The day has arrived for me to pack up the car and drive to Taupo.
It started off with trying to act normal so the cats wouldn't disappear on me, then put them in their cat cages for transporting to their home away from home which they just love - yeah right!
I am feeling refreshed and energised (thankfully) and ready to go. Just as well Ironman wasn't last weekend with the storm that raged through - phew! Please, please let us have nice weather with little wind next Saturday.
A big thank you for everyone that has been in touch, it is incredible to know so many people are supporting me. If I don't see you or acknowledge you on Saturday - it is not that I am being rude - but I will be in the zone, and just concentrating on using all my energy to get to the finish.
So, this is the last blog from me until after the big day .... thank you again to everyone, and to Steve of Alpe d'Huez. See you in Taupo.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
The body seems to have hit the wall! All I want to do is sleep.
There were two highlights during the past week - well one was a highlight, the other ....
First, I had a one-on-one sea swim with coach Tony O'Hagan. Must say I was pretty nervous, as he can sure swim (and bike, and run ...). I just wanted to get a good sea swim with him to show him I can do it, and also give me some more confidence in the sea.
So, last Friday, Tony met me at Takapuna Beach. The sea was flat, as it was a strong SW wind, and this doesn't usually affect the beach too much. Tony decided on the course and distance and of course the time I had to do it in (no pressure!). The first 15 minutes I had to stop regularly to get the heartrate and breathing under control, but after that I managed to get into a rhythm and swim (yay!). We did about 2.5km in total, and Tony still reckons if I keep my head together, my swim time will be around 1:30 on Ironman day. I would be very happy with that.
One thing that did relax me, was watching Tony "try" to swim slowly for me - I was folllowing him (like a little puppy!!). But in order for poor Tony to swim this slowly, he floated on his back, did butterfly backstroke, breaststroke etc... This keep making me laugh which helped relax me too. When he was doing breaststroke - of course, doing it properly - everytime I looked up to sight him, to check I was going straight, he had disappeared. He was completely underwater, and then would pop up. So, it was a good distraction for me and made me keep going, as he wasn't keen on stopping! We even got a heavy downpour of rain which I haven't encountered before - I just laughed and thought, god, I wouldn't have thought 12 months ago, that I would be out here in the pouring rain swimming in the sea. It did feel good though.
Thanks Tony for your endless patience.
The other "highlight" which I was dreading, was the 90km TT on Cateye windtrainers Saturday morning. We all have to use the Cateye WT's so Tony has a constant measure - usually I use my own, and I prefer it.
I have no problem with doing time on the WT - but 90km??? I have only done 20km TT's before with Tony, and my head was not in the right place before this. Neither was my back which has been giving me awful grief all week. This is the first week my back has been so sore - which I am amazed about. I have had to rest it, and do lots of exercises to get it right, but has been a slow one this week.
So, back to the 90km TT. There were about 12-15 of us doing it at Westlake Girls Gym Hall, with a few others doing 20, 30 or 60km TT's as they are not doing Ironman.
Amazingly, I got through it. My back was killing me (despite dosing up on painkillers), and at the 20km mark I didn't think my back would let me do it - but I pushed through it, and just keep up a steady pace. In the end my time was 2:53:28. I am pleased it is under 3 hours, but with this being my first 90km TT, it was hard to know how hard to start without blowing up towards the end. So, thankfully that is out of the way, and I'm not keen to do another one, anytime soon!
Oh, I nearly forgot. I have been lucky enough to be loaned some wheels for Ironman. Jason from AvantiPlus, has loaned me his carbon Roval wheels. I took them for a test spin yesterday and they feel great. Thank you Jason, I'll try not to crash!
That's about all for the time being ... not long now before it's time to packup the car and head to Taupo.
There were two highlights during the past week - well one was a highlight, the other ....
First, I had a one-on-one sea swim with coach Tony O'Hagan. Must say I was pretty nervous, as he can sure swim (and bike, and run ...). I just wanted to get a good sea swim with him to show him I can do it, and also give me some more confidence in the sea.
So, last Friday, Tony met me at Takapuna Beach. The sea was flat, as it was a strong SW wind, and this doesn't usually affect the beach too much. Tony decided on the course and distance and of course the time I had to do it in (no pressure!). The first 15 minutes I had to stop regularly to get the heartrate and breathing under control, but after that I managed to get into a rhythm and swim (yay!). We did about 2.5km in total, and Tony still reckons if I keep my head together, my swim time will be around 1:30 on Ironman day. I would be very happy with that.
One thing that did relax me, was watching Tony "try" to swim slowly for me - I was folllowing him (like a little puppy!!). But in order for poor Tony to swim this slowly, he floated on his back, did butterfly backstroke, breaststroke etc... This keep making me laugh which helped relax me too. When he was doing breaststroke - of course, doing it properly - everytime I looked up to sight him, to check I was going straight, he had disappeared. He was completely underwater, and then would pop up. So, it was a good distraction for me and made me keep going, as he wasn't keen on stopping! We even got a heavy downpour of rain which I haven't encountered before - I just laughed and thought, god, I wouldn't have thought 12 months ago, that I would be out here in the pouring rain swimming in the sea. It did feel good though.
Thanks Tony for your endless patience.
The other "highlight" which I was dreading, was the 90km TT on Cateye windtrainers Saturday morning. We all have to use the Cateye WT's so Tony has a constant measure - usually I use my own, and I prefer it.
I have no problem with doing time on the WT - but 90km??? I have only done 20km TT's before with Tony, and my head was not in the right place before this. Neither was my back which has been giving me awful grief all week. This is the first week my back has been so sore - which I am amazed about. I have had to rest it, and do lots of exercises to get it right, but has been a slow one this week.
So, back to the 90km TT. There were about 12-15 of us doing it at Westlake Girls Gym Hall, with a few others doing 20, 30 or 60km TT's as they are not doing Ironman.
Amazingly, I got through it. My back was killing me (despite dosing up on painkillers), and at the 20km mark I didn't think my back would let me do it - but I pushed through it, and just keep up a steady pace. In the end my time was 2:53:28. I am pleased it is under 3 hours, but with this being my first 90km TT, it was hard to know how hard to start without blowing up towards the end. So, thankfully that is out of the way, and I'm not keen to do another one, anytime soon!
Oh, I nearly forgot. I have been lucky enough to be loaned some wheels for Ironman. Jason from AvantiPlus, has loaned me his carbon Roval wheels. I took them for a test spin yesterday and they feel great. Thank you Jason, I'll try not to crash!
That's about all for the time being ... not long now before it's time to packup the car and head to Taupo.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Almost there ...
Last weekend, 3 of us from Tony's group decided to head back to Taupo for our long training sessions, instead of attending the Auckland Ironman Camp. With all 3 of us being Ironman virgins, we wanted to train more on the course, so we could get familiar with it.
It was amazing just how many other athletes were there - more than 2 weeks ago. It felt good training down there, as it made you feel that you were already part of that special bunch of people known as Ironmen (or Ironwomen!).
So our weekend consisted of:
Saturday
35 min swim – OK, but not great – better than 2 weeks ago though!
6:10 cycle – 150kms
25 min run
The weather was lovely with the usual wind coming up giving us some grief on the bike heading back to Taupo - but you get to expect that. The cycle is getting easier with the greater familiarity of the course.
Sunday
50 min swim – did about 2km and was very pleased with myself. I stayed calm, and managed to swim along the buoys. Another friend of mine was down in Taupo doing some training for the Triathlon Nationals coming up soon, and was like a sheep dog and kept swimming in circles around us to keep us together and check on us. Thanks Bronwyn, I sure wish I could swim half as well as you! The water was lovely and flat – very happy with the swim overall. For the first time I thought to myself, YES I can do the swim. I relaxed, sang songs in my head, and just swam from point to point as I was told to do .... now I just need to do this in 3 weeks time!
1:30 cycle - just a short cycle on the course to get the legs turning over.
3:10 run – did about 27-28km. The first lap took 2:15 which is my half marathon pace, so pleased with that – the next 45 minutes was more painful. However, just as we got changed into our run gear and head off, the weather changed from being fine, to being low cloud and very light drizzle. How perfect is that? My perfect running weather!!
So a good training session – the weather was great with the rain coming through just as we started our long run – couldn’t have asked for more than that. We all felt sorry for the athletes that were doing their long ride today in the rain - not the greatest of experiences.
The body was completely shattered when I got home, as sitting in the car for 4 hours straight after a long run is not ideal. However, I had a massage booked for Monday late morning which was just what I needed and felt a lot better after that.
Overall, I have been pleased with my drinking and eating on the bike and run. My stomach seems to cope with the endless gels (very lucky) and I am a lot better at drinking than I used to be a year ago.
I feel that I am as ready as I can be for Ironman on Saturday, 1st March. I must admit that I am so "over" all the training, and just want the next 3 weeks to hurry by .... but I understand that is a natural feeling at this stage of the training. Now - the main concentration is staying healthy and uninjured ... do not trip over anything!!!
It was amazing just how many other athletes were there - more than 2 weeks ago. It felt good training down there, as it made you feel that you were already part of that special bunch of people known as Ironmen (or Ironwomen!).
So our weekend consisted of:
Saturday
35 min swim – OK, but not great – better than 2 weeks ago though!
6:10 cycle – 150kms
25 min run
The weather was lovely with the usual wind coming up giving us some grief on the bike heading back to Taupo - but you get to expect that. The cycle is getting easier with the greater familiarity of the course.
Sunday
50 min swim – did about 2km and was very pleased with myself. I stayed calm, and managed to swim along the buoys. Another friend of mine was down in Taupo doing some training for the Triathlon Nationals coming up soon, and was like a sheep dog and kept swimming in circles around us to keep us together and check on us. Thanks Bronwyn, I sure wish I could swim half as well as you! The water was lovely and flat – very happy with the swim overall. For the first time I thought to myself, YES I can do the swim. I relaxed, sang songs in my head, and just swam from point to point as I was told to do .... now I just need to do this in 3 weeks time!
1:30 cycle - just a short cycle on the course to get the legs turning over.
3:10 run – did about 27-28km. The first lap took 2:15 which is my half marathon pace, so pleased with that – the next 45 minutes was more painful. However, just as we got changed into our run gear and head off, the weather changed from being fine, to being low cloud and very light drizzle. How perfect is that? My perfect running weather!!
So a good training session – the weather was great with the rain coming through just as we started our long run – couldn’t have asked for more than that. We all felt sorry for the athletes that were doing their long ride today in the rain - not the greatest of experiences.
The body was completely shattered when I got home, as sitting in the car for 4 hours straight after a long run is not ideal. However, I had a massage booked for Monday late morning which was just what I needed and felt a lot better after that.
Overall, I have been pleased with my drinking and eating on the bike and run. My stomach seems to cope with the endless gels (very lucky) and I am a lot better at drinking than I used to be a year ago.
I feel that I am as ready as I can be for Ironman on Saturday, 1st March. I must admit that I am so "over" all the training, and just want the next 3 weeks to hurry by .... but I understand that is a natural feeling at this stage of the training. Now - the main concentration is staying healthy and uninjured ... do not trip over anything!!!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Ironman Camp in Taupo
Well, I survived my Ironman Camp in Taupo. Yay!!
As per my last update, I was feeling pretty lousy with a virus that got me - in fact, the Friday and Saturday (18-19th January) I feel like dying. I was laid up in bed and was really sick. My chest hurt like hell from the infection and pleurisy, and I was not sure if I was going to recover enough to head to Taupo the following weekend. But, I did - thankfully.
After religiously taking my antibiotics, and having to lay low for several days due to being sick, my body seemed to recover quite well. I got in a few training sessions before having to head away, so I was pleased that I was able to get back training again.
So, Friday I packed up the car (boy, what a lot of stuff!) with everything that I would possibly need - you never know what the weather will do in Taupo either, so had clothing choices, especially for the bike. Lots of gels, water bottles etc... I hope I had everything!!!
I headed off Friday late morning out of Auckland so I could have a leisurely drive down and got into Taupo feeling good. Time to unpack the car and get organised for the weekend ahead.
We were all staying at various places, with a group in one house - I chose to stay at my usual motel retreat, but we all met up for dinner at night.
Saturday morning 7am started with a 30 minute swim near the top end of the course (I didn't fear well, again), then we got changed by our cars into our bike gear and headed out for a 180km ride (2 laps of the Ironman course). The morning was lovely and sunny but the wind came up on the second lap just to keep us honest out there! Then straight off the bike for a 20 minute run. By now it was incredibly hot and all I felt like doing was jumping into the lake. My weigh in at the end was good - same as at the beginning, so fluid intake was good. Phew! Next on the agenda was a shower and a nano nap before dinner! Body felt shattered.
Sunday morning 7am another swim, this time at the start of the swim. The wind was up already and the lake was choppy (which I didn't like the look of). Again I freaked out in the swim (getting really annoying now!). Then a quick change and onto our bikes for a 90km bike (1 lap of the course), followed by a 10km run. Besides coping with the strong winds on the bike all went well and I felt pretty good. The run was again very hot - Taupo was sure turning on the weather! On the run back into town, the Offshore Power Boat racing was starting, so people had lined the street and it was crazy - just like Ironman Day! Then back to the motel for another nano nap before dinner.
Monday was a casual day - so I left the group and headed down for a swim by myself to spend some time in the water. This time was better. The morning was lovely and calm, the lake like a mirror - so perfect conditions. I just needed to stay calm and feel ok in the water - just for my head's sake! This weekend was the first time I have swum in Lake Taupo, and I must say, that is must nicer than swimming in the sea. It is "not" salty - Yay - and no currents and tides to contend with. It is also clear, so you can see the bottom which is nice - better than Takapuna which is murky. But somehow, I just need to find a mechanism to stay relaxed and calm in the open water.
So, overall, my body felt really good after the weekend which surprised me, especially the hours spent on the bike, as this usually causes problems with my back/shoulders - but it didn't this time, so I was rapt. Each lap of the course took around 3.5 hours which I was pleased with considering we were in a small group and we stayed together. At least now I know that I can manage the 180km without too much problem, even with the wind which is my worse enemy!
But there was still a few weeks more training .... I am really looking forward to getting this over, as I am getting over this training .... Perhaps I am getting grumpy - probably ...
As per my last update, I was feeling pretty lousy with a virus that got me - in fact, the Friday and Saturday (18-19th January) I feel like dying. I was laid up in bed and was really sick. My chest hurt like hell from the infection and pleurisy, and I was not sure if I was going to recover enough to head to Taupo the following weekend. But, I did - thankfully.
After religiously taking my antibiotics, and having to lay low for several days due to being sick, my body seemed to recover quite well. I got in a few training sessions before having to head away, so I was pleased that I was able to get back training again.
So, Friday I packed up the car (boy, what a lot of stuff!) with everything that I would possibly need - you never know what the weather will do in Taupo either, so had clothing choices, especially for the bike. Lots of gels, water bottles etc... I hope I had everything!!!
I headed off Friday late morning out of Auckland so I could have a leisurely drive down and got into Taupo feeling good. Time to unpack the car and get organised for the weekend ahead.
We were all staying at various places, with a group in one house - I chose to stay at my usual motel retreat, but we all met up for dinner at night.
Saturday morning 7am started with a 30 minute swim near the top end of the course (I didn't fear well, again), then we got changed by our cars into our bike gear and headed out for a 180km ride (2 laps of the Ironman course). The morning was lovely and sunny but the wind came up on the second lap just to keep us honest out there! Then straight off the bike for a 20 minute run. By now it was incredibly hot and all I felt like doing was jumping into the lake. My weigh in at the end was good - same as at the beginning, so fluid intake was good. Phew! Next on the agenda was a shower and a nano nap before dinner! Body felt shattered.
Sunday morning 7am another swim, this time at the start of the swim. The wind was up already and the lake was choppy (which I didn't like the look of). Again I freaked out in the swim (getting really annoying now!). Then a quick change and onto our bikes for a 90km bike (1 lap of the course), followed by a 10km run. Besides coping with the strong winds on the bike all went well and I felt pretty good. The run was again very hot - Taupo was sure turning on the weather! On the run back into town, the Offshore Power Boat racing was starting, so people had lined the street and it was crazy - just like Ironman Day! Then back to the motel for another nano nap before dinner.
Monday was a casual day - so I left the group and headed down for a swim by myself to spend some time in the water. This time was better. The morning was lovely and calm, the lake like a mirror - so perfect conditions. I just needed to stay calm and feel ok in the water - just for my head's sake! This weekend was the first time I have swum in Lake Taupo, and I must say, that is must nicer than swimming in the sea. It is "not" salty - Yay - and no currents and tides to contend with. It is also clear, so you can see the bottom which is nice - better than Takapuna which is murky. But somehow, I just need to find a mechanism to stay relaxed and calm in the open water.
So, overall, my body felt really good after the weekend which surprised me, especially the hours spent on the bike, as this usually causes problems with my back/shoulders - but it didn't this time, so I was rapt. Each lap of the course took around 3.5 hours which I was pleased with considering we were in a small group and we stayed together. At least now I know that I can manage the 180km without too much problem, even with the wind which is my worse enemy!
But there was still a few weeks more training .... I am really looking forward to getting this over, as I am getting over this training .... Perhaps I am getting grumpy - probably ...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Update on swimming ....
Ok, here is me trying to stay positive.... Beach Series swim last Tuesday night at Takapuna Beach. Lovely night, but sea a bit choppy (not ideal for me). My nephew Troy came as my swim buddy to stay with me to help keep me calm (that was the idea at least).
The start was delayed about 10 minutes, so we just paddled in the sea, as it was hot standing on the beach in our wetsuits. The water is also lovely and warm - almost like a bath.
The starter went off, and I am still calm(ish), hanging back to let most of the people go first, then wading into the water and starting swimming. I could then feel the anxiety start to rise within me - NO! Just stay calm, Troy is beside me, it is only 1km.
As the choppy nature takes me up and down, I start to think about that, and start to freak out - hyperventilate. After several stop/starts, I just can't breathe anymore due to hyperventilating and can it. Another trip in an IRB. Bugger.
So, it seems I can swim relatively calmly when the sea is nice and calm - but anything more, I freak out. It is all being controlled by my mind. I can tell you, that this is soooo frustrating - it is not an injury, or that I can't swim - my mind is controlling me.
A close friend suggested I try Hypnotherapy to help me relax and stay calm in the sea. She has used it several times mainly for business use, and has found it very helpful. OK - I'll give it a go as it may help me overcome this fear I have.
Yesterday, I had my first session with Dave Gilbert. There are no startling revelations yet as I haven't been able to hit the pool, or sea to practice. I have failed to tell you that Wednesday I woke up with a VERY sore throat which gave me a deep (sexy) voice. With my 3 hour run scheduled for Wednesday, I was determined to get it in, no matter what, in case the throat developed into something more sinister.
Wednesday night (waited until it cooled down) while running, my chest was incredibly sore - the only time I had experienced this type of pain was many years ago when I had bronchitis. So I keep telling myself, just finish this run (key session of the week) then you can get sick.
This is what happened. After getting home quite late from the run (11pm) I was definitely coming down with bugs. So off to bed. The next morning my chest hurt and if I coughed, it felt like it would split open. Luckily I could get into see the Doctor - can't afford to sit and wait - and she thinks it is viral, but have antibiotics anyway. She also feels that I have some Pleurisy which is causing me the awful chest pain. If I have no great improvement by Monday, I have to go back - fingers crossed I am well on the road to recovery by then!!!
Overnight, it has now progressed to head and nose - GREAT! So feeling lousy to say the least. Swimming is not on the agenda today - I somehow think that there is not going to be a great deal on the agenda today.
So more speed bumps along this Ironman journey, but as you can see, I don't give up easily. I think I need a coffee ...
Ok, here is me trying to stay positive.... Beach Series swim last Tuesday night at Takapuna Beach. Lovely night, but sea a bit choppy (not ideal for me). My nephew Troy came as my swim buddy to stay with me to help keep me calm (that was the idea at least).
The start was delayed about 10 minutes, so we just paddled in the sea, as it was hot standing on the beach in our wetsuits. The water is also lovely and warm - almost like a bath.
The starter went off, and I am still calm(ish), hanging back to let most of the people go first, then wading into the water and starting swimming. I could then feel the anxiety start to rise within me - NO! Just stay calm, Troy is beside me, it is only 1km.
As the choppy nature takes me up and down, I start to think about that, and start to freak out - hyperventilate. After several stop/starts, I just can't breathe anymore due to hyperventilating and can it. Another trip in an IRB. Bugger.
So, it seems I can swim relatively calmly when the sea is nice and calm - but anything more, I freak out. It is all being controlled by my mind. I can tell you, that this is soooo frustrating - it is not an injury, or that I can't swim - my mind is controlling me.
A close friend suggested I try Hypnotherapy to help me relax and stay calm in the sea. She has used it several times mainly for business use, and has found it very helpful. OK - I'll give it a go as it may help me overcome this fear I have.
Yesterday, I had my first session with Dave Gilbert. There are no startling revelations yet as I haven't been able to hit the pool, or sea to practice. I have failed to tell you that Wednesday I woke up with a VERY sore throat which gave me a deep (sexy) voice. With my 3 hour run scheduled for Wednesday, I was determined to get it in, no matter what, in case the throat developed into something more sinister.
Wednesday night (waited until it cooled down) while running, my chest was incredibly sore - the only time I had experienced this type of pain was many years ago when I had bronchitis. So I keep telling myself, just finish this run (key session of the week) then you can get sick.
This is what happened. After getting home quite late from the run (11pm) I was definitely coming down with bugs. So off to bed. The next morning my chest hurt and if I coughed, it felt like it would split open. Luckily I could get into see the Doctor - can't afford to sit and wait - and she thinks it is viral, but have antibiotics anyway. She also feels that I have some Pleurisy which is causing me the awful chest pain. If I have no great improvement by Monday, I have to go back - fingers crossed I am well on the road to recovery by then!!!
Overnight, it has now progressed to head and nose - GREAT! So feeling lousy to say the least. Swimming is not on the agenda today - I somehow think that there is not going to be a great deal on the agenda today.
So more speed bumps along this Ironman journey, but as you can see, I don't give up easily. I think I need a coffee ...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
I have gone through many emotions since the Tauranga Half Ironman - ranging from giving up immediately through to yes, I can do Ironman.
The easy option would be to give up and I would be very disappointed with myself if I did that - if not now, later on. It's not in my blood to give up - so why start now.
So, after meeting with my coach to discuss what went wrong, and where to from now, I am back in a positive frame of mind. I have to learn to relax in the sea/lake and not let my emotions take over - easier said than done! So, more sea swimming on the agenda for me - damn!
Last Thursday was my first sea swim since Tauranga, which was with our group at 6.30pm at Takapuna Beach. During the afternoon, my anxiety returned and I began to fear it. By 5.30pm I started to feel sick, but got myself down there.
My swim coach, Liz was there, and I told her how I was feeling. She didn't say anything and we got into the water, letting the boys head off first, and disappear in the distance. We got to white buoy, then the next yellow buoy. Let's go to the next yellow buoy, Liz said - so off we went - all going well - phew! Once we got there, Liz said let's go a few strokes further (the furtherest out I have been along the buoys). Well, head down and off again, and I managed to be the most relaxed I have been to date, and when I stopped, Liz grinned - we were nearly at the next yellow buoy - so off we headed to it ... Yay - 4th buoy at Takapuna - wow!
We waited for the boys to return, as they had gone a little further out, and Tony my coach was very pleased and surprised to see me there. Looking back at the boat ramp, I realised how far we had gone, but it didn't seem like it.
Back we headed, and all in all, it was pretty good - a good confidence booster which I needed. The total distance was 2km.
Luckily the water was relatively flat and Tony thought that we had managed to get it on the turn of the tide, with a slight tail assistance in both directions! Now, that was great luck, wasn't it??!!
So, feeling a lot better about the sea again, I was feeling ok about the next swim on Saturday at Takapuna with the group. Well, that was until Saturday morning, when I got into the water. It was very choppy and there were waves breaking - oh great - there is a problem.
Now, by now you know that I have a fear of the sea. One of the big things is the moving water - waves and chop are a nightmare for me. Let's just say that Saturday's swim was awful and ended up with me giving up and heading out early. Doing beach starts through the crashing waves was very scary for me, and I just lost it. No amount of coaxing from Liz, or Tony helped - I was petrified. It seems I go 1 step forward and 2 back. Needless to say the confidence level plummeted again.
However, not giving in totally - I continued on with the rest of the session - bike + run/drills. The heat was starting to really build by the time we headed out for a run - this Summer is sure a hot one.
Tonight I have to enter the Beach Series swim at Takapuna Beach, which is a 1km swim. Yesterday it was choppy there due to NE winds but it looking good for calmer waters tonight (fingers crossed!). I have my nephew Troy who is going to buddy me to help me keep calm, and feel reassured during the swim. Troy's friend Ross Anderson competes in these, and usually does it in around 10-12 minutes - how, I don't know - maybe because he was an ex Olympic + Commonwealth swimmer for NZ! It is sure going to take me a LOT longer ....
I will keep you updated ....
The easy option would be to give up and I would be very disappointed with myself if I did that - if not now, later on. It's not in my blood to give up - so why start now.
So, after meeting with my coach to discuss what went wrong, and where to from now, I am back in a positive frame of mind. I have to learn to relax in the sea/lake and not let my emotions take over - easier said than done! So, more sea swimming on the agenda for me - damn!
Last Thursday was my first sea swim since Tauranga, which was with our group at 6.30pm at Takapuna Beach. During the afternoon, my anxiety returned and I began to fear it. By 5.30pm I started to feel sick, but got myself down there.
My swim coach, Liz was there, and I told her how I was feeling. She didn't say anything and we got into the water, letting the boys head off first, and disappear in the distance. We got to white buoy, then the next yellow buoy. Let's go to the next yellow buoy, Liz said - so off we went - all going well - phew! Once we got there, Liz said let's go a few strokes further (the furtherest out I have been along the buoys). Well, head down and off again, and I managed to be the most relaxed I have been to date, and when I stopped, Liz grinned - we were nearly at the next yellow buoy - so off we headed to it ... Yay - 4th buoy at Takapuna - wow!
We waited for the boys to return, as they had gone a little further out, and Tony my coach was very pleased and surprised to see me there. Looking back at the boat ramp, I realised how far we had gone, but it didn't seem like it.
Back we headed, and all in all, it was pretty good - a good confidence booster which I needed. The total distance was 2km.
Luckily the water was relatively flat and Tony thought that we had managed to get it on the turn of the tide, with a slight tail assistance in both directions! Now, that was great luck, wasn't it??!!
So, feeling a lot better about the sea again, I was feeling ok about the next swim on Saturday at Takapuna with the group. Well, that was until Saturday morning, when I got into the water. It was very choppy and there were waves breaking - oh great - there is a problem.
Now, by now you know that I have a fear of the sea. One of the big things is the moving water - waves and chop are a nightmare for me. Let's just say that Saturday's swim was awful and ended up with me giving up and heading out early. Doing beach starts through the crashing waves was very scary for me, and I just lost it. No amount of coaxing from Liz, or Tony helped - I was petrified. It seems I go 1 step forward and 2 back. Needless to say the confidence level plummeted again.
However, not giving in totally - I continued on with the rest of the session - bike + run/drills. The heat was starting to really build by the time we headed out for a run - this Summer is sure a hot one.
Tonight I have to enter the Beach Series swim at Takapuna Beach, which is a 1km swim. Yesterday it was choppy there due to NE winds but it looking good for calmer waters tonight (fingers crossed!). I have my nephew Troy who is going to buddy me to help me keep calm, and feel reassured during the swim. Troy's friend Ross Anderson competes in these, and usually does it in around 10-12 minutes - how, I don't know - maybe because he was an ex Olympic + Commonwealth swimmer for NZ! It is sure going to take me a LOT longer ....
I will keep you updated ....
Sunday, January 6, 2008
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... ... ...
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... ... ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
