IMNZ 2014 race report Part 3: The Run.

T2 -  3:54. Enough time to sit back, relax, have a massage, change my outfit etc etc. Or so you would think?! I fumbled around putting my toe socks on ( I have them pre- rolled up with vaseline in the toes for a quick transition. Only took me ~40 s at IMC in 2011)  and seemed to have two clubbed feet for hands thus the simple task of taking bike shirt off/visor on/ grabbing my wee bag of gels was akin to gluing an air fix model.

Lets get this party started!

Run :-   42.4 km,  4h12.5x  av 5.58/km

After a quick spray of sunscreen from the kind volunteers from the Melanoma foundation, I shuffled out of transition and forced down a mint chocolate GU. My legs felt detached from the rest of my body but I checked the Garmin and pace was OK, remembering I felt similar in Auckland. The arthritic toe joint on my right foot was rather stiff and painful; this is normally the case when I go from bike to run but it usually comes right after 10-15 minutes.
Run mantra was in keeping with the tone of the day - one foot in front of the other, making forward progress at all times!!  I was still carrying the slight nauseous sensation that I had towards the end of the bike but some how had become aware that in fact I was probably a bit low on calories so gave myself strict instruction to take another gel ~ 40 mins later. This was a peanut butter flavour GU and I had to drip feed it to myself  ( to avoid reverse tasting ) over a couple of kms. My right foot was still aching and hadn't eased off so I thought it would be wise to down the 2 panadol I was carrying in my little ziplock bag. More  coordination issues followed with my clubbed feet-for-hands situation as I tried to take out the pills from the bag, ensuring I didn't drop my other GU gels in the process, while running. I did manage said task however so hoped they would take the edge off.
I had to stop for a pee ( in the portaloo this time- I can't pee + run!)  not long after the turnaround and felt instantly better and a bit less bloated.

On return leg of lap1- still sucking on that MOFO gel

The last time I had raced in Taupo, the run course was only two laps and now it has changed to three laps of 14 km. I wasn't sure how I felt about this but I think I prefer it as it is much easier to break down into chunks. I turned around the giant-sized Nutri-grain box and then headed out on lap 2, trying to spot Brett and others in the crowd but it was all a little blurry. I had the odd sensation that I may pass out at one stage coupled with thoughts  that that would actually be great - then I wouldn't have to run the rest of the marathon ****WARNING WARNING BONK COMING VERY SOON*****. (Yep, if only that banner had been presented to my eyes then I may have avoided the impending implosion and struggle to run faster than 6.20/km. )

First lap.....

Anyhoo,  at the 20km aid station I decided it was time to hit the coke. My strict "No Walk" policy was in force which means I allow myself 20 secs at the aid station to do a very fast walk and then its time to get running again. The coke was super flat so I had no stitch or gassy tummy issues. Baaaah- I need to pee again, what the hell?!! The portaloo next to where the volunteers were placing the lap armbands on was occupied so I shuffled on, passing a couple of the other girls from Chch I knew as hadn't seen anyone all day. Next aid station had a portaloo so another wee stop and then I was on my way. I was also grabbing the odd handful of salty chips and sucking them or licking the salt off. No way was I having any more gels, for some reason the thought was still making me retch. The aid stations are fabulous however and very well stocked with a wide range of goodies - orange quarters, pretzels. salty crisps, mini moro bars, barley sugars......  Shortly after that a fridge freezer landed on my back and my pace dropped to 6.15+ /km and I couldn't seem to move any quicker! In keeping with the day's mantra however, I kept shuffling along knowing it was a bad patch and likely to pass; keep swigging the coke and whatever else at the next aid station, trying to forget how uncomfortable my big toe was. I was still passing people who were walking at this stage and that's always great for a mental boost. By the time I turned around the giant Nutri-grain box for the second time, the pace was beginning to pick up and the fridge-freezer had shrunk down to... oh, a chilly bin (!!)

Last lap...even overtaking 3-legged people :)

Main focus now was working out what pace I had to run to ensure there was an 11h XX in my time. To give myself a 2 minute buffer, I would need to average 6 min/km. That gave me immense motivation and I knew from my training paces that I had the capability of running under 6 min/km average ( knowing that I would be a bit slower than that on a couple of the small hills but could run quite a bit quicker on the downhills+ flats). So I basically just trotted along from aid station to aid station, swallowing coke, sucking on ice chips and snatching cups of salty chips as that's all that seemed palatable. I did a fast walk up the hill at Wharewaka then once back at the turnaround that was it; I just picked people off one by one.......not in the sense of "beating them" but it gave me short focussed targets to catch.  Once back onto Lake Terrace ( the main road- not the lakeside path) there was just under 3km to go. Ok, just a bit more than running home from Zeroes cafe....Ok, just a run home from Pioneer......As with most races, it seemed a looooooonnngg way to the finish line once I passed the giant Nutri-grain box. I almost thought I wasn't going to make it, but I did, then promptly keeled over and carted off to medical. They checked my blood pressure, blood sugar and then had to help me upright to stand on the scales. I had lost 1.5kg since my rego weigh in which I would expect after  a long event. I lay there for about 10 minutes but was starting to get  chilly so they let me go, I collected my finisher t-shirt and bumped into a few others I knew in the recovery tent so we found a corner to sit in and got some food. I couldn't face the ice-cream or anything sweet but managed two cups of hot soup and bread and then a slice of pizza.

No fist pump at this show 

My foot was aching , the little toe on my right foot had become blistered ( from a blister 2 weeks previous that was still healing) and burst so my trainer was blood stained but I was relatively unscathed in other areas :-

Genetically modified foot - the joint was 2x this size post IM!!

- My blue seventy helix is the first wetsuit I've had that doesn't give me a massive hickey on my neck.
-No chafing from my kit, only minor saddle chafing.
-Quads and ITBs felt exceedingly good during the run compared to previous IMs. I think that was probably down to the extreme endurance.

Ended up with a total finish time of 11h 57.13, 7th in 40-44 ag,

Thoughts:-

-The cobble lakeside path was quite uncomfortable to run on; the smoother asphalt seemed heavenly compared to that. Of course, I may have been biased due to my foot discomfort.
- Need to take more notice of my HR ( I  record it  but don't have it showing on my Garmin display) on the run to check for bonking.
- Gave it everything I had on the day so I am satisfied. Ended up 7th in my AG which is my highest AG placing in an Ironman.

- Disappointingly, I was unable to finish my post race Burger fuel burger or drink beer. I had been looking forward to that moment for months.... but got too chilly sitting outside still wearing damp, sweaty tri kit underneath my morning clothes. Then we were locked out when we arrived back at the holiday house, but that's a story for another day......

- Didn't eat ANY of my salted caramel GUs with extra sodium and caffeine. Bummer, I had been looking forward to those during the bike ride.

Add caption

"Right, this is definitely my last last Ironman, ever......"

IMNZ race report part 2: The Bike.

Now, where did we leave off in part 1? Oh yes, I was in T1...did my usual trick of pretending to get my wetsuit off but actually not so that I could have a wee inside it before i set off on the bike .. ( yeah, yeah, gross I know but every triathletes does that....don't they ?!!).

Anyway, onto the bike into the crisp, sunny morning air:-

Grovelling up Taupo-Napier highway, swim course in background he he

IM Bike by the numbers:-

Bike - 181km ( on the Garmin), 6h 22.    NP 135 W   avg power  126. ( Goal watts was to sit ~130W)

 total ascent- 951 m ( think this is inaccurate)
avg HR 146
av speed 28.4 kph

Food/drink intake :-

2 small Ems power cookies
banana
2 bags Gu chomps ( minus one chomp I dropped)
1 Gu roctane
1 bottle hi 5 zero
1 bottle horleys replace
2 bottles water + 2 salt tabs                                    

Non-aero banana 

       

Mantra for the day was :- 

 "No emotion about anything; it is about getting the job done and putting one foot in front of the other!!. Emotion= need to eat something".

Hoping to avoid these today....

This came to me after a casual chat with Coach John and Philinator in the carbo dinner queue whereby Phil remarked he found all my random emotions while riding amusing. The lightbulb went on ( cue **PING!!!!*****) and I said "But there shouldn't be any emotion involved during an ironman at all - if there is, it's a sign that I probably need to eat or drink".
I received an email from John the night before the race saying I had hit the nail on the head with that remark and to execute as I had done in previous races.

It was pretty fresh when we started the bike and I could feel the chilly air on my arms , legs and feet. Nonetheless,the sun was out and the sky was clear so the promise of a great day was in store!

I tried to take it steady up the Taupo-Napier hill out of town and try let the heart rate come down. Of course, I was passed by what felt like billions of people standing up, hammering the pedals.....
Once onto Broadlands road, it was a little congested and I spotted a few packs of riders and ended up in several situations of being stuck behind a line of slower riders but then I'd have to possibly burn a match to pass them all. I played it cautiously at that stage knowing that in the last 10km of the run, I wouldn't be regretting holding back in the first half of the bike ride.

I was unsure if it felt easy since I was probably more rested than i had been in several months or more likely that we had a nice wee tailwind. The low point of the bike course was the giant marbles that the council had used to seal the road in a section approx 15 km from Reporoa. These put our earthquake affected, potholed roads in Christchurch to shame!

It smiles!

 After the turnaround it was confirmed that there had , indeed, been a tailwind. Unfortunately the return leg from Reporoa is also a false flat with a net uphill; the worst climb meanders gently for ~ 10 km before you hit the turn to descend down Centennial road back to Taupo. Combined with a headwind it felt like hard work and a slow average speed.

....Still not feeling my feet.......

I came though town in 3.06 and was feeling quite pleased with my efforts and thoughts of surpassing my expected 6.30 floating through my mind..... Yeah, right. The second lap follows the same route as the first as you head out of town, up Taupo-Napier, through the industrial area, down under the new bypass and up on to Broadlands road... then you descend Centennial Rd again and instead of heading left to go back to town, you take a right on to a private logging road, Rakanui road which is steady climb back up to Broadlands.
Once back on Broadlands road the wind had picked up slightly so had a superb tailwind ( remember this is a net descent to Reporoa as well!) to the turnaround. I hammered this; passing a LOT of people here. The main benefit of riding with power ( for me) has been the NOT slacking off on the bike as I can see where I am riding too easy. This was a prime example- I was in a big gear, pedalling the small descents and making the most of the tailwind and I was still only at ~115W!!

Spot the difference....

However, I knew as soon as I hit the turn that the journey back to town was going to be just a wee bit tougher than it was on lap 1....Yep!
I amused myself  for  ~ 20km with some mathematics :- "Hmmm, the Ironman run is less than a quarter the distance of the Ironman bike leg yet it takes around two thirds of the time ". This was interspersed with thoughts of "Oh God, I am really not looking forward to this marathon now. This has felt like quite a hard ride and I think I may have blown my legs".

I began to feel a little nauseous in the last 30 km , not sure why. I sipped water but didn't eat much for the last hour as wanted to get rid of nausea.It wasn't severe by any means but thought it would be prudent to let everything settle before I started the run. I can't remember much else about the ride other than letting rip on the final descent of Centennial and pedalling hard to get back to town. I was glad to get off the bike although was feeling crappy when I entered T2, but I guess you never feel that good in an Ironman when you get to T2.

Random thoughts on IMNZ bike course:-

-Jeez, this is a harder bike course than you'd think.

-A lot of triathletes can't descend for toffee!

-A lot of people can't descend gentle grades on their aerobars!

-This road is f****** bumpy. Oh, there's a tubular/spare/rear bottle cage/bottle on the roadside.

-Draft zone is 10 m, people!! Not 10 cm!!

-Ha ha- those people are going to have a red stripe of sunburn on their lower back where their tri top doesn't meet their shorts ( **blissfully unaware i was cultivating similar red stripe on my own back**)

This guy's going to have really bad sunburn....

Looking back at this, I wonder if I hadn't consumed enough calories. I have a tendency to be good and focussed with my nutrition  for around 3-4 hours then it seems to drop off.
***Note to self = losing concentration is a likely sign I need some calories***
My avg HR was a few beats higher than normal for the ride for some reason but I was certainly not dehydrated.

 Adding up the grams of CHO certainly seems a bit on the low side, probably explains my mid run bonk. Hindsight is wonderful - part of the reason I write this blog and document all this ( boring) stuff is for a reference point for future races.

 Run coming up in Part 3, coming to a screen near you SOON.
Hey, its my blog I can drag this out for as long as I like :)

So  not how my saddle felt after 180km.

Ironman New Zealand 2014 race report- part 1: Pre race + swim

Firstly, it must be noted that this race the 30th anniversary race; IMNZ was one of the first Ironman races outside of Hawaii. It started off in Auckland with a sea swim, a rolling, tough, bike course and a waterfront run. The race moved to Taupo in 1999. This meant record numbers in 2014:-  1700 athletes registered ( ~1651 starters). The previous three times I have competed here there were only ~1100 athletes!

Sometime I wish was just a runner and only had to pack a pair of trainers.....

Secondly, many of the previous champions had been invited back to race in the age group category ; notably Scott Molina, Ken Glah, Jan Wanklyn.....awesome!

Dessert on Awards night

Weather forecast looked good for race day - Southwesterly breeze, chilly start but clear skies and sun for the whole day. Phew. I had had several nightmarish dreams in preceding weeks that we would encounter similar weather to that of 2011- torrential rain ALL DAY. Yah, yah- I know you can't control the weather and all you have to do is pack the appropriate clothing in your T1 bag but riding 180km in the pouring rain is miserable enough without the added insult of having to run a marathon with wet,  wrinkled feet.

Performance enhancing gear.

I slept reasonably well the night before and leapt out of bed, again forgetting about the sloping wooden beams in our holiday home attic bedroom and narrowly avoiding concussion. Just the demise of more brain cells.......

Breakfast was my tried and trusted pre race brekky of big cup of coffee, Em's chocolate oat explosion bar, 2 teaspoons of peanut butter and a banana. I decided it would be prudent to try force down a few more calories but all I could muster was another half banana and sipped on my electrolyte ( High 5 zeros+ water) drink.

Breakfast of champions ( banana missing!)

Once dressed and various lotions were applied ( Deep heat, sunscreen, Butt butter...) I got into my new SOAS black carbon racing kit and was ready to get this show on the road. Woo.
As we were dropped off at transition to pump tyres and switch on Garmins, it was quite chilly and I remembered alarmingly that I had not put my toe covers on my bike shoes; in fact I hadn't even given them a second thought. Oh well, too late now!

I spent ages ( as usual) putting my wettie on and making arm circles and angels in the fresh air, pretending I was a **swimmer**. Ha ha.

Z+I having a face off pre race

We watched the Maori waka come sailing round the corner and the haka on the grass then the pro athletes set off and soon it was time to get in the water, mostly as I was busting for a pee and needed enough time to sort out the goggle fogging situation. I couldn't remember ( being four years since I had raced in Taupo) where I normally line up for the swim - I try to seed myself about one third to halfway back from the start line - and thought it would be better to be closer to the buoy line as I really prefer not to swim any further than the designated distance! Having done Ironman Canada with a mass start of 2900 athletes and IM St George with ~1800 athletes ; I was not too worried about the extra numbers....... Hmmm.

Don't mess with the dudes who set off the start gun.....

I can't remember much other than bobbing around in the lake, a pink capped head amongst a sea of blue caps and other  pink caps intermittently placed; desperately trying to de mist my goggles then BOOM! , canon fired and we were off!

So glad thats over......!

Not much to say except I got absolutely pummelled in the first 500m and knew I was swimming at an effort a little higher than I would have liked but there was nowhere to go so just had to settle in and in the words of Dory -"Just keep swimming , just keep swimming". After a hard blow to the chest around the golf balls ( golf balls are visible on the lake bed ~ halfway up the swim course due to the hole in one putting thingy on the shore) I was getting rather anxious but repeating to self " its not personal, just keep swimming long, strong and smooth". By the time we were getting close tot he turnaround, I was blinded by the rising sun and could only hear the kayakers shouting "left, left, left" so wondered if we were inside the buoy line but i couldn't see so blindly kept swimming and then arrived at the large turn buoy - I was right beside it so got clocked once again; this time in my left eye but no damage done to goggles. Phew.
After the next turn buoy, I started to count the orange buoys and doing maths in my head...I knew the last one before we headed into shore was number 25 so was going to tick them off. However, I was under the impression the orange buoys were 50 m apart and the sums didn't add up?! Many strokes later, I solved the problem - 150m!
The southwesterly breeze was more evident on the return leg as there seemed like a very slight side on "swell" ( swell is rather an exaggeration but I can't find another word to describe properly...perhaps "rolling" is better...) although it could have been some wake from a boat, not sure. I had drifted a little and was annoyed with myself for straying off course slightly, not helped by the twat who whacked me with EVERY stroke for the next, oh.....250m. I think I thumped him on the leg or gave him an elbow as I was getting very pissed off. Is a pink cap a target for age group men to exert some of their muscle?

For the age group men at IMNZ...

Much to my delight, buoy number 25 had been replaced by a large yellow M dot turn buoy then it was a straight swim into the beach. I swam as far as I could and when stood up in the shallows the clock said 1h 11:30 but my time to the timing mat was 1h12:00. I'll take that ( my fastest time here is 1h11:58 and slowest 1h13:00 so no complaints. I am such a talented swimmer that from my first ironman to my seventh, I have only knocked off 1 minute. Pffffft.

Still can't get those dam sleeves off!!

Fumbled a bit ttrying to get my my sleeves off and lost both my swim caps. Hrrrrrmph. Transition in Taupo is ~ 400m run including a steep flight of stairs so you end up at VO2 max before you have even mounted your bike!

Next exciting instalment coming soon.......

Pre race IMNZ + other shenanigans..

Since Auckland 70.3 I was a busy bee knocking down to the meat and potatoes of training plus a load of other non-triathlon stuff that I had to get done before heading to Taupo for IMNZ.

Work selfie

I did intend to blog but never got around to it so I'll just give a quick fill in:-

4 day Ironman Training Camp:_

This was 4 weeks out from the big day and ran Thursday-Sunday. There were approx 20 athletes on camp and it was mainly bike focussed. My only rule for the camp was "real food only" on the bike as I didn't want to be suffering with a gel hangover on Monday.

Day 1-  200km  Chch- Kaikoura + 30 min run off the bike

This ride was ~ 186km from our departure point but I rode to the start ( 10km) then tacked on 4km at the end of the ride.
We set off north ( most unpleasant ride up Marshlands road in busy tradesmen traffic, roadworks + traffic cones) then headed off the main state highway through Rangiora, Ashley and Sefton to pop out in Amberley for out first aid station. I got stuck in the toilet queue here and as I emerged, all i could see was the group I had been riding with pedalling off into the distance……!***!
I couldn't catch them nor hang onto the Axel/John/Phil train that came barreling past especially as its a gradual uphill from Amberley and I think I was a little behind on nutrition. Oh well, the sun was out, we had a light tailwind and it was far better than being at work so I just pedalled along and lived in my own thoughts until the next aid station in Cheviot. I didn't stay too long there and headed off again; soon to hit the Hundalees which offered some good hills ( it was DAM hot in there!!) and a nice descent ( apart from being fucking terrified of the thought of an articulated lorry/stock truck coming down behind me) down to the coast which left only 25km to go to Kaikoura. I was at 196km to the Top ten holiday park so appeased my OCD by riding a further 4km to make it a 200km day. 7 h 15 in the saddle; 150km of that solo. Yusss.
I joined Emma for a 30 minute T-run which was rather hot and my Em's power bar was still sitting in my stomach.

Aid station with cool silhouette selfie:)

Day 2- 45 min off road run - 135km bike Kaikoura-Hanmer Springs - 15 min T-run

We started off the day with a run round the headlands by the seal colony. Would love to do that on fresher legs as it's just my kind of run- trail, hilly+fresh coastal air. Again my OCD took hold ( much to others amusement) and after returning to the car park in 44:27, we ran up the road and back to ensure the stopwatch had ticked over to 45 mins. Yep, I am a crazy obsessive-compulsive type.

A yummy breakfast followed then back on the horse for today's ride which although shorter in distance, has plenty of climbing to compensate. I got blown off the back of the Nadia train within ~ 90 secs thus decided it would be another day tootling along at my own pace. I rode with the back half of our group for a while and then we all scattered apart a little once we hit the hills. I rejoined with Emma at the first aid station so we rolled along through the climbs at our own pace with plenty of conversation and picked up Dave and Mark in Waiau. Mark was struggling a little so opted to sit at the back while the three of us rotated the 40 km to Hanmer. I hit a very bad patch around 25km from Hanmer and was distracted by thoughts of throwing myself under the wheels of oncoming traffic or over the Waiau bridge ( yes, THAT bad!!). However, the promise of coffee on arrival in Hanmer Springs buoyed me up and I was able to drag myself through the suffering ( many thanks to Dave and Emma for this one…)

What on earth have we done to Mark?!!

I had a wee 15 min run off the bike after a  nanosecond's deliberation regarding tacking on to make it 150-160 km day. N.F.W.
A visit to the hot pools in the evening was very welcome to all the tired legs despite all the flabby white people with misspelt tattoos in abundance. Although I am sure they wondered who all the people with odd tan lines were?!

Day 3- pre brekky swim and 3+ hour run around the local trails.

Blegh is probably the most descriptive word I can apply to how I felt on sleeping and waking. Stomach was in serious rebellion and I couldn't decide whether puking or evacuating from the other end would fix my woes. I managed to get my way through an hour of swimming but decided against going with the majority to run the St James trail for fear of needing to visit the toilet and the only bush up there is matagouri ( very spiky native bush - not good for pit stops unless you want needles up your bum and the spikes are very small so no privacy :).

My preferred option would have been to go lie on my bed and wait until the aliens growing in my tummy decided it was time to head to another planet but no,  better to go get it over with. Feeling this crap could be another tool to put in the box for Ironman…..Anyway, after an hour of running and another visit to the loo, I started to feel a LOT better although my pace was only a little faster than "shuffle" pace. I thoroughly enjoyed my tiki tour through Hanmer forest plugged into my iPod ; being an introvert and an only child to boot means that some  solo time is a daily requirement to maintain sanity. Probably explains my loathing of team sports!

We walked into town for coffee #2 of the day and an ice cream in the afternoon to loosen off the legs then back to the forest camp for dinner followed by a trip to the pub for some social time.

Day 4 -  run longer loop (4km) to pool for a swim and ride back to Chch ( 146km)

Thankfully my stomach had returned to normal after being very cautious with food intake on Saturday. Today's swim felt like a bit of a death march as my legs were very heavy combined with general fatigue.

Riding Barbies

After breakfast and takeaway coffee, our group set off at steady pace. The sun was out and promised a decent day weather wise, thankfully. The route home is a net downhill but the first ~40km to Culverden is rolling. A quick loo stop here and then we set off to Waikari where the aid station was set up to refill bottles and Em's power bars. We were working in a single  pace line and rotating ; once out on SH1 at Waipara the road is very rough and I realised my error of inflating my tyres to 110 psi as my bike was bouncing around - highly unpleasant on the undercarriage given the previous weekend's mileage! The fuel tank seemed to be close to the empty gauge for most of this day; I guessed I was playing catch up from Saturday as I had knowingly eaten less than I needed to allow my guts to calm down and get back to normal.
Sunday afternoon traffic on SH1 is busy and I found the whole ride rather mentally stressful until we arrived at the Palms and wound our way home ( in a smaller group) through the suburbs. I did consider tacking on a loop of the downs to make it 160km but I didn't.

Training is SOOO last year, Mum!

A few easier days beckoned ( TSB of -57!!) then back into the last pre-IM block. Aside from  S-B-R, this was a busy time with podiatry visits, massages, packing/cleaning bikes+ gear, admin……copious list-writing…….mad panic when informed that my Team BSR kit was not going to arrive  in time so thanks to a good friend letting me try out her SOAS racing gear and excellent service from Amanda at SOAS racing in Australia ( www.soasracing.com.au) , my black carbon tri kit arrived 4 days before IMNZ. I had already worn  my friend Nicky's kit on a bike/run which confirmed it was a good choice - I didn't want to wear the shorts I had on in Auckland as they don't have a flat locked seam on the tri-chamois and I wouldn't be able to bear that for 180km !

Mid gorges lolly stop

While I was at camp, Brett was off to Blenheim for the start of the Kiwi Brevet ……..You can read all about his adventures here.

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 !