This will somehow sound very similar to another blog I wrote
at some stage over the past 12 months. So many events have blurred together and
this week I’ve struggled to think straight. I began this blog about 6 days ago
as my Challenge Gold Coast report. At the time I was still experiencing
disappointment with how I’d ridden the shortened bike course, however within
about 20 seconds on Thursday morning I completely forgot that I compete in
triathlon all together.
So in regards to Challenge Gold Coast I will keep this short
as its importance is minute. Two weeks out I rode the course as it was already
becoming notorious. Having done the course on a dry day, the torrential rain
that set in a few days before the race bought with it panic about the dangerous
decent. About 30km into the ride is a 150-200m climb of 20%. The cause for
concern was actually coming back down the climb as there were a couple sharp
corners at the bottom of the steep hill, made worse by a relatively narrow
road. With athletes likely to be travelling in both directions at the time the
pro men and women would be descending there was the potential for it to become
a giant slip’n’slide with head-on collisions.
I headed to the Gold Coast in the pouring rain on the Friday afternoon to stay with my wonderful home-stay family from Singapore 70.3 2011. Even though
David and Susan are still living overseas, their lovely daughter Lauren is
living in their home at Runaway Bay. Saturday morning saw more rain and it looked
as though it wasn’t going to give. I did a little spin on Lauren’s windtrainer,
a short jog in the rain and a quick swim at Nerang pool before heading to pro
briefing. The questions on everyone’s lips was would we be riding ‘the beast’
and when would the call be made about a contingency plan. 5pm that afternoon
the decision was made to cut the bike course to the out and back section of
Currumbin valley making it only 40km. The swim was to remain 1.9km and the run
21km. I had my pre-race meal and tried to sleep…. Which failed miserably. I
heard the hour bell at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 12am and 3am. My alarm went off at 4am
and I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. More food, coffee and more rain. Driving
from Miami to Palm Beach the rain got harder and harder. I decided to
ditch my warm up run and half put my wetty on before leaving my car! Thankfully
the rain seemed to ease once I made it to transition.
Renee Baker & I setting up in a damp transition
The water was a fair
temperature and the swim course was fairly straight forward. The pro women
started 1 minute after the pro men. I knew I had been swimming well (especially
in the open water) and was over the moon to still be in the main group when we
swam under the bridge (well over the half-way point). Just before we turned
right at the southern buoy a large pack of age group men came over us like a tidal wave.
This was not only frightening as they didn’t even try to swim around us but no
doubt this would have an effect on the bike course and the overall outcome of
the pro women’s race. It’s the first time I’ve ever panicked in the swim leg, I
honestly thought I was going to drown. Next to me Matilda Raynold’s no longer
had her goggles on and our little swim pack was blown apart. I exited just
behind Renee Baker and left transition just behind her and Maddy.
The bike leg
was somewhat disappointing for me. Renee and Maddy disappeared up the road,
Matilda and Belinda soon passed me and then Christie Sym caught me and we
continued to yo-yo a little until she dropped the hammer around the 35km mark.
I just wasn’t feeling it on the bike, which is unusual for me as it had
previously been my strength. I came into
T2 just behind Christie. I was really hoping to break the 1hr 30min off the
bike half marathon and set off on pace at 4:05-4:10pace. The run was quite
uneventful. Christie and I ran together until the first turn around where I
managed to move away from her a little securing myself in 10th
place.
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The run is an interesting two laps with some technical sections and a little up and over hill on the out and back section. I finished up in 10th place which was okay given it was my first race back, a very strong pro field and then in retrospect after the events of the week following. I was especially happy to finish smack on 1:30 for the half marathon which was a PB for me in a 70.3 run.
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The run is an interesting two laps with some technical sections and a little up and over hill on the out and back section. I finished up in 10th place which was okay given it was my first race back, a very strong pro field and then in retrospect after the events of the week following. I was especially happy to finish smack on 1:30 for the half marathon which was a PB for me in a 70.3 run.
In regards to the race, I must make special mention of Miss
Motivate aka Michelle. She kitted me out with the most striking Smashfest Queen tri kit for my
return to long course.
Michelle has been incredibly generous in fitting
me out with appropriate swimwear, training gear, socks and race kits. She is
passionate about women in sport, making them both feel and look good as well as
being an incredible support person to me throughout this year. I am also grateful for her honesty when I was
beating myself up after the race in making me realise some home truths. http://www.missmotivate.com.au/
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Finish shoot- pic courtesy of Natalie Dellow
On Tuesday I was kindly offered an entry to compete in the
Sunshine Coast Half Marathon by Jason Crowther which was exactly what I needed after Challenge
Gold Coast. On Thursday I went out for a 2.5hour ride before doing a quick
interview with 7 Sunshine Coast for the half marathon:
I then headed off Nambour to
see my surgeon for a three month review. This was my first appointment since my
radio-active iodine treatment in May and I was eager for some good news and
hopeful for a step closer to remission. I had a neck ultrasound the week prior
and bloods done on Monday. My surgeon asked me ‘has anyone spoken to you about
what these ultrasounds show?’ They hadn’t.
A lymph node we had been watching was now a concern. My cancer was acting aggressively. The radio-active iodine doesn’t appear to be working & my thyroglobulin level was rising. More scans & more surgery.
That’s about all I heard. Then; numbness, shock, an elephant
siting on my chest & disbelief that my fight continues. I needed a conscious reminder to
breathe.
The worst day of the week though was facing 13 patients back
to back on Friday. I don’t really remember the day at all. There were waves of devastation
intermittently hitting me. I used to think that work was a great distraction
but it was the last place I wanted to be. I just wanted to be screaming and
breaking anything I could get my hands on….. not so great when touching people
all day. Work is no longer a great distraction.
I can still barely put into words exactly how I’m feeling.
The Half Marathon was a good focus to have and I quickly organised as much
socialisation as I could. Thai and a shared litre of ice-cream with Vanessa
Friday night, ride and coffee with Mick Saturday morning followed by a catch up
with an old college friend. Then straight to the pool for 3km with Ben, baking
and cooking and crashing early. Broken sleep is a horrible side effect from bad
medical news. Somehow the subconscious knows that something is up even when you
are asleep.
Sunday morning I got up early to have a proper breakfast before
jogging down to Alex Headlands where the half marathon started. Good mate Adam
was a pacer for a 1:24. I told him my plan was to run out like I was doing a
10km, hold on as long as possible before a spectacular explosion. I pretty much
executed my race plan perfectly!!!! I ran out pretty solid, through the 10km
mark in 39:38, held off Adam until about 12km and then stuck with him for about
another 1.5-2km when the wall hit. I finished off in
6th with an official time of 1:26:02 for what my garmin said was 21.2km (4:04/km). I
was over the moon with my effort after a horrible week of adversity.
I
painfully jogged home, met Sarah for breaky before heading out for an easy 90 minute ride
then realised just how exhausted I was. After a little lie down then I met with some
friends for a well-deserved wine.
I have been overwhelmed with messages of love, support and encouragement from around the world. I have an incredible support network that are so generously offering support from all angles; trips to appointments, coffee, wine and ice-cream binges, ears to vent to, shoulders to cry on, home cooked meals and simple messages of thoughts and love. The treatment plan at present is still unclear. My CT yesterday doesn't show any bulky metastasis in my lungs but I now need to go for a PET scan for further investigation. I will revisit my surgeon next week and at this stage surgery is booked for the end of next week. Follow-up treatment is still also an unknown as now the standard treatment is no-longer effective. It is hard to put into words just what I am feeling at present. I'm still numb with shock and outside of my doctors most things people say don't make me feel any better or worse about the situation. I move through days just existing at present and not really living. One foot in front of the other and one day at a time is about all I can do at present.
I have been overwhelmed with messages of love, support and encouragement from around the world. I have an incredible support network that are so generously offering support from all angles; trips to appointments, coffee, wine and ice-cream binges, ears to vent to, shoulders to cry on, home cooked meals and simple messages of thoughts and love. The treatment plan at present is still unclear. My CT yesterday doesn't show any bulky metastasis in my lungs but I now need to go for a PET scan for further investigation. I will revisit my surgeon next week and at this stage surgery is booked for the end of next week. Follow-up treatment is still also an unknown as now the standard treatment is no-longer effective. It is hard to put into words just what I am feeling at present. I'm still numb with shock and outside of my doctors most things people say don't make me feel any better or worse about the situation. I move through days just existing at present and not really living. One foot in front of the other and one day at a time is about all I can do at present.
Rachie xox
