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!!!
Me and my support team my hubby Brett
Belinda and Brett
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, March 28, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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.
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.
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