Husky Long Course 2013

The Elite Energy Huskisson Triathlon Festival has become one of Australia's most loved and iconic races on the triathlon calendar. Set amongst the shores of Jervis Bay on the south coast of NSW (about 3 hours south of Sydney), I was excited to make my debut in the Long Course event which consisted of a 2km swim, 83km ride and 20km run (just shy of a Half Ironman). I hadn't competed in a long course race since Ironman (May, 2012) but having competed in the sprint distance event at Husky for the last two years, I decided it was time to take the plunge. After all, everyone who I spoke to said they loved the course and I knew a lot of people were going to be training for it, so I signed up. I'm such a sucker for giving in to peer pressure!

Approximately 100 people from Balmoral Triathlon Club (BTC) descended on Husky for a weekend of racing, along with about 1300 other athletes from various clubs around the state.. There was a 1km ocean swim on the Friday, the men's and women's sprint race on the Saturday morning, a fun run on the Saturday afternoon and the Long Course race on Sunday. If you weren't racing, you could relax on the beach or have a few drinks at the famous Husky Pub. I always love Husky weekend because there really is something for everyone.

I went into the race feeling very relaxed about the whole thing which worked for me in some ways, but unfortunately not in others. For most of you that know me, I don't take myself too seriously. I don't stress too much about hitting times and I feel like I have done that many races that I don't even get nervous anymore. I think this has a lot to do with expectations. Don't get me wrong, I like pushing myself as hard as I can, to see what my body is capable of, but I am not motivated by pressure to perform. At the end of the day it's just a race and I do this sport for fun. Anything else is just a bonus. 

The reality of the distance didn't really hit me until a few days before. I couldn't find anyone to cover my group fitness classes that week so I went into the weekend with some pretty tired legs. For those of you that attend Les Mills classes on a regular basis, you will know that an instructor cannot just stand there and tell people what to do. They are physically involved in the class from start to finish. In hindsight, I should have been a little more organised but there was nothing I could do about it now, except have a massage and stretch. I'm not making excuses by any means, as this was purely my fault. Unfortunately, working is also a priority for most of us, because we all know triathlon is not the cheapest sport in the world!

Our group stayed in a beautiful house located about 5kms out of town in Hyams Beach; home to the whitest sand in the world. I don't think I have ever been to a more beautiful beach. The water was clear as crystal. We spent the day checking out all the action in town and after racking our bikes, we got back to the house and enjoyed a lovely carbo dinner with the team, including Reidy, Bacon and Quinn (the Bondi Rescue boys) who are currently training for their first Ironman. Top blokes.

We were lucky enough to watch our friends do the Sprint Distance race on Saturday morning which was massive for the motivation levels. I was fired up and ready to go! But not before the first drama of the day; my gear shifter on the bike stopped working. I had gone for a spin and there was no resistance to put it into the big chain ring. At first, I was stressing out big time. Thoughts going through my mind already about what I was going to do if I couldn't get it fixed; would I pull out of the race? The Shimano mechanics worked their magic on Argy Bargy and were able to fix it within minutes. Problem #1 – solved! 

I was in the second wave which was 2 hours after the first wave had started, to help prevent congestion out on the course. On the plus side, that meant a sleep-in but on the downside, it also meant running during the hottest part of the day. I arrived in transition and realised not only did I forget to pack a transition towel (had to use a plastic bag which was later removed) but the velcro strap I borrowed to hold my aero bottle in was too small. Crap! Thankfully Coach Mel's bike was directly opposite mine and she came to the rescue with strapping tape, which ended up working a treat. Phew. Problem #2 – solved! One day, I will take this racing business a bit more seriously. I'm usually not this disorganised (I even packed my race gear the night before).

THE SWIM - 2KM

The water was beautiful; about 21 degrees so wetsuits were optional. Coach Mel was there to tell me where to go – it was a triangular loop that was marked out with 3 large orange buoys and you had to do the loop twice. There was a green buoy at the start/finish which I thought you had to swim back to before doing the second lap. Luckily Mel was there to tell me I only had to go to the green buoy to finish. I really need to listen at race briefing a little more!

I managed to get to the front of my age group at the swim start so I could get away from the washing machine in the first 200m. I'm not the fastest swimmer by any means, but I just hate starting with people in front of me because I don't want to get kicked in the face as soon as the gun goes off. My plan was, and always is, to just get through the swim; it is probably my weakest and least favourite leg and I am always so relieved when it's over. The 40-44 women were 10 mins behind us and the 30-34 men 10 mins after that so I knew the top age groupers would be overtaking me by the second lap. I got slammed a few times but tried to not let it bother me too much and just kept swimming.

SWIM TIME – 37m 28s (5^th fastest transition time in T1 – ha!)

THE BIKE - 83KM

I got out of the water and ran past a few people into transition. I had a successful mount, didn't crash into anyone or any witches hats and I was on my way. The bike course was 3 laps. I was told it was undulating. I would describe it in two words – false flats. I'd be riding along, thinking I was on flat road, wondering why I was going so slow, without realising that most of the course was really just steady inclines. How rude! It was a beautifully scenic course but I was in too much pain to enjoy it. My legs decided they didn't want to work very well so each lap was just about getting through it without killing my legs for the run. The wind started to pick up in the last lap and I later found out that everyone else was feeling the same as I was. That made me feel a lot better because when you're out there on your own, it's so easy to give up and stop pushing. Triathletes really are tough as nails! On lap #2, my chain dropped so I had to get off to fix it. Once I hopped back on, I was on a mission to get the bike leg over and done with before I could utter any more f-words. I was frustrated, tired and just wanted to get off and run.

To take my mind off the pain, I was thoroughly entertained by the wonderful Dee Bradbury from Bondi Fit. We were probably the only ones enjoying ourselves on the first lap (all while maintaining the 12m distance of course) and even had a few people giggle at us as they passed us. Why? We were taking it in turns singing lines from various cheesy songs from the 90's ('Baby Got Back' was the favourite). It was brilliant...until she overtook me - ha! I must admit, singing by yourself isn't nearly as fun!

When I finally got into transition, I dismounted and started running but my legs almost fell out under me. I had almost forgotten about that jelly leg feeling, which I don't usually get in the short distance races. Once I started moving it was ok, but the initial shock of getting off the bike and running wasn't like anything I have felt in a long time. 

Bike time – 2h 55m (again, 5^th fastest transition time in T2)! Happy to go under 3 hours in those conditions.

THE RUN – 20KM

I felt like I had a really slow swim and bike, so it was time to make up some time on the run. It was hard to hold back because I am so used to sprinting for 5 or 10kms in the shorter races. I wanted to be solid but conservative for the first lap of the two-lap course. I always go out too hard and pay for it in the second half, and I've been trying to focus a lot on my pacing in the last few months. Well, it worked a treat. My legs felt great for most of the race. I couldn't believe it. I started overtaking people who had pipped me on the bike leg and I finally felt like I had somewhat redeemed myself. I stopped at every aid station to pour water on my head (it was up to around 26*C-28*C by then) but didn't stop during the run leg once. No walking. All running. Stoked.

I got to the 18km mark and thought it was time to pick up the pace for the last few kilometres. Then BOOM, massive stitch on my left side that was so debilitating that I had to run with my left hand in the air and my right hand pushing into my rib cage. I looked like I was trying to wave to someone and was getting a lot of weird looks! It lasted for about 1km then started to settle a little and I was able to finish strong. Thankfully, my friend Lyndell from NSTC was there. We took turns overtaking each other and each time, the person in front would always say something encouraging to keep the other person going. I don't think I could've kept up that pace without her. Its people like Lyndell that make me love racing so much. You really do meet some great people and its nice to know that other people are looking out for you too.

Final run time – 1h 38m

Overall race time: 5h 15m

At the end of the race, I initially felt disappointed with my swim and bike times. I don't mean to sound ungrateful because there's so many things in the race you can't control. Thankfully, Coach Mel talked some sense into me and I realised I didn't do as bad as I thought (geez, triathletes, high achievers much)? I ended up finishing in the middle of my age group overall and placed 13^th on the run. Not a bad day at the office. However, I am still not convinced that long course is suited to me. It was great to spend the weekend with my BTC friends but I think I will be doing the sprint race next year.

Next up is Wollongong Olympic Distance on 10^th March and Club Champs in Forster on 6^th April. I'm very much looking forward to these races and then finishing the season off by supporting my friends who are racing Ironman Australia in Port Macquarie in May. It will be a nice change to be on the other side this time!

A huge thank you to the Her Coach crew for all of your encouragement and support (especially Coach Mel and Mia who were instrumental in keeping me on track mentally for the race). And most importantly to the BTC members who raced with me and those who spent the whole day cheering for us on the sidelines. I felt like a rock star at my own concert every time I ran past the club tent! I don't think people realise how much of a difference cheering makes to your race, especially when you are in the hurt locker, riding the pain train. Oh and thanks to all the random people who yelled out “Go Fonginator,” even though I didn't know who you were or how you knew me. God I love this sport!

FIVE LESSONS I LEARNT AT HUSKY:

1. Write a checklist of everything you need for race day.

2. Don't be so hard on yourself if you don't have the perfect day. Its just a race and let's be honest, you're doing a whole lot better than everyone sitting on the couch. 

3. Listen carefully during race briefing. Really listen, especially if you have never done the race before.

4. Don't stress out if something happens or doesn't go according to plan. It doesn't have to mean the end of your day.

5. Sometimes you perform better if you take the time to enjoy the atmosphere, appreciate the volunteers, high five a few people and just have a good time. I know we are out there racing in a competition but I think its important to take the time to acknowledge people on the course too and not be so serious all the time. I always make a point of asking someone if they are ok if I see them walking. Or I will at least wave/smile to my friends on the course if I don't have the energy to talk. Who knows, there might be a time when you are really struggling and need some words of encouragement or help along the way. Karma is a marvellous thing. After all, if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.

That's it from me. Thanks for taking the time to read my race report. Here are some photos I took from the weekend. Hopefully you are still awake to enjoy them and haven't fallen asleep from boredeom. 

Bring on Husky 2014!

 

   

Recovery week, Sydney ITU wrap up & counting down to Ironman

Thank god for recovery week! I still couldn't find my training mojo last week & luckily for me, it was time to taper before the Sydney ITU race on Sunday. My program consisted of two swims, two cycles & one run; an easy week. The highlight would definitely have been the spa/sauna after a 1.5km swim in the freezing outdoor pool at North Sydney on a very cold winter's night.

For those of you that aren't aware, the Sydney ITU race is an Olympic distance triathlon, consisting of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle & 10km run. Last year, the race was opened up to age groupers for the first time & proved to be one of the most popular races on the calendar. Its not everyday you get to race in the heart of the city & for most of us triathletes, we have to travel quite far if we want to race. It was yet another amazing way to explore the best city in the world.

My friends LJ & Sarah came down from Newcastle for the race & we spent most of Saturday watching the pro women & men race. Man, these guys are fast! Olympic qualification was on the line so there were some very determined athletes out there. Watching their transitions was amazing. I love this sport so much because you always learn something new. I bumped into heaps of people that I don't usually get to catch up with, unless its at a race, so that was really fun & it was great to be amongst the triathlon buzz again. A guy I had never met before even came up to me at the Opera House & asked if I was "The Fonginator." Too funny!

We went to have a look at the expo & managed to catch up with Olympic gold medallist triathlete, Emma Snowsill who was getting interviewed after the pro women's race. That woman is a machine. Here she is showing a bit of Fonginator love:

Sunday turned out to be an amazing day. Sydney turned on the sunshine & I was absolutely pumped to race. We headed down to the water at 6.30am to watch the other waves go off. I wasn't swimming until 7.40am so by the time it came round to my wave, I was itching to get in the water. The guy at the start line reminded us not to swallow water in the first 100m. It took me a few seconds to realise what he was talking about. Haha!

As I stood on the pontoon, waiting for the wave before me to go, I looked around & saw spectators lining the wall around Mrs Macquaries Chair. It was absolutely amazing. I had ear plugs in my ears so I couldn't hear much but I faintly heard someone yelling so I turned around, and out of the corner of my eye were The Strumanator & Bel B. It totally picked me up so I started waving & getting all excited! When I got in the water, I remembered an episode of IMTalk (www.imtalk.me) that I had listened to a few months before about how to save time in racing & Coach John Newsom was saying you should try & be horizontal in the water before the gun goes off, that way you just start swimming, rather than trying to go from being vertical to then being horizontal. So I did & it made a huge difference trying to get away from people. There were about 85 or so girls in my wave & we were all chatting amongst each other when someone said, 'are they going to give us a 30 second warning?' And literally, 2 secs later, the horn went off!

I felt really good in the swim. I kept a rhythm the whole time & I usually never feel great in the swim; I just can't seem to push myself & I just don't enjoy it. But looking up at the Opera House at every breath made a big difference. It was pretty spectacular. That and not seeing any sharks. At the last buoy coming in, I felt a huge gush of water come over the top of me & it was the men in the wave after us, speeding past. I got whacked in the head a couple of times, and swore under water, but just kept swimming. I got to the stairs & everyone was rushing to try & get out (idiots). It was so narrow & could only fit about two people at a time. As I stood to run up, the top of my foot kicked the stair & I took a massive chunk of skin off my foot. I made the long run into transition (the longest transition of my life; my rack was right at the back too) & looked down to see blood all over my foot. I put my helmet, sunnies & race number on & got out of there as fast as I could.

I hadn't practiced my transitions since the Husky Sprint race in February so I was very nervous about trying to hop on my bike with the shoes clipped in. It took me a couple of goes to try & get momentum & one lady was telling me to hurry up. I politely agreed & asked if she could make me a cup of tea while I was there. Then, off I went, trying to fasten my shoe without taking any more skin off my foot.

The ride was tough. But it was amazing riding over the Harbour Bridge. My heart rate was pumping for the whole ride. I made the most of the descents by getting into my aero's in the big chain & just kept pedalling. By the third & final lap, my legs were stuffed & I was in granny gear going up the hills. Although in saying that, I was flying past a lot of men with ridiculously expensive bikes & sperm helmets. They were all so slow around the turning points. Made me feel pretty good!
There weren't many spectators as we rode down towards the North Sydney turn off, so I think I will be emailing USM events this week & request there be music or entertainment on the bridge next year!

When I got into transition, there was a volunteer who was yelling & screaming, cheering so loud, jumping up & down & so excited. I told her she should win volunteer of the day. Now, it was time for the run. I racked my bike, looked down & my foot was utterly gross. The top of my cleats were stained with blood & I wasn't planning to wear socks on the run so I spent a bit of time trying to make sure the flap of skin that was hanging off my foot stayed on (you can thank me for that visual later). I don't think I would've been able to tolerate exposed skin rubbing against my shoe for 10kms. Thankfully, that was the least of my problems. The stitch I had in the last half of the bike did not want to leave & I ended up running the whole 10kms with a blinding pain in my right side.

I was so happy to be on the run though as I felt so slow on the bike & couldn't wait to get off. There were SO many people on the run course cheering. The atmosphere was truly electric. I didn't appreciate it at the time as I was too busy trying to get rid of my stupid stitch, but it was really quite amazing. There were loads of people cheering for Balmoral who I didn't even know. I felt like a bit of a rockstar.

I have to mention Joe, Mary, Tamara & Saxon and everyone from BTC who did a great job at yelling at me every time I saw them; as well Tarnia Luck from Balance & UTS, Karen Tallis from The Hills, The Boycenators who surprised me in the grandstands and Laura Sidall & the Bondi Fit crew who were going crazy at the finish line. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when people yell out your name during a race. Its pretty special.

My run felt really slow & I just couldn't pick up enough speed so at the end of the race, I was disappointed when I found out I had gone 4 mins slower overall than the year before. Bloody triathletes, such high achievers & never seem to be happy with their results! But when I took into account the course changes, and the fact that I was training for an Ironman (not an Olympic distance race), it wasn't so bad. Ended up with a 30 min swim, 1.51 T1, 81 min cycle, 1.50 T2, 48 min run, for a total time of 2h43m. I thought for sure I ran over 50 mins but somehow, I managed to pull off 48. Absolutely shocked but very, very happy!

I crashed & burned early last night after the race. Last season, I think I competed in a race every 2nd or 3rd week so my body was used to the pounding. This year, I've only done about 3 races so it took a lot out of me. Training & racing are completely different! I think I have one more week of building up a bit more, then another easy week, before a nice little taper. The 6th May is creeping closer & closer & I think if I can get through this Ironman, I can pretty much do anything!

Congratulations to everyone who competed this weekend, to everyone I caught up with & very special mention to my coach Mel who came second in her age group in a stunning time of 2h23m. Amazing.

3 weeks til the big day! Holy s!#%@

Clocking up the big K's

Welcome to the biggest training week for The Fonginator so far; 7.8kms of swimming, 183kms of cycling & 28.5kms of running. Plus three group fitness classes and a yoga class. Phew! This week, I learnt just how much IM training can take over your life. So I apologise in advance to any of my friends & family outside of triathlon who probably won't see me for the next 8 weeks, unless you are planning to join me for some swimming/cycling/running.

BTC Girls Ride

This week was filled with lots of adventures. First up, was the BTC Girls ride which happens every Tuesday morning. If it wasn't for these girls, there is absolutely no way I would be getting up before 5am to train. It's starting to get a lot colder/darker now so this is when the HTFU strategy really kicks in. As painful as the hills around Mosman are, these girls help get my butt on the saddle each week.

 

                                      

LONGEST RUN SO FAR

On Wednesday, my friend Kate Murray (Death Squad) & I braved the rain & did 15km across the bridge & around Mrs Macquarie's Chair. My heels hurt big time anytime I had to run on an incline, so I had to walk a bit of it & I didn't feel very fast at all during the run. But at the moment, I am just trying not to re injure myself so I am happy to even just be running at all.

RIDING HOME IN THE HARDEST GEAR

On Thursday, Dani French (fellow BTC member) & I decided to chance the weather & head out for a ride along the northern beaches. I had to do 45km & I didn't want to do continuous loops of Mosman as we already do that on a Tuesday (and for those of you who don't know, I get bored really easily). Thankfully the weather held off & we ended up doing just over the amount I needed, although some parts of the ride were a bit sketchy at 5.30am; riding along Burnt Bridge Creek in complete darkness was a little eerie. Felt like we were in a scene from the Blair Witch Project. We got to Collaroy & turned around, and 5 mins later, SNAP! Gear shifter - GONE! I was stuck in the small chain ring, in the hardest gear & I couldn't get out of it. After about 15 mins of trying to move the chain over, take the back wheel off, turn the bike upside down & attempt to look like I knew what I was doing, we decided to just ride back & worst case scenario, if the traffic got bad & I couldn't handle the hills, I would try & hail a cab the rest of the way home. Dani & I both had to work that morning so I sent her off to rush back when we turned off the Spit Bridge & I just ticked the legs over til I got home. I am proud to say I only got off once (in Mosman, on the hill leading up to Spofforth St - a killer in granny gear, let alone anything else & I felt like I was going to fall off I was going so slow). I ended up getting grease all over the new (very expensive) rain jacket that I bought from lululemon a few days before, which I was not very happy about. But a huge thank you to Dani for staying with me, even though she had to rush to work. If it wasn't for her, I would've stood on the side of the road crying & waiting to hail a cab! If anyone has any tips on how to get grease out of clothes, please let me know. Otherwise I might try & take it to the dry cleaners.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MASSAGE

I ended up pulling a muscle in my left quad from the ride that morning so I booked in for a massage with Sharna at Mosmant Remedial Massage on Military Rd (http://www.mosmanremedialmassage.com.au). I had never seen her before but her colleague had dropped in some flyers at lululemon this week & she was able to see me at the last minute. I wouldn't have been able to handle the torture of trying to foam roller them myself. I'd much rather pay someone to inflict that kind of pain! Anyway, it was one of the best massages I've had to date. She was one of the very few therapists who knew the exact amount of pressure that I needed. My quads are extremely sensitive (I can barely handle any kind of pushing on my legs, its weird) & I have found other massages to either be too soft (I need them worked on), or too hard (where I end up tensing up the whole time, totally defeating the purpose of the massage). Sharna did some pressure point release which made a huge difference in releasing tension & just so happened to mention that I had the tightest quads she had ever seen. Oops. Better start becoming re-aquainted with the foam roller again!

BACK TO GROUP FITNESS

On Friday, I taught Body Attack - the first time I did high impact for the full 55 mins since surgery. I wanted to puke by the end but god it was awesome! I'm feeling a bit fitter on stage now, as I make the transition from low to high impact but my god, my glutes were in pain the next day!! My burnin' loins!

MCSHITTY WEATHER IN SHITNEY

For those of you who aren't in Sydney, the weather has been absolutely miserable here since...forever. Flash flooding throughout NSW making it nearly impossible to ride safely on the road. I am seriously contemplating moving to Perth next year. The rain is depressing me! But I had my big ride to do & nothing was going to stop me. I headed out to the safety of Centennial Park at 6am, ready to tackle my first triple digit ride. I saw a few Balmoral peeps at the brick session who yelled out to me & that kept me going for a bit (thanks Owain, Mary & Nicole) but by the time it was light, I was over it. I lasted almost 2hrs at a very slow pace until I was rescued by Kelli Fischer (fellow BTC member & also my long ride buddy) who took me out to do the La Perouse route (30km round trip from Centennial Park). Tracy Webber (BTC) joined us for the second Le Perouse lap & thankfully the rain held off til the end of the ride. When we clocked 103km, the heaven's opened & it started bucketing down. I dropped my bike off & then ran 5.5kms off the bike at around 5 min k's so I was pretty happy! I got home & Kelli made the most amazing omelette I've ever tasted. Exactly what I needed.

THE LIFE OF A TIRED TRIATHLETE

My friends, Jess & Jimbo had their daughter Grace's 1st Birthday Party that morning so I arrived at lunchtime to join in the festivities but by the time it got to about 2pm, I started to hit the wall. I didn't realise until this weekend just how much of a toll IM training takes on the body. After a quick catch up with my friend Elaine (who had just finished the 50km Coastal Trek & was visiting from Perth), I went home for a nap then finished off a swim set at St Leonards Fitness First. The reason I chose that pool is that it has a steam room, so I sat in there afterwards & stretched as much as I could. So good!

CAPTAIN CLUMSY FALLS AGAIN

This morning (Sunday), I had an 8km tempo run to do. On my way up the bridge stairs, I bumped into Carl & Sean (from Death Squad & Walker St Fitness First) who were doing a 10km recovery run in preparation for 6 Foot Track race next weekend. Perfect. I ran a lot faster than what I would've done on my own so it was great. I miss running with other people. Its so much more fun! Anyway, we turned around at the Opera House & as we were coming through Circular Quay past the ferry terminal, I tripped on a raised bit of the footpath & went SMACK into the pavement, arms out in front, superman-style. And the first thing to hit the ground was my knee. The result: a massive golf-ball:

Thankfully its rest day tomorrow, so lots of stretching & icing & then another big week planned ahead for training. Sometimes I wonder how I am ever going to finish this race, especially when I am going so slow on the bike during training. But I know I just have to keep digging & keep pushing harder, because it is all going to pay off on Sunday 6th May. Let's hope the weather holds out because I do not want a repeat of what the WTC did for IMNZ - cancel the race! Imagine how upset the first timers would've been? I know these are circumstances beyond our control but the devastation would be awful. Am thinking of my friend Toni Hodge who would've raced the 70.3 instead. C'mon Mother Nature, don't let us down!

Before I go, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped me train this week; company is the one thing that is going to get me through the next 8 weeks & I can't stress enough how important it is to me, both mentally & physically. You guys rock!

Thanks for reading my blog. See you next week! The way the rain is going, we're going to need more of that gold plated HTFU. Perhaps on a platter this time??

Bel

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

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