Did a fun interview with Jeff from “This Week in Triathlon”

You can read my 20 questions here http://www.thisweekintriathlon.com/ and check out the rest of the site!

Time to get back to packing for Kona!

It is now Thursday and I am finally starting to feel a little bit normal again. There is no denying, the race on the weekend worked me over. But I guess the reality was that was the plan!

It was exciting to be back in Cancun after 8 years! The last time I had been there it was 2002 Age Group world champs where I did okay…..but the highlight of the trip was the amazing people I met and new life long friends I made! One of which is getting maybe next year!

This time I traveled solo but was so lucky that some amazing girls from London, Charlie and Catherine, felt sorry for me 🙂 and I spent some fun times with them leading up to the race including dinner at the Shrimp Bucket and Catherine being proposed to by Louise!

Race morning my alarms were set for 4.30am but I thought considering I was in a hotel I might as well get a wake up call as well. Sunday morning the phone rang and I answered it to hear a friendly voice claiming “this is your wake up call!” I quickly glanced at my clock to see it flashing 3.45am!! What the????

I replied to her with “sorry this is not my wake up call!” and after hanging up I heard the phone ring up stairs and realised she had accidently rang the wrong number. The damage was done though, and I was up! So there was plenty of time for a shower and a good stretch now and I was down in the lobby for the bus transfer to the transition area with plenty of time to spare.

Mentally I was ready to go! Training had been great, tough, tiring, fatiguing, the last month and I was looking forward to putting it all into action. The body unfortunately had different ideas and although coach Jeff had told me you will be tired, you will be fatigued and the goal was to do what I could and finish off a great block of training, I was still hoping for more!

It was a gorgeous start to the morning and after walking down to the swim start with Luke and Amanda and warming up I was ready to go.

Swim – Unfortunately another frustrating swim. After nailing it in Lake Placid I couldn’t wait to get out there again and swim fast, but as much as I love non wetsuit swims, I realise I do need to work on my beach starts (Nat!!) and be more aggressive at the start. I tried something different in Cancun but obviously it didn’t work and my lesson was learnt by not getting myself in the pack about a minute faster than me which is where I should have been.

Onto the bike and I was ready to ride hard! I felt great the first 20-25km but it didn’t take long for the fatigue to set in (more than usual anyway!) but the goal was to go hard so I continue to push. I was able to gain some ground and pass a few girls after my slow swim but was looking forward to getting out on the run.

The last 10miles of the ride the wind picked up and pretty soon after the rain came! It bucketed down hard! The roads were beginning to flood as I pulled into transition.

My awesome K-Ruuz were on in a flash and the first mile I felt like I was flying! The rain continued to fall and I was ready to run strong! The next minute the rain, clouds and wind were gone just as quickly as it came and the heat and humidity replaced it! Exactly what I was after I guess…!

Halfway through the run it became a matter of survival and having seen that I was pretty safely in 5th position with 4th over 5 minutes up the road, the mental game began and it was aid station to aid station and loading up on water, gatorade and coke. The aid stations were amazing, one every km was totally needed. The water was give out in little bags that you could rip a corner off and drink some, pouring the rest over yourself. I would grab 2, use one at the aid station and the other half way to the next one.

That finish line could not have come soon enough. I was spent! I had to find someone to help me cross the line to the medical tent where constant wet towels and fluid were helping so much.

After spending time lying down I slowly began to feel better. Onto the bus back to the hotel and it was perfect timing for lunch with Luke and Amanda then cocktails in the pool bar with Wattie, Heather, Catherine and Charlie.

After little sleep it was actually a 3.45am wake up call the next morning and 3 flights to get me back to Boise. Since being home there has been lots of sleeping stretching and reflecting.

The reality is, I got out of the race exactly what I was going there to do. Racing in the heat and humidity and finishing off a big block of training with a good hard race hit out. The big picture is Hawaii and an easy week this week followed by a couple of big training days on the weekend then the taper will begin. I am definitely looking forward to that!

For now, I am glad I don’t have to unpack because I am off again to Kona in 4 days, so really there is no point!

The immediate big decision I have to make though is who to barrack for this weekend in the AFL Grand Final. Collingwood or St Kilda! I have never really liked Collingwood, but do like Mick Malthouse as a coach, plus his former association with the West Coast Eagles! When it comes to the Saints, knowing that Tony Bence is a die hard supporter, means I may have to just go for Collingwood!!

Lucky for me it is being shown on ESPN live, but at 1am! May have to tape it instead!

It has been a whirlwind the last couple of days but finally I have settled down and I am currently laying in my hotel room, catching up on the latest gossip reading trashy magazines, with everything laid out ready for tomorrow.

Just prior to leaving Boise there was time to celebrate John’s birthday at the Matador with Chris, Marilyn, Erin, Jeff, Antonio and more of John’s friends. It was all about the ridiculous nacho’s and apparently amazing tequila!!

I find myself in a little bit of paradise and it would be great to be outside taking in the sun and enjoying the waves of the ocean. But that can wait until tomorrow afternoon. I have already made plans for a cocktail at the pool bar with some friends I have met from the U.K.

I am actually surprised how little people are swimming in the ocean. They prefer to swim in the pool, there is a bit of a current and a few waves. But one of the things I miss about home, the beaches!! So I am loving it!

A great night sleep has me ready to go. I rode to the swim start this morning for a quick dip, the water was calm, but loaded with seaweed! The beach start is going to be interesting because the first 100m you are waist deep in the weedy stuff! Should be fun! A short run along the course and it was time to load up on pancakes!

1 sleep to go and it is time to put the last month of training into practice! It has been a big couple of weeks and Kona is just around the corner. This is the end of a great block of training, a hard, hot hit out tomorrow and I want to finish it on a strong note. Nothing left is the plan for the day, although the reality is I don’t think I race any other way! All or nothing!! It will definitely come down to a matter of survival on the run in this heat and humidity. There are aid stations every km! Apparently you need it! I can’t wait!

Until then, legs up, movies and stretching is all thats left to be done!

It has been a great block of training lately and although I am obviously still feeling tired and fatigued it is time for a hard hit out to finish it off. So after lots of procrastination I am finally packing the bike as I am off to Cancun Mexico tomorrow morning!

Antonio has had the “FELT” for the last few days and it is now ready to race. This race will be a  perfect opportunity to test out a few things before Kona.

Last weekend was a big bike weekend and I was so grateful for company on my rides. The first one was a solo compi sessions, plenty of T.V. watching got me through that one! Friday was Jeff’s Triple Peaks course. The first section is part of the Boise 70.3  course and Chris “Big Sexy” McDonald gave Marilyn and I a steady work out. Jeff then joined us for the climb up table rock and it was on!! I was dropped even before half way as the quads began to pulsate, and the end of that one didn’t come soon enough! Next came the 1 1/2 hr climb up Bogus which this time thankfully for me was a little bit more steady.

Saturday was girls only as Marilyn, Jenny and I embarked on our mission to Idaho City. The wind was providing an extra challenge, perfect Kona training!! It was a good steady ride but I was looking forward to an easier day on Sunday!!

The next morning was a sleep in, easy cycle with Marilyn and Jeff, followed by open water swimming with Chris, John. But the highlight of the day was the quick trip to the Matador! A new Mexican restaurant that has opened down town and between 4-6pm they have happy hour. The biggest plate of Nacho’s I have ever seen for only 4$! But for 4 hungry triathletes there were obviously a few additions to the menu!

By Monday it was back to the running and the infamous “loop” which I have actually come to love! It is 3.5km in the trails rolling hills, climbing on the way out, dowhill on the way back. Concentrating on one loop at a time I don’t even realise the total time and the run seems to go so quickly!

Now, back to packing!! Writing this blog is another way of procrastinating!!

Nutrition ready!!

I chose to compete in Cancun for the opportunity to race in the heat and humidity so the “GU” “Nuun” Nutrition is all packed and ready to go!!

K-Swiss clothes, shoes and the mandatory travel pillow!!

Congrats to all those West Aussies who raced at World’s on the weekend, some awesome results and times. You will be fit and ready for the beginning our summer season! Perfect timing!

Enough time wasting, a short compi session now then time to finish packing. It is definitely better than unpacking so I shouldn’t be complaining!

It has been a big 10 days and I am now enjoying a couple of days of R and R! It is time for the body to absorb all of the hard work. My running block finished last weekend with a trip to McCall which is just over 2 hours drive from Boise. It is a gorgeous location on the Payette Lake and lucky for me my coach Jeff and his wife Erin have a house in a perfect location. At 5000 feet it is a great training location with lots of trails for running, cycling routes and the Lake to swim in.

The purpose for the trip last weekend was to finish my block of training with the annual Payette Lake 30km run which proceeds around the entire lake. From paved roads, to gravel roads and what they called a few rollers, although I will probably disagree with that now. There were definitely some descent climbs!

I had my personal goals for the event and after the week of running before hand knew it was going to be tough. All was good until about mile 11, after getting onto the gravel road and reaching one of the so called “rollers” I commented to Jeff that “this was cruel”! From then on it was a matter of survival. I was relieved to make it through and excited to achieved what I ad over the last 10 days. It has been a good 2 years since the body has been pushed though the amount of running.

As an added bonus thanks to Jeff dragging me along I was able to hang on for second place by a mere 30 seconds! Although I can guarantee there was not another 30 seconds in those legs!

After that I was knackered! The recovery plan, a good feed and a trip to some hidden hot springs!

Another gravel road (this time in the car!) and a walk through the bush and mud and all of a sudden in front of us was this:

It was perfect! Exactly what was needed to help those legs recover. A nice warm temperature, not too hot and in the middle of no where!

It didn’t take long before we had company so it was time to go! But there was still one more things that could be done for recovery..

The countdown is on! 5 weeks to Kona and I can’t wait! After these few easy days it is back into it leading into next weekend’s 70.3 in Cancun! A little hit out to get used to the heat and humidity!

But now time for that much needed massage!!

That has pretty much been the routine the last week. It is inside 6 weeks now until Hawaii and I am right in the thick of it. After recovering from my Xterra adventures a big run week has followed. The body has been tested in ways it hasn’t been in the last couple of years and the exciting news is so far so good! There has been my fair share of mornings where I definitely didn’t want to get out of bed or the thought of running again was too painful! But a surprise package from my awesome sponsor K-Swiss changed all of that!

It was then more like “when is my next run so I can test out another pair of shoes!” I have an important decision to make! Which pair to wear in Kona?

There is also the decisions about what to wear?

There have been some great swim sessions with Marilyn McDonald although the legs haven’t been cooperating so it has been a big pull buoy/band week! Might as well smash the arms as well!

Recovery has been super important and besides extra sleeping/stretching and massage Chris and Marilyn have kindly lent me Norma!!

My big boots!!

http://www.normatecusa.com/sports/index.html

Yes, it is an extremely funny sight me sitting with these big boots over my legs but I feel it has totally helped back up the sessions. Particular the running.

So what now? I am happy to say a couple of easier days are on the agenda before I take another road trip to McCall for a 30km running event this Sunday. It is a complete lap around the lake with road, trails and some rolling hills. But apparently spectacular views. I will try to take in as much as possible!

Footy finals are here! I will need to pick another team to “root” for in September. I am not sure if I can force myself to cheer for the Dockers, sorry Wesley!!

Happy Fathers Day Dad!! Can’t wait to see you soon!!