Iron Jack

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

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

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

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

“Sounds like a plan,” said Coach.

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

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

Fantastic. I felt better immediately.

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

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

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

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

“Okay,” I grimaced.

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

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

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

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

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

Its getting easier and its an amazing feeling!

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

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!

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.

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.

My back creaks from neck to toe.

But not from sore muscles.

Unfortunately, I’m suffering from one of the worst cases of sunburn I have had in years and years.

Being a redhead, I’m generally pretty careful in the sun. I fry easily - I do then tan, unlike most redheds - but I definitely tend to pink very quickly.

I managed a quick 1km swim in the outdoor pool at lunchtime on Friday - and came out with a distinct tan line. I even reminded myself then, that after just 20 minutes I’d collected a tan so it was time to sort out some sunblock.

Saturday dawned fine and clear - slightly cool and a bit windy, but definitely one of those “summer is coming” kind of days. I’d already done my 6km run - and got very hot while doing it. I talked myself into the car and on to the pool. A 2km drill set with a few 500m lots at Ironman pace thrown in for good measure. I wasn’t convinced I was up for it but jumped in regardless. I was so focused on the fact that I didn’t want to be there, I completely forgot about the sun, and the crystal clear water which would amplify its rays.

As I headed off I really didn’t want to do 2km. In fact, for most of the swim I was battling it in my head. By the time I was halfway I decided to just do a bit more; by the time I’d done two-thirds I decided I may as well finish. I was also congratulating myself on my stroke which was decidedly better than its been in a while.

My 2km done I jumped straight out the pool, threw on a towel and headed home. After a quick shower and an even quicker nap (Toby is teething, oh happy days!) it was time to throw some glad rags on for a family photo. I was starting to feel a bit pink and sore on one shoulder - and noticed I’d developed a million new freckles on my forehead - in the shape of my bathing cap. Very attractive.

“I caught a bit of sun today,” I said to Mike as I jumped in the car. “I’m going to have to get sorted with some more sun block for the next swim.”

Several hours later I went to slap some aloe vera gel on my shoulder - and caught sight of the rest of it. Bright pink, the whole way down my back and down the back of my legs - all in the shape of my speedo togs. Ouch. Won’t be forgetting the sun block again!

It was a cold, crisp evening as about ten of us lined up our bikes and wind trainers facing Rotorua’s Blue Lake. It had been a stunning day, warm in town, and I’d been looking forward to the season’s new brick training session all day.

RATs, our local Tri club, has spent winter Wednesday nights spinning in a local gym. Its usually packed with up to 40 plus people lined up with bikes, wind trainers and extremely loud music doing super-efficient spinning sessions with Lawrence. With the onset of daylight savings, and the 2009/10 tri season, winter Wednesdays have made way for outdoor brick sessions instead.

You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque setting. Rotorua’s Blue and Green lakes are located about 10 minutes drive from town, and are renowned as one of the must-see tourist spots in New Zealand. When you stand at the lookout in between, one lake - the Blue or Tikitapu - looks electric blue to the eye; turn around and you take in the Green lake or Rotokakahi, which looks a sea-green.

In summer we use the lake for open water swim training, we run around the lake on a 5.5km forestry trail, we bike on road and in forest across the area. Its an amazing outdoor wonderland and its right on our back doorstep. Lucky? You bet.

So anyway, we line up on the lakefront on our stationery bikes. Yes I am the first to admit that we must have looked like a bunch of idiots. A cold bunch of idiots at that. My day-long daydream about how we would be sitting in the sun, in front of a still, crystal lake was rapidly blown as soon as I arrived. It was blowing hard and straight into shore. So we’re sitting on our stationery bikes, with five layers on, and blue fingers and lips.

And we’re off. A very intense spin session (approximately 10 minutes), designed to mimic a hard road ride. A loud shout from Lawrence and we’re jumping off the bikes, into our running shoes, and taking off up the hill on the first of two laps. I thought I was going to be sick. I reached the top of the hill, rounded the cone and honestly thought I was about to keel over - this is, of course, on the back of a serious tummy bug where I had lost five kilos in four days. But I made it back around the bikes, and around again for the second lap.

Back on the bike for the next spin session. Long and hard. And off again for another two laps. And then the next spin session and off for a three lap run. And a final burst and then cool-down.

It was the hardest training session I’ve ever done. I hurt everywhere. And I LOVED it! I was on the biggest buzz and am still buzzing today, over 24 hours later. Of course I can’t walk properly because I hurt so much, but I’m already counting the sleeps until the next one.

I’ve been for a training run with my Dad. I’ve been for a training run with my sister. And now, finally, I’m proud to say that I have been for a run with my husband!

It’s been many many years since I attempted to run with Mike. He’s quite fit and fast and “springy” when it comes to running. When we used to run in Auckland, well before children, it never used to work. I couldn’t run fast enough to keep up with him, and if he tried to run slower with me, he would either end up walking, or over-heating and with a migraine. So we’ve pretty much just run our own separate ways every since. Until now.

My new job means training has to fit around work - rather than work fitting around training as it has been for the past six months. It also means we have to take every opportunity we can to actually see each other! Hence, a joint running session that would achieve both. With the boys in daycare, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

So on Monday we met on the corner halfway between our offices and drove to the pool. From there we headed out running. The aim was to do 30 minutes easy.

“Woah, this is hard going today,” I managed to gasp.

“That’s probably because you’re going much faster,” says Mike.

Turns out that he was only going a little bit slower than he normally would - not a whole lot slower like he used to.

“Cool,” I gasped back.

So with him just going a little bit slower, and with me actually going quite a bit faster, we got through our 30 minutes and then carried on a bit further. We ended up with a 40 minute run and a 5.2km distance completed. About five minutes faster than usual for me. Fantastic. And it was a good run too. I actually managed to have a conversation most of the way around as well.

We grabbed a quick shower at the pools and then headed back to work. A good run done well. Nice.

I had an outstanding 60 minute run in the Whakarewarewa Forest yesterday - a massive improvement on my 60 minute run in Auckland City last week!

It was a gorgeous day, clear blue skies. Absolutely freezing, but warmish in the sun. I hadn’t been running in the forest for a while. I’ve had quite a lot of work on so have been trying to be efficient with my time and just running around the streets of Ngongotaha. 

But what a difference. I felt like I was skipping off into the forest. The air was fresh and my feet felt light. And my ear phones stayed in - also a major improvement on last week.

I find it difficult to run without my MP3 player. I don’t have any problem riding without it - and I feel safer not having anything blocking up my ears while I’m riding on the road. And obviously I don’t wear it in the pool! But I do need my music for running - and the louder and harder rock the better. Much to Mike’s disgust!

Without any fore-planning, the music that came on randomly yesterday couldn’t have been better. A variety of different Live songs (my favourite band), U2, Pink, Daughtry, Stone Temple Pilots, a bit of REM, and then some odd Simon and Garfunkel and Nina Simone for good measure. It seemed that every time I hit a hill, the beat would pick up and I would sail up the hill. And just when I needed some slow relief as I went down a hill, I’d get what I needed. Perfect.

I don’t expect that everyone can run to a mix of hard rock and jazz, but it seems to work for me!

Who knew that a run around the designer footpaths of Ponsonby would be nearly as dangerous as running in my beloved Whaka* Forest?

Tree roots, rubbish, holes in the footpath, pot smoke in the air, it was more like a commando obstacle course than central city Auckland. I had to keep my eyes on my feet for practically the whole run. But it did keep me amused. In fact, I found all sorts of things very amusing on my run around Auckland city earlier in the week.

I arrived in Auckland on Monday around lunchtime for a meeting with my business coach to help get my life sorted. Its about to be one full-time job, one consultancy job, one family with children and dog, and one Ironman training plan.

Enter Russ the wondercoach stage left.

After an excellent planning session I left his place feeling a lot more confident that I’m going to be able to fit everything in. Of course it is going to require some sensational planning skills (which is what Russ is for), good organisation on the home front (which is what Mike is for) and some early nights for me.

Anyway, I checked into Sky City Hotel, got suited up and headed back out the door.

I was scheduled to do a 60 minute run - my first ever full hour run. I have done “run 7 min and walk 3 min” sessions for an hour, but never running for the full 60 minutes. I had decided to head around Westhaven Marina - mainly to get my plodding, oversized running style away from the busy city footpaths. Of course I had forgotten that I had quite a few streets and people to get through first before I got to the waterfront. So naturally I headed off at a fast pace so I looked like (despite my size) I was meant to be heading out for a run! Fortunately it was mainly downhill.

I got to the waterfront and just about fell over. I had completely over-exerted myself in an effort to make myself look good. Lesson learnt. I absolutely plodded the rest of the way around. But I got there and that is the main thing.

As I was running along Ponsonby Rd**, I couldn’t help but think back on some words from Lee-Anne when she was kicking my butt into gear at one point…

“Do you know what I think when I see people out giving it a try and going for a run?”

“Oh look at that poor old soul, at least she’s out there trying?” I suggested hopefully.

“No! I think bloody good on them. I could never do that.

“And that is what nearly everyone else out there is thinking as well. They’re thinking, I could never do that. But you are, and that’s what’s inspiring everyone around you.”

And when I was running along Ponsonby Rd, past the designer shops, past the beautiful people in their designer black, carrying designer coffees and designer handbags, that’s exactly what I thought.

“Good on me. I am out here doing this. It might not look pretty, but I am bloody doing it.”

I did crack myself up a number of times as I came across the absolute stereotypical Aucklander (there is no place like home), but mainly I just enjoyed the fact that I was out there doing it - and getting myself closer back to the hotel with every step.

I cruised into Franklin Rd and here’s where the obstacle course comes in. Franklin Rd is one of the nicest streets in Auckland. Its very steep (I was going down) and is filled with beautiful old villas and lined with lovely old trees. At Christmas time all the houses have Christmas lights and you have to queue to get down there to have a look.

I had purposely chosen my route to end going down Franklin Rd because I thought it would be a nice finish. Wrong! Steep downhill is not easy, its actually very hard - and the footpath was an absolute mess! The trees are very nice to look at, but the roots are completely cracking up the footpath and I had to tread extremely carefully to ensure I didn’t end up expecting them in front of my nose. It felt like an age to get down that street. Again, very amusing.

I got back to the hotel and was asked by the concierge if I’d had a good run…

“Actually, not too bad,” I replied.

*(for international readers, Wh is pronounced (faka) - and yes, when pronounced properly it really does sound like that!)

**posh shopping/cafe area in Auckland