Sunday, February 26, 2012

Training on tired legs - a guaranteed way to HTFU!

What a week! Ironman training is officially kicking in & taking its toll on my body! I've done 15 training hours this week but somehow, the intensity has definitely left its mark.

I had a relatively low-key start to the week, as I was doing an overnight babysitting gig in Lindfield from Monday to Friday, which made it hard for me to fit in training. I would go to work at lululemon, come home & look after the kids & when they went off to school the next morning, I had to go straight to work or only had 30-60 mins of training that I could fit in. It gave me a bit of an idea of how people juggle work, life and family commitments & I have a greater appreciation for people with kids who train in this sport. I am lucky in that I have no other commitments except for work & that I get to do what I love when I can.

My ankle has been holding up pretty well lately but I am being very cautious at the moment as my achilles is extremely tight & its always bit uncomfortable when I first start running, mainly due to the lack of flexibility from when I had ankle surgery. I have been conscious of stretching every morning & night, as well as before AND after all my runs, which has helped a lot.

On Friday, I taught my first Body Attack class in two weeks. I felt good at the time, until I had to do a swim/run that afternoon, resulting in ridiculous muscle aching the following morning! All good pain though & part of the "journey!" I just wanted someone to walk all over my body with their heels though! On Saturday, I did a 90 min ride & 25 min run off the bike around Mosman (more hills). It was a very slow cycle as I had to do it on my own with the company of my iPod on loudspeaker. I need distractions :)

                                                  View from Georges Heights, post-run

But the highlight of this week was definitely today: the Balmoral Triathlon Club race at Chowder Bay, consisting of a 400m swim, 15km cycle & 4km cross-country run, followed by a long ride. I went out to dinner with friends the night before the race & didn't get to bed til almost 11pm, so when my alarm went off at 5am, it was quite a rude awakening. Now I understand why people don't go out & have a social life during Ironman training! Here is a great pic, shared by my friend Dani which was taken at the start of the swim today:



The swim was two laps, starting with a beach sprint along the sand. As soon as the horn went off, it was on. I don't remember any point in the race where I wasn't out of breath. For those of you that aren't familiar with Obelisk Bay, its a long, uneven & steep climb up to transition via some sketchy steps. Everyone walks it because by the time you get to the top, your lungs feel like they're going to regurgitate out of your chest. Definitely an honest way to start a race! I had a fast transition (quote of the day from Nicole Pollitt about having my cleats already clipped in from the start: "Oh, so you're one of THOSE people!"), and I sprinted out of T1. Had some issues getting my feet into the shoes but once I was in, I pelted the first couple of laps (it was a 5 lap course), but I struggled afterwards & got overtaken by a few people by lap 4.

My goal was to run hard off the bike but in short races like this, you are firing on all cylinders from the word go. There was no time to "settle in" or catch a breath. But I was really happy with my T2 (once I racked my bike, I was out in about 15 seconds). It was then 2 laps through bushland (which in some parts felt like we were running in sand, the grass was so long) & thanks to the amazing marshalls who cheered me on, I managed to hang on for dear life & not get overtaken, resulting in 4th female, behind Fleur, Nicole & Jill in a time of 58.05. Only 37 secs slower than my best time which I did in March last year. And even better, I won some socks & a gel in the lucky draw! Definitely made the pain worthwhile.

After the race, I was scheduled to do a 90km ride. My legs were trashed from Fri/Sat training sessions but thankfully, some of the BTC crew were heading out for an easy roll & I had somehow convinced Mary & Joe to join me for the whole ride (they've just returned back to Sydney from the States & are training for Busso IM). We started at Avenue Rd in Mosman & headed towards West Head via the Northern Beaches. Most of the others turned back after an hour when we got to Mona Vale Golf Club but Mary, Joe & I made our way towards West Head (Kuringai National Park). I hadn't ridden there for a while (was trying to avoid it for as long as I could!) & I knew it was going to be tough. That route is hard on fresh legs, let along lactic ones! There were loads of HTFU moments & at the half way turnaround (the Lookout), I felt like crying & calling a cab home. At one point, I was cycling up the steepest hill at 4.4kms. Yes, FOUR POINT FOUR kilometres! It was so embarrassing. My grandmother could WALK faster than that. The ride home was undulating too & by then, all I could think about was getting home & sitting in a bath full of ice to numb the pain.

Sarah had dropped my car to work so I could drive home from Mosman & the only thing I had in my car to eat post-ride was a gel or white bread which was leftover from the BBQ that morning. To the disappointment of my nutritionist & naturopath friends, Terri (http://www.ahealthyview.com.au/index.php?page=about) & Cat (www.catherinepritchard.com.au), I was so hungry that I smashed down 6 pieces of bread. Yep, six. I had left my wallet at home so I couldn't even buy anything on the way. So operation PRP is back on from tomorrow! Although I may rename it to Operation MBA - Michelle Bridges' Abs. Lunch was followed closely by a long afternoon nap & couch time with the remote control. God bless Sundays.

Before I finish off, I just want to give a shout out to everyone at Balmoral Triathlon Club (including all the volunteers at the race today) for their encouragement & support, especially over the last few months. Its so great to be a part of a club that is so welcoming, friendly, but most of all who believe in your ability. I love triathlon so much because of the people & without training partners, it would definitely be one a helluva lonely road. There's always someone around to kick my ass & stop me from giving up. So, massive high fives to BTC. You rock my socks off.

Speaking of socks, I am going to give lululemon a plug here. I bought a pair of their padded run socks & wore them running yesterday AND cycling today. You need to get your hands on these babies. They seriously feel like you are slipping pillows on your feet. The cushioning is unlike any other sock I have worn. And they are SO comfortable. I cannot recommend them highly enough (and I am not just saying that because I work there. They really are amazing). I feel like I can run forever when I wear them. On the bike today, everything on my body hurt...except my feet. True story.



50 days til the Sydney ITU Olympic Distance race & 69 days til Ironman!

Thanks for reading my blog! Until next week, happy training & remember to HTFU,

Bel




Sunday, February 19, 2012

Husky Triathlon Festival

The Elite Energy Series in Huskisson, on the south coast of NSW, proved once again to be one of the most popular races on the triathlon calendar. The place was buzzing with athletes all weekend & I was so excited to be a part of it. 

Because my ankle didn't heal in time, and I hadn't done enough training for the run, I had to pull out of the Long Course, but this meant I could make up for it by doing a few shorter races. On Friday, I raced in the 1km Ocean Swim. I felt a lot faster than last year & I definitely pushed more than usual but unfortunately the tide did not work in my favour & it ended up being a really choppy swim. Final time was 21.48. About 3 mins slower than last year but I came 8th in my AG (out of 23) & 25th female (out of 59). Apparently everyone else said theit times were a lot slower this year so I didn't feel so bad after that! Nate, Cat & Bel B arrived so we went out to dinner for some Thai & it started pouring with rain. I starting getting really antsy as I hate racing in heavy rain (riding in the rain isn't exactly safe & running in wet shoes is just asking for blisters & grossness).

Thankfully, come Saturday morning, the sun decided to come out for the Sprint Triathlon (750m swim/20km cycle/5km run) which was my very first race for 2012 & first race back from ankle surgery. The 30-39 females were one of the last waves to go. It was a bit of a fight in the water for the first few minutes. I got kicked in the face a few times & I ended up swimming on top of people (unintentionally) because there were so many of us. The human washing machine is probably my least favourite thing about triathlon! I didn't feel very fast but I ran out of the water & took my cap, goggles & wetsuit off down to my waist. As soon as I hit the stairs, I saw the BTC crew, who cheered so loudly & gave me great motivation to overtake a few people heading up towards transition. I took my wetsuit off as fast as I could & found my bike. In true Fonginator style, I was in & out like a flash; no cups of tea in transition for this girl (and ended up placing 2nd in my AG for T1). The day before, I had practiced leaving my cleats in the pedals to save some time (and its so dangerous trying to run in cleats) & I thought for sure I was going to fall on my ass. But thankfully, it all went according to plan & I had absolutely no issues getting my feet in the shoes once I was on the bike. Swim time: 16.02. T1 time: 1.32 (3rd fastest T1 in my AG).


The bike course was fairly undulating with some gradual hills that weren't really steep but felt like they just never ended! I didn't feel like I got into a rhythm & although I overtook quite a lot of people, there were times where I felt like I was going nowhere, no matter how hard I pushed. It probably didn't help that I bolted out of T1 like a bat out of hell & went as hard as I could on the bike for the first 5kms. I started getting a stitch towards the end of the ride, so I made sure I didn't pedal too hard in the last few kilometres, as I wanted to save my legs (and my lungs) for the run. As I headed into T2 (after a successful dismount. No falls - yay), I overtook a couple more people coming in off the bike which made me happy! Bike time: 38.19. T2 time: 1.12 (2nd fastest T2 in my AG).

As I ran out of T2 & onto the run, I could hear screams of "Go The Fonginator" from almost every corner of transition! It was all a bit of a blur but I remember getting really excited when I heard people cheering for me. I sprinted down the hill & as I reached the corner outside of the view of spectators, I had to force myself to slow down or my lungs would've collapsed shortly after. Either that, or I would've dry-reached! Its funny how adrenaline can get you pumping! My ankle felt good for the whole run & I was trying to chase down people who I knew were in my AG. The run was out & back past beautiful beaches & through bushland too. I was about 3.5kms into the run when I saw a girl walking, so I asked her if she was ok & if she was injured. Thankfully she was just tired, so I told her she had to jog & that there was no more walking because we were so close to the finish. She listened & that made me want to push myself even more. Its so inspiring to see people's spirits lift with just a little bit of encouragement. The next time you're in a race, I urge you to do the same for someone else. Pay it forward if you wish. I know if it was me, I would definitely want someone to tell me to move my ass & HTFU!

I got to the flags & saw all the BTC crew there, yelling & screaming for a sprint finish up the chute (which felt like the longest finishing chute in the world)! I went as hard as I possibly could & made it over the line without falling over or puking. Run time: 22.51. Total race time: 1.19.58, which resulted in 7th place in my AG (out of 89) & 47th female out of 434. Only about a minute slower than last year, so I was happy; moreso because I had absolutely no pain in my ankle. Win!

I took a few hours off after the race to eat, have a shower, stretch & have a look around the expo (more ways to burn money). Then I signed up for the 5km Fun Run. I know, sucker for punishment, right? My quads & calves were pretty sore from the triathlon that morning but I thought, what the heck, let's see how the ankle goes. Plus I needed to start building up a bit of running mileage in my legs for Ironman.

It was 4pm & still blistering hot. There ended up being 130 people in the 5km Fun Run, 88 were women. At the start, I just thought to myself, set no expectations except race as hard as you can within the limits of ankle pain. Anything else is a bonus. As soon as the gun went off, two girls sprinted to the top of the hill to the first turn around. I couldn't help but follow. For some reason, I can't start slow & get faster. I start at suicide pace & then get slower. For some reason, psychologically, I like it better. It's weird. Anyway, after the first 500m the 2nd girl dropped back & I overtook her, so the only girl in front of me was "the girl in the yellow crop top." We'll call her Yellow. My goal was to just keep her in my sights. And for most of the race, she stayed within about 25 metres of me. FYI, my lungs were burning from start to finish. At the 2.5km turn around, I had gotten within 5 metres of Yellow & I thought to myself, she's slowing down, just stay behind her. After another kilometre, she was really pushing me to my limits. As we crossed over the bridge and into the park, I saw a bit of an incline. I love my hills so I managed to pass her but I told her to pump her arms faster & that way, her legs will just follow (good advice that my coach gave me that I have never forgotten). I also told her to stay with me as I picked up the pace. There was one more climb after the aid station & I was getting more & more out of breath. It felt weird to know I was leading. It's only ever happened to me once before (Balmoral Burn last year). I couldn't actually believe it. I kept thinking to myself, are you sure you're at the front?! Don't get excited just yet! Surely there's been a mistake. As we headed towards the finishing chute, with about 250m to go, I turned around & I could see that she was about 25m behind me. Then someone on the sidelines yelled out for me to sprint to the finish because she was catching up to me. So I did. I figure if someone is going to use their energy to yell at me, the least I can do is listen! Let's just say, had the race been 10 metres longer, there would've been projectile vomit. Final time: 22.10, fastest female overall, 1st place AG & no ankle pain. FRIGGIN STOKED!

I got home, celebrated with the BTC crew over an amazing dinner & headed out for a couple of drinks at the Husky Pub.

Sunday morning came around & I was on official cheering duties. Our house was conveniently located on Elizabeth Dr - so they had to cycle past the front of the house & run past the back of the house. Talk about prime position! There were about 20 people from BTC racing & it was getting pretty hot as the day went on. There were a lot of people who looked absolutely miserable by the time they got to the run but most of the athletes were happy when they saw us. There were lots of high fives. Huge thanks to lululemon Mosman for letting me borrow the supporter signs. They were a huge hit! 

I just want to say a huge congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, especially the amazing people from Balmoral Triathlon Club who continue to support, encourage & inspire me. It was also fantastic to catch up with friends who I haven't seen in ages. Thank you to Balance, BondiFit, Cronulla & Hills Tri Clubs for all the cheering & being so welcoming & fun. It makes a huge difference to the atmosphere.

I am really looking forward to racing Husky again next year (hopefully the Long Course). Now its time to smother my body in tiger balm...

11 weeks til IRONMAN!!

HTFU,
Bel







Sunday, February 12, 2012

Week 6 - Ankle healed & ready for Husky!

Hey guys!

Not a whole lot to report on this week. Have just arrived back in Sydney after a weekend in Perth for a friends wedding, so it was a very short week of training. I had a fantastic time though (my second time to the west coast) & the weather was simply amazing. Apparently Perth gets something ridiculous like 300 days of sunshine a year. So I have added it to my list of places to live before I die. I would love to go over & actually work/live there for a while. The idea of training outdoors year round is VERY appealing (ie I can leave my wind trainer here, that's for sure)!


 
Cottesloe Beach on a Friday afternoon - about 30*C!

There's only more week til my first race of the season - the Elite Energy Series in Huskisson on the south coast of NSW. I plan to race in the 1km Ocean Swim on Friday afternoon, the Sprint distance triathlon on Saturday morning (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run) & the Fun Run on Saturday afternoon (either the 2km or the 5km race, depending on my ankle). On Sunday, I will be cheering from the sidelines & supporting all of the guys/girls racing in the Long Course event (2km swim/83km cycle/20km run). Look out for The Fonginator in the new yellow tri suit (which needs to be remade to actually fit me, but serves well as a fancy dress outfit for the day in the mean time).

Husky is going to be an awesome weekend! I have hired a house with 6 others in Vincentia, only a couple of kilometres from transition and I can't wait to finally get my racing legs back. 

I am still feeling very positive & happy with how my training has progressed so far & I am trying to be as consistent as my other work/life commitments will allow. I keep picturing that Ironman finish line every time I come home have a stretch after a training session. It gives me butterflies & I haven't even done the race yet! If that doesn't get you out of bed in the morning (after you've already tried a dose of HTFU), then nothing will!

The highlight of my training this week was the BTC Run Time Trial at Alan Border Oval on Thursday night. This was my first track session for 2012 (and probably only my third ever appearance at track, as I used to have teaching commitments on Thursday nights) & I was stoked to have completed the 5km race with absolutely no pain (except when my lungs wanted to explode out of my chest). My ankle held up really well & even though I forgot to wear my Garmin, I managed to count all 15 laps of the oval (yes, 15 LAPS)! I am not 100% sure of my finish time but it was in the vicinity of 22-24 mins. Not bad considering I only had surgery about 10 weeks ago. Good work ankle, keep it up!

Oh & I had some pretty cool celeb spots on my flight home from Perth; Johnny Ruffo from X Factor Australia & the entire St George Illawarra Rugby League team, including Wendell Sailor. I sat next to Daniel Vidot who was very charming. This is him (photo courtesy of Google stalker):



So, anyone up for some footy??

Anyway, that's it from me this week. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog. Feel free to repost & share the Fonginator love.

Bel
HTFU

Sunday, February 05, 2012

Week 5 - Why can't I ride faster, damnit!


Everyone I know that is doing IMOZ is now officially in training mode! Yay! Its so exciting to be training alongside some very inspirational & motivated people from Balmoral Triathlon Club (www.balmoraltriclub.org.au). There are some seriously strong athletes who I am learning so much from & I feel like the girls in particular are just kicking ass & constantly improving. So great to see in this sport & definitely gets me out of bed in the morning (most of the time). I truly love this sport!

This week, my training hours totalled 11.5 hours; made up of 3 x group fitness classes (2 x Body Pumps, 1 x Body Attack), 2 x bike rides (25kms & 65kms), 2 x swims (1 x pool, 1 x open water), 2 x runs (5kms & 3kms) & 1 x Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga session (www.SUPYoga.com.au). As we head into the fifth week of training, I am happy with the consistency so far & trust that I will make it to the start line ready to race as hard as I can, despite the fact that I am not cranking out huge kilometres yet. The key for me is to enjoy the journey (there's that word again!) & the last thing I want is to burn out too early. I don't plan to do any long course racing in the lead up. But so far, I have signed up for Husky Sprint on 18th Feb (1km Ocean Swim on the Friday, Sprint Triathlon on the Sat morning & mini Fun Run in the afternoon, depending on how the ankle is feeling) & Sydney ITU in April (Olympic Distance Triathlon). Outside of this, I will be doing a lot more hours come March/April, so hopefully I can recruit some training partners to help keep me focused. I honestly don't know how people can train for this sport on their own. Where's the fun in that?!

This week, the weather was so ridiculously balls that I had to do a dreaded wind trainer session. Everyone knows how much I hate sitting on a stationary bike (let alone a moving one). I did an awesome set which was recommended to me by my good friend Rhona Maclean (who just qualified for Kona - woo hoo)! It was 1 min hard/1 min easy, 2 min hard/1 min easy, 3 min hard/1 min easy, 4 min hard/1 min easy, 5 min hard/1 min easy then go back down 4, 3, 2, 1. I lasted up to 5 before losing all motivation but still decided to stay on the bike & turn over the legs. My heart rate was barely getting over 100 so it probably didn't justify a workout (considering my resting heart rate is currently between 46-48).  I made a couple of phone calls & watched TV but at least I was on the bike for 1hr15mins as programmed! I felt very guilty because all I could think about was the ride I did in Port Macquarie & when I asked Bronwyn (gun road rider from Newcastle) how to get better on the bike, she said "no junk kilometres." Damnit!!

Come Friday night, I was ready to get out of the rut & challenge myself, so I signed up for the BTC Aquathlon down at Balmoral Beach, consisting of a 400m swim & 3km run. Sounds easy, right? This short stuff is TOUGH. You are going at 100% the whole way. There's no time to take it easy. But I swam hard , overtook a couple of people on the run & managed to not fall over in the rain. Yay! My calves paid for it the next day, resulting in a very excruciating 90 min massage today - I almost kicked the therapist in the nuts, I was in that much pain. Ah, the joys of being somewhat of an athlete!

This Tuesday, I rode with Bel B & Angela down to Clifton Gardens which I hadn't done before. It was stunning. Such a great morning for a ride. Yet another hill in Mosman to ride - yay (not)! Why can't I live anywhere near flat roads?! On Wednesday, I swam with Anne in the pouring rain at North Sydney Olympic Pool (outdoors). Brrr! Again, another session which was made better by having someone to train with.




Today (Sunday), the lululemon crew headed out to Narrabeen Lake for another SUP Yoga session with the wonderful Di Morrison.



It was 27*C & a gorgeous summer day, and I was so happy to have introduced a few friends to the class too, who joined the later session. Turns out they loved it as much as I did. Seriously the best way to start the morning. You should definitely give it a go (and if I can do it - with no flexibility or balance - anyone can)! Then after the session, KG came to meet me for a 2.5hr ride. We ended up doing 65kms from Narrabeen Lake, up McCarrs Creek, towards Duffy's Forest/Terrey Hills & back to Narrabeen along the Wakehurst Parkway. I love riding with people like Kirsty because she knows all the rules when it comes to road riding (ie warning people when there is debris on the road, signalling what she is doing so you know where to follow). She is also one of the most improved riders I have seen this season & even though I was quite far behind her, she really motivated me to keep pushing & gave me so many great tips to become better at cycling, which I sometimes feel I can just never get. When I was finally able to catch up to her, we would have a good old catch up about life & everything in between. I have to say, its just nice to have company when you train, especially on the bike. For me, I just know I would hate it if I had to do more than an hour by myself. I seriously need some cement to HTFU.

When I got home, I smashed down 10 of my mum's home made mini quiches (best damn quiches in the world I tell ya) & settled in for a nice nap. God bless Sundays.

I am looking forward to what this week will bring & can't wait for the weekend - I am flying to Perth on Friday for my friend's wedding! I cannot wait to catch up with all the Perth crew. And they are having wicked hot weather so no doubt I will come home a shade darker - yes! But most importantly, even tan lines!!

Special thanks to all the people who came out training with me this week. I couldn't have done it without you!

HTFU,
The Fonginator

P.S. Operation PRP failed this weekend. I celebrated my one month anniversary of "no chocolate & fried food" by eating fish n chips & having a milo. Oops! Although I was pretty happy with lasting as long as I did. Might try & just make it a monthly treat. Back on track this week!! Gotta suck it up so I don't have to suck it in!