I started this blog this morning and still haven’t finished it- it reads boring- I swam I biked I ran- I finished Auckland 70.3 in 13th position which was a less than desirable outcome but let’s not dwell. So we’ll say- yes I have thankfully returned to racing and that hopefully I’ve got my shocker out of the way for the year! Positive notes were that the swim and the bike are definitely heading in the right direction…. The run let me down but wallowing is just time out of training to improve it! I wasn’t expecting something spectacular, especially when I chose to line up against one of the strongest 70.3 fields outside of the 70.3 world champs! I needed however to get back into the game. I am a racer- I love to race (sometimes too much!) and I need to remind myself why I flog myself day in and day out in training- cause nothing beats the feeling of racing!
There have been a lot of changes in my triathlon life and life in general. I had started training under Matt Koorey in November. This has definitely been a good decision, even if the weekend didn’t reflect it, it’s beside the point. At present we are trying to build fitness and what I feel is attempting to undo some of the damage that has been sustained over the previous 12months, this in itself will continue to be a work in progress. Miracles don’t happen in triathlon in 8 weeks! And in retrospect those past 8 weeks have been quite unsettled and haven’t been ideal in leading up to a championships race.
Personally I hung out in Ballina/ Lennox until the 2nd week of December for a few reasons. Firstly my wonderful roomies that I lived with for the year got hitched on the first weekend of December. Potentially the best wedding I’ve ever been too and after having watched the two of them prepare for the big day the whole year, wild horses couldn’t have stopped me being part of it. A few days later I packed up my life into the back of the Festiva and headed north back ‘home’ to the sunshine coast.
Me and the stunning bride Amy
Ben the groom and I
Mr & Mrs Rippo! (& me!)
The second reason I waited was due to the work side of things- I finished up with the boys at PhysioPlus in Lismore/ Ballina- a huge thankyou to Tony and Emile for having me and being very tolerant of my ‘triathlon’ lifestyle which saw me take off for 6 weeks mid-year and being quite pedantic that work hours fitted with training (not vice-versa!). Thankfully with a little pleading my awesome boss back up here at Warana Sportscare begrudgingly took me back into the clinic ;-) I have worked with Adam on and off since 2008- he’s seen me move from age-grouper to full time working pro- to full time pro- back to semi pro! I couldn’t have a more understanding and supportive boss. He was also kind enough to allow me to house sit whilst he and his family took off to Europe for 3 weeks which gave me time to find somewhere to live. So I’m now in my 4th home in the past 18months- a lovely unit on the top of Buderim with spectacular views of Kawana and the sunshine coast….. That however means hills hills and more hills!
So the lead up probably wasn’t ideal now that I’m back to being ‘semi-pro’ as work was quite busy and I was pushing the limits to get the training done/ work finished/ pack and think about what I had to do the weekend coming. I was up at 4am Friday to get to fly to Auckland. Travel was a breeze with the flight, catching my transfer to my hotel, the hotel itself being an absolute bargain in the heart of Auckland and my bike travelling unscathed. A massive shout out to my great mate Ben Marshall (Performance Bicycle Tuning) who is probably one of the best bicycle mechanics going around. I first met Ben at the Port of Tauranga half in early 2011. Since then every time I’m in NZ Ben goes out of his way to make sure my stead is race ready. This time I received VIP treatment with Ben showing up at my hotel on Friday evening to spend an hour and a half making sure my Cannondale ‘Mint’ Slice was running good and proper! Thanks a tonne Ben!
So putting that one in the training bank and moving on. Next month I will head back to Huski to do the long course triathlon. Easily the nicest race I did last year in the world! The elite energy guys do a fantastic job at organising this event and to anyone considering stepping up to long course in 2014 this would be the best one to start with!
Thank-you again to my wonderful sponsors; Cannondale (CSG), Mizuno, Enervit, Ryders eyewear, OSHE, Orca, Allez sport Mooloolaba & Cyclezone Mooloolaba- your ongoing support and sponsorship is appreciated.
Rachie xox
