There's just 7 weeks to go before what will probably be the biggest race of my life - Ironman Australia. Having never completed this distance before (3.8km of swimming, 180kms of cycling & 42kms of running within 17 hours), I always have people asking me how I am going to do it. So I usually just say, "its like going to the gym when it opens, and working out non-stop until it closes." I thought that was quite a good analogy! Thankfully, I have a lot of understanding friends & family who can appreciate the hard work & commitment that it takes to get to the start line of an Ironman. I don't think people realise the impact that all the training can have on your body. And your social life. But I do know that when I run up that finishing chute, all the hard work, training, focus & commitment will pay off. Imagine being able to say you have completed an Ironman?! Its going to be AWESOME! Some Ironman athletes are training 2-3 hours per day, and more than double that on weekends. And I admit that it is kind of crazy but I figure if I only ever do it once, I want to do it right!
This week has been one my favourite training weeks so far. Lots of ups & downs but generally feeling good about my training, and my body has held up surprisingly well. This week, I did 2 x swims, 3 x rides & 3 runs, plus 4 x group fitness classes (2 x Body Pump, 1 x Body Attack & 1 x Yoga).
After my rest day on Monday, my legs felt fresh for the BTC Girls Ride around Mosman. I cranked out 35kms of hills & backed up that evening & taught Body Pump. My participants have been very understanding of my training. Luckily I can still kick their asses without them thinking I am just being a weak! I really can't afford to be sore all the time and at the moment, Ironman is the sole focus.
On Wednesday, I did my longest run of 2012; I ran 19.5km from Kirribilli, out to Clontarf Beach & back. I found a trail from The Spit that was a mixture of sand, dirt, track, stairs, wooden bridges, metal grates & cement! I had to walk up a lot of the stairs because my achilles/heel were in agony, & I stopped a couple of times for water, but I pulled up ok the next day. Thankfully there aren't any hill climbs in Ironman (that I know of), because they have been a real struggle for me lately with my ankle. I used to be so good at running up hills, damnit!
Thursday was the most hardcore session I've ever experienced in the 5 or so years I have been doing triathlon. The weather forecast predicted 100% chance of rain but my iPhone is always wrong so I headed out anyway. I had 55kms to do & I wasn't going to sit on my wind trainer for that long. When I left home, it was 5.15am, dark & just drizzling. About 16*C. I usually ride with at least one other person as I am still not very comfortable on my own but I didn't have anyone to go with me this time so I just thought, HTFU, you can do this.
The road was relatively quiet on the way out & as soon as I hit The Spit bridge, the rain stopped. It was brilliant. I rode all the way out to Narrabeen but on the way back, traffic towards the city started to pick up. And so did the rain coming back towards Mosman. I was very nervous about riding down The Spit on my own, especially with all the traffic. It was very wet which meant braking was going to be a lot harder. On some parts of the ride, I remember laughing at myself because the rain was literally pelting down to the point of insanity. And the faster I went, the more water went into my eyes. Mix that with a bit of sweat, and you get some serious stinging going on!
I used the iMayMyRun app to log my kms (my Garmin battery died & I forgot to recharge it), but when I got home, it said I had only done 45kms. I was gutted! And by then, my socks were absolutely drenched. So I hopped onto the wind trainer for another 20 mins. I could've gone upstairs & given up but I figured if I survived the storm, a little bit extra wasn't going to kill me. I set it all up in the garage downstairs & 5 mins into it, I saw thunder & lightning outside. How lucky am I?! In hindsight, it probably was a stupid thing to do but I don't regret it one bit. Here's a video summary of the ride:
The weather was that miserable, I decided to put my pj's on & watch some television. I got called into work a few hours later which was probably a good thing or I would've planted my ass on the couch all day!
I was feeling so good after my morning cycle & after work, I headed to the pool for a swim session. I decided to go indoors because it was cold & I figured I had used up all my hardcoreness that morning (!!). But it was too busy & I couldn't get into a rhythm. And then the lifeguard (at North Sydney Olympic Pool) told me, just as I started my strength set, they they don't allow you to use paddles. WTF?! What kind of rule is that?! Apparently its considered dangerous. Doesn't make sense to me because every other pool I have ever been to doesn't have this rule. Can anyone shed some light on this? Anyway, I lasted almost a kilometre before I got the sh!ts & ended up stretching in the sauna for about 15 mins instead! Was just having one of those days where I just wasn't feeling it.
On Friday, I did an awesome 10km tempo run across the bridge & around the Opera House (again, I am still having to stop a couple of times to walk) but I finished in 54 mins so I was pretty happy with that. Because I had missed the Thursday swim session, I was determined to have another crack at it so I headed to St Leonards Fitness First 25 indoor pool on Saturday morning (with my paddles)! I smashed out 2.5kms & felt bloody awesome. I then went to an awesome Organic Hatha yoga class at Yoga Sivana (Ourimbah Rd). At the end, you get to lie down, put a blanket over your body & a little lavender bean bag on your eyes at the end! Its amazing!
Saturday afternoon, I had the most awesome massage from Sharna at Mosman Remedial Massage on Military Rd (http://www.mosmanremedialmassage.com.au/). I can't recommend her highly enough. I told her my body was feeling pretty good & that I wasn't too sore, despite all the training I had been doing. Then the minute she started working on my legs, there was a change of opinion! Another 45 mins spent purely on my quads & glutes. Oh dear. Back to the foam roller I go.
Sunday was the big kahuna; 130kms on the bike & a 6km run. I headed up Pacific Hwy with a couple of the BTC girls, Willo & Bel B. We rode past Hornsby & Berowra up to Pie in the Sky (which I had never done before). It was so serene riding through the gorge. I can't believe I have never ridden up that way before. We continued along past the bridge then turned around & rode home via Bobbin Head (another route I had never done, consisting of a very steep descent followed by a 4km climb). When we were riding up Bobbin Head, these two amazing runners were running side by side up the hill. We all took turns overtaking one another & these guys were absolutely gunning it. It was amazing. Poor Bel B yells out to me later, "what rider gets overtaken by a bloody runner eh!?" Classic! They were absolute speed freaks. It was very inspiring. I almost stopped to ask them what they were doing on 6th May & if they could be our pace runners while we're on the bike for Ironman! When I finally got home, I put my running shoes on & did a loop around Luna Park & up the hill towards McMahons Pt & back. No walking! 6kms in under 35 mins. Stoked!
I also trialled some nutrition on the bike which went well & I never felt dehydrated or thirsty. Before I left the house, I had 3 x nutella ryvita's (I didn't have any bread in the house), then on the bike, I had three gels, a bottle of electrolyte, 2.5 bottles of water & 2 x mountain bread wraps with vegemite. I love the rolling buffet! When I got home, I had another bottle of water & electrolyte. Followed by 4 x eggs & some chicken on a mountain bread wrap! That evening, I went out to dinner with my Mum, Dad & Aunty Jan where I consumed the equivalent meal to feed a small country (let me paint a picture for you: about 6 bowls of rice plus a couple of servings from about 5 other dishes). BEAST!
When I got home after my training session on Sunday afternoon, I had the biggest endorphin rush I've ever felt. It was weird. I thought for sure I was going to be exhausted but no. Sure, my legs were tired but I felt like I rode & ran really well & for the first time ever, I really do feel confident about racing on 6th May.
After a bath & a nice big stretch, the only thing that motivated me to move was the promise of food in kitchen. Train like a beast, eat like a beast, then sleep like a baby. WIN.
Like everyone, I experience some really positive times in my training but I wouldn't be normal if I didn't have my fair share of mental breakdowns. Sometimes we question ourselves during training; whether or not we have what it takes to do the race, especially during those really tough sessions when you're just hating life. I know I've had plenty of sookie-la-la moments. The key is learning how to fight back. It has taken practice & I don't claim to have the miracle cure for how to HTFU, but I promise there IS light at the end of the tunnel if you just have a bit of patience. I guarantee you, that feeling...it's worth it's weight in gold.
Happy training peeps & thanks for taking the time to read my blog,
The Fonginator
HTFU
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