Remembering How To Hurt!

Well lots of things have happened this week so I think this is going to be a bit of a long one so make sure you are sitting comfortably before reading any further!! As usual I will start with the stats for week 25 of the build up.....15.8km spent swimming, 465km cycling and 65km running.......all on the beautiful Big Island! Race day is now just under 2 weeks away so week 25 was the last of the big weeks - from here on in it is about absorbing the training and beginning the wind down to race day.

So I had a bit of a eureka moment on Wednesday whilst out cycling on the course! Perhaps of all the disciplines of swimming, cycling and running my anaemia has seemed to have impacted the cycling side of things the most. I have struggled to get in the cycling pain cave and stay there.....prior to the big DNF at the Capricorn Half Ironman a few flags that I missed to things not perhaps being quite right were a couple of average time trial results where I had managed to start off at a hard effort but had not been able to maintain it.....usually I can get the sofa out in the pain cave and lay on it for as long as required.....you learn that the pain will not kill you....although at the time you often question whether on this occasion it might........you do get through it.....but during those time trials I could only sit on the sofa for a fraction of the time and at the Capricorn Half Ironman I don't think I really even managed to get on the sofa!

Needless to say it has been a while since I have visited the cycling pain cave for any sustained length of time. I have had a few sessions over the last couple of weeks that have invited me to visit the cave......bike rides with some hard 20 minute efforts (using my powertap) thrown in. For the previous 2 weeks I have managed only a single effort during these sessions and had to pull the pin on that effort prematurely thanks to my body responding with a power chuck! Nice! I have always had a plan B for those rides which involved lowering the power of the effort and riding it more steady but it has been frustrating to have to settle for Plan B particularly so close to race day. This has therefore meant that poor Coach Tony has had to field several emails from a disgruntled me - fed up with the fact my haemoglobin is still in my boots and that my body keeps responding to any sort of hard effort on the bike with a puke!

However on Wednesday as I tucked into Plan A I was surprised to find that I was in the pain cave.....I was on the sofa......and wait for it.....there was no vomiting! Hooray! 1 down 3 to go......I felt sure that effort 1 may well have been a fluke but I knocked out the other 3 efforts and didn't feel to shabby on it! Well until the next day but that besides the point! So during those efforts I was learning how to hurt on the bike again.........remembering what it feels like to lay on that sofa and stay there. Now having found my cave again it is naturally tempting to see if on another training day I can remember where it is - to see if I can perhaps sit on the sofa for a bit longer or hurt a bit more - which is why having a coach is super crucial to keep you grounded and focused on the goal - which is ultimately the race! Spending time out here ahead of the race is an amazing opportunity to get to grips with the course and the conditions but it does come with a few sneaky pitfalls that could bite you on race day....the biggest of those is getting a little over excited in training - going too hard - trying to race the race in training instead of on race day. And so at the start of the week I received a gentle reminder from my coach not to leave my best effort out on the course in training.......and so I will need to wait to see if I can relocate my cave until race day.... and that is all dependent on whether my red blood cells are happy enough to let me hang out on the sofa in my cave for several hours or if they are having a day where the only sofa they are happy to sit on is the one in my condo!

On the swim front two exciting things happened this week! First of all my swim coach, Ali Boggs, arrived here on Thursday. Ali, an Ironwoman herself who has done battle with this course a couple of years ago, coaches both swimming and triathlon. Quite a few of her coached swim athletes like me are racing but more importantly one of her coached triathletes Pam is also racing! So thanks to Pam's athletic prowess and Ali's passion for both this event and the Big Island we get our swim coach and therefore some lessons out on the course in the ocean! Nice one! So I had my first Kona swim lesson on Friday and it felt good to have Ali around me again! She completely understands the effect my anaemia is having on my performance and she is what I would describe as a positive realist.......she knows that it simply is not a case of mind over matter or the power of positive thought that is going to grow me enough haemoglobin in time for race day......she will not base how she thinks I'm going to perform on race day on a single snap shot of what she sees in a 30 minute lesson.....rather she plants a little bit of confidence to lift my spirits with a simple statement such as 'you swam well today' - a statement that I can agree with and hold onto when the not so good swim days rock around!

The second exciting event on the swim front was a voyage out to the 2km buoy on the Ironman swim course! Now you may wonder why that is a particularly exciting event but if you saw the layout of the course you would understand......the first 1km has 3 white markers that you can head for to get you out to the 1km buoy and then there is nothing.......just lots of swirly water stretching out ahead of you! Now last year I had a few failed attempts at swimming in the vague direction of where I thought the 2km buoy was but never made it! It almost became like a hunt for the holy grail and at times I began to question if the buoy actually existed! So this year my strategy up until Saturday had been a little different! If I had a longer ocean swim to do I would swim out to the 1km marker - back into shore - and the out again - I was not going to fall victim to the hunt for the 2km buoy again......although naturally I was harbouring a secret desire to make it out there!!

And so on Saturday I had a longer ocean swim to chew through and the plan was to hit the 1km marker return to the pier and then head out again......the wind was up which meant the surf was up so when I reached the 1km marker I decided to have a quick breather before returning to the pier. At the previous marker I had picked up another Sugar Daddy.....I'm not sure why I seem to be attracting so many swim Sugar Daddies at the moment....nice enough Ozzie guy with some rather snazzy print swim trunks that made him easy to follow as we cut through the swells. So as we caught our breath and I began to bid farewell he asked why I wasn't swimming the course.......hmmmmm.....tempting offer from the Sugar Daddy! By a complete stroke of luck a kayaker overheard our conversation and offered to guide us out to the buoy and then even more luck....an awesome local swimmer Le Ann who was also at the buoy decided to join our expedition! So we were a party of 3 with a private Kayaker! Brilliant!

The swells were starting to get up so our Kayaker guided us further out from the shoreline where the swell wasn't quite so rough but the current was pretty strong to swim against! Now it quickly became apparent that I was the weakest link in the group but nobody seemed to mind that I was the tail end Charlie! Finally after some pretty tough swimming the 2km buoy was ahead and I could see Le Ann and Ozzie Sugar Daddy waiting for me! Hooray! So we all had a rest and a chat with our kayaker before taking on the return leg back to shore! We lost our Kayak guide pretty quickly into the return journey.....he picked up some other swimmers looking for the buoy and guided them out.....there is however more things to sight on the way back so I wasn't too concerned and of course I still had the snazzy print of Sugar Daddies togs to follow! The last portion of the swim was more like body surfing as the wind had got up even more (if that was possible) and the swell was pretty impressive! I was super relieved when my feet hit the sandy shore of the pier and it was reassuring to hear that Le Ann thought it was a little wild out there! So now I know that buoy does exist it would be good to get out there and find it again......with my new found swim buddies!

The run side of things have been good this week and I have ticked off a decent amount volume wise and got some quality runs in off the bike in the sun! I had a slightly unfortunate incident this evening when I went out to finish the last session of the week which was a run with some steady efforts thrown in (are you sensing a theme....). Anyhow I was originally going to head up to the Queen K but then at the last minute decided to keep it a little more local and run away from town on Alii Drive! After my longish bike earlier my legs were feeling a little bit worse for wear and Ali B had offered to sit on a deck chair and cheer me on as I ran past doing my efforts but I decided I was probably going to look a little special as it was and therefore declined the offer. I packed up my fuel belt bottle with some electrolyte.....I was feeling a bit dehydrated from the bike and although a little cooler in the evenings the humidity was still high and I knew I would get thirsty pretty quickly. I ran out to the point I usually start my interval session which is marked by a funky sign in the shape of a surf board....it has a couple of rocks around it which make a perfect little place to hide a drink bottle.....so I stashed my bottle and set about tucking into the first effort......an out and back that would see me finish at the surf board for a quick drink before starting effort number 2! I gave it a good nudge and sure enough towards the end of the effort I was thinking about how lovely my drink was going to taste......only to find when I got to my surfboard sign that it was gone :( I did a quick reckie to see if I could find it but came to the conclusion that it was gone for good and that the next 45 minutes were going to be thirsty work......and naturally I was wishing Ally B was sat in her deck chair guarding my drink bottles! Must find a new stash spot next week!!

In other run news I have given up on the new trainers.....I just can't get my feet use to the new inners Brookes have designed.....my foot arches are so sore if I run for over an hour so I'm back in my old ones and then I think it will time for a change of brand!!! Yikes!

More and more triathletes have descended this week which means that there is more human traffic out on the course and a fair bit of 'Tri Bling' around town! I cracked a smile today when cycling out on the Queen K - there are signs with the words 'Caution Athletes in Training' and I couldn't resist a quick piccie pitstop! Roughly translated I think that means 'Caution.....crazy individuals likely to be a little delirious in this area as they attempt to adjust to our climate and terrain......try not to run them over'.

That is probably enough rambles for one entry..........

Monster Cycle Week!

I am now just 3 weeks out from race day and have just finished my first week of training in the heat of the Big Island sun! The sunburn stripes from the first few days out here are beginning to fade and the heat seems moderately more bearable out training although I'm far from fully acclimatised just yet - by the middle of next week I should be getting there! I have been downing iced slushies and freezing most of my drinks for training although they are usually defrosted in around 30 minutes once out in the heat! I had a small moment of weakness at 3am this morning and blasted myself with the air con unit for an hour in my room but other than that I have been air con free!

So this week has been a cycling monster......507km spent out on my bike....thank goodness for decent cycle shorts, 14km swimming which is a little down on the usual volume probably because the majority has been in the sea and 60km running my way along Alii Drive and the Queen K highway.

It feels good to actually be out here and training on the course and in the conditions! I struck a bit of bad luck with the day I cycled the full Ironman course as it was pretty wild and windy which made for a slow pace. For the other cycles I've done the wind has been less brutal so I'm now itching to get out and have another crack at the full course...hopefully minus the angry winds...although that makes for good training if your brain can handle the slow pace....it may well be that wild on race day and at least I will have a tough ride in the winds under my belt if it is!! My bike is booked in for a new chain fitting tomorrow as my current one is all saggy.....I think the kms this week on it has pretty much sealed it's fate with the bin! I think having a new chain will make things a bit easier out on the hills and particularly on the big climb up to Hawi!

Swimming back in the lovely clear ocean waters out here has been lush and it's hard not to get distracted by the brightly coloured fishes! I seem to have a habit of swimming back into shore and ending up on the wrong side of the roped area for swimmers i.e amongst the boats....I'm not sure what is magnetising me to the no go area so perhaps a little more attention to detail and sighting of large objects such as boats might be good!!

My running seems to be the least affected by the change in temperature and the one thing that I am holding both pace and form on consistently. I have been using frozen fuel belt bottles as a cooling system as well as the shower block at the swim start.....this does tend to attract a few curious looks running into the shower fully clothed and I must remember to remove my ipod next time!!!

Blood wise I am still waiting to grow some more haemoglobin! My last results showed that I'm up to 100.....only 20 more to go! I seem to have some really good days of training and then a couple of average days which tend to frustrate me more than anything else! Patience has never really been my strong point but I'm slowly learning that on the average days it is about doing the best I can and making the most out of the sessions. Getting frustrated simply wastes energy as does trying to explain or make sense of why one day I feel like a rock star and the next day I feel trapped in the body of a 90 year old! Some days my body is applying the handbrake for self preservation and there is no way to release it - on the outside I might look fine but on the inside there is some funny stuff happening and no amount of mind over matter or harden up pills can overcome. So ultimately I need to learn to roll with it, be more patient and then relish the mornings I wake up feeling like a rock star and I'm sure eventually the rock star days will out number the Nana days!

Next week looks like another meaty week - the last of the big ones before it starts to ease off a little! Now it's time for an ice slushy before bed :)

Big Day Big Winds!

Well I decided that today deserved it's own blog entry because it was a bit of a monster! I pushed out a 5.4km swim, cycled the Ironman course (180km) and then had a 15 minute run off the bike to finish the day! Statistics for the day.......Zero Sugar Daddies, 4 Drafters - 4 Dropped, 10.5 litres of fluid consumed, 3800 calories eaten, 700 grams lost and 2 x Mary Poppins moments!

So the day started bright and early with a 6am swim start in the local swimming pool which is 25 yards - that pretty much gave me a serious brain strain yesterday trying to figure out how many lengths I needed to do to make my swim sets in metres! Today I was onto it....more minutes than I would care to admit to spent last night calculating yards, metres and send off times meant I was ready to rock my sets out in the correct 'currency' minus the brain injury! I managed to get through the entire 5.4km set in my own swim lane and also added a few more zebra tan marks to my back!

Once out of the pool it was back to the Condo for a quick porridge fix before taking on the bike course! First 45km was an absolute dream - the winds were on my side and I made good time to the first pit stop where I could re-fill my drink bottles......I had decided today would be a bit of an experiment to see how much fluid I could take in during my ride....last year on race day I lost 5kgs during the race so this year I really wanted to nail my fluids which would mean 3 scheduled stops out on the course to get the fluids in.....you can only carry so much!

Once out of my pit stop I began to feel the force of the Island winds and they seemed pretty angry! For the next 90km I got well and truly battered! Crushing side winds that blew me out of the shoulder and over the centre line and a couple of gusts that I swear left me airborne with both wheels of the ground at the same time! These winds are like nothing I've ever experienced and they are incredibly hard to read.....just because you hit a wall of wind one way does not guarantee a tail wind on the other. I knew the best strategy was probably to keep the momentum going and keep pedalling - easier said than done!

When I reached the tiny township of Hawi which marks the turnaround I tucked into my emergency snack pack and hit the local cafe for water! I was asked if I was a space cadet on entering the cafe by the owner - I quickly realised this was because I still had my aero helmet on although to be honest after dualling with the winds I felt a little low on energy and my face probably gave the impression that the lights were on but no-one was really home! Once back on my bike I sensed that the winds were going to be equally fierce until I got back to my first pit stop and they didn't disappoint! Scary factor was now well and truly in the red zone as I was now cycling next to the coastline - instead of a centre line to blow across the prospect was now a cliff! Thankfully I managed to avoid plunging into the sea and it wasn't too long before I was back at my first pit stop and inside the last 45kms - condo bound!

I felt strong on the final leg so knew that I had got my fluids and nutrition pretty much spot on - perhaps helped along by the large muffin I had bought at the cafe in Hawi! Well every space cadet needs a secret weapon! By the time I hit the condo I was feeling pretty pleased with the days events - I can't remember the last time I had a cycle that was so challenging - both technically and physically! A quick run along Alii Drive and then it was time to stuff my face! Perfect end to a tough day!

Here Comes the Sun!

Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii! Finally reached my race destination of Kailua-Kona at the weekend after a pretty hectic week! Training statistics for week 23 of the World Championship build up put me out running for 78kms, cycling for 281kms and swimming for 15.4kms! So plenty of running and a bit lower on the cycle volume this week!

So big news is that before leaving the country I invested in a new pair of runners! Brooks have totally changed the inside sleeve of the shoe so my usual model Glycerin not only feel alien like because they are new but also the inside feels totally weird! So weird in fact that I took them back into Shoe Science to double check they had given me the right thing! So at the moment I'm trying to break them in on the short runs and then swapping out the inner sleeve from my old shoes to the new ones for the longer stuff - unfortunately that makes my new shoes smell like my old ones!!

Leaving New Zealand was the usual state of total chaos as I battled a with a relatively solid training week, a Haematologist (blood doctor) that wanted me to delay my flight to Hawaii and the challenge of trying to keep within the constraints of a 46kg luggage limit! I seemed to win the first 2 battles but lose out on the third!! I managed to tick all the boxes on the training programme - strike one Laura - managed to convince the Haematologist just to get on and do the tests he felt I needed before leaving the country - strike two Laura - but didn't manage to convince the lady at the Air New Zealand check in that really my two bike boxes only weighed 23kgs on my scales at home and not the 26kgs they were weighing in at on hers - $75 later both bike boxes with all contents on the plane - could be a won or lose situation depending on how you look at it! Thankfully they didn't weigh the 15kgs of hand luggage!

I flew out on Saturday NZ time but arrived late Friday evening US time - so had an 8 day training week - very handy! So Saturday US time was spent flying across to the Big Island and getting set up! Usual stuff like sorting out a hire car, getting the supermarket shop done, visiting the bike shop for a few essentials, unpacking 52kgs of gear and assembling my bike! Lola (my bike) had travelled remarkably well and by Saturday night I was looking forward to taking her out for a spin on the Queen K!

My first proper training day in the Kona sun was an ocean swim, 4 hour ride and then a 20 minute run off the bike. I managed to pick up a Sugar Daddy at the start of my swim - a local guy who spotted me getting into the water asked how far I was going and then said "I'll join you". I wasn't really sure how to take that.....I wanted to go for an easy pootle and now I had a Sugar Daddy for company! Turns out he came in very handy! He was local so knew all the navigational landmarks to get us to the buoys and he slowed his swim stroke down to my speed so I could keep pace at his side! So despite my initial reservations at a potential impostor it was a nice easy swim! Once back on dry land I said a quick goodbye and thank you and I was off to start my bike! The winds out on the Queen K were not too brutal and the heat was strong to start but then a band of rain came through which cooled me down nicely for the last hour! The run off the bike was just enough of a taste test of the afternoon humidity and heat so all up a good day at the office!

That night I phoned my GP for the results of the tests my haematologist did! So my iron levels and haemoglobin aren't improving because the type of anaemia I have isn't responsive to iron therapy!! All those pin pricks in my bum for nothing!! So I'm now arranging for the injections I need to make their way to Hawaii either next week with my swim coach or in race week with Elaine and then I should be good to go! In the meantime there are some oral drugs I can take that I can source here which should put me on for a week or two! Finally feels good to have some answers!

Right better get on and start week 24!!! 4 weeks to go until race day :)

Camp Solo!

Well week 22 has been and gone! Big tick in the box - 5 weeks out from race day and towards the end of this week I feel like I have found my mojo! Hooray! Vital statistics for the week hit 16km in the pool, 345km on my bike and 60km out pounding the pavements......still in my old shoes!!

This week featured a bit of a training camp style 3 days towards the end of it - essentially 3 solid days of training. Usually before Ironman New Zealand our tri squad goes down to Taupo and pushes out between 3 and 5 days of big solid training. The camp is gruelling physically and emotionally but the plus side is the feeling of everyone being in it together as you do battle with each day, fight off the odd demon and tick off the sessions! So this week of training fell at the same time point as the Taupo camp relative to race day - no big surprise therefore that it featured 3 rather meaty days at the end of it! Unfortunately this camp was going to be a solo affair! I tried to persuade a few fellow tri dorks to participate in my 'camp' but there were no takers for any of the days!

Thursday kicked off with a long swim followed by a long run, Friday was a Half Ironman simulation and Saturday I had a swim, a very long bike ride and a short run afterwards! On Saturday morning I was a little excited that I would have some company for the first time on my camp - I was going to head to triathlon squad and do the swim with the group before taking off on my long bike ride. Unfortunately the company didn't quite work out as I had hoped.....I ended up in a swim lane on my own and when someone did hop in my lane to join me they only stayed for 300 metres and then moved back down to their original lane! Probably the most amusing moment came when we had a set of 25 metres to practice drafting and sprinting in a group - at the end of my set fellow squaddie Glen shouted over from the next lane 'hows the drafting practice going' - that sort of summed it up really :) At the end of the swim I had one last attempt to try and recruit someone to the rest of the days activities but there were no takers!

Despite being a solo camp by the end of it I felt the same sense of shattered accomplishment and was mighty impressed that I had the energy to get through it! As I looked back through the weeks programme I had a small smile at the coaches notes for Sunday.....12 hour day shift = rest day! Compression skins on under scrubs for the day - Check!