Challenge Wanaka - NOT "just a race!"

Well Challenge Wanaka didn't turn out like any of the scenarios that played out in my head!
I had a pretty good build up with 2 good months back training, with 3 little races thrown in.  The Lake Hayes sprint tri, Cromwell sprint tri and the Wanaka Sovereign Olympic distance tri coming 3rd in all 3.  I didn't think i had the fitness for a full ironman yet leading in to the race but i knew i had more than 100% passion and motivation to get to the start and finish line of Challenge Wanaka.
With Smashfest Queen, Profile Design and Blue Seventy recently coming on board i knew i had the best of the best gear and everything had been feeling great in training.

(Photo - Hillary, Smashfest Queen)

(Photo - Hillary, Smashfest Queen)

So race morning started off by waking up to the sound of gale force winds.  I had a smile on my face and thought the harder the day the better i would probably be able to race.  With tough weather conditions i knew i wouldn't be worried so much with what speed i was doing, as i would be trying to race strong rather than fast.  Lining up for the swim we were all trying to work out where to go as the big corner buoys kept shifting off course.  While the team tried to sort out the swim course we had a 10-15min delayed start.  I wasn't bothered.  It was cold and windy but i knew we would sure enough be off soon.  As the gun went off i stumbled and fell over while everyone else was running in to the water.  How embarrassing!  As if i needed to give anyone a head start.  I remember being at the very back of the field until the first turn buoy.  Towards the end of the first lap i caught a group of 3, 2 pro females and a male.  Instead of settling in behind them silly me thought i was swimming faster and knew better and went around them.  Well i went way off course and they left me for dust.

Out on to the bike the fun was about to begin.  Hillary was on the sidelines letting me know i was in 8th place and there were 2girls within 90secs.  Stupid me, those were the 2 that i could of started the bike with if i had swam a better course.  I set off to see who i could pull in.  It didn't take me too long to pass Rachel and Julia on the way out to hospital flat.  I was surprised as i thought i was riding the slowest i had even ridden out there and then was even more surprised to turn in to what felt like a head wind on the way back.  I knew Simone was behind me riding like she stole it but i was having fun and the thought of her catching me didn't worry me as if it wasn't on the ride she always mows me down on the run.  We caught up to April and Anna up the hills out the back of Hawea.  Simone had passed me but i cheekily passed her back in the big ring up the hill.  It was short lived as she motored past me again with the tail wind surging us along.  The windier it got the further i seemed to be getting away from the girls behind.  The wind was brutal with the cross winds especially.  Around 80-90km i realised Gina had pulled out and i was now in 4th place.  From here i couldn't see me getting any further up the field so i was determined to keep ahead of the girls behind and push until the end!

(Photo - Steph, Witsup.com)

My end was to come much sooner than i thought.  Around 135km i went through a wee dip in the road and immediately thought my back tyre had gone down.  I kept riding for about a km then realised it was going down quickly.  I hopped off and stayed calm until i pulled out my spare tube and saw it was an 80mm.  I had no idea how i had the wrong one.  Before i even put it on i knew that the valve would barely go through the hole as my back wheel was an 808.  I tried anyway, but when i tried to put the gas in it just went in to the atmosphere.  People yelled out that i was now in 3rd!  It didn't make sense to me but i hadn't realised that Simone had had a nasty crash.  Standing there waiting for a mechanic i felt helpless but i never had a thought of pulling out even after every other girl passed by while i was standing on the side of the road.  It seemed such a long time before the next girl behind me went past me on the side of the road which made it even more gut wrenching.  Had i had the right gear i would of changed it and been back riding without my position even changing.  Once the mechanics came and i realised none of their tubes would reach through either, nor would my valve extenders work on their tubes i started to realise my day might be over.  I couldn't believe it :(  Well over 30mins had passed by and there was nothing more the mechanics could do.  It was a slow trip back in the van to the finish line.

(Witsup.com)

It was a very weird feeling putting the bike on the car and driving home.  My body didn't feel like it had just been racing all morning.  Watching the girls head out on the run and wishing so much that i had been able to go out and run the marathon.  Even though i was out of the race i had to try and be grateful that it was only a mechanical that made me DNF.  Poor Simone and Alyssa both ended up in hospital as a result of their crashes.

(Photo - Hillary, Smashfest Queen)

What came next was having to explain to everyone what happened.  Having to tell my sad tale over and over that i stupidly grabbed the wrong spare tube and it wasn't long enough.  My day was over because of a $10 tube.  Its a hard pill to swallow but one that has to be done so that i can move forward and prepare for the next race :)
One thing people kept saying to me was don't worry "its just a race".  It honestly wasn't though
- Challenge Wanaka was my first iron distance race, this year was the 10th anniversary and it was my first ironman back after having Anja 5months ago
- It was a race that for the last 2months i had been training hard for and putting all of my energy towards
- It was many hours of dragging Anja out running with me, finding people to look after her, and many times having to say goodbye to her when i headed out the door training
- It was also the reason i made Glen take time off work every week so that i could get a longish ride in, and many other times the staff putting up with her at his work
I am so grateful to all the Sponsors, supporters, friends and family that helped with getting me to the start line of Challenge Wanaka.  It will never be forgotten as to me it was never just a race and i will be back :)
To all my friends and family that helped look after Anja, and accommodate Glen, Anja and i both over summer and during Challenge Wanaka i am forever grateful.

To Victoria and her team at Challenge Wanaka, thank you SO much for welcoming me back.  It is truly my favorite race of all time.  Those who say its tough and slow need to harden up.  Its a spectacular course :)  I loved every moment i was out there and was very envious of those who got to finish at whatever hour they did.

Steph at Witsup.  You do an amazing job for promoting women and triathlon.  Was great seeing you out there.  Thanks for the snaps :)

Huge thank you to my sponsors
My primary partner sponsor NEW WORLD DUNEDIN CENTRAL (CENTRE CITY)

Cycleworld Dunedin
Profile Design
Smashfest Queen
Kinetic Health
Aloe Up Sun and Skincare

and supporters
Specialized, Blue Seventy, New Balance and GU energy

Also to Keegan at Vo2coach

These businesses allow me to continue doing what i love.  Always grateful.


Now to plan for the next one…and remember to ALWAYS double check my gear!

Cheers
Tams

6weeks with Anja and an exciting new sponsor. Welcome SMASHFEST QUEEN :)

Well its over 6weeks now since Anja was born and wow has she changed our lives :)  Pregnancy and labour was definitely not a walk in the park but its all worth it in the end.  It is true that no matter how painful their entry is you soon do forget all about it!
I won't go on and on about the labour but it didn't go how i imagined.  People say if the pregnancy is hard the labour will be a walk in the park.  Well it wasn't.  I have learnt that you just need to go with the flow with these things.  I had all these ideas about what i wanted, drug free etc but it wasn't meant to be.  Heading in to the labour i knew it wasn't going to be smooth sailing.  With a cracked rib i was already in a bit of pain, also absolutely exhausted from 2months of illness prior.  But she was coming out one way or another.
Within 30minutes of them breaking my waters things were really starting to ramp up, something odd happened and my contractions were non stop!  This I'm told is by no means normal and meant no chance to have a wander around, or take a chance to relax, recover, or just plain and simple not be in pain!  Without me even asking for drugs it was obvious they were needed.  Before i knew it they had called the anesthetist and he was busy trying to tell me to sit still so they could give me an epidural.  The problem was i was in so much pain i couldn't do anything anyone was asking of me.  It truly felt like my insides were splitting.  I remember Glen trying to hold me up and me vomiting.  As you can imagine its hard to remain completely still when you are vomiting haha.  Anyway eventually the epidural was able to be put in and i could somewhat relax.  I was started on the lowest dose so that i could still feel everything and know when to push etc.  What seemed like would be a quick labour because of the intense non stop contractions ended up around 10hours.
Anja had a rough time on her way out also.  She was very stuck.  They had to use a suction cup and even then when her head was out (which i was sure they must of pulled off) her body wouldn't follow. After what felt like a lifetime she was yanked out and rushed away, so no contact time for me :(  She wasn't making a lot of noise and so was rushed off to NICU.  She needed to be put on a machine to help her breath, as well as antibiotics and a drip.  It was a very strange sad feeling being left in a room without your baby who was finally out but not with you.  About an hour later i was wheeled to NICU in my bed and allowed to stick my hand through the incubator to touch her.  To be honest i was feeling pretty worn out and sick and don't remember much other than seeing my poor wee Anja looking terrible.  The doctors told me she was completely fine but it didn't look like it.

The next week was very long with the first two nights spent back and fourth from my lonely bed in the maternity ward to down in NICU seeing Anja, then she was allowed back with me but kept on a bili blanket for her jaundice.  After yet another week in hospital to add to my earlier stints we were definitely ready to come home.

Since she has been home she's been very ill with reflux, so the day is spent feeding, cleaning spew then re feeding to make up for what she's lost.  She has such a strong wee personality though and even though i have spent the better part of 6weeks up most of the night with her, holding her upright she is such a chilled baby always going with the flow.

On to the triathlon side of things.  Its been a bit tricky to get back in to training like i wanted as she started off not eating well (but having her tongue tie snipped fixed all that), and she doesn't sleep too well as her belly is always sore.  There is no place i would rather be though than making sure she is ok. Its amazing how fast the days go and how little sleep you can function on when its simply what you have to do!  I do manage to get around 5hours a week done at the moment though and as she improves that will increase.

Now on to some VERY exciting news.  I have a new sponsor coming onboard this season.  I would like to welcome SMASHFEST QUEEN. www.smashfestqueen.com
They are sponsoring my training and race apparel.  The brand is designed and owned by Hillary Biscay (ironman and ultra ironman champion, as well as finishing over 60 ironmans) and Michele Landry (also an ironman finisher and endurance fanatic, as well as a brand new mum :) )They are based in the US.  I first started wearing Smashfest Queen in 2014 and absolutely loved it.  Its really comfortable and fun to wear.  Not like a lot of the boring plain stuff you see these days.  I get so many people commenting on it when i race.  I am looking forward to continuing to train and race in their gear as well as checking out their causal wear.  Hopefully i will see more and more athletes wearing Smashfest Queen in New Zealand supporting the brand.  Dont assume its just for the girls as there is a really cool mens range out as well, and now some items for the small people in your lives so Anja is going to look very stylish.  Check out their website.

I have some big goals about getting back in to training and racing this summer so it will be interesting to see how it goes. I think I'm going to just have to cruise with the motto "take each day as it comes".

Trying to remain active while Pregnant! The ugly truth...

Sitting here over 35weeks pregnant i realize the fact that it has been a VERY long time since i posted anything.  My last post was in October last year following Challenge Weymouth.  I had started off my summer 2014/2015 training well with a few of my favorite events through out December and start of January with some great results but early January i found out that i was around a month pregnant.  Everything as i knew it was about to change.  I definitely had a false expectation of what the upcoming 9months would be like.  I had in my mind and especially after reading several pregnant triathletes blogs that i was going to remain fairly active through out being able to swim bike and run.  At a more leisurely pace of course but that exercise in some form would still be a part of my daily routine.  Oh how wrong was i!

Once i found out i was pregnant i immediately got back in to full time work to save for the upcoming bubs.  The change from training outside a lot to being inside most of the day standing on my feet working took its toll.  But i think i was still getting in around 3-5hours training a week in those first few weeks and feeling great.

I then got hit by morning sickness.  Which as many of you probably know can be more like all day sickness :)  For basically 6 weeks all day every day i spent the hours curled up on the sofa or in bed.  My fitness totally went out the window at this stage.  Once that ended i tried to get back in to a little bit of exercise but it added to nothing much.  As the days got shorter i was only really able to jog or swim either side of work if i had the energy which ended up being maybe 2-3times a week for maybe 30mins.  I didn't fancy trying to ride my bike in the cold and dark plus it seemed to be very uncomfortable, even on the wind trainer.  I think the last time i got out on my road bike was March!

Looking forward to getting back out riding in Central Otago again :)

Next up after the morning sickness i started getting really bad headaches and dizzy spells at work.  Who knows whether it was standing for 8hrs a day on the hard concrete floors at the pool, the chlorine or the heat!  Its actually a great place to be working in the middle of winter as its so nice and hot but with the pregnancy it wasn't agreeing with me.
Lucky just around the corner was a trip to Europe with Glen for 4weeks.  This 4weeks at the end of my 2nd, start of 3rd trimester was probably the best i have felt through out the pregnancy.  It was relaxing and i was able to get in a few jogs, swims and MTB rides.

Since I've been back home for the last 4weeks i have been really crook in and out of hospital, doctors, midwife appointments with chest infections, pulled muscles in back and tummy and now the past week some weird reflux thing where i spend a lot of the time running to the toilet!  All you can do is laugh though through this whole process.  On the funny side we just had our bathroom renovated and the edge of the bath is the perfect height and distance away from the toilet to sit on when your head is down the loo.

Today was a big win…after 4weeks of no exercise again i managed to go for a 30minute aqua jog with my sister.  Its crazy how something so simple like this can make you feel human again.  Having a really supportive family and partner makes all the difference.  Poor Glen still has to go to work all day after being awake most of the night listening to me.  I think we may actually get more sleep once the baby arrives :)

It is after all only 9months of your life and at the end of it you get this cool new wee human to hang out with.  Its made me realise just how much i love and miss exercising.  Although staying active during my pregnancy hasn't really worked for me i have learned to accept the fact that everyone is really different.  I have huge motivation to get back in to training and racing this summer and all the new challenges i will face with having to fit around our baby.

Exciting times ahead.  Watch this space.

Challenge Weymouth 3weeks post race!

After a two week break from training extended by another week with being crook i am really looking forward to getting stuck in summer racing in New Zealand.

First just a brief review of my race at Challenge Weymouth.  After Ironman Copenhagen my plans changed from flying straight home to adding one more race to the trip so off to the UK i went.  I had a blast in London for a week with my great mate Sara and then went 10days staying in Portland getting ready for the race.
Race day really didn't plan out as i hoped it would.  I was feeling great and Copenhagen seemed nothing but a distant memory.  I definitely felt like the 3weeks between them was enough.  But in the end i struggled all day with a sore lower back finishing in 5th place in a race i thought i could of been more competitive.

Race morning was very windy with the sea looking very rough causing the swim to be shortened to a 1900m 2lap course.  I am pretty sure i like many others would of been out there for a lot further than that as i ended up washed up down shore both laps!  It was an amusing swim though.  On to the bike i was feeling great and got up to speed catching a couple of girls very early on in the first couple of kms. Once i hit only 10km though i suddenly started getting a really sore lower back.  I couple of times i even got off the bike to try and stretch it but no matter what i did it wasn't going away.  It then started radiated down my legs and i felt as though i had no power at all.  I spent most of the ride feeling sorry for myself that i couldn't hammer the bike like i had been looking forward to. Especially on the hilly course.  I groveled my way around, many times wanting to pull out but somehow got myself to transition 2.

The run wasn't any better which i was pretty sad about as i haven't yet been able to put my legs together on the run.  The pain was getting so bad that when i had to make a toilet stop i was pretty much lying down in the port-a-loo and thought i was going to have to kick the door open to ask for a hand back up!   There was nothing i could do but have a chuckle and get to the finish line.

Well done to the girls on the podium.  They deserved to be there.  Not much more else to say about the race other than:
If you are going to race pro don't get one of your supporters to ride around the bike course with you.  It was surely noted by more than just me and its such bad form aka cheating!  I would say that probably applies to everyone no matter what category you enter in.

A massive thank you to Patrick and Rachel for hosting me in Portland.  Was a great wee place to set up for a few days training and get ready for the race.

A few weeks now to get back in to the swing of things and get ready for the next race.

Thanks to
CYCLEWORLD DUNEDIN
KINETIC HEALTH
SHOE CLINIC DUNEDIN
VO2COACH
Aloe Up Sun and Skincare
Nathan Performance Gear
For your continued support.
Check these guys out.  They really know their stuff!

Ironman Copenhagen

After two more Olympic Distance hit outs (Erlanger and Mainfranken) in Germany placing 2nd in both i was definitely ready for something a bit longer.  Two weeks to freshen up, head to Copenhagen and race an ironman.  Its always sad leaving Germany as its such a great place for training, great people and usually great weather :)

In Copenhagen i was lucky enough to have Jan as my home stay and also help from Uffe (last years home stay) which made getting to all the necessary things during race week easy and stress free.  Also great support crew on race day.

On to the race.
The swim was amazingly good for me! I made a conscious effort right from the start to try and swim as fast as i could and hold on as long as i could to avoid swimming alone.  It worked and i exited the water in 54mins.  Although i still managed to swim off course again like last year although this time because i was following the others in front!  Second out of the water with Daniela Ryf leaving us for dust.

photo: Martin Paldan

On to the bike with Sophie Goos, i tried to keep her in sight and it worked for around 70km, even taking the lead at one stage but my technical skills in the rolling suburbs with all the corners was rubbish and i lost touch.  Was definitely a very windy bike ride with no real tail wind break for very long but i was enjoying it none the less.  Apart from a nagging feeling that my brakes were ever so slightly rubbing every time my wheel turned! Which was a lot!  Definitely miss not having my Cycle World Dunedin guys here to keep my S Works Shiv in tip top shape.  Bike and wheel got a bit of a knock on the flight over and was not playing nice.  Second and final loop of the bike i was really starting to feel the struggle in the legs…maybe the wheel or maybe the fact i was having a shocker nutrition wise and had ran out of drink twice with over 30mins each time no fluid! Rookie mistakes or blonde mistakes, take your pick :)

photo: Martin Paldan

Was a lonely ride other than passing a few people on their first lap and it was pretty hard to tell where the other pro women were.  In the last 10k i nearly had a big crash with a few road barriers blowing over and when i quickly moved to avoid them a lady on a MTB came at me from one direction while a car from the other! A big back wheel fish tail, a lot of swearing and me somehow staying upright i was on my way to T2.  I was really looking forward to the marathon part for once in my life but my legs had a whole different idea of what was going to happen!

As soon as i took off on the run in 3rd place, i could tell my legs were not going to do what i know they are now capable of these days.  They were so heavy and cramping from my butt to my calf!   I kept thinking any minute i was going to fall over.  About 6km in to the run i could see 4th place Mareen Hufe wasn't too far behind and i really needed the toilet.  It was far too early in the marathon for the non toilet option so i made a pit stop and by the time i was out she had moved in to 3rd.  The second half of the marathon was very slow for me although i kept a consistent pace.  It was now all about just getting my aching body to the finish line and not losing any more places.  It wasn't my fastest time but am happy with a PB in the swim and bike.

Congrats to everyone that raced.  It was a windy, wet, sunny day!

Meant to be flying back to New Zealand today but coach Keegan has thrown a spanner in the works and instead i have changed my flights to London!  Couple of weeks to hang out with my good buddy and fellow Iron distance racer Sara and then on to Challenge Weymouth for another Iron distance event.  Nothing like spicing things up.

Germanys a hoot!

Time certainly flys when you are having fun and enjoying great weather.  Ive already been here for 2.5weeks, having competed in an Olympic Distance and Classic Distance triathlon, been to a world cup final soccer party….admittedly falling asleep and missing the end of the game, and watched the best Iron distance race in the world – Challenge Roth.

Making the long journey in the motor home back to Rednitzhembach (7hrs) today after the weekends race I thought I would put the fingers to the keyboard and look back at the last couple of races.

First up was the Karlsfelder OD Triathlon with a longer bike thrown in for fun.  This went pretty well despite feeling a tad knackered from the long haul flights over from New Zealand only a couple of days earlier.  I came away with 2^nd place and was happy enough with this.  The girl that ran past me around half way through the run was on a mission and I barely had time to think as she whipped by.  Very impressive stuff!

I have really been trying to work on my run over the last couple of months and I can definitely feel some improvements happening so looking forward to testing the legs out over the longer Iron distance again in a few weeks.

Next up was the big journey to Waren for the Muritz Classic Distance Triathlon which is  a 2km/80km/20km.  I didn’t realize it was so far away when entering but it was worth the trip.  A comfy ride in the Baum Family’s new motor home and a day of relaxing on the lake after the race made it a great weekend.  The race started at 12pm which was a new experience for me.  Getting a sleep in was great but feeling a little sluggish sitting around all morning waiting to get going was not so great.

The swim started off with a beach start with the men and women together.  It was really shallow and reminded me of Challenge Wanaka a couple of years back. My hopeless duck dives ended up with me eating sand and being trampled from behind.  That aside I just seemed to have an absolute shocker in water.  We had 2x 1km laps with a wee beach run in between.  After the first lap I got a 15min call, 2^nd girl.  Hmm shit I better swim faster this next lap! Not able to see anyone in front I knew the lead girl was already miles away.  Second lap done and a 33min call, 4mins down on lead girl SHIT I thought, should I just stop now! German camera men were yelling “where you been, where you been?!” was rather embarrassing! 

On to the bike and in a bit of a panic I made a plan to go absolutely as hard as I could until I found the lead girl.  This may not of been the best idea, as my legs were already feeling fried but I figured today was a good day to try the “go until you blow” theory.  Around 35km I caught her and was really paying for it.  The wind was getting really strong and the sun was melting me.

I survived until the end of the bike…just...and managed to get a gap on the second girl!  Right just a run to go then I can stand still J Going round and round in my head was don’t do your usual fade on the run and look like a staple! Am sick of being the girl who gets to the run and cant hold it together. The run was super hot and I felt as though I was running scared the whole time looking behind me which is stupid because one day im definitely going to fall over or run in to something doing that.  Some things never change though I guess as I always use to get a bollocking for looking out of the rowing boat at the other crews.  I managed to distance myself a little from the girls behind at every 5km turn around.  Every aid station I was grabbing as many cups of coke and water as i could.  Even my arms and legs were getting a load of coke. Figured it couldn’t hurt J

I was really happy to come away with 1^st place as I had been really tired heading in to this race but the body still managed to stay strong and do what was needed even though I thought I could collapse at any minute.  PAIN IS DEFINITELY ONLY TEMPORARY.  Now back to some good training, 2 Olympic distance races to go and then the biggy Ironman Copenhagen in 4weeks.

Big thanks to the Baums for taking me in to their home for the 4^th year and being great supporters at the races.

Keegan at Vo2coaching for always being a great support and pushing my body to what I sometimes don’t believe it can

Cycleworld for their help with Specialized products – aero is everything!

Casey at Kinetic Health for getting my body ready for Germany

Robbie and Stacey at Shoe Clinic Dunedin – finally think my feet are behaving in these shoes and Aloe Up Sun and Skin Care and Nathan Performance Gear for their great products

5 marathons in 5 weeks ending it in style at the Rustic Run!

Firstly a huge thank you to Terry Davis, Ed Stevens and all their team for putting together this amazing event.  They had so many different runs taking place at the same time giving plenty of options for everyone.  Everyone I know is always asking for great local events that are affordable to attend, have a good social aspect and great scenery.  The Wild Earth Ascent and Rustic Run answered this.  I really hope to see this event supported by a lot more local people next year.  I know it sure beats heading out for a lonely long run.

A big goal of mine this year is to work on my running for my Ironman racing.  Hence running 42k+ each weekend for the past few weeks.   When I heard about this race I wanted to be on that start line.  While it may seem crazy to go out and run this distance every weekend (although im guessing not to the people that took part in one of these events) having finally beaten my injury ive had for over 12months I couldn’t think of anything better.

On to the race…  Packing up the car and heading to central for the weekend is always a great change.  The weather in Dunedin had been so cold and damp and I couldn’t wait to get out of there!  Well I forgot that I mostly head to central in the summer and it was actually pretty freezing up there but was so still, with not a breath of wind.  Race morning came like any other and I was excited about the fact I was only running a marathon and didn’t have a whole ironman nor the 3.30am wake up call.

Out to the location at the Gold Miners Trails in the pitch black with the head torch on and it was time to go.  I was suddenly thinking what have I got myself in to? As I am far from a mountain goat with my running ability and was sure I was going to fall over a million times.  Luckily I had only signed up for the Rustic Run and not the Wild Earth Ascent J (maybe next year).  My marathon race consisted of 8x 5 and a bit km loops.  They were a great change from the roads I am use to.  Made up of wider trails, rocky parts, single tracks, grass and some good wee hills up and down, all making the time go by.  There was also the option of a half marathon around the loops or straight up the mountain!

As I got around each lap the hills got bigger and the legs were turning to jelly but there was always a group of friendly spectators to send you on your next lap and Glen there to hand me my goodies.  The great thing about this event is you can set up your own aid station and drink and eat what you like J Proud to say I didn’t fall over once, only a few close calls and actually really enjoyed all those laps, coming away with the win.  Definitely a must do race to put on your calendar for next June.  Hope to see you all there.  Big ups to my sponsors Kinetic Health, Shoe Clinic Dunedin, Nathan Performance Gear, Aloe Up and Cycle World Dunedin who all keep me in this sport.

Happy running

Tams