Ironman Australia 2008

I struggle to find the right words to describe my day. I don't think I can.

I have never felt more anxious, nervous or excited when cheering.

I have never felt more joy, nor more proud or emo for that matter, when cheering than at the precise moment that R emerged from the dark of night into the 'bright lights' of the finishing shute with 5mins to spare to achieve his goal of a sub-12 finish.

I've tried to write a post about my day several times but can't. Words, for once, fail me.


T1 in the pouring rain at 5.15am


Our reward for the rain; a double rainbow




Sunrise


And they are off!


As Nemo would say, "just keep swimming"...


A very happy Mango back in T1


What a spunk!
(C) Nealo


Mini Mango practising her cheerleading skills




Mini Mango in her "Team Mango" t-shirt with her mango ice cream!

Post race celebrations -


With Brother Mango


And most of the team..

Stop press: official Team Mango supporters apparel unveiled!

Much to Mango's surprise, I had conspired with the balance of Team Mango for two surprises for him today. Firstly one of his sisters & her family arrived today (he did not know they were coming); their arrival brings the total of "Team Mango" to 16!!!! Secondly the balance of Team Mango arrived on our doorstep this afternoon dressed in the official Team Mango supporters apparel! He might deny it but he was very 'emo' and it was captured on film :-) :-D









Another good day today. Portrunr picked me up at 6am for a trail hike (for me) and run (for him) around the Queens Lake Nature Reserve south of Lake Cathie. A lovely undulating fire trail with a few sharp climbs just to make sure I was awake. I ended up at the Queens Lake picnic ground overlooking the lake before turning & heading back to the car. Pleased with my pack (which probably weighed at least 11kg with water + goretex), my boots & the ability of my legs to carry them. Finished with about 9.92k in 1:55.

The memorial service for Green Machine this morning was brief but very touching; his beautiful widow Mrs Chat is a tower of strength.

Off to bed; the cheersquad - and R - have a big day tomorrow! :-D :-D

Greetings from beautiful Port Mac!

Edit: How re-miss of me! R wanted me to pass on his sincere thanks to everyone for the comments they have left here or for the emails & SMS he has recieved over the last few days. I know he truly appreciates it; it means alot to him.

I love it here; such a beautiful part of the world. Today, the sun is shining, the sky is clear & there is IM-fever in the air!

Team Mango has been established & is now fully operational in a gorgeous unit at Flynns Beach. R thinks he spotted Chrissie Wellington (the World Champ) staying at the same resort as us so Mini Mango & I are on a stake-out, trying to find her & get a photo. Fingers crossed! R & Mini Mango arrived on Wednesday. My mum (otherwise known as Mother-in-law Mango) & I arrived yesterday as did the balance of Team Mango. R seems to have settled in; he isn't pacing the halls (yet) but is a bit quieter than normal. Right, 'nuff about him;-)

The focus of my training has now shifting away from my tri's & towards getting this old bod ready to carry packs weighing up to about 20kg up one really big hill in Sth America. To this end, I need to increase my weight bearing sessions while not breaking myself. Easier said than done no doubt! So for now, I've dropped my swims & my long ride. Instead I've added 2 walks/hike/treks (whatever you want to call them) with a pack, the weight of which will increase over time. One session mid-week will involve hill or stair reps and the other session on the weekend is basically a long trek along undulating trails for a couple of hours. Throw in an extra rest day to aid recovery & it actually brings me down to 7 sessions each week (down from the current 9). I've learnt, thanks to TA, that less is more and to ignore that little voice in my head that wants me to do 'too much'. I'll certainly be paying close attention to the body to see how it responds to this rather dramatic change in focus. It will be an interesting experiment if nothing else.

Tuesday
AM: 55min walk with 10kg pack (5.?k)
Took my new 70L pack (which is massive by the way) for a spin around the hood at 4.30am. It's the first time I've used it; although it needs a few minor adjustments, I'm happy with it. The weight was a bit of an experiment to see what it felt like. Interestingly the weight was actually easier to get used to than wearing my trekking boots again.

Wednesday
Unscheduled rest day. Had planned a strength session but work was feral; didn't home from work until after 10pm & still had to finish my packing.

Thursday
AM: 30min run (4.47k) hilly run around Port
Brother Mango, Mini Mango & I headed out about 5.30pm for a run. Mini Mango is fast & strong on the hills; flying up them with Brother Mango & I breathing heavily & trailing in her wake. One tough session!

Had DOMS in both tib ants after Tuesday's pack walk but they are fine now.

Friday
AM: 55min ride (19.3)
One hilly ride! Headed out the back of Port Mac then turned & headed back into town. After a lap of the flat part of town (what little flat there is!) I headed up Ocean Drive from Oxley Beach along the IM course to the Lighthouse Dr turn-off & back to the hotel (taking a work-related phone call along the way). Beautiful ride but bloody hilly!

Miners joined Team Mango for lunch today. Afterwards most of the Team headed for the expo where I think the non-competitors spent more than the competitor! My purchases included a Pearl Izumi (sp?) jacket and 4 more cow-bells, raising the total in the CR cheerleaders-bag-of-tricks to 6 :-)

Tomorrow my pack & I are meeting Portrunr at 6am (OMG) to head out for a trail run (for him) and a trail hike (for me), before I meet R down at Race HQ to attend a memorial for CR & Trannie Green Machine who passed away at last years race.

MTD: H - 5.?k + B - 19.33k + R - 4.47k

One door closes....

Saturday
AM: 35mins trail run (5.64k)
Back to the Oaks Fire Trail for a shorter run this week as the recovery week continues. Nice :-)

PM: 1k swim with flippers. I love recovery weeks.

The day finished with a lovely dinner with Mouse & NTR - thanks for coming. It was great to catch up with you both again!

Sunday
AM: 90mins MTB ride (19.74k)
Headed back to the National Park at Glenbrook to play on the MTB again. Rode along the Oaks Fire Trail & then down the Nepean Lookout trail (what a view!). Turned around & headed back; the climb past Machins Crater is probably the steepest MTBing I've done so far - and the surface was dodgy; no idea how I managed to get up there unscathed. Back to the car via the single track where I had a small spill; that will teach me for not picking my line before heading over a small drop-off! Thankfully a patch of dirt & some soft bushes caught me so I rode away with hardly a scratch :-)

Monday
(Unscheduled) rest day. Had to cancel my PT session because of work & left work too late to make it up.

And that brings March to an end. Another good month of training. A few tight spots here & there which quickly settled after some extra TLC. It also saw another tri PB & a return to trail running :-D

Jan: S - 8.65k B - 71.32k* R - 26.6k
Feb: S - 10.9k B - 114k* R - 49.2k
Mar: S - 8.75k B - 101.88k* R - 68.19k

* long rides & races only

As my tri season is now over, April will also see a significant shift in focus of my training, away from triathlon & towards getting ready to climb mountains :-)

2 more days at work then off to Port Mac. I can't begin to describe how excited I am about heading up there to watch R compete in & finish his first IM. He has worked sooo hard & had a perfect prep. One year ago today was actually the day that we had our first conversation that extended beyond 'hello'; we were standing in the expo tent on the day before last year's IM. I'm sure neither of us could possibly have imagined the capacity in which we would return to Port Mac just one short year later... :-)

Loser

I've lost another 1kg over the last 2 weeks. That's 2kg down now. I've decided to go for another 1kg loss & I should be at my goal weight :-)

I love recovery weeks. It's a bit sad when staying in bed on a school day until 5.45am is considered a sleep-in!

Wednesday
Rest day :-)

Thursday
Was due to run but after getting home from work on Wednesday night at 9.20pm & eating my dinner close to 10pm, I decided I could do without the 4.30am wake up. Soft I know.

PM: PT session. As the tri season is over & it's a recovery week, we took this opportunity to run through a strength & fitness test that he carried out on me when I first started training with him - and I'm really pleased with the results. I've lost 3cm off my hips and 3.5cm off my waist! My strength & flexibility have improved in a number of respects & and my resting heart rate & recovery heart rate have dropped considerably :-) It's nice to see all the hard work paying off. We also took the opportunity to discuss my training & the upcoming shift in focus away from strength endurance (which was designed to supplement my triathlon season) to a greater focus on power, strength & a spending abit more time in an anaerobic zone. Ouch!

Aside from the strength & fitness test and the talkfest, all I did during this session was a 5min run & stretching :-)

Friday
Rest day :-)

Another trail run & swim tomorrow before a ride on Sunday. Now that the tri season is over, maybe it's time to get the MTB out & get back on the single track :-D :-D

Another tri, another PB :-)

I realised on Thursday afternoon that I haven't had more than 3 days off work since I went to Canada in July last year! Needless to say, I was looking forward to, and really enjoyed, my long weekend which mainly consisted of training, reading & sleeping in. Oh & eating chocolate. Bliss :-)

Friday
AM: 60mins on the bike - C90+ @ >70% MHR

I was planning to do this session on the road but after waking to the sound of rain (after a big sleep-in!), I climbed onto the trainer to do it and watched What It Takes. Tried to focus on keeping my cadence above 90 (in different gears) which isn't (yet) completely natural for me. Followed it up with 15mins of stretching then a couple of Bakers Delight choc chip hot cross buns :-D

Saturday
AM: 50min trail run (7.74k) :-D

Not only my first 50mins run AND first trail run in over 8 months but I woke to find my favourite running conditions - overcast & drizzle. Happy happy days :-) Headed up to the national park at Glenbrook for an easy up & back along the Oaks Fire trail. 100m gain in elevation over 4k isn't a bad place to start my return to the trails.

PM: 1.2k swim including 5 x 200m with 30sec rec. Thanks to the weather, I had the outdoor pool to myself today - what a great day :-) The 200m reps were surprisingly consistent.

Sunday
Rest :-)

Monday
PM: Panthers enticer club race - 250m/10k/2.5k - 41:57 (PB)

Our race wasn't until 6pm but Mouse & NTR were competing in the Hills Tri Club race being held at 3pm at the Regatta Centre so R & I headed down there at about 2.30pm to cheer them on. Well done guys! R & I commented to each other that we were so glad that our race wasn't until 6pm because it was soooo hot in the sun. Talk about famous last words - by the time our race rolled around, dark clouds had gathered ominously overhead & I was praying that the rain would hold off until after I was off the bike. It didn't.

This was my last tri race of the season & I was looking forward to a (big) PB. The swim was good - the first race I've had where I felt comfortable in the water & no moments of 'panic'. It was also the first time I've copped a serious smack to the head - it was so hard I think my brain rattled. Yikes. Anyway I touched dry land in 5:04. I'm very pleased with that time, particularly because I wasn't pushing the pace at all; just keeping my stroke long, breathing properly & staying away from the person who hit me. Loads of room for improvement there!

Onto the bike & the rain was just starting. By the time I was 2k in, the rain was torrential. I could hardly see where I was going. And then the thunder & lightening started! Of course about now I was thinking that there was no way I was going to do a PB in those conditions. It was amazing conditions to be racing in - who says triathletes aren't tough? (or crazy for that matter).

Fortunately the storm was largely confirmed to the eastern end of the course so when I turned west & headed back towards T1 on the first lap I was greeted by the sun just poking out from the clouds. Once I was heading east again on the second lap, I was greeted by a beautiful rainbow over the course- as well as blackness over the eastern end of the course. You couldn't actually see the end of the course - at one stage I couldn't see 100m ahead of me. I couldn't see through my glasses & I couldn't look over the top of them because the rain was stinging my eyes. One stage I even had one hand shielding my eyes because I couldn't see a thing. About then I heard a noise behind me & thought to myself 'geez, those disc wheels sound cool', only to realise that it was actually the sound of thunder. Crazy stuff.

Fortunately I made it off the bike & onto the run without incident. My legs felt surprisingly good from the start of the run. I really enjoyed this run, unlike the last few which have been a massive struggle. Of course this was no doubt due in part to the fact that my longest run at the time of my last race was 2.5k.

I crossed the line 41:57 which is a 1:26 PB from the All Women's Tri last month (which was over a slightly different course) and a 1:57 PB from my last Club race over the same course in January. Nice way to end my first triathlon season! I've really enjoyed it; I love the cross training. Looking forward to getting back into it during my next season. Splits to follow once official results are up.

Edit: 5 May & the results are finally in -

Swim + T1 - 6:23
Bike + T 2 - 21:22
Run - 14:12
Total: 41:57 - 2nd in age group!

Interestingly my swim & run legs were both the 16th fastest overall (out of 30 competitors) & my bike leg was 19th fastest. Who knew my bike leg would be my weakest leg! It's the first time I've ever got an AG placing in my adult sporting career so I'm pretty excited. And yes, there were more than 2 of us in the AG; just ;-)

Tuesday
AM: very easy 20mins run (3.1k) with 10mins w/u & c/d walk

A pretty rough & slow run after last night's race. No soreness - just fatigue.

PM: massage

Now for a much needed recovery week :-D

MTD: S - 7.75k + B - 82.14k* + R - 62.54k

* long rides & races only

Sliding doors

Another busy few days.

It's interesting how when you open yourself to one experience & immediately more seem to follow. It was suggested to me during the week that it's likely that I could be ready to climb Denali (the highest mountain in Nth America) mid-next year. Unfortunately it isn't feasible but the power of suggestion - particularly what others think you are capable of even when you don't believe it yourself - is an incredibly powerful thing.

For the last 10 days or so, I've been monitoring my energy intake & expenditure with Fitday.com which has been an interesting & eye-opening exercise to say the least. I've discovered, eg, that I previously overestimated not only my 'basal' metabolic rate but my energy needs & expenditure based on my training levels. No wonder the last few kgs have been hard to shift! But I'm now making progress - down 1kg over the last 2 weeks (with another weekly weigh in tomorrow morning). The plan is to lose 1 more kg then reassess my goal weight.

Sunday
AM - 100mins ride - 40.59k (av. 24.8!!) + 4k & 10min w/u & c/d

Most of today's ride was on the M7 itself today for the first time - hence the extra speed :-) Beautiful morning out there & an enjoyable ride.

Monday
AM - easy 25mins run (3.79k)

Beautiful clear morning with an unusual amount of stars visible. Pretty :-) I had planned a 30min run but my right adductor was a bit tight so I cut it short. Yah for me, I'm listening to my body :-)

PM - 45mins strength session at lunch

Dropped the usual lunges from the program to give the adductor a rest but ran through the rest of the circuit twice:
- 5mins bike w/u
- 20 x single leg dead lifts with SB
- 20 x single arm bent over row (10kg)
- 15 x 'woodchops'
- 20 x alt arm/leg
- plank til failure
+ 15mins stretching

Tuesday
AM - 30mins on the bike including lots of short, sharp efforts.
PM - massage

Wednesday
AM: 40mins run (6.22k) + 10mins walk w/u & c/d

Session went well. No sign of the adductor niggle which was good. Still feeling a bit tight here & there so more stretching over the next few days before a return to the trails on the weekend (yippee!)

PM: 60mins PT session.

The PT wanted to trash my legs again but given the adductor issue earlier in the week, he decided to trash my back instead...
- 10mins w/u
- 3 x supersets of:
(a) 20 x lunges + single arm row (20kg on cables)
(b) 20 x squats + bicep curls (6kgs). Initially 3 curls per squat then down to 2
- 20 x bent over rows (2 x 7kg DBs)
- 20 x single arm rows on SB (8kg)
- extra stretching

Thursday
AM: 1k open water swim (24:20min)

Back down to the Regatta Centre for another open water swim. That time includes stopping twice to de-tangle myself from weeds that had wrapped around my head, neck, hands etc as well as a quick chat with the 'spotter' on shore at the turnaround. I am really pleased with this swim - I felt comfortable the whole way. :-) And it also meant that I didn't get into work until after 10am - nice :-)

Looking forward to a long weekend of sleeping, training, eating, sleeping & racing :-)

MTD: S - 6.3k + B - 72.14k* + R - 49.2k
* long rides & races only

News flash !

Big exciting news to start the week.

Not only have R & I decided on a date & tropical island for our nuptials, we've just booked it & paid the deposit :-)

So it's official - we will marry on 7 November next year - in the Cook Islands :-)

Happy days :-D

Know when to hold 'em...

Hi S-2-B Lek Lek (*waves*) :-)

Feeling very tired this week. Looking forward to a few days off over Easter next weekend & then another few days off in beautiful Port Mac in a couple of weeks :-)

Tuesday
AM: 45mins bike session on the trainer at cadence 85+. My cadence sensor decided to work today for some reason which was handy.

Met Rags & R after work to attend a presentation by Andrew Lock about his climb of Annapurna 1 last year (the first by an Australian). Fascinating & stunning. The statistics for this mountain are incredible. Only something like 150 people have summited (and 50-something have died trying) since 1950. Everest, in comparison, has had over 3000 summits since 1953. Crazy stuff. What really fascinates me about this are the mental aspects to it. How on earth do people manage, control & direct their fear under those situations...

Wednesday
PM: 1.8k swim at Cook & Phillip. I had to improvise a little towards the end of the session when squads took over most of the pool. Felt a bit flat - it was all a bit of a struggle.

Thursday
AM - spent the night at Chez E & B again which meant I had the absolute luxury of sleeping in until 6am (bliss!) before going out for my first 45min run (6.83k) in 8 long months. Centennial Park was beautiful this morning. Things are going well (touch wood!)
PM - massage

Felt very tired during the course of the day. Despite getting 8 hours sleep (unheard of for me mid-week). I don't think I'd eaten enough food during the first half of the day.

Friday
Rest day :-)

Saturday
AM - another 45mins run (7.12k). Very very happy with this run. A bit more distance than Thursday's run but on a much tougher course. I felt really strong & pushed the pace on some of the hills. Happy happy days :-)

MTD: S - 5.3k + B - 27.55k* + R - 39.19k
* long rides & races only

Twenty

Edit: Scott, Six Foot next year is a possibility for me. I return from Aconcagua about 2 weeks before the race. So while I will be extremely fit, there is also the possibility that I will be completely shattered/exhausted. Of course there is also the fact that I won't have run much in the lead up to the event - but hey, I haven't let that stop me before ;-) I'll make a decision on my return from Aconcagua.

Friday - (scheduled) rest day

Saturday
8am: 10mins walk + 40mins run (6.14k) + 10mins walk >70% MHR
Run went well. Very comfortable. I am however getting very bored of running on road/hard surfaces. About time I made a return to my spiritual home - trails :-)

11am - 1.7k swim in 16 x 50m on 1.30 alternating freestyle with either breaststroke or backstroke. The freestyle & breaststroke were very comfortable on 1.30; easily 30sec rest on each. The backstroke laps were another story. Still, I'm pretty pleased with my breaststroke. Probably the first time I've done 50m of breaststroke since I was a kid - and it was almost as fast as my freestyle! Maybe I could breaststroke my way through my next tri....

Sunday - unscheduled rest day. I was supposed to do a long ride. But after taking full advantage of the buffet breakfast and late check out at the Hilton (where we stayed after the gorgeous wedding on Saturday night) we ended up spending the afternoon curled on the couch watching a vid. Nice :-D

Monday
5am: 30mins run (4.51k).
Slightly hilly loop of the hood. Leg strength is good - cardio fitness needs some work.

11am: tough 60min PT sesssion. Leg strength & cardio fitness both got a big workout -
- 5mins w/u

- 3 x supersets of:
(a) 20 x dead lifts (20kg DB)

(b) 20 x single leg step-ups with 10kg plate (including either a
shoulder press with the plate while standing - on one foot - on the step
or holding the plate to my chest when my arms were at risk of falling
off). These were to be done as quickly as possible, while maintaining
balance, to get my heart rate up. It worked.

- 3 sets of 10 x front squats (w?)

- 10 x single leg raises

- stretching.

MTD: S - 3.5k + B - 27.55k + R - 25.24k
* long rides & races only

From little things, big things grow..

Portrunr, I was planning to be at the start of Six Foot but unfortunately I've since realised that I won't have the time to watch the start, get home, do my 2 training sessions, get organised & then get to the wedding - which is in the city - on time. Given that I'm not doing the race so that I can attend the wedding, I can hardly justify being late for the wedding because I was watching the race! Well, I could try but I'm certain the argument won't fly with the bride... Still, good luck to all my friends and bloggers doing Six Foot. My thoughts will be with you & my mobile on silent so anyone who can update me (I know reception is crap at Caves House), please do !

Monday
AM - 60mins PT session. Ran through a weights program he has developed for me to do for my second session each week:
- 5mins w/u
- 40 x walking lunges + bicep curl + shoulder press (4kg DBs)
- 20 x 'row' which is actually something resembling a kayaker's movement designed to get some movement through my hips
- 20 x single arm row (9kg DBs)
- 15 x woodchops on the cable machine
- plank
- stretching.

I'm supposed to repeat that circuit 2-3 times. Yikes.

Tuesday
AM - 30mins run (4.71k) around the hood. Rather nippy at 4.30am. Very slow to start with - I think the first km was 7min pace but I slowly picked up the pace, finishing with an average of 6:24m/k. Legs were feeling a bit fatigued after yesterday's strength session.
PM - massage

Wednesday
AM - Alarm went off at 4.20am this morning (ouch) for my 50mins bike session on the trainer in front of the telly which included 4 x 6mins efforts. Ouchy.

PM - ducked out of work just after 3pm for my 1.8k swim. OMG. Either TA is trying to drown me, make my legs fall off or make my stronger. Session included a total of 200m kicking (sans flippers) - did I mention I'm a crap kicker? - and 12 x 25m sprints. Coming after the mornings bike session, it was very tough indeed.

Throw in an 8pm teleconference at work and it made for a very long day.

Thursday
AM - the now standard Thursday morning run at Centennial Park with Ellie but luckily this time we were joined by the lovely Lulu. My first 40mins run (5.84k) in over 8 months! Very slow going as we decided to do a lap around the outside of the park which is incredibly dark in places - not to mention some of the street lights on the eastern side of the park were not working! Thankfully there are no rolled/injured ankles to report. Followed by breakfast with Ellie, Lulu and Ben to celebrate Miss E's birthday yesterday (happy birthday gorgeous!)

PM - 5mins ride w/u + 5mins preliminary stretches for back & hammies before a 30mins strength session (as per Monday's session except the single arm row increased to 10kg) + 20mins stretches after the session.

MTD: S - 1.8k + B - 27.55k + R - 14.59k

* long rides & races only

Recovering

The recovery week continues - and I think I need to recover from the amount of food I ate over the weekend :-(

Friday
AM - 500m open water swim at the Regatta Centre
We left home at 6am for the Panthers tri club training session at the Regatta Centre which was basically a case of "choose your own distance". A very dark & chilly morning. I really struggled to motivate myself to get out of bed but I know I need more open water practice. I was going to do 750m but 500m came out of my mouth when I was asked what distance I was doing. D'oh. Must have coffee beforehand next time.

I was a bit surprised by how dark it still was under water. It was only 6.30am so I really shouldn't be surprised. I could see my hand but not even the reeds that seem to be taking over the lake (again). Much to my surprise I settled into this swim well. I think I'm beginning to understand why I get a bit of a panic attack. I suspect that I'm going out a bit faster than the pace at which I warm up at in the pool which causes me to go a bit lactic & then my breathing gets a bit laboured. So in future I need to start out at a rather slow & sedate pace and then pick up the pace once I'm settled. Or I could just do a warm up before the race I suppose ;-) Still, I really enjoyed this session and am now looking forward to the next one - a good sign :-)

This session brought February to an end with totals of S - 10.9k + B -114k* + R - 49.2k up from S - 8.65k + B - 71.32k* + R - 26.6k in January. It only looks like I'm adopting the 100% rule but appearances can be deceiving. I have a few tight bits from time to time but things are going well. March brings my last month of triathlon training for a while before a shift in focus in April.

Saturday
AM - 68mins ride (27.55k - av. 24.2k/h)
In Canberra for the weekend. R went out for a 4hr ride and then doubled back to the house so I could join him for the last 75mins of his session - this, of course, meant that I got a big sleep in and time for a leisurely breakfast beforehand :-)

We headed back up the Barton Highway into NSW. The big climb very early in the ride certainly woke the legs up!



Very glad I packed the arm warmers. It was rather cool even at 10am in the weather. Afterwards, a huge lunch followed by a visit to KokoBlack :-)

Sunday
AM - 10mins walk + 25min run (4.04k) + 15mins walking through a display village :-)
Very easy run this morning - just turning the legs over & enjoying the beautiful clear, still Canberra weather. And the company ;-)

Lovely to catch up with CJ, Strewth & Ewen at lunch today (*waves*)

MTD: B - 27.55k + R - 4.04k

Easy does it

No, really!

Tuesday
AM - 10 mins walk w/u + easy 20mins run (3.07k) + 10mins walk >70% MHR
Very slow this morning. Surprisingly my legs aren't particularly sore after Monday's session - just fatigued. I love recovery weeks :-)

PM - massage

Wednesday
PM - I joined my firm's team in the "NSW Lawyers Aquatic Challenge"which is just a strange name for a swimming carnival. The events ranged from a mixed medley relay, 50m free for men & women through to a few novelty events including the intriguingly named "Help Me I'm Drowning"race. Unfortunately a typical summer thunderstorm arrived before the novelty races could start and so brought an early end to proceedings. Standing under a sun shade in pouring rain eating banana bread, mini pies & sausage rolls was an amusing, albeit soggy, way to end the night.

I was really nervous - more nervous than I am before any 'normal' race. However I suspect it had more to do with being seen by my work colleagues in swimmers than actually racing. I finished 4th in my heat of the 50m free in a time of 42:55s. Given that I've never actually time my swim sessions, I have no idea how that compares to my training sessions. Oh well, I enjoyed it. Throw in a 200m warm up & I covered a whole 250m for the night :-)

It was a really fun night. Despite only being a small firm (in comparison to the other 'big' firms competing), we managed to finish second in the teams pointscore competition - which makes us the second fastest law firm in NSW :-)

Thursday
AM - easy 30mins run (4.47k) with Ellie around Centennial Park.
Talking and concentrating on getting our glutes & core to work properly seems to be getting easier as we managed to go a bit faster than last week. Still, I think we need more (talking) practice ;-) Thanks again to Ellie & Vurt for letting me take over their house (again).

Open water swim tomorrow morning before a weekend in Canberra. Looking forward to a run, a ride & catching up over lunch with a few of my favourite CR bloggers :-)

MTD: S - 10.4k + B - 114k* + R - 49.2k

* long runs & rides only

Splitting cats

When I did my first session with my PT only 3 months ago, one of the first things he had me do was a superset of 20 x lunges + bicep curl immediately followed by 20 x split jumps. I sucked. I really struggled to get through the split jumps in particular. He then set me the short term goal of doing that superset 3 times in a row. Today, I did it :-) I actually did a 4th superset after a short brick just because I could :-)

5mins bike w/u

- 3 (count 'em, 3) supersets of:
(a) 20 x lunges + bicep curl (4kg d/bs)
(b) 20 x split jumps

- 10min ride/5mins run brick

- superset of:
(a) 20 x lunges + bicep curl (4kg db)
(b) 20 x split jumps

- 10mins ride/5mins run brick (with the last 60sec of the run at 6m/k pace - ie faster than normal for me!)

- stretching.

The fact that there several Perth Wildcats basketball players standing nearby when I do was doing the 3 supersets had nothing to do with the fact that I managed to do push through the pain & do them. Nothing I say ;-)

Unfortunately it was only during the last run that I suddenly realised (remembered) that this was supposed to be a recovery week. Opps. Sorry TA (*she blushes*). Still, it's nice to be feeling so strong at the end of a 3 week block of training. Last time I think I just about crawled into my recovery week. Promise to behave for the rest of the week!

Earth to fast twitch fibres, come in please ?

Did you know that only 27 women in the world have climbed all of the Seven Summits? No, neither did I - til now :-)

Friday
Rest day

Saturday
AM - 10mins walk w/u + 35min run (5.52k) + 20mins walk >70% MHR

After the obligatory Saturday morning sleep-in, I headed out for my session. It was quite warm by the time I got out there just before 9am but fortunately there was a slight breeze to cool me off. I felt reasonably good during the run, though mentally the 20-25mins mark was a bit of a struggle.

PM - headed to the pool at 3pm for a 1.8k swim including 8 x 200m (!). I felt reasonably comfortable in the water today though it took a long time for my shoulders/arms/back to warm up. I felt like a needed 1k to settle into the swim today. If only I could do such a long warm up before a race...

Sunday
AM - 118mins ride M7 bike path - 42.7k (av. 23.6k/h)

A touch slower than last week though still slightly faster than my ride two weeks ago. The minor improvements each week will add up I know.

I am itching to get out on single track on the MTB at the moment. However my last tri race for the season is coming up next month. I'd like to finish my first tri season on a good note so I've decided to stay with the roadie until then. It's funny - since I started doing triathlons, I find myself wanting to go really fast. I never feel/felt such a competitive spirit with running races. Maybe it is because I was/am always at the back of the pack and rarely, if ever, overtake people. I actually find it rather novel to overtake people in triathlons. Maybe I do have some fast twitch fibres after all. Who knew !

After another couple of nights of restless sleep, not to mention a couple of glasses of wine at lunch (thanks Rags!), I'm feeling tired right now & very much looking forward to the coming recovery week :-)

MTD: S - 10.15k + B - 114k* + R - 41.66k

* long rides & races only

"Wow! You're looking fit"

Comm's, it won't be the tower that's buzzed if the next few weeks are anything like this one ;-)

I'm trying to lose a few kgs at the moment. I was having a fat day this morning after getting on the scales for my weekly weigh in.* I know eating dinner less than an hour before you get into bed 3 nights each week is not ideal but there isn't much I can do right now I'm afraid. Not happy Jan.

Anyhoo later this morning I went in to see my physio for my first check up in 3 months. And that (ie the title of this post) is what he said to me after I had changed into my shorts & crop top. And it was obviously a genuine - and somewhat surprised, response. I love my physio. In a purely platonic, expressing-an-appreciation-for-your-health-care-provider kind of way. He made my day.

Anyway after much poking & prodding, he concluded that despite everything I have been doing, my glute meds still are very lazy buggers who would much rather leave the hard work to the other muscles in my hips/butt/legs etc. So I now have a few (more) daily exercises to isolate them. I'm also going back to see him on Thursday to try something in the hope it will get them to activate during my strength session. Interestingly he commented that he doesn't know if what he is planning has been used on "athletes" before but apparently it has produced great results in - wait for it - stroke patients. I kid you not. Ellie, Owly & Lulu won't be surprised to learn that it involves the application of tape :-) Should be interesting...

* and before anyone says it, please no lectures on the reasons why weight fluctuates

Negative ghostrider. The pattern is full.

That pretty much sums up my week - in a vague and somewhat obscure kind of way.

Tuesday
AM - 46mins ride on the trainer this morning including 2 x 10min AT while watching a doco on Everest :-)

I had a crap nights sleep and almost pulled the pin on this session when my alarm went off at 4.30am. But that would have meant that I'd missed 2 of my 3 mid-week rides during my current training block between recovery weeks. So I got up. But surprisingly despite being really tired, I actually enjoyed this session. Weird I know. I think having fresh legs (after not doing a strength session yesterday) made a world of difference

Left work late so no swim.

Wednesday
PM - 1.6k swim at Cook & Phillip park mid-afternoon. Felt pretty good in the water today which was a nice surprise.

Thanks to my 8pm teleconference call at work, I had the pleasure of staying at Ellie & Vurt's palatial home. Thanks for your wonderful hospitality guys! Unfortunately I had another crap nights sleep as I was unable to turn my brain off. Stoopid work.

Thursday
AM - easy & scenic 30mins run (4.51k) with Ellie around around Centennial Park including a half lap of the lake which I've never done before. Bewdiful :-) It was a bit slower than normal for both of us but we decided it was because we weren't used to talking while maintaining our good form! Clearly we need some practice - at talking ;-) Thanks lovely - it was sooo nice to run with you again.

AAM - massage

No strength session (again) today. Grrrr.

MTD: S - 8.35k + B - 71.3k* + R - 36.14k

* long rides + races only

Today's episode is brought to you by the number 5..

5.4 to be precise. That is the number of kms I ran today - I hit the magic 5k mark for the first time since 30 June 2007! Incredible to think it has been over 7 months. It wasn't particularly comfortable - and in fact it was rather slow -but I got there while (most importantly) maintaining my new level-pelvis, core-switched-on form.

It isn't all beer & skittles though. I have a hint of a niggle in my hip today; a sure sign that my thoughts about my glutes in recent weeks was correct (ie that they still aren't quite working as they are supposed to - bloody lazy things). What can I say - I'm a work in progress. So I chose to exercise discretion & restraint at lunch - rather than do a strength session at the gym, I did 30mins stretching instead. I've also made an appointment to see the physio on Friday to get a 'check up' on my running style to see if we can work out what on earth my glutes are - or not - doing. Still, I'm very happy with how things are progressing :-D

An Aconcagua update - I received an outline of the equipment list a few weeks ago but today I received the detailed list. I need a sleeping bag rated to (wait for it) -20 to -30 degrees. LOL. Holy moly. Whose bright idea was this? ;-P

MTD: : S - 6.75k + B - 71.3k* + R - 31.63k

* long rides & races only

Stop press - a new land speed record !

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone! Yes, I'm a very lucky girl & was very spoilt. Next year's birthday will be somewhat different but no less special - I'll be staying in a tent somewhere around 6,200m (not having had a shower for 2 weeks!) getting ready for a summit attempt :-D

Friday
Rest :-)

Saturday
AM - 10mins walk w/u + 30mins run (4.77k) + 15mins walk >65% MHR (total 7.51k)

Another good run. I'm not sure it's getting any easier cardio-wise but it wasn't as much of a struggle to hold my form together as it was on Thursday.

PM - 1.8k swim including 8 x 50m and 16 (!) x 25m sprints! Holy moly. Easily the toughest session (both physically & mentally) to date.

PPM - went to the Sydney Athletics Grand Prix meet at Homebush tonight. I was really looking forward to seeing Asafa Powell race but it wasn't to be. Still, lots of great competition & really freaking fast people ;-) But I must say Tamsyn Lewis needs to pull her head in. Her post-race interview could have done with some degree of humility.

Sunday
AM - 90mins ride - 35.76k (23.9k/h)
R managed to avoid riding with me today by coming off his bike yesterday. Fortunately the bike was more damaged than he was. Still, between you & me, I think he slowed me down last week - or maybe we just talk too much ;-) - because I managed to set a new land speed record (for me) over the M7 bike path today - av. 23.9k/h (up from 23.4) last week. Woohoo !

Rather fresh out there this morning. Cool & overcast - my favourite riding conditions. A great way to end a great week of training - I did all my sessions. Woohoo - that doesn't happen very often!

MTD: S - 6.75k + B 71.3k* + R 26.22k
* long rides & races only

The hardest word

I can't say that I've ever felt proud of a Prime Minister before. I do now. That was spectacular. Nice work Kev.

On a personal note, thank you so much to everyone for your comments. I really appreciate it. Nothing like putting a big goal out there to make you nervous. For those who are interested, you will actually be able to follow my progress up the mountain (hopefully) on an almost daily basis- but more about that later. BTW Speedygeoff, I was only 32 when I wrote that post. I'm 33 today :-) & I'll be on the mountain this time next year :-)

Sunday
AM - cheering duties. We were up at 4.30am (OMG) to head down to Kurnell for R to race in, and for me to watch, the sprint tri race. We managed to arrive at the same time as Gnome & TA. Gnome & I did the hard work - cheering, talking & drinking coffee - while TA & R both had great races in tough conditions ;-) Congrats to you both.

PM - 65min ride
After getting home & getting (more) food, R & I headed out for a ride. I had 75mins on the program so R decided to do a recovery ride & keep me company. We finished with an average of 23.4k/h (25.54k) which is my fastest av. yet on that course. All of the strength training is certainly paying off. I also got to work on my skills (which do need some work) by'slaloming' around the lines on the bike path (when safe to do so of course) and for the first time I rode up the tight switchbacks on the ramp up to the bike path. Yah me!. Great session all round

Monday
AM - 60mins strength session with the PT:

- 5min bike w/u

- 4 (!) x supersets of:
(a) 20 x front squats
(b) 20 x deadlifts
OMG.

- 2 x core exercises

- stretching.

The squats/deadlifts combo was bloody tough. 80 squats + 80 deadlifts all up. Much to my surprise I could still walk. Just :-) I didn't check tos ee how much weight was on the bar - I didn't want to know - but all I could think about was how much harder it was going to be carrying loads of up to 20kg between camps on Aconcagua.

Tuesday
AM - 20mins hilly run (3.17k). I really struggled this morning. Although very sore & tight after yesterday's strength session I got out of bed ok but by the time I was walking down the street on my warm up, I was thinking to myself "maybe I'll just walk for 30mins". In the end I did my hilly loop around the hood for 20mins. Remind me next week not to do my hills session the day after a strength session. Stoopid. Finished with 20mins stretching.

In the office until after 7.45pm so no swim.

Wednesday
AM - 46mins bike session including a considerable focus on cadence. Unfortunately my cadence sensor chose to die during the w/u which was not particularly helpful so I had to wing it. I really struggled at first as my legs were sore from Monday's strength session but I felt really good by the end of it.

PM - ran away from the office at 2pm so I could get in the swim session I was supposed to do yesterday. 1.7k swim including 3 x 400m. Feeling unco in the water. Again.

Thursday
Happy birthday to me :-)

I've had a wonderful birthday so far. We stayed in a suite at the Crowne Plaza in the city last night & I was taken out for a fantastic dinner. Today, both R & I had the day off work so after a sleep-in, a leisurely (and rather massive) breakfast, we've stopped off at a bike shop & book shop on the way home. I've just returned from my run & strength session then we are off to dinner with my folks tonight. I'm a very lucky girl :-)

PM - a very warm 30mins run (4.83k) around the Regatta Centre - my first 30mins run in 7 months, what a birthday present! - before I headed off to the gym for a 50mins strength session:

- 2 supersets with 5kg DBs of:
(a) 20 x reverse flyes
(b) 20 x inclined chest flyes

- 2 supersets of:
(a) 20 x lunges off a step with 2 x 5kg DBs (see R4YL)* and
(b) 20 x swiss ball bent knee hip extensions

- 2 supersets of:
(a) 20 x assisted chin ups (normal/alternate grip)
(b) 20 x hammer curls

- 2 supersets of:
(a) lunges with pulses with front foot on bosu (6/8/10/12/10/8/6), each set finishing with a step-up onto a bench;
(b) single leg deadlifts with s/b & 5kg,
first superset on left leg & repeated again on the right

- 2 supersets of:
(a) leg raises;
(b) single arm tri extensions

- stretching.

* These really highlighted an imbalance in the explosive power of my legs. Something else to work on!

Bring on the birthday dinner :-)

Edit - MTD: S 4.95k + B 35.54k* + R 21.45k

* long rides & races only

The Aconcagua effect

Hamburglar asked a while ago about my goals for 2008. I don't have any major ones - but here is one for 2009 (apart from getting married!) :-)

At 6,962m (or 22,841ft if that means anything to you), Aconcagua is not only the highest mountain in South America - and therefore one of the "Seven Summits" (the highest mountains on each of the seven continents) - but it is the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas.



My goal for 2009 is to climb it :-)

I've had goals which scared me before - but this is scary & serious. Only a relatively small number of those who attempt to climb Aconcagua actually succeed. From what I understand, it is not so much the difficulty of the climb that is the problem as the altitude and weather. It can get down to -35 degrees (yes, that's a minus) on the summit. Throw in high winds and the fact that at the summit there is only about 40% of the oxygen as at sea level and it is a serious, and very difficult, endeavour. And I am very much looking forward to the challenge.

I have a long journey ahead of me between now & then. I will need to be in the best shape I have ever been in if I am even going to have a chance of standing on the summit. I recognise and accept that whether in fact I do or not may ultimately be outside my control. I know that my preparation could be perfect & I could be the fittest I've ever been & I still may not make it to the summit, particularly if the weather gods do not cooperate. Thankfully, during my preparation for Six Foot last year, I challenged, and ultimately, redefined my notions of "success" and "failure". If I don't make it to the summit, it won't be a "failure" in my book. I will only have failed myself if I do not try or allow (unfounded) fear to hold me back.

This goal has led me to discover a sport more expensive than triathlons ;-) From ice axes, crampons, down jackets & heavy duty gore-tex jackets and pants, I've had a lot of research - not to mention shopping - to do. In the process of doing so, I've discovered what I have coined "the Aconcagua effect" - that is, the effect that the statement "I'm planning to climb Aconcagua next year and I need....[insert name of expensive equipment]" or answering "Aconcagua", when asked in a shop "Where are you off to?", has on the eyes of the salesperson to whom the statement is made (even when made in a speciality, mountaineering/gear store). I'm sure the effect is the same no matter what (big) mountain peak is named - but I haven't had an opportunity to conduct that study. Yet ;-) I've said it 4 times now & each time the effect was been the same. A slight, but perceptible, widening of the eyes. Occasionally accompanied by "wow". Whether it is from surprise, awe, jealousy, thinking to themselves "she has no idea what she's in for" or downright amusement, I have no idea. And I really don't care (another lesson learnt thanks to Six Foot). I am the only one who will know how hard it was to summit.

I am ohhh so very excited about this adventure. And nervous :-)

And just to add icing to the cake, I'll be somewhere high on the slopes of Aconcagua (fingers crossed) on my 34th birthday :-D

21...

We've just landed a massive deal at work which is going to keep me extremely busy over the next 3 months. For a start I have a weekly teleconference at 8pm on Wednesday nights that I need to be in the office for :-( I've already had to start swapping sessions around & will be spending at least one & sometimes a few school nights each week camped out at various friend's places (who live closer to the city than I) over the next couple of months. It's gunna be interesting...

Monday
PM - 60mins strength session with the PT which actually turned into about 45mins of training & 15mins of talking. I haven't seen the PT since before the Aquathon last weekend so I filled him in on both my races, how I pulled up from Sunday's race, the way forward for my training in light of a few goals I've been discussing with him & some tightness that has been creeping into my back & ITBs in recent weeks.
- 10mins bike w/u
- 10 x front squats with barbell (weight?) on a count of 4 - ie. down for a count of 4, holding for 4 & then up for 4. Let me tell you, he counts to 4 very slowly!
- 20 x single leg deadlifts + single arm upright row + shoulder press (5kg DB)
- hammy & back stretching
- alternate arms & legs whatever-it-is-called again on a 4 count
- 10 x front squats with barbell (4 count)
- 15 x single leg deadlifts with s/ball + upright row + shoulder press (5kg DB)
- plank (2mins)
- more stretching

Tuesday
AM - 20mins walk + easy 20mins run (3.05k) to stretch my legs out after Sunday's race. Took a while to get my legs moving this morning. Finished with 30min stretching.

Wednesday
AM - torture session in Tiger's House of Pain - ie. a massage.

PM - took the opportunity that the 8pm teleconference now presents to duck out of the office at about 4pm & head to Cook & Philip Park for (Tuesday's rescheduled) 1.4k swim. I felt a bit unco in the water. One of those days I guess. Thanks so much to the delightful Lulu who kindly allowed me to stay at Chez Lulu a couple of nights this week - thanks lovely !

Thursday
AM - when at home, I'm normally back from a run & stretching by 5.30am. But today instead I was able to get up at 5.30am, which felt absolutely decadent, to head down to Centennial Park with Lulu for my first 25min run (3.9k). It was such a treasure and absolute treat to be running in the daylight on a school day in beautiful Centennial Park! I could get used to it :-)

My day finished equally well with a wonderful, albeit crunchy, dinner with Lulu, Owly & Ellie (*waves*) - you girls rock :-)

Friday
PM - ok, I confess. Today was supposed to be a rest day. But I'd missed two sessions already this week thanks to work sooooo I took myself off to the gym at lunch for a 45mins weights session. Naughty I know but I got to sleep in until 6.30am this morning (woohoooo!) so I did get some extra rest :-)
- 5mins bike w/u
- lunges + 6kg with pulses - 6/8/10/12/10/8/6
- 15 x swiss ball bent-knee hip extensions (c/- R4YL)
- lunges with front foot on bosu with pulses - 6/8/10/12/10/8/6
- 15 x swiss ball bent-knee hip extensions
- 20 x oblique twisting thingys (3kg MB)
- 15 x push ups (toes)
- 15 x single arm tricep extensions (3kg DBs)
- 12 x push ups (toes)
- 8 x tricep extensions (3kg DBs)
- 20 x assisted chin ups
- 20 x alternate bicep curls (6kg DBs)
- 20 x single arm standing row (11.25k on cable machine)
- 15 x side raises (3kg DBs)
- 20 x oblique twisting thingys (5kg MB)
15mins stretching.

I had to laugh while doing this session as I thought of something Lulu & I agreed on earlier in the morning - I'm probably stronger & fitter now than I was when I did Six Foot last year :-)

Saturday
AM - after a nice big sleep-in I headed out for another 25mins run (4k - woohoo!) on a slightly cool, windy & overcast morning. My butt is sooo sore after yesterday's weight session so I thought it was going to be a real struggle but I felt really comfortable. After talking with Lulu during the week, I really concentrated on my cadence & clawback, keeping my feet turning over quickly. I certainly felt like I was moving more easily. Something else to work on.

PM - off for a swim later this afternoon.
Edit: 1.6k swim this afternoon which included lots of short, sharp efforts. Feeling the effects of not having a rest day this week now....Unfortunately no sleep-in for me tomorrow as we are leaving at 5am (OMG) to head down to Kurnell to watch R & (Coach) TigerAngel in the sprint triathlon. Man, I hope there is a coffee cart !

MTD: S 3.25k + B 10k + R 13.45k

My kingdom for a surf ski...

Friday
AM - 40min spin on Betty in front of the telly.

Saturday
Rest :-)

Sunday
AM - Trishave All Women's Triathlon - 250m/10k/2.5k

At the Aquathon last weekend, I had a good swim & bad run. Today, it was reversed. Horrid swim. Good bike. Even better run.

I caught up with TA & Mouse (who were doing the sprint event) along with Gnome & NTR not long before the briefing for my race. It was wonderful to be able to spend the day with them all - and thanks so much for the cheering & sideline coaching!

The swim was easily 50m longer than the (enticer) club race I did early last month. Did I mention the swim was horrid? I have no idea why. But it was horrid. I'm not asthmatic but I can begin to imagine what those suffering asthma go through. Half way in the swim, I was treading water, my breathing producing a sound which resembled a death rattle & I was looking around for a surf ski. There were no surf skis to be seen so I just thought "suck it up princess" & tried to get on with it. I have no idea what happened. Last week's swim was more congested. Dunno. So much for last week's confidence boosting swim...

Anyhoo, needless to say that I was happy to be out of the water & onto the bike. My bike leg was good. I just focused on keeping my cadence up & managed to spend alot of time in a higher gear (at a high cadence) than I did during my last race. I also passed a few people :-)



Coming out of T2, I took off after 'high fiving' Mouse & NTR, immediately passing someone. Over the grassy knoll & by the time I was in front of the grandstand, I was thinking that my speedy start was a bad idea - as evidenced by this photo!


Having said that, it was my cardio fitness that was letting me down. My legs actually felt good - for the first time, I didn't have the dreaded dead/jelly leg sensation. And before anyone asks, yes I worked hard on the bike. Maybe the strength training is starting to pay off?



Apart from my lungs screaming at me, I enjoyed the run - and not just because I managed to pick a few more people off :-) As a back-of-the-packer and normally the 'passee' and not the 'passer', I don't often pass people so I have to admit that I enjoyed doing it today (*she blushes*). I forgot to stop my watch - again - but suspect my time was 43:xx and - notwithstanding the longer swim - a new Enticer PB :-)

Ian & Gnome quickly arrived to congratulate me. Gnome gave me a lovely compliment -he said words to the effect of 'yes, you certainly are a runner' :-) It was lovely to be reminded of that after doing so little running over the last 7 months.

I spent the rest of the morning hanging out with Gnome & NTR whilst cheering on Mouse, Coach TA & Wildthing, all of whom had great races. Congrats girls !

I was somewhat ambivalent about the race but I'm now glad I did it. Not only did I get to spend the morning with some of my favourite people, I learn something new every time I do this caper. Now if I could only work out the reason for my crap swims & I'll be motoring :-)

Results to come. I hope.

Edit: the results are in !

S: 6:16 - not too bad given it includes my asthma/panic attack
B: 24:32 - not bad given it includes both T1 & T2
R: 12:35 - assuming the course was accurate (a big assumption I know) -5.02min/k pace - OMG, no wonder that hurt. For me, that's absolutely smokin' :-)

Total: 43:23 meaning a 28 sec PB :-)

Placing:
Out of the water - 63/124. Finished - 36 / 124! Nice :-)

Photos courtesy of Gnome (c) 2008

R & R

Much to my surprise, my butt was soooo sore after Monday's weight session. I intended to take it a bit easier given that it's a recovery week. Apparently I didn't!

Tuesday
AM - a short, tough run on a really humid run. 20mins walk + 15mins run (2.4k).
PM - a scenic & easy 1.5k swim after work.

Wednesday
Rest day :-)

Thursday
AM - another short, tough slog on another humid morning. A scenic 20mins walk + 15min run (2.1k). Super duper slow. Maybe my running partner was slowing me down? ;-) God knows how I'll manage to run 25mins next week...

PM - Headed to the gym after work for 45mins strength session after having had to cancel my appointment with my PT at lunch due to work -

- 5mins bike w/u

- 2 x supersets (?) of:
(a) 12 x push-ups (toes)
(b) single arm reverse fly (12, 15) (3kg)
(c) single arm lying tri extension (12, 15) (4kg)

- superset of:
(a) lunges with pulses with front foot on bosu (6/8/10/12/19/8/6);
(b) single leg deadlifts (6kg),
doing both sets on the left leg first then again on the right

- 20 x oblique twisting thingys - technical name (5kg m/ball)

- 20 x seated row (15kg?)
- 20 x bicep curls (5kg)
- 20 x lat pulldown (25kg) (would have been seated row but it was in use)
- 20 x bicep curls (6kg)

- 20 x oblique twisting thingys (5kg m/ball)

- stretching.

And that brings January, otherwise known as the month of rest and restoration, to a close. After suffering from 2 colds in December, Coach TA suggested that I take it a bit easier this month to help get my health back on track. So I've had two recovery weeks and a rest day every week (which I haven't had previously). While the totals for the month are down (deliberately), I'm certainly feeling better for it.

January: S - 8.65k / B - 71.32k* / R - 26.6k

*long rides & races only

Highlights include not 1 but 2 races (very unusual for me!), actually feeling comfortable during, and getting a big confidence boost from, my first open water swim and doing more running than I have for the last 7 months! As for lowlights, once again - zero, zip, nada. Another great month :-)

I didn't mention it previously but last week I signed up to do the Enticer event at the (somewhat unfortunately named) Trishave All Women's triathlon being held at the Regatta Centre this Sunday. It wasn't an event on my radar - particularly given its cost in light of what I pay to do a club race on the same course - but when Coach TA stated (surrounded by lots of witnesses) that she would do the Sprint if I did the Enticer, how could I resist? After all, how often do you get to inflict some pain on your coach? ;-P

Monday Monday, so good to me

Gotta love Monday public holidays - and recovery weeks :-)

Despite my nana nap yesterday afternoon, I still managed to sleep for over 8 hours last night. It would have been closer to 9 had my brother not sent me an SMS from Canada at 5am this morning :-(

No PT session today so I took myself off to the gym for a 60mins strength session. It's another recovery week so I decreased the weights I normally use just a tad -

- 5mins bike w/u

- 2 x supersets of:
* 20 x reverse flyes (machine)
* 20 x bicep curls (6kg)

- 20 twisting oblique thingys (with med ball)

- lunges + pulses with front foot on bosu ball - 6/8/10/12/10/8/6

- 20 x assisted chin-ups (normal grip)

- 12 x single leg deadlifts with swiss ball (ouchy)

- 20 x assisted chin-ups (rock-climbing)

- 20 x twisting oblique thingys (with med ball)

- 2 superset of:
* 20 x chest flyes (4kg)
* 20 x single arm tricep extension (3kg)

- stretching

Back to laying on the couch reading & watching the cricket. Nice :-)

Finding my sea legs

Saturday
AM - Australia Day Illawarra Aquathon, Wollongong - 400m swim/3k run

My first open water swim! To be honest, I wasn't particularly nervous in the lead-up to, or the morning of, this event. I was actually rather blase about it. I'm not sure why.

The Mango clan converged on Wollongong with Brother Mango & I doing the short course race (400m swim/3k run) with lots of other Mangos in a cheerleading capacity (*waves*)

Standing on a hill overlooking the course, I was thinking to myself that there was no way it was a 400m swim. Interestingly someone on Trannies suspects it was closer to 500-500m!

The women's wave was the first to go in the short course event with the U35 men 3mins behind us. I was really worried about being swum over the top of by the men but thankfully, they went around us when they finally caught us.


That's me in the pink cap ;-)

With 50 women in my wave, it was really congested & difficult to find an open patch of water for much of the course. A few younger girls also decided that they had to touch the buoys when they went around them (!) - which resulted in those behind them having to breaststroke to get around the buoys. Grrr.

Much to my considerable surprise, I actually felt reasonably comfortable out there - a big improvement on my last (first) two races. I'm not sure why - perhaps it was because I had others around me & didn't feel so 'left behind'. For whatever reason, I felt reasonably good - so much so that after we turned the last buoy to head for home, I was getting frustrated that I couldn't find an open patch of water to open up my stroke. Out of the water in 26th spot (26/50) :-)

Once out of the water it was a 15m run across the sand to a (short) set of stairs which sent my heart rate through the roof. My transition was far too leisurely - I took a swig of water to get rid of that horrid salt water taste & had difficulty getting my shoes on. I don't think I loosened my (elastic) laces enough.


Anyhoo, then I was off on the run leg - straight up a short, steep, grassy hill - and there goes the heart rate again! Other than that rise, the run was a flat out & back along the beachfront. I had a stitch for the whole run & was overtaken by quite a few people - not surprisingly given that my longest run in the last 6 months has only been 3k. I also admit to walking through the drink stop at the turnaround (*she blushes*)

The run back to the finish was good with people lining the last 250m or so. It really hurt though! I achieved my A & B goals for the race - Goal A being not to drown ;-) and Goal B being to stay in front of Brother Mango who I had a 5min head start over. Preliminary results are now up:

S: 11:26
R: 20:06 (incl T)
Total: 31:33
31/50 30-39 age group


The Mini Mango & I showing off our muscles post-race

Sunday
AM - after a big sleep (I was absolutely exhausted), the Brothers Mango took me on a bike tour of Shellharbour & Kiama this morning.

R went out for his long ride early so Brother Mango & I left later & met him at the almost decedent hour of 7.45am. We headed along back roads west of Shellharbour & Kiama, through the beautiful lush, green & rolling countryside with the massive escarpment in the background, before turning onto the highway at Kiama & heading for home It was a beautiful, albeit hilly, ride -



Finished with 24.86k in 1:13. Given that I haven't done a hilly ride on Betty (roadie) since the Gong ride in November, I'm really happy with how I felt on the hills.

A long (1.5 hour) nana nap this afternoon has finished off a great weekend. Given that I never nana nap, it's a pretty good indication of how tired I'm feeling. Thankfully I've got tomorrow off (work) to recover!

MTD: S - 7.15k + B - 71.32k* + R - 22.1k
* long rides & races only

Entertain the possibility

Tesso, different PT - though this one is equally deserving (perhaps even more so) of the "Satan" name ;-)

My lower back & calves were trashed after Monday's strength session. D*mn squat jumps!

Tuesday
AM - Sticking with 20mins runs again this week as I re-introduce hills. My physio will be proud - not changing two elements at the same time (ie increasing distance AND reintroducing hills). See, I'm learning :-)

Having not run on hills since July last year, I'd forgotten how much they hurt! But taking the glass-half-full view, being allowed to run them again means I'm injury free :-) 20mins (3.2k) later I got home, red faced but very happy!

PM - back to the pool for a scenic 1.5k swim. Due to work, I didn't get to the pool until 7.30pm which makes for a very late dinner (read 9pm). Not good I know. Swim was ok. Not great. Felt pretty flat, sluggish & seemed to be sitting a bit lower in the water than normal. That's ok - that was my crap swim out of the way before the weekend ;-)

Wednesday
AM - 42mins bike session on the trainer with lots of short(ish) efforts at what was supposed to be AT but didn't quite get there. Tired & dead legs. Tough morning.

PM - massage.

Thursday
AM - another 20mins run (3.1k), this time back on the flats. Slow & tired this morning.

PM - stretching. Was supposed to do a strength session tonight but I'm tired & a bit tight in my back & calves after Monday's session.

Rest day tomorrow (Friday) before the Australia Day Illawarra Aquathon (400m swim/3k run) on Saturday at Wollongong. Looking forward to the challenge of my first open water swim :-)

MTD: S - 6.75k + B - 46.5k* + R - 19.1k

*long rides & races only. Must get sensor working on my bike...

Super Monday

In an effort to avoid writing essays when I update, here is today's 60mins strength session with the PT:

- 5mins w/u run

- 2 x supersets (triple set really) of:
(a) 20 x bent over rows (20kg b/bell)
(b) 20 x single arm bent over rows (8kg)
(c) kick-boxing kicks against a pad - 1 kick/5sec rec, 2 kicks/5 sec rec, up to 10 kicks. This really gets the heart working!;

- 20 x bent over row (20kg b/bell)

- 20 x single arm bent over rows (8kg)

- 20 x chest press on swiss ball (6kg)

- 20 x push-ups;

- superset of:
(a) kickboxing kicks against a pad; and
(b) squat jumps,
so, eg, 1 kick/10 squat jumps, 2 kicks/10 squat jumps up to 10 kicks/10 jumps. O.M.G.

- 20 x chest press on swiss ball (6kg)

- 20 x push-ups

- stretching.

I'm going to have stacks of BS by the end of the year at this rate ;-)

Another day, another long post!

Sorry 'bout that. Busy times

Wednesday
Rest day. Was due to ride but woke with a headache so I swapped my rest days around

Thursday
AM - 60mins strength session with the PT. This was a great session & has given me a big confidence boost. My strength has increased considerably in recent weeks, woohoo!

- 5min run w/u
- 40 x alternate lunges + bicep curl (2 x 5kg)
- 20 x single leg deadlifts (using a s/ball against a wall) + single arm bicep curl + shoulder press (4kg). Ouchy. Much harder than the way I had previously been doing them.
- lunges with pulses (6/8/10/12/8/6) on each leg - each set followed by an explosive set up onto a bench

At this point, the PT gave me the option of trashing my legs further or doing chest & back. I hate push-ups so trashed legs it was!
- 20 x alternate lunges + bicep curl (2 x 5kg), trying for an explosive 'push' back to the standing position
- superset of:
(a) lunges with pulses (6/8/10/12/8/6), each set followed by an explosive set-up onto a bench;
(b) 20 slow lunges;
(c) 10 x single leg deadlifts (using a s/ball against a wall),running through the whole superset focusing on one leg & then the whole set again for the other. Super ouchy.
- stretching

There was more but I can't remember it all now...Surprisingly, I didn't have to crawl back to the office like I normally do.

Friday
AM - 45mins bike session including 3 x 5min hard efforts. Really tough on the legs after yesterday's strength session.

Saturday
AM - I must say that I really struggled to get out of bed this morning. But my (scary) goals for later this year & early next year are at the forefront of my mind at the moment so there was no way I wasn't going to do my sessions. My second 20mins run (3.2k) felt slightly easier than the first even though this was on a (slightly) undulating course. I've missed running in the rain!

After home for some food, a shower & catching up on CR, I headed off to the pool for a 1.5k swim in the rain (I had the 50m pool to myself, woohoo!) which included 3 x 200m hard efforts. Somehow I managed to keep the efforts consistent again. If only my pacing when running was so consistent!

Sunday
What a day. I was not meant to ride outdoors today

1. I was supposed to do a MTB course but got a message at 7am that it was cancelled.

2. At lunch, headed up to the park at Glenbrook again (20mins drive) for another outing on the MTB, only to discover the road in the park was closed due to the level of water over the causeway. Before anyone says it, I'm not strong enough (yet) to ride up the hill from the causeway.

3. Headed home for some lunch, put the MTB away & got out the road bike. Drove to the M7 bike path (about 20mins) from home. Arrived, got out of the car & suddenly realised that I'd forgotten my road cycling shoes. Argh. I almost laughed. Almost. But not quite

So I headed home & was tempted to abandon the session entirely but the prospect of perhaps having to chase Ellie around a tri course in two weeks was at the forefront of my mind. So I trashed myself for 75mins on the trainer instead (25k approx).

MTD: S 5.25k + B 46.5k + R 12.8k

Fortius

More of the same as last week's recovery week ended & the training kicked in again this week.

Friday
AM - 30mins spin at 90 RPMs on Betty in front of the telly

Saturday
AM - 60mins walk (6.55k). Yes, a walk! I must admit that at about the 35mins mark, I started thinking about how much I was looking forward to getting stuck into the training again next week!

Sunday
Rest day :-(

I had 60mins ride on the program but it didn't happen. After a late night, I decided to stay in bed, have a lazy morning & ride in the afternoon. Wrong decision. We had not one or two thunderstorms but 5 hours of thunderstorms. It was incredible - I've never seen, or heard, a storm like that before. Hail, wind & huge amounts of rain, some of which decided to come under the front door meant that the day wasn't too boring ;-)

Monday
PM - I had to cancel my PT session due to work so I took myself off to the gym for a 45mins strength session after work:
- 5mins bike w/u
- lunges with 'pulses' on a ladder 6/8/10/12/10/8/6 - these still hurt
- 3 x supersets of bicep curls & (assisted) chin-ups (normal, alternate grip & rockclimbing)
- 2 sets of 14 single leg deadlifts (6kg)
- 2 sets of reverse flyes
- 20 x twisting oblique thingy with 3kg medicine ball
- 50 crunches
- stretching.

Tuesday
AM - 20mins walk + 20mins run (3.2k) - my longest run in over 6 months. Felt pretty good too. Happy days

PM - massage at lunch then back to the pool for a scenic 1.3k swim including 12 x50m firm efforts. Much to my surprise, they were remarkably consistent - only 3sec separated the slowest & fastest!

MTD: 3.75k S + 21.5k* B + 9.6k R (LOL)

* long rides + races only

Hillary

Edmund, not Clinton.

The world lost a great man this week. One of my heros. While Sir Edmund Hillary's humanitarian efforts have always been overshadowed by his achievement on Everest, they are matched by few.

RIP Sir.

Twenty2

Last week wasn't a recovery week Bro - this is :-)

Monday
AM - sleep in :-)
PM - 35mins strength session + 15mins stretching at lunch:

- 5mins bike w/u
- lunges with pulses on a ladder of 6/8/10/12/10/8/6 - crap these are hard
- 2 supersets of 20 x chest flyes on swiss ball + 20 x single arm rows
- 2 sets x 12 single leg dead lifts with 6kg. Ouchy !

Tuesday
AM - 20mins walk + 15mins run (2.4k). I really enjoyed my run this morning - it's so much easier when you don't have to swim & ride beforehand.
PM - massage at lunch & easy, not to mention scenic, 1k swim after work. With the fear of my next race looming, I took the opportunity to practice my sighting - I need it.

Wednesday
Rest day :-)

Thursday
AM - return of the torturer, aka my PT. 60mins strength session at 7am which (thanks to it being a recovery week) was bloody hard work but not completely & utterly shattering like his usual sessions:

- 5mins run w/u
- 20 x wall squats (with s/ball), bicep curl & shoulder press (2 x 5kg d/b)
- 360 degrees lunges & bicep curl (2 x 5kg d/b)
- diagonal walking lunges with 10kg
- 20 x oblique twisty thing on the ground with 10kg kettle ball (KB)
- 2 x supersets using 7kg KB: 1 squat with KB extended overhead followed by 10 x tricep extensions
- 20 x oblique twisty things with 7kg KB
- 50 x crunches
- 2 x supersets of 1 squat/10 x tricep extensions with 7kg KB
- push ups - 10 on toes, then 10 on knees with a 'pulse' at the bottom of the push up. Nasty
- 15 x wall squats (with s/ball), bicep curl & shoulder press (10kg KB)
- 20 x hamstring curls (s/ball)
- 5 push ups on a swiss ball (really freakn hard)
- 20 x seated rows
- stretching

BS here I come :-)

2008 - the year of BS :-)

Base & Strength that is ;-) The first half of the year is dedicated to base & strength with a few varied races thrown in to keep things interesting. But to start with, I'm kicking the year off with an easy month. After 2 colds in December, Coach TA has recommended taking things a bit easier this month to get my health back on track so I have a couple of recovery weeks, rest days & instructions to get more sleep :-)

Monday (NYE) & Tuesday (NYD) both became unplanned rest days due to factors ranging from the gym only opening during weird hours on NYE & waking up on NYD with a 'crook' neck. I couldn't turn my head to the left & even had trouble lifting an arm to tie my hair back. And no, I didn't do anything too silly on NYE to cause it.

Wednesday
AM - 45mins bike session on the trainer. Thanks to work being quiet at the moment, I took the opportunity to sleep in until, wait for it, 5.25am (woohoo!) before doing this session. I haven't been paying attention to my cadence recently so I've probably reverted back to my usual Ulrich, not Armstrong, style. 90RPMs hurts when you aren't used to it.

PM - (scenic) 1.2k swim in the 25m pool due to too many feral kids in the outdoor pool.

Thursday
AM - 20mins walk + 10mins run (1.5k) before work to stretch the legs out before tomorrow's race.

Friday
PM - Panthers Tri Club race - 250m/10k/2.5k
My first 'enticer' so another triathlon PB for me & another for Mango (including a sub-20min 5k split!)

The swim was better than last time. I discovered how to swim straight - by following the cables that run the length of the rowing course. Of course that didn't help much once the cables disappeared. Anyhoo, the swim was ok. It is definitely something I need to work on.

The ride was tough thanks to an easterly wind creating a tough headwind. Oh, & the fact that I hadn't ridden a road bike since my last tri. After riding the MTB so much recently, I think it took me the first lap (of a 2 lap course) to get used to the handling, set-up, cornering, gears etc. Note to self: ride road bike at least once before each tri.

The run was also tough - of course the fact that I haven't run further than 2.5k in the last 6 mths probably had something to do with it.

I was toying with the idea of doing a sprint (750m/20k/5k) next month but I now know that I'm not ready for it (yet). I stuffed up starting my watch (again) so I'll have to wait for the official results to come out.

Edit: the results are up!

S - 6:44 (incl T1)
B - 21:53
R - 15:17 (incl T2)
Total: 43:54

My scepticism about the accuracy of triathlon courses continues.There is no way I was running faster than 6:11min/k! It 'appears' to big improvement on my first race - only 3mins slower despite doing an extra 50m swim and 500m run. But hey, its my first enticer and therefore a PB so I'll take it.

Saturday
Rest day.

Sunday
AM - 60mins MTB in the Glenbrook National Park (11.5k), including my first single track experience! I've been putting off trying the single track for a while now but with Horrie's wise words in mind (don't let fear hold you back), I decided to go for it today. And I'm sooo glad I did - woohoo - what a buzz! Scary & exhilarating in equal part. Why on earth would you ride on the boring road when you can zip down a trail so narrow that the foliage on either side whips at your handle bars while trying to dodge the biggest of the rocks & drop-offs on the course? Very, very cool.

I've been so focused on learning to MTB recently that I haven't been taking in the scenery. It is one of my favourite places. The contrast in colours between the red dirt firetrails, the lush green foliage, the charcoal-coloured tree trucks & that deep blue sky you only see once you get out of the Sydney basin is simply stunning :-) Happy days!

MTD: S 1.45k/B 21.5k/R 4k (LOL)