No rest for the Snotty....

Thursday morning I had an 'uh oh' moment as I lay curled up in bed slowly waking up to greet the day. Big Gazza is a kind of spring in to your day, wake up chatting and ready to play kind of guy. Where I am more your ease on in, kind of rub the eyes don't talk to me til I'm fully awake with a coffee in my hand kind of girl. Yep, we are a match made in heaven. So as he was chatting about the day and what I would like for dinner??? Hell Champ we haven't even made it to breakfast yet, but yeah turkey steaks sound fine grrrrrr. I was doing my best impersonation of a dead ant....with a sore throat. ohhhh nooooo swallow......yep still sore back there. Crap!

So, Thursday afternoon and we are standing in the water, wetties on and ready to hit out into huge surf (in the harbour) geeeez. Well, to coin one of the sayings from the Crew, Get your balls out! and that was what it was going to take to make it through this set today. Coach's orders, 4 times round the boats non stop. I figure that was maybe about 1500m. We had a solid hit out into waves and punched through peaks, taking air swings and then rolling down into troughs as we sighted for buoys and avoided swinging boats at anchor. We kept a watchful eye out for the surf boat crews who stay to our right, but you can never assume they can see you so always a good safety tip to know where they are. I worked hard through the 4 reps and came in with the rest of the Crew feeling like I had given it a good shot. Again the mind had floated off a bit. I need to work on not drifting off. Need to stay in the moment and keep the intensity on. I find I can slip into an easy rhythm that I can do all day but not good on race day. We finished the set with some shorter intense reps out and around a boat that was just off shore and then a couple of easy ones to finish and it was home time. I was shattered. I drove home barely able to keep my eyes open.



Wollongong Harbour on a calm sea


Friday morning was a groundhog moment. Yeah turkey steaks sound great and that sore throat is still there but now I have a sticky sweat happening and I have a massage booked for 7am. Bugger. I lay on the table with a tissue catching the run off. Gross but true. I got home, showered, popped more cold and flu drugs and went to work. A loooooong day! Got home and went to bed. Thankfully it was rest day.

So this morning, being Saturday, is long ride day. I woke up, no Big Gazza. He was in the gym with Roberto pounding out a 3 hr wind trainer set. The rain was pelting down and the wind was up. Too miserable for riding on the roads, so it was on. He had left me to sleep thinking I was too sick to train. I rubbed my eyes, swilled a coffee, pulled on the nix and pinned the hair in a messy ponytail, put my dressing gown back on and made my way out to my bike. The boys were surprised to see me and even more surprised as I climbed aboard the Little Cervelo, dressing gown still on and started peddling. I warmed up enough to lose the dressing gown and 3hrs of snotty, hot, sticky wind trainer and 91kms later and I was done.

I could not have bared the thought of seeing the boys do the session without me and the guilt of not having got it done, even though I was legitimately sick. I kept thinking of some advice I had heard...if you're sick above the neck train on. If you're sick below the neck, rest. So in the end it was done. And with the rain still pelting down I have no guilt about sitting on the lounge resting for the day. Get it done Sammi! Got it done Coach!

The Gathering

Finally snotty is packed and feeling like crapolla crawled into the passenger seat and promptly went back to sleep. Woke up, yawned, read a little, then slept some more. Got woken up by Gazza saying we had arrived at what feels now like our second home. Port Macquarie.



On the otherside of that hill the fear has stilled.

We headed for our accommodation. Smack bang in the middle of the action. Great at the time, walking to transition, restaurants etc not so good at 4am when the volunteers were setting up road barriers and the race director was warming up the P.A. I woke up, opened one eye and guaged how I was feeling. No excuses, I'm well enough to play.

Bike check done I headed for the rendezvous point and there is Coach with the Crew. All chatting excitedly, doing last minute checks and admiring the latest matching earrings and nail decorations in team racing stripes. Yep, we are a deadly serious team! not. I love the relaxed air and camaraderie of the Crew. There are no over inflated egos here. And if there were I think their balloon would be popped pretty quickly. A few last wise words from the big guy (not racing this time due to illness) and we headed for the start. A short walk and then we found ourselves standing on the edge of the water ready to enter. Very little time for a warm up swim today. We are funnelled in and I lose sight of the girls.

Gun time and it's time to rock 'n roll. Hit out hard, found a set of feet to jump on to and rode the wave. Tried to jump across to the next set of feet when I could. Came out of the water feeling good. Could I have gone harder. Yep, but the run is always the unknown and so somewhere I always hold back. 4th in my age group. Let's hit the bike.

Out on the road ready to mount. And here he is larger than life screaming my name. No megaphone required. Roaring for the crowd to hear my name. I mounted and Coach's energy propelled me into the 1st lap with gusto.

Not far down the road and Kel passed me. I started to go with her and caught myself. 'Ride your own race' I thought and put my head down so that I could let her go. Over the hills and out on to the straights, I dug in hard. Our T.T sessions over the last weeks really paid off as it felt familiar and the legs remembered what to do and got to work.

And there it was! Matthew Flinders Drive hill. My nemesis. My dread, my pain, my fear, looming ahead of me as I rounded the corner. So many times I have dismounted and pushed my bike up this hill. I kept reminding myself that this was a chance to give it a go so that by Ironman I would not have the fear in my head. Visualising before the race for me came down to, 'will I make it up the hill or not?' Will I fall off in front of the crowds that always line the hill encouraging those who take on the hill and roaring approval as they crest it and for others, like me who opt for the safer and less humiliating push version, the crowd matches equally with words of encouragement and enthusiasm.

But for me, fear comes from several dark places.... Fear of failure, fear of being singled out in a crowd, fear of letting my team and Coach down, fear of embarrassing myself. Combine all those fears to one spill on a hill and you have the sum of all my fears. It must be put to rest! I hit the bottom of the hill and didn't focus on a run up, but rather, moving smoothly into the 'granny gear' and finding the 'dig deep' button. I started to work, a pinch, a moment of doubt, a reassuring 'you can do it' from the crowd. 'Ease your grip on the bars' from a single knowing deep voice from the crowd and obeying the voice I focused on legs rather than my hands.

I spun up the hill. Twice! Yep the second lap was a ground hog moment.

Out on the run and ok, here we go! This time I spotted Roberto just ahead of me. Part of me wanted to keep him in my sights and I wanted to run with my training buddy (the easier option). But again the little voice in my head said whoa! I knew I couldn't match Kel's speed and the same applied here. I had to run my own race and besides, my itb was giving off warning shots. Damn it! there it was again. ok, now I'm worried. 2kms in and it is telling me it's not happy through a painful nagging. Pop a panadol and focus on the form.

And round the next corner is Coach on his bike. GO SAMMI! watch the form, run tall, don't get caught up in the mental games, dig deep! GO SAMMI!!!!!!! Yep Coach, I got it. BUT, in a moment of lost focus I made a fatal rookie mistake. Yep, I poured water over myself and wet shoes plus orthodics = blister. A blister as big as a 50c piece on the arch of my left foot. Nice! Now it's 12kms to run. I stop and grab some Vaseline and try to run without limping. It's smarting bad. I pass Coach and I think he saw the look. 'Keep tall Sammi' he yells and I focus on form and watching the dolphins in the cool river we are running alongside to distract me from the pain at each step.

ok, ouch! Time to pick a box. I start visualising. ok, the box is small enough to hold a blister in. Tight, red, small, now put the pain in it and put a lid on it. Clamp it down tight. Pick something to clamp it down with. ok, found it. That big guy up in front of me running smoothly. He looks like he could be heavy enough to keep the lid down until the end. I watch his legs striding and I fall into a hypnotic rhythm behind him and we run to the finish line.

I lose sight of the big guy and the lid flies off. But it's ok, the race is done and ice cream heals everything including blisters......for now anyway.

High 5s from Coach. Catch up with the Crew and all are home safe and sound and still smiling. What an amazing day. Sadly though Gazza and Baby Bear had to pull out. But The Onion Man and Roberto are home and happy.

Shower, lunch and climb aboard, it's a 5 hour ride home. Gazza at the wheel, medal swinging from the rear view mirror and I am one very happy Sammi.

Top 10~! P.R in all 3 disciplines. Goal achieved.  

  

2 Weeks to go..........

And with that thought you would think I was hot to trot. Training on fire ready for Port Macquarie 70.3. But no! It seems staying curled up in bed, in the dark, warm and dry has taken priority over dedication, consistency and focus on goals. Having said that though. When I did crawl out from under my rock this week I managed to perform quite well.

Getting a wind trainer session, a swim in during the week was good. But the weekend and the warm sun came out and so did Sammi. Friday was an absolute right off weather wise. Squalling winds and torrential rain made the weekend look less than promising. However, by 6pm we saw the back of the front that moved off shore and the roads start to dry.

Coach is away this week in New Zealand. He is mixing it up with the best of the best at a training camp for triathlete legends. He is physio to the stars and also gets to train with them and then pick the coach's brains at night. What a life! And yet he still has time for me. A text comes in just as I am about to crawl back under my rock. "All ready for the weekend Sammi?" I feel like texting back "Hells No!" But instead it is "OK Coach!" Let's get it done Sammi. Suck it up Princess and get up at 4.30am, pick up Roberto and Big Gazza and join the Crew for a big day out on the bike. Oh yeah and pack your race nutrition and your runners.

A cold start and at 20kms we are grappling with the steepest part of the day. A long hard climb up out of the Illawarra and the beginning of the plateau that forms the escarpment around the place I call home. At the very top of the climb we head left and onto the old highway. Once the main route between Sydney and Wollongong it has long since been superseded by the bypass and now only the locals and a bunch of brightly coloured lycra wearing maniacs claim it as their own.

We muster at the start of the road and the rules of engagement are explained. 3 x 10km out and backs. Hard and uphill out, fast and furious back. Re-muster at the end before a short break and do it again. And we are off. It is hard. The road is really coarse gravel glued together with a bit of concrete. The verge is even coarser but occasionally the base improves and there is a small smooth reprieve. I hit out at a moderate pace on the first out. Not sure what I am in for I err on the side of caution and hold a steady pace without pushing for fear of a blow up come round 3 or worse still heading home. There are still 7 hills to climb to get home.

Back...is an amazing downhill run in the aero bars with the wind at your back. Average pace 47kms per hour. Max speed 65.7 yoikes! 2nd and 3rd loops are given in to slowing the pace and allowing Coach's finance a free pull along as she was suffering a bit. But back again was a free for all and before long I found each time I dropped her easily and pretty soon she couldn't see me for dust. Very HAPPY!

An easy paced ride home, I took my turn at the front and beat into the ever present Southerly wind. Cruised over the 7 hills and finished the ride downing my last GU ready for a 20min run off. The jelly legs were there but I managed to run through it, and almost get taken out my a cyclist on the shared bike track. More my fault than his as I had my head down and had strayed onto his side of the track. His eyes (and mine) were as big as saucers as we each swerved to avoid a collision. Luckily Rob was there to grab me and haul me to one side. We coasted back tired, relieved and extremely happy with getting it done and finishing strong.

BUT WHY DO I NEED A SHOVE OUT FROM UNDER MY ROCK EACH TIME!!!!!! I would have thought by now it would be just ingrained, instinct, easy and effortless. Yeah I'm no fool. I know we all have days like that.

Sunday I met up with Roberto and his Missus. And with Gazza in tow we headed out for an easy 80min run. A nice seaside path with lots to look at and distract us from the pain. The legs BTW have been holding strong with no ITB issues at all. Awesome to hope that 2 weeks out from a race the legs have sorted themselves out. The run was easy with Gazza needing to be reminded that it is an 'easy' pace. I know when the Ethiopian runners go out for their easy runs they are almost walking and they chat and laugh the whole way. Easy means easy. Hard means hard! and there should be a demonstrable difference between the two. But Gazza gets in the groove, finds his pace and takes off. And just like Mister Squiggle I need to take him by the hand and ease him back down to Earth. Or scream EASE at him lol.

At one point during the run I found myself at the front of our foursome. We hit the one and only hill on the course and before I knew it I was powering up with little effort. Gaz is now telling me to ease the pace. I didn't think I would ever hear that. He said after he got puffed and checked the pace, here I was striking up the hill harder than ever. Could it be that I am finding my Groove.

OH PLEASE LET IT BE SOOOOOO!

Perhaps reading a few books lately that have been so inspirational has had a positive effect on me as I felt for the first time like I was loving this crazy thing called running.

I would totally recommend anyone read:

1. Chrissie Wellington's - A Life Without Limits
2. Scot Jurek's - Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
3. Chris McDougall's - Born to Run

Happy Anniversary or is that Birthday

Years ago, 19 years to be exact. I turned 28 and I got married. Big Gazza took the leap, whisked me off to Jamberoo for a rendezvous that would last 19 years and counting. We have had some amazing adventures during that time........and the adventures haven't stopped and we certainly aren't slowing down any time soon. While we have each other, our health and the sun shining above us we are packing it in.

Happy 19th Anniversary

Our Anniversary was spent with a sleep-in which is a novelty for us. Coffee in bed and then we headed out together for a ride North. We stopped and enjoyed the view for a while took a photo. Stopping is another novelty before heading home again. To top it off I decided to throw in a hill climb. Hill 60. It's been on my 'to do' list for a while.

Hill 60, Port Kembla from half way up the hill

It was a hard climb, but not undo-able. I just went steady and consistently without blowing up. I noted on Strava when I uploaded that I had come in 2nd with an average speed of 9.3 and a HR average of 153. The girl who owns the QOM got 10.7 but her heart rate was 197bpm. Yoikes she must have been close to blowing up!

So a good week overall on the program with a tick in every box, finishing the week strong and with the Pinkies Triathlon to bring it home with flying colours (check out my race debrief in the Races Page).



47 and living life a hundred miles an hour

Back in the Game

Well, I had a lot to make for this weekend. After a shocker out on the road last Saturday that saw me making the decision to head home after only 15kms of what was supposed to be a 100km ride. I was more than ever, determined to get it right this weekend.

At the 15km mark, last week, I turned to Big Gazza and announced I was pulling over. I had said that my legs were not working as we rode along. There was no power in them. It felt heavy and while not painful I was having trouble with each and every turn of the pedal. Before we headed out on the road that morning I was feeling positive and looking forward to notching up my first tonne of the season. So as I sat on the side of the road feeling like I had lead sinkers in my tri-shoes I tried to take an honest account of my situation. Yep, honestly, I can't do this ride today. So, with my tail between my legs and a sinking heart we headed for home. I was comforted by the fact that even on the way home I couldn't get going.

I rested for the remainder of the weekend and then started a new week with renewed determination to get it right. I ticked the boxes daily. Making sure to put the effort in when Coach told me to, rest and stretch religiously and get a decent night sleep.

So, when Saturday morning arrived and I was awake before the alarm and feeling fresh and raring to go, I knew I was mentally up for the challenge. I just hoped like crazy that the legs were feeling the vibe too.

I headed out with The Onion Man and Big Gazza and we headed North in the direction of the Sea Cliff Bridge and the illusive 100. By the time we passed the point where I had turned the week before (only 15kms) I knew already I had this thing sorted.

Even better was when I finished the 100 and had claimed victory over the ride and my legs, I left Big Gazza laying on the floor stretching and proclaiming he was done, I donned the runners, grabbed a hat and headed out down the road again for an 'easy' 20min run. The legs felt like jelly. You know that weird wobbly 'will me legs collapse under me' feeling. Yup that was me. After a few walk/run intervals I managed to gain control and finish the run with an unbroken 5minutes.

And to top off a great weekend, I headed out this morning with Big Gazza for a 70min run. We headed for a part of town we hadn't run along for ages and the new view took the mind off the worry that the legs (ITBs) wouldn't hold. I shouldn't have worried. The legs held. A strategy Coach and I are trying is a 20min spin on the wind.trainer before heading out along with the usual warm up drills. This seemed to work a treat as my lower back and hips seemed to move freer than when I just up and run cold. I was continually bolstered throughout the run. And with 20mins still left to run Gaz pulled out with a niggling lower back issue. And while he walked home I continued on. While usually I would have crumpled having to carry on alone, instead I found myself in the zone and running comfortably. I rounded the final corner and came in strong and and punching the air with flaming high 5s. woop woop!

The weekend was rounded out by a second run in the afternoon. I met up with a friend and ran again in a place that I haven't run through for a long time. The friend was a distraction too and we chatted happily as we jogged a long at a snail's pace. My friend has lost a lot of fitness over the last couple of weeks and piled on a heap of weight. Already a big girl the extra kilos has not helped. I found myself jogging on ahead and then doubling back when she stopped to walk and find her breath. Once again the body, legs, heart and head held together and now as I sit here I feel like an Ironman again. The first time in a very long time. I feel bolstered by a great weekend of training.

Of course tomorrow may be a different matter, but today is all that matters!

Chasing Down 90

So, this week has been a little brighter. Lots of changes happening that's for sure. New job! for starters. Back to the 9 to 5 routine I guess. One bonus was getting through the best part of winter and being able to do my training in the middle of the day and mostly when the day is at its warmest. Of course we have the August winds to contend with yet and so I'm really looking forward to stepping out into gale force winds at 5am. Not! But it has to be done.

Coach has put in a huge week on the program and I have been working through it all steadily and trying not to think too far ahead. Just one session at a time. I find if I do start thinking about what's coming I can scare myself out of action. Better not to engage the brain Sammi and JFDI. hey! And that was the approach I took this afternoon when I got home from a quick shopping spree and pulled on the bike nicks. JFDI and don't over think it. The set: 90kms maintain good form, finish strong.

I headed out into a beautiful blue day and a light breeze, though lifting. Tried to distract myself with other thoughts than what was happening with the legs and ticked over the first 20kms without too much concern. I know where the halfway point is.....right where you have the option: turn right and you continue on your way and get ever so closer to the 90 or turn left and take the easy way home and only get 55. hmmmmm Don't over think it! turn right! and so I did. Turning right takes you up the cat 4 climb. I was tired from the 40kms I did in the set the day before and so I did have to stand on the pegs rather than sit and spin over the hill but I made it up the climb without losing form and getting to puffed.

After the cat 4 there are some nice meaty rolling hills before a long flat section and then you guessed it....another option. Turn right will get another 10kms turn left will take you home with maybe 65. Hmmm TURN RIGHT!!! and so I did. Up another couple of hills and through some stunning country side. Checking the odi I find I am still chasing another 20kms. Nuts! One more time. Turn right takes me home with 70, turn left for an out and back will give me the 90. Oh crap! Left we go.

I am so lucky to have countryside like this to train in.

With the wind at my back I cruised through the beautiful countryside and in the time trial position made some good gains on the average speed for the day. At the turn - around point I braced myself, yep, the breeze had lifted and was now a nice head wind buffeting the legs just when the cookies were just about all eaten. I pushed on. Along a long straight, up a short nasty hill and down a long descent that can see you hit 60kmph. And yep, one more glance at the odometer and to my dismay I was still down 1 louzey kilometre.

Now some folk might think what's one kilometre? But us folk who work hard at this thing called triathlon know its 1km that you will never get back. It adds up over time until suddenly you're 20kms down and way down on your fitness and not ready for racing. It also is the mental game. More importantly! its the ability to push yourself and tick the box when everything on the body and in the mind is screaming STOP!!!! for crying out loud!

So, one more time, go straight gets one more km, turn left takes these tired legs home with 89. GO STRAIGHT SAMMI!!!!!! and so I did. I punched on into the headwind and by this stage I was starting to groan. My husband laughs at me when I do this but he can tell when I have reached my limit and have completely emptied the tank when I start to groan intermittently. The noise just comes out by itself. And there aint no stopping it. It's definitely not a sexy moan like Sam Stojur, it's more the death bell of an old walrus.... but hey, that's me! Finally, the 90 ticks over and I hear the Garmin on my wrist trill out the illusive last kilometer and I know all I got to do now is get home. With about 100m to go I head into a round-a-bout. I have right of way....you know where this is going hey! Yep, there's a little black car on my left heading at me. I'm already on the round-a-bout with nothing coming from the right so I'm good and yep, this little black car continues to hurtle through the round-a-bout without stopping. I slam on the brakes (luckily my head/body was still working as I was so tired) 'P' Provisional Plate young driver. She didn't even look my way. I reckon I was a metre off her open window when I screamed "HEY" right at her. She looked shocked as she saw me and then continued on her way while I directed some subtle hand signals at her tail lights.

Just get me home............ And I rolled in with my 90 under my belt. Done!

Ouch....My Legs Hurt!

After a right off yesterday as far as a bike ride, due to weather. Foul weather that is. Winds up to 50km in the bullets, youch! Finally Sunday looked more promising and Hubby (Big Gazza) and I headed out for a 7am meet up with The Onion Man and Baby Bear.
The plan (Coach's plan that is) was to ride 100kms and once done do a 30min easy run off the bike. Well, that all came undone in the end. But I jump ahead.

So we headed North with a nice 15 knott wind at our backs. As it was Gazza's and Baby Bear's first ride back after a break we aimed for an easy ride any way, so we sat on about 25km average. The conversation was lively. Side note: I much prefer riding with guys than girls. The topics are much more livelier and appeal to me more than recipes and snotty noses. Anyhow, we cruised through the city heading North all the time. Passed by a poor fellow who forgot to uncleat as he drew up to a traffic light. You gotta hate the sound of carbon fibre hitting the tarmac. He was ok, though a little embarrassed. We pushed on and I admired the beautiful sea. Yesterday it had been a sea of galloping white horses but today it was smooth and blue as a saphire. Once we reached the turn around point we pulled up quickly to strip off long fingered gloves and a layer as finally it was warming up a little.

Homeward bound, Dextro bar and GU in and supping on my biddon the whole way didn't help at all. I was maxed out. And with 40kms to ride I knew I was going to have to dig deep into the "hurt locker" (Jon Gilchrist) I put my head down, hid behind The Onion Man so that I could draft off him and worked the little legs hard to keep up. Keep up! We were still only doing 25kmph. Gazza quietly asked me if I needed to tap out and call for a friend to pick me up. Hell's No! In other words by Jon - quoting Rocky "I aint heard no Bell" and so I pushed on ticking the legs over and feeling my quads straining with every stroke.

We said goodbye to Baby Bear at the 60km mark, the Onion Man at the 70km mark and hubby and I put our heads down and literally I limped home.

I'm not sure what went wrong today. Last weekend I rode a hillier harder course and managed an easy 10min run off the bike. I had a big week. A hard 2 hour session on the wind trainer and swims, runs and gym sessions have contributed to the blow out today (I assume) I can't pin point what else may have gone wrong. But its ok. We have days, even weeks where this happens. So I am going to go easy on myself and give myself a break. Its ok. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger and I managed to make it home to live another day.

The ride to Struggle Town on Shattered Legs

May 2012 to May 2013 - The 12 Months of Ironman



I'm In !!!!!

Ironman 2013

 

Me aka (Sammi, Mumma Bear)

Big Gazza

Baby Bear

The Onion Man

Roberto

Pete the Physio

Coach

Megzy

Ed

Jamie

Bobby

Hammells

 

It is going to be huge so strap yourselves in peeps!