Results from Hills Sprint Tri.

• 12th out of 31 women
• 4th in my age group
• 750m swim - 13:13
• 20km cycle - 43:07
• 5km run - 27:44
• Total time: 1:24:04

I'm a happy little vegemite.

Feelin' fine.

I am now onto Month 3 of my training programme for Port Macquarie 70.3 and feel so good. I never thought I would get back to the point of where I was prior to all my injuries and still feel like I have so much to more to give. Granted it's been a slow journey, however that being said - I can now safely see the path straight through to the finishing chute.

Yesterdays run really opened my eyes in more ways than one. I realised that running based on minutes versus kilometres is much easier for me. Something about counting down the kilometres plays real mind games with me. I also realised that I really like running in the rain - something about it is really cleansing (yes I shower in the usual way). My mind and body felt so refreshed and the usual thought's which clutter my mind (pain, fatigue, pain) seemed to not even be a blip on the radar. I also realised that's whilst I enjoy company during my swim's and rides, during my run's I quite enjoy the solitude. It gives me an opportunity to really stay connected with my body and analyse how I feel during every step of the way.

I have also realised that I never ever give myself enough credit about what it is I can accomplish. I always have this self doubt in every aspect of my life - not sure where this has eminated from but it is always something I have struggled with. Even with all the good things that have been happening I still think that something will happen to make it all come to an end. So because I know this is probably my most weakest attribute - when I feel it starting to raise it's ugly head I get down to the basics and pull out my trusty little book and find words or phrases that nourish my mind and enrich the soul. I found this one this morning:

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't,
you're probably right"
Henry Ford.

So I looked at yesterday's run and said to myself outloud this morning - You can do anything. You can run, you just ran 7.8km in 45mins and it felt cruisey. You can be whoever it is you set your mind to be. You can be a good runner - all you have to do is have faith in yourself and the rest will fall into place.

A chink in my armour.

First things first. We have a winner. Yep, you heard it right here. And the winner was chosen the old fashioned way. The kids and I thought if it worked for those people all those years ago before electronics became the way of the world, then why should choosing my winner be any different. So we wrote all the names down and their corresponding number of entries, then cut them all up and scrunched them all up and shook it all about.

It was then time to pick the lucky winner. Taillah stood upon a chair and I had to reach up nice and high. No photos were taken of Taillah and I as we looked totally deplorable - hair everywhere, not a pretty sight.

We could become hand models.

And the winner is - drum roll please........................................................................................................

DAWN from Puzzle Pieces.
Congratulations.

Will send you an email so you can send me your details. Fingers crossed you get it there before Chrissy - I hope you enjoy it all. Doing this giveaway was heaps of fun and will have to hold another one post Christmas as this will give me time to think of some new stuff to giveaway.

Yesterday I had my first proper distance Sprint Triathlon. By proper I mean the swim distance was correct, not the abridged version of the TriShave Triathlon. And although the official times are yet to be posted I do have a rough idea of the overall time 1hr 22min. I am quite happy with this time because it was quite a challenging event due to Mother Nature.

The wind had picked up before we started the race and the lake which is normally pristine was now looking slightly choppy like the ocean. The good thing was, the wind was blowing in our favour for the swim. The guys took off at precisely 5pm and us girls took off at 5:02pm. Before too long I had started reeling the guys in. Normally not a bad thing but there were feet and bubbles everywhere in front of me. At times it was actually hard to know where to go and it was then the sighting came into play. This is something I definately need to practice as it made me very tired. I could feel my arms getting heavier and heavier with every stroke.

Where am I ?.

I knew when I took off that only one other lady had taken the lead and I was hoping as the swim continued that no other had crossed in front of me. I knew there was nothing I could do considering I really couldn't see too far in front so I just had to hope for the best. It wasn't until I exited the water and made my way into transition that the race organiser yelled over the mic "second female into transition" that I got excited and felt good about the swim.
Transition 1 went well I think apart from the fact I am still not confident about having my shoes clipped onto the bike so I spend a bit of time then having to clip in once I leave transition. Never mind, another area I need practice and confidence in. As I headed off onto the first lap of the bike I was greeted with a horrendous headwind. I literally had to go into the small ring and middle gears to spin through the 2.5km distance of headwinds. My speed on this side was never more than 25km/hr but the effort used to gain that speed was up near the 9/10. I was hoping that the other side would give me some reprieve - and it did. I clocked close to 40km/hr and it was absolute bliss on this side.
So four times over, headwind and tailwind and it was onto the run. I struggled abit in transition and could not get my sneakers on. My feet had obviously swollen quite a bit in the heat and I was struggling to get them in. With a couple of hard shoves and a few choice words to boot, I headed off hoping that I would not need to walk. My legs were once again nice and heavy and those first 2.5km were very painful. I remember saying to my coach who was doing the race and who so kindly held back to give me support about how heavy they felt. She said "not to worry, they will come good".

And they did but I then developed blisters on the arch of my foot. My legs by this stage felt great and I had this searing hot pain underfoot. I also had this lady behind me trying to mow me down. I could hear her heavy breathing closing in and everytime she got too close I increased my speed and pulled away from her. This cat and mouse game happened about 5 times until finally she relented and dropped off - my job was done.

Not looking too bad.

Now what do you think?
Flat footed and low to the ground. A typical Barbie run when I am tired. Thank goodness this was the last 150m before coming through the glorious inflatable finish line. Nothing looks better.
I was also greeted by my beautiful family.

Coach was really happy with my performance and I was happy with how I went too. Now the arduous task of waiting lays before me. Will post times as soon as I get them.

This morning Elissa and I headed off for a recovery ride post race and it felt really nice just to get out and spin those legs even though the weather was totally questionable - cold and drizzly. We rode to Cobbitty and sat down and had a wonderful coffee and a feed for morning tea - mind you it was only 7:30am. It was so nice to just ride without having a set speed or objective to complete. We did 44km in about 1hr and 47 mins and felt really good when we got home.

In the afternoon we headed off to the TopNotch Christmas Party. I have since determined that after attempting an ocean swim, that this little fishy much prefers the confines of her fish tank. Yes, I am scared of the open open water. It's not the waves or the current that intimidates me, it is the fear of the unknown. I hate not being able to see the bottom and my mind was playing tricks on me.

I didn't totally freak out like "arms flailing and screaming like a lunatic" but rather this dread encompassed my body and if it wasn't for my innate ability to not be able to drown myself, I could have quite easily sunk to the bottom as my body became very heavy with fear. I remember looking at Elissa and saying "I can't do this, I'm scared". To which she replied "of course you can, don't freak out or you will have an asthma attack". I asked if we could do some breastroke and Elissa stayed close by my side. I then gained a little bit of courage and swam Freestyle and then swum like the wind back into shore. I kept imagining this surprise attack of a Great White or Bull Shark - and it scared the living daylights out of me. I promised I would own up to the "chink in my armour" for Alison. Here it is. You are braver than me Al.

But let it be known, the next time I tackle an ocean swim - it will not beat me. I will conquer this fear.

Entries are closed.

Thankyou all so much for entering Try a Tri's first ever Aussie giveaway. Entries are now closed. Stay tuned for the winner on Sunday at 6pm.

Absorb it all.

The last couple of days have been slightly hectic in Barbie World. With training, family, housework and life in general - I have not had much of a chance to just sit and smell the roses, but wouldn't have it any other way really. The one chance I did get was Wednesday morning, when I went to my best friends sister's home. We spent about an hour and a half just chit chatting over a cuppa and then taking a tour through her beautiful home. R & L are the nicest couple, really genuine people. And their home is just to die for - almost like something out of a Better Homes and Garden Magazine - actually I even think I suggested that they should get professional shots done and have it entered in one of their competitions.

They do all the gardening and landscaping themselves and once I show you the photos you will see just how beautiful yet totally relaxing the garden is for the visitor. Everywhere I looked was just beautiful, there was such an abundance of flowers and plants all doing their very best to try to out-show the other during Spring. Being in this garden made me appreciate all of life's little pleasures as my every sense was tantalised with beautiful aromas, textures, sights, sounds but most of all the sense of inner calm.

Modern day Secret Garden

Everywhere you looked was beauty.

Like stepping back in time.

Even the birds have a majestic view.

Sometimes it's the little things that make you thankful.

After spending a relaxing moment at R's it was time to head back home, I asked Susan if we could go the way I had ridden on Sunday just so I could see the enormity of the hills. I have never, ever been so gobsmacked as I was Wednesday. As Susan drove, I just kept looking back at the hill we were driving down and could not believe that I had ascended through that area. Wow, this was truly a moment of clarity. I am capable of almost anything.

That night I had track work and I felt better than last week thank goodness. This week it was all about focusing on form - especially when we were getting tired. I really am trying but it just still feels so very foreign. Our main set was a pyramid - 200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m. I tried to maintain every 200m on about 1min. Inbetween each set we got about 30 secs break which was plenty this week - I felt really quite recovered and with enough strength to maintain it for the next set.

No sooner had we finished the main set and it was time yet again for another TT 1km. As I took off Sarah and I set off on a fairly good tempo. We held this for atleast 900m and then picked it up for the last 100m stretch. As I crossed the line and fell to the ground in exhaustion I heard the coach yell out a time and was sure he said 4:57. I was so bummed - how could I feel so tired and felt like I had given it my all and have crossed the line slower than my last PB of 4:50. But then Sarah walked over to me and said "how was that? " I said "7 secs slower than my last PB". She then said "what was your last PB", I said "4:50". She looked at me and smiled and said "well, you just did 4:47". WHAT!!!!! Instantly, my exhaustion disappeared and I jumped off the grass, which by the way was making me itchy as hell, and jumped around like a lunatic. I was soooooooooo happy. Another PB by 3 secs. This I could get used too.

And I know I have worked hard because my body aches like crazy today. Hammies, glutes, calves. Even my abs are sore - so much so I have to brace my abdomen when I sneeze. I also had to cut my swim session short by 800m yesterday as I kept cramping. So today it is off for an hour bike ride, nice and easy to see if I can shunt some of this lactic acid off. I have a sprint Tri tomorrow afternoon and not quite sure how I am going to make it should my legs get worse. Sitting still is just making them tighter.

Just perfect.

Training is continuing along nicely. Actually, even though I have days were I am totally wasted (muscle wise) I am loving every aspect of how I am progressing. I have this new found strength in my legs which is evident on my flat rides. Even the hill which runs up the back of my house which I initially had trouble climbing I can now do so seated. I didn't think this to be so after the Cobbitty ride, however I guess the only way to judge how far you have come is to do something you once thought hard and see how much easier it feels.

So that is what I did today. I took off for my Tuesday special. Only this time I didn't have intervals and I still managed to ride the same distance as I did last week. I maintained a steady, even cadence for most of the ride and didn't feel as fatigued on the rollings hills that appeared before me as I usually do. It was the perfect morning for a ride - no breeze, atleast for the first 20mins and then there was a breeze and it always seemed to be a crosswind or headwind - rarely a tailwind, blue skies, myself and Aaliyah.

The more time I spend cycling Aaliyah, I feel as though I am understanding how to manage the gears better, efficiency in peddling, and all in all just understanding how to use her to my advantage. I guess it's the same in any sport really when you are new to it, you tend to stuff up religiously because you are constantly learning. The more mistakes you make the better you get. I did make one mistake today - I looked down at my leg. In and of itself it doesn't sound bad but there was not much of a curb and so when I looked up I had already committed to rolling off it into a mound of grass and dirt. It's amazing how when you get scared you forget the simplest of things - like the brake. Thought's came flooding into my mind like "Holy crap" "Brakes" "Unclip" "Don't fall" - which to do first???? I think all of it happened simultaneously and I managed to save myself gracefully (no falling) - without anyone seeing me, most importantly.

As I continued on my ride I rode up next to this gentleman who I had passed about an hour earlier in the ride. I don't know what possessed me to stop next to him and introduce myself other than I was having such a nice morning I thought "Why not". I found out his name was Alan and he had only recently gotten back into riding because he had spent the last year nursing his wife whilst she battled a horrible illness - unfortunately she passed away in September. He used to be a cyclist in his early days and you could see he must have been a great cyclist cause he had those cyclist legs - big quads and defined calf muscles.

I spent about 10-15 minutes cycling beside Alan just chit chatting and was so glad to have met him. A really nice guy just out enjoying the morning like I was. Not sure what he thought of some chick coming out of the blue and introducing herself but he didn't seem bothered by it - rather we were both enjoying the company during our journey. As I took off I said "nice chatting and hope to catch up again" and he smiled and said "likewise".

So I am pleased with my morning ride - my day was done and dusted by 1030am and I had 53km under my belt. Amazing, a year ago I would have scoffed at the thought of getting out of bed for a ride, now nothing can hold me back from it.

Cobbitty is mine.

What an awesome weekend. I mean it helps having had most of the week off due to whatever it was that decided to invade my body and produce a gastric bug for a day. But this weekend was just too cool for words......so I will stop now.........hahahaha, nahhhh, will keep going.

Yesterday I headed back to the pools for the TopNotch Swim session and smashed out a 3.6km swim. What made it even better was even though I didn't feel 100% due to lack of energy, I still managed to do my main set of 12 x 100m's between 1:20 and 1:23. No sooner had we finished this set we did a 100m recovery swim and then backed it up with 3 x 100m's flat stick with a 2 minute rest between sets. I am happy to report I did each 100m in 1:14, 1:14 & 1:16. I was really happy with how I went. But by the end of the 2nd 100 I really thought my lunch was going to pop up and make a surprise visit.

The whole time I was swimming I couldn't help but think of today's ride. This Cobbitty ride has been revered as a tough ride, and if you can conquer Cobbitty, then you could pretty much do anything. Well I am "pleased as punch" to say that I did it, and it did not beat me. And I spent the morning with 3 friends to boot. Who all encouraged me every step of the way.

I started my morning at 0430 (bright n' early) as Elissa was getting to my house at 0530 so we could ride in to meet Cloe and Kate at 0630. The 12km ride in to the meeting point was a nice warm up ride for what lay ahead. Elissa and I had time to chat about how we were going to tackle it, and what we would possibly do should they not turn up. We even had the gall to contemplate a coffee pit stop in amongst it all. But no sooner did that thought cross our mind - up popped Kate first and then not too long after Cloe.

Off we set into the wild blue Cobbitty yonder. What lay ahead for me I could only imagine. I was scared and excited all rolled into one. As Kate and I chatted we got onto the topic of flat tyres and how neither of us had had to change a flat. Well guess what? The discussion of flat tyres should be avoided at all costs much like the word "Voldemort". Within ten minutes of our discussion I heard this almighty pop and a horrible clanging sound. I had a flat thanks to an almighty nail embedded in my rear tyre. Once again Cloe came to the rescue. Thankyou. The nail however had left a doozie of a V shaped tear in the tyre and I spent the remainder of my ride with my fingers crossed hoping that the second tube would not get punctured.

Now what can I say about this Cobbitty ride other than it's hard. The hills in it I can only compare to the Kiama ride. And believe me my mantra for most of this ride was "You did Kiama, you did Kiama". I couldn't even take photo's for fear of rolling back down some of the hills. They were just long, slow, steep, grinding hills and I only managed to walk for 100m on the last tough straight incline. The other stoppage I had I won't class as a stop because my feet didn't touch the ground. I rolled up to a metal guard rail and just hung on for about 90 secs and tried to make my heart rate come back to normal. It was tough. I am still totally gobsmacked as to how Cloe and Kate could talk going up these hills. I was trying to suck up as much oxygen as possible and would not even dare relinquish any of it. Maybe one day when I am fitter.

We stopped at two little townships to fill up our drink bottles and I can't explain how good it felt to actually rest for about 5 minutes in each pit stop. As we were heading back it felt nice to head down a nice steep hill and not have to pedal once. Actually I spent most of it putting on the break as I could see myself exceeding the 60km/hr from the Kiama ride easily, and this road does have alot of traffic - so I was a bit scared of being smooshed.

On the way home Elissa and I gave ourselves a High 5 because we were so damn proud of ourselves. Cloe gave me a call later and said how proud she was of us and our efforts. This means alot coming from someone who I aspire to be like and she is just the nicest person to boot.

I am now an official Cobbity-ite. This is too cool.