Challenge Copenhagen - hardest day of my life!

I certainly had a memorable experience on Sunday the 12th August. Not necessarily one i want to remember but i definately learnt a lot about myself.

After Challenge Roth training had been going really well, with a week of recovery training and then getting back in to it i was really enjoying focusing on training with no distractions and enjoying the warm German summer. Then boom it hit me. Two weeks out from Challenge Copenhagen i fell ill. At first i thought i had pulled a muscle near my ribs as i was getting sharp pains when i breathed in but by that night i couldnt even lie down as the pain was severe and it was getting hard to breathe. Wandering around during the night not able to sleep i knew i had to do something about it by the morning. My host family were great and took me to the doctors (at this stage i was thinking they will wack some pills in to me and ill be fine in a few days) but no off they sent me to the hospital for more tests. After a few hours spent there they worked out the problem. I had developed an infection around the right lung and fluid in the ribs....hmm not good, especially when they said i would need to rest for 3 weeks! I had no where near this time available but wasnt much point in arguing as i couldnt walk without bending over!

Off home and a week of lying around it was clear i couldnt train. I tried really easy riding a few days later with no luck getting 10mins away from the house and had to sit on side of road for a car ride back as couldnt even make the small 10minute trip home. But sitting upright on a spin bike was manageable.  A few days later i tried a swim...hmm after pushing off the wall and not even able to take one stroke i was left clinging to the lane rope wondering how i would get back to the edge. Dont get me wrong things were bad but i was trying to stay positive and it was quite funny that all these simple tasks were now near impossible.  It was now a week out from Challenge Copenhagen and i was meant to be flying to Denmark. Feeling pretty miserable because i still couldnt swim bike or run i wasnt sure there was any point in going but i flew over.

Wednesday before the race i still couldnt bike or run without becoming seriously out of breathe and was still getting sharp pains in the chest but i could swim 25m with wetsuit, flippers and paddles, haha success :)
Thursday morning i woke up and successfully did some swimming, biking and running - nothing fancy but i was moving :) success again.  Friday i registed and decided i would race.

Sunday morning came and i was super nervous with 2weeks of barely any training and still getting sore pains in chest BUT for all those out there who thought i was silly to race, i could breathe again so i was good to go.

Right now for the race...jumping in for the swim i got a bit of a shock. It was 19degrees which isnt cold but my lungs were finding this temp hard to breathe in. Easy solution dont take as many breaths!  I started at the back for the swim trying to avoid getting hit. I felt as if i was swimming steady but never really pushing the pace so was happy to learn later that i swam 57mins.  O by the way my fab coach Keegan made me race without a watch or speedo on the bike, as had enough to focus on without worrying about times etc BUT promised me there would be 10km markers on bike! Hmm i saw 2 markers over the 180km bike, so had to base my nutrition timing and sanity off the sun, he will keep :)

On to the bike i was feeling ok. No speed to worry about just me and the open road. First lap went ok but second lap i started to get a sore back and legs and found myself riding alone.  Towards the end i went the wrong way but found the course again (dumb blonde) and got to T2.

Right run to go and my ribs hadnt really been a bother yet. Great i was thinking, just get through this marathon. The first 18km went pretty smoothly and they had markers out so i was feeling pretty happy and felt as though i was running an ok speed BUT here is where my body had a different plan for me! I started to feel really faint and noticed i was loosing blood. Wont go in to more gory details but after having no "women issues" for half a year i guess having a couple of weeks off sick before the race had mucked up my body.  To try and pick myself up i took a gel. Bad idea as hadnt been training with them for months and im not sure if it was that or something else but something shifted everything in my gut down south and ended up with bad Diarrhea. Once again wont go in to the gory details but you can imagine by now things werent pretty and i was in quite a state and starting to go downhill. By the 36km mark i was a wreck and had to start walking.  I could and maybe should of pulled out but i wanted that finished line more than anything. So after around an hour i think of walking and avoiding the medics trying to pull me off the course i made it to the finish line. That was after accidently passing it once, obviously because i was having so much fun walking and trying to do another lap.

still running here!

Walking down the finish line like some wobbly drunk person i couldnt of been more happy than to see Victoria Murray-Orr (organiser of Challenge Wanaka) standing there to give me a hug and hold me up. It had been such a hard day and was only about to get harder with 5 odd hours in the medical tent after.

Challenge Copenhagen is a great race and i still loved being there racing despite all the dramas.  The organisers are great and i really hope to get back there and race again.

A few HUGE thanks have to be given out for this finish. My coach Keegan Williams for helping me get to that start line when i was feeling really low, and his host Uffe Winther and family for taking me in after mine fell through. I dont know how i would of got around in the days before the race without their help.
Keegans wife Tracey and her sister Ange for looking after me afterwards in my messy state and being a great supporters in Denmark even with having to look after wee Ava too, whos smile always cheers you up.
Victoria for catching me at the end of the race! I cant wait to race Challenge Wanaka again next year.
Also the Baums family back in Germany for running me around with all the medical help i needed.

Challenge Roth

Challenge Roth was two weeks ago now and I am enjoying training in beautiful Germany. This year I was lucky enough to be staying with my homestay again from last year - the Baums family. Being able to stay with them and have their support during race week and beyond makes training and racing so much easier. My mum also came over this year which was great, although I think she spent most of race day perving at some Spanish boys with my host mum Marion rather than watching the race! My host dad Thomas also took part this year in a relay team as the swimmer which was a huge accomplishment as he only learnt to swim at the end of last year. Race week I was feeling pretty good, getting my sessions done and organised for race day. When I woke up on race day I wasn't feeling 100% but put it down to nerves and got on with getting ready for the day.  Or maybe it was because of the pre race music they played.  One of the songs was the one they play at the start of the Titanic movie as they are all about to board the ship!  Felt as though we were all walking to our doom :)

The swim would have to be the best part of the day for me. My 2XU wetsuit and I must of been on the same page as we certainly got the job done with me having my fastest swim ever - 54mins! I didn't know this until after the race but when i looked at the time a few kms into the bike I knew it must of been speedy (by my standards).

On to the bike I settled in to my work. I past a few pro girls and a few past me with in the first 90mins. I tried to stay with them but found I was getting dropped on the decents, definitely not my speciality! After around 40km I started to notice my back was getting sore. This is not uncommon when you are in the aero position for a long time but usually I notice it at around 140km not 40km so I knew I was in for a long day. Trying to put it out of my mind, I continued on making sure I was drinking and eating enough as in the past I have let this area of the race down. It is just as important as the 3 swimming, biking and running if not more so. First lap of bike done and i was on track for a 5hr ride. However the second lap I let myself down with my mind wandering, the wind starting to pick up and me not putting in a big enough fight. I think it is really important not to let any negative thoughts in as once they are there they are very hard to get rid of. Lesson learnt for next time. Rolling into transition two was great.

At Challenge Roth someone takes your bike off you and hands you your run bag making it all the more easier to shuffle your way into the tent and prepare for the run. Starting out I had a goal of what pace to run and while it didn't entirely go to plan I can't really complain as it was a blessing just not to have any stomach issues like I did last year.

So while I didn't hit the time I was aiming for i managed to take 45mins off last years time in tougher conditions, crossing the line in 9.41.06 with a PB overall as well as in all 3 disciplines. I have lots of positives to take away from the race and lessons learnt for next time. I think with every iron distance race you do you can take something valuable away. I can see big improvements, I just have to be patient.

Something else to mention is the spectators at Challenge Roth, they are absolutely amazing like nothing you have ever seen before. No matter how far away from home you are they will get you to that finish line.

A big thanks to everyone for they support. Huge thanks to Glen for letting me take his precious bike overseas as with out it, it would of been a very long run! :) As always Felix and his team did a great job of running the event. Also a huge congratulations to all the New Zealanders that competed. There were a lot of us out there and it was great to see while racing and well done to Rachel and James for taking out top honours.

Europe look out, here i come...

It has been ages since i last posted something.  Don't worry though i haven't been lying around filling my face with lollies. Well the second part is true maybe, but i have been doing it on the move!  Since competing in Challenge Wanaka i have been looking ahead to what other races i will compete in this year. I have been lucky enough to get 7 weeks off work to go overseas and compete in Challenge Roth and Challenge Copenhagen.  Thanks boss :) Would not of been possible with out the support.

After Wanaka i realised i really need to get more comfortable throwing myself in to race situations. There is no point putting the in hard yards in training sessions if on race day you cant pull it together. So March-May i entered a few things i normally wouldn't.  First up was the Otago Time Trial Cycling Champs where i won the womens title.  The next week i biked out to the Otago Sprint Triathlon Champs. The water was soo cold, but a nice still day. There ended up being no bike turn around marshal so most of us ended up biking more than we were meant to, but hey whats a race with out a bit of drama.  The females got a 6 minute head start and i took first across the line honors.  Next up i drove up to Queenstown for the day with a mate to race the Lake Hayes Sprint Triathlon. I use to always compete in this race but hadn't for a couple of years. I had a great time being back there and came 2nd to Central based triathlete Tanya Dromgool.  It was a gorgeous day and i didn't mind rewarding myself with a huge ice cream either.  Invercargill Sprint Triathlon came up next. The swim was in a pool doing big laps around the edge with all the lanes out. I had to try and stop laughing and swallowing water as the pool turned into a big whirl pool and i found it most amusing.  Nearly won first overall but a guy i train with passed me in the last couple of kms, dam it, no speed in the chunks!  Last month i headed down to Gore in the deep south to race a half marathon. I wasn't really expecting much with having a lot of miles in the legs and man was it freezing!!! But i got a PB by 6minutes so was super stoked. Since then just a few cycle races and putting in a lot of hours in the dark with the added bonus of rain and wind.  That's the thing with working full time and triathlon training. Winter training is mentally very tough as all your training during the week has to be done in the dark and its usually bitterly cold BUT it only makes you stronger and enjoy when you get in the sun even more.
Tomorrow morning i am off to Balclutha for another half marathon, and by sounds of the weather outside right now it could be a cold one, may even need the snow shoes.


Most importantly this time next week i will be on my way to Europe to get in some great summer training and have a jolly fun time racing.  I have been looking forward to this trip for a LONG time and cant wait to put the training in to action.

A huge thank you to all my sponsors for continuing to support me and helping me reach my goals and Keegan for giving me the motivation to stay on track with a program that accepts no excuses not to get the work done rain, hail or shine.

My 2XU Spray Jacket has got to be my favourite piece of training clothing at the moment. We have spent a LOT of time at the track together! :)

The Mighty Challenge Wanaka

4.30am on January 21^st I am up and chucking down my Weety Bix Bites, trying to stay awake. Already I can hear the wind outside and it sounds even worse than 2011.  I am getting ready to line up for my first Iron Distance race as a professional and the nerves were definitely there.   Off down to transition and the wind was still blowing strong.

Not being a strong swimmer, I knew the swim would be tough. The professionals start 10m out in front of everyone. I was chuckling to myself wondering where to stand as knew I would be way off the pace and looking behind me at the masses of people on the shore I could see my friends eyeing me up to charge me down.  The lake was a lot lower than normal meaning a very shallow start with me trying to run and duck-dive through the water while trying not to laugh and swallow water.  Lots of age groupers started to rush past me and over top of me. I kept thinking to myself just hold your breath and don’t drown!  By the second lap everyone had spread out a bit and I found some feet to follow.  After a while I realised it was Glen - haha sorry Glen for all the feet tapping but thanks for dragging me around the swim.

(Photos taken by Phil Walter - Getty Images)

Off on the bike and I was excited. It is my favourite part of the race.  I managed to come out of the water at the same time as Candice Hammond, who is a very strong cyclist. We were able to work together (legally, 7m apart!) to make up some time and catch some of the faster female swimmers.  It was definitely nice not having to cycle completely on my own with no one in sight, which can be pretty daunting over 180km. Part way into the cycle we caught up with Julia Grant who was sitting in 2^nd place. She joined our party so there were 3 of us in the fight to hunt Gina Crawford down.   We came within 2mins 20sec of her but she was cycling so well and by the end she had extended her lead to over 3 minutes.  In the last 50km of the race I noticed my headset was coming loose. I looked around to find which bolts were loose but they all seemed tight – it was those dam internal ones that I couldn’t get to.  With 20km to go it got really bad, I could pull my whole aero bars and wing up and down.  I had no choice but to carry on, trying not to put any weight on them. Anyone who has done any variety of cycling will know that not putting any weight on your handlebars while riding is nearly impossible - it meant I could not get out of the seat to climb hills or go fast on the down hills. Not having any tools with me and noticing a bolt fly off my bike onto the road beneath me, I realised I had to do something to try and fix it!  I had some cello tape taping my food on to the bike so I carefully peeled the small remains off and tried to tape my bars tight. Haha I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but it was certainly an experience I don’t want to repeat!  While this was happening, Britta Martin came out of nowhere and she and Julia busted a move up the last major hill, leaving Candice and I in their dust.  I was just glad to make it off the bike in one pieceJ.

My Patch up job on Trinity.                                                            

                   

                              (Photo by Gavin Mason)

Through transition two I was thinking to myself right here we go, just the marathon left. Don’t slow down.  Also running through my head though was that I had only had 3 bottles to drink on the bike when I knew I should have had 7-8 bottles.  This would cost me later! Starting off on the run I was feeling ok; the legs were not too bad. I was tucked in behind Candice, although I knew I needed to slow down as her pace was faster than I was capable of. 21km down and I had slipped into 6^th place with Simone Maier steaming past me around the 20km mark. After a quick toilet stop (as I was starting to have major stomach problems), I headed off for my final 21km. Things steadily went downhill in the second half. I ended up having to walk through each aid station, as well as other parts of the run. I was so thirsty and dizzy, trying to drink as much as I could but I was finding it hard to swallow anything.  10km from the end Nicole Ward passed me, now I had slipped to 7^th place and thought just hold on…until I could finally see the finish line! Looking up at the clock I saw 10.16, a PB over the iron distance and 50mins faster than my 2010 effort at Challenge Wanaka. Things went even more drastically downhill after I crossed the finish line and I spent a couple of hours in the med tent, sucking back the oxygen and getting juiced up on the drip. Big thanks to the Red Cross team. They did an amazing job looking after everyone.

                                                   At awards brunch, top 10 female finishers

I have just had a recovery week and will start to get back in to some decent miles this week. At the moment I am not quite sure what races I will be competing in this year but definitely hoping to get to some overseas Challenge events. Thank you to Victoria Murray-Orr and her team for organising such a superb race, my family and supporters that were up in Wanaka with me and my sponsors who continue to help me reach my goals.

NZ Half Ironman Champs – Tauranga

Heading up to Tauranga for my first NZ pro race the nerves were definitely kicking in. I had a lot on my mind and wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision entering. I should have been focusing on the race and feeling confident with the training I had done.  That was my first mistake. Once you commit to doing a race, nothing else should matter. Give it your all and don’t look back!

Race morning was quite overcast and drizzling. This didn’t bother me much as although while at work I sit with the heat pump on max most days, my pasty white skin much prefers racing in the cooler climate.

The Pro field started 2minutes ahead of all the age group men and then all age group women were 2minutes behind them. With over 1000 competitors racing, by the second lap of the swim it was a whirl pool and quite chaotic. I got a huge smack to the nose towards the end of the second lap but you get use to that after a few races.

Out of the water and on to the bike, I had a pretty slow transition. I seem to have a habit of always mucking around with what I want to take out on the bike. Note to self: must remember it is not a fashion parade!  I found myself passing people quite quickly but also getting swallowed up in huge masses of age group men who were “working as a pack”. This was frustrating as it was hard to get in to a good rhythm. They do not seem to like sitting behind a girl.  Heading in to the second lap of the bike things were quite messy with people bunching up and slowing with a few judder bars and corners (I myself am hopeless at corners so was getting passed by the millions).  Starting to settle in to the second lap feeling great and then oh no everything was about to change. A freight train of men passed me and pulled in right in front of me, before I had even a chance to pull back the technical official motorbike was there, whistle, card, next penalty box 3mins! (Long distance triathlon racing is draft illegal, meaning you can not cycle in bunches like that of cycle racing, which is one of the things I love about long triathlon racing as it really splits everyone up. Would rather have been done for murder than “drafting”)

Great I thought! This is just what I need. I am not a fast runner or swimmer for that matter so biking is where I try to make up ground and that is pretty hard to do standing on the side of the road. Any way off to the box I went. I stopped but didn’t realise you had to have both feet out so a bit of time fluffing there before my time actually started. Being a novice at this penalty thing I wasn’t really sure what to do! 3 minutes is definitely a long time when you see bike after bike whizzing past you. I was luck as no females rode past in that time. Right back on my bike fuming, and wondering what on earth had just happened I was heading fast towards the finish. Well at least I thought I was until Gordon McCauley rode past me like I wasn’t movingJ.

Heading out on to the run I knew that I was meant to only be running at half iron man pace to save my legs for Challenge Wanaka which is next Saturday. But I was still mad from hanging out on the side of the road that I ran at a faster pace. I was passed by Hannah Lawerence who is a fantastic runner but was still feeling ok so kept pushing myself. Passing a couple of women I ended up 3^rd across the line. My run had to be the best part of the day with a time of 1.30 which is the fastest I have ever run a half marathon, within a half ironman or stand alone.

A big ups to Joanna Lawn and Cameron Brown for taking the top honours. They are both outstanding athletes and people to aspire to in this sport.

Right 8 days to Challenge Wanaka so it is time to recover, relax and get pumped to race again. Let’s hope for less wind this year, or not, everyone loves a challenge.

www.challenge-wanaka.com

Cheers Tams