Xmas Cracker Olympic distance race report

A triathlon the Saturday before Christmas…..excellent! Run by the good folks at ultimate triathlete  this was our tri club pre Xmas race down in Lake Hood, Ashburton……. scene of a half ironman several weeks earlier ( race report   ).

I finished up a good training block several days earlier and combined with my busiest time of year at work, I had taken a few lighter days and was still a little tired- but this was really a C priority race so didn't really care. I didn't even put my race wheels on as I ran out of time the day before which ended up being a blessing given the conditions. My only trepidation was that I hadn't done an Olympic distance triathlon since January 2007 and I knew it was going to hurt reeeeeaaaal bad. Sprints are painful but short enough to be over quickly. Two and a half hours on the rivet… hmmmm. Must be good for you though ?

A wise man (Gordo) advised me a few years ago  that one of the best ways to develop as an athlete is to race more often…………….I am finally following suit :)

So want to post this on FB…….!

Agh…. I am rambling again. Ok. brief synopsis of the race below with times but let me preface that with the weather. Forecast was for northwester lies turning southerly about midday and then rain. For all you non-weather obsessed  kiwis out there, a norwester blows across the Tasman from Australia and is a warm, dry, gusty+ at times gale force wind that dumps rain on the west coast and then hurls over the Southern Alps to create havoc on the east; mainly Canterbury Plains.  A Southerly comes from the South ( read: Antarctica) tends to bring rain to the east coast and much cooler temperatures. The wind direction in the South Island swings around in matter of minutes with little warning. We are in the roaring forties after all.

Race start was not until 11am as there were rowers on the lake so I had an inkling that we may be into the race when the weather would turn. Yep. Nice 21 degrees with the wind picking up when i arrived at lake Hood; 40 minutes prior to start time I felt the temperature drop about 10 degrees then the lake started to chop up. My only thoughts were…. Thank f***  ( sorry for swearing, Mum!) it was not like this in November for a half ironman. I can put up with it for a shorter race.

Race result - 2:32:47, 16th female over all 7th in 30-39 AG ( I mustve been the oldest in the AG!!)

Transitions ~ 2 m 52 sec


Swim -  22:36

Jeepers, that was a PB and a half! I haven't swum quicker than 28 xx before! Everyone had very fast swims it seemed; the longest straight from the 2nd buoy back to the exit had the southerly wind behind us so it was a bit of a surf down the home straight. Oh well, I'll take it as unlikely I will ever swim 1500m in that time again! Girls started 15 minutes before the boys as the race was a handicap style-first across the line -wins kinda deal.

Bike - 1h 19. 42  NP- 165

Managed to do less fumbling this time around and only spent ~ 2mins in T2. Put  a light rain jacket over my trisuit mainly for the wind chill and headed off. Luckily, the wind wasn't too gusty and the direction of the 2 lap course meant a 4km stretch of tailwind, then 6km of headwind then 6km tailwind, 4 km headwind etc. Towards the end of the first lap the drizzle started and it got heavier and heavier……the only bonus being the wind dropped a little. Coach John had suggested I try to go hard on the bike and aim for ~160W but managed to crank out an average of 164W ( NP- 165) so was pretty chuffed with myself for that although would have preferred a faster bike split but it shows how strong the wind was and how times don't always reflect the work. I was relieved when the bike was over as I was starting to get a bit chilly and was soaked through….

The morning after the day before….

Run  - 47.37

Decided to take my jacket off as skin is waterproof and wet plastic flapping about my self would likely irritate me. I set off, bare feet squeaking away in my wet trainers and my tummy feeling mildly unsettled. I hung on the shoulder of some chick who left transition beside me which I am sure annoyed the hell out of her as my Garmin was beeping away ……I passed her at the turnaround on the river track and wondered if she would get her revenge by sitting behind me for the rest of the run but I thankfully had managed to shake her and keep trucking. I had a double espresso Clif shot with the intention of throwing it down halfway through the run but I was rather concerned my stomach may explode if I gulped it in one- but if I didn't then I was probably going to crash and burn very soon! I chose to drip feed myself the gel so took little sips every  few minutes and it lasted a whole 4 km with no tummy issues at all! Something else i can take forward to Ironman racing.

Managed to get changed in the car and into some warmer clothes then we all huddled in the tent avoiding the horizontal rain for prize giving. A fun day out, excellent pre Xmas blowout and always something to take away from every race you do.  Got over my hydrophobia and basked in the hot shower when i arrived home.  Two days left at work and then its a training camp at home until 6th January along with the eating, drinking and socialising endemic to the festive period !

Drying off..

How not to do transitions and sprint tri race report

Wouldn't normally write a report on a small sprint race that is a C/D priority….. but have got into good habits with this blogging thingy so while I am on a roll….

Yesterday I raced the HOT triathlon - one of a series of races run by the notable coach John as part of a triathlon festival out by Lake Pegasus, a very young subdivision approximately 30km north of Christchurch with a man made lake, billiard ball smooth roads and a path circumnavigating the lake. In other words, perfect place for a triathlon!

10 cm further and all you would see is a puff of smoke…...

Swim - 500m

Managed a PB of 9:27! I have no idea where these swim PBs are coming from - my less-is-more approach must be working. Ha ha. My wetsuit felt tight and as if it was choking me a little so I let in some  more water which solved the problem.

T1- 2:07

Not sure what happened here - I had what felt like really bad motion sickness and was swaying about trying to keep my balance but fell over trying to remove my wetsuit then even more shamefully ( twice) fell into the guy next to me. I must have had a lot of water in one ear…..or the council had used tequila to clear the weed from the lake.

Bike 15.9km

Rode 29.07, took a slight . shortish detour as I whizzed past a "turn right cyclists" sign. This would only  have cost me approx 40 secs so bike time would have been same as last year altho average power was down a few watts. I didn't have a great amount of oomph in my legs today after a full week of training; mostly bike focussed this week not to mention a  two hour run on Friday afternoon.

T2 - 00:56:00

Slightly better, no unplanned dismounts or newborn foal impressions; only some gaffing with my Garmin.

Run 5km

Ran 23.10, my slowest ever run on this course. I died a little on the 2nd lap and had a slight mentally weak moment where I told myself it was OK to slow down a bit as this was essentially a training session. I gave myself a little kick up the ass ( metaphorically of course, I am not that flexible:) and dug it in as the finish was only ~ 900m away. I was on the edge of explosion/implosion and a bonk. I wasn't sure which.

Checking my times from last year, I was only 6 secs slower but my bike and run had been faster. However, it was a fun morning and very sociable. The weather gods were kind, I was content with my race and cleansed of any cobwebs lurking in my musculoskeletal system.

No stitch either so it must be something that happens in long course races only. Hmmmmm.

The day was capped off nicely later by prize giving at the Mashina lounge underneath the Christchurch casino where luck was on my side and I won a spot prize! Even better was the fact they serve Erdinger on tap so i did enjoy a very refreshing pint of beer. It would have been a half pint but ( fortunately) the barmaid misheard me and poured a pint. Sweet as bro.

For when I give up triathlon….. 

Weekend in Brisbane and other exciting news!

Just a quick update… coach john gave me a whole week off after the half with instructions to have a "MAJOR CHILLOUT WEEK" and no more than one easy session per day for exercise. I did a couple of short recovery swims and a visit to the gym interspersed with plenty of walking which I really enjoy but never have time to do as much as I would like.

Friday 15th was our local holiday, Canterbury Anniversary day a.k.a Show Day so I had decided a couple of weeks prior to go visit one of my best friends, Deb, in Brisbane. She moved there six years ago and have caught up when she has been back over for a visit but I still had not made it to Brisbane so decided this would be perfect as I didn't have the stress of trying to fit in training, Brett was away down south traffic managing a bike tour so why not? Airpoints dollars paid for my flight and I was lucky enough to be able to stay with Deb and her new lad at their four bedroom house in the suburbs. Brilliant!

Had a great weekend, due to the time difference the flight leaves Christchurch at 6.20am and arrives in Brisbane 7am as they are three hours behind. I had been awake since 2.30am so late Friday afternoon was a serious struggle to keep my eyes open and I eventually succumbed to bed at 7.30pm. We had had a great catch up - coffee and tasty banana bread at a cafe overlooking the river + CBD then a long two hour walk on the trails at Mount Coot-tha.

Saturday morning I woke up at 6 am, refreshed after a very long immobile sleep! I had been instructed that we were going to Saturday swim squad at University of Queensland aquatic centre; Deb is an accomplished ultra runner but currently injured so clocks up her mileage aqua jogging and Rob ( her lad) is competitive swimmer from way back. I was a little nervous but assured it would be fun and easily within my capabilities. An outdoor 50m pool- heaven!
I swam in lane 1 ( the slow people :) and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. I had forgotten how much fun a squad environment is and the extra push it gives you. Best part was the IM sets; I can't swim fly without fins and do head up ( polo) instead but I love swimming all four strokes as I find it helps my freestyle no end.
After swimming we went to a nearby cafe by the UQ tennis courts and enjoyed the obligatory morning latte and a delectable feed of fresh fruit salad, banana and walnut bread with maple ricotta for breakfast. YUM>

BFFs

Brekky for hungry swimmers

After such a scrumptious repast it was time to shop. First port of call- lululemon of course! A few purchases made by all parties present then on to the central city and luckily the luxury of parking the car   in Deb's designated work car park ( parking here is REALLY expensive). We checked out several shops and I did manage to buy one Xmas present thankfully. We stopped to have a salad for lunch in the food court of a mall then more shopping. I bought myself a pair of skinny jeans; i had to go down a size from the ones I had taken in to try on - excellent!! - and fortunately had the opinion of the BFF to let me know which end of the baby elephant-----------baby giraffe continuum my backside resembled.

I don't think they are made for bettys though- bit tight over the calf muscles!

Thirsty work this shopping lark

We made it home late afternoon and duly refreshed with a cup of tea then a glass of wine. Then it was time to tidy ourselves up and catch the train back to the central city for some normal adult Saturday night behaviour. 

We railroaded some American tourists into taking our photo as we strolled along the river front then found a bar that didn't mind men wearing shorts so we perched ourselves at a bench and after one and a half pints of beer and slurred conversation and giggles, we decided it was time for dinner so found a suitable restaurant further along the waterfront, munched on some dinner and a little more beer then we toddled tipsily back to the station to get the train. For the second night in a row, I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow!

Brisbane by night

The three musketeers

Sunday: luckily hangover free when I awoke about 6am … phew. We went for a pretty long walk on the trails of Mt Coot-tha and ended up in the Botanic Gardens cafe, catching up with an acquaintance that we both knew from Christchurch, who now lives in Brisbane…..and we randomly bumped into on one of the trails. Cool. Then it was time to go to the airport and say goodbye….

Settled myself into the Koru lounge and got back on the grid to find an email saying I was ON team Big Sexy Racing for 2014!   **** http://www.chris-mcdonald.net/tag/bigsexy-racing******

I applied the previous week…thinking I had NO chance, especially as it stipulated that they were looking for US based athletes and elite amateurs; I certainly wouldn't put myself in that category.Nonetheless, in for a penny, in for a pound - turning 40 in January  means that my aspirations for 2014 are to step out of my comfort zone and have some awesome experiences. I have a reasonably full race schedule until June so why the hell not?!! 

Once I work out how, I can post the logo on this blog. How cool, i was needing a new tri suit too. Ha ha.

Right, enough waffle - need to go foam roll my  calves as some alien with a sledge hammer battered them during today's run. I have a sprint ( ouch!) tri on Sunday……so hoping I don't get my a** completely handed to me by all these youngsters ( since am bound to be one of the oldest in the 20-39 AG) and short course types. Gah!!

Rolf Prima half ironman race report

Well, first race of the season has come and gone. Phew, glad to get that duck off my back after a DNF at the last triathlon I started (Challenge Wanaka in January 2013; an untimely encounter with a traffic cone 90km into the ride ended my day).

The race is part of South Island sports festival held at lake Hood by Ashburton, approximately an hour south of Christchurch

Goals for the day were to see where I was at in terms of flat riding at a certain power and my run off the bike. My swim would just be my swim. John hadn't given me too much of a taper but after 3 big weeks and a TSB that had been well in the negatives for two weeks I did end up being reasonably rested I suppose - a little mechanical issue with the cassette on my sexy new race wheels and thus a trip to the bike shop as well as a full day of a dental course on Friday forced less available time to train on me anyway.

My massage therapist cancelled my wednesday massage which panicked me a little; just had to make do with some serious foam roller+ stretching work

RACE PLAN: 

-Get well warmed up, deep heat on my shoulders, wetsuit on early+ lots of dry land w/u. in water w/u shortly before start. Be long, strong and smooth!

- Power range 140-155W, focus on cadence Christine!

-Run- steady out of T2 to start, running off the bike had been going really well in training. Perhaps due to the ultra training over winter and possibly have had shorter ( 165mm) cranks on my TT bike for 4 months.

Race Day:

Brekky - ripe banana, Em's choc oat explosion bar, 2 tsp of natural peanut butter, large cup of coffee

Spent ages putting my wetsuit on + had it pulled so far up my crotch I almost had a wedgie (!) but the range of movement was FAB especially compared to last weekend's practice swim. Water temp was ~17 degrees.

Swim - 34:51. 1.9km A PB!! Have swum once with a 35  in the time, all my other halves have been 37:xx.

            Felt good during the swim + stuck to my mantra above.Able to pick it up on the return leg, didn'
            worry about stroke rate just being long, rotating ( engaging my obliques) + smooth.


T1 --  bit of a fumble as was cold, limbs not functioning very well



Bike - 3.00.54  ww.trainingpeaks.com/av/7DVHSFLTNWFKYKDJDR6GCVSIQE

          I had 91km on the Garmin, legs were cold and felt like I couldn't get moving at all on the bike.

          Felt a bit miserable on the return leg of lap1 which from previous experience means I am getting
          a bit low on calories so ate some Clif blocks and my mood improved :)

          Rode 3 perfectly even splits with even cadence of 89-90 rpm, avg power 146 and NP 147.
          Thought I had ridden harder on the 3rd lap but in fact had done exactly the same, but i guess my
          perceived exertion was higher by then.  Was having a bit of discomfort with a tender spot that
          troubles me and also some chafing from the seam of my trisuit , my left quad seemed very stiff
          for ages and then my left gluteus was niggling a little.

          Ate -   Em's power bite ( peanut butter flavour) 1 pack Clif blocks
                     1 mini Moro bar  1 GU strawberry/banana gel ( non caffeinated)
                     ate 2 GU chomps from a packet ~ 15 mins before end of bike

                     Drank - 1 bottle w hi5 Zero tab plus half zero neutral tab
                                   1/2-2/3 bottle plain water

T2 - a bit slow as feet were still numb. Busting for a pee….

Run - http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/OQTES6A7GBCX65DRE22WKJUA4M
       
          1.46:17 ( including portaloo stop….30-40 secs?)

          Couldn't get my Garmin to pick up satellites as I started to run, by the time it picked up I esti-
          -mated I had run approx 4-500m. I kept it steady then was able to find a good rhythm as the
          stiffness in my left quad worked itself away.The out and back section was a bit of a headspin
          as there seemed to be heaps of people coming the opposite way ( ? was i THAT far back?!!)
          but as I glanced at my Garmin to keep a check on pace i saw I was running along at good clip
          so didn't think about that and focussed on one foot in from of the other. I took some water at the
          aid station and had my peanut butter GU then popped out and headed round the lake; managed to
          pass a couple of people round here.
          I took some coke and water at the next aid station and soon after was back thru transition to start
          lap 2 - my watch showed 10.16km so I was pretty accurate with my lost metres.
          Once back at the out 'n'back  I grabbed some more coke and water then started to get that oh-so-
          familiar feeling of a stitch starting under my left rib cage then extending across my diaphragm. As
          mentioned  here  I knew I could just keep running albeit at a slightly slower pace and alternating
          each arm above my head to stretch out my torso. It eased up slightly and then i could feel the raw
          sensation of a blister on the inner aspect of my right big toe. Once I was back out lakeside, I had
          recovered a little and was back to good pace; the only view on my watch was the stopwatch,
          pace and distance and had no idea what actual race time was as i wasn't wearing a watch in the
          swim and I have a Garmin edge 500 for my bike and a wristwatch style 210 for running.
          I had a quick look at actual time of day and it said 1.39pm so i calculated that I would still be
          under 5h 30. I managed to pass another couple of people round here which gives such a mental
         boost and my stitch/cramping had completely gone. The last aid station ~ 3km from the end had
         no coke which was probably a bonus, I had only taken water and some jelly beans at the previous
         one as suspected that the coke, despite being very flat, was the cause. Chomped down half a Clif
         shot double espresso to keep up my caffeine kick to the end and I hoofed to the finish line with a
         time of 5:25:55.


THOUGHTS for going forward :

My go to fuel on the run has always been flat coke but it seems to be the cause of my stitches - alongside concentrated sports drink, must be the sugar? Not sure why never used to be an issue but
wil have to go to caffeinated gels.

Bike was steady but I still have a lot of work to do, especially on my flat riding.

Surprised with my swim as was expecting a ~40 min swim considering how my pool swims have gone.   A few factors aside from training have probably helped- been working on my flexibility , especially my left "dentists" shoulder which has issues from holding a mirror all day and a couple of in-depth technique lessons from Dan Abel at www.fitandabel.com earlier in the year.

Pleased with my run, feel I am finally getting nearer to the run form I used to have…..several years ago!

But on the whole, still much work to be done and hay to be stacked in the barn before Ironman NZ in March.

Next up is a local sprint on 24th November www.triathlonfestival.co.nz then possibly an Olympic distance (ouch- hate those!!) on 21st December. Auckland 70.3 ( Asia-Pacific 70.3 champs) on 19th January and that's the pre IM line up.

Training will resume on Monday 18th November……..this week's all about chill in out, getting my admin ( read: end of year accounts for year ending March 31st 2013 to the accountant) done and then a weekend in Brisbane to catch up with one of my besties and do lots of girl talk.

Better go , have hooooooooge blister to burst. Sorry no photos……unless I find some on the net.

All things Scotland …..

A short prose accompanied by some photos from my trip back home in August.

The long haul home was relatively uneventful :

- A pleasant 3 hours to Sydney in Emirates business class enjoying a 3 course meal and fine wine.

- Another 3 hours in transit at Sydney airport with lots of walking and  a bit of shopping

-14 hours  to Dubai but sadly in Emirates cattle class. The section of the plane I was sitting in was full of young children, including the babe that cried THE ENTIRE FLIGHT. I just adjusted my dose of sedative ( read: doubled ) to ensure I got some sleep.

The Big bird in Dubai

- A couple of hours WAG spotting at Dubai airport and the sheer joy ( its the little things!) of paying AED 40 for a long shower and putting on clean underwear and the new shirt I purchased in Sydney. Followed by a some skulking in duty free to "test" various lotions and a spray of perfume.

- 7 hours to Glasgow….. and I am back on Scottish soil. Weeeeee!!! First thing Mum said when she saw me was "Oh, you look really tired".  Yep.

Hugging Sir Chris Hoy's golden postbox

It had been two years since I was last in Edinburgh; I love the feeling of coming back home and the warm, comforting familiarity of being back in the place I grew up.

Things I love about Britain:

Mummy.
Marks + Spencers
Sainsbury's on the go healthy snacks
Fat Face
Red post boxes
Old dry stane dykes
Some really old buildings
White Stuff
Oatcakes
double decker buses
Public transport availability
Castles or ruins of castles springing up in random places as you drive by
Tea.
Scotsman newspaper
BBC radio and TV.
Royal Commonwealth Pool ( 50m)



Things from NZ I really miss when in Britain:

Brett and Jemima.
NZ white wine - can't be beaten, ANYWHERE
Really good lattes+ flat whites with deep flavour+ properly frothed milk.Not Starbucks.
Early opening cafes with great cafe food- even at winds.
Bright sunny days with not a cloud in the sky.

See you in a month, Mum!

Anyhoo, had a few days in Edinburgh to get over the jet lag and reacquaint myself with  swimming in a 50 m pool as well as sort out a rental car for Mum and I's trip up north……..stock up on a few Clif books + a new short sleeved thermal from my favourite shop the Tri Centre to wear on race day.

See you in a month, babe!

Mum and I headed north on the Thursday, 2 days pre race. It was a bit mizzly as we crossed the Forth road bridge into Fife but started to clear as we hit the outskirts of Perth then took the road towards Braemar. We stopped for lunch at some wee country inn/hotel and had a tasty bowl of home made soup then grabbed a take away coffee and i couldn't resist but to purchase a couple of baked treats. The road was rather rolling and windy here so progress was a little slow but we trundled on until Braemar and got out to stretch the legs. I hadn't been to Braemar, Royal Deeside since a primary 7 school ski trip to Glenshee. It is very typical of a well to do Scottish market town and given we were in the region of the Grampians  the buildings are all a grey stone ( granite , I think) , very tidy  main street with hanging baskets in abundance and two large hotels with a few little shops dotted in between. Not to mention the backdrop of the mountains and an old  red telephone box. Love it.

After that we drove through the Spittal of Glenshee ( you drive up to a pass where the ski field car park sits then descend towards Balmoral )  in a real pea-souper ( dense fog for those who don't understand Scottish colloquialisms).  I think visibility was ~ 20m or so. I was worn out by the time we emerged from the mirk as the sheer concentration and slight terror had sapped my energy. 

A few more windy B class roads and a slight disagreement as to which direction as we came through Keith - headed for Aberdeen until Mum pointed out we should be headed north - and then found the road to Cullen,  another winding road through farming country; fields dotted with cows and we also passed a field of donkeys! Eeeeh-ooohhh.

Home for the next 5 days.

Cullen is a small town on the Moray firth - origin of one of Scotland's more famous dishes, Cullen skink ( its fish chowder basically). A pod of bottle nose dolphins live in the bay and we were lucky enough to see four of them leaping and bounding through the water on our last morning.

Anyway, before I go into laborious detail and get bogged down in what would become a very long blog, I'll give a list of highlights of the northern sojourn:-

- A visit to the Baxters village in Fochabers to stock up on shortbread, oatcakes, preserves…
- Family catch up with Jean, Sylvia and co in Fraserburgh
- A very tasty lunch at the Mountain cafe in Aviemore, the menu had a few dishes I didn't expect to see in the UK but then I discovered the chef was a kiwi!
- Fresh salmon for dinner at least 3 nights.. yum.

Cullen looking towards Buckie

-  Discovering this  gem of a place and the deli on the main street selling fresh cheeses, venison, locally made pates, coffee, smoked salmon. A foodie's heaven.

-catching up with an old friend Therese, who now lives up in Aberdeenshire with her husband and three year old daughter. We met up in Huntly for a coffee and caught up on all the news- had been six years since our last get together!










We drove back home down the A9 via Aviemore, Grantown on Spey and over Drumochter pass to get some different scenery. It was a stunning, sunny day - not a cloud in the sky and 21 degrees. Scotland is a marvellous place in fine weather :)

I had a sore throat the following day which then developed into a full blown head cold and cough but i guess I can't complain as I rarely get sick or get colds and the best time to get one is when you are at your Mum's house, don't have to go to work and are recovering from running an ultra the weekend before  and wouldn't be doing much training anyway. Well, good for us Type -A people anyway :)

Edinburgh Highlights :

- going to a show at the festival fringe; Alistair McGowan the impressionist. Very funny, thankfully only an hour or so long as the hall upstairs at the Gilded Balloon @teviot was akin to sitting in a sauna.

- took Mum and Alan for dinner to www.urban-angel.co.uk . Highly recommend as an eatery in Edinburgh. Casual dining, food and wine list was excellent. I chose the haggis - a real treat. Mmmmm.

- great summer weather and the buzz of the city when the Edinburgh festival is on. Can't beat it!

- a 50m Olympic pool to swim in..at the Royal Commonwealth pool. A reminder of how much I miss QE2.

- Old buildings, older buildings, really really old buildings.

- A visit to the museum to see an exhibition about Mary, Queen of Scots.  #culture.


Then, the long haul back to Christchurch via Dubai, Bangkok and Sydney. Again relatively uneventful apart from the long queue waiting to get through passport control in Dubai and being stuck behind Mr and Mrs Moaner-from-the-north-of England who were apparently discontent with absolutely everything  including the airline, arab, the USA as a whole, other airlines…. why the hell travel anywhere then?!!!

There was a slight delay both landing and leaving Bangkok as a plane had skidded off the runway earlier that day which meant one was closed. They didn't tell us that of course but when it appears on the BBC world headlines that pop up on the screen, doesn't take a double digit IQ to work out…..?!

The best bit was the roller coaster ride as we approached Christchurch. The good ole' norwester was blowing like buggery; confirmed when the plane dropped ~ 50m unexpectedly then was getting thrown from side to side by the wind. I could hear some children screaming, however they were the kind of screams you hear on a fairground attraction - I was having a bit of a white knuckle ride myself!

Returned home to a freshly painted and decorated house with new carpet laid…. poor Brett had been living in the garage while I was away and we had our earthquake repair work done. Looks fabulous!

Once i was over the jet lag ( took AGES!).. time to get back on the bike and knuckle down to some triathlon training. First race of the season on 9th November a half ironman  down in lake Hood, Ashburton.

Catch ya soon for the next instalment…..

A couple more pics to make this more interesting...

Speyside Way Ultramarathon race report.

Ah, long overdue but thought I had better  (figuratively) put pen to paper before the ultra becomes a distant memory, embellished by fond memories of running along the coast with the breeze in my hair and good times. Rather than the aching body and engorged toenails that were apparent by the last hour of the race!

Race distance  36.5 miles ( 59 km for me- as had an extra detour , more on that later)

The Speyside Way is a long distance walking path, of which there are many scattered throughout the British isles. Most of the way is disused railway and snakes alongside the River Spey and several whisky distilleries, until it reaches the river mouth at Spey Bay. From there it follows the coastline to a market town called Buckie; it ends in the town square.

The ultra mostly followed the way with a few detours - up Ben Aigen , the only sizeable climb en route, several rolling B class roads and rolling twisty forest track behind some sand dunes until the last stretch of road along the coastline to the finish.

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/SNVF6XYGAO474GNJTSICWVKFRE

Garmin file from Training Peaks above. It says total ascent was 3000m but there was nowhere near that amount!  ~ 1100 m over the entire run which isn't too bad really. Also noted in the file is what I consumed during the run . No nutritional problems although I ran out of fluid on the descent of Ben Aigen and had around 6-7km with nothing to drink. I didn't stop for a pee the entire run, toilets were very sparse or a wee way off course.

Smiling up Ben Aigen- eh???

There were 2 aid stations to refuel, one at 12 miles in and the next at 24 miles in. I chose to carry a hydration pack ( My Salomon XT wing which I LOVE) as prefer to be self sufficient and had done all my training runs carrying the pack. I didn't use the first aid station but had put a special needs bag in for the second aid station with a large bottle of water to refill my bladder and a small bottle of flat coke; to get me through the last hour or so.

There was no compulsory gear requirement but, given that we are in the north of Scotland ( ~ 60' N approx) albeit during summertime, I thought it prudent to carry a beanie, light rain jacket, space blanket plus some paracetamol, a very small container with vaseline in and some lip balm as well as   race nutrition which was a mix of gels, blocks, lollies etc.



The weather was reasonable; some light mizzle early in the morning in Buckie and again at the start but no more for the rest of the day. We actually had perfect conditions for running - cloud cover, very mild ( warm, even!) little wind. It could have been a whole lot worse - my biggest fear was torrential rain and having to deal with potential blisters and trench foot through the race. Phew!!

View from the run- Charlestown of Aberlour old railway station

I won't bore any of my (one) readers with  a blow-by-blow in depth analysis of the run; the garmin file should suffice. I have, however, made a noteworthy list of points pertinent to losing my Ultra virginity :)



- the last hour of the run feels like the last 15 km of an ironman marathon

-***pacing is everything*** - I started at the back ( little choice as we had to cross a narrow swing bridge which funnelled everyone into an even longer line) had a very steady first 2 hours on the flattest section of the way and spent the final couple of hours passing an awful lot of people!

-Toe socks with vaseline in between the toes again proved to be my best defence against blisters.

-Ate lightly the day before and a smaller breakfast which had no negative effects on my energy but plenty of positive effects i.e. not feeling like a walrus on the start line!

-Coke travelling in the side pocket of a hydration pack while running may have been flat to start with ….."all shook up..uh-huh"……

-Drinking said Coke resulted in a bad stitch, a problem that has plagued me in my last 2 iron mans.Definitely must be result of gas- don't gulp your drinks, even if they are non fizzy!

-Was able to keep running through the stitch- a HUGE bonus and something to harness for my next ironman.

-Cut up Mars bars taste SOOOOOO good 39km into a run!

-Walk the steep bits, didn't spot many people running Ben Aigen but make sure you can run downhill+ practise in training.

- Wore my iPod , was great. ***allowed to, btw***

- This was the ideal race for a first ultra - pretty mild terrain, reasonable gradients and surfaces i.e. nothing too technical ( apart from a few rooty sections in the latter half), achievable distance if you have already run a marathon.

-Concentrate on the sign posts+ way markers ! I missed a turn about 41km in and ended up way down a wee path to the river. Realised my mistake ( thankfully) and was able to get back on track. Only an extra 800m at most but it coulda been a whole lot worse!

-Enjoy the scenery and the great camaraderie that exists between other runners. A cool bunch of people. Especially when there are four of you that all got confused in the same spot and ended up deciding that running straight up the road ( parallel to where we were supposed to be) must be the right way. Then a marshal appears and we had to stop and wait while he rung the race director to check we could continue. "No ******* way are we backtracking" was the consensus; we had not actually taken a shortcut and we were 10 km from the finish.

FINISH LINE is 20m away!! Embrace the Suck!!

Mum and Aunty Sylvia, Joanna, Jonny and their daughter Faith were all waiting for me in Buckie so it was great to see familial (?!geddit?!) faces.  They live 35 miles round the coast in Fraserburgh so had come over for the day to keep Mum company while I was running and catch up.
As with iron mans, I tend to find that as soon as you stop you feel HUGELY worse than you did previously so best to keep moving. We ended up in a pub/cafe on the main street and I was finally able to get a cup of coffee and had a large bowl of wedges. Yum- salty chips are just what the Dr ordered post endurance event. We said our goodbyes and then Mum and I walked   shuffled up to the high school to pick up the car and make our way back to Cullen.

Once back at the B+B I was able to inspect the damage - very little chafing (bonus!!) and 2 massive blood blisters on the outer aspect of my big toes . I tend to build a lot of hard skin here as despite wearing orthotics I still have some pronation causing the big toe to roll in and rub on either my shoe or orthotic. I had visited the chiropodist and had everything dealt with 5 days prior to the race but I guess six hours of running must create some unavoidable friction!

I'll write a short post about the rest of my holiday back in my beautiful homeland…very soon, promise!

Rehydrating and replenishing with a fine brew

More Hawaii in pictures.

USS Arizona memorial @ Pearl harbor

Dangers of the tropics

Acai brekky



Thought I'd share a few pictures from my trip to Maui. Hawaii is a fabulous place, the people are lovely and the climate is perfect ........I became addicted to fresh pineappples over there.

 Hibiscus flower     

 

 

Whale skeleton at Whalers Village


I'm not sure what blogger does with the photos but somehow they keep moving to places I don't want them to and then I can't place them back to where I'd like them or get the text to where I want it. Hence I don't work in typesetting or graphic design :)

Mum and I spent our last 3 days together in Waikiki; plenty of shopping + fine dining along with a trip on the bus to Pearl Harbour, which far exceeded my expectations. I admit I didn't really know much about the Asia-Pacific involvement in WW2 or understand why Japan  and the USA was involved in a war that apparently involved the Nazis invading various countries of Western Europe. However, an informative movie made up of newsreel from the period and narration gave me clarity and understanding of the significance of the attack on Pearl harbour. The short boat trip out to the memorial and the wreck of the USS Arizona is well worth a visit, albeit a rather  stark reminder of the horrors of war and why we must acknowledge and be very grateful to the servicemen and women who fought to defend our nations to enable us to have what we have today.



USS Arizona wreck


 

Also of note was a fruitful trip to Ala Moana boulevard- a 3 floor shopping mall with all the US chain stores a girl could possibly ever want :)  Needless to say a bit of $$ was spent in Lululemon.


What a wonderful place..... I can't wait to visit Hawaii again. Only 8 and a half hour flight from Auckland, NO jet lag as the time difference is only an hour. Next time I hope to visit the Big Island and see what all the fuss is about there. Wakiki is great but very busy with scores of medium to high end boutiques and high rise hotels. Maui has a very relaxed, quiet vibe but one is never bored there!

Home on the big bird

Xterra world champs 2012- big fat DNS!!

Mojito at Dukes on Ka'anapili

A bit late for posting the rest of my Hawaiian adventures......but better late than never, right?

Short version is that the day before the race, when finally the predicted north westerly swells arrived, I went for a practice swim in the big waves and somehow mistimed my return leg and got swallowed up, dragged under and spat out by the massive shorebreak.

Although I was probably only under the water for a few seconds, it felt like an eternity and I was pretty shaken and quite tearful. The best course of action would have been to get straight back in - back on the proverbial horse so to speak - but since I was alone and terrified, I decided to leave and put it aside until the next day ( race morning). The lifeguard had the red flags+ "Dangerous Shorebreak" sign out on the beach so I didn't feel like I was being tooooo much of a wuss......

Waves never previously seen around Chch.

More stress yet to come in the form of a tsumani warning for Hawaii that evening after an earthquake in the seabed off the coast of Vancouver. Luckily I was on the 4th floor of my Oceanside condo block however, after the experiences of living through an earthquake in Christchurch I was rather apprehensive. The hotel manager said anything above the 3rd floor was fine and not to panic; most of the guests seemed to be alarmed and were scurrying off in various directions to go elsewhere. I did move my rental car up the hill on the advice of the hotel staff and after reading the local civil defence website and skypeing with Brett and another friend I relaxed a little and came to the conclusion that it probably wasn't too much to worry about. Another added bonus of course could be that they would perhaps cancel the swim!!

Bike course-steep, sandy+hot

 

Anyway, I was one of the lucky ones after hearing of racers who ended up being out of their accommodation until 2am when the warning was rescinded. I ended up getting to sleep around midnight, crossing everything that the swim would be cancelled.
No sign of any rogue waves early next morning ensured that the local coastguard declared all the beaches on the west side of Maui safe for swimming. **************cue serious trepidation+anxiety*******

After a very casual registration + transition set up ( so nice not to be shivering while standing around in a trisuit!) I headed down to the beach and saw that the conditions were identical to the previous day, along with the red flags and the "Dangerous Shorebreak" warning. To cut (what could be) a long story short, I had a big panic attack and couldn't even dip a toe in the water. The race people were kind and lovely but nothing could get me in there and I wasn't allowed to continue sans transponder and do the bike and run so that was my day over. I spent the rest of the morning doing a bit of cheering and taking photographs then headed home to get changed and meet up with a couple of the other Chch people there who had raced and we all had an enjoyable evening at the awards dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua.  Definitely a different vibe from Ironman events I have attended; much more back to the fun, grass roots , pioneers of triathlon type atmosphere.

I am not one to dwell on decisions made in the moment as you can't change those- you can only learn from the experience and take action to ensure you won't either put yourself in that position again or find yourself in that situation again. We get choppy sea to swim in in the harbour over summer and when we used to swim at Scarborough you could some reasonable swells there but we don't get the big shorebreaks around Canterbury. But I could do a lot more to get comfortable in the surf and also learn how to read and understand what the waves and the water are doing.

Anyway, a couple of days post race Mum arrived and we had a fabulous holiday in Maui, ending with 2 days in Waikiki. We spent a lot of time on the beach, saw a few turtles and a manta ray, shopped, ate locally made ice cream, drank a mojito and ate fish tacos.

Banyan tree in Lahaina



Church in Makena