2013/14 Season Wrap-Up

Well, there you have it; another triathlon season done and dusted, and what a year it has been! 

After Ironman in 2012, I decided to go back to short course racing and this season, with the help of my coach, Owain Matthews, I competed in four Olympic Distance triathlons (and two Sprint Distance triathlons) as part of the Elite Energy series. This was a great opportunity to get out of the city, once a month, and compete in races around NSW.

In the Elite Energy series pointscore, the top 20 in each group are awarded points for each race. The higher you place in your age group, the more points you earn. At the end of the series, they take your best four results and tally them up against others in your age group. This year, I finished off with 58 points over 4 races, which gave me 3rd place overall in the 30-34 age group. I walked away with a massive bronze medal (see below) and a race entry into one of the Elite Energy Olympic Distance races next season - stoked!

If you win your age group in the series, you get 3 free race entries. Second place wins 2 free race entries and 3rd place wins one free race entry. This is such a great initiative from Elite Energy. It not only encourages people to participate in races around the state, but it also gives back to the age-groupers who support these races. Well done, Elite Energy!

Here's Elise Garner, excitedly accepting my award at Presentation Night in Port Stephens #therealfakebel

Here is my race summary of the Olympic Distance races I competed in: 

HUSKY 1 (10th November, 2013) - Olympic Distance
There are probably only two words I could use to describe this race - CHARACTER BUILDING! In summer, this is one of my favourite places to visit. However, on this particular day, it was 12 degrees outside, and it literally poured with rain from start to finish! At one point, I think I was laughing so hard on the bike because the rain was literally pelting down and there was nothing I could do about it! By the time I got to the run, my feet were so cold, my achilles tendon felt like it was going to snap. For the first time in a race, I had to stop and stretch a number of times during the run. Once I had a hot shower and got over the blisters and achilles pain, I felt pretty happy with myself for getting through the race with a Top 10 result in such horrific conditions.

Swim 1.5km: 26:12; Ride 40km: 1:22; Run 10km: 48:09. TOTAL: 2:36
6th in 30-34 AG, 19th female overall

Parading around in my new Smashfest Queen kit #allthegearandnoidea

CALLALA (8th December, 2013) - Club Distance
I think this might be my favourite race distance! The surf was up and the swim for the Enticer race was cancelled because of the huge swells. They still let the Olympic distance competitors race and although it was choppier than what I am used to, I managed to at least catch half a wave in, without getting dumped too badly! The ride went well and the run was honest - sand moguls for about 400m and then out onto the open road, hot bitumen and smack bang into the blistering sun (about 28*C). I actually enjoy racing in the heat (moreso than the cold) so these conditions suited me. I really enjoyed this race and was extremely happy with how I felt from start to finish.

Swim 1km: 22:33; Bike 30km: 1:01; Run 8km: 34:59. TOTAL: 2:00:12 (I will be back to break 2 hours)!
Podium finish - 3rd in 30-34 AG, 12th female overall (fastest T1 and second fastest T2)!

Elise and I after the race

ORANGE (1st February, 2014) - Olympic Distance
This year, Orange was experiencing an unusual heatwave and proved to be one of the hottest weekends in summer. The swim in Lake Canoblas was an interesting one. The water was murky throughout and you had to swim through weeds for about 300m. Doesn't sound too bad until you actually do it. I don't recommend standing up unless you want to be ankle deep in squishy, sludgy mud!

The bike course was a hilly, multi-lap course on very rough road surface. Lots of climbing on the way out but that meant some fast riding on the way back. There was a steep hill before every turnaround and boy, did everyone feel it on each lap!

I was relieved to get off the bike and start running, until I realised the run was along a fire trail and had about 3 big hills to hit every lap. Ouch! The weather was heating up to about 34*C and it took me the rest of the day to cool down. I felt OK on the run but had no idea how I was placing, so just kept trying to pick people off and overtake them. My reasoning was quite simple: run faster, get to the finish faster! Orange is such a great little town and I would definitely come back to do this race again.

Swim 1.5km: 27:19; Bike 40km: 1:20; Run 10km: 47:43; TOTAL: 2:37 

Podium finish - 1st in 30-34 AG; 8th overall female (fastest T1 and T2)!

WOLLONGONG (9th March, 2014)

This race had some extremely memorable moments, most notably the fact that we had accidentally slept through our alarm and missed our wave starts - whoops! Thankfully, the team at Elite Energy sorted us out and we were able to race in the Race Ya Mates wave (thanks Laura and Tracy)!  I really enjoyed this race, despite the lack of preparation on race morning. We didn't have time to eat breakfast and my water bottle was only half full for the bike. Rookie error. I guess there isn't much time to think when you're in a hurry!

Swim 1.5km: 30:17; Bike 40km: 1:13; Run 10km: 46:22. TOTAL: 2:33 

8th in 30-34 AG

I may have slept in, but at least I was colour co-ordinated

Based on the results of these 4 races, I am absolutely stoked to have gotten a spot on the podium in the Elite Energy series. I highly recommend these races to everyone. They are so well organised and well attended. The volunteers are always so energetic and regardless of your ability, they have a distance to suit everyone. The atmosphere is always great and Elite Energy really know how to put on great triathlon events. I will definitely be signing up next year and attempt to crack that magic 2:30!

Whilst it was somewhat disappointing to see my swim times gradually get slower, I have to admit that this is the one leg that has been the most challenging for me to see improvements. But thankfully, I have joined the Funkita athlete team and I am determined to get my swimming up to scratch before next season! I have to give a massive shout out to Funkita for supporting me this year. Make sure you get online and get some of their swimming gear. All their swimming costumes are chlorine resistant and the colours are so bright, no-one will miss you! You'll be the funkiest swimmer out there. Don't forget to use the code FTEAM349 to get a tidy Fonginator discount of 25%!

Bare Blends have also been supporting me with my nutrition, and I will be partnering with them in 2014 to help get their products out into the triathlon market. I was always hesitant to use protein powders because I never knew what half of the ingredients on the package were. But Bare Blends products only contain organic ingredients and I have to say, it is the best tasting protein powder on the market. It has honestly made a huge difference to my recovery and I am so happy to support this Australian brand. Make sure you check out their website and their amazing recipes - www.bareblends.com.au. They're also on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

 Here's Reidy from Bondi Rescue, enjoying one of my Bare Berries Snow Balls at the Elite Energy Women's Triathlon Festival. You can find the recipe on the Bare Blends blog.

The focus now changes to training for the NYC marathon. I'm very excited to be aiming for new goals and new adventures with my number one training partner, Teresa Boyce aka The Health Whisperer. Bring it on!

Here are some other memorable moments of my 2013/14 triathlon season. Happy training awesome people and thanks for reading my blog!

Bel
aka The Fonginator

Getting funkified - Hyams Beach

                                                      Fonginator Fist Pump (Husky Sprint)

Dressing up as cheer support cars with Elise (Husky Long Course)

    Dressing up as Tetris cheer leaders with Elise and Vince (IMOZ)

 

Meeting the legendary and lovely, Liz Blatchford  

Racing in a team with Dan Macpherson (Fitness First Corporate triathlon)

 

Riding with 65-time Ironwoman, Hillary Biscay and former Olympic track cyclist, Michelle Ferris

Pondering life, overlooking West Head, with Hillary Biscay in our Smashfest gear

Swim clinic at Balmoral Beach with Hillary Biscay

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 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