En route to TAUPO!!!

Well it’s almost here. It seems like yesterday I caught up with my new coach Grant to plan my start to 2012. I had been training with him for about 2months at that stage and seen my flat mate finish off an Ironman block and lead 90% of the men’s race at Ironman Busselton. I had severe race envy that day tracking friends through that race and also Phuket 70.3, which is probably my favourite race in the world.  So I set about thinking which Ironman I would make my first. I didn’t have a lot of racing planned for early 2012. I thought that racing multiple heavy weights in the sport at Melbourne would leave quite a bitter taste in my mouth so looked abroad. New Zealand was first up on the IM calendar. Close to home, relatively cheap to get to and at almost the most ideal time of the year for me to race and recover from an Ironman in the lead up to my 70.3 season. 

Grant was enthusiastic that it was realistic, only ever giving people a 9 week ironman block- which meant starting exactly that 3 days later. I picked 2 long course races 2 and 4 weeks out from NZ which I wasn’t to back off for but use as purely prep for NZ. That was hard- one- putting the ego in the cupboard and not performing to the ability I know I have and two- physically so tough when you feel sub-average at trying to push through a 4+ hour race. However two 3^rd places and a little coin still weren’t bad results. If I can keep my run of 3^rd places through to Saturday I’ll be more than chuffed!

The block has been ideal. I think I called it quits during only one ride where the weather conditions of torrential rain became dangerous and sketchy. Aside from that and many other wet rides, exactly like what Taupo can put on race day, my training hasn’t missed a beat. Sure there have been days where I’ve been in a foul mood and rather than jump out of bed with a smile on my face, drag my tired, resisting body to Geroge my nesspresso machine, to push me out the door. A lot of the training has been egged on purely by scaring the hell out of myself of what’s to come this weekend.

This time last week I was on an emotional and mental rollacoaster, finding myself in the middle of my last long run in the cane fields screaming at the top of my lungs. It’s funny how all those feelings of apprenhension, nervousness and worry can be shifted in a single second.

So out riding with the crew on Saturday morning- last longish efforts/ longish ride before the taper. I had been training a lot with one of the other blokes; Luke, as him and his partner were both booked in for NZ IM too. Having raced it himself last year and done a few IMs before (and very well at that!) he’s been a great source of knowledge, encouragement and advice in the lead up. So we’d finished our session and were rolling easy for a little longer around the riverbank. It’s a narrow one lane road, but relatively quite with minimal traffic. We did however this morning encounter a big bus oncoming but as traffic doesn’t move quickly around here we were able to go single file onto the grassed shoulder to pass the bus. The boys manoeuvred around the bus a bit faster than me leaving a 10m gap. As I tried to close the gap up ahead a dog ran out between them and ran straight into Luke sending him over his handle bars- him one way, his bike another. I dodged the crash and stopped thinking that he’d landed on his back and seeing him get up straight away I thought- oh he’s ok, until he said ‘my shoulder’s gone’. A very large AC- joint disruption (well actually a grade 3 which is in turn a dislocation) and what I thought was potential a clavicle break (how it wasn’t I’ll never know) and all he could say was ‘there goes 10weeks of training’. In that second my fears were replaced by the appreciation of the privilege that I still get to race this weekend and how unfair it was that someone who had trained just as hard as me (if not harder as Luke holds down a full time job as well!) as well as safely and cautiously, doesn’t. So since then I have wrapped myself in cotton wool and changed my mental state within my race prep.

I know Saturday will be the hardest race I have ever done, although let’s just say I’d much rather be doing an Ironman than racing that Abu Dhabi race again. There will be a point I’ll reach which will be the most further I have ever swam, ridden and ran before- this will be my first marathon too! So aside from finding some deep down inside to get me through it, I know someone will be spectating that would have given anything to have been out there as well.

So that’s about it. I’m at Wellington airport en route to Taupo to stay with a home stay Anna and Jon Winn, thank-you for opening your home to me. Tomorrow is a pretty busy day with training, massage, rego, briefing and trying to get some recovery and sleep in there. Friday a little bit of moving and racking the stead and then all set to go Saturday. Only 8 pro girls on the start line, but a pretty stella one at that. I am the last seeded pro- being the rookie! Prefer to fly under the radar.

New race suit printed and ready to go, however with the wet forecast with a temperature range of 9-14 degrees it may be covered most of the day so I don’t freeze!

So I will report back when I am an ironman (hopefully!!!!)

Oh and thanks G-banger! Game on ;)

Rachie xo

Huskisson hit out

Huskisson Long Course- this race was what it was. I came off the end of my ironman block, didn’t back off for the race and raced to the best of my ability on that day. Flying to Sydney on the Friday and surviving Sydney traffic to get to Nowra late afternoon. Saturday saw some shorter sharper sessions for pre-race prep and unfortunately I was feeling every km from the past week still in my arms and legs. Registered, racked, ate and went to bed. Pretty tired still on race morning but stranger things have happened in a race. I set up as early as possible to make sure I could get a long warm up in. The swim was incredibly beautiful and at the most furthermost point out I could still see the bottom of the ocean. I actually had quite a good swim with a 29:30 for 2km- which isn’t bad for me! Came out 2^nd out of the water behind an ITU racer and with the gap only being about 40seconds out of T1 I thought- great, I can do this! Spoke to soon….. I was gaining on her but not before the two girls behind me passed me and left me for dead. Further up the road I could see the three of them riding away from me as I struggled to turn my dead legs over. There were three laps on the course- with rollers (which felt like mountains to me!) a ride through town and the country side. The third lap became quite congested and I was dreading how much time I had given away by T2-  it was about 5minutes- not devastatingly bad, not fantastic either. Still the last lap on the bike I was nervous about having to run 20km! Took off feeling relatively good, realising that 3^rd wasn’t too far ahead, but moving a bit quicker than me. No change in position throughout the run & i lost a bit more time to the leading lady. So I crossed the line in 4^th position.

Packed up my bike on the side of the road, had a shower down at the beach and headed back to Sydney to get home ASAP to recovery, refresh and get set for IM NZ. At the airport I checked the results from the race and it had me placed as 3^rd female. Turns out the girl that crossed the line in third didn’t serve a penalty and was disqualified. Not nice for her, but respect for the officials who were doing their jobs well imposing penalties on drafting. So not all bad considering the state I went into the race. I would really like to return to Husky next year fresh and ready to give it 100%.

Thanks Orca for my great new race kit, Mizuno for a never ending supply of shoes and apparel, Ryders for the eyewear and Enervit for keeping me fuelled. Big thanks to Compressport Q for Quads for holding my niggly hammy together for the race!

Back into the grind now. The real count down is here, now only 10days until my Ironman debut in New Zealand. I am going into the race the rookie and the nameless athlete, and nicely enough the youngest pro female!!!!

Rachie xo

Hell of the West take 2

So a couple days later and my body is still in shock from my first race in three months- well first one I got to finish. My quads, hammys, calves and feet are still unhappy. I was thinking about backing up this weekend at Geelong long course, but right now I’m really happy that I decided against it!

So I decided to go back to Gundi again. I did leave with a bitter taste last year but the Gundi tri crew are wonderful and the race itself, a bit of a toughie. The Gundi guys were happy to have me back and it was a great excuse to catch up with my oldest friend from childhood Kirsten as she was competing in the swim for a team and her boyfriend Ben in the run for another team. Left around lunchtime on Friday- Gundi is about 450km from Lennox and thought I’d be there around 5 or 6pm QLD time. Most people are aware to the incredible amount of rainfall western QLD and NSW had had with Moree 125km south of Gundi being split in two and my hometown of Roma going underwater for the 3^rd time in about 2years. I lived there 21years and never saw a flood! Gundi was right in the middle of all the flooding. I got to Tenterfield and luckily stopped for some fuel and was greeted by a local:

“Where ya heading love?”

“Off to Gundi.”

“Can ya get there? It’s flooding ya know!”

“Yes, I know, but I’ve checked the roads on RACQ site and the roads look to be open.”

“Tune into the local radio station, that ‘ll tell ya more. Good luck mate!”        

Lucky for me I did! I got 5km down the road towards Yetman and heard that the road was closed- I would have travelled about 100km before I got to the closure- so back up to Stanthorpe- Warick and then straight out west! What a journey! Got there are 7:15pm!

Dinner at the pub catching up with my good friend. This was actually one of the highlights for the weekend seeing a local 16/17year old kid Benny Nelson as the entertainment. This kid was amazing- Jason Maraz’s ‘I’m Your’s’, “sweet home Alabama’ and an original piece. This kid needs to get outta Gundi/ Warialda because he’s something special!

Off to bed, up for an early morning ride out along the course- flat tyre- great got that outta the way ;-) then a swim at the pool, sleep and a run in the arvy before briefing. Due to the excessive amount of rain the week leading up to the race, the swim had once again been shifted to the botanical gardens. This changes the entire format of the race to 2km swim, then a 3.2km run into T1 before the 80km bike and then you make up the remaining 16.8km of the run. The swim starts in the dark. It is 3 laps and becomes a washing machine of bodies after the first lap. When I was running back into my 2^nd lap a wave was starting! I found myself swimming over and around people for the last 2 laps. I gave 2minutes away to super fish Kym Janke, coming out of the swim 3^rd female with Sarah Crowley hot on my heels, passing me within a few hundred meters on the first run. I passed 2nd swimmer out about 1km in. Onto the bike and it was a long lonely 80km where I failed to put any time into Kym and Sarah rode a few more minutes into me. In saying that, it was the most ideal conditions. Normally known for an extreme headwind for the 40km back into town, bike records were smashed with Kym, Sarah and myself all riding faster than the previous female bike course record. Kym and Sarah came off the bike together and i had unfortunately given them both a 5minute head start onto the final run. The 3 lap run course becomes quite busy 2nd and 3rd times round but it does have some nice shady areas. I didn't put any time into either girl so crossed the line in 3rd. So even though I was 2nd open female, I was actually 3rd overall. I have raced against Kym since starting triathlon and she's always been a consistent solid competitor and this is the fittest I've seen her, watch out for her at IM Melbourne as I think she'll be taking a spot for Hawaii!!!! Sarah's a phenomenal bike/ runner and i think you should watch out for her making a mark on long course triathlon in 2012.

It was really nice to be out on a course where some of my training buddies we on to. To see Berkel almost run down Ollie and Luke (who’s doing the same training as me for IM NZ) come in 3^rd male overall. So top three males where all Aeromax boys! Congrats to Matty Wilson for doing his first triathlon! Why he’d do Gundi is beyond me!

So for me Gundi was a great day to blow out the cobwebs. I wasn't thrilled with the end result but it's nice not to be injured and not to get a flat tyre for once!!!! (After having 3 in 3 out of 6 races I did at the end of 2011!) Still positive of the day was taking 16mins off my time from last year on the same course, so I need to be a little less hard on myself!! I’m definitely heading in the right direction.

Next up will now be Huskisson long course as the Sri Lanka 5150 was cancelled so I want to have one more hit out before the big one IM New Zealand in just under 4 weeks! Flights and accommodation is sorted so it’s really happening!!!!!

Rachie xo