Iron Jack

Great quote today from a work colleague, and very applicable to how I’ve felt about training in the last couple of weeks!

Training has certainly been very up and down for a little while - since the triathlons stopped actually! Its getting colder, work has been busier, the days are shorter and I have to pack more into every day. I went on a bunch ride that not only threw my confidence - but threw out my whole training week because I couldn’t move for three days!

I was missing more and more sessions - and starting to feel worse and less confident as every week went past.

“I think we might need to peg it back a bit before we move forward,” I said to Coach while propped up on the physio table one day. “I feel like I need to have fewer sessions where I hit every one, before we build up again - and I get some confidence back.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Coach.

Pardon? You agree with me doing less? That’s a first!

“Let’s drop the swimming for a month. Swim squad is on hiatus for a month anyway, its your strength, so the obvious break for a few weeks.”

Fantastic. I felt better immediately.

And I’ve hit every training session since, so it was obviously a good idea.

Saturday’s session was interesting - and challenging - and fun! A RATs triathlon club group session at the Blue Lake to do hill reps. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?

I literally dragged my heels out there because I knew it would be hard going. We did two laps of the field as a warm-up, with me bringing up the rear. Then the hill reps started. Ten of them up to the top of the paddock. I headed off at a fair pace, and just about threw up by the time I got to the top!

“PUMP THOSE ARMS JACKY!” yelled Coach. “Power your way up the steep bits okay?”

“Okay,” I grimaced.

We jogged back down. I did the next few at a slightly slower pace. And the last few slightly slower than that. But I still did them. Very satisfying! I was always well behind the rest of the pack - but it was a completely supportive, friendly and “safe” environment. As I said to Lawrence later:

“I don’t mind being last as long as you don’t!”

After all, he’s the one who reminded me not so long ago that this is my race, my finish line and my Ironman. That is my mantra and I repeat it nearly every day.

So following on from the challenging but satisfying hill reps on Saturday, I had a FANTASTIC run home from work tonight. I was feeling very nervous about running home tonight actually. It was meant to be an hour at L3 heart rate zone. I knew it would take me a bit over an hour and involved some long, slow uphills. I decided I’d do a L2/3.

But I didn’t need to! Level 3 all the way! The first 20 minutes flew by and I was a third of the way home. I didn’t even look at my watch for the rest of the run. One hour, eight minutes later I was walking in the door having run 8.5km - feeling very relaxed and comfortable.

Its getting easier and its an amazing feeling!

And apparently, according to the expert, I’m doing very well.

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.

What an incredible weekend. Its hard to know where to start. Ironman 2010 in Taupo, New Zealand, was everything I thought it would be - and more.

It was exciting, exhilirating, nerve-wracking, exhausting and most of all, absolutely and utterly inspiring.

I think I’m still digesting the weekend and what it means for me, as I visualise lining up at the start line this time next year. I was completely excited about going to watch the event - but also completely petrified. I hoped it wouldn’t scare the living daylights out of me.

Well, most importantly, it hasn’t. If anything, I actually feel a lot more comfortable about the whole thing. Comfortable and confident that if I do the hard hards, I will be crossing the line to hear the announcer say, Jacky James, you are an IRONMAN! I can visualise the steps in my mind and how most of it will come together. There is still a massive amount to learn about training, racing and this particular endurance event.

I’ll probably download some more later, but here are some highlights:

• Coach won his age-group! Wahoo! And he’s qualified for Kona! Double wahoo! Absolutely incredible to watch him race - I don’t think I had quite warned him enough about my passionate sports supporting, but he certainly couldn’t have missed my cheering!
• A number of RATs members crossing the line, but most heartwarming for me was Clarrie - an “older” competitor, determined to do his Ironman. We used to be in the same lane at swim squad and he is the dearest man. He had a great race, finishing in just over 14 hours. Awesome.
• Ripping around on bikes to catch all our people racing and making sure we didn’t miss a bit.
• Finding an amazing kebab shop for tea!
• And along with Coach’s efforts, the biggest highlight for me was my friend Stu from Kapiti Coast - we met through the Twitter triathlon network, we both work for the same Government organisation and we’re both working towards Ironman after battling demons - Stu this year and me next. I’ve followed his progress with growing excitement and respect. Even with all is training and busy family life, he still finds time to shoot me his latest inspirational thoughts. Eight months ago Stu couldn’t swim. Today, he is an IRONMAN! I met his wife for the first time at the swim exit - and saw him for the first time then as well! We followed his progress throughout the race, and I even rode out to near the run turnaround because I thought he might need some support on the last stretch. He had an incredible race, finishing just under 13 hours - 12h53m. Awesome.

And one final highlight…Mike wants to do an Ironman now too and is talking about 2012! Wahoo!

I just wanted to share an inspirational comment that was left on my blog last week. This is what Project Ironjack is all about and I’m blown away to be able to make a difference.

“Well as testiment to just how inspirational you were on that night of activator (as per your post on Fri 6th Nov)…. I have committed myself to Ironman 2012…… There, I have said it out loud! For years I have said I was going to do one by the time I was 40, well thats now only 5 short yrs away, its time to put thoughts to practice and you Jacky were my inspiration. On the first night of activator we had to share why we were there, I mentioned my long term goal which I was not prepared to say out loud. Your talk totally blew me away. Everything you said hit home and turned my dreams into reality. Thanks so much. Another sign was winning the 2XU wetsuit for my entry in the Contact tri at Bluelake on 22nd Nov. If that isnt a sign telling me something, I don’t know what is! Good luck with your training, I love reading your Blogs and following your progress… Am right there with ya! (Only a year behind!)”

I wouldn’t have even got underway on this journey without the support and motivation from Lee-Anne, so Lee, this one’s for you!

Last night I took some of my own advice.

Two weeks ago I was honoured to be asked to speak to Rotorua’s Activator Series. (http://www.getactivestayactive.co.nz/) This a group of super-inspirational women. Some haven’t been active for a while for a number of different reasons, and some never have been. The series started several years ago, and I actually registered for the series back then. But I bailed after the first two sessions. I was too far out of my comfort zone and wasn’t committed to fight for my time. I finally got there, and Ironjack is proof of that.

This year the series had room for 50 places and they filled all those spots and even had a waiting list with nearly as many again. All women, all desperate to get out there and give it a go, and to get the support they need to get out there and give it a go.

My slot on the programme was meant to be about time management. Unfortunately it wasn’t a week to use as a good example of time management. I raced in the door to the pool from work with as much decorum as a floundering elephant. I had meant to do a cool, snazzy presentation describing my journey, my goals, my challenges, my success stories and how our manic lives manage to come together to allow me to do this. But I hadn’t had time to do that, and I’d barely had time to scrawl myself some notes about what I wanted to say.

So I decided to just speak from the heart, to talk about how life used to be for the sedentary Jacky. About my first small triathlon on January 4, and how that grew to be taking on an Ironman in 2011. I talked about what life looks like for me - two jobs, two kids, training and a husband! I talked about how we manage to juggle everything and make it work. I talked about how I prioritise and fight for my training time because it is so important to my health and state of mind. I talked about how I now have energy to run around with the boys.

I think I covered a lifetime in five minutes flat. I felt like it was a disorganised mess, but it was certainly real.

And they enjoyed it, and asked questions - lots of them. And I even knew the answers. Who would have thought that I would be able to advise someone to ensure they have some form of protein within 30 minutes of exercising in order to encourage recovery and to be ready for the next session the next day. Who have thought? Certainly not me.

One of the questions was about what to do if you’re just feeling shattered and you just can’t get out there for a run, swim or bike.

I feel like this all the time. I have these constant debates in my head about how tired I am, and how I might be able to compromise by doing a double session the next day. But of course I never do.

If you’re feeling truely tired and exhausted you can do one of two things.

Whenever I’m feeling knackered my coach says get out there and start. If you’re still feeling rotten after 15 minutes, then you can go home and go to bed. But more often than not, you actually feel fine once you get going and before long, your training session is done.

Or, rather than do a training session that you absolutely hate, and potentially making it even more difficult to go again in the future…don’t go. And don’t beat yourself up about it. But make a plan to ensure you get back out there the next day. Phone a friend, make a plan to meet up for a walk or a swim; arrange to walk or bike to work. By all means have a day off, but make sure you have a plan to get going again the next day.

I’ve employed both these strategies. And last night I used the first one. I was so tired when I got home I was practically falling asleep at the table . I had that internal debate with myself for about an hour. I finally decided to get dressed and go. The dog was so excited when he saw the running shoes come out he started doing loops of the house.

I headed out the driveway and it was hard going. I knew it was going to be hard going - you can’t have nearly two weeks off and expect it to be easy. But sure enough, by the time I got to 15 minutes I was actually going pretty well. Sure, the second half was pure hell, but I still ran the 5.6km in my personal best time of 45 minutes so it can’t have been that bad.

And I was stoked to have got the training session out of the way.

So, last night was a case of actually doing as I say. Who would have thought?

And just to make me feel really great, here’s some feedback from the Activator series:

Wow what an awsome night Tuesday night.  I personally felt the speaker was fantastic and very real!!!  Very inspirational. 

I really enjoyed the last session with Jacky talking about her goal to do ironman in 2011.  It was so great to hear how she manages to juggle everything and still be realistic and confident about how it all works out.

Thanks again for another great night on Tuesday, Jacky was great, very inspiring.

Its time to get back in the saddle - literally and metaphorically!

After nearly two weeks of pretty average training, its time to get back on the training programme, back on the eating programme and back to early starts for swim squad.

The first week of my two week hiatus started off okay, but then very quickly (as Lawrence would say) life happened. I was already pretty stretched at work trying to get ready to go on holiday - you know what its like, five days to get five weeks worth done. This was compounded by the fact that I agreed to take on an additional writing contract - with a really short deadline.

So I was already struggling to fit training in. Sometimes work just has to be a priority.

And then, devestating news, we lost Aunty Gwen to a long and brave battle with ovarian cancer. Fully credited with transforming blind education in New Zealand, she is an inspirational woman, mother, wife and “Aunty” to Mike, his siblings, and the rest of us lucky lot who happened to marry into the family.

My compounded week just got even worse.

Panic email to Coach Lawrence.

“Help!”

Emergency planning session the next day.

“Life happens, work happens,” he said. “Lets remove some stress and work around it.”

Phew. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. We planned out some sessions that would be “good to get done” sessions for that week, including swim squad, and some holiday sessions for while we were away. I managed all the “good to get done” sessons that week, and while we did lots of long walks while we were on holiday, I only managed two formal sessions in Queenstown - an average swim and a FANTASTIC run in Glenorchy.

Its now been five days since I last did some exercise and boy can I feel it. My whole body - and my mind - feel completely sluggish.

And I’m really struggling with my stomach. Unfortunately I suffer badly from IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome. That will have to be a whole other blog post, but the short story is that since I started training regularly in January, I haven’t had any problems with my IBS - even in periods of massive stress which is when its usually its worst. Who would have thought that exercise could actually be good for you? Anyway, the IBS situation has been deteriorating rapidly since about Saturday, thanks to a combination of rich food, many wines, lots of chocolate and most  importantly, no exercise. I had a very uncomfortable and sleepness night with cramps, which have continued today.

So, I have a whole pile of reasons to get back on the bike tonight.

• If I don’t get motivated again right now, I’m scared I won’t get going again.
• The Half Ironman is just two months away and there is a lot of work to be done.
• I need to clear my mind and get focused on the work front and exercise will help me do that.
• Most importantly, I need to heal my digestive system and fast.

So the computer is about to go off and the wind trainer is about to come out.

Good-bye wine and chocolate, hello bike pants.

Forgive me father for I have sinned…its been over two weeks since my last blog post!

But that doesn’t mean that the training has stopped - it just means that our lives are even more manic than usual, and that I may have even broken my own record in my level of busy-ness.

The new job is amazing - I’m in my happy place and I feel like its the job I’ve been waiting my whole life for. I don’t think many people get to say that about their place of work so I do feel very privileged. Its also regularly a manic adrenalin rush, which has taken me closer to my triathlon goals than I ever would have thought - and I mean literally closer, as in right on top of both the Ironman and the Half Ironman course!

With five minutes notice, last week I found myself holed up in the Mt Maunganui police station, overlooking the swim course and transition area for the Tauranga Half Ironman in January. If I squinted my eyes I could just picture the excitement and chaos of race day. And it only scared me a little bit!

The week before, work had taken me to Taupo. Rather than just drive straight down State Highway 5, I decided to drive into town on the Ironman cycle route - I’m still not sure if that was a good idea or not! The turnaround point for the Taupo Ironman cycle stage is Reporoa, a tiny country town that is home to a dairy factory, a school, a general store, veterinary clinic and not much more.

We’ve based ourselves at the turnaround point for two Ironman events so far - the first time to cheer on a close friend (and accountant!), and this year to see the leaders go around for the second time. That’s right. Its not just a long way into town - you have to do it twice!

Now that I’ve spent a bit more time on the bike, I’ve started looking at these roads in a whole new way. The route is certainly a lot flatter than I remembered it being the last time I drove that way. For the most part, its long and straight, with just a few undulating hills - apart from the climb out of Taupo township on the way out. It seemed to take a very long time to drive that day. And this time I’m not afraid to say I was scared just a little bit.

The main training highlights in recent weeks have been on the bike and in the pool. Apparently I’ve made a massive improvement in my swimming stroke, so hopefully that bodes well for improving my times. Swim squad at 6am is going really well. In fact I love it and I really struggle now to swim on my own.

And, the bike has indeed become my friend and I miss it if I don’t get out on it several times a week! Hills are also becoming my friend, and I’m getting much faster. I rode around Lake Rotorua on Sunday - 50km - and I did it 20 minutes faster than the last time, which gave me a huge boost.

The other big highlight has been the people I’ve met and the new friendships I’ve made just in the last couple of weeks. The online triathlon community just keeps getting stronger and is hugely supportive and motivating. At the same time, I’ve met many like-minded people here in Rotorua with similar goals and speeds and we’ve formed new little training groups for swimming and cycling. Its much easier to get out the door when you know you’re due to meet someone at Lane One! I’ve also met new people around New Zealand who are also working towards big goals. Its good to share the good times - and the bad - and it all helps make you feel like you’re not the only one slogging it out every day and weekend to get to the finish line. What a team.

The triathlon community on Twitter is an amazing thing, which has led to some fantastic contacts and connections for me around the world, and also a bit closer to home in New Zealand. Stu, aka @No_More_Shadows on Twitter, just sent me this from the Ironman website - I’m going to post it in front of my computer so I can come back to it every day.

The Ironman will try and psyche you out and wear you down over the course of the year. If you know what to expect then each swing Ironman takes at you will have less effect. The way ironman can beat you is with self doubt. If your self doubt gets to a point where you decide not to take on the challenge then Ironman has beaten you. This is where it beats most people even before they even get close to the start line. The first self doubt weapon is in the form of other people. They will constantly either tell you or imply that “you can’t do it” when they have no idea if you can or not. They will tell you “it is a long way” which is not rocket science. They will tell you they had a friend who has done Ironman and make them out to be much better than you. If they have done it themselves and are really self absorbed they will even imply how much better they are than you. The other even more deadly weapon is Ironman intimidating you directly. This will be you telling yourself you cannot possibly do something like that. What where you thinking? Are you insane? Don’t tell anyone or they will laugh, your not good enough, etc. This is all ironman trickery and not true at all. Be ready for it and know that this is what prevents everyone else from taking on the challenge.

A fantastic piece that I know will provide endless inspiration.

Stu’s on an amazing journey. You can check out his blog here http://no-more-shadows.blogspot.com/2009/01/journey.html He started riding in January 2005 after a health shock when he clocked in at 120kg. He’s now down dozens of major cycling events, including the Round Taupo maxi enduro and he’s on track for his first Ironman on March 6 next year.  And from the photos on his webpage, I’d suggest he’s probably half of his former self.

I can’t wait to be at Ironman to cheer Stu and all the other first-timers on. After all, it will be me exactly 12 months after that!

This is a post I’ve been trying to write for a few weeks. I’ve been planning it out in my head for a while, but it’s been difficult to put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard as it were.

It’s about a pair of shoes. But it’s also about more than a pair of shoes.

It will probably come as no surprise to many of my friends that I’m writing about a pair of shoes. I’ve been eating, drinking, sleeping and dreaming about shoes for most of my life. Usually red ones. With a lovely heel. And straps.

But I digress.

These shoes are not heels. They are not red leather. They do not match my work suit. They are running shoes. My new Reebok Women’s Premier Road Plus KFS VI Running Shoes in sky and silver to be exact. They were ordered specially for me by the lovely Michael at Reebok. Or “that cool dude Michael” if you are my four year old son. Anyway, they are very cool. They fit great and they feel great, but they also look great. They even manage to make my very large feet look almost petite and refined.

I’ve been testdriving them for the past few weeks - well test-walking actually. They’ve probably got a good 50 kilometres under their soles by now. And they are great. I actually like them better than another brand that I bought earlier this year - under significant testing and podiatrist recommendation - before Ironjack was born. The Reeboks are seriously comfortable and my new orthotics fit into them perfectly. Better than the aforementioned shoes actually - I can now run and walk without squeaking my way down the road! They also have this fantastic, almost stretchy webbing across the shoe, kind of along the hinge that your toes make during the walking/running motion. The theory is that they stretch as you foot changes shape as you run - and also as your foot swells during running. Regardless of the theory, they actually work, I think that’s what makes them so comfortable. In fact they are so comfortable, I’m wearing them all the time! They don’t quite match my best client suit, but I’m sure I can find a way.

Anyway, you’re probably wondering why that was so hard to write. That part wasn’t. It’s the next bit I’m worried about.

One of the best things about these shoes is not the fit, the colour or the look. It’s the fact that these shoes help raise awareness of breast cancer. And that’s important to me right now.

A very close friend of ours was diagnosed with breast cancer around mid-April.

She’s around the same age as me, fit, healthy, generous, kind and gorgeous. She had some of her breast removed in May. The operation went very well and the surgeon is confident he got it. Originally, our friend was just going to have some basic radiotherapy and theoretically that was going to be the end of her cancer tale. However, further testing revealed that the cancer was a very aggressive form and was going to require a much more aggressive treatment. She has now started a six month course of chemo, which is taking a toll. She has already been hospitalised with a severe throat infection as the chemo has completely destroyed her immune system. The chemo will be followed by radiotherapy. So she literally has the next nine months mapped out in terms of spending days and nights in hospital. She also runs her own business and has a beautiful daughter, two fantastic step-children and an amazing husband.

This shouldn’t be happening to her. But it is.

I was devastated when her husband rang to tell me she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a number of big deadlines and lots of work to do, but I was a write-off. I couldn’t focus. I was so angry that this should be happening to them.

I drove to the pool, jumped into the 50 metre pool and swam two kilometres. The first time I had ever swum two kilometres freestyle. A week later I swam the King of the Bays, 2.8 kilometres in appalling conditions. I fought a lot of demons on those swims, but mainly I just focused on my friend.

My breast cancer story gets even more personal. My Nana found a lump in her breast just before Easter probably nearly 20 years ago. She had both her breasts removed within a few days. She’s still going strong. But it transpired that her mother died of beast cancer. Until then we had never known.

I have them all with me every day or every training run. Nothing I’m going through can even begin to match what my friend is living through every day. If she can fight this - and she is and she will - I can bloody well do Ironman.

That’s the story of the shoes. They’re going for their first run tomorrow.