half IM 2 weeks ago, I am still managing about 20kms a week broken up over a few sessions ( much less than my usual 50km per week of running in the lead up to Port)

 I water ran on Monday night instead of my usual 45min run and Mark suggested a 1.5hr ride to keep my legs strong in place of my usual long run Tuesday morning.  Thankfully my feet settled down towards the end of the week and I got through my Thursday morning run with Robson with minimal pain.

Its not always possible to have the perfect training/work/life balance.  We moved offices on Friday so I spent most of the morning lugging tea chest boxes around.  I left work that afternoon with a sore back.  I should have used my discretion and not been so quick to jump in when about 60 boxes needed to moved from in front off our filing cabinets so our team could be signed off the floor. I am the type of person who just does things without a second thought. The soreness in the back didn't go until the following Tuesday and I remember lying in bed Monday night thinking oh no I hope I haven't really hurt something in my back ( there goes 17 weeks of training and my race) I have found my mind starting to get carried away with worse case scenarios as a few niggles have appeared over the last weeks. Got to snap out of that!!

It was my Dad's 75th birthday on Friday night so my sister and I drove to Maleny and back for dinner.  It was a lovely evening and I think he enjoyed himself. I didn't get to bed until nearly 11 then I was up at 5 to join the  cairns group at the pool for the last long swim set.  3.5km with 1500mtrs paddles, I didn't feel great but I completed the set. I was struggling with the 1.5hr ride afterwards because I just felt so tired. There were no complaints when we turned back early as it started to pour with rain. We still did 1hr15min of the 1hr30min on the program.

 Unfortunately I didn't have the rest of the day to laze around. I had organised a day the races/dinner for my sisters hens day so again didn't get to bed until nearly 11.   It was a great day and so nice to see a number of friends who I hadn't seen for ages. My social calender will be full after the race as everyone wants to catch up!! I had a number of friends say how proud they were of me of have the courage to take on the challenge of doing the race.  I hope to do them proud on race day!!!

I had agreed to met Jac E at 6am for our last 4 hour ride on Sunday morning  The alarm went off at 5 and it was pouring rain outside. Jac texted and said should we do half then windtrainer.  We agreed to met at the later time of 8 ( that gave me the much needed extra hour of sleep) Thanks Jac for being so understanding of my tiredness induced from over committing myself.  Jac had already done an 1.5hrs on the windtrainer so after we rode to Manly and back I finished my 4 hours with a riverloop on my own.  Whilst it would have been tempting to cut it short I am not one to dog out of my training. I think often the most important lessons you can learn in training is the ability to push through and not quit/cut short the session when things are tough because on race day quiting is not on available option if you want to see the finish line!!

Week 4- The big ride weekend

Photos from BTS Caloundra Ride 14/05/11

I think the previous weeks events at the half ironman caught up with me. I started the week feeling unmotivated, tired and generally over the whole training thing. I have to say this is probably the lowest point of my 20 weeks training to date. I just wanted the next 4 weeks to be over.  To make matters worse work has been really busy.

I started to feel like I was coming down with a cold and left work on Monday night with a headache. I was in no frame of mind to do my 30 minute run.  My feet were hurting and it was really cold. I also pulled the pin on my 2 hour run on Tuesday morning mentally I just couldn't do it.  I was feeling guilty about skipping 2 training sessions in a row but I reminded myself I had done 90% of sessions to date.   I also missed my Tuesday night swim.

Brett said to me you have only got 4 weeks left just push through.

 I turned up to the squad ride on Wednesday morning in a slightly better state of mind. Mark asked how my long run had gone on Tuesday morning and I had to confess about my training meltdown.  Despite  feeling a bit more positive I had a shocker of a ride. We went up quite a steep street somewhere in Fig Tree Pocket. I was in the wrong gear I couldn't get unclipped in time or change down and came off. Lucky I only took a bit of skin off my knuckle no other harm done. After this mishap my thoughts turned to the 190km Brisbane to Caloundra ride on Saturday.  I said to coach Mark are there any hills as steep as this?  Do I need to get in the support car now?  My mind started running overtime, I had been more scared of this ride than the Challenge Race Day.  Was I going to make it. I didn't want to be the first BTS person unable to complete the ride.  With this woeful display things weren't looking good!!

Finally Saturday morning arrived and it was time to start the much feared 190km ride. My GCTS buddy Berlinda who is also racing the full at Cairns caught a lift to the start with us.  The main squad rode as far as Mt Mee with us.  Pretty early on people were zooming past me however I realised that I had 120kms more than most people in the squad to ride so I needed to just take it easy.  Berlinda and I kept each other company and chatted away.  The ride up Mt Mee was quite nice.  Once we hit the top of Mt Mee there was quite a bit of wind around, which made some of the rolling hills interesting as we were descending into a cross wind. I was hanging to my bike on occasions as I was being blown all over the place.   Before too long we rolled into our first stop just outside Woodford. Our wonderful support crew Sarah H, Alicia and Brett were there armed with home baked muffins, chocolate cake and banana bread. How spoilt were we.  They fed and watered us then sent us on our way.  Coach Mark warned there were a couple of climbs heading our way between Woodford and Landsborough. Not long after turning off the Woodford road Berlinda got a flat. We had a couple of goes with gas canisters but soon we were on our way.  The first real climb was about 10% gradient. It was fine. This stretch of the road is lovely and pretty soon we could see views of the Glasshouse Mountains and the coast, just gorgeous.    At last we rode into Landsborough.  Brett was waiting for us with supplies. I was a bit worried about the climb up the hill from Landsborough to Maleny. Brett said just peddle you will be fine.  The climb was long and slow. In total about 5kms of climbing. Whilst I never felt like I had to get it off it was just a constant grind up the hill. I felt sorry for a Japanese man on a touring bike with fully laden panniers. I reckon it must have taken him about 3 hours to ride up as he seemed to be stopping every 500mtrs.  I called out a cheery hello as I rolled past.  

Just before Maleny we turned off on the road to Montville. Whilst my parents live in this area when you are driving you don't take as much notice of the roads. We hit the first of 3, 10-12%  gradient hills. Let me tell you these are not nice with close to 120kms of riding in your legs, but we pushed through before long our lovely support crew were there to meet us in Montville and then we only had other 10kms of hills before our decent down the range at Mapelton.

 I am not very good on descents and I was so scared coming down the first part of the decent.  The road is steep and full of pot holes. I was hanging on trying to keep my bike under control. On the last part of the decent I let it get away from me, my arms were fatigued and my bike started to get the speed wobbles ( my garmin clocked me doing close 70kms per hour on this part( I check this after I downloaded it at home). My mind was panicking and had visions of myself skidding along the ground. I was yelling at myself to calm down and keep it together. I remembered to hug the top tube with my knees to gain some stability. For once cars were considerate, I think they could sense my state of panic as I turned behind  to see a row of 8 cars waiting patiently behind me and not one person had beeped!

The last 30 mins of the ride between Nambour and Caloundra seem to drag on but finally we made it. Not a world record but we completed the ride in about 8hrs 30mins ride time.  I was lucky to have Berlinda along the way for company. We chatted and the day went so quickly. We had a 30 min run straight off the bike. Whilst I felt pretty crappy to begin  after about 5 minutes I was into a nice running rhythm and think I will be ok for the run at Cairns once I get out there. It was so nice to run along the water at Caloundra.    There were 7 of who had rode that day and we all had pizza for dinner and a few well earned treats of ice cream and chocolate pudding ( care of Kristen) and recounted of stories from the day of riding.  It was a huge mental boost to get through the day and it has given me the confidence to know that I will get through Cairns as the ride is unlikely to be as challenging. I am lucky to have such a great group of people to train with as we supported each other through the challenge of the weekend, it was great to see the sense of achievement on every ones faces as they finished the ride.

We had the unpleasant task of riding back to Brisbane, this time the flat way on Sunday morning. Another 85kms on the bike was the last thing we felt like. I couldn't get comfortable and even the smallest hills felt like 10% climbs. I think my butt will need at least a week to recover from the 280kms of riding I have done this weekend.

Week 5- Recovery Week- Kind of

I awoke on Monday morning after racing the half ironman feeling quite stiff. I couldn't even touch my toes not a great start to the week!! After a few stretches and some walking around things started to feel better. My mind kept on turning to the fact that I was racing double this distance in 5 weeks time. OMG

Despite burning a large number  calories the previous day I really wasn't hungry but really wanted a nice breaky so forced myself to eat some eggs and salmon.  Racing the long distance stuff is so different to Olympic distance or shorter races. Normally after these races you feel like eating the contents of the fridge but it seems the longer you race for the less you feel like eating.

We drove back from Port Mac on the Tuesday.  7hrs in the car plus a yummy bakery stop off at Woodgate and we were home. I struggled through a 30 min run that night but it was good to turn the legs over.

I met a few friends for a easy river loop the next morning.  I was supposed to run Thursday morning but my plantar facititis has reared its ugly head again so I took the morning off.

I struggled through my 3.5km swim set and 1.5h run on saturday morning, the weather was turning cold and all the port mac ironman crew were no longer at the pool for company. Jac was away racing at Byron racing so I was all on my own!!  Motivation levels were waning.  I got up on Sunday morning at 5 for a riverloop before meeting the Reddog group for a ride to mountain cotton. It was nice to have the company for a few hours before another extended riverloop to rocklea and home. 141kms in 5hrs45 plus a 30 min run off the bike. I felt pretty good considering I had raced the half the previous weekend.

Week 6- Port Macquarie 70.3

I had an easy week leading up to my  first half ironman race at Port Macquarie.  In typical recovery week style I felt lethargic and like a blob every time I eat something. Every little niggle feels like a major issue.

I had a couple of 1.5h bikes early in the week before heading to Port on Thursday. I couldn't believe how much spare time on had on my hands this week and don't know how I will fill my days once the Ironman training stops. It was great to catch up with all the BTS crew and support the guys and girls doing Ironman.  We had a great dinner on Thursday night everyone was looking calm and relaxed.

The squad did a 30 minute swim on Friday morning over the course. It was nice to get out and do something and try out the wet suit.

On Saturday morning we did 15 minutes each of swim, bike run.  After a few coffees with friends it was finally time to rack the bikes. I think this was the moment the nerves set in for the first time. I had a period of about 3 hours where I didn't feel like eating. ( that is not normal for me) I just wanted to get in and race.

Race day finally arrived. We were up to see the ironman start. It always brings a tear to my eye watching the ironman start and the range of emotions you see people go through.  All the BTS's were out of the water and it was time to get ready for our race start at 9:30.When I was in transition Craig Alexander was helping the lady 2 bikes up set up her kit.  I was listening into his tips!! There was something very calming about listening to his voice, reel off some points to the lady. If I wasn't so pushed for time in transition I would have asked for a photo.

Finally it was time to get in the water. I was nervous it was my first mass start. I picked a slot about 5 rows back from the front. My goggles were filling with water but it too late now to do anything about it. Finally the musket went and we were off. After a mass of white water we were swimming and I got into a nice rhythm early on. The tow of the group was awesome I found a few feet and hips to swim off. The sun was right in my eyes on the way out so I couldn't see much. I managed to get tangled in the buoy ropes at the turn around point however I kept my cool in the swim. I was up and standing in 35 minutes I was very happy with my swim.

I found my bike, shoved in a Vegemite sandwich and then was off. I had my shoes already on my bike however was a bit all over the shop putting my feet it!! Despite doing it numerous times before.

Early on I realised the bike was going to be tough we had a brutal head wind bearing down on us all along the coast line. The first 10 kms or so out of town there a few hills and it was rough. My husband Brett caught up to me on the bike just as I was heading down Matthew Flinders Drive. It is a steep and winding street. I was like a granny on my brakes going down the hill. Next thing I heard him yelling at me look ahead where you want to go!!.  I was running my new Zipp 404 race wheels, a couple of times coming down the hills the side wind caught my bike and blew me all over the place, I was hanging on nervously. It was a bit soul destroying looking down seeing my average speed sitting at 20kms/hour.  I managed to stay down in my tri bars for most of the time and finally we were at the turnaround point. At last the wind was at my back and on the straight sections I was rolling along at 36kms/hour without to many dramas. About 5 kms out of town there was just one more challenging section on the bike course left. Matthew Flinders Drive a nasty hill. The hill was lined with supporters and few people choose the safe option of unclipping and walking up. I knew that was never an option for me after all coach Mark has had me on the Mt Cootha so I was ready to ride up this on tired legs. I finished the bike feeling good and no real aches. Bike time 3hrs11. All those hours on the bike are paying off.

Finally I was back in transition and putting on my runners. I shovelled a killer python in my mouth whilst I was putting my shoes on. This is where the stomach issues began. Almost immediately I had a stitch up under my ribs. I pushed through the first 5 kms of the run averaging about 5.40/km pace. In hindsight I probably went out a bit hard. Things got worse my whole stomach was cramping and I took my gels in but I just couldn't get rid of the stomach cramps. At one stage I felt like someone had punched me in the kidneys. I made the decision I was going to push through and was only going to walk through the aid stations. It was great seeing all the IM guys out on course and they all gave me inspiration during my run to push through. In total my run took 2hrs 24mins. I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping for closer to 2 hours because I had run the Gold Coast half in 1hr 56mins last year. However this was my first half and it was good chance to test my nutrition before the full at Cairns. I finished in 6hrs17 not quite the 6 hours I was hoping for but it was a tough bike and the run didn't go to plan but that is racing and to finish a half ironman is an achievement in itself. The half ironman needs to be given the respect it deserves it is not a walk in the park and is really quite different to Olympic distance racing.

I now have a couple of days off before the final push to Cairns!!

Me proudly displaying my finishers medal!!
 

Week 7- The easter bunny comes this week

After a long day on the bike on Sunday I started the week feeling good.

My long run on Tuesday morning went really well. I have been running the same route every week. My first few weeks had  me reaching for a gel after only about 30 minutes as I hit the first hills through Ashgrove, however this week I got through 21 kms in 2hrs 10 (avg pace about 6:16min/km). My first couple of long runs my avg pace was closer to 6:35min/km and I covered about 16kms in 1:45.

Despite my running going well, I started to notice a few niggles in my feet, which if my past experience had anything to go by signalled more trouble in the way of plantar facitis.  I have averaged about 50kms per week over the past 2 weeks.   I have been careful to get back into my trigger point therapy. This stuff works really well in treating areas of tightness. 

I decided to do a windtrainer session instead of Cootha's on Wednesday morning so I had a bit more time at home to do some stretches. 1hr:15min on the windtrainer in the big ring on the front and smallest ring on the back is a tough set. I did 3 mins on, 2 minutes off 10 times through followed by warm down.

On Thursday morning I got through another 10kms at Robson's run session and also put in a good session at the pool on Thursday night. Coach Brad had told me to focus on pulling through further in the last part of my stroke. Thursday was a good opportunity to practise this as I wasn't feeling as tired as I was on Tuesday nights swim.

It was nice to have a bit of break from work with the easter long weekend. I did an easy river loop on Friday morning, then headed up to Mum and Dad's at Maleny.

Brett and got up early and did 2 hours of riding around Maleny on Saturday morning finishing in town with coffee and fruit toast. It was a glorious day to be up in the hinterland, the weather was mild and the view of the glasshouse mountains was stunning.  As I was feeling like I was coming down with a cold, I abandoned my plans to do an open water swim in the dam at Maleny on Saturday afternoon and slept for about 3 hours. ( I must have needed it).

Brett and I spent the day with Dad, whilst Mum and my sister Megan went out for the day. Unfortunately Dad can't really be left at home on his own so it was nice for Mum to have a few hours out of the house without having to worry. 

Dad was in pretty good sprints and we all went out for lunch to a nice winery just outside of Montville.   It is not until you have spent sometime with someone needing wheel chair access that you realise how difficult it is for people with disabilities.  We turned up at the restaurant to find that the only disabled park was taken ( by an able bodied person who happened to walk out just as we were unloading Dad from the car).  They did look mildy embarrassed when they saw us there.

It was nice to see Dad in a more positive place. My past few visits have been very emotional and weigh heavily on my mind. At least Dad is starting to come to terms with his situation and hopefully looking for the highlights in his life.

My Sunday ride was supposed to be 5.5hrs, plus 30 min run off the bike.  I had been feeling a bit off with a cold, so decided to set out and see how I went. Brett dropped me down the range outside Bli Bli and  I rode to Coory via Noosa then back to Maroochydore on the David Low way.  I felt like the stuffing had been knocked out of me so I decided to stop on 4.5hrs and still do my run off the bike.  I still managed to cover 120kms.For those who have done the Noosa tri course, coming down the Noosa hill is way more fun than going up.  The hill is about a 10% gradient, challenging enough but not unbearable.  As I was passing through Noosa I spotted Belinda Granger and her husband out for a training run.  That was a nice bit of motivation. Belinda looked like she was running well.

After I finished my ride/run Brett and I had fish and chips and then headed back to Brisbane.  I love the sense of achievement I feel on Sunday afternoons. I regard the long rides on Sunday as the toughest session of the week ( mainly just the mental focus to sit on the bike for that amount of time). I always allow myself to indulge in a treat of gelati and few pieces of dark chocolate after one of these sessions (don't tell Sally Gerrard my dietitian...) Although over the Easter weekend I did have quite a bit of chocolate which I sure will be a great source of fuel for the half IM at Port Macquarie next weekend. Thats what I keep telling myself anyway!!!

Week 8- Not long to go now

I started the second week of my 3 week strength block feeling good. 

My long run on Tuesday saw me cover 20kms in just over 2 hours.  I was lucky enough to run into Shane one of my fellow BTS squaddies who is also training for Cairns. We ran the last half an hour or so together. I now feel more confident about my run at the half at Port Mac 70.3 in 2 weeks time. I know my bike and swim have got heaps stronger but I had not really been doing much in the way of longer runs over 1hr 45 initially due to concerns with plantar facitis.

The Tuesday night swim session really tested me. Coach Brad had us doing some speed work building upto 6 X 50's at 100% effort. Feeling a bit fatigued from the morning run it was a mental challenge to hold the faster sets however I still managed to swim my 50's on 45secs at the end of the session.

On Wednesday morning I was back riding with my old friend Mt Cootha. I set myself the challenge of completing 5 reps this week up the quarry side. It is amazing that a month ago I was only just managing 4 in the same amount of time. So I now can really see the fitness gains. 

One of the challenges of IM training is still making an appearance at social events. I didn't want to miss a birthday dinner for Merinda on Wednesday night. I didn't get to bed until nearly 11 which only gave me 5 or so hours sleep.

I enjoyed my Thursday run session at Robson's squad run. Its a  mix of some speed work and a long warm up/warm down which saw me cover 10kms in just under the hour.

Despite a strong start to the week I was really starting to feel the pinch towards the end of the week. The heat has been turned up and work and I ended up staying back on Thursday night until after 7 meaning I missed my Thursday night swim. I was beginning to feel like I was coming down with something so I decided to take the day off training on Friday and miss the wind trainer set.  I fell into bed at 7:30 on Friday night  feeling exhausted and slightly unwell.  It appeared to be  wise decision to take Friday off training as I woke up on Saturday and did my usual 3km swim, 1hr 30 min bike.  Whilst I am not one for missing sessions ( I have been very consistent at sticking to my program sometimes you have listen to your body and not push through.

I was feeling good so I finally got around to doing an easy 30 min run on Saturday night. It is down as an optional run on my program however I have never got around to it/ or been too tired.

One other thing that has been worrying me is the choice of wheels to run at Cairns. Brett bought me a set of zipp 404's. My big stress was changing the tyre. So many people had said to me "oh tubular's are tricky, you sure you really want to take the risk". Anyway Brett talked me through the process and I have to say if the tyre is pre-stretched and pre-glued it really is quite easy to change and much easier than a clincher.  Of course pit stop is the first solution. However I am going to carry a razor blade to cut the tyre off just case I need to change it and I can't break through the glue.

My tyre changing skills were tested this morning. I left home at 5am with the aim of doing a river loop before meeting the red dog girls group for a ride at 7. My training buddy Jac was away for the weekend so I didn't want to ride by myself for the whole 5.5 hours. Well 5 minutes after rolling down Cootha I got a flat. Thankfully it was close to a street light. I really struggled because the tyre was brand new ( Brett had replaced it the previous day) and I couldn't get it to stretch to the last part of the wheel. Despite about 20 cyclists asking if I need help I was determined to manage it on my own. Eventually I sorted it but my thumb has a nice blister from pushing on the tyre. It also took me close to 40 minutes to finally sort it.  I can be very stubborn and determined when I want to be and I wasn't going to let the tyre win!!!'

The group ride took me out to Samford via Settlement Rd. It was good as a few of the girls were much stronger riders than me so it pushed me a bit pick up the pace through the hills. Given my delays in the morning, I ended up needing to do another 2hours 30 mins to make up my ride time.  I did an extended river loop and despite taking on extra nutrition I need a bakery stop to get me home. Who's complaining about fresh hot cross buns.

 Today was my first run off the bike after a long bike. Running after 5.5hours on the bike is way different to running after an Olympic distance ride.  I got home and almost stumbled out the front door. However I kept at it and started to feel better after about 10 minutes. We live in very hilly area so I was faced with an uphill run for the first part of the run. I managed to maintain the same average pace as my long run so I was happy enough with that. The 30 minutes went fairly quickly.  This week has seen me clock up 50kms of running. Thankfully the body is holding up- so far so good.

One more week of this strength block then, I have a recovery week before and after Port 70.3. I really looking forward to racing at Port. It will be a good chance to test out  my race planning for Cairns.

Week 9- We are into single figures now

Week 9 the commencement of my next strength block of 3 weeks.  I am starting to get a better routine happening and found that I was less tired this week.

On Monday I ran home from work via Ashgrove. Not the flattest run I could choose so I got through about 7 kms in 45 mins.

Tuesday morning was my usual long run. Again I ran into work and covered about 16kms in 1hr 45.  The run felt good and to date no real niggles.

 I have found doing training in my commuting time gives me more time at home/work. It just requires a bit more organisation. I need to take a couple of days clothes with me on Monday.  I end up looking like a pack horse but that is nothing unusual.  My work colleagues are also getting used to the sight of me in Lycra in the morning!! What a way to start the day.... They on a whole think I am nuts anyway with all this training.

I am gradually seeing my bike fitness improving. I managed 4 1/2 reps of Mt Cootha for my Wednesday morning ride in the same time as it took me to do 4 the previous weeks.

Thursday morning saw me back at Robson's run session.  It was a great hit out. Robson sent myself and Krista ( who is doing Port IM in a few weeks time) plus a few others training for marathons over winter off for a longer warm up run. We then had to do some 1km race pace efforts.  I was amazed the first couple I was jogging along chatting at just over 5min/km pace. It felt easy!!! We then dropped down to 4:45 min/km pace for the next few. With all the long slow runs I have being doing and  I wasn't sure I would manage much speed work. Whilst this is quite a bit faster than I am expecting to run the marathon ( more like 6:30min/km pace) it certainly gave me a bit more confidence to see what I can do on race day. I covered close to 10kms in just under an hour for the session.

I missed swimming on Thursday night ( One of only a few sessions I have missed over the past 11 weeks) but I just couldn't fit it in any other time!!

Friday morning was a indoor windtrainer session.  I am still not great at setting up the windtrainer. Things got off to a bad start when Blair noticed I had not put the feet down properly on the floor ( that could have ended badly with me crashing over into Matt Hoppers bikes on the floor at Avanti Cycles). Thankfully we fixed it before the session started. Then I managed to rub my back tyre with the tension being set incorrectly so Brett has ordered me a new set. There is message here don't let me near windtrainers especially first thing in the morning!!

Did the usual 3km swim set followed by the 1hr 30 ride. Jac, Ray and I were joined by Tim Franklin, Glesso and Blair on a ride out to Sandgate. The guys are weeks away from Port IM and are feeling good. Thankfully Glesso didn't unleash on the hills through Ascot  until right at the end. I was just able to keep the group in sight over the last few kms.

I had a few social things over the weekend with a yummy birthday afternoon tea at Max Brenner Southbank ( go there if you are huge fan of chocolate). It was so nice to have a girls catch up for my friend Bec's birthday. Unfortunately during IM training sometimes social engagements get put off in favour of training. I also had time to see my friend Christy and my god son Jack who were in town overnight on their way to Perth. We enjoyed take away Thai from Thai Green Mango at Bardon ( lovely!!!)

I met Jac for our Sunday long ride and Kristen also came along. We decided to head up to Mt Nebo ( I had plans of going up to Glorious as well but thankfully we decided to turn around at Nebo).  I then took the girls along Gap Creek Road. We were all a bit tired after nearly 3 hours of hills on Nebo so the idea of another few hills didn't sound great  at the outset. I think it is good that we challenged ourselves mentally to do it because on race day I am sure we will be faced with a similar situation where we need to push through.

There are a couple of steep climbs totalling a few  100 metres but apart from that it mainly rolling hills. I had ridden along the road with the Red Dog ride and Brett about a month ago and I nearly died. I was still swearing at Brett by the time I finished the ride so I was mentally scared from my last time on Gap Creek Rd.  This time around I got to the end of the road and I thought is that it?? My memory was that it was worse than that. Yay all those Cootha reps are paying off. 
I am lucky to have such great people to train with. Thanks to Jac and Kristen for being awesome company today.

My other focus for the ride was upping my carbs. Coach Mark nearly died when I told him I was only averaged 30gms per hour in my last few rides.  The guideline from the dietitian Sally  for was weight loss is between 15-30grms per hour, but I have decided that I need to focus on race performance now so I managed closer to 50gms per hour today. I must admit I finished the ride feeling much less fatigued.  However if you are eating whole foods it is quite a lot of food to get through. I will be interested as to how I deal with running off the bike with this amount of food in my stomach. I will be practising that more over the coming weeks.

Week 10- Recovery week

Things eased off a bit this week with a recovery week. I really enjoyed a couple of sleep ins and one complete rest day on Monday.  Its amazing how refreshed you feel when the volume drops off a bit.

I had a 30 min run Tuesday night and then on Wednesday morning met the recent IMNZ finishers plus a few others for a easy river loop. It ended up pouring with rain by the time we got to coffee but it was nice to see everyone.

Thursday night was a swim session ( approx 2.5km) and Friday morning  I did the squad windtrainer session.  Brett bought me a new windtrainer after i managed to stuff the last one ( don't let me near anything mechanical!!!)  I had to muck around with the tension on the back tyre and someone mentioned they could smell burning rubber. Clearly I didn't have the tension right and I could barely turn over the peddles so more tinkering required.   We did a few runs off the bike around the block.  It made me smile as I ran past a couple of guys who shouted at me common love you can catch them ( I was a bit off the back of the main group).

Saturday morning I did my 3km swim set, followed by 1hr 30min ride. Thankfully the heating was fixed at the pool as Thursday nights swimming was freezing!!!. We had a group of 4 so it was nice to have a bit of a social girls ride as well.

On Sunday morning I met some of the others training for Cairns ( Jac, Ray and Andrew) for a ride out to Mt Mee via Petrie. As per usual we encountered "rummed up bogans" to qoute Jac. Its a lovely way to start the morning with some yobbo slobbering out the window at our group yelling "f....heads". I fail to understand the aggression some drivers show towards cyclists, especially at this hour of the day when there is hardly another car on the road and plenty of room in all 3 lanes for us all.  All I could do is laugh at the situation.

We got through about 120km in just over 5hrs and it was nice to have the boys along to push the pace a little bit towards the end. 

I am going into a 3 week hard block and I am looking forward to the new challenges. The rides are stepping up to 5.5hrs and I am guessing there will be some running off the bike coming in soon.

On a final note I am banning myself from the kitchen ( good reason why Brett does most of the cooking) I managed to splash hot oil on my forearm whilst cooking fish tonight. Thankfully only have a few minor burns on my arm. Brett was at work so I had to cook. ( there is the problem!!!)  Hopefully I will only end up with a few skin bubbles. Silly numpty I am. 

Take care until next week.

Week 11- More training and Mooloolaba Tri

Week 11 got off to a good start. Despite a 5hr ride on Sunday, I felt good. 

I decided to run to work for my long run on Tuesday. I ran for 1hr:45 and covered 16kms.  It was a nice easy pace and also decided to try out my race kit. A two piece 2XU endurance suit. I wore the tri shorts for cycling on sunday and they went well so I have decided that I am not going to change between legs ( one less thing to worry about on race day).

Jac E and I caught up again on Cootha on Wednesday morning. We both commented on what a beautiful morning it was and how lucky we were to be out cycling and on such a nice day. I ran from work on Wednesday night to meet Brett at the pool. Out of all the sessions I find the Wednesday night run the hardest. Whilst it is only a 30-40min easy run the lead up of the long run on Tuesday and Cootha's Wednesday morning leaves me feeling really tired.

I enjoyed a squad run on Thursday morning. Despite feeling really tired I managed a few sub 5min km efforts. The coffee afterwards was the best.

Friday morning I had the day off training and Brett left me in charge of packing the car for Mooloolaba. We arrived at the pool ( Valentino our cat and I) ready for our road trip.

I managed to get through the week without being evicted by Brett!!! Whilst I felt tired, not nearly as bad as the previous week and felt more on top on things at home. Guess I have got my routine a bit more sorted.

Saturday morning the various BTS IM people met early (5am) for a 1hr30min ride before the squad ride. In total we did 3 hours ( about 85kms). I was a bit nervous about being tired for the race on Sunday, but Mark reassured us that we had put in the training to cope with this before our race.

Sunday morning arrived, it was a bit cool. I scored an early wave start of 7:06. The swim went well and I hit the beach in 28 mins, my total swim time including transition was 28:55. I started to freak out at one stage as there seemed to be no one else around me and I was beginning to think I had missed a buoy. My swim training is paying off ( my best 1500metres to date at Noosa has been 30:20).  My friends Alex, Tim and their son Edward managed to capture my swim exit on video. Ed ( who is 8) didn't quite get my head in the shot but managed to get a lovely butt shot in my pink BTS tri suit. Brett kindly said my butt running up the stairs looked like two possums fighting. ( my husband is so charming lucky I am not the sensitive type).  The video certainly provided plenty of laughs post race.

Out on the bike course I felt like a pro rider, the tailwind was pushing me along at just over 40kms per hour. However I could tell by the way people were swearing and scowling on their way back towards me that the headwind wasn't going to be pretty after the 20km turnaround.  At times I was lucky to hold 20kms per hour on the way back.

Half way through the course one of our Friday morning coffee friends Fiona passed me.  We spent the next 15 kms battling the headwind together and having a bit of a laugh about the conditions. (of course ensuring we were the draft legal distance!!!)  Fi is amazing, she has powered through the training after having her first daughter Evie, just over 8 months ago. Very inspiring. One of our other friends Ann, who also had Annecy 8 or so months ago was also competing.( well done ladies, juggling motherhood and training). I think my life is tough and I only have myself to think about before training.

I finished the bike in 1hr:19 rack to rack( avg pace 30km/hr total bike split 1:23  ( 4 minute transition time( clearly taken by aliens for that part). My legs felt tired but I still felt strong.  

The run leg is my least favourite and knew I just had to truck through it. The hills at Mooloolaba make for a tough run. I set out on the run course and through the tunnel. I was on the look out for Robson from Active Stride ( Robson said if I didn't look like I was running fast enough when he saw me he was going to give me a hard time ( I think I hit the tunnel at just under 5min/km pace, this wasn't going to last though).  As I hit the first hill I heard my friends yelling at me from their balcony this was a great boost.  I hit the first turn around point sitting at about 5min15sec pace. Then it was up the headland again into the wind. On the second lap around the wind seemed like it was stronger and on the way up the girl beside me said don't you hate this hill ( not what I needed to hear!!) She did however add that I must know heaps of people as there seemed to be lots of people yelling out go B.  I think the pink tri suit stands out. My husband tells me I spent too much time socialising on the run course.  This was reconfirmed by my BTS friends Alicia and Sarah who commented that there was way to much smiling going on and not enough "running ugly".  Despite what seemed like a tough run that took forever I finished in 53:20 ( avg pace 5min19sec) ( total time surprisingly 17seconds quicker than my Noosa run time, which indicates that my running is getting stronger).

One thing that makes me laugh is that it normally takes me nearly as long to get back to the squad tent after the race, as it does the actual race. I find myself constantly running into people and stopping for chat to see how their race went.

My total  Mooloolaba race time was 2hrs:45mins:xx. I was happy with my efforts and felt good after my first few solid weeks of IM training. A very good training day out.

All in all a great week and weekend. I am feeling more confident leading into the next few weeks before the half at Port on the 1st May.

Week 12

Finally week 12 has rolled around, this is the start of the real ironman training!!

Monday morning was core and then 45min run at night.  Tuesday morning was a long run. Whilst I was supposed to do 1hr45 to 2hrs, I haven't done much in the way of long runs lately so decided to start out with 1hr 30 to avoid another flare up of plantar facitis that caused me grief during my half marathon training last year. I enjoyed a nice run through the hills in Bardon and Ashgrove.

On Tuesday night I had a squad swim session which included a 800metre TT. My time was 18 secs slower than previous my PB, but I am learning to accept that fact that I am going to be tired and will struggle at some sessions.

Wednesday was my first Mt Cootha session for a while. I had 4 reps up from the Quarry near the gardens to the roundabout at the top. At first I was a bit nervous as I had never ridden up Cootha this many times( I thought to myself  am I going to be able to get through this session? Note to self need to be positive and confident in my ability. The first rep was tough as the legs started to warm up but after that I felt a lot better. With all the descending my hands were starting to get sore from the brakes so I decided to try out descending on my drops ( it was heaps easier and I had way more control- Brett had told me earlier to do this but I always felt like I need to be up on the hoods.

I had another run Wednesday night and I was starting to feel the pinch from the earlier sessions in the week and 7 hours of riding on the weekend.

I had another swim on Thursday morning. I felt dreadful I couldn't hold the pace in the lane and was off the back the whole way and could barely swim a 50mtr in 1 minute ( normally I can hold 45 seconds without too many dramas). The week was catching up with me!! I had a trip to Warwick and Dalby with work straight after so I spent the day driving 600kms!! I decided to have the night off instead of doing my 60 minute run. ( next week I will be more consistent)

Friday morning was 20km TT out at Nundah. Again my time was a bit slower than my previous PB but I still managed to average 35km/hr.

I was back in the pool again Saturday morning for 3km swim followed by 1hr 30 on the bike. I felt heaps better in the pool and ride was fine.

Sunday was my long ride. We set off with BTS crew from the Valley for Hannah's birthday ride. It was pouring with rain. The group rode with us as far as Redcliffe then turned back ( at this point 2 hours into the ride with still another 3 hours to go I really wished as was going back as well!!) But Jac, Ray and I pressed ahead through to Scarborough and then back to town, finishing with a riverloop.  A total of 130kms over 5hrs 30mins. This is the longest distance I have ridden to date. The body held up ok with a little bit of neck pain and lower back pain that kicked in over the 4 hour mark. I was happy that I managed to get through and finish the ride despite being very wet all day. Jac and I enjoyed a nice warm coffee at the end of the ride it tasted so good. Thanks also to Ray for being our decision maker.

We had a family outing on Saturday night. My Dad loves John Williamson so we got him tickets to the show in conjunction with Qld Symphony Orchestra.  Dad is now finding it difficult to walk any distance so we decided to buy him a wheel chair a few weeks ago to make it easier for him to get around.  We had a nice dinner at Indian before the show. Dad is a very proud man and that fact that he struggling to walk and talk is having a big impact on him.  He is battling to remain positive which is hard to accept. I have memories of my Dad dealing with a number of difficult times on the farm. During the drought in the late 70's before roads and transport were good, Dad used to drive through the middle of the night from our farm at Capella to Mackay and back to buy Molasses to feed the cattle to keep them alive. This at the time would have been a 12 hour round trip which he did several times a week. 

Dad is a shell of his former self and as each day goes by he is losing the will to fight what is happening to him.  I reminded him on Saturday that he has got through many battles and tough times in life and that this is no different.  Mum said that after spending time with my sister Megan and myself Dad had a new enthusiasm for keeping up his exercises. So I hope I have given him some courage to keep on taking each  day as it comes and the challenges that it may bring.

As week 12 has drawn to a close, I am beginning to realise how challenging the training is going to be. My training load has picked up from an avg of 10hrs a week to close 17hrs.  I have felt constantly tired this week and sometimes I worry about Dad and also Mum and her ability to cope with his increasing care.  My Mum is an amazing lady, she is very stoic and positive. She is also a big inspiration. She has never been afraid of challenges and new experiences in life. She just goes about it all in quiet unassuming ways. I want to support her has much as possible.  I find the training is helping me to deal with my emotions regarding Dad.  Dad is one the key motivations for me taking on this challenge. When I question my ability to get through it all I keep on coming back to that.

My goals for week 11 are to get to bed earlier and try to be less grumpy at home (sorry Brett I am working this). Luckily my husband has done a Ironman before so he has some level of understanding of how the Ironman training demons can take hold! I have promised him I will buy him a new TT bike later in the year as a reward for putting up with me so hopefully that will keep him sweet.

Week 13

Week 13 has rolled around, and the clock is winding down to that important date of 5 June 2011.

I have 3 rest days this week. This can't be good. I am guessing I am going to get hammered next week. Coach Mark has said the first 8 weeks of training is only the entree to Ironman training. The real work starts in the last 12 weeks.

I put in a good solid effort over the weekend on the bike with 180kms covered in 2 sessions.  Saturday morning was supposed to be an easy ride. I turned up at the Valley Pool to met my friend Kate.  The Red Dog ride was leaving at the same time and I got roped in by Brett and Kate to doing the ride.  So much for my easy ride. We did 3 hours through the hills of Gap Creek and Brookfield.  I kept on thinking bloody hell I hope Cairns is not like this!! I felt like I was being spat out the back of the group on every hill. Thankfully there were a few of us who plodded along together.   I made Brett buy me breakie at the Villager afterwards. They have awesome coffee and fruit toast.  The St Patrick's Day parade was just about to kick off on George St so we sat outside and watched over breakfast.

Sunday morning was 4 hour ride with my sister on the Gold Coast. I ended up being dragged along to a 40th birthday party at Burleigh at the last minute. Being the party animal I am these days I drank soda water and we left as early as politely possible after the cutting of the cake.

The Sunday ride was lovely we rode along the coast from Helensvale to Currumbin Valley. The Gold Coast is so well set up with great wide cycle ways.

I always wait with nervous anticipation for the email from coach Mark on Sunday night revealing the coming 2 weeks program. Thankfully my friends Sarah and Alicia ( recent IMNZ graduates) I told me what to expect. The volume has stepped up and there is lots of running but I am looking forward to the next challenges in the program.  BRING ON WEEK 12.

Week 14- IMNZ ( Just watching !!!)

I squeezed in a couple of training sessions before flying out to NZ to watch Ironman at Taupo.  Wednesday morning was quite wet. A big storm came through about 4am, but I decided I would roll down the hill to the squad ride anyway. All 3 of us turned up!! I think I am beginning to turn into the guy on "the I am training for Ironman video". I was on autopilot when the alarm went off. I didn't even think about the wet morning outside, all I could think was I have a 2 hour ride on my program.  I knew I could rely on Leigh and Yas to be there as they never miss a session.  Anyway Mark decided to cancel the ride as the storms were still around. I did a river loop pretty much all to myself ( what a rare sight, I only saw one other cyclist in the hour or so I was riding around).

We flew out early Thursday morning. We should have arrived in Taupo at 4 in the afternoon. But Qantas managed to damage the plane with aerobridge so our flight was cancelled. Anyway we got put on a Air NZ flight, but arrived in Auckland minus our bags. Oh well, we got our bags at 12 the next day so it didn't turn out so bad. Things are worse in life than that.

Taupo is a lovely town on a gorgeous lake. The people of Taupo love Ironman. People were so friendly and supportive. I get the feeling after visiting Port Macquarie last year during IM that Australians are not as keen about having an Ironman in their town.

Taupo certainly turned on a tough day for my friends racing IM. We awoke to pouring rain on Saturday morning. The swim start was awesome as ever with the cannon going off.  The rain showed no signs of relenting and everyone endured a very wet 180km ride.  I was so pleased to see the first timers and my BTS friends Alicia and Sarah complete the first lap ( 90kms) in just over 3 hours and they were still smiling.

Despite being soaked and cold for the better part of 16 hours we didn't want to miss anyone so we stood for most of the day cheering everyone on.  I was encouraged by the strength everyone showed to get through the day alone let alone the conditions which added an additional element to the challenge of Ironman.

It was so great to see Sarah and Alicia both finish in under 13hours, I know they are 2 determined ladies and that certainly showed on the day. They raced smart and paced the day accordingly. I think their long suffering, but very proud  Ironman weary husbands were also glad it was finally over too!!

Whilst in Taupo I went to a presentation by John Ackland who coaches a number of the pros including Terrenzo Bozzone and Sam Warriner ( 1st place elite female 2011 NZ IM) who were also guest speakers.  Ok yes Terrenzo is very cute, but really I was going to hear John speak and not Terrenzo. The key message that John delivered for first time Ironman athletes was keep the pace easy for the swim, bike and first 20km of the run should be treated as easy session, only the last 20kms of the run should be raced. I think this is great advice and whilst I would love to "race the last 20kms" I think I will be just aiming to finish. I noticed a number of people sprinted out of T2 onto the run course at 10km race pace only to be reduced to walk a few km's up the road. This is a good lesson in pacing.

At the end the presentation John put up some finishers photos from the previous night. I got quite emotional looking at the expressions on people's faces as they crossed the finish line. For those people who had raced well into the night in the pouring rain it would have taken that extra resolve to finish.  I can only imagine there is nothing quite like running into the finishers shute! I look forward to that day in just over 13 weeks time.

Weeks 16 & 15

The weeks are rushing by at the moment. Before I know it 2 weeks have passed before I have even blinked.  It has been a emotional couple of weeks. Mum called last Thursday to say Dad was back in hospital with  a mild stroke. Thankfully he didn't sustain any further complications to his speech and walking. Its tough for everyone at the moment because he is struggling to deal with the fact he can hardly walk, has trouble speaking and doing routine tasks such as getting dressed require Mum's assistance.  He is very frustrated and depressed about it all. I am trying to be positive for him, but I wish I could make things better and back to normal for him again.  Each time I see him and go to say goodbye he gets every emotional. He often says "you be careful riding your bike I am worried you are going to have an accident."  This all weighs on my mind heavily but when I am out training and it gets hard I think of him and it encourages me to push through it.

My thoughts are also with the people in NZ after the earthquake, it is a reminder that life is prescious and we must make that most of everyday and let those closest to us know how loved they are.

Week 16- This week marks the start of  a month bike build for me.  Four bike rides a week for me are on the program. The Wednesday morning squad ride was loops around the uni. In order to to ride for 2 hours I start the day with a roll down the hill from home.  Friday morning session is windtrainer ( big chain ring front and smallest on the back maintaining cadence about 60). The main squad were doing 4 mins speed work followed by run off the bike. Long course people are given some reprieve if you can call it that with a run off the bike on only 2 out of the 6 sets!! A tought little session that still hurts.
I had a nice 2 hour ride on Saturday morning with Kate and then close to 4 hours on Sunday out to Redcliffe. The day was really hot and we bumped in to Alicia and Sarah at the C Word coffee shop at Nundah, so I left my ride home through hills a bit late in the day. By 10:30 it was nearly 30 Degrees!!! A total of 185kms ridden for the 1st week of bike focus and 9 hours on the bike.

Week 17- I woke up on Monday with a really sore neck and feeling flat. I thought the sore neck may have been caused by building up extra time on the bike so I am going to get bike fit checked again also. I was supposed to do core  and boxing however a big storm hit Brisbane that afternoon so I went home.  I woke up on Tuesday feeling really flat and wasn't able to train in the morning. I could barely move off the couch. I took the day off work and went and got a massage to try and sort the neck out. I think I may have had some bug as I was also running a fever as well.  I decided to give Wednesday morning cycling a miss and still wasn't feeling great.  I swam on Wednesday night and thankfully it was only a easy 2km session.

Thursday morning I was feeling heaps better I of course wasn't going to miss Robson's Thursday morning run!! Whilst I tried to take it a bit easy I was starting to feel better and put in a good solid session for the 400metre efforts around the gardens. At the end of the session we did a 1km time trial and I managed 4min:21sec quite comfortably without pushing too hard. Thursday night in the pool was also tough although my swim focus is starting to pay off. Bronny had us doing 50/100 metre repeats on 1 minute/2 minutes  I was comfortably holding 47-49secs for 50s and got down to 1:39 for the last 100.  When I first started swimming it would have been a push for me to hold 1 50 on a minute!!!

I finished the week with another windtrainer session and 2hr ride on Saturday morning.  I caught up with some friends for coffee.  My friends Alicia and Sarah are racing their 1st IM at NZ next weekend. They are feeling really positive and ready to race. I can't wait to watch them at Taupo it will be great motivation for my race later in the year.

I had a short sprint distance race out at Raby Bay on Sunday.  I was feeling very tired as I had been to a hens night and didn't get to bed until nearly 11. I didn't drink but the late night coupled with lovely munchies for dinner ( homemade cupcakes and carmel slice weren't the best preparation for my race-oh well its all about balance in life and there is life outside triathlon too!!!)

The race was a 400/15/4.  I came out of the water in 7th place and took a minute off my time over that swim course from last year.  My bike felt solid as well and I pushed hard to make sure I kept my avg pace over 30km/hr. Again a solid bike for me 28:30 rack to rack, giving me the 10th fastest bike split. Things started to unravel for me in the run.  My legs felt heavy and it was a real struggle. I got passed by 3 girls in run.  A by product of the swim and cycle focus is that I haven't been doing much running and not much speed work. I only started to feel better in the last 4km ( seems I need 10kms to warm up these days!!!) I spoke to one of our coaches Suz after the race( Suz has also raced a number of IM's) She reassured me that it is normal to feel sluggish and slow whilst training for  longer races as the body is used to racing at lower intensities.  Whilst the run felt bad I actually ended up with 20:10 which is just over 5 mins/km ( I was happy with this as 12 months ago I would have been pleased to hold 6 min /kms) Overall 9th place out of 45 girls so I was happy with that. When we have a bad day its easy to beat ourselves up, but I always look back on the journey and how far I have come over the past 2 years.  It is important to remember that in the end its supposed to be fun!!

17 weeks- BTS Camp and more swimming

The weeks are flying by.  I have just finished my last week of swim focus.  At first I was not over joyed at the thought of swimming 6 times a week but I have actually enjoyed it.

I swam 3.5km on Monday night with Brett's squad Red Dog and then another 3.4km on Tuesday night.  A good start to the week.  I swam an easy 2kms on Wednesday night ( I was feeling a bit tired after the bike on Wednesday morning).

Queensland finally turned on some beautiful summer weather for our squad training camp at Mooloolaba over the weekend.  I awoke at 4:30am on Saturday morning and cycled along the coast line from Maroochydore to Alex Headlands. What a lovely start to the day, I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to have the opportunity to enjoy such a day. I then met the group for a transitions session at Mooloolaba.  Of course coffee was a must after our training session.

I love the social side of triathlon and the great people I have meet along the way. Everybody has different motivations, journeys and goals but is so great to spend a weekend in the fresh air with a awesome bunch of people.

At lunch time we has a short swim session. My 6 times a week swimming was starting to pay off as I felt strong as we did short sprint efforts.

Saturday afternoon I chilled out read the paper and had a nice nap before and 50 min easy run along the coast line.

Sunday morning was another early start and ocean swim across the Mooloolaba course. My new found strength in swimming came back to bite me with coach Mark insisting I swim out and back across the course about 2.2km. Again it felt good although I was a little scared at the thought of sharks around so I stuck to the feet of Ray and Leigh like glue on the way across!!.

We then did a 2hr30 ride ( approx 75km) out towards Noosa. Another great way to spend a Sunday morning.

As my first month of IM training comes to a close, I am ready for next challenge of building my bike fitness. Bike has never been my strongest point however with four rides a week scheduled for the next month I am going to improve I am sure.  Whilst the thought of the whole IM program and race can be very overwhelming I have found it better to break it down on focus on short term goals. Everything will come together in time.