2 runs worth blogging

I am pretty slack with blogging and my last few posts have just been race reports. But I had 2 runs this weekend that are blog-worthy I think.

The first was Friday night at the CoolRunning Summer Twilight race at Silverwater. This is a very low-key casual chance for a good hitout at 7pm on a Friday night. I got lost on the way there and so didn't arrive at the start until 15 minutes after the start. But the host kindly let me head out then and said he would wait for me. There was a choice between 5k and 10k. I had planned to do the 10 but thought maybe I should do the 5 as I was late. But when I got the 5k turn-around I was feeling so good I really wanted to keep going. So I did. It was warm and very humid with a strong headwind from 1 - 2.25 and 5 - 7.5 and a good tailwind on the rest. I just concentrated on working hard and trying to go fast and it worked pretty well. I was really happy to finish in 47.38 or thereabouts. There were cold drinks and lots of friendly CRs at the finish, so it was a most enjoyable evening. And I am motivated now to try and improve my 10k time at the Striders series next year. And that leads to my other good run...

After nearly 2 years living in Sydney and no plans to leave just yet, I decided it was time to join the Striders. They have a 6ft training group that runs on Saturday mornings and so I joined them for the first time yesterday. We started at Marsfield and I think we were in Lane Cove National Park. I have no idea where we went, but there was lots of up and down, heaps of splashing through flooding creeks and it was brilliant. It was only a very short run of about 11k but that was enough for me - sore calves, and I got a great taste for what the group was like, and I loved it. So some more motivation there, hopefully enough to keep me going through the next 2 weeks of eating and lazing and holidaying.
Merry Christmas to all and Happy running. :)

Canberra Half Ironman

I had been looking forward to this race for quite a while and it would be my first big triathlon since Ironman in April. Canberra is my home town and I have worked on the aid station at the Canberra Half since I was a novice 4 years ago, and now it was my turn to be on the other side. Unfortunately overseas work commitments meant that I did not have an ideal preparation. I didn't do much swimming or riding in the 6 weeks before the race, but I did lots of running. I was confident that I would be able to finish and was feeling quite fit considering, so hoping that I would be able to have a decent race.

It was a wetsuit optional swim with the water temp at 22.1. The ladies started at 6.38 in the 3rd wave. Before the start I moved towards the front of the group, not because I wanted to lead but because it would be less far to swim. I spotted a friend nearby me at the start and I know she is a better swimmer than me but not heaps better, so I thought I would try and stay on her feet. This worked really well for the first half - I followed her and was trying hard to keep up to her pace. This meant I swam harder than I normally would but I still felt I was within myself. But after awhile I noticed she was further and further in the distance and I gave up. For the last 300 meters it was so strange, there was no one around me at all - it was like I fell off the back of the fast-ish group and there was no one behind for ages. Anyway, I got out of the water and looked at my watch and I thought it said 35 minutes. I was happy with that especially as I felt that I had swam faster and harder than I usually would. It turned out that I looked wrong and it was probably more like 32.

There was a long jog to transition and by the time I got there my feet were numb from running on the concrete. (One day when I do Escape from Alcatraz I am going to wear sneakers). I did the usual struggle out of the wetsuit, put on my usual loose bike white jersey, socks and bike shoes and headed out onto the bike. It was drizzling but not cold so I did not bother with arm warmers. The bike was 3 laps of 31k, with 1 steep hill and quite a few moderate rises on each lap. I don't have that much to say about the bike as I didn't really enjoy it. I never found a rhythm and never felt comfortable. It was like I was working harder than I should be, but going slower. A few times girls passed me and I tried to keep them in sight but never could. I wasn't having fun like I usually do on the bike, but I was a good girl and concentrated on eating and drinking according to schedule, getting down on my tri bars as much as possible and not drafting. It rained on and off, sometimes quite heavily, but this didn't really bother me. One thing about the rain is that its good for peeing on the bike. I know this is too much information, but peeing on the bike saves a lot of time, and its not very nice to do when its hot and dry. I was happy when the bike was over and looking forward to seeing how I would go on the run.

In T2 I peeled off my soaking wet jersey and grabbed my soaking wet hat and shoes. I didn't have a second pair of socks and was a bit worried about my very wet feet, but they turned out to be fine. I started running and was feeling good. I had planned to try and "push it" on the run but instead I just ran "comfortable" and was happy with that. The first lap went by quickly. I some nice chats to fellow runners, got cheered by lots of friends spectating, said hi to other friends racing - yep, this is why we do it. :) After about 14k my legs started to reeeaaally hurt, and after about 18k I felt like I was very borderline crampy and not running very well any more. But I was still moving faster than plenty of other people and passed 1 or 2 girls in my age group. I finished in 5.36 and felt sore but still really good. I would have loved to finish in under 5.30 and it was my bike split of 3.14 that let me down. But I was happy to finish 7th in my age group out of 28. The 6th placed female was 10 minutes ahead of me so I figure I beat everyone I was going to beat. I was also lucky not to get any flats as there were plenty of them with the wet conditions.

I am happy and proud to be a Canberra Half Ironman finisher and feel that I had another good solid race. At the moment I am feeling like I want a break from triathlon for awhile, but I will wait and see how I go after Christmas.

Nowra Olympic Distance Triathlon

Another great weekend away racing. This time it was down at Nowra for the opening of the National Series. I did this race last year and enjoyed it and knew it would be good fun again. I was also keen to have a bit of race before heading overseas for work for 4 weeks. I have been training fairly consistently, but not doing very much running. My plan was to have a strong swim and bike and not worry too much about the run.

The swim is in the Nowra river, and is a straight 750m upstream, turn and 750m back. I concentrated on not slacking, long reach with my arms and good kick. After about 500m I got on the feet of someone. I tried to pass her a few times but it did not happen so I figured it must be a good pace and I stayed there. I came out of the water in 23.XX and I was happy with that ( it was prob a bit short).

The bike course was an out and back, steady gradual climb to 20k, then mostly down again n the way back. I got down on my bars and concentrated on pushing fairly hard. After a few kilometres I hooked up with another woman, no 44. We then played cat-and-mouse for the whole bike. This could have been annoying but it was actually really good as it made me work harder and reminded me that it was a race.

Before the race the TA officials had demonstrated how to pass correctly and emphasised that you must stay in the draft of the bike in front as you approach and only move out to pass when you are just behind them, so you are not blocking. I have never done this before, tending instead to sit out to the right when I pass, so I make sure I don't look as though I am drafting. But this time I followed the rules exactly and realised the benefits of doing this - you get a slingshot effect that is quite awesome.

I got off the bike in about 1.15 and I was pleased with that. I felt that I had pushed fairly hard and done my best. I was "curious" to see how the run would go. No 44 was just ahead of me going out of transition and I reached her as we crossed the bridge over the river a the start of the run. We said hello and she said she was trying to qualify for Vancouver Worlds next year. I passed her fairly easily, but then about 500 m later on the biggest hill on the course, she passed me. I thought "maybe I should try and stay with her", but the truth is, mentally I can be weak sometimes and this was one time when I was. I let myself just keep plodding along. My aim from there was to keep a positive attitude, concentrate on my form and not go too slow. The run course has two loops out and back where can see other runners and so I tried to hold or decrease the gap to other runners. When there are only 2k to go its all downhill, so from there I tried to really pick it up and finish strong. In the end my run split was 48:XX which is not great, but not terrible. But I think the run course might be a little short. (I was not wearing my GPS).

I crossed the line in 2:28:XX and was happy with that. Its a minute slower than my Olympic distance PB, but 4 minutes faster than I did this race last year (although the bike course was different). I was lucky to get 3rd in my new age-group of 30-34. If I had still been in 25-29 I would have been about 9th I think.

It was really great to get the tri season started with a race, and a good idea of where I am up to with my training (still lots of room for improvment). Now I go overseas for 4 weeks so the plan is work on my running and hope that magically I don't lose too much on the bike.

Scott 24hr Mtb race - Stromlo Forest Park

This was my 4th year in the Scott (the race formally known as the Mont). The first 2 years I was in a mixed 6, last year an all-female 4 and this year an all-female 3. The previous years have been held at Kowen forest and this year was the first time at Stromlo using all the new trails built by CORC. I have enjoyed every year but this year surpassed the others by miles, I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed the new course and 3 was a perfect size team, offering plenty of riding but not enough to be punishing. Plus my 2 team mates were awesome.

The new course is based on a "hourglass" with two separate laps = red lap and blue lap. Each team or solo rider must ride 1 lap of each in order for the 24hrs. Its up to you whether you do single laps, double laps, or any other combination as long as go redblueredblueredblue etc.

The red lap was about 11k and notable for the fact that it climbs basically to the top of Mt Stromlo through a series of switchbacks, then does a really fun, fast and flowing traverse of the mountainside then returns to transition down a moderately steep section. The blue lap was about 14k, is more rolling, with more firetrail and slightly more technical sections.

Red was my favourite but I also enjoyed the blue. But mostly I loved the fact that there was two different laps, it made it much more interesting. Also because each lap was shorter than at Kowen you could go harder, and not worry too much about food, drinks and lights. So the course was fantastic.


I was riding the first lap which is done Le-Mans style - ie. you run to your bike and then jump on. The run was very short this year, only about 300m. I started at the very back, which in hindsight was not ideal because it meant I got stuck behind almost every rider on the course. Next year I would go for closer to the middle of the pack. Anyway, the first lap (red) was very slow and congested until the top of the climb, then spaced out a bit. Although there is very little firetrail, its easy to pass as the singletrack is quite wide. The first lap seemed to be over too quickly as I was having so much fun.

We had decided to ride mostly single laps and each do a double lap at night to give some opportunity for a longer sleep or rest. This worked out perfect for us, being a team of 3 meant each person got to ride alternate red-blue laps each time. The 3 of us were similar in times for each lap, averaging around 50-55 minutes in the day.

With less than 2 hours between each lap, my routine was to finish a lap, eat and drink something, change into normal clothes, get my bike ready for the next lap, each and drink some more, relax and chat to everyone in camp for about an hour, get changed back into bike gear and go down to transition for the next lap.

My first night lap was a disaster. Well, it was going great for the first 10k but then my batteries failed and I had no lights. This has always been my worst fear in this race but its never happened before. (I think my batteries are just getting old and crapped-out, and I had not realised that they no longer last more than half an hour because that is the longest I usually ride in the dark when I am commuting.) Anyway, I limped home, trying to follow other riders and generally just being lucky that I didn't stack. I was very glad to make it back into camp.


My second night lap was scheduled to be the double and go from about 11 pm-1 am. Unfortunately it became apparent that none of my batteries, including all the spares I had borrowed from a friend, were up to the task, so I had to rely on a headtorch for most of the time and save my highbeam helmet light for the tricky sections when I really needed it. I had a few small falls and my confidence was not great, but I managed to get through red and most of the blue, but then I got a flat tyre. To cut a very long story short it took me more than 30 minutes to change - cold, tired, dark and my brand new spare had not one but two holes in it that had to be repaired. This time I was really really glad to get back to transition.

After that the other two girls did their double laps so I had enough time to have a faaaantastic hot shower, get into my sleeping bag and sleep for about 1 hour. And by the time I had to ride again it was light!! I have never appreciated the simple fact of being able to see quite as much as I did on that lap.

By time 11am rolled around, we had done 24 laps total, 8 laps (4 red and 4 blue) each. After carefully checking in the results tent that we had a large margin on the only other team in our category, I decided not to go out again for a final lap - the symmetry was too perfect to disturb and yes, I was tired.

We got some really good prizes, a plaque, 2 jerseys, shorts, a light and sport drink mix. All in all it surpassed my expectations of a wonderful weekend. I love mountain biking, its so much fun. One day I hope I get a bit better at it. This year my fitness is definitely better, but my skills are still lacking, especially on the descents. Next year I think a team of 3 again, it was perfect for me. And I have to get much much better lights.




PS. The amazing photos are from sportograf. I can't get over how good how they. Their business model is one flat fee for digital copies of all the photos of you. For this event the cost was $35 and there were over 20 pictures of me. This is SOOO much better value than stupid Triathlon Photos who charge $30 for 1 photo print and won't give you digital versions unless you pay more than $150. I love sportograf!!!!!

Race Report - The Angry Doctor 100k mountain bike

[This post has taken me ages because I have been trying to get on top of the technology to put in lovely graphs and maps and photos ... I am learning]

I had been planning to do this event for months, but I didn't manage to do much specific training for it. I was not too worried as I knew I could do it, but I was not sure how to pace myself or how much exactly it would hurt.

The race was part of a lovely weekend down at the South Coast. I rented a house at Broulee on the headland and it was so nice. Tom and I stayed there on Friday night and Bronwyn, Lina and John joined us on Saturday. We had a fantastic feast for dinner and after packing ridiculous amounts of food and fiddling with our bikes we had a pretty early night.

The start was at 7AM in Mogo and we 4 started together right at the back of the bunch. It was a cold morning and I had on arm warmers and full leggings over my knicks. The first 5 or so k were on bitumen and it was really fun whizzing along on the road in a big peloton of mtbs. Soon we got to the dirt and the comical sight of people walking on the first hill! I had some "mechanical" problems to start with, which turned out to be just the noise of my very solid home-made powerbars rattling against my bike in my bento box. Once I figured out this mystery problem I had been separated from the others and settled in to ride my own steady pace for the day.

I felt really good in the first 30 kilometres. The hills were easy and my newly fitted disc brakes felt great. There was some really lovely singletrack and fun bits. At about 35k I met up with Libby and we rode together chatting which was nice. Libby was putting in a good pace on the fire-trail and could go much faster than me especially on the descents, and then I took the lead on the single track. We reached the 50k half way point back in Mogo in about 3hours 10 mins and I was pleased with that. We both stopped and had a quick toilet and food break. I had not drunk much of the water in my CamelBak which I had should have worried about and I also did not bother to fill it up - stupid!

As we rode away I said to Libby that it was really nice to ride together but she should not wait for me, and so that was the last I saw of her. Shortly after that I stopped to make a phone call and also to SMS Tom. This either amused or concerned those around me.

At about 60k one of the marshalls said: "You are the 7th girl." For a moment I wished she had not said that because I felt pressure to keep up my pace. But then I figured that was stupid - for all I knew there were only 7 girls in the race and I was last, so it hardly mattered.

Shortly after passing the 75k aid station and not stopping I ran out of water (stupid!) and started feeling pretty flat. I told myself I would be okay with the half bidon of sports drink I had left, but that was delusional - I would have been cactus. Very fortunately I remembered there was another aid station at 8ok. I got there at 1pm (6 hours riding) and I filled up my CamelBak and guzzled a Lucosade, fruitbread and some lollies. After that I felt heaps better and sent Tom another SMS saying I was feeling good and would probably be another 1.5 hours to the finish.

Just past the 85k marker I suddenly got a painful cramp along the inside of my right thigh. A few seconds later my left leg cramped up too. Uh-oh. Riding with cramping legs was pretty tricky. Specifically pedalling was a problem. At one point I fell off my bike and could not get up and another time I went to throw my leg over and it seized up and I kicked a tree. Fortunately at 89k there was a really sweet single track section that flowed downhill so I did not have to pedal and it put a big smile on my face. It was so fun I was almost tempted to ride it again.

Once I was inside of 10k to go I didn't worry too much about the pain and just rode as fast as I could without cramping, which was extremely slow. It was a good feeling to return to the Mogo oval and cruise across the finish line. I finished in 7 hours 20 mins. The Garmin said it was 96k which was slightly disappointing, but close enough. I was 7th women out of about 20. The fastest guy finished in 4 hours 20 mins - just amazing.

Bronwyn and Lina finished with big smiles - yay! And Libby got 2nd in the Open women category and 4th overall - nice. I scored a lucky prize of a new Netti jersey which I earned by having worn no less than 5 separate items of Netti gear on the day (knicks, longs, jersey, armwarmers and headband) - not on purpose either. Afterwards Bronwyn drove me back to Canberra and I was so tired and hungry I got takeaway for dinner and just crashed into bed. I was pretty tired and sore for most of the week after.

I really enjoyed this event and can't wait to do another 100k mtb. I think next time I could go faster. My main limiter is my skills rather than fitness. I am embarrassingly slow on the descents. I was also STUPID about my hydration and probably did not have enough salt either, hence the cramping. I am not sure why I thought I did not really have to worry about it, as its a long event. Next time I will pay more attention to that.

Good ol tired legs

It never ceases to amaze me how the body adapts and changes. I feel quite buggered after this week, which has been bigger than my usual of late, but not much compared to an IM training week. I have ridden the mtb to work each day, which is 10k each way, total of 100k. The plan to "go hard" started out well on Monday but then slowly petered out and by today I was definitely cruising. Ah well. I also did 45k road rides on Tues and Thurs, both enjoyable, and ran 11k on Wed and 14k today, both easy. This was supposed to be my week to get back in the pool but I got a nasty ear infection in Darwin, and have been on antibiotics, so that'll wait till next week.

My sis and bro-out-law are coming up tonight for the C2S on Sunday. I have a red bib that I got on the strength of my SHM Half time, but I am not sure how I'll go. I have been running abit, but my right leg has been sore for a few weeks now. I don't think its anything serious, but it does hurt and I just "feel" like I have no speed at the moment. But it should be a fun day anyway. I will wear my CR cap and hopefully get some cheers and meet new people. Tom will do a good time I think, his running is going great guns at the moment. :)

Now I am starting to really look forward to the Angry Doctor and a weekend at the coast. 3 weeks to go now. Next weekend I am heading down to Canberra to do some more last minute mtb training.

Mtb bootcamp

So, many months ago I signed up for the AROC Angry Doctor 100km Mtb Endurance ride at Mogo. Now suddenly its 4 weeks away and I have done very very very little training. Eeek. So I have enrolled myself in my own personal bootcamp. This just involves doing as much mtb on the weekends as I can, getting in plenty of ks on the road bike during the week, trying to also keep up my fitness with running, and riding my mtb to work each day with have a rule that I have to go as hard as I can (safely) on the hills there and back.

I kicked things off on the weekend. On Saturday I did two laps of the single track at Manly Dam. Its great riding there and I really enjoyed bumping and rolling around by myself. This was only 20k, but has some decent technical sections, some of which I rode! ;) On Sunday I drove to Sutherland then rode from there to Waterfall via Lady Carrington Drive and back. This was only about 30k but it had two decent climbs, albeit on the road. But the important thing is that I was out there riding, rather staying home whinging that its too hard to mtb in Sydney, I have no-one to ride with and I am never going to be ready in time.

Bay City Roller

This seems like a good name for my long run today which involved a lap of the Bay and then in to the city and back, with some hills along the way. After a few weeks of disappointing runs and feeling like I am getting nowhere, today I felt great and REALLY enjoyed my run. :) I completed 27k in 2:34 and my average speed was 5:41. I felt like I kept a good comfortable steady pace the whole way. Although I enjoy running with Tom, it was nice to run alone and go completely at my own pace, no pressure and no one to feel grumpy towards when its hurting.
I am still undecided about doing the Sydney marathon or half marathon, but am thinking I would really like to do Mt Wilson to Mt Bilpin. We are off tomorrow for 2 weeks holiday in Darwin (yippee), so the plan is to see how everything is going when we get back. We will try to run up there, but between the weather and some overnight hikes we may not manage many ks.

Woodford to Glenbrook 25K 8 July 2007

1512 Mr Thomas Roberts 30-39 2:10:41 33
1380 Ms Zoe Cameron 30-39 2:22:17 9

Striders 10k 7 July 2007

88

2352

Kirk McKenzie

0.41.09

130

2508

Thomas Roberts

0.43.54

205

2345

Zoe Cameron

0.48.30

259

2477

Ella Cameron

0.52.50

Sick or just a recovery week

After another solid week last week that I was reasonably happy with, this week has become a write-off for me with a cold. :( I am trying to see it as a positive thing, an opportunity to recover really well, ward off injuries etc, but I still feel a little miserable.

I am/was really hoping to do the Striders 10k on Saturday and then Woodford to Glenbrook on Sunday this weekend, but at the moment that seems unlikely. I am at home today, in bed with the laptop, taking lots of tablets and potions and hoping for the best.

A good solid 65k week

Last week was such a good and varied running week for me, I wanted to blog it, even though I am very behind now.

Monday 18th - I did an easy 7k down and back to the Bay. I don't much enjoy running in the dark but its nice when the sun rises while you are out.
Tuesday 19th - I was planning to run in the evening after a slightly boozy work function on Monday night, but it was raining and dark and I had limited time before another work function, so I had a go on the hotel treadmill. I set it to 11.5k, incline of 3 (whatever that means) and slogged it out for 40 mins. It was not esp enjoyable, but it was a run.
Wednesday 20th - Surprise, it was raining and dark again in the morning so I opted for a 1.5k swim and went for my run with Tom in the evening instead. I don't usually run in the evening and I did not have anything to eat before I left. I ended up feeling quite strange. I felt like I was not running and my spatial sense was all screwed up. Tom said this is exactly what happens to him when he runs on an empty stomach - not recommended. But it was was still a nice run with Tom - 10k.
Thursday 21st - I finally got out on the bike for bunch training at SOP. I rode with group 4 and felt pretty good.
Friday 22nd -I did a long-ish run from home around the Bay. It was not raining but it had been and I was surprised how few others were out running. It was very quiet and I enjoyed an easy 14k. In the evening after work I squeezed in another 1.5k swim.

We made a last minute trip to Canberra for the weekend, after the Woodford to Glenbrook run was postponed. I was not very keen to go, but it turned out to be lovely. It was glorious Canberra winter weather, sunny and clear and calm both days.
On Saturday afternoon Tom's marathon program dictated a fast 10k and I went along too. We ran around Lake Ginninderra which is very familiar territory for me. The sun was setting and it was just so beautiful, almost enough to distract me from the pain of trying to run "Fast". In theory we were targeting sub 5 min k pace, but ended up with an average speed of 4.40, and 10k in about 46:45.
On Sunday morning we took advantage of the great opportunity to run off-road in Canberra and ran from Hawker to Black Mt and back. It was quite hilly and I felt pretty tired but it was still a very enjoyable run in PERFECT running conditions. We finished up with almost dot on 20k in 2 hours - average speed 5.59. When we got home we cooked up a massive brunch for the family - bacon, mushroom, tomato, eggs 3 ways and croissants with jam. Tom summed things up when he reached for his second croissant and said "well, I did do a long run this morning". :) In the afternoon we did a lovely "recovery" ride around Mt Ainslie with Ella on the mtbs.

So I finished the week with a massive (for me) 65k running and I felt great about it. I am feeling like a I really need to get some consistency back into my training, so hopefully this is a good start.

Geoquest Adventure Race

Last weekend I spent being support crew for the team Out of Range in the Geoquest Adventure Race. My aims in order of importance were to help the team, have lots of fun and learn a bit about adventure racing.

Unfortunately one team member had to withdraw on the first night with a back injury, but the rest of team went on unranked and completed 3 out of the 4 legs. I know they were all disappointed not to finish, it is a race that requires a big investment of time, money and emotion. But I thought what they did was amazing nonetheless.

The highlights for me were:
- Watching the team do their planning with the maps the night before the race.
- Seeing our team get safely out and back through the waves on the scary ocean kayak leg.
- Being told in the local bakery that they did not sell anything vegetarian because: "we don't get many vegetarians around here." :)
- Meeting my support crew buddies James and Jane.
- Eating yummy gelato in lovely Bellingen

The lowlights were:
- The horrible pizza we ordered for the team from Sawtell on Friday night
- Waiting for our team to call us for a pick-up during the race from 9.30pm until 1AM, literally thinking they were going to call any minute. That was excruciating.

I am still undecided if this race is something I would like to do. It looked like fun, but like very, very hard fun. I think I would like the paddling and the mtb and the team aspect. I think I would struggle with the sleep deprivation. I would have to improve my navigation skills which are currently non-existant.

In adventure racing the 'premier' category is Mixed. Mostly the mixed teams are 1 woman and 3 men and that means in most teams the woman is the slowest, and might get towed on the mtb and helped along by the boys in other ways. This year the woman in the winning team explained that last year she raced in all-female team and they came last! That seemed to sum up the situation rather well. Interesting.

Anyway, I had a really enjoyable weekend and got heaps of insight into 'what it takes'.

Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon

I am a little late posting about this race, possibly a reflection on my feelings of slight ambivalence. I had a goal of 100 minutes and I did 99.29 gun/99.18 net so I was happy. But it was a struggle and I did not feel like I was running very well. But I didn't really train for the race so what should I expect right? Anyway, it was a lovely day for a run and there is nowhere else I would have rather been.

Kirk came up for the race, just like last year. On Saturday night we had a yummy pesto lasagne for dinner then watched the crossword doco Wordplay until the dodgy pirate dvd gave up, so we went to bed nice and early. In the morning we got an early train and arrived at the start about 6.40AM (7.30 race start). We did the portaloo thing and dropped off our bags and then we lined up.

The first few kilometres Tom and I ran together. We went too fast for a bit then settled down to around 4.30 pace. We did 10k in 45.55 (possibly a new 10k PB for me) and I felt pretty good on the first lap.

It all started to feel pretty hard on the second lap, I lost sight of Tom and after passing the Mrs Macquarie's chair turnaround the second time I really started struggling. The kilometres started to get closer to 5 minutes, a couple even went over 5 - I exclaimed "shit" out loud after one.:)

For the last few k's I knew it was going to be fairly close for the 100 minutes, but I had nothing left to pick up the pace. In the final k, 3 seperate people came past me and said "not far to go now", or "nearly there", so I must have looked pretty bad. I was glad to cross the line and get my (crappy, ribbon-less) medal.

On reflection I think I have worked out why I did not enjoy it as much as I usually enjoy races. It was not a big goal race that I had worked hard for so my heart was not fully in it. As I was going around I was telling myself that I did not really "deserve" to meet my goal. But at the same time I had set myself a (arbitrary) goal and it was one I had to stretch for, so I did not let myself just race at a nice easy pace that did not hurt and enjoy myself. I have not figured out what I have learned from this - I guess its just a different part of the whole journey.

I was VERY happy that Tom met his goal and ran 98.10 - well done! :) Kirk did not do his fastest time but was happy with a solid 95.xx following his LA marathon earlier this year.

Thanks to CR and blogger sfGnome for the photo above - it is much better than any professional race photo I have ever had.

First time on the podium

Wow, what a red letter day! Today I got 3rd place in the 5km at the Hague Royal Ten fun run. I got flowers, and a trophy and even 10 Euro prize money. I was totally stoked. It was not a big field, maybe 250 people altogether, as the 10k is the big deal. While I was disappointed not to do the 10k, I was very glad with the outcome. I felt like a star.

It was a bit of a stress entering, dropping off my bag, renting Championchip etc, all without a word of Dutch, but I made it to the start line. It was a completely flat course and a cool day. I started out quite quickly and did the first 1k in 4.02. I knew that was too quick.

After that there were not many people around and I was looking ahead at a women in a yellow singlet (YS). She looked like she was not out of my league, ie she did not have that great running form and she was lean but not super toned or muscled, so I decided I could try to chase her. I caught up to her and decided to try and stay with her.

There was a turn around at about 2k and I (incorrectly) counted that there was only 1 other woman ahead of me and YS, so figured we were in 3rd and 2nd. Shortly after that I moved ahead of YS and thought I would just do my own thing. The next k was 4.13 and then 4.30 - I was flagging abit but told myself it was only 2k to go.

With just over 1k to go I could hear people coming up behind me and looked and saw that it was YS and a man. As they got right behind me I realised the man was not in the race and was pacing YS. They ran just behind me for a little while, and then I thought hang on, I don't want her behind me where she can make a sneaky move, so I slowed just a fraction.

They moved right next to me and I saw him signalling with his hand for her to 'hold'. Two thoughts went through my mind quickly. First was, give up, let them go, I don't care, she can take it, I'll probably still get third. But then I got angry and thought I don't want to let her beat me when she had this guy helping her, I am going to give this everything I have and see what happens.

We came around a corner into the final straight and there was 400m to go. Pacing man pulled off the course, I gave him a filthy look and then I started going as fast as I could. I kept looking back to see where YS was, but she did not keep up with me. With about 100m to go it was really hurting and I told myself to block it out.

It was a great feeling coming across the line and knowing I had "won", not the race, but the race with YS. She and another fast finishing woman were just behind me. I forgot to stop my watch but I saw the time 21.12 on the clock when I crossed the line.

I was given a little finishers medal and rose and an official told me the ceremony would be in about 15 minutes. I spoke to YS briefly and she said there were actually 2 women in front of us and so we were 3rd and 4th. Then I was even more pleased that I had not given in. There was a little ceremony, all in Dutch ofcourse, I just stood on the podium and smiled and waved my bunch of flowers for the photographer. It was pretty cool!!

I watched the start of the 10k, it looked like some pretty serious runners at the front, Kenyans etc. Then I rushed back to the hotel to shower and change before chairing a meeting for 4 hours.

Afterwards I thought how it was really fun to "race" against someone, though its not what I usually do. I also thought about the pacing thing. It seemed sooo unfair to me, but I don't know. In triathlon its completely against the rules and she would have been DQd. But it seems like its different in running. I also thought about what I should do with my prize money. Probably frame it. :)

19 knots

That was the speed of the wind this morning at the beach at Scheveningen, where I chose to take my long run. It was also raining. The first half of the run was not too bad. I had a couple of old eps of Ironman Talk to catch up on on the iPod and I just plodded along. But when I turned around after about 9k I had to head straight back into the wind. The section on the waterfront was ridiculous, I could literally hardly move, it was blowing so strongly. I was also soaking wet by the end, and seriously questioning my sanity. But I had a reward to look forward to. I allow myself one morning of allyoucaneat hotel buffet breakfast and today was the day. It included a healthy portion of the Dutch speciality of chocolate sprinkles on white bread. Gotta love that.

Tonight we had dinner at a REALLY really lovely restaurant called C'est Ca. They only have a very small menu and it changes every day, depending on what is good at the markets. I had crab cake, butterfish with white asparagus and lobster risotto, and banana cake with rum sauce. The very nice (English speaking) waitress just loved that I called my coffee a flat white. Anyway, highly recommended as a special but not too expensive dinner spot in The Hague.

I was bitterly disappointed today because I won't be able to do the 10k on Sunday - I have a meeting instead! But I will be able to do the 5k I think, so that was a small consolation. Tomorrow I will have a rest day.

Dutch runs

So, the plan while I am away was to run evey day and alternate between easy runs and something more challenging.

On Monday I did 7k easy, just down to the beach and back. Total time was about 40 minutes, I did the last 2k abit faster - around 5min pace.

On Tuesday I did a session based around the Mona fartlek - intervals 2x90secs, 4x60secs, 4x30secs, 4x15 secs, you repeat the times for recovery in between. I did 10 min warmup, 1 rep of the intervals, 10 mins easy, another rep of the intervals, then 10 min cool down. This was fun and I enjoyed it, but I was not pushing the intervals very hard, especially in the second rep. Approx 14k.

On Wednesday I just did 10k easy down to the beach and along to the end and back. There is a sandcastle festival here at the moment. The battery on the Forerunner died before the end.

On Thursday I did this 10-20 session I read about. 20 minutes warm up, 10 minutes fast pace, 10 minutes recovery, 20 minutes fast, 10 minutes cool down. It went pretty well. It was a miserable morning, rainy and very windy. I did the 10 minute interval along the waterfront with a gale force tail wind, that was quite fun. I felt pretty tired towards the end. My right leg has been unspecifically sore for a few days. I could do with a swim I think.

The exciting news is that there is a fun run here in The Hague on Sunday afternoon, which I am going to do. It is called the Dutch Royal 10. So far I have not been able to interest any of my colleagues in joining me!

Den Haag long run

This morning I got up early to do a longish run before starting work. It is nice running in Den Haag, it is familar because I have been here and run here twice before, but also unfamiliar at the same time. I wanted to do 18k and decided to head down to the beach and then into the dunes to do it. The dunes area is world heritage listed or something I think and there is a nice hard gravel path wending through it. I was pretty slow and feeling a bit sore in the legs, but it was still a very enjoyable run. It was pretty early on a Sunday morning, so there was hardly anyone around and it was very quiet. I have now run 4 days in a row, total of 50k, so tomorrow I will do something short and easy I think.

Highland runs

I had 3 good runs in Fortrose in the past few days. I hope when I get home I will be able to load up a Garmin map or graph or two, but for now I will just blog the details.

Thursday morning I ran from Tigh-Na-Rudha down to the Point through the golfcourse, then around and along to Rosemarkie, up the stairs and kept going till I had done 5 kilometers, then I turned around and came back the same way. I was taking it fairly easy and I think my average speed was around 5.40.

Friday afternoon I did pretty much the same run, but did 10 minutes warm up, then 20 x1 min on, 1 min off intervals, then another 10 minutes warm down. I was not going to any particular speed, just trying to go fast, then recover. My plan is to try and do some of this sort of thing while I am away, rather than just running easy every day!

Saturday I decided to go somewhere different, and headed straight through the village, up the hill and along this quiet laneway for about 6k. I got to Killen and then turned around and came nack the same way. It was beautiful and I felt really good. It was kinda hilly so I figured that was enough.

Photos

Yes, life moves on and so will I, eventually. But for now, its another IM related post. I wanted to put in some photos from various spots.

Splits from Ironmanlive

TOTAL SWIM	2.4 mi. (1:04:15)	1:41/100m	613
BIKE - 18.6 mi	2:05:59 18.6 mi @ 1:01:44	18.08 mph
BIKE - 37.3 mi	3:02:16 18.7 mi @ 56:17	19.93 mph
BIKE - 55.9 mi	4:06:38 18.6 mi @ 1:04:22	17.34 mph
BIKE - 74.5 mi	5:06:48 18.6 mi @ 1:00:10	18.55 mph
BIKE - 93.2 mi	6:16:17 18.7 mi @ 1:09:29	16.15 mph
BIKE - 112 mi	7:19:11 18.8 mi @ 1:02:54	17.17 mph
TOTAL BIKE - 112 miles	6:14:56	17.92 mph	775
RUN - 3.7 mi	7:55:32 3.7 mi @ 36:21	9:49/mi
RUN - 5.9 mi	8:14:55 2.2 mi @ 19:23	8:48/mi
RUN - 9.3 mi	8:48:39 3.4 mi @ 33:44	9:55/mi
RUN - 13 mi	9:21:53 3.7 mi @ 33:14	8:58/mi
RUN - 16.7 mi	9:58:43 3.7 mi @ 36:50	9:57/mi
RUN - 19.2 mi	10:19:41 2.5 mi @ 20:58	8:23/mi
RUN - 22.4 mi	10:57:13 3.2 mi @ 37:32	11:43/mi
RUN - 26.2 mi	11:33:59 3.8 mi @ 36:46	9:40/mi
TOTAL RUN - 26.2 miles	4:14:48	9:43/mi	616
TOTAL RUN	26.2 mi. (4:14:48)	9:43/mile	616

Ironman Australia Race Report

Yes, this has taken awhile. And its very long...kinda like the race. :)

An athlete I greatly admire said two things about Ironman. Firstly it’s about the journey, not the result and secondly it is tougher mentally than it is physically. Now I know how true they are.

My journey started more than 12 months ago, after my first long course triathlon at Jervis Bay. I started thinking maybe, one day, maybe, I would like to do Ironman. I am not a good runner and I really wanted to improve my running, so I decided to train for a marathon over winter. I also thought it would be a good step towards Ironman.

Completing that marathon really changed me and my attitude. I discovered that I was not the absolute worst and slowest athlete that I had always thought myself to be and I learnt the lesson that a healthy and determined person can do pretty much anything AS LONG AS THEY ARE PREPARED TO TRAIN FOR IT.

After that I started training for the Shepparton Half and carefully suggesting to Tom that I might think about giving IM a go in 2007. He was not keen at first, but once he realised it was something I really wanted, he was 100% supportive. I “qualified” at Shep and thinking that it could not possibly be 40 degrees+ at IM, I took the spot. The fact that it was going to be my best-training-buddy Jen’s first full IM too made it even more exciting.

I absolutely loved the training. I missed my Canberra Bilbys, but I was lucky to find the “small but powerful” Pulse crew in Sydney who gave me so much encouragement and support. Who would have thought that Saturday long rides to Sublime, with the obligatory Bakers Delight and 2-for-1 Gatorade stop at Sutho, followed by a run in the heat at Centennial Park could be so much fun?

I think most triathletes secretly relish doing heaps of training and I loved racking up the big weeks with 10ks in the pool, 350ks on the bike and 60ks running. I miraculously stayed well and un-injured all through the training and I basically had the perfect preparation.

Race week was fun. We had a great house of wise and experienced Irongods, nervous Ironvirgins and solid-gold Ironsherpas. I was nervous and scared but not overly so and amazingly I slept really well every night.

Race morning I ate a big bowl of OJ/oats/yoghurt/honey/grated apple, two pieces of turkish toast with nutella and a bottle of Gatorade. The feeling at the start was weirdly similar to a normal triathlon, but this was Ironman!!! The announcer said: “Yes, it is really April 1. No, you are not dreaming.”

Although I had plenty of time, somehow I didn’t get into the water till late so by the time I swam out to take my place with the orange caps, there was only 1 minute to go. I felt strangely calm, less nervous than I ever have before a race, almost ho hum, and then we were off – the start of a long long day.

The bashing and congestion at the start was worse than any other race I have done. You just had to stay calm and roll with the punches - literally. On the second lap I found quite a lot of open water which was nice. Also for the first time ever I found some nice feet to sit on for perhaps about 500meters, so I enjoyed that while it lasted. My guestimate for the swim was 1 - 1.15, but on the day I took it very easy and was thinking it would be about 1.10, so I was happy to see 1.04 when I got out of the water. I think if I had really pushed it hard the best I could have done would have been 1 hour flat and what is 4 minutes in the scheme of the things?

It was strange in the change tent because I wanted the helpers to chat to me but they were very serious and focused on the job. I took my time, got properly suncreamed and jogged to my bike. I could hear someone screaming my name and turned around and there was my mum going nuts – thanks Mum.

The first 60k lap on the bike felt great. The 30k turn around came so quickly and on the way back into town with a tailwind I felt like I was flying, passing heaps of people, including many guys on fancy bikes. The infamous hill on Matthew Flinders Drive was no problem, almost fun. I was trying to be conscious of not going too fast, but my first lap was 1.55 which I knew was too fast – ie I would not be maintaining that pace for the next 2 laps and doing a 5.45!!!

On the second lap my lower back started hurting. It has never hurt there before and it was really not slowing me down, but it was really uncomfortable and mentally draining as I was worrying about it. I stopped at the aid station just before the turnaround, partly to use the loo but mostly just to stretch my back. I was sticking like clockwork to my nutrition plan and had no problems, apart from losing half a banana at one stage. The smartest thing I did was sticky-tape my plan to my aerobars (what to eat and drink at what time). My concentration was hopeless and I could not have stuck to the plan during the race without having it written down in front of me. After another trip up the hill and heaps of support from my family the second lap ended. My time was about 4.00, so I had slowed considerably, but felt I was right on track.

On the way out on the third lap I went through a pretty low point. My back was really hurting, I was so tired, everyone else seemed to be drafting to avoid the headwind and I felt like I was at the back of the race. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I still had to run a marathon. I wondered if I had been stupid to think that I was going to be able to do this. I stopped again at the same aid station just before the turnaround to stretch my back and I also drank the can of Redbull I picked up at the special needs station. It worked its sugary magic and along with the tailwind, the final 30k was much easier and more enjoyable. My bike computer time for the 180k ride was 6.11, average speed 29.3kph. My guesstimate had been 6 - 6.30 so again I was pleased with my time and even more pleased to be off the bike.

Back in the tent I did a complete change of clothes and the ladies commented on how calm I was. I told them I was just terrified and it was true. It is difficult to describe the run. It felt hard from the start and it just got harder and harder and then harder some more. But at the same time it was never really really terrible. Does that give you an idea? I did the first 10k which is flat in about 53 minutes comfortably and thought if I can maintain this pace I will be very happy. I had been feeling strong running hills in my training and hoped I would be able to work the hills well, but that was not to be. The hills were really tough, especially the second time around. My first 21k lap was completed in about 1.55 but my second lap was a lot slower, about 2.15.

Nevertheless I was determined not to walk. I can understand why so many people do walk. Running really hurts. Your body tells your mind that if you stop running the pain will stop and after 2,3,4 hours that message is soooo hard to ignore. But I told myself that if I had trained to walk this thing, my training would have been a whole lot easier and so I owed it to myself for all those training runs I did to keep running.

People say that if you are running in the later stages of the marathon, no matter how slow, you will be passing lots of people and that was how it was. I had heaps of support on the course from my family and the big ZOE sign my sister made, which was wonderful. I tried to smile and be positive for them. I also had the benefit of Brownie out there on his bike during the second lap. His calm and meaningful comments were so helpful and welcome.

The best thing about the run was that I got to see all my friends. For me triathlon is very much about the people I have been lucky enough to meet and train with, and it meant so much to me to share the experience with some of them out there. My friend Simone was not far behind me for most of the run and I told her to hurry up and catch me so we could have a chat. Even though you are surrounded by people it’s still lonely somehow.

As I headed out into the hills for the last 12k I passed Jen coming back approaching the finish line. It was so nice to see her and to know the next time I saw her we would be together at the finish.

As I approached the finish line I expected to feel euphoria coming on and that the last few kilometres would be easy. Wrong! Maybe my body had simply run out of endorphins. When I finally got to the chute I found my family and Tom. I was so happy to be able to give Tom a kiss and thankyou before I finished. As I jogged towards the line I could see Simone on the big screen finishing just in front of me and a close-up of her smiling face. That was cool. I don’t remember hearing my name or the famous four words. Despite everyone giving me advice to make sure I enjoyed the finish, it’s a blur for me. I know I was very relieved and happy but it was so overwhelming. I hope the video will bring some of it back.

My final time was 11.34.00. I believe this was a result of consistent training, good planning and a well-paced day in which nothing went wrong. I think it is close to the best I could have done and I am very proud of it. But on reflection I have realised that Ironman is not about your finish time. The time does not tell anything near the whole story. It is about being brave enough to commit to something very scary, the months of working hard for it and dreaming about it and just the fact of achieving something that seems impossible to most people.

I finished in the top half of the race, top third of my category and top quarter of women. This is proof that anyone (healthy) can do Ironman and do it well. To be blunt I have no natural ability or talent. Before I started a triathlon novice program 4 and a half years ago I had done no sport at all my whole life. In my first Olympic distance race I finished about 21^st out of 23 in my category. My good mate Garry confessed to me afterwards that he had never thought I had an Ironman in me. But I really love triathlon and I work hard. If you are reading this and this sounds like you and you have a dream to do Ironman, you can. You can!

After initially thinking “Never EVER again” I am now sure that I will do another IM in the future, but probably not for a while. There are lots of others things I want to do, some multi-sport related, and some not.

I have only two regrets. The first was that I did not go back to the Finish line afterwards and watch other people finish. I had planned all along that I would do that and I really cheated myself by not doing it. Next time! The other was that I didn't meet any CoolRunners. The days before the race were so busy and on the day I only saw the caps while on the bike. Again, this will definitely have to be rectified next time.

Back on track

I still have a nasty sounding cough but I am feeling much better, great in fact! Could be something to do with the mega-excitement.

After doing absolutely no training at all from Monday - Thursday, I got back into on Friday. After work I went for an easy 2k swim then easy 40 min run around the Bay. The swim felt great, the run felt pretty average. It was really windy and I felt crap, but I figured that was probably to be expected.

On Saturday we had decided on a "late" start of 6.30 - the extra 30 mins sleep was great. And we were "only" riding to Waterfall, what a treat. Unfortunately we were cursed with 6 flat tires so still didn't get back to the park until 10.30. Then we ran 2 short laps, took about 38 minutes for about 8k, so it was a fairly quick pace but it felt good. After a nice stretch and plenty of chat about guess what, I drove to Coogee for a recovery dip. It was so beautiful. I remembered to vote on the way home.

Today (Sunday) I stayed in bed till about 9 and then ran 14k around the Bay. I finished in 1.16 so I was probably going a little faster than I should (steady pace), but I guess I was keen to get home and be finished. I was going to go for a swim this afternoon but decided to give it a miss. At this point my number 1 priority is getting plenty of rest and recovery.
I can't quite believe that in exactly one week I will running the marathon at Ironman Australia. I am getting pretty nervous. I said to a friend yesterday that I have never felt so well prepared for a race, but also never so uncertain as to what will transpire on the day.

The dreaded lurgy

Well, something had to go wrong. I have been sick since Monday. Not super-duper terrible sick, but head cold, cough, tired sick. I am doing my best not to freak out. Its still 11 days or so till the race, I am sure I will be better by then, and any missed training this week isn't going to make much difference. Its still annoying and extremely stressful, but this is literally the only setback I have had in 3 solid months so I can't complain too much.

I have not done any training since Sunday. I went to work on Monday, but had yesterday and today off. I have been dosing up on echinacea, vitamin c, ferrphos, gallons of OJ and lemonade and salt gargles. Last night els made me a very soothing tomato lentil and spinach soup for dinner and today I have slept and watched a DVD. I am hoping to feel good enough to train on Friday and then do my planned sessions over the weekend, but we will see. Top priority is to recover fully.

2nd last weekend

Saturday

I drove to Centennial Park to meet my crew for a 6am start. Somehow out of 12 people I was only one with a decent front light so I had to lead till it got light. That’ll learn me for being Miss Prepared. I had thought/hoped we would just go to Sublime and back for 130k but the other IM-ers were keen for 150, so we went through the National Park from Waterfall to Stanwell Tops. It’s a pretty ride and we were making a pretty decent time. I felt good for the first hour or so, then I didn't feel so great and was really not keen for the extra k's, then I felt good again and enjoyed the ride and the company. But then on the way home from Sutherland I started feeling pretty bad. I had a very more muscle or something in my right bum cheek - I have never been sore there before. I also felt really bloated, I think from not eating/drinking enough at the start then eating/drinking too much. Fortunately it’s a pretty easy ride back from Sutho so I just hung in there. When we got back the others wanted to do an extra few laps to get up to 150, but I went straight back to the car.

I waited for the others and then 4 of us set out for a 10k run, 2x5k loops around the park. On the first lap we did a pretty solid pace, I am not sure exactly how fast but probably sub-5 min ks and much faster than IM race pace ! But I felt good, my sore bum muscle was not bothered so I went with it. On the second loop I started feeling a bit tired and the others pushed ahead strongly, but I kept up a reasonable pace and finished (gladly) in 52 minutes.

I picked up at a bag of ice at the servo and had an nice ice bath when I got home - that felt great. Then I had my yummy favorite frozen banana smoothie, tomato and ricotta pasta and several (!) homemade oat choc chip cookies for lunch. Then I lay down and had a 1 hour nap - I felt really refreshed when I woke up. After that it was hurried shopping and tidying up before picking Ella up at the airport at 9pm - horray! :) Then I didn’t get to bed till midnight.

Sunday

I didn’t set the alarm but woke up at 7 and went out for my run at about 7.30. I was planning to do a swim beforehand but I decided not to. I had already done 3 swim sessions for the week and I kinda knew that extra one might not happen. I ran from home around the Bay, planning on 2 hours but not really sure where I would go. I felt pretty flat around the Bay and I really didn't want to drag myself around a 2nd lap, so I decided to repeat last weeks out and back to the far side of Anzac Bridge instead. I felt better on the hills than I did on the flat and started enjoying the run more, but then the last 3k from the bay back to home dragged a bit. All up about 21k in 2 hours. It was an okay run but I was glad it was over.

Els and I mooched about all morning and she was impressed with me eating 2 breakfasts. In the afternoon we went to the Art Gallery and saw the Archibald Prize. It was not as good as last year, I didn't like the winner especially much. I liked the Toni Collette and Ex de Medici portraits best. We also saw the HSC Artexpress exhibition which was pretty amazing and interesting. Then we joined the hoards on the walk across the Harbour Bridge to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the bridge. It was maybe a bit of a cheesy thing to do, but I really enjoyed it, it was a great atmosphere heaps of families and a sense of occasion. The best thing was all these windchimes that were hanging at one point, it sounded amazing. Then we headed to Newtown and met Bree for a couple of beers at the Courthouse Hotel which was nice. But by the time I got home to bed I was SO tired - combination of beers, a long day and a late night.

Better sessions

Much better sessions! No grumbling today, promise :)

Wednesday
I did 14k in the morning in 1.20. I took it nice and easy and felt fine. I decided not to ride to work which I think did me wonders - maybe more mental than anything else. Taking the train means taking it easy. I wanted to have a good session in the pool after feeling rubbish on Monday. I got there a bit early and jumped in and did 500FS easy before we started. The the proper warm-up was 600FS. Then 20 x 50 pull on 1 minute and then 12 x 200 on 3.45 (2 easy, 2 very hard x 3) - whoa massive main set! But it was good, I felt strong and managed to stick to the times - just. Finished with my longest swim set ever I think at 4.5k.

Thursday
This morning I got up a bit early and went out to SOP to do an extra lap before we started because I knew I'd have to leave 1 lap early. Group 3 started off massive but the pace was pretty quick and it was a game of attrition. I felt good and enjoyed the ride and reluctantly left after 4 laps to get home and straight into town for a massage. Massage was GREAT! Floated out and into work. Then I squeezed in a quick 1.5k swim at lunch time. I was going to squeeze in a run today too but have decided not to. Rest day tomorrow.

Grumbles

Well, I didn’t enjoy squad last night. We did 800FS, 12 x 25 sprint on 40 breathing only twice per 25, 3 x 4x50 with the kickboard between your legs on 1.15, breathing every 3,4,5,6 strokes, 8 x 75 on 1.30 with 25 sprint in each 75 and then THE DRILL FROM HELL: swimming with a kickboard between your legs is hard enough, but then try doing it for 25m using only 1 arm, then 25 using only the other arm. It was very hard, I felt completely unco, and couldn't really see the point. We were supposed to do 10x50 but I only did 8 then the 200m warm down - only 2.9k total but I was over it. I was really cold for most of the set and then I had to ride home in the rain and dark. Not much fun! Whinge whinge whinge.

Then this morning I headed out to SOP. The road was wet but it wasn't actually raining. Group 3 didn’t really work for me today. First up I got a lecture from some guy about not "soft pedalling" on the front on my turn. Fair call probably, I am not very good at that, but we had started out much slower than usual and he didn’t have to be so rude and patronising about it. Then we were all over the place, with people dropping off the back, refugees from Group 2 coming back to us, some guy sitting right at the back the whole time (which is okay if you are struggling and need a short rest but I don’t think you should do that for the whole session because it can be dangerous) and then two people got into an argument about some bunch etiquette issue I missed the details of. Then at the start of the last lap I look around and its suddenly just me and 5 blokes. Uh-oh, testosterone alert. Then just as we finished it started raining quite heavily! Oh well, I tried to look on the bright side, at least it held off till we finished and I got to do my ride, much better than Thursday. I came home and went for a 30 minute run. For the first 10 mins my legs felt a bit heavy but then I felt much better and enjoyed my run. Then back on the bike, into work, got my hard-earned coffee and banana bread and the world looked much better. :)

Last big session

I was very pleased with myself today. It seems that the day off yesterday did wonders for me and I felt really good on my run. Woo hoo! :)

I started out with a 4k continuous wetsuit swim at the Dawn Fraser Baths. I have not done much wetsuit swimming and I wanted to see how my arms and back felt after that distance. I seem to get a sore back in the wetsuit, I guess because my legs are higher in the water so it is an unfamiliar body position. Just something I have to get used to. By the end my arms were tiring and my back was a bit sore, but it was fine. I took it at a very leisurely pace and finished in 1.12. I am not too sure how that will translate to race day, but I am happy with where I am.

Then I was off for a 3 hour run. I had been debating where to run, should I do 4 laps of the Bay, or go into the City and across the Harbour Bridge and back, or attempt to explore the Harbour Circle Walk even though I was not sure of the way or... decisions! Even when I started running I had not decided, but then after a few minutes I had a great idea - I could do a mini simulation of the IM run course, ie 2 laps with the first half of each lap flat and the second half hilly. I was excited by this idea, so I did 2 x a lap of the Bay plus the canal, then to the bottom of the far side of the Anzac Bridge and back. Each lap is about 16k I think and I finished in 3.05. I felt GREAT. My 5k CR split on the second lap was 26.45. I thought I was going to really struggle on the second hilly section but I just kept feeling good. So it was an excellent way to end my build and start my taper. I still have plenty of training to do for the next 3 weeks, but I won't run that long again.

Came home, ATE, and had an ice bath which felt really good. Then I spent some time reading the 6 Foot Track posts on CoolRunning. I am so impressed with all who did it and I can't wait to read more stories. I saw someone out - walking! - this morning wearing a shiny new 6ft t-shirt and I couldn't help but call out "well done!" Now that is a race I would love to do. I am not sure when though ... one day I guess.

Working 9 to 5

Yesterday I had the day off the work. So instead of going to work I did 7 and 1/2 hours of exercise. When you put it like that it seems kinda bonkers. I had organised to have the day off because I was going to go up to Port Macquarie for a training camp. When I decided not to go away, basically because I did not want to drive that far or spend the money, I thought I could have the day off anyway, do a big day training, then have a rest day on Saturday, and train again on Sunday.

I parked the car at Loftus Oval and rode 160k, which was two loops out to Sublime plus an extra 1 loop from Sublime to Helensburgh. I wanted to practice my nutrition and eating exactly to race plan and also practice riding alone and spending a lot of time down on my aero bars. And it was a great session for all these things. I averaged 27 which I was very happy with. I was not working hard at all, I ate and drank and did everything I was supposed to and there were hills and a good head wind, just like at Port. I felt fine when I finished. Then I did a 90 minute run into the National Park and along Lady Carrington Drive. This was the best brick run I have had, I felt really comfortable and steady. So all in all a really pleasing day.

Today (Saturday) was a great pleasure. A whole weekend day off. Slept in, made a yummy breakfast of pancakes with blueberries, strawberries and banana, read the papers, went to the beach, had a picnic, ahhhhh :). Everytime I felt guilty I just reminded myself that I did a good solid day yesterday. And long swim and run await me tomorrow.

Just backing up to last week...

Wednesday
I did a 15k run in the morning, Bay plus Balmain Cove loop in about 90 minutes. I felt really good and really enjoyed the run. My split coming back on the CR 5k was 25:50.
In the evening I went to squad and we did 1k straight warm up, then 10x100 on 1.45, 10x25 kick easy, then another 10x 100 on 1.45. We did the first 10 pretty easily, the 2nd 10 were harder. But I felt good and strong - much better than last week.
Thursday
I woke up at 5 and it was pouring rain so no ride. Not happy! Then I was annoyed all day, it is hard to "let it go" as I know I should. I had a really busy day at work but managed to squeeze in a 1.5k swim at lunchtime, just to keep me sane.

Wind is our enemy

So said our fearless bunch leader this morning, valiantly struggling to get the troops to ride more tightly and smoothly in our battle against a stiff enemy. I know its good training and I know its likely to be windy at Port and I know it’s the same for everyone, but I. STILL. HATE. RIDING. IN. THE. WIND!!! I was all set for a cruisey group 4 ride today, but numbers were down (maybe they were kept awake all night by the howling gale) so 3 and 4 were combined, which was probably perfect for me. Halfway through I was longing for it to be over, but by the end it was okay, maybe even bordering on enjoyable. And at least it stopped raining. Far far better to ride in a horrible wind than not ride at all.

Then I came home and ran the 10ks to work. On the way I listened to two podcasts of the Law Report (I have run out of back episodes of Ironman Talk) and I had a very enjoyable run. Its funny, for quite a few weeks now my Tuesday runs have been good runs. When I planned out my program at the start of the year I remember thinking if I could do a midweek SOP ride then run to work by this stage I would be going well, so I was pleased. And it’s a great feeling to have all your training done before the day even starts!

200k in a day and run/swim/run

Well, another good weekend is under the belt, done and dusted, locked in etc.

Yesterday the plan was to do 200k on the bike. I wasn't too fussed if we did 160, 180, 199.9, 200 or whatever, but my training buddies were keen and I was happy to go along for the ride. I left the house at 5.15am and got back at 3pm so it was a loooong day. About 7 hours of that was riding time, the rest was fixing flats, refilling water bottles, the obligatory Baker's Delight stop and all the usual stuffing around. We rode from Centennial to La Perouse to Sublime, back to Waterfall through the Royal National Park (big hill!) then out to Kurnell and the National Park there (beautiful!), then back to the city then home. All in all I had a good day and I felt pretty strong. Total ride was 205k, average speed 29kph (though I was doing plenty of drafting to achieve that). I came home and tried to watch the live Ironman NZ coverage on the net but I could not get it to work. Settled for the athlete tracker function to "watch" Julie and Dave finish.

Today I ran into town to do the Sydney Harbour Swim and then ran home after. The run is about 13k each way and the swim was 1.6k. I felt great on the first run, got to registration with about 30 minutes to spare and had a good stretch. The swim was enjoyable, esp because the water was nice and cold - its been so hot and humid here the past few days. There was a bit of chop and current and I think my navigation was less than perfect, but I finished in about 27 minutes. Not brilliant but fine for a training swim. I was 11th in my age group out of 40. Then I ran home again. My legs still felt surprisingly fine, but I was feeling a bit tired and a bit over it. I was 3 minutes slower coming back and was glad to be home and finished my training for the day.

The week after

Monday
I did no training. I had the day off work and we had a delicious breakfast at Kiosk in Husky and then a lovely time checking out some beaches in the Jervis Bay area. In the evening I was feeling very tired and a bit teary and grumpy - a definite sign of over-tiredness.

Tuesday
I decided not to get up and ride and slept in instead. I rode to work and did an easy 2k swim at lunchtime in 40 minutes - pretty slow. I am still feeling tired and my legs are sore in strange and unusual places - like the back of my thighs and the outside of my calves.

Wednesday
I did a 14k run in the morning, aiming for an easy comfortable pace. I felt reasonably good. My split for the CR 5k on way back was 27 minutes.

I went to squad in the evening and we ended up doing a pretty long set. 500FS, 600Pull building each 200, 12x25 on 40 seconds sprint the odds. Then 10x50 on 60 seconds, finger tip drag drill on the odds. Then 20x100 coming in on 1.45 and leaving on 2. This pace felt good but definitely getting hard to maintain by the last few. Total distance 3.8k. I was extremely impressed by a new guy who was doing squad for the first time and did the whole set - what a legend.

Thursday
I rode at SOP. I was STILL feeling a bit tired and I was definitely only going to go with Group 4. But I was late and when I got there what I thought was group 4 was rolling out so I chased them. I had to work very hard (with a couple of other guys) for the whole first lap to catch the group by the pool, only to realise duh! it was Group 3. So the next four laps were pretty hard for me, I really recovered on the hill every lap and just about got dropped during the very last 2k - I was just sitting off the back behind someone else, staying on but not rolling through. Someone pointed out that there was a former multiple world champion in our group - having an easy day of course! :)

Then I made the mistake of complaining to Annalisa my adventure racing friend about being tired from the weekend and she gave me a lecture about triathletes being famous for not listening to their bodies and getting over-trained. I didn't feel I deserved this lecture, but its always a good message to remember.

Afterwards I rode with a bunch straight into town instead of home first then work so I could met a friend from Canberra for breakfast. We went to the famous "bills" which I have been wanting to try since moving to Sydney. I was really disappointed! It was fine but not worth the price - $16.80 for hotcakes with banana, $16.30 for scrambled eggs, toast and tomato. The food was good quality but there was not the attention to detail and extra-specialness I expected. I would not go back.

Thursday night we went to see Yo La Tengo at The Metro. It was really good, Ira absolutely ROCKED and it was a completely different show to the last time we saw them a few years back at the ANU with 30 people in the audience and no stage. :) But it was a late night which I just cannot handle at the moment - I just hope it won’t screw me for the weekend.

Friday
I slept in till 8.30 again, then the train was very late so I was very late for work - whoops! I wanted to fit in a run today but knew it wasn't to be with the late night. I decided that rather than go to squad I would do a longer swim on my own straight after work so I could get home and get to bed as early as possible. I made up the following set: 600FS, 600Pull, 4x400 on 7.30 with 30 seconds recovery, 10x100 on 1.45 with 15 seconds recovery, 200 BK - total 4k and I felt good.