Dealing With Demons

Going into Ironman, I know I have a few demons to deal with.

Swim:

I start too hard and end up hyperventilating causing me to slow down to regain my composure. 

Goal - to start slow and ease into it.

Training - I am training to be stronger for the 2nd half of the swim.

Bike:

Again, going too hard early and smashing my quads. 

Goal - To keep my watts low and steady.

Training -  Last Wednesday I attempted the Pahiatua Loop (over the Rimutakas, up to Pahiatua, over the pass, down the coast to Waikanae and back over the Akatarawas.  Due to a broken spoke and a tyre blowing out, I only got as far as Waikanae.  I learnt that I can easily hold 225 watts for 8hrs or 240kms and my nutrition is on the right track.

Run:

Running!  After years of having to walk home due to my calves locking up, it's hard to train for something that has been physically impossible for 3 years.  I thought after my operation I would somehow be this amazing runner.  Someone forgot to tell me that I’d still need to put in A LOT of hours teaching the dormant muscles to work and getting my legs used to running again. 

Goal - To be able to run more than 30kms (that's how far I ran last year)
Training - Before I had compartment syndrome my favourite run was to Staglands and back.  I’ve always thought that once I could achieve this again, then I'd be well on the road to recovery.

 About two weeks ago I knocked the bugger off! 

I started slow and made it to Staglands.  It was easy to run 16km one way.  Once I stopped for a snack I realised just how tired my legs were and I still had to run out!  Despite having the Ironman shuffle, I managed to run the whole way out - and have a week off running.

Same Ride, One Year On.

A few years back Matt and I biked over the Akatarawa's and for some reason we decided to climb up the other side 6 times.  There's no rhyme or reason for 6 times, it's just a challenging number
physically and mentally.  Last year Andy and I did it and sadly I blew my lights on the 6^th climb.  Andy had prior commitments and I didn’t see any point in him hanging around so he left.  I sat at the top for an easy 30 minutes, eating and drinking everything I had.  Once I got my second wind I coasted down to Staglands where I bought a coke and a scone.  Sitting in the sun, I waited for my third wind and then crawled out of the Akatarawa's.

Going into this ride the thought of last year was fresh on my mind and my goal was not to blow.

	2011		2012
	Time	Watts	Time	Watts
Hill repeat 1	24.37	268	24.10	272
Hill repeat 2	24.23	271	23.04	285
Hill repeat 3	23.30	279	21.55	298
Hill repeat 4	23.08	286	22.15	301
Hill repeat 5	23.23	281	21.41	305
Hill repeat 6	28.11	228	23.18	281

Looking at my times, it certainly helped being able to chase Andy.

The Day Before Christmas

The Day Before Christmas

The weather forecast showed that tomorrow was going to be a brilliant day and one that we didn’t want to waste riding around here. 

Kevin and Andy met here and then we set off to the top of the Rimutakas.  Kevin set a cracking pace to the top where he turned around.  Andy and I continued down the other side into the Wairarapa, through Caterton, then turned right onto Summerset Road (where the hot air balloon disaster happened).

Me Chasing Andy

When Andy and I do long rides, we have this great system of taking 5 min turns on the front.  It worked very well along the flat Wairarapa straights.  We called a truce on Summerset Road but once we got to the bottom of Admirals Hill Andy put his hill climbing legs on and took off. 

Andy climbing like Andy Shleck

I’m not sure if we made it to the top but time was ticking on so we turned around and got back into our 5 min efforts to Martinborough.  The temperature was reaching new highs, we refilled our bottles at Featherston and set off to attack the Rimutakas again.  Andy made an early move and gapped me.  Thankfully he slowed down.  In hindsight, I think he suckered me into catching him.  Unfortunately I got caught up in the moment and carried on to gap Andy.  With sweat pouring off my head, I carried on to the top as if we were just starting out.  On the way down my head started feeling like a boiled egg.  I knew I had blown a gasket! 

We continued on with a little run to the dam and back.  My legs felt fine but my head continued to cook and even a swim in the river didn’t cool me down.

The news would later report that it was the hottest Christmas in 40 years!

The hottest Christmas in 40 years and Andy and I were riding over the Rimutakas in the heat of the day after 5hrs of riding.  If that doesn’t help us for Ironman, nothing will!

Taupo Half Ironman Race Report – LUCK

I’ve always believed that luck swings in roundabouts and this weekend was no exception.

On our way up to Taupo, Danielle’s car overheated.  This meant we were stuck on the side of the road for nearly an hour waiting for the AA man while the mercury rose.  Luckily, we were just out of Bulls and a bottle of Stop Leak in the radiator did the trick.

I had trained in mild weather so I was a little nervous about the predicted warm weather for the race.  On race day, I woke to overcast drizzle and couldn’t believe my luck! 

After my race breakfast it was time to head down to the transition area. After a thorough inspection of my gear I was in the water by 6.15am, certainly the earliest I had ever been ready for a race!

With a lingering chest cold I was nervous about the swim, the combination of cold water and intensity were sure to cause trouble.  400 metres into the swim and at my limit, a rouge wave caused me to swallow some water and start coughing … game over.  The coughing got worse and I struggled to continue swimming. I pulled to the side as swimmers were ploughing over me, put my hand in the air for assistance and waited.  A lifesaver paddled over and I held on to catch my breath.  This happened four times.  You can imagine how relieved I was to be out of the water and into T1. 

I knew Andy and Luke were in front, but the question was, by how much? The ride out was into a head wind, as I slowly made my way through the field I was jealous of those riding in bunches. I finally caught Andy who was tuck neatly in a great bunch!!! On the way back I was able to get into a group of three and we caught the large group Luke was in just before Heart Break Hill. Unfortunately for me, with all my attention on making up lost time, I hadn’t noticed that the increase in temperature.

As usual I took my time in T2, stretched my hamstrings and set off for the run.  Luke was a few hundred metres in front and I thought I’d be able to reel him in, but I just couldn’t close the gap.  The last few kilometres were a struggle; the heat was really proving to be a factor.

Upon finishing, I had the chills and didn’t think much of it.  Not long after we got back to the motel I had ONGOING stomach issues.  We thought that I was suffering from heat exhaustion and that with replacement fluids it would pass.

A trip to A & E on Sunday afternoon proved to be a very long but worthwhile experience. During the week I still couldn’t hold down food and on Thursday a doctor from the hospital called to ask if I was feeling better.  He wasn’t surprised that I wasn’t because I had food poisoning - Campylobacter.   That afternoon I saw my GP to get a strong dose of antibiotics which lead me back to full strength just in time to enjoy the Christmas celebrations.

A Taste Of Adventure Racing And It Was Delicious!!!!

Greg and I don’t get many chances to race together so when an adventure race in Otaki was advertised, we jumped at the opportunity.  The first thing we discovered about adventure racing is that you need a lot of things, equipment and a fantastic support crew.  We enlisted Danielle and her parents who did a fantastic job!

Map given to competitors

Race briefing and registration, which involved a very thorough equipment check was held Friday evening. The organisation was superb to get over 60 teams checked so quickly.  At the briefing we were told where the race would start and that’s all we knew.

Lemans start

Saturday morning, we arrived just in time to receive our map and supporters pack.  We quickly assembled our bikes and headed off down to the river for a Lemans start.  I really like these types of races, lots of people in board shorts, sneakers and borrowed gear, all there just to give it a go.

At the back again

We thought we got off to a good start but judging by the number of people we passed in the early stages of the MTB we obliviously didn’t.  The mountain bike course was on a private farm, one big loop to the top of the ridge, along then down.  We soon discovered unless you are absolutely sure where you are going, which we weren’t, it doesn’t pay to be near the front.  As we reached the highest point a few teams were standing there trying to figure out which way to go.  After a few minutes of discussion, people headed off in all directions; luckily we went the right way.  It only took a quick glance back to realise all the effort we put in to pass people on the way up was lost with a solid line of riders following.  The ride finished with a neat down hill and time trial up the gorge road to T1.

Running along the river

The second stage was the run.  We started off running along the river to two different check points, then headed straight up the face of a hill/mountain to the top of the ridge. 

We happened to be at the right place at the right time as we were able to take advantage of following some other groups as they bush bashed their way up. Once at the top, it was a leisurely run along the ridge on a DOC track then down to T2.

Perfect shot Greg!

Danielle and her parents had all our gear laid out so it was a quick transition and off to the second challenge - gumboot throwing into our tubes before we started our tubing adventure.  Greg was spot on, I missed.  For every person that missed, the team had to sit in the penalty box for three minutes.  Bad luck if you were a 4 person team and all missed.



In the penalty box





The tubing was the highlight for me, we were neck and neck with three other teams as we 

This is the way to race!!!

entered the river.  Most people were happy to straight line it across the river bed but I chose to stay on my tube and enjoy the ride.  At the end of each set of major rapids were life guards in case anything went wrong.  They were surprised so many people were walking.  It soon became apparent, big tube = fast in the water but hard to carry across the rocks and a smallish tube = slower in the water but easier to carry across the rocks.

Possible short cut

Greg was able to dig deep and we came off the river in front of the other teams we started the tubing with to finish in 5:13hrs.  Overall it was a fantastic event and a great way to spend a Saturday.

High Miles Week - it doesn't get any better than this!!!

Before my operation, Andy and I talked about doing a high miles week in the first week of the school holidays.  We made a "Bucket List" of some long rides and runs we would like to try.  This list certainly gave me the motivation to recover quickly and get my endurance back in time to take this challenge on.

Sunday - KONA HEAT VS AKATARAWA FROST

Today is the holy grail of Ironman, KONA.  I woke up extra early to follow it on the internet, it looked amazing.  I met Andy, Mike and his friend at 6:40am outside the Brown Owl Fish n Chip shop (the best in Upper Hutt). We biked over the Akas in the frost to participate in a 100km fun ride in Waikanae.  The race went well with another fast start. This time I was able to hang in the second bunch and chat with Luke (when  he wasn't at the front).  We regrouped at the finish and biked back over the Akas. I started to blow just as we got back to Upper Hutt.  170km, 6 hours BANKED!!!

Monday and Tuesday were recovery days, easy swims and light road rides

Wednesday - Andy (I ran a 1.23hr in the last Taupo Half Ironman) Brown and I did our swim workout then I took Andy on my favourite run in the hills behind Cannon Point. Running with Andy was never going to be easy and it WASN'T, but my calves seemed to handle everything I threw at them, so I was very pleased with that.

Thursday - THE BIG COAST - A WHALE OF A TIME

We had both wanted to do this ride for a long time and the weather gods certainly looked after us.  We set off from Upper Hutt, over the Rimutaka Incline, down to Ocean Beach and back around to Eastbourne.  The ride went exceptionally well, the ocean was still, very little wind and it wasn't too warm.  As we were making our way to Pencarrow Lighthouse, I noticed something odd on the beach.  Upon closer investigation, we discovered a beached whale and I happened to be the first person to report it to DOC (Department Of Conservation).  Once past the light house, we took turns 'lapping it out' and time trialled on the road back to Upper Hutt.  135km, 8hr day BANKED!!!

VIDEO STILL WITH PETE JACKSON - COMING SOON

Friday - Rest day for the big weekend ahead.

Saturday - 5HR RECOVERY RIDE

The weather forecast was for a calm day, so to make the most of it, we rode into Wellington, around the bays and out Makara.  We had always planned on doing a 5hr ride, but after Thursday it seemed like a recovery ride and we got home feeling fresh, this week must be paying off!

Sunday - THE HARDEST RUN I HAVE EVER DONE (AGAIN)

Peter Stevens very kindly took me on a run a few years back when HE was training for the Sounthern Crossing Running Race (something that is on my bucket list).  I had just finished training for Karapoti so thought, how hard could a run in the Tararuas be?  Turns out BLOODY HARD!!!! I blew big time and as Peter had an international flight to catch that afternoon, I let him go and walked out for the last hour.  As crazy as it may seem, I have always wanted to do that run again and be able to run the whole way, but I needed someone silly, I mean fit enough to do it with me.  Andy was up for the challenge.

The run starts at Kiwi Ranch, goes up Marchant Ridge, along to Block XVI, straight down to the river which you cross, down to Smiths Creek and back out to Kiwi Ranch. Sounds simple.  Add rain, hail, wet roots and stretches of bog knee deep and hills that go STRAIGHT UP and  DOWN (took us 40min from the ridge to the river) it starts to take a toll on your energy, but WE LOVED IT!!!!  28km, 6 hrs BANKED!!!

If you are into off road/adventure running then this is the run for you!!!

Best Run In Wellington

12 weeks since my operation,  8 weeks of training, 22 weeks until the New Zealand Ironman and another good week of base training.

This week was an easy week for running. The opertation seems to have been a huge success but for some unknown reason, I'm getting a burning sensation in my right achilles tendon+.  The physio thinks it's due to weak muscles and will come right, I'm certainly hoping so.

Key training for this week:
Saturday
Run from YMCA (Kiwi Ranch) at the bottom of the Rimutakas into the Tararuas to the first hutt (Smiths Creek).  It is my all time favourite run, beautiful forest, nice terrain and in the summer the river is great to take a dip in.

Sunday - Vets Wairarapa Cycle Challenge
Despite waking up to heavy rain and coming close to turning off my alarm and going back to sleep, I got up and got ready.  The weather improved and I stuck to my plan to bike over the Rimutakas.  As I cruised into Featherston I was amazed to see so many cyclists warming up.  I'm not sure how many people entered but it certainly looked like a fantastic turnout.

Once again, I started near the back thinking I would be able to work my way to the front.  WRONG!!!!!
The pace was insane from the start, too many cyclists going backwards causing too many gaps to bridge. The only silver lining was that there were some great riders in my bunch.  We worked well together and managed to limit the amount of time lost to the front bunch.  The ride home was a little tough due to a strong head wind going UP the Rimutakas.

A big thank you to the Vets (Wellington Veterans Cycling Club) for putting on another great event.

Run on Saturday

Ride on Sunday