Are We There Yet!!!!!!

Hi there !!! Well here it is... my last/final installment . I am going to go straight to Busso and miss the taper week as there is just so much on my mind and I am scared I may forget it all!!!
Thursday morning before the race Lisa and I headed out on a 40km ride on our TT bikes. We were both feeling pretty excited and were looking forward to heading down south. I was pretty well organised so once showered , packed my gear and headed on down. I couldn't get into the house till 2 so I went straight down to registration, then had a wander thru the expo. It wasn't great but certainly a 100 times better than last years. By then Dad and Brad had arrived so I went and hung out with them for awhile. I was really keen to get all my gear unpacked and to settle in so at 2 I headed on down to the house we had booked. There was a car in the drive way so I rang the owner. Unbelievable.... I wasn't due to go in till TOMORROW!! How stupid am I??? Lucky for me and Sarah Jane who was also sharing the house, my training buddy Lisa had a spare room , so off we went and spent the night with her. After unpacking we went out on a nice easy paced 8km run. The sun was a blood red colour due to some more fires further south. Hopefully these ones are not as destructive as the ones poor Margaret River suffered last week.

Friday and Sarah Jane and I were finally settled into our accommodation that was to be our home for the next few days. In the morning a few of us from the squad met for a short swim.... and now it was just about rest , rest , rest.Resting at the coffee shop counts.... right???? SJ , Lisa, Brad and Dave chillin out at Fat Ducks cafe. A great meeting place for cyclists and coffee lovers. Who ever thought of a coffee shop inside a bike shop is a genius!!!Saturday and really all we had to do was check in our gear. I was still feeling pretty calm and relaxed. Will had finally arrived so we just relaxed and waited... not long to go now.

Sunday morning and I got up at 3.30, had some breakfast and headed down to transition. You can really feel the excitement and tension in the air. I have to say this was probably the first time I started feeling a little nervous. The toilet line took ages to move and by now it was getting close to transition closing so I was starting to stress a little. As is the custom , all good things come to those who wait. I think i was one of only 3 or 4 left in transition so it was cutting it pretty close so I headed down to the jetty where I hooked up with some of the other guys.

Waiting on the sand is like you're in a time warp . You see everyone around you, you feel the sand in your toes but somehow you feel like you re not really there. I kind of felt i was on the jetty looking down..... and then ... the siren goes off.

The swim start was a bit of a surprise. I was ready to be hit, punched and kicked but it never happened. I had a good swim to the turnaround swam around and then the next thing I look up and I had been pushed what felt like miles away from the jetty. There was a fairly strong current and it took quite a large group out with it. Would love to know how far I actually did swim because it felt alot longer ... But in the end I got to the swim finish... 1hr 8mins ...4 mins slower than last year. Not good if I want to reach my goal of breaking 11 hours!!!

5 mins 22 in transition with those wonderful volunteers who help you with everything and then it was out on the bike course and straight into a head wind. I felt good for the first lap and a half and then it just felt like it was getting hotter and hotter ( which it was) . The wind was picking up as well as the temp and then for some strange reason my right foot just felt like it was on fire. Now this had happened to me only once before on a ride where Jenny and I had to stop because I thought my foot was about to drop off!!!! But I didn't want to stop now!!! So I gradually pulled my foot out of its shoe and rode for about 5 kms like that. John Dominican passed me and told me to pour water over it which I did when I reached the next water station and that seemed to help. It certainly was a good feeling when I finally took that last roundabout , had the wind at my back and headed on back town. Again a little slower than last year with 5hrs 40 mins on the clock.

As I ran into the transition tent for the second time I was the only athlete in there! They all cheered and clapped as I came running in... they made me feel like a rock star.Transition time 4mins 1.

I went into the run feeling pretty good. Unfortunately I got slower and slower , very , very ,quickly. This is where it was hurting and you could see the hurt all around you on the course. People seemed to be walking that much earlier. Last year they went thru 3 tonne of ice, this year....10 TONNE!! Amazing. I saw quite a few people vomiting and some just sitting by the side of the road not going anywhere. But although I was getting slower I wasn't going to give up. I had written a quote on my arm from Sir Winston Churchill.. "Never, Never , Never Give Up" and boy did I have to look at that and read it ALOT! With only 7 kms to go I knew I was going to finish... maybe not in my goal time but finish all the same. Rounding the corner I was getting ready to get my band, ( you get a black one for laps 1 to 3), orange in colour and that was my ticket to the finish chute. All of a sudden I felt a surge of adrenalin and couldn't wipe the smile off my face running to the finish. 11 hours and 31 mins which placed me 2nd in my age group ... gotta be happy with that. Straight into recovery and there was Will and my two gorgeous nieces Kirra and Jess waiting to give me a big hug. This year family members had access with a pass to the recovery area which was a fantastic idea. I could recover properly this year as opposed to last year where I just wanted to see Will so rushed out of the area as soon as I had got in there. Eventually I headed home but not for long. Showered and dressed and back to the finish line to see the finishing hours of the race. It was an awesome, awesome atmosphere. We were singing and dancing and cheering everyone over the finish. If you ever go to an Ironman either as a spectator or athlete , do yourself a favour and get to the finish line... you won't regret it.

Just about everyone in the squad had great races. Special mention though to the gorgeous June who won her age group and a spot to Kona while also breaking the course record.. 50years old and finished in 10hrs 38... how awesome is that!! Ross who on his first Ironman podiumed in 5th spot and to all the others who did personal bests... what a team!!!

The next morning we headed down to the Kona roll down. We all knew that June had won her spot and we wanted to be there to cheer her on. I was there to see if there was a chance... any chance of me getting a spot to Kona. Sadly it was not to be!!!

In the afternoon we headed back to the jetty to watch Rosco and Andy have some fun in the beer mile. You can only compete if had raced the day before. Ross wasn't looking the best and thought I might have seen some more "vomit carnage" but lucky for us all that was not the case.

Presentation dinner in the evening where I got to get up on stage and collect my trophy and then home to bed ... a very tired lady.

I've now been home a week and weirdly enough am missing the training and catching up with the guys. I have pulled up relatively well compared to others ( maybe I didn't try hard enough..ha ha ) . So over the next few weeks its steady as she goes then after New Year start ramping it up again because............................................................................. I'm off to do Ironman Melbourne in March!!! Yep you read right. Got a spot with Tri Travel after I had put my name on a waiting list. So wish me luck on my quest

Let the Tapering Begin

So here I am .. 2 weeks out and actually feeling pretty good. Generally Tapering is a funny time. "Have I done enough?".... " Am i prepared ?"... Questions , questions!!But I think it is quite normal to ask ourselves these questions . I have asked myself these questions and my answers have been YES YES YES!!! I have done enough and I am ready and what will happen on the day will be something you can read about next week ...Will and I have had so much going on this week with the back yard it was actually easy to keep busy and not feel too agitated as some people can get during this time.


Monday morning off for a swim and then a very comfy 20km run in the afternoon ( Ok so who does a 20k run while tapering !!!!!). Today I forgot my watch and actually found it quite relaxing just running without constantly watching my pace.


Tues and Fiona and I had a 30km recovery ride in the small chain ring. It was off to the track for our regular track session in the evening. All the parking was closed off due to them getting the stage up for the weekends Stevie Nicks concert... looked great . Would love to be going! All up an 8km set.


Wednesday swim again with a Brick session in the evening on the windtrainer. Quite a different session tonight. Firstly the weather here in Perth hit 37 degrees today... what a stinker!!! So we set ourselves up out of the garage and on the drive-way instead. Lots of spinning and standing up on the bike recovering..70mins all up with a 15 min run off the bike.


Thursday...There was a lot going on in my day today so had to do a little re shuffling of the program. So today I swam on my own down at Craigie in the afternoon. It was so lovely to jump in the water after another really hot day... i think it got to 36 today. I had 10kms to run tonight and while still warm it was an awesome night to be out and about running . I felt really good tonight and managed my whole 10km at threshold pace!!! ( was that me saying I had a good run???? hope Coach Brad is reading this )


Friday Will, Brad and I headed out for 50k on the bike. The forecast was for a cooler day and with those hot easterlies gone we awoke to a stunning morning. Again I felt really relaxed and happy with my ride... just holding on to that feeling for next week.


Saturday was to be our last longish ride together before next weeks race.Leaving home I took a picture of the sun rise but it really didn't turn out that well. As many of you may know Margaret River down south has been hit with some of the worst bush fires. To date about 40 homes have been lost ... luckily no lives. Just so tragic.When we woke the sky was so smokey and the sun was blood red..., quite a sight.


The ride was 90kms down the freeway into a nice head wind but Mother Nature was kind to us and didn't change the wind direction and we just flew home... 2omins faster than on our way out!!! . This week we didn't see the resident magpie but it was so funny to see some other riders out there carrying trees above their heads to scare it off. I say a tree because that's how big the branch was that this guy was carrying. I couldn't stop laughing it looked so silly :-)


The rest of the weekend was spent doing some work in the back yard, Christmas shopping and writing out invitations for my son Jordan's 21st... so its all happening in this family.

The cedar lining up in the pergola North Coast Tri Club with some of its members competing in next weeks Ironman

Sunday afternoon I headed down to the Marina with quite a few North Coasters for a final good luck coffee for those of us doing Ironman . The buzz was certainly in the air, especially for the first timers. I am so looking forward to getting down to Busselton Thursday and settling in. The weather could be an issue BUT its out of mine and everyone elses control.

I love following the blogs of some of my friends also training for Ironman and this week in Cookies album he quoted from another guys blog "Balsam". I hope you don't mind Cookie but I just loved that piece and would really love to share it with the guys who pop along here everyweek

Progress in life is directly proportional to the dirt under our fingernails. Success comes from the strife we endure and the effort we exude.Life is made up of peaks and valleys. Stay humble in the highs, stay hungry in the lows.

It is said that we are at our happiest when we are attempting something difficult but attainable. It is that unknown,yet reachable territory that excites us. When we hit that territory, its magical. However, even after hours,days or months of work, we don't always get there.

But it's OK to eat a face full of grit cakes every now and then. It keeps us level. We always learn something along the way so no honest endeavour is ever a wasted one. It didn't work out as planned? Your life isn't going according to your "If Everything Was Perfect" memoir? I say good riddance! There is no substitute for busting your butt.

Struggling when chasing a dream reminds you that you need people to lean on, that we need to vent, regroup, relax , reset, rethink, retry and get ready to fight all over again. Our story will be a much better read when its all said and done. Moments of clarity in my life have always presented themselves after periods of uncertainty.

Embrace the suck. Enjoy the grit cakes. It's good for us. It will make us better. And if we're not trying to get better every day, shame on us. Always Be Better.

Thanks for coming along

"Better Late Than Never" I say

Well as some of you have been kind enough to bring to my attention I am a week behind in getting my blog up which means now I have to try and remember what I have done for the past "2 weeks". This should be interesting!!!!!

So here goes.. Week 15

Swim in the morning (2.8kms) with a 10k run in the afternoon

Tuesday was a 50k ride. From memory the weather was pretty horrible so I did it on the windtrainer, then it was off to intervals in the evening.

Wednesday another 2.8k swim with a 90min ergo session in the evening.

Thursday was a double day run. Fiona came over and we managed to get 16.5 k done in the morning. She is a much stronger runner than me but slows her pace down to run with me... great lady!!! In the afternoon it was a 18.5k to total 35kms for the day running.

It was a busy afternoon getting all my gear ready for our training camp down in Busso. Brad was picking me up Friday morning about 9ish. We were swapping wheels over and for some reason had some probs with the rear derailleur. After much messing around we decided to get on the road and take it to the bike shop when we got down there. We had a pretty good run down there and rocked up to the place we were staying at which was just amazing. Silly me didn't take many photos but this place was just perfect for a large group of people. 8 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A massive kitchen, outdoor area, pizza oven, theatre room and more. There was 12 of us all together and and there was plenty of room for everyone.

Brad called a friend of his who now works at Fat Ducks Bike Shop and Cafe who even though he wasn't working came down and fixed my bike.... Thanks Justin!!

The aim was for everyone to try and get down to the house before 4. It was then Brad put a DVD on called RAAM...Race Across America!!! These guys ride over 3000 miles which they must complete within 12 days, with only a few hours of sleep , talk about endurance. There was a lot to take from the doco. In fact I think you really need to watch it a few times as there is just so much positive stuff to take away from it , whether you are racing ironman or not!!! The human body is capable of more than we give it credit for... and we are built to endure, to push extremes, and to test ones ability. It's just that we seem to have forgotten how to do that. Sitting at a desk or on a couch just doesn't allow us to let the body do what it was built to do!!!

After the DVD we headed of to Albies , one of the local pubs for a lovely meal and then it was to bed so that we could get an early start in the morning.

So today was to be another milestone for many of us .... "200kms". We were sent off at 5 minute intervals . There was to be no drafting , just like race day . 3 laps of the course then tack on another 20k for good measure. We were to also take our 180k split time. The morning started off well but as the time ticked by the wind picked up . I had my race wheels on (808's) and I was struggling in the last hour. Brad had given us a piece of paper the night before and had asked us to write one or two goals down for the ride in the morning. Number 1 for me was to complete the 180 k in the same or better time than last year. Last year I did it in 5hours 39 today I did it in 5hours 42.... not too far off so gotta be happy with that. My second goal was to go out , smile and enjoy. And to be grateful at how lucky I am to have the ability to do what I do.... goal accomplished!!!!!!

Needless to say everyone was pretty tired when they all got back in but also pretty happy with themselves at doing the 200k. We were pretty ravenous so after showering headed into town for coffee and food. Then it was back for a rest. We were to gather again around 4 for some chat time with Coach Brad. He talked to us about how far we had come and that the journey still called for a little more internal digging. By that he was saying that physically , we were ready,we have done everything we need to get us thru on the day. But if we allow negative thoughts to determine and take over who we are on the day, things will fall apart. We need to use both our Heads and our Hearts!!!! That's what will get us thru when everything is hurting and we feel like giving up!!!

After that it was a big feed !! BBQ with some yummy salads. A couple of the guys even went and organised a birthday cake and party hats for Coach Brad who celebrated his birthday the day before.

The next morning we were down to the Busso Jetty for a swim. It was unusually rough!!! Then transition straight onto the bike for 1 lap of the course (60k ) and then straight into an 18k run along the course we will be following on race day. Who would believe it but more bike trouble. This time the front derailleur. I couldn't get out of the small chain ring this time. So after we finished the session it was back to Fat Ducks for a great coffee while my bike got sorted out. Better to have these troubles now than on race day that's for sure. Again a big thanks to Justin.

So ... after a big weekend it was time to head home. The weekend was worth its weight in gold ,especially for the guys in the squad who got a chance to ride and run the course for the first time. Brad has imparted a wealth of information over the past 15 weeks and the weekend gave us more time together as a group to bounce stuff off each other and support each other when we were doubting our own abilities.

So all up this week was a total of 20hrs and 53mins of training

Swim 7kms...2hrs 40

Run 70.2kms...6hrs 34

Bike 356kms...11hrs 39mins

So now its on to week 16.

Before I get on talking and waffling on about training , I thought I would post a few photos showing you the progress of our pergola.. I know its only a pergola, but I'm very excited about the prospect of having an area where we can finally have family and friends over , so its more than just a structure..

Looking good hey!! This week all the cedar lining goes up so should start to look even more awesome!!! Woo Hoo

Ok ... So Monday and its in the pool. I was feeling shattered after the weekend and really didn't feel like my legs were going to carry me at all.. But I kept thinking about what Coach Brad had spoken about over the course of the weekend and really tried to find something in my heart to keep me going. And while it probably wasn't my strongest swim session I was just so happy with my effort and the way I tackled the session!!!

A 20k run was scheduled for the afternoon and boy was it windy. I headed south with the prospect of a tail wind for the journey home!!! Not my fastest run but another tick on the program.

Tuesday morning and I was meeting Jenny, Jude and Lisa for a 100k ride south out on the freeway. Again a head wind for the first 50 and a nice tail wind to bring our tired bodies home.

I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon for 3 fillings and to prep for a crown. So with a numb mouth and some dribbling I headed off to intervals. Tonight we did something a little different. Brad had us team up into groups of 3. We then had 20 by 200's at race pace , kind of like a relay. It was fast and fun!!!

The anaesthetic was finally wearing off in my mouth and I had ulcers and blood blisters... not very pleasant. I didn't sleep well at all and missed the swim session Wednesday morning.

The temporary crown that they put on felt like it had such a sharp edge on it down both sides. My mouth was getting sorer and sorer all day.. not happy Jan!!!.

We had our final team meeting tonight and I just didn't want to be there. When I got there it appeared that many of us felt the same . We were all tired and poor June was getting a head cold.

I didn't hang around as I needed to get up at 3 in the morning to do a 90k ride before work.

So here I am ... 3 o'clock on Thursday morning and it just wasn't happening for me. My mouth was a mess. I felt like I was getting a cold and I was on the verge of tears. Poor Will!!! 3 in the morning and I'm like " I can't do this ... I just can't do this... sniff sniff". So back to bed , wake up at 6. . try and get thru a day of work with now 3 blood blisters and more ulcers in my mouth. You can probably guess I didn't get my run in this arvo either!!! Here's where all the self doubt just starting creeping in. In fact it was more like POURING in... and I was full on ready to give it credibility and believe it too!!!!

Friday and my mouth was starting to settle down. I had an appointment with the dentist in the arvo to try and sort out the problem . I hadn't been in a good head space the past two days.. however with no training I had in some ways had the rest I think I was needing. I finished work and rushed around so that I could squeeze in a ride. I knew I didn't have time to do the 90k from Thursday but I really just felt like I needed to get my butt on the bike and ride and get over all those negative thoughts I had been giving credence to. I managed 70k and then it was off to the dentist. Unfortunately they could only buff the edge off a little because of where it is, so I am still having some issues with it but it is certainly better than it was.

So today was supposed to be a rest day but don't forget I did nothing on Wed and Thurs , so this morning Will and I did the 14k run I was supposed to do Thurs afternoon. It was a beautiful morning along the coast and everyone was out and about enjoying the fabulous morning. After a quick coffee it was off to see the gorgeous Lisa from our training squad get married. What a wonderful wedding and reception. We had a great time and how wonderful to see two people just so happy together. Thanks Lisa and Geoff for a great day

Then it was off to Sue and Terries for dinner with some friends. Another night of wonderful food and some hilarious stories. I even managed to stay awake till about 11 ish .... most impressive.

Sunday was our last Open Water swim with Shelley Taylor Smith then another get together with some friends down at the MAAC Club..... 2 kilos heavier later..... OMG!!! All that food . . but well worth it as we had so much fun !!!!

So a much lighter week training wise (11hrs 38mins) but as far as where my head was at , certainly some ups and downs. Brad dropped in this arvo and had a chat with me and I have to say that really helped.While he is my coach he is also my brother, so it meant alot to me that he sensed how I hadn't been travelling too well . I'm actually really good giving other people good advice on getting thru those rough times but obviously have a problem with taking on my own advice .. ha ha!!! So Brad believes in me, Will believes in me and now I just have to believe in myself. So no more negative thoughts. As Shelley said today... lock them in a black box , they are no good to you or anyone else.

Bring on Taper week

Thanks for popping by :-)

Only 28 days to go!!!

OMG!!!! So here i sit , its Sunday afternoon and I have just finished my last session for the week.This time in 4 weeks I ,and a couple of thousand others, will be out on the course racing. It's so hard to believe!!

I think this week has been a tough one for not just me but a few others in the squad. Trying to juggle work, family and training can catch up with you .. but.... like I said its only 4 weeks to go so we just have to hang in there!!

I woke up Monday just not able to get out of bed. I was so tired and my right shoulder was killing me. It's been good for a while now so it was a surprise to feel it so sore. Don't know whether I slept on it funny last night .. either the way I just didn't make squad. In the afternoon Will , Lisa and myself hit Hepburn Hill again for hill repeats,16k all up!! It was hot and muggy and the flies were out in full force..On the way back we ran past the surf club to see some of our crazy club members getting ready to do the Inaugural Zombie Run ( Halloween Night ). Everyone had gone to a lot of trouble and looked pretty awesome.

Dennis and Deb looking very scary!!!

Tuesday, Lisa, Will , Fiona and I hit the road for a 50k ride with 9 short hill repeats. It's getting so light now and just towards the end of our ride we saw North Coasters Tri Club heading out on their Tuesday morning ride. We were to later find out that one of the guys had come off his bike.. a broken elbow and broken knee cap. Poor Mike , just 5 weeks out from Ironman , and this happened to him last year on a ride with us where he came off and broke his collar bone and had to pull out of Ironman. Apparently he is in good spirits though so hopefully he'll be well and on his feet soon.

Then with heavy legs it was off to the track for a 9km interval set.

Wed..3.1k in the pool. After work it was straight over to the bike shop to get my new TT bike. I had ordered a Ceepo Katana a while ago and I was getting a little nervous about it not getting here in time so Ian ( the Ceepo Main Man) suggested putting me on the Ceepo Stinger which is of similar geometry . After a couple of hours of measuring , cutting and test riding I headed off home with my new bike... looking very much forward to riding it the next morning on the recovery ride.




In the evening it was our group windtrainer session. It was here at this session that the tiredness was obvious.... not in the session itself!! everyone gave 100% there, but normally everyone is a little more chatty and cheery and it wasn't quite that way tonight. But having everyone there to support each other was such a bonus and we all got thru it.

The forecast for Thursday was for rain and more rain and I really thought that I would have to do my 30km recovery ride on the windtrainier. I was disappointed as I was really keen to grab that short ride on the new TT bike before the long ride on Saturday. Well when I woke I was so surprised to see clear skies and ended up getting the ride on the Stinger in. It felt good but the real test will be Saturdays long ride.

Thursday afternoon and by this stage the rain that we thought was coming had arrived and had truly set in. Will and I were driving around trying to choose the paving that we wanted for the back yard. We were so lucky to see a beautiful Sandstone paver that we both loved AND was on special.. woo hoo!!! So with that done it was home to get my 20km run in. Now don't get me wrong , I actually like running in the rain , but this was heavy!! So we headed off to the local gym and did the run on the treadmill... sooo booooring!! I know you have the tv in front of you and all, but really for a long run not too much fun. Anyway at this stage I am just ticking off those sessions one by one , and that's what I did, 20km done, a big tick!!!!

Friday morning was busy with a swim and work and the afternoon with tradesmen coming over for quotes!

So Saturday finally arrives and its 170kms heading south on the freeway , straight towards the bad weather. ....... . . The new bike was feeling good but it was early days yet. About 60 to 70kms into the ride the rain started. It was heavy and quite difficult to see. But the rain was warm so at least we weren't sitting there freezing our little butts off. I was really making sure I ate and drank regularly and was feeling pretty good. In fact I came off at the end not feeling shattered at all which is really nice for a change. The bike was comfortable , and felt like it fitted me so much better than my previous one. From the ride it was off to my long time friends 50th lunch, then onto my massage, straight home and got ready for my brother in laws 50th birthday. With an early start in the morning I was off home at 10 to get ready for tomorrows run.

No sleep ins this week so it was up again Sunday morning at 4.30 so that I could be at Carine Open Space for our 34k run . Coach Brad was there on his mountain bike picking us each up for sections of the run. I did struggle today and didn't feel comfortable right from the beginning but I got thru it so am happy with that.

I'm trying to keep my eyes open long enough to write this blog and every time I re read over it I find a million different mistakes and errors!!! But I have to say its a good "tired ". A real feeling of accomplishment to have swum 6.1kms, ridden 300kms and run 79kms... throw an hour of core work in there for good measure and this week tipped over the 20hrs with 20hrs and 12 mins.

Continuous effort - not strength

or intelligence - is the key

to unlocking our potential

Sir Winston Churchill

The Transformation Begins

Hi All :).....

So as we all know life goes on. There's not alot that we either do or not do that stops it. Sickness, age, holidays ,work.... all of the above and more ... it still ticks along quickly and quietly. So while my life at the moment is pretty well consumed with work and training there are other things that need to be done... house renovations. Mmmmmm .. not the right time you say... I say .. when is??? We have been putting off starting these reno's for months and they just can't wait any longer. Will has been doing most of the hard work getting the backyard clear and ready for the pergola to go up hopefully next week. As with alot of those things its the prep work that takes all the time and once that's all done the rest is a little easier. I , on the other hand , have been busy with the inside. I have just ordered all the interior doors and handles , and this week I have people coming over to give me quotes on the window shutters and interior painting. The hardest part is getting the tradies to actually come over when they say they are coming!!!

Anyway, stay tuned to this spot 'cause things are afoot at the Vagnoni Household!!!

Another big week of training which I'll try and touch over quickly.

Monday was a 30k run which wasn't so much fun !! Reason.... let me take you back to last night. Will and I headed down to the Marina thinking we would get some wok in a box or something like that. I only eat gluten free pasta and rice noodles as I have a little trouble digesting the "real " stuff. Any how off we went and walking around the Marina and we saw Little Ceasars Pizza, without any thought on my part , we went in and ordered two of the most amazing pizzas. Now I haven't had a pizza in years and I was having a wonderful time devouring way too many slices!! Now lets fast forward to Monday's run. It was literally a run between the toilets!!! I had such an upset stomach!!! I learnt a very serious lesson .... not to break my own rules and stick to the foods I know won't turn my sessions into a quest to visit all the loo's along the northern beaches!!!

Tuesday and we had a 60k bike with 8 hill repeats. I woke to it bucketing down with rain. In fact it was apparently a 25year old record for the month of October that was broken that morning. Anyway I jumped on the windtrainer and did my best to simulate the hill repeats.

In the evening it was off to the track for a threshold set.

Wednesday morning 2.6k swim and Wednesday night we had our team meeting at Ross's house. Ross is the youngest member of our squad at 24 and he certainly excelled with a magnificant prawn and pasta dish (gluten free for me). It was here that we recieved our next part of the program.

Thursday and Fiona came over to join me at 4.30 in the morning for a multi brick session. 10mins on the bike, 10mins running x 5. I'm actually starting to quite like these sessions. Thursday night we met with friends for dinner. It was a great catch up and nice not to have to head off early.

Friday was a public holiday here in Perth so I had a little sleep in ( ya gotta grab them where and when you can), then headed off to the pool for a 4k set.

Saturday was windy !! I think we have had enough practice in the wind !!! The session was a 160k ride with a 10k run off the bike. About 55k into the ride , poor Lisa who came off her bike last week decided she didn't have enough bruises and scratches and came off again!!! This was a much worse fall than last week . Lucky no broken bones but she came off hard and is very battered and bruised. Will , being the gentleman that he is, offered to get her home safely and they headed off home. One of the most amazing things about training with a group of people like I have been for the past 13 weeks is that you really get to know each other pretty well. You get to share the ups and downs and really see the true person inside. I have got to know Lisa and every week she amazes me with her tenacity , persistance and strength , and I know that while this may have knocked her about.. it hasn't knocked her down and out!!! The same can be said for the other members of our squad... we are more than a squad we are a team , and although we may race this Ironman individually our efforts will be celebrated together.

Saturday night we headed out to the Hoffmans for an amazing dinner..( great food Robyn) and great company. It was a small group of people who had in some way been involved in the Melbourne Marathon.. either running the Marathon or coming along to some of the training runs for companionship.

Last but not least Sunday... an hour session with Shelley Taylor Smith that was great but I don't think my heart rate came down for the whole session, then a short 20min swim and then onto the bike for 40k joined by ..... you guessed it... more wind!!

So all up 19hrs and 43mins this week

Swim... 9.1kms...4hrs 5mins

Bike...285kms...9hrs 9mins

Run...60kms...5hrs 29mins

Core...1hr

So this weeks quote is for everyone out there that is kind enough to come along and read my blog , buts its especially for Lisa and Travis. Travis did last years Ironman and is coming over from Melbourne to do the same this year. Unfortunately for him he came a cropper on the tram tracks over there and didn't come out so good on the other side. Hope your back up and running soon Travis..

If you're trying to achieve,

there will be roadblocks.

I've had them;

everybody has had them.

But obstacles don't have to stop you.

If you run into a wall,

don't turn around and give up.

Find out how to climb it, go through it,

or work around it..

Michael Jordan

Recovery Week you Say????

After yesterday's ride I really feel I have been scarred for life.... you may laugh , but truly , I still keep pinching myself that yesterday really happened and that I actually got thru it. So I was happy when I woke up this morning and only had a swim to do. It was a good session in the pool this morning with a 1k time trial thrown in for good measure. With nothing else on the program this afternoon it was a good opportunity to get a Pilate's session in with my good friend Julz. We did alot of work on the Boshu Ball ( not sure if that's how you spell it) but literally its half a ball that can be used both sides .... both sides used... bo... shu!!!. It really tests your balance and core . I loved it and found it a challenging session and ended up buying a ball from Julz so I could keep working on the exercises at home.

Tuesday morning and the weather was not looking good at all. I had a 60k bike to do with 40kms in the Hardest Gear Possible. So off I headed on my own today as Will's back was still pretty sore .. about 2kms down the road and it started to pour, really heavy. It looked like it wasn't going to stop and it didn't!! I turned around and threw the bike on the windtrainer and finished my session indoors. I don't like being on the wet roads by myself at 4am in the morning. You still work pretty darn hard on that windtrainer. The rain continued for most of the morning and early afternoon but lucky for us cleared up for our track session in the evening.

Wednesday swim ,2.5kms followed by our Ergo session in the evening. Here's a picture of Paul after he decided to pass out on his bike creating a domino effect , knocking Doug off his bike who then nearly knocked Andy off his. It happened so fast and was a little scary. Lucky nobody was hurt too seriously !!

So its now Thurs morning , up at 4am ready to meet Fiona at 4.30 for a 12k run. I got downstairs to see our garage door open.... Uh oh!!!! Walked in... and my new bike ( well 4months old is pretty new) ...GONE!!! I was so upset. Will then walked in, seeing me upset I pointed to the hooks on the wall where my bike used to sit... it was then that he noticed they had also taken my race wheels ,ZIPP 808's!!! Unbelievable. I had brought those wheels off my brother second hand and had saved a couple of months for them. Feeling pretty low there wasn't much I could do at that time of the morning so I headed off on my run with Will and Fiona. The afternoon was pretty full on with phone calls to the insurance company ( thank goodness all covered under contents insurance) and a visit to the local police station to put in a report. I had hardly been in the station 5mins , starting to go thru the details with the lady behind the counter, when the police cadet next to her overheard me mention the race wheels and is like ... oh yeah they've been handed in!!!!! I couldn't believe it. That was the last thing I expected to hear. Sadly my bike is still missing. I am a very lucky girl though as it could have been my TT bike that I will actually be racing on and I do have my old road bike that I can still use till I organise a replacement. After most of the afternoon running around I still had a 21km run to do.... when was that going to happen ...truly!!!! The police had mentioned that often they dump the bikes in bushland and leave it there for a few days till things die down and then they go back to retrieve the bike. So we decided to try and incorporate that in our run. There are a couple of good places not far from our house but we spent ages searching the bush areas with little luck. By this stage it was getting late, I was tired and still a little stressed so only managed 15k getting home to a rather late dinner.

Friday morning a 2.5km swim . I had thought about doing the 6kms that I hadn't done yesterday after work but the forensic police rang and said they would be coming over in the afternoon but could not give me an exact time. So I wasn't going anywhere. The guy didn't end up getting to our place till nearly 5. By this time I had had a chat to Coach Brad and he was happy for me to not try and make up any lost sessions so I gave the run a miss.

Saturday and I woke at 3 to hear the blinds banging !!! Please oh please not another day of strong winds... the memories are still burnt into this precious girls brain from last weekend... I didn't want to go... Noooooooooo!!! But , there I was at 4.30 getting ready to head into the city and meet the rest of the team... it's kinda like automatic pilot but with a guilt button built in for good measure!!! Luckily enough the wind had died down by the time we started our ride but more things were about to happen.

About 5kms into the ride we go under the Canning Bridge ( now to be renamed "Lisa's Bend") and around to Deep Water Point. As we were going round the bend I hear crash, bang!! Turn around and poor Lisa is down. Luckily for her no broken bones but some pretty nasty concrete burns, a big bump on her head and a horrible scrape to her elbow that could take awhile to heal. We decided to make our way a little further down the road to the toilets at Mt Henry Bridge to clean her up, just about to head off and she has a flat tyre!!! With that sorted out we headed off. About another 25kms down the road her chain fell off due to her derailleur being bent in the fall!! I tell you what, this is one strong lady. She was in a lot of pain and discomfort with her knee and her elbow, especially down on the tri bars, but she never gave up . She completed 140kms on the bike today... hats off to you Lisa!! Unfortunately her knee was too sore for the 10k run off the bike but I think under the circumstances she did amazingly well.

Usually after our Saturday session we go for coffee and breakfast but now that the sessions are getting longer it was more like an early lunch.

After getting home and doing a few jobs around the house I headed off for a 90min hot stone massage. I have never had one of these but I would definitely recommend it. It was great ! Firm massage while at the same time very relaxing. She assured me I didn't snore at all but I think she was just being nice!! Ooops

Sundays session didn't start till 8am so it was a great opportunity to not have to go to bed so early as well as having a sleep in . A few of us were a little nervous about the swim due to another swimmer over near Rottnest being taken by a White Pointer yesterday. And it was only a couple of weeks ago another swimmer was taken at Cottesloe Beach. We were meeting Shelley Taylor-Smith for an hours session. It was really good. There were plenty of Surf Club boats and skis out on the water which certainly helped calm the nerves. She gave us some great tips on swimming in the types of situations that we would come across in Triathlons. On top of that we were practicing literally pushing people out of the way in the swims, drafting, exiting the water etc etc. Her session also included runs along the beach, sprinting in the water, out again push ups , sit ups ... our heart rates certainly got up there. After that a few of us got back in and did just over a 1km cool down.

So that's my recovery week ... all 17hrs and 39mins worth.

Run 45kms...4hrs 1min

Bike 250kms...7hrs 38mins

Swim 9kms...4hrs 30mins

Core..............1hr 30mins

Week 12 over with only 6 more to go... 2/3rds of the way there...Can't believe it!!!

The next 4 weeks will really test the spirit and will . I know I'm gonna have to dig deep . Let's hope there's a little more locked away.

Hope you all stay well and safe and we'll see you next week!!

Gotta love those Double Days

Well the first 3 days of this week are double days!!! Monday a 2.9k swim in the morning followed by a 4.1k swim late afternoon. My shoulder up until now has been holding up pretty well but sadly didn't like swimming twice in the one day!!! Luckily I won't be swimming now until Friday so can rest it a bit.
The forecast had been for a stormy day and it certainly looked like it was going to comply. While swimming I don't think I've ever seen the sky come over so dark!! But , certainly in the northern suburbs, nothing eventuated.

Tuesday morning was a 14km run with 6 repeats up Hepburn Ave. Lisa, Fiona, Will and I were on the road at 4.30 and as Hep Ave is almost a kilometre long we only did a couple of kms warm up , hit the hill repeats and home for our 14kms. Fiona and Will were running strongly, with Lisa and I bringing up the rear!!! The killer moths were out in full force. I couldn't believe how many there were, with one hitting me in the eye that hard I thought it was something else like a small rock!! But no, just a dangerous moth!!! In the evening it was off to intervals for another session. Main set this week was 5 x 1kms on "I" pace. With our warm ups and cool downs I managed 11.5kms.

This week we finally got our team running shirts . Unfortunately its not a great photo as the discuss nets at the track have cast a shadow but trust me , they look and feel great!!!


Wednesday was our double day ride... Will and I got up to head out at 4am and the southerlies were out and about. Today was a challenge ride. The challenge is up to the individual. I was doing loops so set myself the challenge that every time I turned into the wind that I would push it as hard as I could!!!
In the evening our usual ergo session, this week was for 100mins.

After the 3 days of double sessions I was feeling pretty tired and was not feeling like getting up at 4 again so slept in till 6. Waking up to daylight is not something I am used to at the moment so it was pretty nice. After a really busy day at work I did my recovery ride on the windtrainer ( 1hour). I felt really good and managed to keep my cadence right up there.

Friday morning swim and then hit the hairdressers in the afternoon. I mean its really important for my hair to look good under my helmet and cap!!!!!
I was having a girlie evening with some friends tonight which was lovely. Its just so nice to sit and chill with some yummy food and great conversation with some long time friends.

I was feeling a little anxious about the session tomorrow ..34km run. I know we have done some double days totalling 30kms but really haven't done a single run over 21k's. A few of us were meeting at LeapFrogs Cafe and had decided to do the 3 lakes run... Lake Joondalup , Woodvale and Goolelal Lakes.
Well the run went well. A little slower than I had hoped for but really happy in the end. The morning was just beautiful. 5.30 am and there were few people on the path for the first hour. Will and I even saw the most brilliant blue wren and Marty and Paul had a rather large snake across their path.

Ok ... this part of the blog is going to have its own heading.... it deserves it!!!!
It's called.... "AND THEN THERE WERE 2"

Today the session was 150k bike with minimum of 50kms in the hills.
Will and I woke to an easterly wind howling at 35kms an hour!!! Great , that's the way we were heading with it forecast to change to a NE later. The temperature was forecast for 35 degrees. We had planned to leave early, 5am, due to it being hot. Jenny,June,Lisa,Sarah, Will and myself to meet in the city. When we got there Lisa wasn't there which is unusual as she is usually never late! We texted her to find out the poor thing had a gastro bug and had been up all night! So 5 now became 4.

We headed south , onto Roe Hwy into the wind and then onto Welshpool Rd. I think it was about 35k into the ride and Sarah wasn't feeling well. She was feeling dizzy on the bike and decided to return to the car. The poor thing even fell off her bike about 2k from her car and she doesn't know how or why. I hope she is ok and its something that will pass.

And then we were 4!!

Half way up Welshpool Rd Will was struggling with his back that had been giving him some grief for a couple of days. He made the decision as well to head home...

And then we were 3!!
So it was Jenny , June and I that continued up into Kalamunda and then onto Mundaring Weir Rd. We were doing an out and back today so with a quick stop to refill our water bottles ( I went thru 6 today!) we headed home. It was finally time to have a bit of a tail wind which was great but we were getting tired, our bums were killing us and our legs were fatigued from the hills and the 34k run we had done yesterday. But we had to get back to the car and there was only one way to do that... peddle those little legs and just keep going....up and down, round and round. We hit the freeway bike path turned left and headed south... yay a tail wind. 4 or 5kms along here and June had turned around as she had ridden from home and didn't have as much as us to do.

And then there were 2!!!

Then it was just the 2 of us to do the last 23k back into a direct head wind. I nearly lost it with 10k to go, I had an unusually painful right foot and for just a few minutes thought I wasn't going to make it, lucky for me I had Jenny to pull me thru !!! I think if I was on my own I may have considered calling a taxi.!

It's always at these times you gotta dig deep and find something to keep you going. Hopefully, if and when, this happens to me during the race, I will have something there to get me thru.

In the confrontation

between the stream and the rock,

the stream always wins-

not thru strength

but by perserverance

H. Jackson Brown

American singer-songwriter 1948

How happy was I to finish. When I got home and plugged the Garmin in it said the max temperature while on the bike was 39degrees and I believe it.
Tried to busy myself when I got home because I knew if I sat down that that would be it for the rest of the day. But by about 4.30 I was totally shattered and had to have a little nanna nap.

So a big week all round.
Total hours 19hrs 34mins
Swim 9.5kms...3hrs 30mins
Bike 296kms...10hrs 36mins
Run 59.5kms 5hrs 28mins