Iron Jack

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!

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.

I will try and constrain my use of superlatives, however, the Bayfair Triathlon at Mt Maunganui yesterday was absolutely sensational! I could also say fantastic, brilliant, rocking, outstanding and bloody awesome! Loved it, absolutely loved it, from start to finish.

We arrived at the Mt about 7:30am after leaving Rotorua bright and early at 6:30am. I’d been craning my neck the whole way waiting for that first glimpse of Mt Maunganui on the Tauranga Direct Road. The Tauranga Half Ironman in January at the height of summer had been windy and brutally cold. I was hoping that wasn’t the swim I was about to be in for.

When we crossed the harbour it looked like absolute glass. Sweet.

We arrived in the race area, found a park and made our way to transition. Bugger. Not so glass-like after all. In fact, quite lumpy, breezy and building.

Transition was busy, and cramped. I found a spot to squeeze into and set up. I’m definitely not one to muck around in transition - why prolong the suspense? Once you’ve double checked everything its just best to get out!

We found Mike’s swimmer, listened to the briefing, and then it was time to get into the wetsuit and head down the beach.

I was determined to have a bit more of a swim before the start in this race. I’d done a fun quadrathon with work on Friday and, even though it was just a short 300m swim, I’d really struggled to get comfortable in my suit. This time I decided I’d get those things sorted well before the gun went off.

The water was absolutely freezing! Much colder than the Blue Lake on Friday. Nothing for it but to get swimming, and then get lined up at the start line. To start with I made my way to the back lines, as I usually do. Then I suddenly decided that I’d had enough practice and it was time to start lining up at the front. I made my way into a spot and got ready to go. The gun went and I was off. All the open water swim practice really did pay off and my beat my way out of the flurry to find my own space.

The swim went as expected really. Not great, not bad. A highlight was being able to sprint out of the water and through transition, and another highlight was finishing about halfway through the field on the swim. A definite progression. And the good news just continued really.

Really quick transition and out onto the bike. On the way over to Tauranga I’d decided that a small goal for this event was to spend a lot of time on the aero bars. I’m not completely comfortable on them yet, but I knew it would pay off on this flat course. I’ve also trained on this course a few times now so I felt like I knew it. And it was time. As soon as I got onto the main road I went down onto the aero bars…and I just stayed there!

I had hoped to do the bike in 45 minutes. I reached the first turnaround point in just over 10 minutes. Fantastic! You should have seen the smile on my face, I was grinning from ear to ear. I knew if I could do that time in a strong wind I’d be looking at sub-45 minutes. I even managed to wave to Mike as we went by in the other direction.

I stayed strong on the bike on the next three legs and clocked the bike in just over 42 minutes. Stoked!

Heading into transition I had a small panic that I might have killed my legs on the ride and wouldn’t have anything left on the run. I’d done a trial run at the Mt two weeks ago and while I’d done a decent time, it was a hard reminder that its a challenging run. Heading out of the transition I had absolutely no idea how much I had left.

My second wee goal for this race was to wear my heart rate monitor so that I could pace myself on the run. I knew where I’d been sitting on the trial run, so used that as a benchmark. It took me a little while to get comfortable in the run. I knew I’d come out well on the swim, and that I had passed quite a few people on the ride, however, I knew that I would lose that on the run - I’m still a plodder.

The run went pretty well really. In fact I did the same time as I did on my trial run (44min), and that was adding a swim and a bike into the mix!

My third wee goal for this race was to finish under two hours. I’d gone well over two hours at Kinloch and I wanted to beat that. I was feeling so comfortable on the run that I actually had time and space in my head to start working out how far I had to go and what time I needed to be off the mountain in order to reach my goal. Unfortunately my stop watch hadn’t started for the swim so I had no idea how long that had taken. But I did know how long the bike was. By my calculation, I had to be off the Mt by 1h22 (bike/run combo).

When I hit the road off the Mt at 1h16 the grin came back. I knew I’d do under two hours. The challenge now would be to see how far under I could go.

I knew I had about 1km to go. By monitoring my heart rate, I knew how much I had left in me. I picked up the pace. By the time I hit the straight I was starting to speed up significantly, another few hundred metres and I was at my max. It felt absolutely fantastic to sprint the last 500m through the finish line.

1h49. Unbelievable!!

I knocked 21 minutes off my Kinloch time. Obviously a completely different course, but a sensational result even so. Absolutely stoked.

PS: Mike had a great ride and run as well. The James Triathlon train is underway.

The muggy humidity finally broke today. What a relief. I don’t mean that it was cold - it certainly wasn’t - but it was cool enough to go for a run without swimming in sweat. The drop in temperature, combined with a cool breeze and light drizzle, meant it was perfect redhead running weather!

Unfortunately I am a true redhead when it comes to getting hot and bothered! Yes I have a mighty red-hot temper (which my children have also inherited!), but I also turn as bright red as a tomato when I do the slightest bit of exercise. The Indian summer and recent muggy weather have meant every training session (including those in the pool) turn me into a beetroot for hours.

So after work I headed out with my fellow redheaded runner - Alison, triathlete, Ironwoman, journalist and friend. We both embraced the cooler weather as we left her house and ran into the forest. I was on a Level 3/4 heartrate zone run - slightly faster for me, and slightly slower for her. We ran the “flats” which lie behind Scion and adjacent to the forest. Its an area I know well as I used to take the dog there when I worked at Scion, and its a very pleasant run.

We ended up with a slightly longer run than I’d planned - 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes, but it was a great run - slightly cooler, slightly faster and I managed to talk most of the way around! That’s definitely a breakthrough for me - and an improvement! If I can talk while I run, I’ve come a long way!

Just one spin session tomorrow, one swim on Thursday, rest day Friday, short ride on Saturday - and then the Takapuna Triathlon! Cant wait!

Today’s training session was nearly not pretty. In fact, I nearly threw up - in the forest.

I’ve never done  a stride session before. In fact I wasn’t really sure what to do. Fortunately, in a conversation with Alison last week (another training buddy), she was up for a stride session today too - and she’d done them before. And even better, we both finished work around the same time - and, she doesn’t live very far from the forest, my favourite training playground.

We met at her house, got changed and did a warm-up jog to the forest - well I jogged, she ran. Eleven minutes later we arrived at the stride spot - me looking like a mashed tomato and already knackered. Did I mention it was about 28 degrees with a humidity level of nearly 100 per cent? Nice - NOT!

The stride session commenced. It was meant to be ten, 30 second sessions with pace and long strides. I’m a shocker for doing a small-step shuffling run so this was a big change for me. I nearly managed to keep up with her on the first one, and arrived at the stop point feeling pretty good about myself, puffed, but not too bad. I could definitely feel the change in running style.

The second and third sessions weren’t too bad either. However, by about the fourth and fifth I was feeling decidedly green and wobbly. And slow. And shameful. But everyone has to start somewhere right?

About this time I was very glad to be out on the session with Alison - I know if I’d been on my own I would have been looking for a way out. I know I was slow and puffed, but she was brilliant - keeping the times and keeping me going.

We finally finished the tenth lap and and I nearly collapsed on the ground in a heap. It was potentially one of the hardest things I’ve done yet in my training. After a few minutes breather, we jogged back to her place - me with two wee walks in two places.

Another session down. I don’t suppose I have to like them. I just have to do them!

I’ve been a bit up and down lately about my ability to complete the Tauranga Half Ironman on January 9. Its now very nearly only a month away. I nearly spammed the email from the organisers informing it was just weeks away - immediately before nearly throwing up with fear!

My training has been sporadic to say the least over recent weeks due to a combination of illness, work and family commitments. I have been dreading every weekend that goes by and actually completely freaking out about the whole thing.

But this weekend I’m on an up and my level of self-belief is on the rise.

Yesterday Mike and I ran for 1h45 minutes non-stop (alright, bar two toilet stops but I stopped my watch during both so that I wasn’t cheating on my time!).

This is a huge milestone for me. The longest I have ever run was for an hour, and the last time I did that was months ago. This time not from bailing on training, but because we have been focusing on the bike and swim.

I’ve been dreading this run every since I got my new programme at the beginning of the month. I don’t know where Lawrence got the idea I could run for that long, but I certainly didn’t think I could.

Mary-Ann told me to have faith on Friday.

“It will be all good. I have found everything Lawrence has given me has been achievable, even if I didn’t think so before I began.”

And as usual she was right.

The babysitter arrived and we high-tailed it out the door before the kids realised we were leaving. We arrived at the Redwood Forest and hit the track before I could change my mind. We had mapped out a big loop before we left, and figured that we would probably do it twice.

The first loop took 45 minutes. It was very comfortable and actually very enjoyable. Loved running with Mike. He’s faster than me, but just ran about 20 paces ahead and I toddled along behind. Toilet and carbo stop and then back out onto the track again. Still feeling very comfortable - and very surprised!

My knees and ankle joints started getting a bit uncomfortable about two-thirds the way around, but I was still feeling great. So great that we actually did the second loop faster than the first, and ended up tacking on another 2km in the forest to make up our 1h45! And I actually felt like I could have done another round. Its difficult to map the distance due to the forest and stream tracks, but it would have been between 12 and 14 kilometres - half my Half Ironman run distance!

I was absolutely stoked - actually over the moon. Who would have thought that 12 months ago I would be running that long. Certainly not me. I couldn’t run 10 minutes to save myself. To be fair, I was running fresh, without a 2km swim or 90km run beforehand, but just to get that sort of distance and duration under my belt is a huge boost.

Turns out Lawrence knows what he’s talking about - and Mary-Ann was right. It was completely achievable.

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!

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.