IM 70.3 Asia-Pacific champs, Auckland.

Short / stats  version:-

5h 15. 32  9th /46 in  F 40-44 AG        

swim : 34. 19
bike  :  2h 49: 23
run:     1h 47.25

Weather - still with a v light breeze, no cloud cover hit ~ 24 degrees by run
Water - 19 degrees ( sea swim) v calm.


Long, wordy version with photos:-


Unusually, this was a Sunday race so I headed up to Auckland on Friday afternoon without having to take any time off work. I arrived late afternoon and once bag + bike was collected, dragged everything outside the terminal to get a taxi and was about to hop in when an overzealous parking attendant in a fluoro vest appeared like the angel of death and declared that the back seat of a taxi was for luggage, not for oversized bike bags and i was flouting airport rules so would have to get a minivan or a shuttle. WTF? After dropping an F-bomb ( or 2) I dragged my bike, bag etc a further 100m to the shuttle stop and paid half the price for a white knuckle ride weaving through 4 lanes of rush hour traffic on the Auckland motorway by the crazy Fijian driver.

Hmm, I wonder why they call Auckland City of Sails??

Relieved to arrive at the Heritage in Hobson Street around 5.30pm in one piece, I found the room and my two roommates for the weekend, fellow Canterbury tri-ers, Michelle+ Sarah. We had a well sized balcony with enough room for three bikes and building/dismantling of bikes and no issues with the hotel who were graciously accommodating. I surmise they must have had a hotel full of triathletes for the weekend, being that we were only 15 minutes walk from race central.

Saturday morning I headed out for a small shake out run to check out some of the course and get the legs moving; had wanted to bike but unable to inflate my front tire due to a broken valve stuck inside my CO2 inflator so had to settle for a short run and then a wee 10 minute cross train in the hotel gym to  keep the legs moving.
The girls headed off on the bus tour taking athletes round the North shore part of the bike course and I went off to have brekky, register and check out the expo.

breakfast JAFA style

Once all the number stickers were stuck in the right places, I trundled down the hill and through the throng of Saturday shoppers along Quay st to take Alberto to the bike shop where the very helpful staff at the Giant bicycle store pumped up my tires, fixed the wonky front brake and I duly returned the hospitality by purchasing ( yet another) CO2 inflator , some Em's power bars, Gu chomps and ……much to my excitement….the last 3 Salted caramel flavour GU gels. Mmmmm.

Like waving your first born off on their first day at school, I left Alberto and my helmet racked and ready for race day then spent some time sifting around the Viaduct basin to pass the time before catching up with a friend, Becs, who now lives in Auckland. The sun was blazing ; not a cloud in the sky and it was getting pretty hot - so much so I had to duck into the expo and buy a cap to help keep the sun off. It didn't prevent my shoulders burning however, rookie mistake. Grrrrr.

Tourist type selfie

After a pleasant catch up on all the gossip with  Becs and a few of the other tri girls we parted ways and walked back to the hotel then headed back out again to find some dinner. I did panic slightly about the amount of time I had spent on my feet ( in jandals, no less!) today and hoped it wasn't going to hamper my race too much. Oh well, too late to do anything about it!  We found a place of Michelle's recommendation - open 24 hours serving wood fired pizza, kebabs and various other culinary offerings. I chose a chicken salad and I was most impressed! Had been tempted by a pizza but prefer those post race and obviously was way too sober to have a kebab for tea :)

We ambled back to the hotel, alarms set for 4.30am and then it was a pleasant snooze until race morning.



Breakfast :

Cup of coffee, banana + 2 teasp peanut butter, Ems gluten free cranberry craze bar.

Once all the morning ablutions were taken care of - business, sunscreen, chafe cream, deep heat , vaseline etc etc we set off around 5.15 and walked down to transition at the Viaduct events centre. I don't know who was more amused - the  smartly dressed, drunk people spilling out of the pubs and clubs on the waterfront or the lycra clad hordes of people armed with wetsuits and bike pumps.  We all had a chuckle and a little nostalgia trip back to our twenties, remembering what it was like to be going home in the early hours after a big night as opposed to being up in the early hours for a big day. Sigh.

SWIM:   34.19

We didn't get much of a swim warm up - lots of arm circles and dynamic stretching for me; our wave ( 35-44 F) was 4th off at 6.31am  after the M+F pros and the 18-34 males. A gentle jump off the wharf in front of the maritime museum had to suffice with a couple of stroke, a wave to the crowd and then we were off! I tried to stay focussed on the mantra I had used in Ashburton- "long, strong and smooth". I was always in a crowded spot throughout the swim but there was not much contact or any aggression. The sea is 19 degrees up here + a clear blue, such a treat compared to the colder, murky waters  of Corsair Bay. A slight sighting error as we were swimming towards the red buoy looking east into the morning sun thankfully didn't cost me too much extra (… maybe I could have dipped under 34 tho ?!!). I must have miscounted the buoys as the next yellow one was just before the exit steps - YAY! Gotta love that .

I am the midget on the left, no cap, post-swim gurn on

BIKE :  2:49 xx

Nooiice wheeeeelz

After a tiki tour around the waterfront, the bike course heads over the Harbour Bridge and follow the northern busway  in a ~ 40 km loop round the North shore.

Two lanes were blocked off for racers and we were riding in the Southbound lane of the busway. It was quite rolling heading over the bridge + through the North shore; more so than I had expected but i was in heaven with the billiard ball smooth roads ( it was like being in America!!) sprinkled with periods of rage at the disorganisation of the other riders that I was stuck with for the whole loop. Some scattered across the road three abreast, lots of cat and mouse going on with the ups and downs, a bit of drafting ..AAAAAGH. However, I had anticipated that this was a likely scenario although I had presumed it would be on the two lap waterfront section once the later waves of age group men started coming through.  I gave myself a stern talking to and instructed myself to STOP wasting energy, STOP climbing the rollers in your big chain ring and RELAX. That worked by default I suppose as I was busting for a wee as we came back over the harbour bridge so I used the descent off the bridge to relieve myself. Sorry, Alberto - I always feel really bad about that :)

Harbour bridge in the background

I had drunk my whole bottle with electrolytes in as planned by the time I returned to the bottle swap at 45km so grabbed a bottle of plain water and that would do for the rest of the ride. It was a glorious day but since we started early, the temperature was perfect- coolish but not cold. Oh, how different from my previous half in November where I was struggling to get my limbs working properly in the cold. The two waterfront laps - out to St Helier's and back - were much less stressful and i was able to relax a little more, being careful to avoid any contact with traffic cones (of which there were millions). It seemed a lot less congested along the waterfront, despite faster age group men zipping past from time to time and again I was in heaven, giving my Rolf prima Ares the treatment they deserve : smooth seal, non pot-holed roads and speeds above 32 kph. Wooooo-hooooo. This course is FAST but the ride itself is quite spiky in effort and application partly due to the congestion  but mostly all the twists and turns through the Viaduct area so I did find my self accelerating and decelerating a lot, standing up on the pedals to pick up my speed once past corners and slower athletes. My avg power was  146 and NP was 159 so you get the picture…. I did have a few moments early on wondering whether I was burning too many matches which would leave me like a damp squib on the run; then decided I was really enjoying the bike and so be it if I burnt matches- sometimes you have to take a risk or you never find out what you are capable of! Plus, I had become obsessed with having a bike time of 2h forty something..!
Apparently still very well hydrated, busting for wees  on the 2nd lap I was struggling to find a place to go - I require a downhill gradient usually. My practical Capricorn mind was calculating that slowing down to pee would not cost me as much time as stopping at a portaloo on the run as even if my speed drops I am still progressing with forward motion….AND I wouldn't be starting the run with the feeling of sloshing around my lower innards. So as we approached Mission Bay I executed my first flat road pee on the bike, which was a highly successful manoeuvre - if I had been aiming to collect my wee in my right shoe.

Once off the bike it felt like a rather long run with the bike and my squelchy shoes into transition and in haste and excitement, threw on my socks + visor and shuffled out into the crowds.

RUN : 1h 47.25

It had warmed up considerably by the time I started my run, chose to wear my visor due to an OD of UV the day previous but it was annoying me a little and considered biffing it ; approximately 3 km later I was very glad to have it! My legs did actually feel like bricks( until exactly halfway) altho when I glanced at the Garmin my pace was not too bad. I was hoping to run 1;45 as expected this to be a faster run course than Ashburton being that it was all on road. It definitely would be, however it was 15 degrees warmer than Ashburton with very little shade and of course a higher, erratic work output on the bike.

When will this suffering be over….?!!

My Garmin was a bit off with the km markers which nettled me somewhat until, again, I gave myself a talking to to just f****g get on with it and run, it is what it is and it's the same for everyone!. Coming back through the Viaduct basin at the end of the first lap was rather nauseating…. that last gel had not slipped down too well and then I caught a whiff of Sunday brunch emanating from the waterfront restaurants; notably a garlic flavour soup type smell. Bleuuugh. I chose to not have anything fluid or otherwise for a bit to let things settle down but was beginning to fade as I approached the turnaround at Mission Bay and my mood was deteriorating. Time to hit the coke  - employed the strategy of small sips and no gulping of air, no trying to drink while running and also dumped a cup of water over my head. Waiting… waiting… no stitch!! Whoop-dee-doo!!. I thought I had picked up my pace for the last 3 km but checking my km splits I was back to running at the same pace, however I did manage to pass at least two other chicks in my age group in that last section of the run which just reinforces the "Its not over til its over" mantra.

I could also feel a blister on my left foot early into the run- it felt like I had a wrinkle in my sock and my right big toe joint was aching with every step; I knew all the walking around in jandals the previous day was going to haunt me at some point!

Once through the winding alleys of the Viaduct I hit the red carpet and dug in to the finish, attempted a Jersey Shore style fist pump at the finish line but it was rather lame :)

The crowd support was AWESOME…. and great to spot the familiar faces of Kerry, Becs and John round the run.

Note to self: don't shove gels down your cleavage, tighten your  hrm  strap #saggytits

I spent the next while in the recovery area drinking, chatting, scoffing orange quarters and a few mini bags of salted crisps. 

We did head to the roll down later on and I could have got a slot to the 70.3 World champs in Mont-Tremblant but I didn't really want to go- none apparently wanted to go as they rolled quite far in most age groups; well, rolled is a loose term- it became "Stand up if you want to go to M-T and we will take the say 2 fastest of those standing". I left and went to get a taxi to the airport and enjoy a fine repast of curry and beer in the Koru lounge so missed out on the after party and other shenanigans.

Post race club foot

Thoughts:

Again, learned another couple of things I can take forward to Ironman and provided I sip slowly, I am confident of using coke as my run rocket fuel of choice:). 

Ogling at bikes boys 

Next up is to actively recover and then 4 day Ironman camp on 30th January. Will post a blog with more exciting adventures then ( my life is so one dimensional  fun!!!). Must remember to snap plenty pics tho.

Sorry, no cat pictures this time.

Team BSR tri sponsors

Just a short post to acknowledge the wicked sponsors of the team! Some of the products I already have and use; others i can't wait to try!

Awesome to have them all on board for 2014 - I intend to put some product reviews in my blog throughout the year so watch this space!

In no particular order :-


www.ogio.com - COOL bags. Transition backpack is on my wanted list.

www.champ-sys.com - custom made COOL sexy gear. On order, can't wait!!

www.fuelbelt.com - already own a 2 bottle belt, excellent portal for long runs, brick runs

www.blueseventy.com - have had my Helix since last year….and now a load of swim PBs! Doesn't
                                        chafe my neck either. Along with the wettie  i also own bootees, neoprene cap
                                        + hydra vision goggles. Need I say more?

www.spyoptic.com - COOL shades….my Team BSR DAFT sunnies arrived last week

Big Sexy Sunnies

www.rubyslube.com -all natural anti -chafe balms. What more could a long distance triathlete want?

www.newtonrunning.com -shoes promoting forefoot strike. Lightweight, great aesthetics too!

www.recoverypump.com - the ultimate in compression! I have tried these at a training camp a couple
                                            of years ago; was impressed.

www.reynoldscycling.com - COOL wheels

www,powertap.com - Rear hub power meter system using ANT+ technology. Had my pro+ since
                                    2010, now also own a super light G3 hub built into my race wheels. Easy to use,
                                    easy to change batteries+ swap wheels. Wouldn't have anything else.

www.cobbcycling.com - Cutting edge saddle designs and more. Have one on the shopping list for my r
                                        roady.

www.wilier-usa.com - Italian bikes. Sexy.

www.biottajuices.com - Beet juice.

www.bonkbreaker.com - tasty, healthy bars to keep you rollin, can't wait to try the PB+J :)

www.brooksairbrushstudio.com - custom painting on bikes, helmets etc. Amazing artistry.

www.slstri.com - compression gear + tri wear. Love the butterfly compression socks.

www.bio-fuse.com  - sports supplements for the discerning athlete

www.precisionbikes.com - sounds like a great bike store, must visit if in the area!


For specifically the Southern hemisphere branch of BSR tri we are lucky to have some local sponsors  through  DCM Sport.

Namely:

www.high-five.co.uk - sports nutrition to cater for all your needs.

www.xlab-usa.com -the ONLY cages to cope with rough NZ road chip + earthquake affected roads.
                                 I have a gorilla and a chimp, carbon rear wing+ torpedo front mount to hold my
                                 chimp. Not had anything ejected from the bike in the 13 months I have had these.

www.rolfprima.com - if you check out my race photo in my next blog…. you will see my
                                   breathtakingly fast and beautiful carbon clinchers…. the Ares 6 ( note the
                                   Powertap G3 hub…mmmmmmm).

www.greeper.com - laces that really "greep" *** your shoes  and don't annoy your feet .
                                 ***How Aussies and Kiwis say "grip". A little pun :)

Posing as a team BSR mascot. I put the "Big" into BSR. Ha.

Xmas-New Year Staycation stories

Firstly, would like to wish my avid readers and adoring fans a Happy New Year and all the best for 2014 ( Hi Mum!!!)

Joking aside, 2014 is going to GREAT as have a few cool things lined up and of course am part of Team Big Sexy racing ……..Yee Ha Y'all !!!

Given that the festive period down here in the Southern hemisphere coincides with summer holidays, most businesses close down for a couple of weeks thus I always end up with a break of ten to 14 days. No complaints however as I am ready for a reprieve from the daily grind by the end of the year, this gets replaced with a different type of routine comprising multiple bike, run and swim workouts - an especially good time to get some bike volume in.

I finished up work at lunchtime on Christmas Eve, breathing a huge sigh of relief that that was over for 2013 and no more panic-stricken-irregular attenders who think I can solve years worth of neglect in one appointment and guarantee no toothache over the holidays patients to see til the 6th of January. Also highly relieved that all the present shopping and distribution was done so all that remained was to eat, drink, be merry , swim, bike, run .

I won't bore you all with laborious detail of every day …..plus, don't want the other girls in my AG to know my training secrets….Ha! There is no secret of course….:)

The weather Xmas week was rather crap to say the least……rain, southerly, rain, grey etc etc. Boxing day was scheduled for a long ride but the weather was super pants so chose to head to Murchison on a road trip with Brett, who had a couple of kayaks to pick up both there and in Nelson. It's a lovely journey through the Lewis Pass ( I have cycled through there a couple of times and its one of my favourite rides) and the summit is right on the Main Divide so once you head down the other side to Springs junction ( 20 km of rip-snorting fun on a road bike; especially after the arduous toll on the legs fighting net ascents and prevailing headwinds tootling up the Lewis Pass) the weather and vegetation is a stark contrast - dense bush and greenery rather than the arid, bare plains of Canterbury.

So we were met with much warmer temperatures and sunshine - YAY! Arrived in Murchison and picked up the whitewater boat then were lucky enough to secure a cabin at the campground while I liberally coated myself in chemicals to avoid the scourge of the sandfly and to Bretts chagrin I opted to wear my toe socks with jandals to head into town for dinner. If you have ever had insect bites on your feet, you will understand why dear readers:)

hello little town of kayakers

After a fitful sleep on a double bed more suited to a couple of oompah-loompahs, I got up at 5.30am to get into my cycle gear and brew up some instant coffee ( …..desperate times 'n all that…) to wash down my banana then I was on the road headed for Nelson just after 6am. The first couple of hours are gradual climb which steepens a little before you reach Hope Saddle.By now the sun was out; I was having a thoroughly superb time, rejoicing in the morning birdsong and aroma of native beech forest  along with little traffic on the road = HEAVEN. Brett had passed me not long before so was waiting for me at the top of Hope Saddle but sadly didn't get a photo of me so I have nothing to post here on the blog…..I need to get into the habit of snapping pics more often, sorry!
He tailed me on the descent then I waved goodbye and enjoyed the rest of the descent then a pretty comfortable cruise through to Kohatu junction. I took the left turn for Motueka and 8kms up the road in Tapawera I was highly relieved to find a toilet, water refill and a delectable flat white. Braw.

Post 160km rehydration

It was pretty hot by the time I arrived on the outskirts of Motueka, 127km later and had run out of fluids but needed to keep going to get to Mapua where i was meeting Brett. Found a small garage partway along the Moutere highway and got some cold water and a bag of salted cashews- yummy - and checked Google maps to find the road I was to turn off. Arrived at Gardener's valley road and was greeted with a climb -gah!!!- once at the top I hit the main dual carriageway to Nelson but after a check of Google maps I managed to navigate my way up and across the correct road to Mapua which was a sharp descent then another climb and finally arrived at the Martin/Taylor residence where i was greeted with the offer of a shower and big glass of water. Much needed after 150km and 5h30 of riding with 930m ascent. Yo.  Brett and I enjoyed a tasty lunch outside and regrettably had to depart around 3ish to face the 5 hour drive back to grey and mizzly Christchurch.


The rest of the holidays were peppered with some swimming ( not as much as I would have liked…), bike rides and running along with coffee drinking, socialising and the odd afternoon snooze.

don't try this at home

Hogmanay was a pleasant affair, the weather gods had realised that yes, it was summer after all so the sun was out, the air was warm and a few drinks were consumed on the patio with our friends Iain and Zarnia before we headed for dinner to a local eatery, Buddha Stix, Thai-Vietnamese "asian-fusion" I think you call it. The food was lovely as were the surrounds and after such a tasty repast we retired to Iain and Zarnia's for a cup of tea and some of Zarnia's scrumptious Xmas cake+ belgian biscuits. However, the six hour Gorges ride done earlier that day began to tell on me so Brett and I left and were at home in bed by 11pm. Yes, I didn't see in the New year ( in New Zealand anyway) but I think I did pretty well keeping my eyes open until 11!!

Wine glow on

The rest of the holidays were peppered with some more training, a wee bit of shopping on my rest day, sunshine ( phew!) and a small bbq at ours to commiserate returning to work the next day and my step up to a new age group. So blessed to have such lovely friends!

Next race on the schedule is Asia-Pacific 70.3 champs in Auckland on 19th January. This is the 2nd year of the race; a new one for me and race central is right in the heart of the Viaduct basin - home to the America's cup in 2000. Looking forward to it, despite the fact it has a sea swim. Ugh. Salty.

Right, I need to go pack my bike for said race and write a list of items to pack. It's times like this I wish I just ran marathons- logistically a whole lot easier !

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.