Iron Jack

I’ve had a nutrition backthrough - or more precisely, a gel breakthrough!

I’ve been feeling really good about my nutrition programme for a while. Rachel Scriven from FoodFX in Tauranga has been sorting me out on this and it has largely been working very well. I know what I’m meant to be eating and drinking and when. As they say, nutrition is actually the fourth discipline in a triathlon so its critical to get it right.

However, there has been one slight issue. An important component of my nutrition plan is gels for quick, easy and effective carbohydrate consumption on the go. They are light and easy to use, and pretty much are a must for the bike and the run.

Except they weren’t working at all well for me.

I suffer badly from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). At times in the past it has kept me closeted inside and unable to leave the house. It has also left me very depressed. Specialists had always told me that a good diet, exercise and reducing my stress levels would help my IBS significantly - turns out they were right! I have had minimal problems over the past two years on my journey towards Ironman. The training not only helps my body keep fit and well, it reduces my stress levels as well so its a win-win situation.

The only time I was having a problem during training was with the gels. I was using Leppin which is one of the old Kiwi favourites. My tummy would tolerate them - just - on the bike, but not at all on the run, always leaving me caught out and desperate to find a bathroom. They didn’t agree with me at all.

The Half Ironman was getting closer and something had to be done. I couldn’t run the risk of having a major tummy problem on the bike or the run. It was going to be enough of a struggle as it was, without the added pressure of tummy problems.

So I tried some GU. They are an American product which I started seeing around the shops, and an American friend also recommended them. Perfect. Absolutely no problem - no twinges, no cramps, nothing. I thought it was a fluke, so tried them again, and again. Ever since switching to GU, I haven’t had any problems with my tummy. I couldn’t work out why - surely it couldn’t be this easy? Then I checked the packaging - contains chamomile and ginger - problem solved! When things have been really bad with my tummy, I always turn to ginger and chamomile and it always does the job. GU might only have small amounts in them, but it is clearly enough to do the job for me. It is a huge relief.

I’ve now used them throughout the peak summer training and they have been awesome - I’ll be strapping eight to my bike on the day!

So, do you GU?

Given I started writing about the Ironman Training Camp, I thought I better finish it off with the grand finale!

The final day of Ironman Training Camp (Sunday) was to be the big one - the 180km ride. To say that I was completely petrified about this ride would be the understatement of the year!

I did end up having some great conversations with other like-minded women on the camp about the cycle leg, the fear of not finishing and the Ironman challenge about to be embarked on. They had done Ironman previously and it was completely reassuring to know that I am not alone in my fears and concerns - everything I have been thinking and going through - they have been through before. Those conversations gave me a great deal of comfort and reassurance heading into the penultimate day.

The night before I decided that I should treat the big training ride in the same way I would a big event - with a full race plan - yes the dreaded spreadsheet has already made a comeback and we’re not even in race week!

I took some time out on my own to put a plan together. Essentially I broke the ride up into eight parts - each of approximately 20 to 25km, but based around milestone stages in the ride, as opposed to fixed kilometres. These are:

• Taupo to the bottom of the hills (some climbs out of Taupo but mainly downhills and fast!)
• Bottom of the hills (the plane paddock) to Reporoa
• Reporoa to White Road
• White Road to Taupo
• And twice!

This allowed me t0 not only break the ride up into bite-sized chunks, but also allowed me to plan my nutrition and fuel into these sections. I know I don’t eat or drink much in that mainly downhill section - I’m either climbing the Napier-Taupo hill (where its impossible to refuel) or I’m speeding downhill at 60 km per hour (don’t fall off your chair Mum). Because I am slow going up hills, and only moderate on the flats, I have to make the very most of my “speed for free”! It’s the only time where I have weight on my side!

Breaking the ride up in this way also meant I planned all my stops, including my “special needs” bag stop. After the first 90km loop, our aid station was located on Crown Rd - exactly where it will be on race day. I knew exactly where I was going to stop and what I was going to do - reapply sunblock, reapply chafing cream, refill water and Replace bottles, renew fuel and sandwiches.

The plan worked perfectly, and it took all the guesswork out of the ride. I knew exactly what I was going to do and where - just like I will on race day.

The first 90km went perfectly. I was riding more conservatively than I did on Friday, but ended up doing about the same time as I had when I was riding more aggressively! An interesting revelation! I had also deployed the “bottom preservation strategy”. A key concerning factor for me was the state of my very very sore and wounded bottom. It had been agony on the 90km ride on the Friday, and I was incredibly apprehensive about how it would hold up on the longer ride. As a result, I decided to protect it as much as possible, deliberately choosing to ride upright on the very rough sealed parts and not on the aero bars. It worked. I remained relatively comfortable (as far as my bum was concerned anyway!) until approximately 140km - and let’s face it, your bum would hurt after six hours in a car so its understandably sore on a bike after that long!

The fifth and sixth stages back out to Reporoa got harder, but were manageable. I was still in good spirits and riding the uphills and the downhills well, and still managing to crank along on the flats - albeit slower than the first lap, but still at a decent speed.

The turnaround at Reporoa was painful and I had my first moments of self-doubt. Could I really ride another 45km (two hours) back to Taupo? I had never ridden that far before and I was sore and tired. Could I do it?

Fortunately, Kathy was at the pitstop to give me a boost.

“Your time doesn’t matter today - the objective is simply to get it done. You will go faster on race day with fresh legs, so the time just doesn’t matter today.”

Okay, I can do it. Let’s go.

So off I went. It was absolutely stinking hot by this stage. I was sore and I was tired. But I was still moving. Loved going up the hills, loved the downhill into Taupo (apart from nearly being collected by a glider!) and loved pulling into the camp house.

I did it. 8h21 - in my dreams I’d hoped for eight hours, but I was thrilled with 8h21. I know I can ride 180km and I know that all going well, I will ride faster than that on the day and will make the cutoff for the bike. A huge confidence boost.

I was shattered, but stoked.

The 180km ride - done!

I’ve seen this a number of times, but Coach Kathy gave it to us in a folder at the weekend and I’ve just cracked up reading it again! Its even more relevant now than it ever has been!

Twenty five ways to tell if you’re a triathlete:

25. One of your goals this year is to be faster at getting out of a wetsuit.

24. You talk about a “hammer” and “brick”, but you’re not referring to construction

23. You spend seven days going to eight stores in four malls before buying a pair of running shoes. But you take one afternoon to go to one car dealership and walk out with a new car four hours later.

22. That charming cologne (or perfume if you’re a girl) you wear to work is chlorine.

21. You have more water bottles than glasses in your cupboard.

20. You have enough pairs of old running shoes sitting in your closet to open your own shoe store.

19. You immediately bow down before someone with the Ironman “m dot” tattoo. (Is it really tragic I’ve got one of those?)

18. You have NO idea what to do with yourself on your off day. You mowed the lawn, cleaned the house, washed the car, and there’s STILL four hours of daylight left! Aarrgghh!

17. You often show up to work in the morning with goggle imprints around your eyes

16. You have so many tan lines you look like a zebra Running socks, bathing suit, jersey, biking shorts, tri shorts, sunglasses, gloves, watch, etc. (This is really nice at the beach.)

15. The first three items on your grocery list are Gatorade, power bars, and gels. (Make that Horley’s Replace, gels and pasta - power bars do not have a good effect on my body.)

14. You get funny looks when putting on Body Glide on your neck because people think it’s deodorant.

13. About half the shirts you own have at least a dozen logos on the back of them.

12. You wait a couple of days to take your car in when the check engine light goes on, but when your bike needs a tune up you take it right away.

11. You refer to the front hall of your house as the “transition area”.

10. The one “suit” you own has ORCA on the chest. (Or Ironman. Though I really, really want one of the new Orca suits.)

09. When you get home from a training session, the newspaper is just being delivered to your house.

08. You consider work regeneration time between training sessions.

07. Your bicycle is in your living room. (Or bedroom.)

06. Your car smells like a locker room - and you are the only one who doesn’t smell it.

05. There’s a separate load of laundry every week that is just your workout clothes. (One load? I should be so lucky. Try three or four.)

04. When asked how old you are you answer 35-39.

03. Your first thought when you wake up is how high your rest HR is.

02. Your spouse cried during Terms of Endearment; you cried during the television coverage of the Hawaii Ironman. (Every time. And inspiring triathlon videos.)

01. Most of this list doesn’t seem like a joke to you!

Its a gorgeous day in Taupo - in fact it is stinking hot, I’m a little bit sunburnt and there are now a few white caps on the lake. But its a gorgeous day.

And my “excitrified” feelings have well and truely kicked in. (For a full explanation of excitrified, check out my friend Toni’s blog - http://irongirl101.blogspot.com/2011/02/today-word-of-day-excitrified.html - a new phrase we have coined in an effort to try and describe what we are currently going through in the build-up to Ironman!)

We’re here for a three day Ironman Training camp with Coach Kathy and the Fit Goals team - there are about 10 of us doing Ironman and a support crew of four. Its an awesome team. Fun is a major factor in the programme and we are having lots of it! At the end of day two, it has mainly consisted of highlights:

• A personal best 90km ride from Taupo to Reporoa and return (one lap of full Ironman course)
• An absolutely sensational 12km run off the bike - and I mean sensational - I shouldn’t be able to run like that, I was flying!
• A 4km lake swim this morning - slightly slower than I had hoped, but the general consensus is that the course was slightly long (10 people can’t be wrong - right?!)
• Mini-golf tournament - loads of fun! Lots of laughs and two holes-in-one by me!
• Transition walk- through, lots of photos, questions and able to visualise it all falling into place

The purpose of this weekend (apart from fun) was to gain the confidence that I can really do it. After yesterday’s run off the bike, I am feeling confident about my ability to run well off the bike. So that’s been a definite winner.

But I am still incredibly petrified (not excitrified this time - just petrified) about the dreaded 180km ride. By 7am tomorrow we will be on the road. Hopefully, just over eight hours later it will be done. And the concern - my poor bottom. It gives up well before my legs do.

Fingers crossed.