Get a load of them hills.

As promised, here are some pictures of the hills in the area.

I am not sure if you can make out the top of the hill but it is right up there I promise. And this hill is probably not on my list of to do's while I am here. My fear would be that I would get half way up and then start rolling backwards in some uncontrollable fashion. But I did manage the next hill:

For which my gluteus maximus is still paying the price for. I was almost halfway up and the little bugger of a devil got on my shoulder and told me to stop, but I am lucky that I am very good at ignoring annoying things. The next photo is of the other side of this hill:

This photo really does not do it's steep decent any justice whatsoever but it's even slightly unnerving going down it in the car. the next photo is one I think I am climbing on Friday with the locals:
If you can focus your gaze right on the very last white car that hill continues for atleast another kilometre further down - and I will be expected to ride it. It will be a huge task but I am looking forward to the challenge.

This morning I continued with my 70.3 training and did another 4km run. It still feels hard and I think the more tired my body becomes the harder it will become. But I am also hoping that my body will somehow become accustomed to the increase in workload and do me proud.

On a lighter note we all went fishing today and caught 4 fish, but they were too small and subsequently had to get thrown back in. But the kids were happy.

The look of concentration on Taillah's face is hilarious. She was so determined to catch one and she finally did - a Leather Jacket. I was happy just watching them and putting the bait on the hooks.

Tomorrow is another 3.5km swim session and a well deserved massage. Can't wait.

What a day!

I woke up this morning feeling quite sore in the shoulders from yesterday's swim and was thanking God today was a cycling day. And what a day I was blessed with for cycling - blue skies and not a single cloud over the ocean. The kids had been begging us to go to the beach so we decided to go and enjoy some rays before I headed off for a ride.

I can't remember the last time we actually just sat around and played in the sand and enjoyed quality time as a family. It felt so nice to just sit back and let my feet soak up the yumminess of the cool ocean water.

Stephen and the kids played beach volleyball and it was fun watching the kids, who are now almost as tall as their father try to beat him. I really am blessed to have such a great family.
After spending a great morning at the beach we headed back to the apartment and Kurtis and I headed out for a bike ride to tackle some of these hills that engulf the surrounding regions.

After tackling about 6kms worth of decent hills Kurt decided to head back home and I ventured out on my own to see how I could tackle the hills behind the units we were staying at. These hills are unlike anything I have ever seen, suffice to say that if you are driving them in your car, taking it down to your second gear is what is needed to get up and over them. I wish I had of taken a photo of them to show you today but I am heading out for a bunch ride on Friday with some of the locals and will aim to take loads of pics for you then.

I will be aiming for a 70km ride with them and hopefully they will show this newcomer some mercy on the trip.

And so it begins.

Week one of my 70.3 has coincided with my holidays with the family. We haven't had a holiday for close to 2 yrs and the last one we had was an absolute shamozzle. So to say that we were in dire need of a holiday is a bit of an understatement. We decided to head to the coast and soak up the rays but as we were packing up the car the rain started and did not let up till yesterday.

It didn't stop us though from sneaking out inbetween downpours to visit the coast and see some of the sights.

The whole time we were out and about I couldn't help thinking about what I would do if the rain did not let up. I knew that there was a leisure centre, so the swim was covered and possibly the run but how was I possibly going to tolerate a 2hr ride in a gym. Oh, well I was just going to have to make do. And I thought if this guy could tolerate the elements then so could I.

So this morning, Monday 4th October, 2010 was Day 1 of my 70.3 training. Today was going to be the start of my quest in conquering my first ever 70.3. And I couldn't wait. So I headed to the pools and did my first session.

• 300m Fr/s Warm up
• 6 x 50m Drills 15 secs rest
• 8 x 50m Hard on 1 min
• 4 x 100m Tempo on 1:40
• 2 x 200m Easy on 3:30
• 1 x 200m which was meant to be 400m but started cramping.
• 2 x 200m Easy with pullbouy on 3:30
• 4 x 100m Tempo on 1:40
• 8 x 50m Fins (25m easy, 25m hard)
• 200m cooldown.

I felt strong in the water and it was good to just get in a decent swim. With my first session under my belt I got home, had a quick shower and we headed off to Minumurra Falls. An absolutely gorgeous spot and if I had the chance to retire in this location I would.




After a short but gruesome 2.6km undulating walk to the falls and back we headed home and I toddled off for my 4km run. It is such a nice change to run by the coast. I could feel the ocean spray on my skin and I love it. Not sure was was saltier - the spray or my sweat. My husband and son were watching me go for my run and said that I am running much better and I am definately alot faster than I was some 10 months ago when I first started.

I would say today was an extremely eventful first day of training. Tomorrow is a 2hr bike ride and I have no idea of where I should be riding around here. It's always a bit scary figuring out where to ride. I am sure the lady whom we rented the apartment of said there is a bike track around here but I am yet to find it. The hills around here are just absolutely spectacular, so steep in fact that you have to drive up some of them only in first gear.

May just have to do some research before I take off on my ride.

I conquered the hills. Yes, HILLS.

I kept hearing around the Tri Club circle about this route that has an exuberant number of decent hills and even though the thought of it was enough to make my blood run cold, something inside of me wanted to be part of that elusive group of individuals. I too wanted to say that I had ridden those hills and survived. I too wanted to fly the badge of bravery and feel that I can hang with the big boys.

So today I decided to do just that with a friend who has ridden it before. There are two areas with hills and even though I wanted to do both I knew it wise to tackle only one of those today otherwise it could have turned my ride into a century ride full of hills - not sure if I wanted to push myself to that distance just yet.

This route that we chose although not totally hectic with traffic can at times leave you a few inches away from some very big trucks. This is the closest I would ever like to be but am glad to say that they don't scare me like they used to.

The one thing I struggle with when doing hills is that although I don't find it hard in getting out of the saddle to climb, it's the length of time I can do it for. I seem to find it a bit easier to climb the hills sitting down. But over a long period it does fatigue my legs and my back starts to ache like crazy. So this is something I definately need to work on.

I'm getting there. I feel like I am getting stronger and more determined to succeed. I like this feeling.

Should I start the two a day today?

Of course. I wanted to take advantage of the yummy weather I was blessed with today. So I headed down to the pools and just did a nice easy 1400m swim. Can't exactly say why my swim was so short other than a coffee and my best friend were beckoning, and I thought that seeing as this is my last week before I start my training in earnest I would be allowed to make it easy. So I just did a few 100's, some kick with fins and some Bk/s mixed in for variety.

As I was getting changed I realised how much of a patchwork quilt my body looked like with all its tan lines. I have the cycling/tri short marks on my legs, a nice white belly, the swimmers "O" on my back and singlet marks on my shoulder. Not a glamorous look at all. So I was thinking in the name of beauty I had to get myself a cossie that I could wear for training as well as at the beach and hope that it would blend some of the lines.

I also decided to get myself a new pair of goggles as my last pair although totally awesome are probably a bit too dark for open water swimming. So I got myself the AquaSphere Kaiman. They have tinted lens but nothing like my Vorgee Missile.

I also received in the mail today upon my return from my swim my compression socks. Talk about impeccable service from EziSports. I put in my order and in less than 24hours it is at my doorstep. So I thought I would try my 3km run with them and see how the legs pulled up. They are so super comfy. Not too tight and not too loose. They are thick enough to assist in compression but light enough so you don't overheat. And my one concern was that they might slide down as I ran, but they stayed put.
I also wanted to see if it helped with my ankle swelling, and I am pleased to announce that my ankles came back from the 3km run this afternoon nice and slender, not an ounce of swelling was noticed. I did get some strange looks as I was out running. Not sure if it's because they liked my new socks or because I looked like a 70's basketball player. I like to think it's because I looked like a professional runner. A girl can dream.

BRING IT ON.

I received an email yesterday evening from my coach. This new email held the contents of the beginning of my new program to get me to the 70.3 next year in May. Am I excited? For sure. I actually cannot wait. Never in my wildest dreams some 18mths ago would I have ever contemplated being excited about a long arduous journey like the one I am about to embark on. But there is something reassuring and calming about having a program set in concrete to follow. I know that step by step, day by day, week by week and month by month I will inch my way closer to the my goal.

My new training works on a monthly basis with slow increments being made in the running department. By the end of October I will have made my way to running 5km which will coincide with my first ever Sprint Tri. Another goal I am looking to conquer. This months training program goes something like this:

• Monday: Swim/Run
• Tuesday: Bike ride
• Wednesday: Run
• Thursday: Swim
• Friday: Spin/Run
• Saturday: Ride/Swim
• Sunday: Off

Kind of looking forward to the 2 a day sessions as it will definately improve stamina. Must get really cracking on my vitamin supplementation and not forget any of them or run out, as it always takes me a week or so to get some more.

Today I had some more physio and I am pleased to say that my paraspinals have a little more movement in them. And why shouldn't they when I am getting a really good workout once a week. I haven't felt that horrible nerve pinch in a while so even though the pain at physio can at times be unbearable I will continue to endure it because the benefits are unreal. My back feels great.

Things are looking up so BRING IT ON.

Feeling good.

After Saturday's Triathlon and the euphoria that went with it subsiding, I decided to keep my word in going for the long bike ride on Sunday morning with the Panther's girls. I am happy to report that I rode a new distance - 64km to be exact. Not a great deal more but after Saturday's effort my legs were just about toast. Once again I confronted the motorway and on the way back I even headed back to my car on my own. I felt confident enough to be able to manouevre myself around a roundabout and when I got back to the car I was even tempted to ride straight past it and head home. And if my legs felt fresh I would have gone straight home and gotten Stephen to take me back to pick up the car. But I piked out and drove home instead.

Yesterday was a much needed rest day and I am really considering buying some compression gear for my lower legs. They felt so tight and full of fluid that I think my circulatory system needs some help in shunting it back. My ankles were/are also quite swollen and tight which seems to coincide with the warmer weather. I had much the same thing happen last year around Christmas when my ankles became cankles. Not a pretty sight at all.

But this has not put me off still getting out and keeping up with my training. I did another 3km run this afternoon and felt surprisingly fresh in the legs. I tried to pay attention to my form as I noticed in my photos that I am a real heal striker. It is not so bad when I feel good but as the run continues it just progressively gets worse. Have a look:














Atleast I am still smiling. It could be worse I guess.