Timing is Everything...

As Tri Alliance manned two drink stations as part of IMMelbourne, we were provided with two entries into any IM races in Australia for 2012-2013 - this included IMWA in Busselton 2012 (sold out) IMAus at Port Macquarie and IM Melbourne which opens its entries today 30th March at 11am.

The "Golden Ticket" lottery was available to all Tri Alliance members and if you volunteered, you get a double chance into the draw. I entered into the lottery. Why? Why not?! This is not a scholarship which is given to an athlete who deserves it most, it is a lottery. Tri Alliance did make it clear that you only enter if you are serious about the training loads and about the dedication you need to have to do this event. I am a dedicated person and would be humbled to have won the ticket (for IM Melbourme) and would put my honest heart and soul into training for this. I even said to a few of the girls in the squad - if I get it, it would be awesome, if I dont, its a sign that I am not ready.

The draw occured this morning at 9am and the winners were Alex and Andy from the squad. Even though this is a lottery and not a scholarship - I would still say that they are both deserving winners. Great guys!

As for me - I would love to enter as a relay team for IM Melbourne 2013. I would love to do the 3.8km swim and the 42.2km marathon. Just need to find someone to do the 180km bike ride in between the swim and the run! I think entries for relay team open later in the year so would be good to assess then. I would have done 2 half marathons (October for Melbourne Marathon and as part of the Shep 70.3 halfironman) - IM Melbourne is 12 weeks (or so) from Shep. A marathon should be do-able.

IM Melbourne for 2014 is definitely on the cards. If everything goes to plan, I would like see if these are on the horizon over the next 12-18 months:

Noosa 2012 - Confirmed
Shepparton 70.3 2012 - Confirmed
Geelong Long Course 2013
Singapore 70.3 17th March 2013

I would love to do a race overseas and not too far from home so thats why I chose Singapore 70.3. I know family there and it would be a great environment to race (hot & humid). Hawaii 70.3 would be an awesome race to do as it is in a similiar location to the Kona Ironman course but the amount of money needed for this event is too much. Flights $3000 - $5000, accomodation $100-$200 per night and living allowances would mean that I would have to save $5000 - $10,000 for a race. Singapore would be much cheaper and in an environment which I am very comfortable with. It would also be a great spot for my family to support (mum & dad may be able to go back to Malaysia on their way through and Kai being in Perth).

Before I forget - I purchased my ROADID today. I highly recommend everyone to buy (and wear it) when you are out on your bike or even on your run. It has proven to be a great asset by Michelle from my squad when she fell off her bike 3 weeks ago. When the ambulance came, they knew her name and her medical details.

Just as I type the final words of this entry - IMMelbourne 2013 sold out in less than 5min.

Lessons Learnt

Yesterday, 25th March 2012 was the inaugural Ironman Melbourne. Ironman is the "true" triathlon distance of 3.8km swim, 180km ride and a 42.2km run. As part of this event, Tri Alliance were manning 2 drink station along the run course. The first was Mentone at the 22km mark and the second was at the 38km mark at Elwood. I was at Mentone from 11am onwards helping to set up and manned the "food" station from about 12 - 6pm. My shift was suppose to be from 12:30-4:30 but it was hard to leave the station as the triathletes were going through, I just didn't want to miss out on anything - its a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Many people have a goal of doing an ironman distance triathlon one day. Yes I have to admit that it has been in my mind before when I first saw the Ironman event on ESPN when I was in my teens. It was only when I did my first swim in the pool, my first ride on a bike or even my first ever proper run did I realise how hard doing an ironman distance actually is.

My longest triathlon distance to date is an Olympic Distance which is a 1.5km swim, 40km ride finishing off with a 10km run. I have done 2 of this distance triathlon before. The first being at Noosa 2011 (no wetsuit swim, hot and humid conditions with one steep hill), the second being at Geelong Feb 2012 (long 1.8km wetsuit swim, hard undulating ride and a hilly run). My next distance goal is my half ironman at Shep 70.3 - 1.9km swim, 90km ride and 21.1km run.

Before doing an ironman distance, personally, I would need to do at least 2 half ironman distances (or long course equivalent) which includes one race overseas. I would really love to do my first ironman distance in Melbourne. Doing the Ironman distance in Melbourne has its advantages which outweighs its disadvantages:

• Knowing the course - its terrain, wind directions, temperatures
• Having friends and family close by to support throughout the day
• Little to no additional money needed to be saved apart from the $800+ or so for registration - no airfares, no accommodation, little to no living expenses needed

With such an epic event to go through, the last thing you want to do is worried about the unknown. 

Doing a triathlon race is as much about the mental battles to get through this event and not just how your body can physically get through 14+ hours (this is the time I estimate my ironman). I must first get through my goal of my half ironman and embrace the journey along the way - it will be tough, no doubt about it.

I think if everything goes according to plan and I still have my health and my body is able - an ironman will be a goal to tick off. I know that my body will not be ready for Ironman Melbourne 2013 - 362 days will not prepare me for an ironman. Maybe it will be (near) possible in 2014 but will this goal be too early to achieve? To some - they say yes, you can do anything if you put your mind to it, believe in yourself, believe in your dreams. To the realist, the perfectionist, the logical - I will need time to train my body to do the distances, I will need to prepare mentally to overcome the fear of failure and fear of injuries.

Yesterday during the 15 hours I was out there volunteering and supporting, it was the most incredible experience I have ever had in my life. I see the pro (professional triathletes) come through, they didn't even look like they were in any pain whatsoever through to the average joe and jane who signed up and with the sheer determination, wanted to finish this race within 17 hours and call themselves ironman. It was amazing. I had so much fun yesterday helping people out in the run leg and handing out lollies and bananas. It was amazing seeing the people I know through Tri Alliance go through this event. It was also mind blowing that Ollie has his place now at Kona, its going to be an amazing year ahead for the club. 

You are better than you think you are...

Tonight, Tri Alliance was treated to an evening with Joe Gambles (supported by Ascend Sports) then there was a small presentation by Dax Stanley, one of the guys who trains with us.

I enjoyed both presentations but I could relate to Dax's story more than Joe's. Joe would be one of the guys who had always been good at sports, competitive and will only compete in a race if he knew he would podium. Joe is an elite athlete, he is sponsored. Dax on the other hand, only started triathlons 3 years ago to lose weight and get fit. He use to weigh over 100kg and only started to watch for his weight due to 'fear'. Fear is something which Dax brought up this evening as one of the motivators in his life. Doing triathlons and losing weight because his fear at that time was about being there for his son. Now he is raising money for his ironman in support of colitis which is what his wife Amanda has. Although Dax is sponsored in small ways, he still has a full time.

Which brings me to the most lightbulb moment of the evening. There is definitely pressure in being a full time athlete which many age group triathlete out there don't realize. Many people just want to quit their job and just train and race. When you take things into the real world, no brand want to associate themselves to someone who won't be winning races as their competitors names are being seen by winners, not average triathlete. If you don't have a good race, there is a pressure that the sponsorships can be withdrawn. You also have to pick the races which will bring your sponsorship the biggest exposure. Forget your small no name, no media and fun triathlons. You have to race with big name (fast) triathlete as they are the ones that attract the money.

I guess that is what I have always said about mixing money with your hobbies. A hobby is no longer a hobby if money is brought into it and it no longer becomes fun and thats when you enjoy it less which eventuates to you moving onto the next hobby. I guess I am still enjoying triathlon and it is also part hobby/part using it to maintain a good weight. There is no way I am want to be a professional as one, I know that there is no way I am fast or good enought to be a professional and secondly, I don't think a professional triathlete lifestyle is for me. I like being 'home' and having my dog with me. Being a professional triathlete would not only require an increased load in training but you have to constantly prove to your sponsors that you are worthy of their money. I am doing triathlons for me and not for someone else. That's the most important thing.

To cap this entry off, Dax said something which will remain with me for my build towards Shep.

"You are better than what you think" with this quote, I will now consider myself as a triathlete - which is something which I have never thought I deserve the title of.

I AM A TRIATHLETE!!

The Race

On the 30th Jan 2012, I registered to do my first half ironman event. This event is a sanctioned 70.3 ironman event at Shepparton on the 18th November 2012. For those who are not familiar to what this event is (or even what a triathlon is about), there will be 3 main legs.

The Swim - The race starts with a 1.9km swim. For many, the swim is the hardest part of doing a triathlon as (for me personally) the hardest to learn as the sport is very technical. In 2008, when I did my first triathlon as part of the Brooks Fun Tri (now commonly known as Active Feet Fun Tri) organized as part of the Supersprint series, I trained so hard to just do 300m in open water. Since joining Tri Alliance, I am more confident in the water as I am more aware of technique and what is required to be a more efficient swimmer. A full ironman swim leg is 3.8km swim. I have swam close to this distance as part of the Jalna Big Bay swim from Port Melbourne to Williamstown on 26th Feb 2012 of 3.2km.

The Bike - the halfironman ride is a 90km time trial ride. What is the difference between an ordinary 90km and one which you have to do for a triathlon? For a triathlon, you have to ride your own race. You are not able to draft off another triathlete and you have to ride fast on your own fuel and determination. I have ridden several distances over 90km before but never on a tri bike (always on road bike) and never had to do a half marathon afterwards. This brings me to the next (and last) leg of a triathlon.

The Run - the last part of a half ironman triathlon is the 21.1km run off the bike. I have done 2 half marathon runs in my life and both were done in 2010. As part of my build towards my half ironman, I will be doing several running events during the winter training season which includes 10km Run Melbourne, Perth City to Surf and the half marathon as part of the Melbourne Marathon running festival. My aim for this half marathon to be done in October is below the magical 2hour mark.

The total half ironman distance must be achieved within 7 hours. I am aiming to be as close to 6.5 hours as I can.

Swim < 00:50
Ride < 03:30
Run < 2:30

My demon which I have to overcome will be my running ability. 2011 was a terrible year for me, my legs and the ability for my to run. I was injured 7 days prior to Run Melbourne due to overloading and poor technique and I have had a few set backs even after Noosa 2011 due to shin splints.

It is not just the care I need to take when it comes to running which I need to be aware of, it is also my enthusiasm for running which is nothing - compare my swimming and cycling. This is something which I need to learn to enjoy. I guess I will love running when I see myself actually being good at it and also achieving the goals I have set out to tick off my bucket list.

For the moment, I need to set some time aside for my first running event for 2012-2013 which is the 14.38km Run for the Kids which is on the 1st April 2012 which is also the same day as Tough Mudder Melbourne and the last triathlon for the season at St Kilda.

New Beginnings

I decided to start a new training blog to focus more on my journey towards my first half ironman. Minus my personal life and concentrating on my goals.

Here's to a new journey.

Nissan Corporate DUATHLON

Yes, you heard that right. I did another Duathlon! Due to the crazy rain we had during the week and over Saturday, the Nissan Corporate Triathlon became a Duathlon. The 400m swim was replaced by a 800m (400m beach, 400m concrete) run. Same format as last year.
I was the second person off after Lidia. Pretty much after I saw her getting into T1, I decided to not wait around too much and decided to wait within the transition area known as the "pen" due to the fencing and the number of people squeezed in an area. It was interesting to see the dynamics of the people in transition. Some people don't pay too much attention and didn't realize that their team mates haves finished. There was one guy who got angry as he waited for like...2 minutes and when his team mate came through he mentioned that he had been waiting and was not happy!! Even the commentator said "calm the farm down" followed a friendly reminder to people that this is a fun event!!! Chill out!! God I would not like to be in her shoes (the team mate) having to deal with that person!

Run 1
This part was not too bad. I kept a good pace but there were people who were quick off the mark and sprinted past me. I was trying my hardest to stride out and increase my cadence but a sand run is difficult. I had passed a few people and even more during the run into transition. Running on concrete was difficult as the small rocks and hard surface was not nice. I am glad that I ran bare feet as shoes would have been difficult! Last thing you want to do is get sand in them.

T1
This was LONG! The transition area itself was long. As we were running on wet grass, I was able to pass a few people which was good. As I had my sunglasses on during the first run, all I had to do was out my helmet on and off I went with the bike. As I was pushing the bike on the saddle, I passes a few people too.

Bike
I actually found this part to be difficult. I had trouble getting my shoes on as my feet were so dirty and wet. Eventually I had my left feet into the shoe and strapped in but took forever to put my right feet into the shoe and the strap was not prepared properly so I rode the entire way with it unstrapped. It was only a 10km ride anyway so it didn't matter. As I had breakfast at 4:30am and nothing else to eat and I raced around 9am, I was low on energy. Thank god I had a gel taped to my bike. I wasn't going to but thank god I did! That was the only form of energy I had and I took it about 3km into the ride. I passed many people on the ride and only had 2 people pass me (one guy looked like a triathlete) and another guy looked like he wash keen cyclist. I found it tough on the bike as the roads were wet and my legs were not cooperating! Gotta do a long ride next week before Portarlington.

T2
I couldn't do the tri alliance dismount as there were too many people. There was also a slight hesitattion as it was this race 12 months ago that I fell off my bike and had a minor concussion. I didn't wear a hat for the race so all I had to do was put my shoes on, ventolin and my just in case gel in my top and off I went.
Run
The beginning of the run was not great. My legs were hurting and my chest was also in pain. After a few hundred meters, I could pick up my pace more and I made sure that I was under 6min/km. Good news was that after the initial warm up, I was actually running close to 5:15-5:30 pace which was awesome! I kept telling myself, "all you got to do is a 4km run today and that was it"! I kept increasing my pace and whenever I felt my legs decreasing in speed, I just picked out people in the run that I decided that I was going to pass. Best run ever!

Overall, my time was close to 53min according to my garmin. Oh, and I forgot to press lap on the bike so I just decided to just leave it and record the entire thing as a long run! I will know which part is the ride as the pace and speed picks up.

It was a fun day. Kraft put on a great spread but I was not hungry and just had my protein shake and drank water. I did have a few pieces of bacon from the spread but nothing else.

The uniforms we had was another thing to note!! Bright yellow and green!! Not the most flattering of colors! And thank god I was able to exchange my (small) tri suit to a 2 piece men's outfit as it fitted so much better!! I prob won't wear the top again but the shorts were great!

Another race done and dusted! One more to go. Let's see if we can pull a rabbit out of the hat for this one hey!

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

As the uniforms we had to wear last weekend were yellow (and green) - they are not the most flattering colours for the body. As I was wearing a two piece (male) - it did not sit well during the run as you can see from the photos below. Once again - a word of warning - pictures may bring a bout of laughter - you may pee your pants.

The Big Bay Swim - 3.2km

This morning, I did the Big Bay Swim from Port Melbourne to Williamstown. The route is 3.2km but due to the strong currents and the lack of markings of the route, I my swim would have been close to 4km. This swim is an absolute Personal Best. I have never swam this distance before, not even in a pool and this swim would be in the deepest water ever!!

The girls who did it with me were Claire, Renee, Lidia and Juzzie. We were all nervous about this swim as it would be all our longest swim. We all arrived there around 8am but we had plenty of time to chill out especially as the swim start was delayed due to a tanker being in the way.

The swim was a special one. We were first blessed by Father Bob McGuire. It was a heartfelt blessing as we acknowledged the owners of the land and also gave a blessing to a good swim by all.

When the start gun went off, many people ran into the water. At this point, I was one of the last people in the water, I was so relaxed and didn't even swim until I was chest deep in water!

Once I started swimming, it was fine. We had great directional mark ups up to the 1km mark. After that, there was nothing! That is also when the currents started to pick up and I was in deep deep water! My body was sinking as the waves were picking up. I have never had this sensation before in an open water swim. Shallow water waves (like the ones at Elwood, Sandringham or Brighton) is nothing compared to swimming in the deep ocean. The waves were so strong that at some points, my elbows were not high enough for the waves and were crushed upon impact.

The currents and the lack of direction brought me away from the shore which was a worry. Looking up, I could not see anyone in front of me. Not realizing that I had swam too far away, I had to stop a few times to let the lifesavers tell me where I am suppose to go! There were seconds of worry during the swim as I was in the middle of the ocean!!! But I ploughed through the waves and just kept swimming.

When a lifesaver finally came and told me that I needed to go around the pier, I knew that I was nearly there. The last few hundred meters were pretty satisfying. When I knew where I had to go, I swam faster and more efficiently and passed several people. I saw many people at the finished line and that's when I realized how far off course I had swam. I came in after Renee (she had a coffee in her hand at that point), Clare and Lidia. Juzzie came in shortly after me.
I completed the swim in 1:08:15 and depending on the distance I actually swam, it was awesome. I enjoyed the swim, even with the waves and being in the middle of no where.

Check how oily I am?!

"so....I didn't win this race did I?"

After the swim, there were some showers and a place to get changed. We relaxed a bit and waited for spot prizes to be announced. As not many people were there, the organizers made sure we would win something. I won some cupcakes, (Engine) swim cap and goggles.

It was a great day and another great achievement that I would never had done over 2 years ago. No worries for the Shepparton 70.3 swim of 1.9km now. It is just a matter of being able to ride 90km followed by a half marathon!!

Great Day!!!

Geelong Olympic Distance (OD#2)

Today I raced my second Olympic distance triathlon as part of the Geelong multisport festival over 10-12 Feb 2012.

I should add at this point that I fell off my bike during a training ride on Saturday morning. We walked through much of the sand/gravel before the ride and so much sand was in my cleats. We were doing a course familiarization of the ride course and when it came time to turn around at the lights, I could not get my cleats out of the pedals...there was nothing left to do but to fall off my bike sideways. Luckily there was no traffic on the roads so I fell (as gracefully as I could) on the road. The result of the fall was scrapped knee and elbow, bruises on my quads, groin and hip from the fall itself and the bike falling on my legs. I also have bad whiplash and my neck hurts!!! Will see the physio on Monday.

Throughout Saturday, the rains never stopped!!! There was so much rain that they recorded over 16mm of it but the triathlon still went ahead (BIG phew!!!) As we checked in our bikes in on Saturday, all we had to carry to transition was our bag and pump. I went into transition and took a while to set up everything as my bike was naked!! I bought some pit stop yesterday so that was something new which I added on the bike along with my drink bottle, gels, repair kit, spare tube and for the first time - my shoes on the bike.

After we watched the long course people get through T1, we got into our wetsuits ready for the swim. Not sure if the time for the start was also delayed for the Olympic distances but we got into the water to warm up and off we went.

Swim

God the swim was long...the swim is 1500m but it felt like it went on forever. The first 600m, we swam past 2 red bouys and turned at the white one then we swam past 2 more red bouys for the 500m that also took a while. The hardest was the 300m as people from other age groups were catching up to us and it was hard to see where I was actually swimming to!! I read that you swim towards the ferris wheel so that's what I did. The last 100m was also hard as it was not easy seeing where the swim finish was. During the Gatorade series, I would say that my swim is not down the bottom of the pack but I guess you wouldn't sign up for a race like Geelong unless you know that you can swim 1500m comfortably. I came out of the swim 37 out of 41. I didn't push myself hard enough in the swim. There was several moments where I was trying to swim past people but they were totally blocking me. There was even a girl who was doing back stroke the entire way through the swim (panic much!). When I got my direction and breathing right, I worked on my technique and making sure that I was stretching out as much as I could and also pulling through right. Must work on this for 2012-2013 season.

T1

Transition was good, time to put on the race belt increases transition time but everything else went to plan. Not having to put on the shoes was great and being able to run to the mount line bare feet also helped. For the first time, I also put on the helmet before the glasses which also worked as I had the glasses on top of the race belt.

Ride

God the ride was hard. I really need to work on the ride as my cadence was so low!! I drank too much on the ride and finished it at the 22km mark but thank God that there was aid stations and I grabbed a bottle of electrolytes and filled up the bottle and I had more water to survive the rest of the race. The ride through the salt marsh was disgusting....the smell was foul!! The rain had also stopped but the roads were still wet which also slowed the ride down. I wasn't too comfortable on the ride. Due to the fall the day before, my left knee was bleeding and my left elbow was swollen. To lean on the tri bars on the ride was proving to be difficult but I had to find my "good spot" to hold onto for 40km. Must work on the ride more on the Felt bike. I did ride past several people and even took over few people on the hill climb which was good. Even better, I overtook a few people on the descent too (which is a first).

T2
I dismounted well off the bike! I was very proud of myself and I didnt have an anxiety attack or shaking profusely before the dismount line. Getting into transition, it was a bit of a run through mud and wet grass. It was a matter of placing the bike on the rack, taking helmet off, putting on the shoes and grabbing my cap....off I went. Due to the rain, extra preperations were needed to keep things dry. I had several plastic bags so I placed it on top (covering) the running shoes and also folded the towel differently so the towel was keeping my things dry which worked.

Run

The run was surprisingly very good. My legs were hurting but after about 1km or so, I could get into my running rhythm and kept as much as I could at running at pace of < 6min/km. I tried pacing at 5:30min/km but there were a few hills and that slowed me down. I also walked through several drink stations so that slowed my time down. The run through the park was good and when we went through the transition area and up the street, that's when it started to hurt running. I was running out of energy bad and had to resort to my wild bean shotz gel. Unfortunately I had no water with me so swallowing of the gel was hard and thank god for another aid station before the finishing line. Yes, the run hurt and my run time was slower than Noosa but I felt good during the run. I also ran with my Newtons for the first time in a race which worked out great. I had several blisters on the back of my ankles at the end but only noticed them during presentations. No shin splints to complain about either.

Here is a photo I took post race.

Anxiety & and the art of a graceful bke mount

What the hell is a bike mount you might ask?! Well in the world of (sprint) triathlons, one should never come out of transition with bike shoes on ones feet and mounting their bike after the line only having ran several meters (sometimes hundreds of meters) in a uncoordinated manner as bike shoes have large plastic attachments called cleats. In the world of sprint triathlon, running out of transition barefoot saves you seconds. Seconds which may place you between coming first, getting a podium placing, top 10, top 20...you get my point.

Anyways getting back to the point of this entry, after training with tri alliance for over 2 years now, I have finally found a way to mount the bike with the shoes still clipped in without worrying if I am going to fall over and crash my woman bits on the top tube. Instead of doing the hop-hop method which for over 2 years I have tried to master, I am using the right foot on pedal and swing left leg over seat (aka reverse dismount) method. This method only works if I am on the large chain ring due to the momentum I get from a quarter turn of the 54 teeth chainring and I generally stay in the large chain ring for the entire race anyway. I am no longer spinning my legs over the small chain ring anymore coming into T2. Keeping my ride and spinning on the larger chainring is sufficient. I have not done a tri alliance dismount since my stack of BRW 2011 where I fell off my bike and had a concussion. I actually practiced it today and it is something which I am now comfortable doing in a race.

Alright, what about the Anxienty part? Well when coach Greg had us to demonstrate our bike mounts, I had an anxiety attack. My heart rate shot up and I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. I felt like I needed to spew and tears were rolling down my face. My anxiety stems from my fear of disappointment. This is something which I need to work on. I felt the pressure (especially being a coach) that I needed to know how to mount a bike especially as I have been training with the group for over 2 years. My fear of falling and bringing shame onto the group was playing havoc on my anxiety.

The anxiety attack went on for about 30 minutes or so, even after I had mastered the bike mount. I do need to practice and be more efficient at mounting, placing my feet on the shoes correctly, putting my feet into the shoes, doing up the straps and then doing all that backwards for the dismount part of the race.

I am so glad that I have learnt how to do this part of the triathlon and now I can practice on getting better at it and the other legs of the triathlon especially the run.

Gatorade Brighton Race - A Race Report

So yesterday I completed my first race for 2012 - it was the Gatorade Race 3 - Brighton. It consisted of 500m swim, 20km ride and a 5km run. I haven't done a race since Noosa and this was just a training session to see what I needed to work on before Geelong Race on the 12th Feb 2012.
Nutrition
The day before the race was my cousin's wedding. This meant that I was not able to rest my legs, drink my electrolyte/water requirements and consume enough carbohydrates. At least this race was only a sprint distance as I would not have enough energy to complete an Olympic if it was the case. The only carbohydrates I had for the day was a bread roll during dinner.

Swim
For once, I was not nervous about the swim as part of the triathlon. I had done plenty of ocean swimming over the last 2 months and have done several distances over 500m (having done several 1km swims). I knew the 500m course which supersprint sets up as I had done several of their swims at Elwood having to compensate for the duathlons.

My swim time was about 12 minutes or so. I know that I had completed the 500m quicker as this time included the run up the beach and also the run up the ramp into transition which would have been about 2min or so.

My sighting was better and I actually swam past people during the course which felt great. I did also swim past several swimmers which were in the age group before me too (but that is probably due to their swimming and not mine). NO asthma attacks and I was comfortable throughout. I even increased the intensity from about 300m onwards and swam over a few people who looked like ther were slowing down. I know that I need to swim faster in the water but this is attributed to pushing my threshold and also better at swimming through people.

T1
There was nothing I could work on in this leg as I did everything I would do usually. My wetsuit removal was good and went according to plan. I would just have to do things slightly faster.

Bike
To be honest, I could have pushed myself harder on the bike but I knew that I had to save energy for the run leg. There was a southerly so a head wind was felt when we rode towards Black Rock. Coming into Brighton was a great ride as I reached speeds of up to 45km/h. I overtook several people on the bike. I swam faster than both Kerri and Kathryn but they overtook me on the bike by a few seconds.

T2
I didn't have an opportunity to dismount properly due to the crowds. In transition, putting on my shoes and cap I had to remember to take the Garmin off the bike and put it on the wrist. I could have gone through T2 faster but at least I remembered everything I needed (such as my gel and my Ventolin).

Run
I felt better on the run this time around compared to previous races. After the initial few hundred metres or so, I could keep my pace to < 6min/km. I tried to keep the pace around 5:30min/km throughout and made sure that I didn't drop well below this pace. This is something which I will need to work on and ensuring that I am able to push to closer to 5min/km during the last km or so before the finish line. Legs are ok from the run and only a slight pain around the groin area was felt but it wasn't too much of an issue. Gel was taken at the 3km mark which gave it plenty of time to kick in and also enough energy to finish.

My overall time for the triathlon was 1:22:55 which was about 3 min slower than what I calculated (my ride and run was 1:08 and I was counting on a swim to be < 12min) but overall I felt good throughout and had fun for the day. These sprint distances should be taken as a fun race as they are used to indicate what I need to work on.

1km Open Water Swim

I signed up to do the 1km open water swim as part of my work (NDY) participation in the Corporate Games for 2011. I have only participated once before in corporate games and that was when I just joined NDY but participated as part of GHD's dragon boat race.

So why the 1km Open Water Swim?

• I dont do team sports - never have and never will - This is why I am doing Triathlons (as an individual) as I dont like letting people down and the race is my race and no one elses.
• I have improved my swimming
• I just did 1500m as part of an Olympic Distance race (no wetsuit)
• Its a small field

So Melbourne's weather has not been great recently. Its been raining and raining and raining....It started to rain on Friday and some were hoping for enough rain that the event will be cancelled.

A small part of me was hoping it would be cancelled....but at the end (or early morning) - I decided to bite the bullet and drive all the way into South Melbourne where the event was and just get through it.

I think there were 7 females 30-39 who signed up but only 5 registered. The relay team went off first (4 x 250m). Then it was the individual race which was 4 x 250m loops - gets dizzy and I always (and did) lose count.

It was quiet choppy and the waves were severly high but it was not as choppy as Sandringham on a bad day. I did the race but came out with a time of about 27min or so....

I did not do that well in swimming in the right direction and kept getting swept away from the bouys and so I think I did a 1500m race rather than 1000m....nothing new to me!! It seems to always be the case - I will need to gauge the currents better and swim with sighting more often.

I was feeling ok during the swim but I was one of the last people coming out of the water (the males went off first so that made a difference in the pace perception). I thought I came 5th but ended up coming 4th so I earned 5 points for the company.

I think my technique was ok during the swim but I do need to increase my speed in the water and swim at T4 more...I think my pace is still set at T2....

Things to learn:

• Sight sight and sight
• Swim faster (increase my swim fitness)
• I have signed up to do Ryan's technique classes (in Jan) so hopefully that I am able to attend as much as I can as I am away from 20th - 30th Jan.

Overall - pretty pleased with myself for doing this 1km swim. I am keeping active and doing something which not many people would even contemplate doing.

90km MS Gong Ride

The Gong Ride
The ride went off at a shaky start. First both Aaron and I forgot our numbers where we rode to the end of his street so therefore, we had to quickly ride back and got the bibs. The ride to Sydney park proven to be tricky as the roads were not smooth and the cars were not that friendly (Sydney). Even at 5:45am, the cars were everywhere, maybe driving their bikes to the starting point.

We tried to start as a group as much as we could but there were approx 10,000 cyclist on the roads for this event, there was no way that we could keep together riding on the bike lanes and having so many traffic lights on the way. The ride out of Sydney was tricky. There were some nice hills and due to the mud, it was hard to cleat back into the peddle.

I lost the group after a while but that didn't bother me. I didn't stop at the first 2 stops and just rode through. Through the national park was amazing. It got pretty cool at this point and my heart rate went down as we were descending. Some of the areas were really steep and I dont have enough confidence (and bike handling) to go down these hills fast without applying on the brakes (for safety).

After one of the large hills, I stopped at one of the drink stops to take a photo of the scenery. The views were amazing!

There were a few accidents on the way into Wollongong which halted the ride for a while at some of the intersections. I lost the group even further in front as there were more descents which I was not comfortable about going down.

My entire trip took about 4:20 this included the meeting point in the morning as well as the scenic stop and the traffic stops. There were some areas where I just got tired and was not peddling at a very high speed or cadence.

Overall, the weather was wonderfiul but my lack of training showed. Will I do this event again next year? I would have to say no. It was great to experience it once but next year, I will set my sights on other events. It costs too much to do this event if you include flights (and accomodation if required) - my flights cost me about $450. Its an expensive 90km ride! Glad that I have done this event and now I have an NDY cycling jersey which I can wear (its actually an awesome one).

Noosa Olympic Distance 2011 - A Race Report

Thursday 27th Oct
I arrived in Noosa on Thursday 27th Oct - my day started super early as I had to be dropped off at the airport at about 5:30 to allow for check-in of an oversized baggage (my bike) for my 7am flight. I had about 2kg overweight and took some out into my backpack which meant that I only had to pay for 1kg over the weight limit $15 and not $30 for 2kg - I need as much money as I can spend at the Expo (this little lady has priorities!)

I flew into Sydney first before the 2nd leg of the plane ride into Noosa. When I arrived, we got into Henry's shuttle to go into Hasting St. I was staying with Sally and Nola and Tim at Ocean Breeze Resort which was next to Saks where the main TA crew were staying. Ocean Breeze was an interesting place to stay - the decor was very old and the general amenities were old. The floor was also dirty with sand which I found annoying and swept a bit before the rest of the group arrived. I unpacked my bike (which only took a couple minutes. When the rest of the group arrived, we unpacked and went downstairs to Cafe Le Monde for lunch. They had an alright menu for lunch but nothing beats their breakfast.

At 4pm, we had a run session long the run course so I did about 7km within the hour or so at a good (but not too hard, not race) pace. We then went to the Life Saving Club for dinner and I ordered the lamb salad which was soooooo good I ordered it again on Monday night.

Friday 28th Oct
Friday morning was a ride session along the bike course. The Garmin hill was not as hard as I thought and I could ride up that hill very comfortably...then started to rain (bad) which resulted in a pretty hard-core training session.  After the ride, we ventured off to the Expo where we registered and I bought a few things:
- CompressSports Calf and Quad guards
- CO2 cannisters (as you are not able to fly with cannisters)
- Endura Gels (I didn't bring my grape ones)
- Noosa 2011 Singlet

We had a general browse around the expo which was awesome and I had my eye on a few things to get the next day if I wanted to. There was a swim session in the afternoon which we did about 1km of the 1500m course. There were sea lice in the lagoon which stung a bit when we were in the water. The course was very calm and flat and Ollie showed us where to swim and what to look out for. I was comfortable about the swim as it was flat.

We had a group dinner that evening which I had bolagnaise (pasta - carb loading). After dinner, we ventured off to get ice cream - I ordered maple macadamia which was delish!

Saturday 29th Oct
We had a mini training day as this was the day before the race. We did a small 10km ride along the run course, a small 3km run along the course followed by a quick swim in the lagoon up to the other side (about 200m). We had a brief session about transition;  what time to rack bikes (in the pm) and what to do for the day such as keeping hydrated and staying out of the sun. I went back to the Expo and bought a few more things
- Eyeline swimwear
- Newton Running Shoes

At about 3pm, we took our bikes into transition to set up. I was on the 30-34 rack, they dont have allocations nor do they split males and females. It was all bunched up. Luckily, there were some spaces towards the end of the rack and I put my bike in its position, noticed the trees and signs around me for my spot and let some of the air out of the tyres - this is needed as the tyres get hot overnight and some explode in the morning.

We had a massage from one of Nola's friend's daughter the day prior to race day which was a good way to relax ourselves before the big day. After the massage, we packed what we needed for race day. For the next year, we need to arrange for the massages to happen on the Friday.

No Wet Suit for the swim as the water temp was 24.1 degrees (YES!)

Sunday 30th Oct - Race Day!

I had mixed emotions about the race. It would be the longest distance I have ever done and to think that I have to start the race off with a 1.5km swim, a ride in the middle and end it with a 10km run. Reflecting back a few years ago, I would have to had some really descent training (in those days they would have been intense) and may have completed the 10km over 1:10 without a swim and a ride prior to it. 

My swim start wave was 7:33 - Female 30-34 surname L-Z so I was in the same wave as Kerri, Briana and Rowdy - Purple Caps. The other girls in my age group were Lisa D, Jayne (who now lives in Syd), Lee and Berit - Bright Green Caps who had surnames of A-Z but in the wave prior to mine.

The start of the swim was not too bad. I was off to the right and started the swim off comfortably. I swam around the bouys and around the island well and it was at the T-intersection where we have to turn right (instead of left which we did in training) for about 200m and do a U-turn. The swim up and around was fine - it was only the last leg of the swim where things fell apart. The lifesavers were directing us towards the middle of the lagoon (where as Ollie told us the best swim was around the right edge) and so that confused me but we then had to make a slight right to go around the next bouy so I was pretty confused. The last swim into the shore was difficult and this is where I feel the most improvement can be made in 2012.

In transition, I took off my cap and goggles and put on my cycling shoes and belt. I ran out with my bike and off I went on my bike leg. The ride itself was good except we could feel a headwind all the way. I was also one of the last people out of the water so I was playing catch-up to the people with J labelled on their calves. Garmin hill was not an issue and I even passed several people. Next year, I know that I can get up that mountain much faster. The ride after the mountain climb was quite uneventful. I tried as much as I can to not be demonitvated by riding with good tempo and trying to keep momentum whilst down on the aerobars.

I did pass several people and it was great when we turned around. Instead of going down Garmin hill, it was a hilly descent and I got up to 50km/h on the bike (had my brakes applied). The ride into the town also taught me a few lessons for next year. I took my feet out of the shoes WAY too early (we are talking about 6km too early) which meant that I couldn't ride effectively and I was also spinning my legs way too early too.

In T2, I was feeling exhausted, I put on my shoes and had a little 2sec rest before heading out on the run. The heat was starting to build up quick and the 10km run on the course was starting to hurt. I ran past a few people on the course but had many strong runners run past me (happens every race). I must learn to train my body to run through the pain of heavy legs and to breathe better. Luckily the residents in the neighbourhood had their hoses out and were cooling us off. I did stop a few times as my (left) glute was killing me. I must make an appointment to see Lakeside as I think it is a Sciatic nerve issue as my left hammy is also tight and my right shoulder is tight.

The last 1km of the run was pretty amazing. I had Roofi (one of the guys from TA) cheering me on to run faster (and I did) which made a massive difference in my time. The run past the TA group was also amazing as it gave me so much motivation and encouragement. I finished my first Olympix Triathlon in 3 hours and 5 min.

I want to do this race again in 2012 and achieve a goal of < 3 hours. I already know where I can improve and I will try my hardest in the next 12 months to achieve this.

After the race, we got some food in our stomachs and went to Reef hotel for an afterparty celebrations of the race. There were presentations at 4pm where Sarah (Rocket) Grove got 3rd place for 25-29F and Ryan Bourke for 2nd place for 25-29M. They are both very fast.

The night was ok. I had a bowl of pasta for dinner and a few drinks but I was so tired. We ended up heading to get some icecream before heading to bed.

Monday 31st Oct
This was a non-eventful day. We had massages booked in the afternoon but spent most of the day just lying around. I went to the beach. Had a few meals here and there...

We had dinner at Paddy, Lisa, Pam and Sam's apartment in Ocean Breeze for the evening. The discussions got a bit heated about TA officials so we had to change the topic to our future goals.

Tuesday 1st Nov
This is Melbourne Cup day. We first had breakfast down at Aromas (Sally & I) and then we got back to the apartment to get ready for Cup Day. We paid $50 for a ticket at Ricocos but it was not worth it at all. The food was average and the drinks were so expensive. The music was crap and the people were old and fake. It was not suited for a young crowd at all. I would have preferred to be at the lifesaving club and be able to go to the beach.

Wednesday 2nd Nov
This was the last day in Noosa so we went for a swim at the beach before packing up. I lost my favorite pair of goggles in the waves and was sad :( as they fitted so well. My flight was at 12:45 so we got a Henry's Shuttle at about 10:45am. I was on the same flight as Kerri, Dave and Damien.

OVERALL
My first Olympic distance triathlon was completed in 3:05 and I know the areas which I need to improve on:

Swim
- I will need to be a more efficient swimmer and next year will be a different story as I would know where to swim.
- Strength and Core Work needs to be included into my schedule - THIS MUST IMPROVE

Ride
- Learn to mount bike with shoes on - I can't hop on the bike due to the length of my legs so I need to learn how to ride with my feet on the bike and put shoes on whilst riding.

Run
- Learn to run off the bike more - need to do regular Thursday night sessions and run off the bike after long rides on Sundays. Even if it is only for 20min or so.

THE Kinglake Ride

Today was the Kinglake Ride which starts at Whittlesea - Arthurs Creek - St Andrews - Kinglake - Glenburn - Flowerdale - Humvale back to Whittlesea. This is a 120km route and this year was its 4th year.

Melbourne weather is unpredictable, unreliable and can sometimes be an absolute bitch! Today, Melbourne weather was a bitch on PMS who just got its heart broken.

The drive up to Whittlesea was interesting as there were road blocks so the trip was extended by about 15min or so. By the time I got into Whittlesea, I got a parking spot right in front of the starting line which was very handy. I got all my bags and bike ready and went to the TA Taj to get ready.

The ride started out with Sally, Kerri, Margaret and I but quickly (due to the amount of ppl on the roads), that we lost each other pretty quickly until Arthurs Creek. At this point, due to the coldness, I had a bad headache from the coldness and this headache stayed with me the whole time on the ride - not pleasant! I decided to ride through St Andrews where I saw heaps of ppl taking their first break as it was the break before the big Kinglake climb. I didnt want to waste my time there so I kept riding.

The Kinglake climb was good - much much better than the first time I rode up the climb and my legs were feeling ok. I kept the cadence high (70+). I didnt know where the girls were at Kinglake but heard Margs call out my name at the intersection. We didn't stop for long as it was too cold and the rain/hail also started to kick in. The ride after Kinglake was painful. It started to pour and it was also a descent which meant that we had hail hit our faces and it was a cold cold way down. Once we did 60km, Margs and I decided to stop - toilet, water etc. At this point, we were both shivering and had to warm up in the caravan. Once our core temps were good, we started again. The next 60km - 80km was pretty boring, there were not many ppl on the roads (lots of ppl turned at Kinglake to do the 70km route) and many ppl would have called it quits due to the freezing temperatures and some would have just finished.

We decided to stop at 85km as it was too cold to eat on the bike. We had our water filled again and off we went. After this stop, it was through Flowerdale so there was another climb to do. I felt weak and my stomach started to get bloated and this would only mean one thing - too much fructose, maltodextrin and my stomach was filled with gas and I needed to go to the toilet bad. My ride through Flowerdale was uncomfortable and I thanked the skies that was one more toilet stop and so I went (to the toilet). After the toilet stop was the ride through Humevale before Whittlesea - this stretch of the road is a descent and not cyclist friendly. I applied on the brakes many times and also tried to balance myself as I was getting blown left, right and everywhere in between. After the ride through Humevale which was the most nervous part of the ride, the head wind appeared again down to Whittlesea. At this point, I was so close to the end, I just got on the drops and just rode it like a time trial!

I overtook several cyclist and had a car "horned" me (so annoyed - I wasnt even on the main road and there is a cycling event on you d*ckhead!) When I rode into Whittlesea I was so releaved. I think I rode it so slowly as I wanted to take in what I had just completed - a long 100km+ ride with hail, rain, rain, wind, rain, some sunshine....such an amazing achievement! The finishline was amazing too. I pumped my fists in the air and hope to get some great photos.

I got out of my wet knicks into my trackies and drove home - so tired that I felt my eyes closing several times on the way home.

Such an amazing achievement, no words could describe what I was going through during the ride and what an amazing event! I actually cant wait for next year!
Genovese Kinglake Ride by evalin1980 at Garmin Connect - Details

Kinglake - See you in 2012