Not “the hills are alive…” but rather “start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…”

There was no other way to think about it really. That run was hell. All 3.25km of it. I knew the first run back since February would be tough, but it really exceeded all my expectations on the revolting scale.

How many times have I told myself that I must not let go of how far I have come? How many times have I looked at the scales as they slowly crept upwards and said never again? So how come, I am right back at the beginning? Again.

But that’s enough pity and feeling sorry for myself. There is only one person responsible for my current state of affairs, and that is myself. Much as I would like to blame someone else (usually my ever-suffering, amazing husband), work, sickness or any other myriad of excuses, I only have myself to blame. And there is only one person who has to take the responsibility for getting out of this unfit and overweight mess – me.

So, onwards and upwards.

The Sound of Music is one of my favourite musicals. Yes I do know all the words. Yes I do know all the songs. My mother, sister and I have long-relished sitting in front of an old video for a Sound of Music afternoon – Debra even went on a Sound of Music holiday in Europe last year! I’m so jealous!

Hence the song running through my mind yesterday – the perfect theme song for me as I embark on this adventure – for good. Did the 30 minute run yesterday and will be rocking up to the RATs spin class tonight. Another short run tomorrow and another spin class on Thursday and then a rest day on Friday. Will throw in another run and a road ride on the weekend and that will be my first week back on track and underway. Can’t wait.

PS: The song was modified slightly yesterday by my good friend Steff:

Start at the very beginning,
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with ABC
When you run you begin with Oh Dear Me!

Perfect!

And I think I have found the perfect mid-afternoon snack for me and my training - muesli. Yes you read that right – muesli, the breakfast cereal and as it turns out, my super food!

Having muesli for my afternoon snack was trialled and tested throughout my 2011 Ironman training (all two years of it) and I’ve continued having it as a healthy, nutritious, filling option for my mid-afternoons. It’s also my race-day breakfast – also tried and tested!

I think muesli works for me because it gives my tummy (and my brain) the perception that I’m having something sweet. And when it’s combined with some yoghurt and some blueberries, it tastes satisfying.

I know the level of fibre in muesli won’t work for everyone – and given my history with IBS it’s remarkable that it works for me! But as long as I eat it around 90 minutes before my run, it gives me the energy I need without any adverse side effects.

As I slowly recover from my bout of bronchitis, I’m starting to really focus on my nutrition. It’s going to be a long, hard graft to lose the weight that I gained since my first Ironman journey came to an end. I know that as soon as I start training and eating properly the weight will start moving, but it is going to require focus and an attention to detail.

So I’m back on the muesli for my mid-afternoon snack, even though my breathing and the sudden cold snap temperatures won’t actually allow me to train this week.

Bon appétit!

I had scheduled a daily training session around meetings and deadlines, including fitting in a run around “the Mt” tomorrow (my favourite run) before a big presentation tomorrow afternoon. I was going to get back to swim squad - and I was actually looking forward to it - and I was even going to get back on the bike! It was going to be a great week.

And then I got sick. Again. It was the story of my winter last year and I’m really hoping it won’t define this winter as well - I just don’t have that sort of time! I’d been battling a sinus infection for about a week before seeking antibiotics and thought I had it well under control. What I hadn’t factored on was a cute, adorable four year old with a cold who desperately wanted to share his loving (snotty) kisses.

As a result I am full of a head and a chest cold and I can barely sit at the computer screen, let alone head out on my bike. We did manage a walk yesterday to pick up the kids from their caregiver, but I don’t think that will be happening today. I’m desperately trying to save my breath for said presentation tomorrow afternoon and crossing all my fingers and toes that I will be able to get through it without a major coughing fit.

So, my comeback this week has been slightly delayed - but is being re-assessed on a daily basis! The old me (of a week ago) would have just written off the week entirely with the aim of “I’ll start again on Monday” - but this week’s me will start again as soon as regular breathing resumes! Fingers crossed that will be much sooner, rather than later.

In the meantime, an afternoon nap is calling…

After much fretting, sleepless nights and tossing and turning, combined with finishing work, working two jobs until I finished work and a number of other pressures…I’m in. I have my Ironman entry and in 326 days on Saturday March 2, 2013, I will be lining up against more than 1000 other people to take on Ironman.

Dear lord. What was I thinking? What have I done??!!

Yes I desperately wanted an Ironman entry. I know, from bitter prior experience, that the big, hairy, audacious goal of an Ironman is actually the only thing that will keep me motivated to train, eat well and be well.

I thought that the (not) insignificant goal of doing the entire Contact Tri Series of seven races over summer would keep me focused and motivated. And it did, to a point, but sprint racing is not for me and I know in my heart that I only did just enough training to get around the course each time. There were highlights – the Whangamata ride, the entire Kinloch race and the Christchurch swim – and there were lowlights – the wind in Wanaka, the wind in Christchurch, the heat and subsequent dehydration in Takapuna. And I definitely had fun! And I had an amazing time taking Oli around the South Island, and as a family, we had a great time in Tairua (Whangamata), Taupo (Kinloch) and Takapuna. But it wasn’t enough. Instead of getting fitter and lighter over the summer, I watched my weight slowly creep up, and by the time I had resigned from work, I had six weeks of significant stress and pressure which meant no training and lots of eating to keep myself going.

So to say that I needed this entry would be the understatement of the year.

Ironman is not to be underestimated. It is a huge challenge. And sadly, because of the fact that I haven’t spent the summer training and eating as I should be, it will nearly be as big a challenge for me as it was the first time around. But at least I (and my ever-patient and supportive husband Mike) know what we are in for this time. We know the length of time training will require, we know the tiredness, we know the ups and downs. And I do have a base level of fitness that I didn’t have last time – I just have to find it under all the cider and chocolate I’ve consumed in the past six weeks!

And I am still committed to my original goal, set five minutes after the finish of my first Ironman, that I will knock nearly two hours off my 2011 time.

So we have enjoyed the Easter break. And the hard work starts tomorrow. In every way!

Here we go again, I hope you’re ready to come along for the ride!!!

I have been feeling in limbo for the past few weeks – months actually. Waiting. Waiting for the 2012 Ironman. Waiting for the 2013 entries to open. So that I can finally get my training life (and all the structure that comes with it in the rest of our lives) back on track.

The summer has been filled with a fantastic season of triathlon, with sprint distance events across New Zealand. I have been incredibly lucky to have been able to undertake this season. It hasn’t been a cheap exercise and I’m very grateful for the support I’ve had from my sponsors – and from Mike!

I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve learnt a lot and it kept me moving to a certain extent over the past six months.

But somehow, it hasn’t been enough. I live, breathe, dream and eat Ironman (well I do Ironman in order to be able to eat but that’s a whole other story!!) I read books about Ironman. I watch DVDs about Ironman. I follow Ironman athletes online and avidly consume the latest results. I talk about Ironman incessantly and I take lessons from my Ironman into my work and home life on an almost daily basis. I am a better person spiritually, mentally and physically when I am training for Ironman (ask Mike, he will actually agree with you on this!)

As a result, I have literally been waiting and waiting for this year’s event. So many of our friends were doing Ironman for the first time and I couldn’t wait to support them on their longest day. Others of our friends were doing their second, or third and had their own goals to achieve and we were looking forward to being part of that too.

I was absolutely devastated for them all when the Ironman was cancelled due to the weather. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what they were going through – other than to know what a write-off I would have been in the same circumstances last year. We thought the weather could never be as bad as the 2011 Ironman – aka, The Big Wet! But we were wrong. The weather bomb had other ideas for the 2012 event.

And then reality set in for what that would mean for 2013 entries. I desperately want for our friends to be Ironmen and to experience the extraordinary journey that it is. I also desperately want to be on the start-line with them.

So the last few weeks have been spent in limbo. If everything had gone according to plan, I would be entered by now and finalising my training plan for the year. Now, we have only just found out that entries will now open on April 5. My expectation is that it will be a mad scramble for entries. Those who were meant to have claimed their mantle in 2012 have (very rightly and most deservedly) preferentially claimed their spot. The rest of us now have to wait until 10am on Thursday April 4 to see if we will have the opportunity to join them.

Fingers crossed – otherwise I might be in limbo for a lot longer yet and I think Mike and I will both go mad before then!

But as I lie here awake, I’ve come to the sudden realisation that the timing is actually perfect. I have resigned from the job I love and am about to start my last week. Once again we’re entering a new chapter in our lives – and we’re about to achieve a goal we first set for ourselves on our honeymoon in 2003 – to both be self-employed and working from home so that we can be more flexible and present for our kids. It’s an exciting – if somewhat daunting – time. Ironman entries now open in the first week of our new lives – really, it’s very appropriate and helps signify the brand new start.

Bring it.

It was less than a year since the devastating Christchurch earthquake and the last time I’d been there, I’d been deployed by the Police to work on the media and communications front. It was both a heart-breaking and inspiring experience, and the highlight of my career to date is not managing a high-profile press conference, but driving cars out of the red zone and returning them to their owners.

Despite the fact that I knew we would be perfectly safe, I was still extremely nervous about taking my son, in my care, to a destination that was still suffering from regular after-shocks and damage. But I knew he would pick up on any nervousness from me, so I focused on keeping my fears to myself and painting a picture of an adventure!

We arrived in Christchurch to an unbelievably hot and sunny afternoon – a sight we hadn’t seen for weeks given the rain-drenched North Island! My second greatest fear about the trip was that my bike wouldn’t fit in the rental car, but we eventually got all sorted and navigated our way to our accommodation with Ironman Mel.

The next fear I had was whether we would be able to put my beautiful Ruby back together – the Cyclezone boys had done an amazing job of taking it to pieces and showing me how to pack it up – but it was up to me and Mel to put it back together again!

To the extreme amusement of Oliver, Mel and I spent about an hour putting it back together – the most time consuming part was working out how to put the pedals back on. Apparently it helps if you have them the right way around!!!!!

Eventually, the bike was back together and I took it for a quick spin around the block. Miracle of miracles, it all worked perfectly!

After a carbo-loading dinner of homemade pasta (and sushi for Oli) it was to bed for an early-ish night before the tri…

…only to be rudely awoken at 3am by a heart-stopping, earth-shaking, very powerful after-shock of 5.5. I hadn’t slept very well – I almost think I had been waiting for an earthquake – and we certainly got one. I heard it coming and the whole room shook, my bed fully rocked from side to side and I felt sick to my stomach. I was sharing a room with Oli and was desperately worried about how he would take it. The shake had woken him up, but as is typical for kids, he had absolutely no idea what had woken him, just wanted me to fix his sheet. Within seconds he was back to sleep. And so was I. Obviously I had worked myself into a state waiting for a quake and once we’d had one, I could just get on with it.

The next morning we checked the website and discovered that it was indeed a decent quake and from then on, every morning Oli wanted to check the website to see if we’d had any shakes. It became quite the scientific experiment for him and I think it was therapeutic for me. I have to confess I was pleased to leave Christchurch when the time came, but was glad we had contributed some dollars to the local economy while we were there.

It’s probably appropriate that I write this (very belated) blog post now, in the week of the first anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquake. I cannot even begin to comprehend what the Canterbury people have been through over the past year, but my heart goes out to them and their courage. Kia kaha.

PS: If you haven’t yet seen “When A City Falls” – you must. It is the most powerful documentary I have ever seen. I laughed, I cried and I was damn proud to be a kiwi.

It was still grey and gloomy when we arrived in Coromandel the day before, but the sun soon burned off the cloud and we had a fantastic day in the sun and surf at Tairua with my brother and his family. I went to sleep that night with the sound of the crashing surf in my ears, and looking forward to a beautiful, sunny race the next day.

About 3am I woke up with a start. It was absolutely pouring with rain. Not showers, not rain, but absolutely pouring rain. At first I thought it was the surf, but no, it was rain, and lots of it. I slept fitfully for the next few hours – how could I be so jinxed that every race I did was in the rain! By sunrise the weather wasn’t any brighter and I was actually texting down to those in Whangamata to check that the race was still on. It was. We bundled up the kids and me and drove down to Whangamata.

It was a slow trip in the wet and I was starting to cut it really fine. In fact, I have never cut it so fine! I collected my race pack from Ironman Mel, racked my bike, set up my gear, introduced myself to multiple Ironman winner Jo Lawn (who was racing in my age-group!) and literally ran down to the beach. I didn’t have time to pump my tyres, nor did I have time to make my customary loo stop! I also discovered that I had forgotten my race-specific swim cap and my GU! Things were not going well. I managed to grab some lovely person to zip up my wetsuit, I threw my bag at Coach Kathy’s husband, stole a cap from the technical official and hit the water.

In a big way. Boy did I hit the water – or did it hit me! I have never seen waves like them – and I grew up body surfing at Takapuna and Mt Maunganui! There were some terrible currents, and the surf just sucked you back into every wave. It was one of the worst swims I’ve ever done. All in all, it took 24m18 to swim just 750m – actually I think I probably swam a kilometre after being dragged in the opposite direction. Mike was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to finish the swim and it turned out Ironman Mel was getting a bit concerned because she hadn’t seen me enter the bike course and she knew the swim was my strength.

I finally staggered out of the water and up the beach into transition – leaving my race belt on the sand as I stripped off my wetsuit. Fortunately the race official found it and me and then I was on the bike. I was a bit nervous about the bike course because I had only ridden my beautiful new Specialized Ruby a handful of times, and never in the wet. Not only did I have to content with a wet road, it was still pouring with rain and I had to tackle a hilly course – for once the uphills didn’t worry me, but I was concerned about the downhill corners in slippery conditions.

But I shouldn’t have been worried. I had the ride of my life. Loved it. My enduring memory of my first Whangamata triathlon was of never ending hills that nearly killed me. I had been worried about the sprint distance ride because it was twice as long on twice as many of the same hills. But it was fantastic. Ruby went like a dream. I climbed well. I cornered well. The aero bars worked brilliantly. I had a blast. Who would have ever thought I would say that about a ride!

Literally before I knew it, I was back on the flat and heading into transition. Ironman Mel was going to run some of it with me and I think we were giggling and having each other on so much that it was a wonder we could still run! Ultimately it was a very comfortable two-lap course. I had been concerned about running half of each lap on the beach, but it was fine. I had lots of supporters around the course, including Mike and the kids, Coach Kathy and Gina, Mel and Aunty Hel. I was, in fact, having such a good time running in the rain that I only just realised that I might be able to get under two hours – unheard of for me on a hilly course. I put on a sprint and made it over the line in 1h58m27. I was absolutely stoked.

It was wet, it was wild, but it was fun!

Racing the Tinman Sprint Triathlon was never actually in my plan for this season – I’d committed to racing the whole Contact Tri Series and didn’t think I would have the time, money or approval from my long-suffering husband to do the Tinman as well. But…it’s my favourite race. I love the course, I love the location and after convincing my two good friends Kathy and Di to do it as well, the decision was made!

Last year – after a full winter if Ironman training – I had managed to complete the sprint distance in 1.46.47. I didn’t think I would get anywhere near that without the same level of training this year, but at least I had a goal and simply wanted to get within five minutes of last year’s time.

We’d had on-off weather the whole week leading up to the event, but I convinced myself it’s always sunny at the Mt – right? After a very wet morning, the rain cleaned up to a stinking hot afternoon on the day before the race and it was looking promising. Race day dawn grey and gloomy, but the rain did hold off – until the prizegiving anyway!

Whenever we can we try to stay at the Westhaven Motel which is right on Pilot Bay – and about 400 metres walk to the transition area. I took everything down, feeling very calm and relaxed about the whole event. After setting everything up, I went back to the motel to sit down with the family again for another hour before the race was due to start. Heading back down to the briefing, I managed to bump into almost everyone I knew there, including the other two musketeers – Di and Kathy.

Entering the water for the warmup, it was much colder than I was expecting. We stayed in the water to acclimatise whilst watching the Olympic course athletes finish the first lap of their swim. Nothing like being right on hand to cheer people on! By this stage our starting gun was getting closer and I was right in the firing line for Di and Kathy, being reminded every five seconds that I was the one who had talked them into it! I already knew that Kathy would kick my arse in the swim, and that Di would do the same on the run – and I also knew they would love it – after all, they are Ironwomen!

Our gun finally went and we were off. Conditions were very flat, but without the tidal assistance on the return leg that we had last year. It was only my second wetsuit swim of the season and I struggled to remember how on earth I’d managed to swim four kilometres several times earlier in the year! But I finished in a reasonably good time and in good shape out of the water. I had been trialling not wearing ear plugs for my swim – both in training at the pool and for the race. I had been feeling a woozy and light-headed after training but wondered if that was just a nutrition issue after training early in the morning. But as soon as I stood up after the Tinman swim I was completely off-balance and very wobbly. I tried to shake it off during the run into transition, but had to keep holding onto my bike just to stay upright! Lesson learnt, earplugs from now on!

I eventually managed to get out onto the bike. And had an absolute blinder of a ride. My new bike is absolutely incredible - there is no doubt in my mind that this improvement was all about the bike, not me!! I managed to use the aero bars for most of the ride, and passed lots of people in the process. I had a blast and came back into transition with a grin from ear to ear!

I had been dreading the run – I’d only managed about three runs in the previous few weeks so didn’t have high hopes of a great time. One of those runs had been around the Mt and it would be fair to say that I struggled so after doing a swim and then a ride, my goal was simply to run the whole way.

Looking at my watch, I didn’t think I would have a hope of making last year’s time, so decided to make a toilet stop – “at least I would be comfortable on the run” I remember thinking. I should have kept going. The run was definitely a challenge, but it was fine, and I had no problem keeping going. Coming off the Mt I discovered I was within minutes of last year’s time. I put on a bit more speed to try and get as close as possible – and finished the race in 1.47.44 – just under one minute longer than last year! If I hadn’t stopped to go to the loo, I would have beaten my time – without the six months training I had put in the previous year!

It would be fair to say that I was stoked. Absolutely stoked. It’s a great race and I’ll be back next year. Incidentally, so will Kathy and Di – they loved it too, with Di actually winning our age-group and Kathy coming third! The 2012 challenge is on!

Leading into the event, my biggest concern was the temperature of the Blue Lake. The lake is my favourite training and racing venue, but it can be cool in the peak of summer, let alone in the spring! We went out to have a “splash” on Labour Day (our new James whanau tradition) and it was so cold I couldn’t actually keep my face in the water to  be able to stroke. So to say I was worried was a bit of an understatement!

The day didn’t bode well as we were literally shivering in transition getting everything set up. I didn’t actually start warming up until I put my wetsuit on and by this time I’d managed to work myself into a total state! I went into the water to start getting used to it and it felt as cold as it did two weeks ago. I had bought myself a neoprene swim cap to help keep my head warm and it did give me a bit of a boost mentally, but I was still bracing myself for the worst!

After a 10 minute delay while the Surf Lifesavers reattached one of the buoys that had blown free (yes it was THAT windy!) our gun finally went. And…the water was fabulous! It felt really pleasant and totally fine on my face! With that fear gone I could concentrate on swimming. And it required every ounce of concentration I had - really rough, very windy and on the return leg I felt like I was getting sucked backwards! It was a tough swim and I was very pleased to be out of the water.

Heading up the hill to transition I managed to hand over the neoprene cap to Leonie who was bracing herself for the Olympic distance. I felt like I had the longest transition ever - I need to remember that I’m not on “Ironman time” for these Sprint events! I finally got myself layered up and pulled my beautiful new bike out of the rack and out onto the course. It’s a Specialized Ruby and I’d only picked it up from Cyclezone the day before and managed one quick ride, so I was a little nervous. But it rides so smoothly and the frame is sized for me so it’s much more comfortable for me to ride! Even though I was dreading the hills, I was so looking forward to getting on my beautiful bike.

Kelly waved me off out of transition in her marshalling capacity and I was off up the road. And pedalled up, and up, and up! This must be one of the hilliest bike courses in the series. Up Tarawera Rd to Okareka Loop Rd, down the wiggles and  then up and up and up again! I was determined to get all the way up that hill but my legs just didn’t have it. A quick walk to the top and then I was off again. I love the next part of this rolling course, and a long downhill to the Buried Village. Unfortunately the turnaround wasn’t here for me this time and there were more hills out to Lake Tarawera - and then back again. I managed the Green Lake hill really well - with Ironman Mel behind me in the tail car!

Then it was finally off the bike and into transition. The run leg was always going to be a run/walk for me as I’m still carrying an ankle injury and haven’t been able to run. And, I simply hadn’t trained for this period of time! I had managed all three of the distances in training - and in fact over the total time on the bike - but hadn’t put all three together and my body was feeling it. I actually managed to jog the whole way up to the lookout carpark, but struggled through the forest on the uphills - and then on the downhills as I just didn’t have confidence in my ankles. It was still incredibly pleasant in the forest and I thoroughly enjoyed the course which is one of the most scenic in New Zealand - and it’s our training playground, we are so lucky. I vividly recall laughing at myself most of the way around - it wasn’t that long ago I was doing Ironman and here I couldn’t even run the 5.5km! But the finish line kept getting closer, and there was quite a support crew waiting for me!

It was a huge relief to get over the line and to get the first one in the series finished. It was a tough day - but that was all my own fault - and I still had a fantastic time!!! And the only way is up!

But, despite slacking off over winter, its important to move onwards and upwards, starting with setting the goal of completing the entire Contact Tri Series. 

I’m now entered into the series and I absolutely, totally have my motivation mojo back. The past month has been spent with two weeks re-introducing my body (and mind) to the concept of training, with the past two weeks getting more focused with distances and effort. I won’t try and pretend it hasn’t been hard. It’s been hell actually. To suddenly discover that I couldn’t even swim 100m when I have always been able to swim 1km effortlessly - let alone the fact I was regularly swimming 4km in a session just six months ago has been devestating! Fortunately I appear to have maintained my speed on the bike and the run - but I have absolutely no endurance and can only do minimum distances.

But I am underway and that’s the most important thing! The first triathlon is in just two weeks - I will be sorely underdone and it’s going to hurt, but it’s going to be fantastic!

There have also been some exciting developments over the past few months and I am proud to have some new partners on board for the upcoming season. Fuel Advertising from Tauranga is an innovative and exciting advertising agency supporting clients from around New Zealand. The company is full of kindred spirits who are loads of fun and super supportive. I’m also working with Cyclezone - Rotorua’s best bike shop - and their leading brand, Specialized. I believe in their products and their service is second to none. I also firmly believe that I would never have completed Ironman without their advice and support so I am stoked to have them on board for this next journey!

It is going to be a great summer of triathlon.  I’ve learnt my lesson - I know that I cannot ever afford to have “a few weeks off” - even if it’s just maintaining a walking regime. Starting again from scratch is too hard, too daunting and too disheartening. But I’m excited about training again and have my buzz back, and I can’t wait for the first race!