Week 4 - Training Camp!

Phew! I made it out of training camp alive! I am a little delirious at the moment; a mixture of exhaustion, soreness and general fatigue from a big weekend of training but somehow I feel on top of the world with how my Ironman preparation is going. 2012 couldn't have gotten off to a better start.

This week was a huge goal kicker for me. Tuesday saw my first hill session on the bike with the Balmoral Triathlon Club (BTC) girls since having surgery. I managed about 45 mins of hills around Chowder Bay and was pretty happy with that as a start, given I had only been on the wind trainer & around Centennial Park (flat road).

On Thursday morning, I drove up to Port Macquarie (4.5hrs north of Sydney) for the "Her Coach" Ironman Training Camp. It was expected to be a very rainy weekend. The weather forecast had predicted flash flooding for northern NSW but thankfully Port was spared. In fact, it was more humid than anything. We started with a swim session at the pool where Coach Mel filmed our technique. I highly recommend this to anyone who competes in triathlon. It provides invaluable feedback for your stroke & technique. Now that my technique is sorted, all I need to do is go faster!

On Friday, we took the ferry over to the North Shore for a 20km cycle time trial. For those of you who haven't cycled in Port before, the road surfaces leave a lot to be desired. Its pot hole central and really bumpy, compared to the roads in Sydney (or at least, where I ride anyway). I was with a very fast group of athletes but just tried to keep my head down & my legs moving. I felt like the last few kilometres went on forever. I wasn't in a good head space & started to get the sookie la la's at the half way mark because I was about 5-10 mins behind everybody else. Its hard to stay mentally tough when you're struggling at the back by yourself but I got there in the end, with sweat stinging my eyes. Beastly!

Brekky @ The Peleton Cafe (well done Loz for backing up, with a beer binge hangover)! 

We then headed to the pool for a heart rate set which was pretty intense. Definitely character building & lots of things I need to work on. That's probably all I need to say about that!

On Friday arvo, the sun started to heat up the pavement & we headed down to Shelly Beach for a run set. My ankle is at about 85% flexibility now & I am finding it is loosening up the more I ease into training. My good friend Nat told me her  husband (Matthew Nicholson, who used to play cricket for NSW) had the same surgery a few years ago & advised that light running actually helped his range of movement. I was quite surprised when I heard this but, I attempted my first run since September & he was right; after a kilometre or so, it was like I was never injured. I was still cautious of not overdoing it & also being aware that I had lost a a lot of running fitness. So I ended up running for 2 mins & power walking for 1 minute for a total of 2.7kms. Sounds like a piece of piss, right?! For me, it was like the hugest weight had been lifted off my shoulders. There is no greater feeling than returning to exercise after being injured. I had the biggest rush of endorphins ever! Friggin stoked.

 Shelly Beach, Port Macquarie

Saturday morning we did a 30 min flat ride, with some high cadence efforts, trying to control our bodies as we spun our legs. Very weird feeling but good practice for when I cycle the hills in Ironman (god knows, there are enough of them)! Then we headed home & did Mel's Yoga For Triathletes DVD (part of the Coach Troy series) which was so awesome that we did it twice! Felt so good to stretch & lengthen our muscles properly & got some new ideas for stretches too. I'm not usually one to watch exercise DVDs but I am actually going to buy this one. It was so good.

At midday, we drove out to Laurieton to compete in the Port Mac Tri Club 1km ocean swim. The goal was to try & get on someone's feet & stay there, but in usual Fonginator style, I was too slow & swam by myself for most of it. I managed to help another lady out there though & she came up to me afterwards to thank me for letting her swim on my feet! There's my good deed done for the day. A long run was scheduled for Saturday afternoon - 17kms for LJ (doing Husky Long Course in Feb), 12kms for Murray (Byron Olympic in May) & Sarah (Geelong Olympic in two weeks), and Paula & I did 5kms of 3 mins running/1-2 mins walking at 5.30/6 min/k pace. Took a while for my ankle to warm up but on the whole, it felt really good. Cannot wait to start running non-stop!

On our last day (Sunday), we did a 60km ride out to Lake Cathie, Wrights Hill & finally, Matthew Flinders Dr. For those of you who don't know this road, we have to ride up it twice in Ironman. According to the Australian Cycling Forum, this hill is about 18-20% gradient - in other words, it's measured in vomits per kilometre! The first time I attempted it was in late 2010, just before the Port Macquarie Half Ironman (my first long distance triathlon). I almost sh!t myself it was so steep. At one point, I thought I was going to fall off & slide down the hill. But with my heart coming out of my chest, I just kept spinning my legs & held on for dear life til I reached the top & almost passed out! This time was different. I gave myself about 2-3kms to prepare for it, and as I looked up, I thought, oh its not as steep as I remember it. I can totally do this! I got into granny gear & spun my legs til they couldn't spin any more. I got half way up & felt ok (much better than the first time I did it, when I felt like I was going to have a coronary). So I jumped out of the saddle for the final part & sprinted as fast as I could to the top. I was completely out of breath by the end, but was so proud of myself because I felt like I had improved so much since I last time I did it, almost a year & a half before. Woo Hoo! Mentally, I needed to do it before race day & I feel great for it.

After demolishing some pancakes (thanks Todd - best I've ever had), it was time to say good bye & head on back to Sydney, but not before a stop at Heatherbrae Pies for a cheeky pie.

Best pancakes ever, by Masterchef Todd

Fuel stop on the way home with LJ @ Heatherbrae Pies

Thank you to all of the "Her Coach" crew, especially Mel who led the sessions. I learnt so many things to take away & improve on & I am excited about what the next 13 weeks will bring. Thank you to Laura, Rhona, Tammy, LJ, Sarah Paula, Alicia & Murray for all the laughs. Some memorable moments from the weekend:
Laura: Backing up is my forte.
LJ: Its because you guys have a fanny hole in your seat.
Alicia: My vagina hurts
Sarah: My arms have stopped working
Todd: I'm just going for a trail run with Rhona (two days after he did a 50km running race)
Mel: Bloody ambulance!

And of course, riding on the newly paved highway, 6 abreast! Good bloody times!

The Her Coach crew - loving the super smooth road (currently still closed to cars)!

Day off training tomorrow then straight back into Ironman training. 13 weeks to go - Woo Hoo! Am currently watching the Nadal vs Djokovic match. So hard to turn the TV off but I'm afraid but bed is calling...

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Feel free to repost & share the Fonginator love.

HTFU,

Bel

Week 3 - Trying new things & getting my ass kicked

Week 3 brought new challenges. I missed a couple of sessions due to work commitments, which played with my mind a lot. I was excited that I got to try different classes through work but disappointed because my first goal for the Ironman program was to remain consistent. But I'm not beating myself up about it because there's nothing I can do to change it. And at the moment, I am just trying to build my fitness back up. It's certainly not the end of the world.

My training this week consisted of 2 x swim sessions, 4 x hours of cycling, 2 x Body Pump classes, 1 x Body Attack class, 2 x yoga classes, 1.5hr Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga session & a 1hr Kayak Fitness session. Talk about mixing it up!

On Monday, I tried a new yoga studio in Neutral Bay called Yoga Sivana on Ourimbah Rd in Neutral Bay (www.yogasivana.com.au). The class was called Yoga Organics (with Jo) which suited me well, being a beginner yogi. The studio is gorgeous, promotes sustainable & organic eco-living yoga products & I enjoyed the class more than any other yoga class I've done this year. They provide everything (mats, blankets, blocks, and even little lavender-smelling bean bag eye masks for sivasana at the end - trust me, you never want to leave)! I felt like I needed a good stretch after a big week/end of training & afterwards, I already felt more flexible. I still like Power Yoga (hot studio) but that is more of a workout, which at the moment, is too much sometimes, in addition to all the other training I do. Sometimes its nice to be able to go to a class, relax, still work but also focus on lengthening the muscles.

The SUP Yoga class was probably my favourite session of the week (sorry Coach)! It was held on the serene waters of Narrabeen Lake & our instructor was Di Morrison, who works with us in the store. I had heard a lot about it through her & was always hesitant to try it because I am so uncoordinated when it comes to balance & flexibility, let alone trying to do yoga on a board. But my friends at work were keen to organise a group so I thought, what the hell. It was a very early start (6.00am but had to drive from Kirribilli & detour via Manly on the way) but I have to say, its was 100% completely & utterly worth it! The session itself starts on land with a few yoga moves to warm-up our bodies & clear our minds. Then we got in the water to paddle out, getting loads of tips from Di about how to do paddle properly. What a great total body workout, especially for the core & upper body. We then attempted a few yoga poses on the board & I was able to master all but one move - the wheel (you lie on your back, feet flat on the board, then lift your bum up in the air, hands go behind, palms flat & fingertips pointed towards your head & lift everything up off the board except your hands & feet, like a bridge). I can't even do that on dry land! We ended the session with sivasana, by lying on our backs on the board, with our fingertips in the water, with our eyes closed. It was the most relaxing way to end the class, and I wanted to stay there all day, especially because the sun was shining on our faces. I will definitely do it again! The sessions run every Tues & Fri at 6.00am & Sun mornings at 7.30am & they all go for 1.5hrs. For more info, check out www.SUPYoga.com.au & www.facebook.com/pages/SUP-Yoga-Sydney. Bookings essential.

On Wednesday, we tried a Kayak Fitness session through Benefit Active (http://benstephens.com.au) at The Spit. We kayaked from The Spit to another beach & when we got there, we did a circuit of kayak-pulling with a rope, kettle bells, ladder runs on sand, medicine ball tricep push ups & various other pain-inflicting activities (including boxing). I was sweating up a storm by the end! Then we had to kayak back. It was loads of fun but I wish we could've jumped in the water after for a swim - unfortunately we all had to go to work!

On Thursday, my back was in so much pain (mixture of SUP & kayaking & not enough stretching) so I went and had a massage & experienced my first ever 'cupping' session. They basically put suction caps on your back & leave it there for a few mins to draw all the blood to the surface of the skin to improve circulation. It ended up looking like this:

It didn't hurt during the session or afterwards. In fact, my back felt SO much looser. I highly recommend it to anyone who has pain in their back muscles. I had it done at Wang's Massage in Westfield Chatswood (Cupping at Wang's. Ha ha. I should be in PR)!

Saturday was the Balmoral Triathlon Club cycling time trial at Centennial Park. I hadn't been riding consistently for a couple of months so it was going to be an interesting test. The last time I did a TT, I came third last, so I was determined to just beat my time, as I knew a lot of the fast girls would kick my ass anyway. We each went off in 10 second intervals & had to do 5 laps of the park as fast as we could (just under 20kms). I was almost at the end of the 4th lap when all the fast girls rode past. We cheered each other on & then I got excited because I thought I wasn't doing so bad if they were just catching me. Turns out, they pulled over  30 secs later & I still had one lap to go! I knew it was too good to be true! I yelled a few profanities at them for being lucky enough to have already finished (just a bit of friendly banter between chicks), then attempted to cycle for my life for the final lap. Nevertheless, I took 60 seconds off my last time for a 36.03 (35.59 by my watch). Gotta be happy with that. This snail WILL get faster, if its the last thing I do!

Because I had missed a cycle session, I decided to make up for it (with the permission of my coach) by going on a 2.5hr ride from Centennial Park to La Perouse & back with fellow BTC chick, The Fischernator (aka Kelli). I had never been on this route before & it was awesome. Our legs were trashed from the TT the day before but it was so great to explore new places to ride. We had originally planned to park the car at Brighton Le Sands & cycle out to Kurnell but the clouds looked too suspicious and we didn't fancy having to cycle 25kms in the rain. So we drove back to Centennial & cycled to La Perouse from there. After battling with semi trailers on the road (those things still scare the crap out of me when they drive past), spending about 10kms trying to find a bush/toilet for Kelli to pee in, we managed 50kms of undulating roads with some fairly decent climbs, which kept our tired legs honest. The great thing about riding with Kelli is that she pushes you. Its like having a coach, cycling next to you the whole time, but encouraging you to be the best you can be. She's one of the strongest cyclists in our club & always knows how to motivate me. I was a total snail but she kept pushing me & we even did a few efforts together, riding side by side. At that point, I felt like there was a tiny glimmer of hope that I was going to become a better cyclist. I love training with other people, especially on the bike. And although I was completely shattered afterwards (I had a 2hr nanna nap when I got home), I felt like I had broken down a few mental barriers. It is my weakest leg after all & its something I will be focusing on over the next few months. Having training partners like Kelli really motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries. I feel like I am Lance Armstrong when I ride with her (even just for a few seconds). And I am definitely going to need people like that in the lead up to Ironman. I am slowly learning to focus on my recovery, to do my own training, to try & find opportunities in my weaknesses, to capitalise on my strengths and admitting that comparing yourself to other people does nothing but destroy any sense of confidence you may have. And I may need you to keep reminding me of that :) After all, I am doing this race for me, and nobody else.

Today, I am nursing a sore left knee (from compensating for my bung right ankle) & I seem to have slightly pulled my hamstring on the ride yesterday. But nothing a bit of stretching & ice won't fix. I have a short training week at home this week, then on Thursday I am driving to Port Macquarie for the 'Her Coach' Ironman training camp which will run from Thurs-Sun (Australia Day weekend). My ankle is feeling better & this weekend, I will be attempting my first jog since ankle surgery. Nothing too crazy. But I am looking forward to getting back out there & moving my feet faster than just a walk. I am conscious of hurting it again so I will be taking it easy for all you worry warts out there. But I am warning you now, when I finally make my comeback to running (after I am healed), the Fonginator has some serious vengeance to take care of.

I have also decided to save up for a Go Pro camera to document my Ironman journey. For those of you who have never heard of it, check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swa8sVoDr7E. Surely someone knows someone who is a retailer/supplier of these babies & wants me to product test one for them?! Anyone?! Because by the time I have enough money saved to buy one (about $500 with accessories), the race will already be over!!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. See you next week (if I make it out of training camp alive)!

Signing off,
The Fonginator
HTFU!

Week 2

Week two of Ironman training has been a great success! I am really happy with how things are progressing & I have managed to maintain consistency in my program since I started at the beginning of the year, which is a huge deal considering the back end of 2011. One of my goals this year is to learn how to train on my own. And like it! I always push myself harder when I train with others & its a lot more enjoyable (somehow, time just flies by). But sometimes its difficult to find people who can train on the days that I can & do the disciplines I need to do. With this comes mental toughness, a weakness I am working on, so this week, I just had to put my head down & remind myself why I was training. It all comes down to the big goal of Ironman & I know that if I remain consistent, I will make it to the start line in one piece. My ankle still isn't healing as fast as I want it to, which is getting me a bit frustrated to say the least. The surgeon said he was happy with how it was healing though, and recommended I go back to training slowly, within the limits of pain, so I guess thats good news. I haven't run since August now & I was ok with it for the last few months but now its just doing my head in! I attempted to do a few high impact moves in Body Attack on Friday but I can already tell my ankle isn't up for it just yet.

I had a very character-building training week to say the least. I had a 15.5 hour training week, consisting of 2 x swim sessions, 4 x cycle sessions, 1 power yoga class, 2 x Body Attack classes & 3 x Body Pump classes on top of a 40 hour working week.  I went back to teaching group fitness at the gym for the first time in four weeks (most of which took a break over the Xmas/New Year period plus recovery from surgery) & boy did I feel it! On Tuesday, I taught Pump & the next day, I could barely get out of bed. It wasn't pretty. I had to teach Pump again the following night & really struggled to walk, let alone show people how to squat. It was pretty entertaining for everyone else I am sure. I soaked my body in a radox bath for two nights in a row & almost couldn't get out. Everything hurt. Walking down stairs was the worst. And don't even get me started on trying to wash my hair. I barely had enough stamina to take the elastic band out of my hair. Damn you muscles!

The highlight of this week's training session was definitely Centennial Park on Saturday. Thankfully the rain wasn't torrential & I managed to smash out 55km (including riding there & back, plus a 10 min effort on the wind trainer when I got home). The one thing that kept me motivated was a girl who was cycling with one arm. Yep, she only had ONE functioning arm! It was amazing. Her left arm was made of carbon that looked like something out of the movie, Short Circuit, which clipped onto her left handle bar. It was pretty cool! She totally kicked my ass too. It was embarrassing. We would take turns over-taking each other but when I rode up next to her, she didn't really seem interested in chatting. So I did efforts & just kept her in my sights the whole time.

This upcoming week, my training is going to be a bit different. In addition to my IM program, we have a challenge going on at work to see which staff member can go to the most classes in our community in January. On Tuesday, we have a Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga session with Di from SUPYoga.com.au on Narrabeen Lake & on Wednesday morning, we have a kayak fitness session at Balmoral Beach. I will be going to Yoga on Monday & Thursday morning too. Might have to book myself in for a massage at the end of the week!

Nutrition has been pretty good too. I don't usually weigh myself but decided to this week, just to see where I am at (even thought its never a true indication of body fat loss). I am pleased to say I have dropped about 1.5kgs since the start of the year & have not given in to chocolate or lollies or chips! I indulged in some white bread on Fri night at my friends farewell party (including a teaspoon of Maggie Beers burnt fig & honey ice cream - YUM!), plus a couple of salt & pepper prawns on Sat night because I was out for dinner with the family for my Dad's birthday. But generally, the only sugar I had was in the form of fruit. And you know what they say, an apple a day...

Anyway, just got my first Triathlon And Multisport Magazine for 2012 in the mail so I am going to have a flick through while I inflict some pain on my quads with the foam roller. If you haven't heard from me by tomorrow morning, it means I fell asleep in agony on the living room floor.

See you next week, and remember WWFD...HTFU!

Bel

The start of my Ironman Journey!

So I have decided to follow through with one of my new years resolutions - to update my blog on a weekly basis!

At 119 days to go (or 17 weeks), I began my official Ironman Training Program this week. When people ask about my training, the sheer magnitude of it all doesn't really hit me until I utter the words: "It's a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, followed by a 42km run." It's pretty crazy if you think about it & I never thought I would be at this stage so soon. Some say 'Why?' I say, 'Why not?!'

As most of you know, I rolled my ankle falling down my apartment stairs whilst trying to take out the garbage at the beginning of August, 2011. To cut a long story short, I had to undergo an arthroscopy under general anaesthetic in December, 2011 to remove all the scar tissue. Thus beginning a long road to recovery.

It has now been approximately 5 weeks since the surgery & my ankle is feeling so much better. I still can't run yet but I have been swimming, cycling, and teaching all of my classes as low impact as possible. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday but my physio (Mike Lee from Performance Care in Crows Nest) said it is healing really well. So under his guidance, I will start power walking this week, mixing in some intermittent skipping, to see if my ankle is up for the impact. If all goes well, and I continue stretching, massaging & looking after my ankle, I will be able to start jogging by the end of January, just in time for the Australia Day triathlon camp that my coach (Melinda Cockshutt from the 'Her Coach' group on Facebook) is holding in Port Macquarie. I couldn't be happier! Obviously there is still a long way to go but I am confident it will all be ok when it comes to race day. Unfortunately I have had to pull out of a couple of races (Kurnell Sprint on 15th January & Husky Long Course on 19th February) but I am still planning on doing Husky Sprint (18th February) & Sydney ITU Olympic Distance in April, for the build up to Ironman in May.

This week was all about consistency. I did a 12hour training week, which included 5.5kms of swimming, 5.5 hrs of cycling (2 out of the three sessions involved doing sets on a turbo trainer as there aren't any decent stretches of flat road where I live; I am surrounded by hills, which aren't good for my ankle yet), a Power Yoga class (at Power Living in Neutral Bay) & I taught Body Attack (at Fitness First, St Leonards); for a total of 13 hours of training.

One of my other new years resolutions is to do yoga on a weekly basis, which is something I have never done. I figure having just had ankle surgery, it would help with my flexibility & core training; an area that I have very much neglected! This is very new territory for me, as I have always played sports or exercises involving high impact, high heart rates, profuse sweating & being completely out of breath! I recently landed a role as an Educator at lululemon athletica & we are encouraged to get out into the community & try new classes. This is such an amazing opportunity & I am looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone & trying something new that may just complement my Ironman training. If only there were more hours in the day!

I have had some much needed guidance about my eating from a very good friend & Naturopath, Catherine Pritchard (from Radiance Health Care Centre in Sydney). I have been eating very well so far & only allowing one day of indulgence a week, in the lead up to Ironman.  I am noticing a huge difference in my body already by limiting all the crap. I have cut out all fried foods (I usually eat chips at least once a week & like to splurge on my Mum's spring rolls every now & again!), no lollies/processed sugar (with the exception of gels & lollies on bike rides equal to or more than 3hrs), minimal gluten/dairy, and eating more fruit & vegetables (the latter I neglect more than I should). I also try to limit the amount of times I eat out; at the moment its 1-2 times per week (once during the week & once on the weekend). This has made grocery shopping a little more expensive but I usually make my meals for the week on a Sunday night, so I can just grab & go on my way to work/training.

Breakfasts are typically 2 poaches eggs with a big handful of spinach & some salsa; plus a banana straight after an early morning training session (within 15 mins for optimal recovery).

If I have more than one training session in a day, lunch usually consists of a starchy carb & protein (eg pesto chicken & brocolli with spelt pasta or brown rice; or smoked salmon & avocado on Ryvita; or tofu & veg with noodles & gluten-free soy sauce).

Snacks are mostly nuts (almonds & cashews) and fruit (apples, grapes, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries) or veg (carrots/celery with hummous). I also take fish oil, magnesium, vitamin c and recently, tissue regenex tablets (for my ankle) on a daily basis, which I think have made a huge difference in my recovery.

Dinner is usually a protein with veg (eg chicken or beef or prawn & veg stiry fry; sometimes a salad if I haven't had one for lunch). Again, I modify this depending on how much training I am doing. At the moment, in the early stages of training, I am limiting my starchy carbs to once a day but this will increase as my training builds in intensity.

Unfortunately, you can't always choose what you eat when you aren't at home. For example, I was out for sushi on Tuesday night. There wasn't any brown rice so I had white instead. I hadn't had starchy carbs that day & was hungry for it! I also had Unagi (eel) & fresh sashimi with tamari sauce (gluten-free).

My indulgence was on Saturday & I tried to limit it as much as possible, but I think I went a bit overboard (considering how well I had eaten all week). It involved french toast, bacon, maple syrup & english muffins for breakfast (brunch at a friends house after a killer bike session in Centennial Park), and out for dinner again at another friends house. There was cheese fondue with white bread (I don't usually eat dairy or a lot of gluten as it doesn't agree with my gut. But I have to admit, it was irresistable). I also had a couple of scoops of ice cream & two small meringues for dessert. Oops! Oh well, you only live once, right?!

This week's training highlight would have to be riding in Centennial Park on Saturday morning (cue song, "All By Myself..."). The BTC crew were out in full force, cheering me on as they whizzed past! It was awesome! But the best part was when a random stranger cycled up next to me & stayed with me during my 10 minute efforts. He was a complete stranger but we striked up a conversation in between sets & he made me cycle faster than I would on my own. Its amazing how one person can make such an impact.

I am feeling focused, determined, and ready to get to the start line of Ironman Australia in the best form I possibly can. I am so lucky have so many supportive friends (particularly from Balmoral Triathlon Club) who train with me & keep me motivated. Watch this space. The Fonginator is about to kick some ass.

Please feel free to post any questions, comments or feedback below.

Thanks for reading. See you next week!


    Wind trainer session in the garage



    Early morning cycle at Centennial Park



    Cheese fondue with The Team