Last week

Last Sunday I headed up to Threbdo for the annual Bilby's camp. Things did not all go exactly to plan but it was still a great week and I did plenty of training.
On Sunday morning I did my long run around Lake BG, finishing up at the ACT Sprint Champs to watch some friends racing and catch up with people. It was a good morning. Then I had lovely brunch up at mt Stromlo with Christine and Tim, and then drove straight up to Thredbo. When I arrived I unpacked my ludicrous amount of gear and went for a swim at the pool. I did 2.5k continuous and I felt good.

On Monday morning a large group of us headed off for the traditional ride to Jindabyne. Its almost all downhill on the way there and lots of fun. My maximum speed was 81kph - a new record for me. At Jindi we stopped at the Bakery Café in Nugget's Crossing shopping centre. I was very impressed with the wide assortment of treats. I had a little almond meal and raspberry tart - yum. The trip back was (obviously) mostly uphill and Ivo's hill is the hardest one. It was pretty warm by that time and I struggled a bit but made it eventually. Brownie came past me near to the top and said "Come on Irongirl", which was good encouragement. When we arrived back in the village we hopped in the river to cool down - lovely. The total ride was 70k.

I had some lunch before going out for my run, which turned out to be a bad idea. I had a great big bowl of pasta and then I felt really sick on the run. So I learned that that doesn't work for me - pretty obvious really. Apart from that, the run, up to Dead Horse Gap and back, was very nice. I did about 10k at approx 7min K pace. Pretty slow but I was happy that I kept running.

On Tuesday we decided against attempting the epic ride to Khancoban because of the fires at Tom Groggin. I was kind of relieved because I wasn't sure how I was going to handle all that climbing. We will do it another year. Instead we planned a route from Thredbo to Eucumbene Dam and back via Berridale, estimated by Stu to be about 140-150k. There were a couple of stronger guys on the front most of the way out to Eucumbene Dam and the pace was just a bit too fast for me. The turnaround point was 80k and I decided to go straight back to Thredbo as that would be 160k - my biggest ride ever. So most people pushed on to Berridale but me, Stacie, Brownie and Sal headed straight back. I actually felt heaps better on the return journey because I was able to ride at my own pace. We stopped for lunch at Jindi and Stace bought us lemonade icy poles, which went down really well. We also soaked our jerseys in water (on Sal's suggestion) which was lovely for the first part of the ride back up to Thredbo. The climb up Ivo's was tough but we got there and then continued on at a slow and steady pace back to the village. We hopped into the river again, full body immersion this time, blissful! The longer group arrived back not far behind us. On Tuesday night I had a 30 minute massage from Ian Ingram which was wonderful. He mostly worked on my legs and said he could tell my quads had been working (good!) and also my neck and shoulders which get really tight on long rides.

On Wednesday I had a nice sleep in and then went down to the AIS pool for a swim. I don’t usually like doing a long set by myself but today turned out to be one of the best swims I have ever had! I did a 1200 warm up, then 3x400 then 20x50 then 500BK to cool down. 4k all up and I felt really strong and comfy in the water. It was so great, I think it was the fact of not having any time pressures, that I could take as long as I wanted to do it.

After the swim some of us went into the village for a coffee and the waitress informed us that all visitors had to leave by 3pm due to the fires. Lots of people, especially those with kids, decided just to pack up and go home to Canberra, but about 10 of us decamped to the Jindabyne backpackers. It was not as nice as the YHA, hot and stuffy and seriously lacking cooking gear, but it was better than going home!

On Thursday morning a bunch of us headed off for a long run. We drove back out to Eucumbene Dam and ran along the Happy Jacks firetrail. This was good because it was an out and back, so everyone could run as long or little as they wanted. It was a gentle uphill for the first 13.5k to Adaminaby Trig. It was a beautiful run through the trees with some great views back over the dam and open plains. I ran till the Trig with Jen and Julie, with the boys ahead going just a bit faster and waiting for us along the way. I turned around at the Trig and ran back on my own, downhill all the way. I had my Camelback which I found to be really comfy and I kept drinking, but I neglected to eat for over an hour during the run and started to feel really flat. After scoffing a Gu I felt heaps better. In the last few ks my knees and ankles were feeling quite sore and I was glad to stop running.

The others continued, aiming to do about 40k. At the designated turn-around Stu's Garmin said 21.1k exactly! So they ended up doing a fall marathon. Afterwards I was slightly downcast that I was did not do the full run. But I know it would have been crazy and stupid for me to try to run that distance when my longest run in the past few months had been 2 hours and I would not have been able to keep up with the pace of the group.

By Thursday afternoon everyone had decided that they would head home on Friday. The hostel was really hot and stuffy, making it difficult to sleep and the forecast was for very warm weather over the weekend. So after that I attempted to do a wetsuit swim in the lake, which was one thing I had really wanted to do this week. I was by myself so I was not brave enough to go across the Lake, and just skirted around the edge of a bay instead. It wasn't the greatest session ever, but hey at least I gave it a try. That night we had a big BBQ at the Gaden Trout Hatchery, a really lovely spot by the Thredbo River. Julie made yummy lentil burgers and I made a nice potato salad featuring Nando's piri piri mayonnaise. I'll have to remember that one. To top off the week later that night back at the Backpackers Jason performed an unforgettable song called Iron Chicken, dedicated to Simon.

On Friday I drove back to Sydney, stopping off in Canberra on the way home to meet Mum for lunch and have a swim at Dickson pool. It was a good swim but I STUPIDLY got very sunburnt on my back while swimming. STUPID! I never usually swim in the middle of the day so I just didn’t think. STUPID.

On Saturday I decided to have a day off so I could spend some quality time with Tom. We took advantage of it and drove up to the Blue Mountains for the day as I have not been there since I was little. We had a very yummy early lunch at a café, excellent toasted sandwiches on organic sourdough bread. We walked from Echo Point down the Giant Staircase, along the valley, then took the cable car back up to the top to "Scenic World" (ooooh) and then walked back to Echo Point. It was very touristic but fun and a good introduction to the area. I would love to go back and do some proper walking soon (after April!).

FINALLY, on Sunday I did a good brick session. I rode down to Waterfall by myself and then headed into the RNP and did a few loops, finishing up at Lady Carrington Drive with 90k. Tom drove down and met me there and we did a 10k run along LCD, which is great for running. Tom's Polar footpod thingy said we only did 10k in 60 minutes but we definitely going faster than that. We went steady on the way out, probably just under 6 min pace, and then picked it up quite a bit on the way back. It felt fast to me! Anyway, I felt really good and strong at the finish. In the afternoon and evening I was MEGA tired. But I had made it to the end of my first 3 week build for Ironman - woohoo!!

Yeeha - 120k solo

I got up at 5.15 this morning to ride, checked my phone and there was an SMS saying it was pouring rain with 40kph winds down south, so the bunch ride was off and we should get on the roller or windtrainer. 120k on a windtrainer? I couldn't face it so I went back till bed until 7 and then pondered what to do. The weather had improved but I didn't really fancy doing a long ride in Sydney by myself, I am still pretty hopeless knowing where to go. I was going to drive to Canberra for the night after my ride so I decided just to go to Canberra and ride on familiar territory. After a quick drive down the Hume listening to some Ironman Talk podcast, I headed off from Hawker at about 2pm. I was dreading it. Not that I don't love riding, but I much prefer to go with someone or a bunch, and I was worried that I just wouldn't be up to or bothered to do the 120 I wanted to do. I decided to do a very simple ride, north up the Federal Highway to Collector and back. Some would say its not all that pleasant but I don't mind it. Anyway, once I got going it was fine, I really enjoyed it and did the full 120 in 4.45. My average speed was 26kph which is good for me. There was a headwind on the way out and a so lovely tailwind on the way home. Fortunately not one of those days when you turn around and suddenly the wind does too. I was so pleased with myself that I did this solo. Its given me some extra confidence, not for the race so much, but for the training.

Ah Friday night

Well, I am still getting the hang of this blog thing. I could have sworn I blogged earlier in the week by email, but the post does not seem to be here. Maybe I never sent it. Oh well, I am still learning. An abbreviated recap:
Monday - swim at squad 3. something k, felt good. Monday is seeming like a very light day with only a swim, but I think I will soon need it to recover from the weekends.
Tuesday - morning ride at SOP then to work - 60k, felt great. PITD at lunch time, I felt a bit slow but happily my legs were fine after riding in the morning.
Wednesday - morning run, 14k in 80 mins, including the "lovely" Balmain cove hill loop. Swimming in the evening. Just the warm up of 1200m felt LONG, then we did 20x25 sprints, then 3x400 build, then 20x25 kicking. I was very glad when it was over.
Thursday - rode at SOP again, 50k. I went with group 3b, after some encouragement from another girl on Tuesday morning to give group 3 a try. I blew-up and got dropped after 30 minutes, but held on for longer than some and was the last girl standing. Is it wrong to be proud of that?
Friday - rest day. I was looking forward to it but also still feeling like I wanted to do something. I settled for riding to work. It was very humid today.
On Sunday I am off to Thredbo for a week with Bilbys - I am really looking forward to it. :)
Before I go I have to put in this link to a truly wonderful shot taken this morning by a friend in Canberra on the weekly Friday morning mtb ride he organises. I love it.

One wedding, one 30th and 3 training sessions

Friday was a rest day which was a good thing because we were down in Canberra for the wedding of Cassandra and Alan. It was a really lovely day and I felt privileged to share it. The ceremony was at the Black Mountain Tower lookout, just below the summit, which has great views. During the ceremony they had everyone sing Elvis' Fools Rush In, which was cool. Its quite hymn-like and people singing together is always such an uplifting feeling. The whole day was really relaxed and fun and we also got to catch up with some old friends from college.

On Saturday I did a 100k ride in Canberra with Jen, from ANU to Tidbinbilla space station and then back via Uriarra Crossing, 100k all up with some decent hills. Along for the ride was a friend of a friend, a guy with 10 years+ IM experience. It was great to chat with him. His tip for a first timer was to achieve a consistent and steady pace all day. That suits me as I race conservatively. His example was that a 1 hour swim, 6 hour bike and 4 hour run (all relatively slow/steady times) would give 11 hours which is a pretty respectable time. He also gave a tip about not giving up on the run, which is to ask yourself "What is it about this piece of pavement that deserves to be the spot where I quit?" I like that and will try to remember it.

Saturday night we were back in Sydney for Pip's 30th, which was good fun. They have a great house for parties and there was heaps of yummy food. I can't quite believe all my friends are turning 30.

Sunday morning I decided against doing a long ride from Sutherland to Jamberoo with the Pulse guys. I really wanted to but I figured I needed a run more and by the time I got home from the party it would have been a huge ride on about 4 hours sleep. So I slept in and went for a long run instead. I only did 16ks/90 mins, but it was my first long run for over 4 weeks so thought I should not do too much. My legs were quite sore towards the end but I had plenty of energy to keep going.

In the afternoon I went for a swim, my first visit to the Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain. I want to swim regularly in my wetsuit so I can get my arms more used to it and the harbour water is a good temperature for a wetsuit swim. Also there are no lanes so it is good practice for swimming straight and looking up. I found invariably when I did not look up for more than 9 strokes I would be wandering off in the wrong direction. I seem to do this much more in my wetsuit, I think it might be because I don't kick much. I did 2k very easy in 38 mins.

So, at the end of my first week of official IM training I was tired, but not too tired to watch a DVD on Sunday night, and one with subtitles even, without falling asleep! Pretty amazing for me. It was called Hidden, starring Juliette Binoche and Daniel Autiel. It was really good, but I felt a bit like it was somehow over my head. I made a yummy dinner of pork burgers with an asian style coleslaw, a Bill Granger recipe from Good Living.

Back in the saddle

While it was damp this morning, it was not actually raining so I headed out to Olympic Park for the 6AM Lidcombe Auburn Cycling Club training ride. I started going late last year and really enjoy them. Its 10k/30 minutes easy out there, 20k/45 minutes hard paceline around the park, then another 10k/30mins easy warm down back home.  Perfect.

Continuing the theme of this week, there were not many people there, so we started with 2 groups, a fast and a slow. The slow group started rolling at a very civilised pace and not pacelining. This was sensible as the road was a bit wet and there was probably a great variety in ability among the 20 or so riders. But after 1 lap a couple of people decided to form a slightly faster group and so off we went. It was still a comfortable pace, but worth getting out of bed for.

When I got home I headed out for a 10 minute run off the bike and took my new IPod for the first time. I have always had a thing against people who run with music. Firstly because you can't talk to them. Last year in the Sydney marathon I ran almost the whole way with a girl wearing headphones and I lamented that if she was not wearing them we could have had a good chat. Also I like my time running to just think and take in the scenery. And I worry that I will get 'addicted' to running with music and then not be able to do without. But I gave it a try and liked it. The album was The Pixies, Trompe le Mond, good running music I discovered. I think I will use the pod for my brick runs because they are usually just slogfests anyway and I could use some distraction and performance enhancement.

Then I rode to work - very slowly. On the way I passed a cyclist sweeping up broken glass with a dustpan brush on Anzac Bridge. Yesterday there was heaps of glass on the cycleway and when I got to work I spent 10 minutes trying to find someone (RTA? City Council?) to call to ask them to do something about it, but in the end I gave up. So thank you man in black - you are my hero of the week. :)

Hoppers for dinner

Tonight Tom made hoppers and curry for dinner. Hoppers are yummy Sri Lankan pancakey things and I bought a special pan to make them in Sri Lanka. They turned out much better than we expected, although the recipe needs a little more fine tuning. The curries were dahl and a really delicious pork one from Charmaine Solomon.

I ran this morning, about 11k to Iron Cove Bridge return, in 1.06. It was a beautiful morning, I love the Bay in the early morning light. Tonight was my first time back at swim squad for over 3 weeks. I felt as good as can be expected after that long not swimming. We did quite a bit of stroke count and pull, focusing on long strokes, so that was good for me. Did 3.3k total. Tomorrow I am going out for yum cha for lunch - I can't wait.

Ready, Set, Go

Yesterday would probably have been more auspicious, but oh well. Today is the day I start my blog and my official journey towards Ironman Australia. I guess the journey really started a long time ago, like when I first started riding my bike to work in 2001, then started swimming 10 laps to get a bit fit, then started running around the block, then did a triathlon novice program in 2002 ... and so on. But today I entered, paid and started training in earnest after 3 weeks off.

My alarm was set for 5.15am to go for a ride, but I woke to the sound of the pouring rain. Good news for the farmers, bad news for Zoe. My morning at work was spent dealing with 230 emails(!) and soon it was time for Pain in the Domain. Only 12 people turned up and none of the usual leaders were there, so we formed 2 groups of 6, a fast and a slow. As I usually run with the 6th and slowest group I was not sure this would work for me, but it was good and we stayed together well. It is always a really good hard run, and I feel great afterwards. I felt slow, but my legs were fresh and I really sprinted the last interval, neck a neck with the bloke next to me. Our time was 31.20.

I don’t know whether I am going to be able to keep going to PITD with IM training. When I was training for the marathon last year I felt I couldn’t do it, I was always too tired from my longer runs. I would like to keep going though because its FUN.

After work I went for a quick swim. I took it very easy because I have not swum for 3 weeks. I did 2k in about 42 minutes. I got an Ipod for Christmas and my first podcast last week was an episode from Ironman Talk. They interviewed an NZ swim coach and one of his tips was to focus on decreasing your stroke count as all good swimmers have a low stroke count. So I tried to focus on that today. The podcast also had some good tips on peeing on the bike, but thats a topic for another day. :) Home for dinner and Tom had cooked our favourite lentil bolongaise with spaghetti. Yum.