Iron Jack

There are just 32 days to go until Ironman NZ in Taupo and right now my biggest concern and fear is avoiding injury or illness (and making the cutoffs but that’s a whole other story).

The past few weeks have been huge on the training front, clocking up some major kilometres in the pool, on the bike and on my feet. As a quick summary, in short it has been going pretty well. There have been highlights and lowlights. There are days when I am full of positivity and optimism about my ability to complete Ironman within the time limits. And there are days, particularly when the wind is really blowing, that I fall into a complete panic attack about the cutoffs. Largely, if the weather is generally fine or overcast, with some wind (ie. not blowing a gale) I will be able to do it. And if not, well the weather is completely outside my control!

But my major preoccupation at the moment is about injury or illness.

Every day I do a bit of a body check - legs? sore but fine. Quads, tight, need some stretching, but fine. Ankles? all good. Arms? Bit fatigued from swimming, but otherwise fine. So far I am holding up okay. I am trying to take good care of myself - getting lots of rest (well as much as I can with two little boys running around on school holidays), a now-weekly massage with Heidi to make sure my body is as well-tuned as it can be, lots of fresh fruit and vege and watching everything that goes in my mouth and making the right decisions about activities ie. shall I run around the Blue Lake and potentially roll an ankle - no, I don’t think I will thanks, a 5.5km run on smooth footpaths will do instead!

I find I am constantly questioning my health. Is that a sore throat? I feel like I’ve been fighting off a cold since the day before the Taupo Half Ironman to be honest. Again, lots of good food, vitamin C and rest will help.

I’ve also f0und I’ve become a lot more superstitous than usual! I never have been able to walk under ladders, but that’s always been the extent of it. Not so at the moment!

I’ve been wearing a Power Band since about October or November. No I haven’t noticed any major improvement with performance - although it may be helping with recovery. Latest media reports are that the band is completely useless - but I can’t possibly take it off now until after Ironman - something might go wrong without it!!

I’ve been taking Olive Leaf extract for about a year. Again, I’m not completely confident that it’s actually doing anything for me, but everytime I run out I get a cold, so after realising I had run out again, a late night trip to the supermarket was in order to make sure the regime wasn’t interrupted!

Yes I have lucky togs, goggles, socks and cycle pants. I won’t travel without my Maori bone carving either around my neck or in my toilet bag. And yes, if I haven’t freshly painted my toenails before an event, I simply won’t perform!

Whether these things physically help or not - they certainly help the head. So I’m going to keep on with them until after March 5 - after all, they can’t make me go any slower can they?!