Iron Jack

The Kinloch Triathlon finally rolled around last weekend - it had felt like a long time between races…and more than a few gaps in the training programme! My 393 event at Kinloch last year had been a highlight - and my finish photo is the one gracing the home page of the Ironjack site.

I had been looking forward to Kinloch for a number of different reasons:

• it was going to be my first sprint distance tri (750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run)
• it was in Kinloch, Lake Taupo, a stunning location
• it was a fresh water swim
• our wee family was going to make a weekend of it in Taupo

And finally, two of my training buddies were going to be staying with us for the event. Mary Ann, Nina and myself regularly make up the three musketeers as Coach calls us (actually he also calls us the three monkeys - as in see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil). I think he calls us a few other things under his breath as well but we choose to ignore that!

I was also feeling quite confident about it because I had a great swim at the Blue Lake Multisport Festival just two weeks before. But, doesn’t pride always come before a fall???

I hasten to add that I didn’t literally fall off the bike or down a hill, but my confidence quickly went out the window as soon as I took my first strokes in the swim. I felt like my arms were lead and that I was swimming through jelly. Whereas back at the Blue Lake I had felt strong and lean and that I was cutting the water like soft butter, this felt like I was just a large lump of lead. My strokes were heavy (and splashy) and my breathing was all over the show. Before I had even hit the first buoy, I had started to think about pulling out afer the swim.

Making my headspace even worse was the fact that I knew the bike was going to be very difficult and I was absolutely dreading it.

Somehow I made it around the course and out of the water - with only a few people behind me. I had hoped to finish the swim at least halfway through the group. I do believe I may be caught on video saying “well that was suck!” Charming!

I had a good transition though - wetsuit came off like a dream, I took on some water, got my bike shoes on and headed out of transition. I also managed to get my shoes into the clips onto the bike without falling off - that has been the cause of a number of nightmares in recent weeks so it was actually a huge relief to get through that okay!

The first quarter of the bike was lovely. Smooth roads around gorgeous new subdivisions with stunning views of Lake Taupo and its mountains. I finished that short loop and headed out of town. Back on a rough road and up a slight uphill I was already puffing badly. And I got passed by a “older” woman who was in the 60 - 65 age group! Ouch!

I turned onto Whangamata Rd and the challenge really began. I had planned on riding or driving the bike route so I knew exactly what I was in for. Unfortunately Oliver had become really unwell the day before and I had to take him into Taupo township to see an emergency doctor - a diagnosis of tonscillitis and some antibiotics later we were on our way back on to Kinloch, but I had missed my chance to see the route.

In hindsight, I’m not sure if that was a good or bad thing, however, I was completely unprepared for the quantity and quality of the hills! It would be completely accurate to say that I absolutely slogged my way up and down those hills. At one point Mary Ann went whizzing the other way, yelling over her shoulder as she went:

“Flat course my arse!”

At that point I seemed to recall talking the girls into it by saying that it was a “relatively” flat course. And in the 393 event it is! Turns out the Sprint distance is quite different!

I finally reached the turn around and made the much quicker return. Another suburban loop and I was back at transition. Of course I had taken so long they thought I was in the next event and were directing me to do a second suburban loop. In no uncertain terms I indicated that I was indeed finished my bike and I was getting off!

Into transition and onto the run.

And…feeling GREAT! How did that happen?

By this stage it was nearly noon and it was extremely hot - baking hot actually. I kept taking cups of water at the drink stations - to pour over my head! I headed out onto the second lap and was still feeling surprisingly good. I wasn’t breaking any land speed records but I knew I was going to finish and that I was going to finish in good shape.

I scrambled up the bridge for the final stretch and turned the corner into the home run. There were people yelling for me from all directions and for the first time in an event, I nearly burst into tears. It was a very emotional finish.

Certainly it was an incredibly hard event - and a big step up from the baby tris I’ve been doing. But its under the belt now and I can move on to the next one - Takapuna in less than two weeks. And yes, it is a much flatter course!

Final times, Contact Trophy Race, Kinloch:

Swim +T1 21:13

Bike +T2 1:06:57

Run: 43:21

Total: 2:11:31

Unfortunately I’m still have problems loading photos into my blog posts, but you can check out some photos on our RATs Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotorua/Rotorua-Association-of-Triathletes-and-Multisport-RATS/205232939327?ref=nf#!/album.php?aid=184886&id=205232939327&ref=mf

Being Auckland Anniversary Weekend, this weekend marks the annual Blue Lake Multisport Festival - one of the highlights on the RATs calendar. It includes a reverse Aquathon (run around the lake followed by swim), the Hinemoa Swim (2km from one side of the lake to the other) and a sprint triathlon. This year also includes a 750m swim and a fun run. The event plays host to individuals - young and old - and families from Rotorua and beyond.

Last year it was one of my first forays into the lake for an open water swim as I completed the reverse Aquathon in a team with Mike. I’m not competing in much of the festival this year as I’m getting ready for my first sprint tri at Kinloch next week. But at the last minute my friend Mary Ann and I joined forces in Team JackMAP to take on the aquathon. Like everything we do, its serious - but with a whole lot of fun!

The runners headed off with some of the fastest (including Lawrence our coach) whopping around the lake in what seemed like no time at all. Mary Ann had estimated 35 minutes, but I suited up as soon as we got back to the beach after the runners headed off. Just as well I did, a very quick 30 minutes later and we were swapping the timing transponder and I was off.

Mike, Lawrence, Kevin (Mary Ann’s husband) and the rest of our support crew were all cheering us on at this stage, so I thought I better put some of our open water swim course skills into practice. I ran in to the water (yes ran!), doing the high-knee sprint, and then dived in. It was text-book. Apart from the bit where I lost my goggles!

But, once the goggle situation was fixed, I was off. And I had a great swim. I thought I was going quite slowly, but I did think I was going smoothly, and I was trying to focus on “catching” the water. Rounding the buoys went smoothly as well. I passed a few people on the way out, but no-one passed me. I headed into the beach for the run-up before rounding the flag and back into the water. I had finally remembered to start my stopwatch when I started and I quickly glanced down at my watch (never easy without my glasses on!) But it quite clearly said just over six minutes - for 400 metres! Significantly faster than in the pool.

I was absolutely blown away.

“Wow! I am having a fantastic swim, I better keep it up,” I told myself as I went back into the water.

Second loop, same as the first - except for the unexpected chop that had come out of no-where. After the first few mouthfuls of water I tried to breath on the other side, but in the end just opted for a higher breath on my preferred right side. Buoys - all good. Into beach - all good. Run into finish line - fantastic.

All up, 13 minutes 43 seconds for 800 metres. As long as their distance was pretty accurate, that’s a fantastic swim for me and one that bodes well for Kinloch next weekend.

You can check out the link to the Blue Lake Multisport Festival here http://www.rats.org.nz/eves-blue-lake-multisport-festival/

My race preparation for the first official triathlon of the 2009/2010 season wasn’t ideal.

I drove out to the Blue Lake with Mum and Oli to register and collect our race packs. The only downside to living in semi-rural Ngongotaha (which we love) is that we are now on the absolutely other side of town from the Blue Lake – and on the opposite side of Lake Rotorua! On a good day it’s at least a 25 minute drive – which, when everything else is only five minutes away, it’s a bit of a pain. I know, all you city folk, we’re lucky!

Anyway, we rocked up on a bit of a timeframe. It was Mum’s birthday – a bit of a milestone for her – and we were due out to dinner. The boys were both fractious and we needed to hurry. We collected Alison on the way, who had brought her wetsuit with her for dipping. I hadn’t. I had read on the race instructions that all the wetsuits would be dipped before racing to prevent the spread of a noxious weed, didymo, to our beautiful North Island lakes. However, I completely missed the bit where it said that you couldn’t collect your race pack until your wetsuit had been dipped.

Bugger.

No amount of begging and cajoling the DOC warriors would convince them to let me through. They informed me I could just dip it and then collect my race pack in the morning.

There was absolutely no way I wanted to do that. I have enough problems with my stomach on a normal day, let alone with pre-race nerves, so I didn’t want to add to that pressure.

We drove all the way back to Ngongotaha, I got dressed into my party clothes, and then Dad and I drove all the way back to the Blue Lake again. And then back halfway to home to go out to dinner.

Dinner over, it was home to prep the race bags, get the number onto my race belt and spend two hours looking for my tri pants. Then off for a semi-early night.

Alarm went off early, and Mum and I managed to get out the door early. And arrived at the Blue Lake to find ourselves the only people there. We had taken the concept of “being prepared” to a whole new level.

Actually we needed to be. In my infinite wisdom, I had told the folk at TriNZ that Mum and I were doing this triathlon together for her big birthday – they thought it was a great story and lined us up for interviews for TriTV which screens on TV One later in the season, and also Sky Sport. We were followed by cameras for most of the event – a hilarious feeling, we felt like real sports stars.

At least it distracted us from the fact it was pouring with rain and the lake was bitterly cold.

Finally the pre-briefing was done and we suited up and headed for the start. After testing the water I had thought it was slightly cooler than two weeks before. Wrong! It was freezing. Really took my breath away and made it very difficult to swim. I felt like I barely made it to the other end and the whole way, all I could think about was finally getting out!

I eventually rounded the buoy and headed for the beach, knowing it had been an average time to say the least. The cold really took its toll and it was a long walk up the hill from the beach to transition. I only broke into a run once I could see my bike!

Really quick transition into my cycle shoes, out the gate and off. I felt great on the bike. It was pretty warm. I had decided to just wear my Reebok singlet with my tri pants and it worked really well under my wetsuit. Really comfortable and dried quickly.

The route out to the turnaround point went pretty well, hills included. I was actually enjoying the ride and went absolutely whizzing down the hills, passing lots of people. I made a good turn and started for the return leg. And promptly lost my drink bottle. Bugger. I’ve been having quite a few problems getting dehydrated lately and this wasn’t a good start!

The hills back up felt much longer and harder than they had previously. I eventually got there though and headed back to transition. By this time most of the RATs club had arrived at the Blue Lake to help marshall for the next event. Everyone was cheering for me – it was absolutely awesome. Mike was also there with both the boys, and Dad yelling from the sidelines:

“Come on knickers!” Well no event would be completely without that from my Dad so it was all good.

I’d also been keeping an eye on Mum and she was doing really well.

Transition into running shoes and off. The 3km run leg was up for 1.5km and then down. Its quite a challenging run as I know from experience. I couldn’t wait for the turnaround, and then I couldn’t wait to get back.

I had quite a strong finish, but got passed at the last minute which was gutting!

The highlight, however, was a big hug from World Champion Triathlete Sam Warriner at the finish line. Absolutely awesome. I’d also caught up with her earlier in the day. That will have to be the topic for the next blog post because this is already the size of a novel.

I grabbed a jacket and headed back to meet Mum. She wasn’t that far behind and had run the whole way. She had an awesome event and loved every minute.

So overall, a good first hit for the season, but I felt like it was really hard work – much harder than the short one I’d done with Lawrence just a few weeks ago. I felt like I hadn’t improved much over the year at all.

Until the next day. Mum charted our results against the one we did in January, and there were some definite improvements! Then I asked her to chart it against all my results from earlier in the year and it turns out I knocked two minutes off my previous best time – and on a much harder course. So eventually I was stoked!

So, results from the 3:9:3 – 300m swim, 9km run (except it was 10!) and 3km run:

Swim including T1:     10:38

Bike including T2:       29.43

Run including T3:        22:30

Total:               1:02:51

First race of the season…done!

This Saturday dawned bright and clear, and I felt absolutely miserable.

I was (and still am) completely full of head cold. I hadn’t been able to train since Tuesday morning - missing six training sessions as a result. And completely freaking out about how quickly the Tauranga Half Ironman is creeping up.

This was in complete contrast to the previous Saturday…which also dawned bright and clear. Don’t you just love the onset of summer after a long, cold winter?

Anyway, on the previous Friday night I was like a little kid the night before Christmas. Or a labrador puppy waiting to go for a walk. I was absolutely beside myself with excitement.

And the reason for the extreme excitement? The first triathlon of the 2009/10 season!! Wahoo!

It was just a little, informal triathlon organised by my coach. A short 300m-ish swim in the lake, a nine-km ride on the Okareka Loop Road (ugly) and a 5.5km run around the Blue Lake. But it was the first tri of the season and it was worth wagging my tail over!

I sorted out all my gear the night before. And double-checked it. And triple-checked it. I carbo-loaded. I got an early night. Honestly, you would have thought it was the Ironman the way I was carrying on.

I got up early, had the right breakfast, packed the car, cranked up the stereo, and headed off. I was halfway to town when I spotted some cyclists coming towards me.

“Bugger!” I screeched on the brakes and flipped a u-turn. All my early preparation came to nothing. I’d forgotten my helmet.

Back home, in the gate, run to the garage, get the helmet, run back, repeat the earlier paragraph. Am now running late.

Fortunately Lawrence’s little informal triathlon was very informal and the organisation was very flexible. I pulled up at the lakefront to find fellow RATs members in various stages of preparation.

I hauled all my gear out of the car and set up next to a fence. Still beside myself with excitement and suffering none of the nerves I had done with the start of the previous season. Not only was this the first triathlon of the season, it was also the first time I had ridden Dr Alice’s bike in an event, and the first time I’d done an event in my clips and riding shoes.

I peeled on my wetsuit - which I should note at this point fits me significantly better than last season and is no longer such a struggle to get on. Losing 10kg will do that I suppose!

It was only at this point that I took my first apprehensive look at the lake. It was a stunning day, but it was a cool wind, and I knew it would be freezing. That was to be the understatement of the year. I walked in to the water to try and aclimatise. Wherever the wetsuit covered was fine - wherever it didn’t was not! My feet were absolutely freezing, and my fingers went numb just from dipping them in the water. This was not going to be okay.

Race briefing. Very brief, very informal.

I whispered Lawrence’s wife - and Camp Mother, Lisa - that I might not make it all the way to the buoy, but I’d go as far as I could in the cold.

“No problem,” she reassured me.

Five minutes later we were off.

And it took my breath away. Quite literally. I managed to swim freestyle strokes with my head out of the water, putting my face in the water every few strokes. Then I tried a few breastrokes.

“This is ridiculous,” I thought. “Get hard.”

And that was it. I swam the rest of the way - all the way out to the buoy and then back in again. And I wasn’t last. And I beat a boy. Nice.

Peeled off the wetsuit, straight into the bike shoes and onto the bike. Nice.

Started the bike, slight incline, long downhill, long flat. Nice. Then up. And up. And up. And around a corner. And up. I had completely forgotten how hilly this very short loop road is. But I got up those hills very well - even though they lasted for about five kilometres. I even managed to stand up on my pedals. A lot. Very pleased with the effort.

I screeched to a halt (literally I think) in front of my fence post - remembering to take my clips out first! On with the shoes and off.

Feeling absolutely fantastic. Those brick sessions are really paying off. Had a fantastic run on what is a reasonably challenging route for me. I was about two-thirds of the way around when Lawrence flew past me like a lightening flash.

“Well done Jacky!” he yelled on his way past. I didn’t know whether to feel proud that he thought I was doing so well, or offended that he had expected otherwise! I decided on the former and let that carry me home.

I was on an absolute high - in fact I was buzzing the whole time, even going up the hills. I loved every second of it. That high carried me through the rest of the weekend - and my first three and a half hour ride the next day.

Which is why I was so gutted to come down with a cold the next day. But just writing the race report for this mini-tri already brings the buzz back. I can’t wait for this season. I will be slightly underdone for the Half Ironman, but I will be ready. Bring it on.

Lawrence’s Mini Tri race times:

Swim: 00:11:47

Bike: 00:29:54

Run: 00:49:55*

Total: 01:31:36**

* if I hadn’t stopped to go to the bathroom I would have done a sub-45 minute run - bugger!

** if I hadn’t stopped to go to the bathroom I would have done a sub-1h30 tri - bugger!

“Are you going riding tomorrow?” I asked a colleague at a posh do on Friday night.

“Nope,” he grimaced. “Bad back. You?”

“Yup, tomorrow I’m riding the Tinman course at Mt Maunganui,” I boasted proudly. “Its completely flat, the Mt to Papamoa, really looking forward to it.”

“Oh bugger about the flats,” he said. “You want to ride around the lake here, at least its undulating.”

“I’ve been around the lake here,” I boasted again. “And I’m over the hills and looking forward to the flats.”

After he left the table I leaned over and whispered to my husband, “why on earth wouldn’t you want to do flats?”

He shrugged, agreed he was mad and got on with the show.

Well, aren’t I just eating some humble pie now?

Yesterday Oli and I drove over to Mt Maunganui - its a coastal surf town attached to Tauranga City. I’ve been holidaying there my whole life, as my grandparents retired there when I was about five. Every school holidays was spent at their house, hanging out at the beach and walking up “the Mt”. Now we live in Rotorua its only 45 minutes away. I’m sorry to say that we still don’t get over there often enough, but we try to make the most of it when we do.

My folks were going to visit my Nana for the weekend. So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to ride the bike leg of the Tinman, which I’m racing on December 6. I’m doing the Standard distance - 1500m swim, 40 km ride and 10 km run. It will be the longest distance for me yet, and hopefully good preparation for the Half Ironman almost exactly one month later. According to the Tinman website, www.tinmantriathlon.co.nz its 104 days, 13 hours, 47 minutes and 48 seconds and counting until splash off.

The forecast was perfect, so for the first time all winter I didn’t need to wear my long johns - good bye to the stripes! It was fantastic to get out in shorts and a T-shirt, summer is coming! I planned to ride from my Nana’s house into the Mt - the opposite way to race day - and from there out to the turnaround point at Papamoa and then back to my Nana’s.

I pedalled off, successfully negotiating the traffic lights at the end of the road and managing to unclip my bike clips with plenty of time before the red light. A good start.

After just a short while I ended up on the long straight road into the Mt. Riding along I could see the Mt ahead of me, looming in the distance, and to my right I could see the beautiful blue sea, with crisp white surf banging into the beach. Loving it.

I was managing to keep my cadence up in the late 80s and 90s for most of the way, every now and then breaking over 100. My legs were spinning well and I was loving it. I also thought I was going really fast. Funny how pride always comes before a fall - not a literal fall - but a knock to the pride regardless. I got to the foot of the Mt in what I thought would be record time.

I should know better, turnaround points are always a mental problem for me. I always think I’ve gone further than I actually have, then I realise that I’ve got even further to go, I get despondent, I slow down and it all turns to custard. Need I say more. I’d done the 12km in 33 minutes - just a fraction faster than standard times on undulating roads. Gutted. I thought I had gone a lot further, a lot faster.

So I turned around and started heading out to Papamoa. My legs were starting to get really tired and I was really annoyed with myself. And then I realised what Greg was meaning about the flats. You don’t get any break from them. Your legs need to keep spinning all the time. At least with hills and undulating ground you get to rest on the way down. Not so with flats, major reality check. Something Lawrence said about “hills being my friend” also started to tick away in my mind. Okay, thanks guys, I’ve got it now.

By this time I was feeling thoroughly annoyed with myself and fed up. All of a sudden I came up to the turnaround point.

“This can’t be right,” I thought to myself. “It’s not nearly far enough.”

I suddenly had this sneaky feeling that perhaps the route required two laps. Two laps of the flat, straight, ‘never-get-a-break’ ride. Bugger.

I went a bit further than the turnaround point, mainly to get some more time on the bike, because I knew I didn’t have time to do two laps. The first thing I did when I got home was check the site, yup, two laps.

There are a number of positives to take from this ride - despite the disappointments.

(a) it was a beautiful day and I was out in it, exercising, and lots of other people were just standing in line for ice-cream

(b) I can easily ride 26km just like that, when in January I struggled to ride 10km

(c) I now know what to expect for the Tinman and Half Ironman (same course) so I will be mentally prepared

104 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 10 seconds until splash-off…and counting.

What a mission to drag myself out of bed, out of my PJs and out of the house this morning.

The kids are finally starting to sleep in a bit longer - I hate to jinx myself but number 2 seems to have reached a turning point in the whole sleeping thing. As a result, we are getting more sleep, and a slightly longer sleep-in in the morning, but we still want more!

Today was the second round in the RATs winter duathlon series. I had been really looking forward to the first one. I had done quite a bit of mountain bike training, and even though I knew the MTB section was straight up, I hadn’t done an event for ages and so I was looking forward to getting stuck in and leveraging the motivation that comes from doing an event.

Not this time! Rather than looking forward to the challenge of the uphill, I was absolutely dreading it.

But, deep down I knew that there was actually no way in hell that I wasn’t going to do it. That would be letting me down, and letting everyone else down as well.

So after a quick tweet (where I got my arse absolutely kicked out the door) I got myself sorted and on the road pronto.

Some serious motivation was required. A quick search through the CD wallet at the traffic lights revealed a crisis situation. My Live CD was missing! This was serious. I settled for The Killers instead and absolutely blasted my way to the mountain bike park.

I ran (yes ran) to registration - talk about just in the nick of time - ran back to the car (yes ran), got my bike and gear off the car and ran back to transition to get set up. No problem. I even had time for another quick run to warm up (yes ran again!).

The briefing was pretty basic - “its very wet and slippery up there guys, take care”. Great.

I knew it wouldn’t be a great run - I’ve been fighting a cold all week - but I did want to try and go a bit faster. Unfortunately the first stretch is an uphill - and it was very wet and slippery, and also quite rocky as the recent rain had washed away a lot of the sand and gravel, leaving behind a much rockier terrain. I headed out a bit fast, still a long way behind the pack, and immediately regretted it. I managed to get to my four minute “hump” mark and then settled into a better pace for me. The first lap was pretty hard going, but the second lap was much easier. And, I wasn’t last out of the run - I finally managed to pass someone - a sensational feeling!

I ran through the transition, collected my bike and out over the bridge.

“Ooooo, she’s good to sit down,” I said to Mike as I cycled past.

I got passed up the first uphill, but I knew she wouldn’t be in front of me for long. I haven’t been doing any mountain biking, but I have been doing spin classes with the triathlon club (RATs) and I was feeling significantly more comfortable - and confident - on the bike. And it immediately showed. I cruised past my target and reached The Wash very comfortably. I was hardly in my easiest gear, and it was just a great ride.

The long rocky road up was still long and hard going, and the long forestry section up was still wet, slippery and challenging, but I reached the top in a much better condition than the last time and the ride down was literally a breeze. I loved it! I knew more people doing the long course today and still had enough in me to whoop and cheer them on - and receive their words of encouragement in return.

I ran the bike through transition and headed out for the last running lap. Oh my god. Legs dead. It was a long upwards stretch but I still ran the whole way. Once I moved into the second stretch I had run out a lot of the soreness and actually enjoyed the last two thirds.

And I sprinted to the finish! First time I have done that in any event I’ve done this year. Fantastic.

Big thanks to Mike who managed to get both of the boys into the car and out to Waipa. And big thanks to Jane (mum-in-law) who took a wide detour from Tokoroa to cheer me on before heading back to Auckland.

Next on the agenda is Mike’s half-marathon in Auckland next weekend - me and my sister are doing the 10km.

Hopefully it won’t be so hard to get out of bed for the next one.

Sunday dawned bright, clear and cold (hmm, I’m sensing a theme here - no it never rains in Rotorua). The babysitter arrived to look after the toddler, we offloaded the four year old at his friend’s house (again, another theme…) and we headed for the forest (theme number three, tick - you’ve gotta love living in Rotorua!).

The occasion was a bit more serious this time, however, as Mike and I were taking on the first event in the RATs winter duathlon series. Being new to this whole exercise/triathlon thing, we hadn’t been involved in these events before, but had heard they were quite good and pretty popular. Even though the temperature gauge in the car was only reading two degrees when we arrived, there was already a large group of people gathering and a long line waiting to enter.

Stamping our feet and clapping our hands we took our place in the queue to enter - and bumped into more people there than we have at anywhere else we’ve been in Rotorua. Finally, we are locals. Multi-sporting locals.

Twenty minutes later we were still stamping our feet in an effort to keep warm while we waited for the start gun - the temperature hadn’t improved at all but it was a stunning day. We were both feeling very grateful for the new Reebok compression gear - Mike borrowed one pair of my new tights while I was wearing the other - I can tell these are going to be a major bonus in this cold weather!

The event is split into two courses - long and short. Mike and I were both doing the short course, along with his boss Grant. We were facing a 3km run (two laps of the run course), an 8km mountain bike ride on forestry trails and tracks (mostly up!) and then a 1.5km run to finish.

I had woken up with a cold threatening but was determined to give it my best shot anyway. I’d already done the run (well, an extended version due to getting lost) and the bike (also an extended version, also due to getting lost) so I knew I could comfortably complete the course. However, I also had a pretty good feeling I would be considerably slower than everyone else.

The gun went and we were off. The front of the group quickly headed up and around the corner out of sight. I had a few people in my sight but they also moved out of view. I continued my plod. I have this mental and physical barrier when I’m running. It’s absolute hell for the first four minutes - I want to stop, everything hurts, my breathing is haggard - and then magically, as soon as I hit four minutes I’m away. Sure enough, four minutes came and went and I settled into my very comfortable plodding pace - carefully watching for slippery ice and frozen mud.

I really enjoyed the run. My breathing was pretty rough thanks to my first winter cold, but I still really enjoyed it. I raced to my bike (the only one left!!) and attempted  to pull on my bike pants - not an easy task - but eventually got them and my helmet on and managed to run out of transition.

I’m glad I had done the bike section before - twice actually, even better. I knew it was a long uphill ride, but I also knew I could do it. It was very rough and a lot harder to ride beause many of the rydges, hollows and puddles were completely frozen. The bike’s tyres behaved in a completely different way. There is a nasty uphill section on The Wash - very rocky and bumpy. I actually managed to pull in two competitors there - a very proud moment.

I finally reached the top and whizzed my way down the downhill section - stopping to collect a nine-year old boy who was also participating and was most upset because he thought he was lost. The mum in me simply couldn’t leave him behind so we slowly made our way back to transition. I got passed during this section but it was worth it - there was no way I could leave him on his own. I should note at this point that he completely kicked my butt on the final run.

Anyway, into transition and I decided not to stop to take the bike pants off. It turns out they’re not so bad to run in so will be keeping them on over might tights from the beginning next time. Mike and Grant were waiting for me by the bridge to spur me on - they’d both had great races and done good times. As I headed up the path again, I could really feel my legs and was starting to wonder if I would be walking some of this section. No way, said the voice in my head. And so I did. Once I got past the first uphill I was away and cruised around the course and into the finish line - winning a chocolate bar spot prize for my troubles! I might be a slow plodder, but I always get there in the end.

It was great to be in an event again, it’s been a while since King of the Bays. Congratulations RATs on an awesome event. See you for the next one on July 5.

The following events are currently on my radar:

RATS Winter Duathlon - Rotorua
RACE 1: SUNDAY, 7th JUNE - SHORT COURSE (BEGINNERS): 3KM RUN- 8KM MTB- 1.5KM RUN
RACE 3: SUNDAY 2ND AUGUST - LONG COURSE: 4.5KM RUN- 15KM RIDE- 3KM RUN

http://www.rats.org.nz/events.htm
Apparently these are brilliant events for beginners - we’ll see!

Tinman - Mt Maunganui Sunday December 6
1500m swim
40km bike
10km run

http://www.tinmantriathlon.co.nz/main.cfm?id=1241

Tauranga Half Ironman (Gulp!) - 9 January, 2010

http://www.halfironman.co.nz/main.cfm

And I expect there will be some Contact Tri Series races and Ocean Swim Series races thrown in over the summer for good measure.

Best I hit the pool!

I’m going to do Ironman 2011.

Did that get your attention? It sure got mine!

I’m a 35 year-old, overweight, clinically obese, self-employed mother of two small boys. Surely I can’t possibly complete the Ironman distance of a 3.8 kilometre swim, 180 kilometre bike ride, and 42.2 kilometre marathon – can I?

I’m going to.

If there is anything that this 35 year old, overweight, self-employed mother of two knows how to do, it is setting goals – the bigger, the better. But even I have to confess that I may have outdone myself this time.

So how did I get to “I’m going to do Ironman 2011”? It’s actually been a very short two month journey from my first triathlon on January 4, to my fifth on February 15, to my big hairy audacious goal of Ironman in 2011.

I’ve also been “into” triathlons since I watched Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty battle out it for gold and silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics. I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to work with the sport shortly afterwards in my professional capacity and my fascination with the sport has continued ever since.

But it wasn’t until just before Christmas 2008 that I literally got off my butt and onto a bike, doing that first triathlon just two weeks later. I came last. The bike just about killed me. I had to walk the run. But I was addicted.

I did the next one two weeks later. Loved it, ran the whole way, beat my time by 14 minutes.

All of a sudden I had more energy. I actually wanted to run around outside with the kids. I found I didn’t want that glass of wine and I started eating properly. For the first time in many years, I felt alive. I feel alive. And I want that feeling to last.

So that’s how I ended up with the big goal.

The first step was talking to my doctor to see if I was medically able to do it. I am.

The second step was getting some new orthotics (the last pair were more than 10 years old!) and some new running shoes. Tick.

The third step was telling my husband. After a short discussion he joined the support crew – he’s used to supporting my mad-cap ambitions.

The next step was organising my trainer. Two years is a decent amount of time for preparation, but I’m going to need every one of those 730 days to prepare myself and there wasn’t a moment to lose.

A cup of coffee with Lee-Anne Wann (the dynamic trainer from TV3’s Downsize Me) later and our plan was underway.

I’m committed to achieving this goal, not just for me, but for other busy, everyday working mums (and dads) to prove that you don’t have to be extreme to take on Ironman – you just have to do it.