The Day That Was(n't)

The Tauranga Half Ironman was yesterday and to make a long story short, I didn't finish it. To say that I am gutted is an understatement.

We arrived at the Mount on Thursday afternoon, which was very hot - lovely, but hoped that it was going to be cooler on Saturday. After unpacking the car, my sister Penny, her husband Roger and my nephew Troy and his wife Monique went for a walk down to Pilot Bay to see what it was like. It was very windy, and it was making Pilot Bay very choppy - so we decided that we would not be doing a sea swim until Friday morning, hoping it would calm down overnight.

Friday morning 7am, we walked over to Pilot Bay (staying at Anchorage, so just right there) with Monique and I going for a short swim so I could get used to some landmarks. Well, that was the plan. When we were standing on the edge, we wondered why some other triathletes were just standing around in the shallow water, talking and not doing anything. We soon found out.

After walking in, another couple walked over to us and the Scottish "what are all these jelly things?" - so we inspected closer ... and put our hands in. YUCK! The water was full of acorn size jelly things which we have since found out are a form of jellyfish - that don't sting fortunately. The Scottish guy described the water as being like "porridge" which was a perfect description of how it felt - I just can't describe it, as I have never encountered anything like it before.

So after trying to get our heads around this, we wandered a bit further along the water and Monique came across a huge jellyfish - she shrieked and turned and ran the other way! Me of course, following close behind. We started laughing, as Monique is supposed to be the brave sea swimmer, surf lifeguard and all - and here she is being as unbrave as you can be - just when I need the opposite!!

In the end, Monique said that she would do a maximum of 10 strokes out then turn around and get out - so we were doing our 10 strokes out and I was about to do a couple more, when she yelled out, that's 10 let's get out. So not the sort of plan I had in mind - but then again, I didn't plan on the water being invaded with jellyfish!

Later on, at registration, a friend of mine said he went with a swim with a friend the day before, and they were just standing about waist deep in the water at Pilot Bay, when his friend screamed - he had an octopus wrapped round his foot/leg!! Fantastic, I thought! Can it get any worse? All I can say is, that the talk of registration was about all the "creatures" in the water, and a lot of people getting freaked out. I wasn't freaked out by them, although not really overjoyed with them being there - I was definitely NOT going to swallow any water!

I was remarkably calm on Thursday and Friday which I was pleased about as I get very nervous prior to events. That was about to change.

Friday when I went to bed, I started to get a knot in my stomach - a very big knot. Relax, slow deep breaths. Luckily, I did sleep OK Friday night and woke up just before my alarm went off at 4.30am. Breakfast time. All ok - a little apprehensive, but under control. I noted that it was cloudy (great), a little cooler than days before (great) but fairly windy (not so great).

5.30am we walked down to transition with all the gear and I got set up. All going ok. Then went off to get body marked - there was a queue, so joined it. It was about then, that my composure started to crack big time. I started to feel nauseous and tears welled up. All sorts of emotions swamped me. Can I do the swim? Why am I here? Many thoughts of Mike - this was his domain.

Well, got bodymarked, then back to bike to get wetsuit on, and start heading to start. Relax. Relax. Relax. Yeah, right. Wetsuit on - getting better all the time at getting it on. Then joined the queue to go through the Blue Seventy arch, and get on the beach and into the water.

A final hug from Emily and Jenny and off into the water.

Ok - relax. Goggles on, and just get into the water and start heading over to the end of the wharf to the womens start area. Phew - the number of jellyfish was considerably less! This is a lot better. Oh boy. At this stage, I thought my nervousness was under control.

The start was very strange - there was no starters gun and the women around me said - they've started - so off we went. Major panics now ... just relax. My heart rate just seemed to climb through the roof. For some reason, my HR monitor wasn't working (probably just as well) so I don't know what it was. I stopped swimming to relax, and get things under control before getting going again - but things were starting to get bad. I started to get very weasy and couldn't breathe. When I get very uptight, and exercise, I can get asthma - and it was happening this morning. It doesn't happen very often at all - but it did happen a couple of swims ago when I was with my swim coach at Takapuna.

With all this going on, I noticed the field disappearing in front of me ... I told a lifesaver on a board near me what my problem was, so he stayed with me, just in case. I stop/started many times with the hope that it would settle down - but no. Nearly at the second yellow buoy I called it quits, as I couldn't breath, and I was running out of energy with the lack of oxygen going into my lungs.

Sorry Mike. Sorry Tony + Liz. Sorry to all my family and friends who have given me so much support - I just can't do this today. A big thank you to the lifeguards assisting at the Tauranga Half Ironman. Thank you to the Port of Tauranga for your wonderful support and hospitality - Mark and Graeme - I will be back.

Plan B then kicked in - get showered/dressed, and get out and support my nephew Troy, and everyone else I know that was competing. Troy - fantastic effort. Well done to everyone who competed.

So - now for some soul searching. The battle continues... ... ...

A New Year - 2008

Another year over and another just beginning. I passed at the New Year's Eve parties and had a quiet one at home although I was still awake when the Sky Tower fireworks started, so got up and watched them from my deck.

It is only a few days to go until the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman - Saturday, 5th January. The body has got very tired from the training, so this week is very easy to try and get some energy back into the body, ready to take on my first ever triathlon.

I have had a few more sea swims and finally got Takapuna looking like a millpond a couple of days ago - yahoo! I have had chop and swells, so a millpond was very gratefully received. It was also my best ever sea swim yet - less stops and no panic attacks! I am starting to believe that I will survive the Tauranga swim, and if I keep the sea swimming up, it will become okish in time - did I say that? It will be slow at Tauranga, but I just want to finish it.

The other day when I was out with Liz, I was thinking "gee, it's me out here - I did it". Never in a million years did I think I would ever be out there in the deep, murky water bobbing around.

So, with some very patient friends, and a belief in yourself that "you can do it", it shows that you can overcome your worst fears in life. It certainly is a very satisfying moment. The mind is a very powerful thing.

I have started to get things in piles, and sort out what I am taking ... the weather forecast is for fine, sunny weather - which means hot and burning weather for my fair skin - the sunblock is already packed.

So - tomorrow I will pack it all in the car and head down with some of the family to Mount Maunganui. I do hope that the sea is flat and calm .... fingers crossed.

I have no idea of how I'll go - remember it's my first ever triathlon, so it is going to be a learning curve and a day of just surviving. But of course - I plan to enjoy it (maybe not every minute of it) and will try to remember to smile when coming down the finish shute!

Sea swimming update .... Christmas morning I was roped into a sea swim with my Ironman coach - Tony, my swim coach - Liz (my coach's partner) and my nephew Troy and his wife Monique. I did try to get out of it, but Liz wasn't having any of my usual excuses, and I had to do it.

So 7.30am Christmas morning I made my way to the Takapuna boat ramp and unfortunately all the others turned up to! I was really hoping they were kidding!!

The weather forecast had not been great, so I was amazed that it was a pleasant morning with no wind. Somehow I think Mike was looking after me and giving me some of his wonderful encouragement he used to dish out - boy, I do miss you Mike - I can only imagine what you would be saying if you could see me now! Laughing your head off, I am sure, as you knew how much I HATE the sea!

The tide was one of the biggest I have seen at Takapuna and it was choppy - great! (My stomach didn't have butterflies, it had stampedeing reindeer!!)

After some encouragement, we wandered into the water - which was actually not too bad - quite warm in fact, and that is saying something from me.

Tony decided we would swim parallel to the shore for a while, to get me used to being in the sea. Well, that's what we did, but I stopped every 50 metres or less breathing very hard due to being in a slight panic. Afer about 500 metres, Tony then said we were going out to the white buoy - oh no!!! My biggest fear - deep sea water. Unbelievably after many stops and panic attacks I got to the white buoy and punched it with sheer joy - or was that frustration? We stayed a short time at the buoy so I could get used to bobbing in the sea and using my wetsuit to keep me afloat. I certainly wasn't relaxed at all which didn't help one bit - but to cut a long story short, I eventually made it back to the beach again. I did it! I survived the deep sea water.

There was no way I thought that I would have been able to get out to the white buoy at 7.30am - but I was pleased I got pushed into it. My Christmas dinner tasted all the better for that - I am sure I used up 100x more calories than normal due to nervous energy.

But, it didn't stop there. Liz told me I was meeting her same place, same time tomorrow (Boxing Day) - oh no! So, that's what we did this morning. Troy + Monique also joined us to support me.

Now, today's effort was 100% better than yesterday. Again, a big tide (so I have more swimming to do to get to the damn buoy) but we swam straight out to it instead of swimming along the beach. The water was also flatter than yesterday, thankfully. Although not totally happy about being in the sea, I was much more relaxed than yesterday (which wasn't hard, I can tell you). Then when we got to the white buoy, Liz made me go beyond it!!!! Wow, I was out in the deep water and still alive - yay!

Then the swim back which was much better than yesterday. For some reason yesterday on my way back I had some major panic attacks, but today only a couple of minor incidents.

I certainly feel that I will be able to survive the Tauranga swim now, especially if I do the sea swims most days until the Half Ironman in Tauranga. I know that it is going to be slow, but it will be my first ever swim and my first ever triathlon, so all I want to do is survive it.

I feel much more confident and in a pretty good place at the moment (a big turnaround) - so a HUGE thanks to Tony, Liz, Troy + Monique - you are my rocks. Thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement you give me - I do really appreciate it, even though I do moan at the time!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Tauranga, here I come ....

Hi there everyone - yes I am still alive!!

I am writing this feeling as if my body has been in a car crash. The last couple of weeks have been fairly hard and the body is feeling an accumulated fatigue feeling.

Yesterday morning, the alarm went off early in order I could get up and ready to meet the bunch ride. Well, getting out of bed with the legs fighting with me all the way to the bathroom, I knew that the long ride was going to be HARD!

But off I went, across the bridge to meet the group in Parnell, however the girls bunch was not there, so headed off with Tony's group of guys who are fast. I just resigned myself to the fact that I would do a solo ride, but that's ok, as I don't mind riding by myself.

But, one of the boys always came back for me when we got to a hill and got me up back with them, and then when we got to Sandstone, Paul and Dene stayed back with me, and let the group go on to Clevedon (via Ardmore) without us. That was really lovely of them, so I had company and assistance through to Clevedon (via Twilight). So we just bet the other bunch to Clevedon by going via Twilight Road!

As the boys were in the shop in Clevedon buying Powerade and Coke, I decided to buy some coke to try on the way back. Today I needed everything possible, as the body was soooo tired. So poured the coke into one of my empty drink bottles. I must say that I think it really helped. I have always wanted to try it to see if it helped, and pleased I did. Will definitely have to do that again, for sure.

On the way back a few more of the boys stayed with me so I had 5 of them - I think I was a convenient excuse to have an easier ride!!! But as the wind came up and was pretty gusty, it was great having them when we got through to Botany Road, as it really hit us there - otherwise, it wasn't too bad.

So a big thanks to Paul, Dene, Troy, Stanley, and sorry, I've forgotten your name.

My long runs of 2 hours each during the past 2 weeks have been enjoyable which has been great, as I used to enjoy them, but having been having more unenjoyable ones before that, so am loving them at the moment. Short ones seem to hurt more!

Swimming - well, in the pool things are going well. After a few bad episodes, I had a great swim last week of 4km which really helped. It felt good. Now, swimming in the sea is another story. I haven't overcome my fear of it yet. Time is ticking very fast to Tauranga, so not sure what I am going to do .... extreme panic is not an option. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and enjoy the break off work. I hope that Father Xmas is kind and brings lots of pressies. Take care, and see you in the New Year!

Well, another week down. Last week all went pretty well thankfully, and it is good to be back running again even though I forgot to put my sunblock on before my long run last week - it was overcast when I left home, but then became clear and very sunny - so of course got some sunburn! Lesson learnt! At least it was only a little sunburn and didn't cause any trouble - I am so fair skinned that I can burn pretty well, so told myself off for this little lapse in attention.

Swimming remains and will until the event my main challenge. Sea swimming especially, as I hate swimming in the sea. Lots of people tell me that swimming in Lake Taupo is easier than the sea, so am holding onto that hope! Mind over matter they say - well, you try and tell my mind that! But am staying positive, and am DETERMINED to overcome my fear as I do not want to be ruled by it.

I do love my new bike .... sorry don't have any photos yet. With having no budding photographer on hand like Kathy, you will have to wait a little longer to see it.

Well - that is about all - nothing specifically to chat about.

Fantastic effort to Dene Coleman in Busselton yesterday (Ironman Western Australia) - great race, and I even managed to be watching via Ironmanlive when you finished - congratulations!

Last weekend, I headed to Taupo with many thousands of others. I decided on the Friday to not ride the 160kms and let my leg fully recover. Instead, I rode a lap (90kms) of the Ironman course - to Reporoa and back.

The weather was perfect - overcast and more importantly no wind. There were about 20-30 others who were doing what I did, so it wasn't too lonely out there, but I must say that it is one of the most boring rides I have ever done. There is not a lot to see on this ride, and Broadlands Road just seems to go on and on and on. Contrary to many people's description of the course - IT IS NOT FLAT! But it doesn't have the hills of the Round Taupo cycle, which is what I didn't want to put my leg through just at the moment.

Thanks also for the roading contractors for digging up part of the road just before Reporoa!

I must admit that I did have a period of time coming back that I threw a little mental wobbly (as my right leg has lost a lot of strength with the quad strain) but once I got back into Taupo, I soon forgot about all that, and enjoyed actually riding the course. It took me 3:11 which I was pleased with as I took it very easy, and I still haven't put aerobars on my new bike.

Of all the years I have been going to Taupo for the cycle event, this weekend was the best weather they have had - not too hot, and not cold or windy. Sunday morning was a cloudless, sunny, no wind day - even better than Sunday - but there would have been an awful lot of very sunburnt people if that was the weather on Saturday. So thank you Taupo for the glorious weather last weekend.

Now it is back to the grind of the weekly training regime ... swimming, biking, running ...

Well, the physio has given me the green light to do some easy, controlled running - YAY! Just need to ensure I don't stride out too much - short stride, high cadence (she must have been speaking to my podiatrist!!!).

So, a bike and a run planned tomorrow - all out in the glorious sunshine that is forecasted this week - Summer is here! Lots of sunblock required for my fair skin, and have just bought new stocks thankfully.