Iron Jack

Whilst running the risk of missing anyone out, some heartfelt thank yous are long overdue in relation to my journey to and through Ironman.

So, in no particular order:

·         Dr Alice – for giving me the encouragement and support to set the goal in the first place – and then to loan me her road bike so I could physically achieve it. Our family thinks you’re just awesome – thank you!

·         LeeAnne – for getting me started and giving me the self-belief to do it.

·         To my bosses, Scott and Glenn and everyone else I work with for the support to get my training done, including the team in Wellington.

·         To George, Rhys and Julie – your phone call on Half Ironman day was spectacular and helped enormously!

·         To Shels and Ben – our oldest, dearest friends who got us into triathlon in the first place – look where we are now!

·         Tupara, Donna, Andre, Bailey and Nieve – I actually don’t have the words for how I feel about you guys, what you’ve done for me, what you’ve been through and for being there on that long day and night, you guys are amazing – looking forward to the next journey together.

·         My family and extended whanau

o   Mum and Dad – I’m here because of you; thank you for your support and for looking after the boys on the day, it took a load off my mind!

o   My brother Bruce and his family – I was stoked that you could be there, and love how much you embraced the day, it is special

o   My sister Deb and her Mike – a very long way away but always on our minds

o   Jane and Tony – my other parents and major support crew, thanks for everything

o   My other sister Sarah and her husband Ben – so cool to have you there – and everywhere on the day! And to Ben for loaning me his super awesome quick wheels for race day! Hope the seed has been laid…

o   My other other sister Nicky and her husband Mark – again, a long way away but always here

o   And the Aunts, Uncles and cousins who were all there in spirit

·         My incredible support crew on the day – hope I don’t miss anyone out, but…Cushla and Nick, Leonie, Sue and Becky, Vance and Lee, Aunty Helen, Rach and Beth, and more!

·         My amazing friend Leah – for giving me a smack on the hand when I really needed it, and for driving over from Rotorua to Taupo at 10pm on Ironman night, in the pouring rain, to make sure I finished! I’ll never forget seeing your face as I come up Tongariro St, it meant the world.

·         The RATs crew – the last two years have been a blast and I look forward to so many more major events in the future – special thanks to Jamie, Steph, Katrin and Sarah for all the help and advice, and all my swim squad buddies, Nicky, Matt, Sharyn and Clarrie.

·         Kelly and Nathan – what can I say, you guys are amazing, thanks for all the training hours, friendship, support and love – we love having you as part of our family; thanks for supporting Mike and my Dad on the day; we look forward to returning the favour next year!

·         KT and Dave – special Ironman work colleagues

·         Alison and Deborah for the rides, friendship and support – it was a very very special time

·         Mary Ann and Nina (aka Mrs P and Nemo) – without you Mary Ann none of it would be possible, thank you so much for your friendship and support; and Nina, thank you for patching me up, handing me tummy pills and all of your advice, it was all very much appreciated

·         Coach Kathy – without you I wouldn’t have made it to the start line, let alone across the finish line! You are an amazing, inspirational person; I love your style and your sense of humour and I can’t wait to work with you again – if you need a super-sensational coach, Kathy is your woman!

·         The Fit Goals crew – training camp was a blast, love the new friendships we have made, and the support on the course on the day was fantastic – Pete, Di, Jodi, Gina, Lynette and more – looking forward to the next outing!

·         The online crew – I have made so many virtual and now real friendships through the triathlon forums on Twitter and Facebook – just to name a few: Donna, Toni, Mel, Matt and so many many more.

·         Canterbury Toni – we met through Facebook and quickly made a connection that has turned into a firm friendship – your journey was made all the more inspirational due to your survival of the Canterbury earthquake just two weeks before Ironman, I’m honoured to know you and can’t wait for the next one!

·         Ironman Mel – you found me and I’m eternally grateful that you did! Love the laughs, advice and stories and am looking forward to many triathlon adventures together in the future!

·         Ironman Stu – well I call him Ironman Stu, he could also be called Graperide Stu, Endurance Stu and pretty much Legend Stu! Met through Twitter, friendship gained through triathlon. Watching him complete Ironman in 2010 was inspirational, and his adventures since have been even more so. Thank you for the friendship, support and contraband! Looking forward to our family spending much more time with yours in the future.

·         Bryce and the Cyclezone team – you guys are amazing! Without you, its unlikely my journey would have gone much further. Thank you so much for sorting out my bike, my riding, my seat…the cycling list is endless! Love being part of the team.

·         Heidi and Marcello – to Heidi for fixing my broken body (and mind) and for Marcello for making my bike look like a speed demon machine! And for the unwavering support from you both.

·         The Reebok and Speedo team for the fantastic sports gear to get me through the training and the day; I’m very grateful for your support, it made a huge difference.

·         The awesome Gu people – thank you for the nutritional support for those last few weeks, I’m so grateful you came on board. I truly believe in your product – it worked for me like nothing else had. It really works and I highly recommend it to anyone else for long-distance training.

·       And while we’re on the subject of nutrition, my awesome nutritionist, Rachel Scriven - really helped me get on the straight and narrow with ensuring I was eating enough for training (I wasn’t) and eating enough during training (I wasn’t) and eating enough afterwards (I was eating too much!) - you were a huge help and the cheeseburger at hour six was inspired!

·         Lawrence and Lisa – for the middle part of the journey and especially the super-spin classes!

·         All my wonderful girlfriends – Donna, Rach, Kim, Louise and Lisa.

·         Tony for the awesome Ironjack logo that fits me to a tee! Mark for the great website. And Lee for the sensational Ironjack t-shirts for the support crew!

·         And last, but by no means least, my ever-patient husband Mike, and our two wonderful (ratbag) boys, Oli and Toby. I couldn’t have done any of it without you. Thank you for the endless hours spent looking after the boys so I could train, race and sleep; for the unwavering support, belief and pride; you guys are my rock.

I sincerely apologise if I have missed anyone – no doubt I have – but thank you again for all your support. I couldn’t have done it without you!

Well specifically, I crossed the finish line and straight into the arms of my amazing, super-supportive husband, Mike. A volunteer put my much-desired medal over me head and wrapped my Ironman towel around my shoulders. I was an Ironman.

I had thought that I would finish sometime between 11:30pm and 12midnight – the cutoff. I finished at 11:46pm and I was delighted. I think that if it hadn’t rained incessantly, and if the constant wetness hadn’t taken its toll, I would have been bang-on 11:30pm. So ultimately I was very happy with the time result.

Mike and I headed into the sodden marquee and I had a few bites to eat of some spaghetti bolognaise. But really, I was too tired and sore to stay there for long, and just wanted to get home to bed. We left the tent and into the warm embrace of my family and friends. I felt so loved and supported, it was amazing. And my gorgeous boys were there as well. Mum had been looking after them all day, and had put them to bed at their normal bedtime of 7pm, and then woken them up to come and see the finish. Seeing their cute little faces made it all worthwhile.

Eventually we started making our way to our ride home – Shelley and Ben’s car. I still can’t believe that Ben completed his Ironman earlier that day and came back out to watch me finish. They helped Mike get me into the front seat – my legs didn’t really want to bend – and after a quick stop at McDonalds to get another cheeseburger, we headed home.

It was a bit of a struggle to get out of my wet running gear – Mike physically had to help me peel off layers of clothing. By this stage everything was seizing up. By this stage he was also completely shattered – after all, he’d been up as long as I had and I still maintain that supporting an Ironman event is harder than actually doing it!

I was determined to have a shower – I wanted to be clean and warm and I had 17 hours worth of grit all over me. The warm water felt amazing, even if I couldn’t move to actually wash myself!

Five minutes later I was in bed – with Mike’s help again to get my compression tights on!

And I have never been so sore in my life. I’ve heard people talk about being so sore that they couldn’t lie down or have a sheet tough their legs. That is exactly what it felt like – it was an extraordinary feeling. I was in absolute agony.

Eventually I dropped off to sleep, but rolling over was harder than when I was nine months pregnant! I kept waking every time I had to move.

At one point I had to get up to go to the bathroom – what a mission! I actually wasn’t sure that I could actually get myself out of bed. My thighs simply wouldn’t work to leverage myself in and out of bed – and on and off the toilet. I must have looked like an absolute clown. I was actually in so much pain that I nearly fainted – and nearly threw up – a sure sign that my body is in a state of shock and in need of repair.

We slept until about 8am and then I finally turned on my cellphone – and nearly burst into tears. I had so many text messages and emails from people, it was completely overwhelming. I logged into my Facebook page and was completely blown away. People who didn’t even know each other had been communicating all day about where I was on the course and what times I was doing. The messages that came through as I crossed the line were truly special. People were logged in all over the world to watch me online as I finished – they were crying, I was crying, it was absolutely incredible. I don’t think I will ever forget how I felt when I was reading those messages.

I finally managed to drag myself away from the computer and we started packing up the units. Mum and Dad were also getting on their way so we inherited the boys back again. We said good-bye to Shels, Ben, Alicia and James, and headed out the gate. I can highly recommend the Chelmswood Manor for Ironman accommodation – the managers were fantastic and the rooms were perfect for us. We have already re-booked for next year (when we will be supporting – not competing!) and I suspect that we will have a running booking!

We collected my bike and the rest of my gear and I organised my finish line photos. The Great Lake Centre was chaos – and filled with Ironman finishers who were walking as stiffly as I was! We were part of a very special club – and our tired, broken bodies were the badge of membership.

I bumped into many of the Fit Goals Team, including Coach Kathy. I think she deserves a blog post of her own which I’ll get to in time, but suffice to say, I wouldn’t have made the start line, let along the finish line, without her and I will always be eternally grateful for her unwavering belief and support.

A final good-bye to the Great Lake Centre and I headed up the road to meet up with the rest of the family who had been celebrating their support efforts with brunch. My support crew had been absolutely amazing, it was so special to have them all there, so it was actually really sad to start saying our good-byes. I’d been away for several days by now and I was so sore I just wanted to get home! An hour later I was there – and crawling into bed for a much-needed nap!

By the Monday I was starting to move reasonably freely, although still with a great deal of soreness. By Tuesday the soreness was fading and my muscles felt great. On Wednesday I was overwhelmed by a massive wave of fatigue – I felt like I had been hit by a bus! That passed too, however, and on Thursday I headed back to work and managed a relatively normal day. It was already starting to feel like a dream.

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.

This is getting a bit back to front, with my race report for the Taupo Half Ironman done before the Tinman I did last weekend - but this is the most recent and of course, the most significant! I thought I’d get the race report done now, and try and write about how I’m feeling about it all later. Suffice to say, words nearly can’t describe how proud I am of my achievement - nor how sore I am today. I am proud and delighted with yesterday’s effort, and very very grateful for all my supporters everywhere - friends, family, colleagues, Facebook and Twitter friends - you have all played such an invaluable role in getting me to the finish line. Thank you. And now, the really hard work begins - the NZ Ironman is just 12 weeks away!

So, to the race report (its a bit long):

Set alarm for 4:15am in the end. Up and eating by 4:30am, was worried about getting my tummy sorted and getting the car packed and away on my own! Also had a sudden panic about whether I’d be able to get into the road by the Police Station. Just drove around cones. Sorted! Was in transition by 5:05am – very early but knew that I would have everything sorted in loads of time.

All went well. Laid everything out in order. Food packs with each set of gear. Pumped tyres to just over 100. Didn’t think it was going to be a stinking hot day but didn’t want to take any chances!

Left all my Leppin at transition! Realised I needed one for just before swim so had to go back. Pleased I had loads of time.

Found a Police colleague from Palmerston North by the Police Station so had a good, distracting chat while I got my wetsuit on. It was good!

Went into water and listened to briefing in water – didn’t put my head under just yet though – was a bit cold! After briefing, got into it, did some swimming. Was really happy with the way the wetsuit was feeling on my arms. Swam out to race start.

Start seemed to take a long time to come, I got quite cold. Was just waiting and waiting! Cracked up at the national anthem – didn’t quite feel like standing at attention to sing! Was happy with position.

Race started, started watch and got underway. Not too much like a washing machine, managed to hang onto loads of people’s feet! Realised very very quickly that there were lots of people at my level in the swim – or slower – was a nice feeling. Passed lots of people. Was feeling incredibly comfortable. Arms working well, breathing going well. Absolutely loving the swim. Got to the first buoy in no time, still feeling really comfortable, never needed to stop to breaststroke for a breather. Am really really happy with the swim. Room for improvement time-wise, but very happy.

Got out of water and started slow jogging along the carpet – and felt good! I passed people! Wasn’t a difficult run at all. Unzipped wetsuit along carpet, but didn’t pull out arms until going up the steps. I was ahead of time.

Got out of wetsuit, pulled up my change towel and very easily got out of my bikini bottoms and into cycle pants – didn’t take as long as I thought it would – I had been a bit worried because I hadn’t practised it! Even got the chafing cream on okay! Got my top on, shoved a peanut butter sandwich in my mouth while I carried on getting ready. Sort of dried feet, pulled on socks and shoes, sunglasses (put lens’ in my back pocket in case my contacts played up), put on my helmet. Put on my race number. Left. Walked out – rolled my ankle in a hole just before the bike mount! Grrr! Hoped that wouldn’t come back to bite me later!

First quarter of bike: Wow, feel GREAT on the bike. Very comfortable. Pants feel good. Was a bit worried about Napier-Taupo Highway. And it was absolutely fine – didn’t even need to stand to get up it! Couldn’t believe it! The slight uphill to the ETA seemed to take absolutely forever! Only a few people passed me at this point. Got onto ETA, slugged back some drink. Nice smooth road – loved it! Something metal pinged off my bike – WTF was that? Slight panic while I tried to make sure it wasn’t a wheel pin or something! Realised it was my CO2 canister which had flicked out of the rear bottle holder. Talk about a fright!

The rest of this first quarter went superbly well and exactly to plan. I ripped down the hills and was rocking on the flats. Way ahead of time. I was stoked. Had a Leppin in the first quarter. New Cyclezone cycle jersey is just awesome – first time I haven’t been constantly tugging a jersey down!

Second quarter also went superbly well – seemed to take forever to get to Reporoa – but it always does on this bit. Average of 27 – absolutely stoked. On the aero bars or drops most of the way. Fuelled and hydrated along the way. Still way ahead of time. Got to Reporoa (first time I’d seen Mike since Friday!) in under 1h45. Very very happy. Got off and went to the toilet. Bottom already very sore in the new spot.

A few people passed me, but I just kept thinking – I beat you in the swim! Started eating jet planes. I was very happy with this leg, and knew that I could push it over 90km – which admittedly, I don’t do in training.

Third quarter of the bike: Suck. Absolutely suck. The headwind was worse than any I have trained in, and I have trained in some bad wind. Constant head wind, right from the turn around. The goal was to maintain 22 to the bottom of the hills, but just couldn’t – could barely keep it above 12. It was just awful. I nearly got blown off my bike on one corner, and was going backwards in some places. It was just suck. I just hadn’t planned a contingency around wind – or that sort of wind. Had a peanut butter sandwich at some point. Also started on the protein bar. Replaced water at the aid station.

Fourth quarter of bike: Couldn’t wait to get to the hills! Who would have thought I would say that! And they were absolutely fine. I got out of the saddle for them, mainly to rest my bum. Actually enjoyed them! Had hoped they would give me a reprieve from the wind but sadly they didn’t. Focused on eating jet planes and protein bar and taking on fluid. Sped down the hills to get into town, but didn’t get as fast as I’d hoped due to the wind factor.

Completely gutted with the time. I’d done 3h55 on a bad bottom day previously and had been hoping for 3h45. Disappointed and a bit worried about how much the wind had taken out of my legs for the run. Ended up with an overall average speed of 22.5. Gutted.

Stuffed another sandwich down my mouth. Pulled out my change towel and managed to get out of bib shorts and into tri shorts pretty easy. Took off cycletop and put on fuel belt (which rocks by the way!) Was a bit worried about using it when I hadn’t trialled it in training but it was just awesome. Fluffed around a bit trying to decide what fuel to take. My tummy doesn’t like running very much so I was a bit worried about how that would go. In the end took a sandwich and another bag of jetplanes and protein bar squares and a Leppin. Can’t remember whether I jogged out of transition or not!

First quarter of run: Ouch. Left knee started hurting straight off the bike. Something I need to get sorted! I hurt absolutely everywhere! I absolutely didn’t think I could do it. Mike told me I could! Even though I was gutted about the wind on the bike, I was thankful for the conditions on the run because it wasn’t too hot – I actually felt cold at some points! Couldn’t go any faster than 130 heart rate – legs just dead. Focused on keeping moving, steady pace, taking on water. Walked hill up to turnaround.

Second quarter of run: Actually managed to get heart rate up into 140 for most of the rest of the run so was reasonably happy with that. Focused on taking on fluid. Realised I had only brought one Leppin with me which was a bit of a concern. At the first fuel stop they told me they had run out, but managed to grab a couple of extra gels on the way back. Still hurting but still moving which gave me a big boost! Had a Leppin at some point on the way back into town – and immediately my tummy starting getting upset. First time the whole day. I definitely need to fuel up on the bike because my system doesn’t like it on the run. With superb timing, my friend Nina appeared out of nowhere and gave me some Gastrosoothe – five minutes later problem gone. Fantastic and awesome learning for next time! Went to the toilet at the harbour. Walked the hill up to the transition area.

Third quarter of run: Mike was waiting opposite KFC on the lakefront with our friend Ben. I had run out of water by this stage so he ran off to get more. I was worried the fuel stations would run out by the time I got there – I already knew that the bike had set me back and my run was much slower than anticipated so I was worried about being allowed to finish. I also knew I wasn’t going to go under eight hours which was disappointing, but not a deal breaker. Just kept going. Mike and Ben then jumpfrogged the rest of the bike course, waiting for me every few kilometres and helping me keep going. They were awesome. Still running at this point! Couldn’t quite believe it! Very focused on taking on fluid because I knew I wasn’t going to try and eat anything else. Had Balance electrolytes at the aid station – fortunately that didn’t muck me up too much. Decided to walk the hills and run in between.

Fourth quarter of run: Man this was tough. Still running though which I just found unbelievable! Mike and Ben still there the whole way. Kept focusing on what Kathy had said – work out how to get through right now – what will get me through the next 100metres, 500 metres. Starting counting rubbish bins, flags and power poles!! More fluid at every stop. Walking up the hills. People in front of me had walked the whole of the second lap so was trying to catch them. Just got there and they started running! And then finally got to the boat harbour and on the last stretch. Walked up the hill and then ran around the corner and into the finish! Although I hurt everywhere, I still felt very okay about everything!

I was so stoked to finish. Everyone was so supportive and happy. I was so happy. And very proud. I hadn’t thought the Half Ironman would be the achievement it was, mainly because I knew it wasn’t the main goal, but I am so pleased to have done it. It was a huge achievement. If it hadn’t been for that wind on the return lap of the bike, my race plan would have gone nearly perfectly to plan. Everything else did, and in the end, the run wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be either.

Swim was sensational.

First part of bike was fantastic.

Second part of the bike sucked.

And the run just had to be done.

Taupo Half Ironman…DONE!

I have often compared Ironman training and childbirth - usually when I’m slogging my way up some hill in Waikite Valley. Most of the time I’m swearing black and blue that childbirth is easier!

And today I can confirm that some of the aftermath and recovery from a big bike ride are exactly the same!

Today I finally rode the Taupo Half Ironman route. The Taupo Half Ironman is now less than two weeks away. I’m completely petrified. But that’s another story.

Another 5:30am start saw me breakfasted and collecting today’s riding buddy, Deborah, just after 6am. Rather than drive all the way to Taupo, we parked at Reporoa and road the route in reverse, down Broadlands Rd to Taupo and back again. This is also the full Ironman route - albeitthe full route takes in two laps. I had tried to ride this route once before with Mike - it didn’t end well!

So it was with some trepidation that I set off this morning. First and biggest mistake today - trialling some new chafing cream. I’m out of Bodyglide, but have also found some other cream that is doing the job even better. I’d run out, they don’t sell it at my bike shop and so I tried a new one - highly recommended by my bike shop and many others. And our club legend Jamie (who rode the Extreme Enduro 8x laps of Lake Taupo non-stop last week!!) swears by it.

But it didn’t work for me. We’d only done an hour and my bottom was absolutely burning. I was really worried I was going to open up my wound it was so sore.

I managed to put it to the back of my mind into Taupo - got off the bike for a toilet stop and actually felt pretty comfortable and more than capable of riding the 45km back. We set off again - this time to tackle the Napier-Taupo Highway hill. This hill keeps me awake at night. When I first left Auckland to take up my first journalism job at age 21, I flatted just off the Highway - and I recalled many a late night stumbling up or down the hill or my way to or from the pub. Today, I got up it no problem. It wasn’t a speedy climb, but it was fine, and nowhere near as bad as some of the hills we’ve been climbing in the Waikite Valley! So that was a big mental achievement.

Next were a series of quite quick downhills, managed to catch up a lot of speed and increase my average. Very happy. And then, with about 20km to go, all on the flat, my bottom really let me down. Every pedal stroke was an absolute burn. It was agony. I literally crawled my way home.

On the plus side, I did it, quicker than I thought - even with crawling the last 20km. My average speed was better than ever before. I know I can ride up the Napier-Taupo Highway hill and I have ridden the Taupo Half Ironman route. On the down side, a sore bum is just the pits and can ruin the ride - and your speed.

So lesson learnt, stick to the chafing cream I know and love!

Which brings me to childbirth.

When I came home from hospital with Oli nearly six years ago, my sister-n-law presented me with a tupperware container containing a pad which had been frozen in a tea tree oil and water solution. Just the trick for sore, tender bottoms apparently.

And it was! Absolutely bliss, numbs the area and the tea tree oil helps take care of any bacteria that might be hanging around.

So here I am, back to the beginning. And I can confirm, that an old wives tale for soothing sore tender bits after childbirth is just the best thing ever for a numb, sore bumb after a long bike ride! Thanks Sarah!

Yes, with just six months to go until NZ Ironman 2011, I have made an incredibly big and gut-wrenching decision which is to change coach. This is a massive decision that has not been taken lightly.

Lawrence is a sensational coach. He coaches a number of very fit and fast people and they are doing exceptionally well under his leadership and guidance.

But I wasn’t.

In short, I am a mum, a wife and an employee and those things all come first and always will. I have a sensational boss who has agreed to let me work four days a week until after Ironman so that I can accommodate all those things even better in my life, particularly training. That extra day a week has made a massive difference and I think I’ll always be grateful to him for his support. But, at the end of the day, if our toddler has been rushed to hospital with suspected pneumonia - I’m not going to be training.

I hadn’t been seeing much improvement for a while, which was proving incredibly frustrating for us both, and I was losing my motivation. Something had to change.

Around this same time I read an amazing book called Inspired Novice to Ironman Finisher. Its about five people who did Ironman in 2008. When I read the first chapter about Tauranga woman Kathy Miller, I felt like I was reading a book about my life. Her experience, thoughts and challenges were so similar to mine it was almost spooky! I got to the end and I knew that if she could do it, I could do it too. She’s so passionate about triathlon and helping other people achieve their goals, that she’s had a career change and is now a Tri NZ certified coach.

As very fortunate luck would have it, one of my training friends, Alison, had her number. I met her for coffee in Tauranga and immediately claimed back some of my inspiration and motivation. It took several more weeks to make the final decision - simply because it was such a big decision to make. But at the end of the day, I’m the one who has to swim, bike and run across the finish line, so the training had to be right.

Its now been seven weeks - can’t believe its been that long - and training is going incredibly well. I’ve had a wee hiccup with my war wound on my bottom (see previous posts!), but I’ve seen major improvements in all areas - swim, run and most importantly, the bike. Full credit to Lawrence, some of that improvement is due to him and the time he  invested in me this year. But a big chunk has been about my head and getting it sorted with Kathy’s help and support. And almost most importantly (for me) is that her philosophy is about having fun!

I’m excited to be training every day. I’m devestated when I’m not. I’m working hard and I’m seeing the results. I think we have the mix right and its working. Just as well…only 142 days to go!

I am officially entered in the 2011 NZ Ironman. Am really excited and completely petrified at the same time.

But at least I’m in, unlike many other people who have missed out.

For the first time ever, the NZ Ironman event has reached capacity and it sold out in just 13 days! It caught many people out, many who will be first-timers whose goal was only ever going to be doing “an Ironman”. From now on, if you even think you’re going to want to do an Ironman, you’re going to have to be ready to enter as soon as it opens - you won’t have the luxury of waiting until October (or even later) to decide if you’re ready or if you’re injury free.

It’s going to change the nature and culture of the NZ event forever.

Approximately 800 entries had been filled in the first five days, with the vast majority of those going to Australians who had already experienced their two Ironman events selling out - one sold out in less than 24 hours. So there may well be more Ozzies than ever before, and potentially, less of the average back-of-the-packer who simply wants to survive. Those people have always been at the heart of NZ Ironman so I hope that doesn’t change too much.

It also means that relatively new, local events like Challenge Wanaka are also in for a sudden increase in numbers, as those who seek to simply complete an Ironman look for a new event to enter. Challenge Wanaka sounds like an amazing event in stunning scenery, but how will its unique experience be impacted by a sudden influx in numbers?

At the same time, setting early goals and planning to achieve them isn’t a bad thing. Surely there’s nothing like the motivation of being entered to keep you going?

So I do have mixed feelings about what this means for the event.

But as a result of entering, I am living, breathing, eating and freaking out about Ironman more than I ever have before. I dream it - or rather I have nightmares about it; my training programme has gone up a huge level; I’m reading everything I can get my hands on - and unfortunately I’m not sure that is helping! I’m also sick and have already missed three days of training which doesn’t help!

I’m sure this panic phase will pass. There are still 287 days until the start line. How bad could the training possibly be?? Yeah right!

Anyway, I’m lining up alongside some fantastic friends and training buddies for next year’s event. Here’s the list so far:

Mary Ann Patterson - my fairy god mother and constant motivator, supporter and friend. She may have moved to Palmerston North, but that hasn’t stopped the banter and phone calls and us giving our coach grief!

Alison King - the journalist I was never going to be, fellow redhead and training buddy. 2011 will be her fourth - yes fourth! - Ironman and she’s after new times that shes not yet ready to share - I know she’ll get them too.

Ben Shaw aka Binga - one of the key people in the whole Ironjack journey. Ben did his first Ironman in 2005 and was meant to do his second in 2006 - the year the swim was cancelled. He’s been battling injuries and babies ever since but is determined to get back to the start line. He’s always been my inspiration to do triathlon, and then Ironman, and I’m stoked we’ll be lining up together next year. He’s also married to one of my closest friends.

Ingrid Tiriana - one of the first people I met at RATs - and quickly discovered we had a common friend! Ingrid is a true Ironman inspiration (I say that a lot don’t I? I guess its because pepole who do Ironman are completely inspiring!) Anyway, Ingrid did her first Ironman in 2009 - after suddenly discovering a random heart problem during her training for 2008. Despite this, she achieved her goal of finishing in 2009 and now she’s back for more!

So the countdown is now well and truely on for 2011 NZ Ironman. Even though there are moments of real panic, I am also extremely excited. It’s time - bring it on!

Start line 2010 Ironman

Its not every day that you end up being interviewed about your Ironman journey on TV. Not once, not twice, but actually three times in one week! Its all part of my goal to not only keep myself honest and motivated towards my own goal, but hopefully motivate others to get going as well.

Here’s the interview on Rotorua TV:

Ironjack on Rotorua TV!

I am sore. Very very sore. Challenging bunch ride for me on Sunday which left me not only feeling stiff and sore in every part of my body, it also left me quite disheartened. But that’s a blog post for another day.

Important to move onwards and upwards and what better way to restore the faith than by a run on part of the Ironman course in Taupo!

Whenever I go to Taupo for work I always make sure I drive through Reporoa along the Ironman cycle course. By travelling it every second or third week I’m starting to get quite familiar with its dips and dives. Of course, that will be nothing to actually riding the course on my bike, but its a good start.

Today I also had enough time to take a very early lunch break and fit in my run down there as well.

I set off at a decent pace - heart rate zone three to be exact - and managed to maintain that for most of the run. I started just up from the swim/start finish, and then ran along the lake front until I got to the Napier/Taupo Highway - a good milestone turnaround point, and exactly 25 minutes, theoretically making it a 50 minute round trip. The loop back was slightly faster so I finished in just over 45 minutes, having run just under 6km. This is getting slightly faster for me, so I’m pleased with today’s effort.

Of course, the big reality check is that isn’t even one quarter of the Ironman marathon, but it still felt great. I’m a big one for visualisation, and as I was running I could literally picture the path on the day, with crowds of people on either side. I could feel the heat, and the exhaustion, and while it was nowhere near an accurate re-enactment of the day, I do feel like it was a good start. Even just realising I would be running on cobblestones for around half of the Ironman run was an important note to take.

So all in all, a good day out.

Postscript: Having the theme song to Rocky coming on the MP3 player may have been over-doing it just a little however.

Set your calendars, book your accommodation, the date for the 2011 New Zealand Ironman in Taupo has been set:

7am, Saturday 5 March, 2011

According to the countdown, 366 days, 12 hours, 20 minutes and 33 seconds to go.

Hmmmm.

Now’s probably a good time to include another inspiration quote from Stu’s site:

“The purpose of the swim is to get you on the bike. The purpose of the bike is to eat for the run. The purpose of the first run lap is to put money in the bank to pay the monkey that will jump on your back the second lap.

“The Second Lap Monkey. He is very a big monkey. If this is your first Ironman, you have probably felt in your training everything that you will feel on race day, except the Second Lap Monkey. You can’t train for that. The Second Lap Monkey carries a big stick, and its name is Pain. Love it, hate it, get angry at it. Breathe it with every breath, feel it with every step and use it.

“It lets you know you are still alive, more alive than most people will ever be in their whole lives. The clock keeps on ticking and everything bad must eventually come to an end. All you have to do is keep running in a straight line until someone tells you to stop.”
(Anon)

Also, here is a link to my friend Stu’s blog about his incredible journey towards and through 2010 NZ Ironman. Its a fantastic read and very real insight into the journey leading up to the event - and more importantly, on the day. Hopefully he doesn’t mind me sharing!

http://no-more-shadows.blogspot.com/

Enjoy and happy training.