Auckland 70.3 Ironman

I was reasonably happy with my preparation into this race. It followed the Christmas period and despite working through,  I took advantage of the extra public holidays.

Mike and I flew into Auckland on the Thursday before the race. We stayed with some friends, Nige and Leah, which made things a hell of a lot easier, local knowledge of places to eat, train etc.

Friday we went for a ride and explored the harbor area (noting the wind)! Most of this day was then spent taking it easy and chilling out at cafes. 

Saturday was an adventure, Mike and Nige rode up to the Waitakere Mountains. I was feeling a bit sketchy so I drove behind in the car. The scenery was breathtaking. The rest of pre race day was pretty low key. I said hello to Tim and Jordi at the CompresSport stand and registered, racked and was briefed.

Photo: Mike and Nige ride the Waitakere Mnts just outside Auckland. I was in the car and very jealous. 

Race day rolled around quickly, as it does. I read all the messages from my training buddies at RedDog in the morning and then headed to the race site early and ready to go. 

The only issue I had leading in was that i felt sleepy , I had been sick the day before and I was up with stomach cramps and sickness in the night. I knew it would pass, a 24 hour type thing, but i was cutting it fine. Surprisingly I felt good in the morning. I have a good and tested

plan with my Endura nutrition, but on Sunday i had to make sure I stuck to it.

How awesome was the start to this race. A traditional Maori boat entered the small harbour at the Maritime Museum. Then a group started a Haka from the boat. Jez it sent shivers down my spine! I was pumped. The men were off with a cannon, we closely followed. The day had started!

I had an ok swim. I was in a group, it was slow but within myself. I was trying to make sure I didn't spike my heart rate to early because of feeling ill the day before. 

I was well down after the swim but not last, somewhere in the middle. Very happy with the Orca wetsuit. 

Out on the bike and it was me, my Scott TT and the Auckland city scape. I was on my own as I left the bunch I had swam with. 

Photo: Scottie T Photography Ltd, scottieT.com

It was not until after the highway section of the bike that I stepped it up a gear. Thanks to my time in the NRS I was confident with the technical bike sections and used this section to attack and gain back some ground. By the end of the second lap I had regained three more positions and was sitting in about 6th. On the last  lap I moved into fifth. My race seemed to be building so I remained confident of holding on to fifth so long as I could stay in control on the run.

I headed out onto the run in fifth, I was not sure of the gap I had in front or behind me, I just knew I had to remain patient and calm. Mel had a muscle strain on the second lap of the run. It's tough to run past someone that is left with no option but to stop. Mel was clearly in trouble. Unfortunately that is racing. 

I finished the day in fourth. I was very pleased with the way I stayed in control on the run. It is very easy to let questions come into your head that can quickly fault your game plan, especially with such a strong and talented field, respect for your competitors is essential. On that, Congratulations to Annabel Luxford what a great race, leading from start to finish. 

Photo: Out the front of the convention centre after the presentation, I was wrapped. 

I had a great time and would recommend this race on the to do list.  Goondi Hell of the West is next for me then some time off and then back in base training. For all of you interested in Strava, below is a strava link for my ride. 

Thanks to my support crew Brooks, Endura, Compressport, Avanti Plus the Valley, Oakley, Orca, Justin Jalenkavic, my husband Mike and everyone at RedDog. 

Canberra Ironman 70.3

It was a short stay in Canberra. I flew in on the Friday after work and was out first thing Monday morning, back into the office for an early meeting. 

I flew in and met Sam Betten at the airport. We were staying at my sister in laws house, thanks Maggie. 

This race was all business with Des Moins points and Vegas points on offer. I had been racing quite often was struggling for motivation. 

I had a bad swim, I struggled with the delayed start and just could not match the pace with the combined men's and women's field. I headed out onto the bike on a mission. I quickly gained positions back and was in fourth by the start of the run. 

Lisa Marangon was just ahead. I remained calm and focused on my game plan. Staying steady, I passed Lisa after about 3km. Michelle was hammering down on me so I focused on sectioning out the race, surging in areas. Annabel and Anna were too far ahead so catching was going to be a big call. It was going to be up to me to hold off challenges for third. In the end I had the quickest run split. The run is coming back to me now, finally. 

I was delighted with third, especially after this giant race block. It is awesome to be back racing at a high level, I am enjoying every minute. Next up Auckland 70.3. I got a little excited at the finish, I raised the banner in 3rd, why not I was stoked. 

November draws to an end

November was always going to be a tough month for me. With my focus set on qualifying for Vegas next year. I have had to race a lot of local races to qualify as I am unable to travel later in the season. This has meant packing a lot into a short time. Mandurah was the first followed by Noosa and Shepparton. It might have been a bit much with work as Shepparton was a tough day out for me.

Other than racing I have picked up the support of Orca and Oakley in November. The crew is building into the new year. I have two key races to go, Canberra and Auckland then I long training block into Cairns then, hopefully the US. I will spend this time focusing on my run. It is well of where it used to be, which has been frustrating.

November was also a month of fundraising. I have supported the Murdoch Research Institute this month by participating in the Foxtel Lap and the MND foundation by completing 100x100 this weekend. My next fundraiser will be for the McGrath Foundation in the new year.

Well it has been a couple of weeks since Shepparton. I have finally recovered. I had yet another bout of the cold leading in, so it was a tough day in the office for me. On a positive note, I exited the swim with the main bunch of girls which is positive given my focus on swimming recently. A solid ride and a 2/3 ok run. It is back to training for a change in training focus leading into the next race.

Drifting in the clouds

I had a nice surprise on Wednesday this week when I received a sample version of the new Brooks Pure Drift. The shoes left an instant impression on me, they were black with hot pink, awesome colour choice.

I decided to take them out for a spin on Thursday morning. They are a minimalist shoe and my run was short so it was a great opportunity to give them a go. Featured technology of the shoe includes:

• Adaptable mid sole height: A removable 4mm sock liner provides a zero offset experience increasing ground connection.
• Dual toe flex: Two splits in the toe box enable the forefoot to flex through its three functional units for natural balance and a springy push off.
• Seamless design: Ensures comfort is maintained when the sock liner is removed.
• Wider forefoot base: Amplifies the anatomical last providing true support and a second skin-like feel.

I decided to test some of these concepts on my run. The key things I noted included:

• Weight: the shoe was amazingly light, I found this was conducive to high cadence running.
• Looks: there was plenty of interest in the pretty colours!
• Flexibility: the sole was very flexible and basically moulded to my foot. This also assisted with cadence and agreed with my forefoot running style.
• Width: there was plenty of room in the front of the shoe yet the shoe was still tight around the mid section supported by additional material (see the pink stripes below) which helped with control.

All in all it was a good experience. I think these shoes will be great for my track sessions due to the light weight, control factor generated from the flexible sole and the way they assist with a high cadence.

Happy running!

Noosa Tri 2012

This year Noosa ranked as a WTC qualifier for the Hy-Vee final in 2013. With 750 points on offer the race soon featured a strong field and would be the biggest test of where I was at this year.

I felt the two week break from Mandurah was perfect preparation for this race and with a few days of annual leave before hand I felt really relaxed leading into the race. I did the open water swim on the Friday and was feeling ready to go on the morining of the race.

I had a decent swim for where I am at in my return to racing however, I was very rusty with the race tactics and struggled to react to surges etc and feel off the back of the bunch around the back of Weyba Island. I had a quick transition and headed out onto the bike feeling quite sluggish. The legs just didn't want to play. I actually lost a little bit of ground on the bike which was disappointing. T2 was good and I was off onto the run. I quickly found a good cadence and concentrated on holding the pace for the full 10k. It was quite controlled and I slowly reeled in a few of the girls out on the run leg. My time was 2.06, a little of my 2.01 from 2009! and a few minutes down on my plan which came down to the bike.

All said I earned some points, had fun and have a real starting point to work from into 2013.

It was awesome having such a great bunch of Red Dogs out on the course and to stay with over the weekend. Thanks also to Endura for helping me out with my nutrition, Brooks and CompresSport for my compression.

Next stop Shepparton 70.3.

Mandurah 70.3

A couple of weeks ago I raced the Ironman 70.3 Australian Pro Championships in Manduarah WA. I placed 4th behind Mel Rollison, Liz Blatchford and Radka Vodickova.  It was a top field and all the girls performed at their best.

I was focused on improving my swim and for the first time this year I left the water in touch of the race leaders. I road solidly on the bike but did not overcook it knowing that the run was going to be hot and brutal. There was a strong head wind on the second lap of the bike which made moving through the field difficult. I started out on the run in six with Belinda Granger (I followed her wise advice and slowly pegged back the lead group). I soon passed Lisa Marangon and then at the end of the first lap I moved into fourth passing Kat Baker. There was a huge race on at the front of the race with Liz and Mel fighting for 1^st. I had to settle for fourth with Radka out of touch.

Picture: Modo

I am very pleased with this result; it was a strong and controlled race and my fastest time.Top five results below:

1. Melissa Hauschildt  04:03:55   
2. Liz Blatchford  04:04:45          
3. Radka Vodickova  04:08:59     
4. Sarah Crowley  04:15:10       
5. Rebecca Hoschke  04:17:22 

Thanks to Endura, Brooks and CompresSport for their continued support.

Also, big thanks to Matty Hopper from Avanti Plus the Valley calming me down after a wheel mechanical on the Saturday.



Acid and Alkaline - Testing my pH

Lately I have been doing some testing of my pH with a view to testing the Endura product "Muscle Recovery". As I understand it, excercise can increase the acidity of your bodily fluids and tissues and because the body likes to stay neurtal, it will use minerals from other parts of the body to neutralise. To understand this whole thing, I had to do some research.

What is PH

pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14—the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral. 

Water is the most abundant compound in the human body, comprising 70% of the body. The body has an acid-alkaline (or acid-base) ratio called the pH which is a balance between positively charges ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming.). The body continually strives to balance pH.

How did I test it?

Well Bindy gave me a whole stack of pH test strips. These strips allowed me to test my pH factor quickly and easily. From what I read, If your urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 to 6.5 in the morning and between 6.5 and 7.0 in the evening, your body is functioning within a healthy range. As I understand you become more alkaline as the day goes by. The best time to test your pH is about one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal. I tested my pH each day for a week  just before bed. I found that my pH ranged around 6-6.5 at night which is slightly acidic.

What does this mean for me?

Apparently if you have an acidic pH your body will borrow minerals—including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium—from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely remove it from the body.

There are a whole heap of things that mild acidosis can cause but the things that stuck out for me with my heavy training load were problems such as:

• Immune deficiency.
• Osteoporosis; weak, brittle bones, hip fractures and bone spurs.
• Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.
• Low energy and chronic fatigue.

Next step

The next step was to test out Endura Muscle Recovery. The product is intended to relive muscles after exercise and support alkalinity. It requires 5g twice a day in 200mls of water. I must add during the testing period I maintained my regular vitamin intake. 

I then tested my pH each day for a week while takeing the Muscle Recovery formula without altering any other aspects of my diet (as far as practical). My evening pH increased to between 6.5 and 7, a more neutral result. Based on these results I will be sticking to the muscle recovery formula. Because i work full time I need to do every little thing I can to help myself stay in the game. Next stop Mandurah in five days time.