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!

In a nutshell:

• I started swimming again almost immediately
• I was deployed to Christchurch to do my bit for the relief effort just a week later
• I religiously started attending the RATS twice weekly spin classes
• I had a great ride at the Sarah Ulmer ride in Cambridge for Mothers Day

And then I came to a grinding halt.

First up came a spectacular flu - “true flu” as Dr Alice said and ordered me off work for a week. And I literally spent a whole week in bed. It was about this time that it started getting really dark and a lot colder in the mornings so I made the very sensible decision to give up swim squad until August. I’d missed most of last winter and started again in August and I’d done okay so I quite happily justified the break!

I got in a ride or two, and one run (yes, one run since Ironman!). We had a series of bugs through the house, including Toby with two bouts of a tummy bug and a couple of colds and Oli who ended up with sick in hospital with a stomach something. Mike even got sick - which is just unheard of. I had a couple of work trips to Wellington and then I got absolutely flattened by a tummy bug.  

It seemed that every week I’d start with the best of intentions - running gear in the car, calorie tracker on my phone, programme worked out for the week. And then every week - yes every week - something would go wrong.

Suddenly I’ve found myself nearly 4kg heavier and the fitness level of a sloth.

The life change I’d fought so hard to achieve had been kicked for touch with just a few months of normal, everyday life.

To say that I’m disappointed in myself would be the understatement of the year. I thought that I could continue with my training and nutrition without a big hairy audacious goal like Ironman. But it’s become very obvious that I need these goals in my life to keep myself motivated and honest. And that’s okay - if that’s what it takes, then that’s just what I’ll do!

So, as I was drifting off to sleep one night last week I was suddenly hit with a lightning bolt of inspiration…

I could enter all seven races in the 2011/12 Contact Tri Series series. Yup, all seven. Rotorua, Whangamata, Christchurch, Wanaka, Kinloch, Takapuna and Wellington. And not just the 3:9:3 - although that would be fun! There will be a combination of sprint and standard distance events (carefully selected depending on the flatness or hilliness of the bike courses!!), culminating with a fair effort at the standard distance Wellington event in March. And then in a perfect position to head into 2013 Ironman training.

As soon as the thought entered my head, I was instantly excited and motivated and planning. I had my goal.

So with the support of my ever-patient husband, two gorgeous boys, mentor Ironman Mel, and armed with Alison’s triathlon textbook, the next Project Ironjack is born!

I hope you’ll join me for the ride!

So, in no particular order:

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

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

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

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

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

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

·         My family and extended whanau

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

·         KT and Dave – special Ironman work colleagues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I knew taking on food and electrolyte was going to be difficult on the run leg. Unfortunately my tummy just can’t handle the fuel once I get on the run. From bitter prior experience, I knew that anything other than water and GU was not going to work for me. I slopped through the mud through most of the food table, but did stop to grab some pretzels – I stuffed them in my mouth – and completely struggled to get them down! It was the first time I came close to being sick! At the same time, part of my awesome support crew was standing outside the transition fence cheering me on – actually urging me to run! But it was absolutely impossible inside transition because it was just so wet. I made it through the transition gate and I started my slow run.

And I could run! Who would have thought at this stage I would be able to run? Certainly not me! But away I went. I’ve lost count of the number of my Ironjack support crew who seemed to be all around me – I was so focused on moving forward that I wasn’t able to take note of who was there, but I’m very grateful for you being there! It totally helped!

When I left transition I’d layered up as much as I had on the bike – and immediately started over-heating – wet does not mean cold! My spray jacket immediately came off, and not long afterwards, my thermal as well. I managed to hand Mike my jacket – which I know you’re not meant to do, but that weather meant extenuating circumstances!

I started heading out along the lakefront – and soon passed my awesome parents and my awesome boys. It was so exciting to see them that I had to stop for a hug and a kiss – the boys don’t quite understand the significance of Ironman, other than that Mum is always training, but hopefully they will one day. They kept me going. Even though they don’t know it now, Ironman was for them.

The boys’ had great signs that Mum and Mike had made for them, they were both so cute – very wet but cute. Oli didn’t know that I had Ironjack written on my bum and he only noticed it after I’d gone passed – apparently he was doubled over giggling for about 10 minutes. I absolutely love this photo of him – sums him up to a tee!

I knew the run was going to be hard – let’s face it, I’d only ever run a half marathon before. In training my running had been going very well, but I’d never run this far and I’d never run after riding 180km. There were so many unknowns. I knew I had a little bit of time up my sleeve, but I was absolutely petrified about missing the cutoff – and I mean absolutely petrified and paranoid. I was starting to get sore, but I just had to get keep going.

I vividly remember asking Mike early in the run to do the numbers and work out if I was going to make it. He was very firm in the fact that I would – as were Kelly, Nathan and Stu who were all out on the run course. Stu is the perfect person to have on your support crew – he’s been there and done it, and knew exactly what I was going through, and he kept popping up in all the right places with all the right words. Thanks Stu, you are a legend.

I would be lying if I said that the first half of the run felt comfortable, but it certainly felt better than I thought it was going to. In fact – I ran nearly all of it! A feat I thought would be beyond me prior to Ironman. I felt good and at one point, I was even able to push up on my heart rate. It would be fair to say that I am very very happy with the first half of the run, and I’ll take that with me into the Taupo Half Ironman later this year.

In the words of Stu:

“One of my lasting memories of the IM this year is waiting in the van on waterfront.  You had headed off to finish Lap 1, and I therefore knew exactly where you’d come from on the outward leg of Lap 2.  You had mentioned that you were unsure whether you’d make the cutoff, and I knew you’d be fine as soon as I spotted you coming towards us…still running.”

I have never been so happy as I was to see the turnaround at the end of the first lap. But I knew things were about to come a bit unstuck. I had managed to run the whole first half – essentially a half marathon!!! But I was starting to get really, really sore – not in my muscles, but in my joints – my ankles, knees and hips. Each step was starting to cause me a huge amount of pain. I knew I wasn’t going to be running for much longer. But I was still so paranoid about making the cutoff.

As I set off on lap two, I was managing a hybrid run/walk/waddle, but I quickly realised I could walk faster than I could run. So walking it was. Power walking. Right then I was really grateful for all the walks I’d done with my Mum over the years – she walks so fast I cannot keep up with her – but it was great practice for Ironman day!

I was actually making really good time – such good time that Stu actually missed me at one point and had to double back, and Mike and his team (Kelly, Nathan and Dad) were kept on their toes as well! Their role was support and encouragement, Stu’s role was to hand over the contraband – my sugar free V – my second secret weapon! Much to my husband’s disgust, I drink quite a lot of sugar free V – it has some caffeine (I don’t drink coffee so its welcome) and guarana and seems to do a good job during the day at work. On one of our long training rides, I stopped at 90km to get a cold drink in Reporoa – I was hot, tired and over it. I decided to try and a V – and it absolutely, totally hit the spot! So then I started training with it on the long sessions and at Ironman Training Camp and it worked well – giving me a welcome boost without screwing up my tummy too much.

So on the second leg of the run I started taking on V – and it was awesome! That, combined with plenty of water and GU and GU Chomps got me through the run. Finally found my perfect fuel combination!

The second leg of the run also gave me the opportunity to catchup up with all my training buddies who were out there – I started ticking them off my list, grateful that they were all well underway and still looking well. Alison, Canterbury Toni, Di, Pete, Tessa, Jodie and more. It was such a relief to see you all and I gathered so much strength from you all.

I hit the final turnaround at 5 Mile Bay in pretty good shape and with very good time. Unbelievably, our friend Ben had shown up on the support crew line with his wife, my dear friend Shelley. Ben had crossed the Ironman finish line several hours previously, and he had already joined my support crew – legend! Ben walked down the last bit before the turnaround with me – and halfway we were joined by KT – my work colleague who had numbered me up at 4:30am that morning – with his red wine glass in hand! Between the two of them they coaxed me down to the turnaround and sent me back on my way.

The walking was going well – but I was starting to slow – and to have some tummy troubles. I knew most of the Portaloos in NZ had been sent to Christchurch – but I could have done with a few more of them along the way!

I asked my Dad to walk up Airport Hill with me – it had been very cold, dark and lonely walking down it and I desperately wanted some company! It was absolutely awesome to have him along with me. We made it to the top and I knew the end really was in sight.

Mike joined me there and ended up walking all the way into town with me. We turned into Rainbow Drive and my brother materialised from the shadows! It was so amazing to know that there were all these people, still out there, in the dark and the rain, to help me achieve my goal. Mike’s sister Sarah also joined the crew at about this time, increasing the size of our merry band!

I came out of Rainbow Drive and started to head for home. And things really started falling to pieces. By this stage it was taking every ounce of stubbornness and determination I had to force one foot in front of the other. I had to keep stopping to bend over and stretch everything out, and I even stopped to go to the bathroom at a café along the way – apparently Mike was very very concerned that I might not come back out!

Stu and his gorgeous daughter had to call it a night at about this stage – she had lasted all day and screamed louder than anyone else, but unfortunately she had finally hit the wall. A quiet motivational conversation and a hug later and they were on their way – and I carried on mine.

My brother had done a swap with his fantastic wife Sarah and she showed up shortly after to walk a bit further with us. They have two wee kids and had done a tag team most of the day – I loved having them there. Ingrid from the Daily Post also made an appearance – complete with very large golf umbrella! I hope I haven’t missed people, but it was just so amazing to have all these people along with me – I actually find it hard to describe how I feel about their support other than to say it was incredible. Thank you.

I made it to the Fire Station – an old hangout of mine! And knew that the end really was in sight. Not long after  was joined by the Morrison crew who had been there right from the very beginning – and before the day as well. Andre joined the walking group and came the rest of the way with us. He was a delight to have on board.

Just past the Hole in One golf I decided to start shedding my plaster layers. I knew I didn’t have long to go and I definitely didn’t want to be wearing a rubbish bag across the finish line!

I turned the final corner into Tongariro St – unbelievably there were still hundreds of people around, cheering, yelling and hi-fiving. I was feeling completely emotional and felt like I was about to go over the edge.

Just outside the Information Centre, I saw a familiar face. I knew I knew this person really well, but was struggling to place them in the day – initially I thought it was a member of the Ironjack orange t-shirt brigade, but very quickly realised it was my friend Leah from Rotorua – she had driven over from Rotorua at 10pm on the Saturday night just to know for herself that I had crossed the finish line and achieved my goal. She has been right there with my on my goal from the very very beginning. She has always had the right words, the right support – and the strength to give me a good talking to when I needed it. And she was right there. I couldn’t believe and it very nearly did finish me off! I stopped to give her a huge hug and to talk to her – I just couldn’t believe that she was there and she had driven over for it. Apparently back at the finish line, Mike O’Reilly, the voice of Ironman, was telling the crowd that there was a woman coming up Tongariro St but that she kept stopping to hug people!

“That’ll be our Jacks,” said Shels to anyone who would listen! And it was.

I reluctantly left Leah and carried on, still shaking my head in disbelief and emotion.

I finally made it to the end and turned the corner onto Tongariro Domain. The lights were nearly blinding, the grass was muddy and deathly slippery. Somewhere, somehow, deep, deep down, I found the strength to run. But I couldn’t just run – I sprinted down that bloody finish chute – I was going to finish in style! But, I was so focused on not tripping up, that I didn’t even hear the words I had been waiting two years to hear:

“Jacky James, You are an Ironman”

Yes, yes I am.

I felt like I was just whizzing down Lake Terrace – absolutely loving Ben’s racing wheels! It quickly became apparent it was going to be a very long and wet day – water was absolutely pouring off me in waterfalls, and I could feel my socks were absolutely saturated. I’d only been going for five minutes and I was already sodden! It also quickly became apparent that it was not going to be a day for my riding glasses – they were just covered in water and fogging up on the inside. I tucked them into my riding top in case I needed them later. I also quickly realised it was going to be difficult to keep an eye on my cycle computer – I would spend the rest of the day wiping away the water to try and keep a check on my cadence!

I can’t quite remember where Di passed me, just before turning into the Napier-Taupo Highway I think – the second of many times we would catch up during the day!

I turned slowly into the Napier-Taupo Highway – incredibly slippery in the wet. I can’t believe I used to dread this hill – now I actually quite like it! I also had the words of Ironman Mel in my head “just think, when you go up it the first time, you only have to do it once more!” – I also changed that to be, I only have to do this once more until the Taupo Half Ironman – a major motivational boost!

Cycled past the Hilton, it just looks awesome at the top of the hill. Round the corner and into Crown Rd. I normally love this part of the ride because I can get some speed up, get some fuel on board and really get underway. Unfortunately, the rain was torrential which meant going much slower than usual, and trying to get food in my mouth without slipping off the road! I successfully negotiated the industrial area and then started heading out towards Broadlands Rd, under the new ETA bridge. This is usually the best segment of the ride for me – I break the ride up into eight – four segments for each lap of the ride. The first segment is from Taupo township, up to Broadlands Rd and then speeding down all the hills to end up on the flats – by this stage, I have less than 20km to go to Reporoa, which is my second segment. That plan is pretty much reversed on the way back. This first segment is normally the best one for me because, for once, I have my weight on my side and I literally fly down the hills – I love them. It’s also my only opportunity to make up some time.

Not today. The rain was absolutely torrential. I had hoped to at least get some speed down the hills, even in the rain, but it was so heavy I had to really slow down – and then I ran into my next problem, the torrential rain was like needles in my eyes – I had to squint and then close one eye and then swap as I tried to get down the hills in one place. It was so ridiculous it was actually laughable – dangerous, but laughable!!

So unfortunately, I lost all the momentum I normally gain on those hills. But I was still making good time and feeling really happy with my progress. I was getting passed by loads of people – but that doesn’t worry me at all – it just means that I beat them out of the swim!

I was so sodden I quickly realised that my sandwiches simply weren’t going to cut it for fuel today. They were already a soggy mess. I decided to grab a banana at the next fuel station. I yelled out for a banana and someone literally handed it to me – the volunteers were so awesome. I had to really stuff it in my mouth though, as there is only a short part of the road in which you can drop rubbish. I wolfed it down, dropped the skin, and got going.

I knew that on this lap it was going to be critical to get down on the aerobars as much as possible – there was a slight head wind, so the aerodynamic position would help with that, but it would also be less tiring. I was a bit nervous because I wasn’t sure if my pads would be slippery, but I slowly bent over and it was actually a relief to be down on the aerobars – and I was still making really good time – even though I couldn’t see the bike computer!

I was also very conscious of taking on fluid and fuel at regular intervals. I have problems with my stomach on the run leg and am very limited with what fuel I’m able to take on, so I needed to do most of my fueling on the bike. Before racking my back on the Friday I had taped eight GU to my bike rail. If you put the insulation tape over the top of the GU packet, when you pull it off, it automatically peels the top off for you. This was an absolutely godsend on the day – in fact I think I kept congratulating myself on it most of the day! Everything was so wet, and my hands were so slippery, that I would never have been able to get a grip in the GU packet and it would have been incredibly difficult to open. Love it when a great plan comes together! I needed to have at least two GU on the way out to Reporoa, combined with some protein bar squares (now very wet) and lots of electrolyte and water.

I made it out to the turnaround at Reporoa in fantastic time – even with the headwind, I was under two hours and absolutely stoked! Also absolutely stoked to see all my support crew out at Reporoa – Mike telling me I’d “had a great ride babe”, his parents, think my Dad was out there too, other friends, just awesome. My support crew was absolutely incredible on the day – and night.

After successfully negotiating the turnaround, I started heading back to town – with a slight tail wind. I was feeling so comfortable I actually wondered if I was dreaming – after all, I was completely wet through and was going to be for another six hours! But I really was feeling great.

I hate the third segment – the first half of the stretch back to town from Reporoa. Its long, flat and completely boring. I have tried and tried to talk myself into feeling better about this part, but it never works! I just kept pushing myself on the aero bars and forced myself to keep pedalling. I was still making good time.

It was about this time that I decided I was going to attempt something new – peeing on the bike! I haven’t tried to do this in training because I never wanted to aggravate my chafing and saddle sores, but I was so incredibly wet, it wasn’t going to make any difference and the time spent on the bike instead of off it would be good to have up my sleeve.

So I tried. And tried. And tried. Unbelievable – I finally make the decision that I’m going to pee on the go – and I can’t!!! I tried sitting, I tried standing, I tried picturing waterfalls. Nothing! I had to give up and made for the next aid station instead. Something that will definitely need some practice before the next big event!

After the aid station I began the climbs back into Taupo. After the long boring flats I relish the opportunity to get out of the saddle and relieve my bottom! These climbs also mean that I’m nearly at Centennial Drive – the awesome downhill before you head into Taupo. Despite the rain I absolutely whizzed down this stretch – by now starting to be over-taken by those heading out on their second lap. Finally I made it onto Spa Rd and I’m heading to town – only to be over-taken by Terenzo Bozzone who is heading into transition! He takes a right, I take a left, and I’m onto the second lap – wahoo!

My amazing support crew gave me a massive cheer as I head through town – and I also get to go through the RATs aid station – such as awesome buzz to collect a drink bottle from Jamie and loads of support on the way. An awesome feeling.

I whiz along the lakefront again, I thought the rain was letting up but no, its back again. I climb up the Napier-Taupo Highway again – for the last time today – wahoo! Mum, Dad and the boys are standing at the bottom of the hill in their Ironjack support crew t-shirts and with their signs – so cute. Then Gina is sitting just a bit further up as well! Tupara and his crew are at the top – so great to see them! I also spot Toni – another awesome triathlon contact I’ve made through Twitter. Everyone was just where I needed them on this hill!

This time heading into Crown Rd I make a quick stop to pick up my special needs bag – and most importantly – my cheeseburger!

By now I’ve been going for almost six hours – its time. I grab half the cheeseburger and stuff the rest into my bento box – making sure it is well protected from the rain. I shove it in my mouth – and its absolutely divine – yup that’s right, a day old, stone cold McDonalds cheeseburger, I don’t think I have ever tasted anything so fantastic in my life!!!

After swallowing the first half, I concentrate again on negotiating the industrial sector safely. I find out later that the current World Champion, Miranda Carfrae, suffered a bad puncture here, followed by Jo Lawn. I want to stay on my bike!

The second lap on the bike includes an annoying little detour to make up the distance. I haven’t actually ridden this part of the route before as it is a private forestry road that only opens the last few days before race day. I whip down Centennial Drive and into the loop road – and its up, a long, boring up. By this time I’m starting to feel a little bit tired and a little bit sore – and I’m starting to chafe on the front part of my bottom. I also tell myself off for forgetting to let my support crew know about this part of the route – I realise its going to take a lot longer to get out to Reporoa this time and they’ll be wondering where I am! I use this stretch to my advantage though and make sure I’m well fuelled with GU, electrolyte and water.

I finally get back out onto the main road and get ready for the downhills. I’ve learnt my lesson going down the hills and put my glasses back on to get down them – slightly faster this time and the momentum carries me a bit further.

I hit the next stage of flats and I get really grumpy! I’m not making very good time – in fact I’m quite behind – and now I have quite a decent headwind. Its making for slow going. My bum is really starting to hurt and I actually have to stop to put on some more chafing cream. I try to stay motivated – and keep talking to myself – out loud!!

I finally reach the last stretch before Reporoa – much slower than last time! Becky and Sue have run down the road to meet me, and Cushla and Nick are also standing at the bridge. Then my brother Bruce and Mike – it is so amazing to see them! Everyone tells me that it will be a tailwind back into town – I’m really hoping so, but I’ve been tricked out here before! I make the turnaround, get my second band from the volunteers and I’m off – and I am absolutely flying!! The tailwind is amazing! I’m ticking along at nearly 27km/hr – unheard of for six hours in and at this point in the road. I don’t think I have ever been so relieved!

At this point in my race plan, I had given myself lots of instructions about staying tough, staying focused and getting home. I actually didn’t need them. The tailwind gave me the physical boost I needed, and the good time I was making again picked me up mentally. I had a feeling I was going to be able to make it.

“Jacky James – you WILL be an Ironman” I kept repeating to myself – yes out loud. If anyone was around me they would have thought I was completely mad, but I didn’t care, I was well on my way to achieving my amazing goal.

The rest of the ride back to Taupo is actually a bit of a blur. I wasn’t feeling any of the pain and fatigue that I had felt on this stretch of my training ride, and I was already starting to think about getting off the bike and onto the run – and getting into some dry clothes!

As I was coming past the Racetrack I was thinking about all the training that had been done. Eight months earlier, there were real fears (from my) that I wouldn’t be able to ride 180km, and I have nearly done it. In particular I was thinking about my friend Kelly who has so patiently ridden with me over that period, coaxing me, supporting me, encouraging me and giving me a good telling  off when I needed it! I reached the end of the Racetrack and Kelly and Nathan were standing in the middle of the road with clappers! I couldn’t believe it! I was so excited to see them!

I raced down Centennial Drive for the last time and turned into Spa Rd. Carl from TriNZ caught up to me in his car to give me the fantastic news that Cameron Brown and Sam Warriner had won the Ironman – just the result I had wanted to hear!

I made the last few turns – with orange Ironjack support crew t-shirts everywhere I turned! The support was absolutely incredible. I felt so special to have all these people around supporting me, it was amazing.

Alarm went off – we checked the weather – rain, and lots of it! Nothing I could do about it now – the forecast had been saying that all week and so I had got prepared for it with extra clothing and jackets.

Managed to get some muesli down, but couldn’t face anything else – toasted the planned bagel but couldn’t eat it!

Car is packed ahead of time and we are out the door! First in the motel – which is packed with Ironman athletes – as well as our friends and whanau.

We were in town so early – about 430am – that there was loads of parking. We got a great park at the Great Lake Centre end of Heu Heu Street. It is absolutely hosing down – we won’t be staying dry today.

We walked into the main marquee for race numbering – no queues, guess everyone is still getting up and getting into town. Awesome surprise, KT from my work is doing my race numbering – so great to see a friendly face and get an extra hug before I go on my way. Handed in my Special Needs bags (including my secret weapon, my cheeseburger for hour six!) and headed into transition to sort out my bike. I had some problems pumping up my tyres when I got to Taupo so I was a bit concerned about being able to do this myself. I knew that I could take it to the bike stand if I needed a hand so just decided deep breaths were in order and tried to stay calm. Its still raining. Managed to get the tyres up first time, so loaded in the rest of my nutrition and got out of there! I didn’t need to be around stressed athletes so since I was sorted, thought we may as well leave. Unbelievably, I slipped on some wet grass on our way past the Great Lake Centre – fortunately all I got was a wet bum, but I was furious at myself for putting myself at risk like that!

We headed back to the car, and were initially just going to sit in the car, but realised that we had just under two hours to go until the start – way too long to sit in the car getting wound up. So we did what every news junkie would, we went to BP, got a coffee and read the paper! Stressed – not this athlete!

Eventually we walked back to the car, picked up my swim gear and started walking down to the start line. It was pitch black and still hosing with rain – I didn’t remember it being this dark at the start last year, but guess the rain clouds were making that worse. Quite a few people heading down the road to the start – trying not to slip in the wet.

I know I keep talking about the rain, but we got down to the start and everything was just so wet! The grandstands, the event brochures, the ground, everything – it was just unbelievable given the sensational summer we had had! I was trying not to think about riding in the rain – because we’ve had such a glorious summer, I haven’t ridden in the rain for about nine months! The only wet weekends we had were with cyclones and I wasn’t going out in that!

Basically, I just started repeating my strategy which is “what will be will be” and proceeded to get sorted for the swim. Into my wetsuit – standing alongside the current world champ, Miranda Carfrae! Made I was well greased and oiled, got Mike to zip up the wetsuit, had my first GU of the day and I was ready. We had a very emotional, tight hug and then I was off – joining the hundreds of other athletes to go through the timing gate and into the water.

My plan was to get straight in and have a swim to check the fit of my wetsuit and goggles. My wetsuit felt great – better than it had for ages. But my goggles kept leaking – I couldn’t get them sorted. Something my friend Ironman Stu said last year came into my head – his aero bars failed almost straight after he got on the bike but he very deliberately told himself that would not define his race – I gave myself the same stern talking to, pushed them on a bit tighter and once again decided that what would be, would be.

Somehow, in the middle of all those 1000-odd swimmers, I managed to find Canterbury Toni and we managed a quick supportive hug before settling in to our places.

And then we were off. Oh my god, my Ironman journey is well and truly underway. All of the last two years have been working towards this moment. Its time to bring the dream to life.

The swim went amazingly. I settled into my rhythm really quickly and found my pace. I struggled to get on people’s feet though – it got a bit chaotic and I kept getting hit by arms and legs so decided to move to the side – I didn’t quite realise how far out I’d gone until I realised I was nearly hitting the buoys on the return leg! Quickly rectified that situation and got back on track. Got to the turnaround and once I went around the second buoy I sneaked a peak at my watch – 41 minutes! Awesome, well ahead of schedule! But I knew that meant I’d had a slight current on the way down, which meant I was going to be fighting it back to the finish. It was a defining moment. I made the decision then and there that I was going to attack this leg and push it the whole way. And I did – which is surprising, because I have never pushed myself like that in a swim. Even when I felt like my arms were going to fall off, I kept telling myself that I simply didn’t need them again in this race, so I could afford to hammer them now. I pushed right to the end and was out of the water in 1h25 – absolutely STOKED! 10 minutes ahead of where I thought I would be. Absolutely thrilled, and boy did I RUN the 400m transition! Along the way I think I saw nearly everyone who had come to support me, people were yelling at me from left, right and centre – including from on top of the cliff above me! I think it was Shels and Alesha – it was magic. I passed Mike and he told me “awesome swim babe”, and then saw Stu and his kids “great start”. I just felt great.

I made it up the stairs in one piece and started stripping off my wetsuit. Grabbed my T1 bag from the awesome volunteers and headed into the tent. Another bonus which gave me a huge lift, my friend Di was just getting into her riding gear as well – it gave me a huge boost to see a friendly face.

I had decided the week before to do a complete change before the bike. If it hadn’t been raining, this would have been crucial to protect my poor saddle-sored bum, but in the rain it was even more critical to make sure everything was dry (at least to start with!) and covered in chafing cream. I was undecided about whether to wear my rain jacket, but one glance at the very grey sky was enough to convince me the rain wasn’t going to let up. Not that it made any difference – I was soaked within minutes! So I layered up, shoved a honey sandwich in my mouth and made my way out to my bike.

Another huge boost, our dear friend Tupara and old colleague Tem were standing at the fence yelling for me. They set the tone for the day really – they would take the piss out of me, and I would take the piss back! It was a perfect distraction! Got to my bike, ripped the plastic bags off my helmet (which had been protecting my cycle computer) and pulled my bike off its rack. I made my way out of transition and mounted my bike – my biggest challenge was underway.

It was an amazing, incredible, very wet and very long day, and while I wouldn’t say that I loved every second of it, I certainly enjoyed it and I’m am absolutely thrilled to have achieved my goal of finishing before the cutoff.

The recovery has been pretty good this week - the last of my muscle soreness went yesterday - but some major fatigue set in instead. As a result, my brain is a bit mush-like and I’m not quite up to writing a full race report! However, I just got into trouble with my Dad for not having a blog post so here are the key facts and a photo instead! The full blog post is coming I promise!

Swim
Swim Time		01:25:46
Swim Rank		1110
Age Group Rank		62
Averages
Average Swim Time		01:10:04
Average Age Group Swim Time		01:12:41
Average Female Swim Time		01:13:57
Speed
Km/hr		2.6
100m Average		0:02:14
750m Average		0:16:46
1500m Average		0:33:33
Swim-Bike Tran
Swim-Bike Tran Time		0:12:23
Swim-Bike Tran Rank		1124
Averages
Average Swim-Bike Tran Time		00:07:56
Average Age Group Swim-Bike Tran Time		00:08:43
Average Female Swim-Bike Tran Time		00:08:34
Bike
Bike Time		8:14:00
Bike Rank		1234
Age Group Rank		67
Averages
Average Bike Time		06:07:26
Average Age Group Bike Time		06:35:23
Average Female Bike Time		06:37:49
Speed
Km/hr		21.8
45km Time - 23.0Km/hr		1:57:24
90km Time - 23.5Km/hr (+ 2%)		3:49:09
135km Time - 21.3Km/hr (- 9%)		6:20:15
180km Time - 21.8Km/hr (+ 2%)		8:14:00
Bike-Run Tran
Bike-Run Tran		0:11:13
Bike-Run Tran Rank		1193
Averages
Average Bike-Run Tran Time		00:05:03
Average Age Group Bike-Run Tran Time		00:06:05
Average Female Bike-Run Tran Time		00:05:40
Run
Run		6:42:44
Run Rank		1217
Age Group Rank		67
Averages
Average Run Time		04:35:44
Average Age Group Run Time		04:50:50
Average Female Run Time		04:53:45
Speed
Km/hr		6.26
Minutes/Km		9.34
12km Time - 7.82Km/hr		1:32:39
32km Time - 6.68Km/hr (-15%)		4:47:01
42km Time - 6.26Km/hr (- 6%)		6:42:44
Total Time : 16:46:04
Averages
Average Total Time		12:08:19
Average Age Group Total Time		12:55:37
Average Female Total Time		13:02:31