Triathlon Europe

IM Austria... the finish line

10 days ago, 6 months of hard training came down to 12 hours and 21 (ish) minutes of adrenaline!

The build up of travelling over to Austria with fellow club mates and supporters was fun.  Carbo loading even funnier!  Our hotel had a special XXXL Ironman menu of food ;-)

In the days leading up to the race we took the opportunity to recce the swim course and the canal entrance... what a brilliant plan... the sun was up and sighting for the hotel as a landmark was smart ;-)  After the race briefing (we did wonder how we would escape all the penalty cards they kept threatening to give you....) I was a little more nervous!

Race day dawned and my alarm went off... I managed to eat cold porridge (the concept of warm milk was lost on the staff!), grabbed the remainder of my kit bags and got down to the start... I started with a fellow club mate, and, as the starter 'horn' went off  we had a quick good luck hug and  walked into the water. what a relaxed race start!

The lake was lovely to swim in and I found a few feet here and then to follow... until we reached the canal where carnage ensued... after relaxing and realising I would get a bit beaten up.. it was a matter of just swimming..

I exited in about 1hr 15... ran into T1,  found my bag, avoided naked men getting into the girly changing tent and was ready and out after a quick hug and good luck to one of my fellow club mates. 

The bike was fun. I had to reign myself in a bit when I realised I might have gone off a little fast getting into the second lap!  On one of the climbs the locals had a DJ and the roads were paved with chalk... I thought I was in theTDF for a moment ;-) .  In the middle of my second lap the thunder and lightening and getting soaked wasnt so much fun... I slowed a wee bit as I was a little wary of my carbon wheels and flashbacks to a couple of nasty accidents...... 

After just over 6 hours on the bike... I was into T2 and getting ready for the run.  Admittedly at this point I felt ok.  

The first hour was done and no problems.  Then my little body decided that it would shut my stomach down for a bit.  Lots of porta potty stops later and it left me feeling a bit dizzy.  I walked each aid station and sipped water.  I re-named the loop out by the lake the sahara.  It was so hot.  I carried on and glad of the sponges, watermelon and cheers from my wonderful boyfriend and our other support crew.

It was only when I realised in my daze of nauseousness that I had 4km to go. I was aware that I was over 12 hours and if I could just keep going I might make a respectable time.

I neared the final part and saw the finish arrow... this was it.  I was metres away from  the finish of my IM journey.  I was suddenly so excited!

I turned into the finish shute hand clapping the commentators, smiling and grinning like a cheshire cat and crossing the finish line with a crazed smile.

I wobbled over to Paul, hugged,  kissed him and  promptly cried.

I was finally an Ironman.

The rest..... is history.  

My crazed finishers photo and 2 drips later gave me an experience I wont forget in a hurry. 

One day, I'll get to feel the euphoria once more.... for now,  I'm just going to milk it ;-)

IM Austria... 2 days: 20 hrs: 20 mins

This is the last blog before the race and boy and I'm like a little coiled spring!

One minute am really lethargic, the next, full of energy!  This tapering is a confusing game ;-)

6 months of hard work with Coach Fi.... and its almost race day!

I've packed (and re-packed), bike is in her box, nutrition and kit safely tucked away in the suitcase.

Yep. I'm ready.

Can do no more but arrive, re-build the bike, unpack... sleep.  Eat and drink (lots).

 You plan and prepare everything down to the last detail, wondering whats going to happen on the day.  People ask how you feel.  Nervous, excited, looking forward to enjoying the best day of your life so far. 

Am just going to enjoy the atmosphere, the company of my fellow Tri-Force athletes, my friends (and my IM widow boyfriend!) and make it to the start line with several hundred athletes.... 

with one huge goal in mind....

....finish.... 

;-)

The final countdown

Yes...Its the final countdown!

After months of training preparation, injury and a little bit of sickness.... its 3 weeks to go before my A race of 2010

I missed Swashbuckler due to a stomach bug which rendered me useless for a week... a real shame after a good weeks training in the Pyrenees!

The Chiltern 100 a couple of weekends ago was a tough little ride, some challenging hills over 107 miles that really set me up and wore me out !

I have another week of training before its taper time..... when my next update will be...

Happy training and racing everyone!

Spring madness!

       and Ironman Austria 2010....

 Well, here i am sitting on my sofa relaxing after a large mothers day dinner  (prepared and cooked to give my lovely ma a day off!) and lemon drizzle cake.  

Cake.  Well, I figured I deserved it after my 3.5 hr ride and 2hr run this weekend in glorious sunshine... 

Yes, after 2(ish) months off training after Clearwater.... I started back with my weekly base training programmes.

I have looked out of the window many a time considering that bike or that run... its a toughie battling wind, rain, snow and ice so the gym was a much more preferable option....however in the last couple of weeks, it seems spring has finally arrived!

So, whats in store for me this year?   

Well, I entered Ironman Austria (what seems like an eternity) a few months ago....  and reality has just kicked in.  I need to prepare my mind and body for a pretty big challenge.

My 'A' race is my first IM and Coach Fi and I have started planning my big adventure.  At this stage in the game I just want to finish.  Coach Fi will remind me of that when I start breaking down the times for each discipline and planning my finish time!

So to the warm-up..  Swashbuckler in May, a few other bike races (Cobham and Chiltern 100 to name a few) ... then a week in France with Tamsyn and Stu to assist my bike training (in what I am hoping will be lovely weather) and am sure a cheeky 120 miler will be thrown in for good measure !

I am sure there will be a few other races after Austria..... but for now... thats my focus.

;-)

World 70.3 success!

Hi y'all

Well after an amazing race day followed by a week of ‘rest’ (does traipsing around Walt Disney and Universal Studios count?)   I am still on a high from the race.  My family were with me from week one with my brother accompanying me on my final 10 mile run and my rides.  I couldnt tempt him to get into the sea though!

Ok, pre-race build-up… it was an amazing atmosphere meeting GBR age groupers and others from around the world.  

At the Thursday night pasta party – the Race Directors were still undecided whether it would be a sea swim or in the Harbor....The winds were really strong all week and the sun did not have its hat on for several days (so much for going out early to acclimatise!!)

I racked on Friday afternoon and informed the swim would be moved to the Harbor as a time trial start as the swim start opening was too narrow and the amount of athletes would be chaos.  I was looking forward to a sea swim as well!

Race day dawned dark and early Saturday morning.

The sea was a fairly calm but the winds were still swirling. I made my way to race start , got body marked, and made my way to the swim.

…getting into the water was a calm affair (I have a photo to prove it!) - however the diesel fumes mixed with salt water plus being cracked in the head by men from the waves before and after with sunrise made it all an interesting swim…. We then had to literally go up a gang plank, slipping our way onto the pavement and jostled to get our wetsuits off…. Into T1 and onto the bike.

The first mile was flat into a steep flyover and onto the flat again , I felt sick from drinking the lovely harbor water!  I remembered Fi's words of wisdom and took my time to settle into the bike.  It was an interesting course with flat bits, several climbs, v technical turns and some seriously bad drafting. At one point a fellow GBR Age grouper flew past me wishing me luck and she had 4 girls literally hanging onto her back wheel…. Madness!

I stayed away from trouble and peletons. I tried to keep to 20+mph for as long as I could. This was fine for the first hour or so, then my hamstring cramped up and I had to keep shifting around to get comfy.

into T2 and onto the run.... the heat was building and the sun was shining...I kept myself cool at every aid station with water sponges on my head and ice cubes down my top… ;-)

I got into the turn for the 2nd lap and after climbing the flyover for the 5th time, the sun and heat was zapping anything I had left in the tank. I felt a bit sick, my hamstring was screaming but undeterred (and not wanting to finish last) I mustered up the remaining ounces of energy, had Coach Fi's words in my head,  picked up my legs and went for it.

I crossed the line in 5hrs 30(ish). 

My race day was one of the happiest and proudest days of my triathlon life. To get a PB and at the World Champs is a really great feeling.  Its been a long season for me and Coach Fi has been there through the ups and downs to get me ready for this challenge.

Thanks Fi.

A few treats and some well deserved rest beckons....

Bring on Austria IM next year!

70.3 Worlds prep....

I cant believe its 4 weeks today....!

After the Vit I had a niggle which stopped me from bike training for a few weeks... but that didn't deter me from running ;-)

I had a great run at Peterborough Half Marathon last week with a good sub 1:46.

This week Fi has been building me back up to bike strength and I had a good hard hilly ride today... a reminder of what it was like winter training again!

So with 4 weeks to go, training is cranking up and the stealth and I are becoming well acquainted!

More news soon

Angela's Vitruvian 09 PB

After a PB performance at Cambridge I settled into training for the Vitruvian.  

The Vit was my first middle distance last year and I had quite a few injuries leading up to it.  This year I felt stronger and had a new bike to play with!

I met up with friends on the Friday evening, the night before the competition.  This year was slightly different.  It involved canvas and Calor Gas.  Yep, thanks to Burghley Horse trials on the same weekend, all the accommodation was booked up in May!

I had a discussion about my race time with a friend - he was on for a sub 5. 

After breaking down the elements I hoped for a 5:30 race. I hate predicting my time but it gave me a focus!

So, we pitched the tent, racked our bikes and ate pasta.  I think bedtime loomed around 10pm!

We woke to a cloudy sky (thankfully no rain unlike last year) and chilly temps at 5am.

After grabbing the race essentials, donned wetsuits and make for the porta potties for the last time, we made our way to swim start...all girlies together.

I had Tamsyn for company for about 10 seconds ;-)

The swim was good... the usual knocks to the face, but its all to be expected.

Onto the bike and into the wind.  I chose my Planet X 50 wheel's on the TT bike which was a gamble but I love them!  The first lap was ok, got myself into a rhythm and was off.  The second lap felt much windier, or was that cos I was getting tired ;-)

Then onto the run.  It was an interesting run with sidewinds to keep me company.  I felt ok, the atmosphere was good and I glanced at my watch to judge my speed and overall time.  I got into a rhythm and started to enjoy it!

On the last lap I suddenly felt tired.  A female runner in front of me was keeping pace so I kinda stuck with her and then she sped off.  As I rounded the final run through the grass I caught her up.  As I carried on I felt ok and thought, I can do this... com'on.  As we both made for the final bend I overtook her, expecting her to claw back.... she didnt...

I turned the last corner up the short (but steep) left bend and headed for the finish. 

I had a huge grin as I crossed the line in sub 5:30.

What a feeling... then Jonathan Hotchkiss placed a medal around my neck and I called myself a Vitruvian for the second time.

Come on the Worlds!

Half Challenge-Barcelona 24th May

After landing in Barcelona early doors Thursday, there was time to register, build bikes and review the swim course.

The sea was full of swell, the sun was shining with a strong coastal wind.  An early wetsuit swim and a bike recce over the next couple of days would sort us out ready for Sunday.....

Sunday 24th May.... race day dawned.

The sun was out and the waves were up. We assembled our bike, run and street gear bags, donned wetsuits and headed for the sand.  The swell was not a nice sight.  You could just about see the yellow/red buoys and a few kayaks.  the first wave went off at 7:30.  I followed closely behind with Jonno at my side (for about 10 lengths!) and we delved into the craziness.

It was all going swimmingly for the first few hundred meters until time to head back to the final buoy.  I got caught in a strong current that pushed me beach side.  Eventually after riding the huge waves (wishing I had a boogie board) it was almost over.

Dragging myself up the beach into T1.  Ok, found bag, changed and onto my bike.  The course looped around several very narrow streets until we finally got onto the closed highway.  Got into my rhythm and was off.  After 2 near misses at feed stations (there were limited if NO feed station signs) and swept up into several pele-tons (and spat out the back) I was finally on my way home into T2.

This is where is went a little wrong.

I met a fellow Tri-Forcer in transition and we headed out onto the run together.  The heat was blistering and I wasn't feeling great.  We kept pace together and we were on for a 1:50.  great I thought.  Give my legs 10mins and I will warm up, all will be good.

Not so.  An hour later and my stomach had cramped, felt dizzy and sick.  My mate, kept with me and made me stop at every station.  Never felt so awful on a run before... even with my run practice at home with no water/gels for 90+mins could have prepared me for heat exhaustion.

Still, after a dizzy 2 hours or so, I finally crossed the line in a total time of just under 6 hours.

Not my best race, but learnt a lot.  Basically, drink, drink, drink on the bike!

Angela survives Lake Taupo

Its been a while since my last confession (i mean blog)......

 

After Geelong, Melbourne and the trip back to Perth, the bike and I have enjoyed time off.  

I flew to Auckland on 8th march and managed to get in some quality hilly runs and rides plus learnt to control my speedy bike at 70kph downhill!

Lake Taupo beckoned and I had to give it a go.... fab but v hard bike leg. I think it was 115k - my speedo went to sleep. I think the hardest bit of NZ ironman has to be the longest transition from swim to bike!! 

Did a bit of cross training and walked 20k across the Tongariro Crossing.... very mountainous but great training!

Core work and steady runs to get myself back into shape whilst am in LA this week..... have 8 weeks to Barcelona so need to get focused again.

 

Early goals this year?  Well, I really want to improve my biking and running as I want to have a faster time at the Vit this year and stave off any more injuries.... and do my best at Clearwater.

 

Am looking forward to a structured programme from April after 2 months off.

Happy training and racing all

Race report IM Geelong 70.3. Clearwater - here I come!

We are in not so sunny Melbourne...so cold had to buy a coat!  The weather over here is barmy, one min hot, hot hot, then next chilly!!
 
Ok, to the race report...
 
After the temps on Saturday reaching over 40 degrees plus and winds of approx 90kph, it was the hottest day on record.  Bats that live in the botanic gardens near the race course were dying and had to be cleaned off the run course....mmm... nice.....that, along with the bush fires burining outta control...it was an interesting and devastating lead up.
 
After cooling off in the nearby shopping mall....attended the race briefing where they announced no wetsuits as the water temp as too warm.....uh-oh..... they also had to change the run and swim course as well. With the bike in transition and tyres deflated, there was nothing left for me to do now except get home, eat and i get some zzzzz's.
 
Race day....
 
Woke up at 4am.  It was freezing cold.
 
As we drove down to race start there was serious amounts of lightning in the sky.  If I wasnt nervous by now.... that helped.
 
Met some yanks at race start hoping to qualify for the worlds.... all made for interesting banter which I just kept quiet!!
 
Onto the swim.  They advised water temp still ok for non-wetsuits.  Well, that appeared to fall on deaf ears.  Everyone was in their suits!  If dry land was chilly, we werent taking any chances!
 
So, mass start....with over 1000 people in the swimstart.....it was interesting.  wading through seaweed and sand wasnt fun! It reminded me of the Vit, without the rain!
 
We all went off together with the Pro's leading.  The first buoy was intersting... people couldnt see as the sun was appearing, so those of us heading towards it were met with people coming back straight towards us.  Am glad I was sighting!! Onto the next buoy without a hiccup and I was passing people and swimming on their feet. Felt good.
 
Out of the swim running up the beach (mmm more sand) and into transition.  Grabbed my bike and headed out onto the course.  All going well.  Tackled the first long hill from transition and onto the closed highway.  The sun was out and the wind had picked up but no problems. Headed into transition for the turnaround after 30km and back out for lap 2.  Then the fun really started.  It chucked it down.  It rained so hard I thought it was hail!  The roads becamse really slipperly and I saw more than a few crashes and poorly bikes.  It was really hard-going on the big hill with a headwind and rain.
 
So made it in one piece though lap 2 and onto lap 3.  I needed to pee.  I saw a lonely portapotty on the final leg and bee-lined for it.  Darn, another competitior beat me to it... was counting down the seconds into mins when he finally came out after I shouted at him!! 
 
Final bike lap.....eased around the final turn at almost a standstill as it was so dangerous.
 
Onto the run.  It was hard as my ankle was sore but was ok.. mind over matter and all that!! It was a hilly and windy one but the cheers from the crowds and my mate Gail kept me going!
 
Finished in 5:49 and some secs. That felt soooo good.  The ice cream (yep......) helped to ease my pain!
 
I then went to the roll-down ceremony and awards.  Watching Sam Warriner and Craig Alexander picking up their trophies .... they said how hard the conditions were, so I felt better!!
 
Waited around to see what the roll-down would be..... I was 24th out of 40 women in my age group so I didnt think I would stand a chance....... not so.  Aussies appaprently werent fussed (cost issue) about getting to the worlds so they basically said, hands up who wants to go.... 30 of us did and we got the places.  Slightly bizzare way of doing it but hey..... I am going!!
 
So that folks, is that.  I am resting up in Melbourne taking in the sights before flying back to sunny Perth for a couple of weeks.
 
Hope the snow isnt hampering too much training.
 
See you all soon
 
Love Ange x