Ironman 70.3 Auckland 2013 Race Review



Been the first race of 2013, for me this was a pretty special race on many fronts. With 2012 and all its challenges coming to a close and the opportunity for a fresh start in 2013 I was excited to be racing again. The fact this race was the Ironman Asia Pacific 70.3 Championships and was here in my home town of Auckland taking the centre stage of the city, attracting probably the strongest 70.3 international field that I have ever raced just made me even more pumped to get out there!

 It was an awesome opportunity and i had not had to empty my bank balance to just to get to the start line

(a huge upside for this event!) I was feeling very fit, strong and ready to go in all three disciplines.

It was a pretty airy feeling arriving into town at 5am.....

still dark and the town still relatively full of people trying to hang onto the nights parties..... Bouncers still manning the doors of clubs with music pumping and couples on corners dwelling.... delaying goodbyes. Walking through the streets  brought back memories of a couple early morning runs I had done in Las Vagas, all that was missing was the intense dry heat and the endless ringing of the gambling machines.

Once over the bridge though it was game on. The lights bright and the usual pre race music echoing through transition. I took a moment to soak up the energy, I love the pre race atmosphere as tense as

it can feel it is also buzzing. I got my gear set up and my transition space sorted and then headed out on my warm up run. My legs felt light and were moving easily always a good sign!

Warm up went well until I had to run desperatly into the Spy Bar to use the toilet in full 2XU compression tights and thermal top! Got a few weird looks from all the night clubers and had to try not to puke at the smell and sight of the blocked toilets but when you gotta go you gotta go !!

It was really awesome starting the swim next to the princess wharf, with crowds of people above you lining the wharf and cheering. Standing there with the haka going on in the boat in front of us while we waited on the pontoon was a pretty great way to start the race.

I had a really good start in the swim and was with a good group to the first bouy. I lost them on the trurn though and had to swim by myself for quite a while until i caught the feet of another girl and swam with her untill I realised she had no idea where she was headed. Some of the bouys were hard to see but I took the lead and ended up swimming the rest of the loop by myself which was great gving me a small lead on quite a big group of girls going into the bike.

Transition whent smoothley and i could see from the bikes left in Transition still that I had swam pretty well and still had some good cyclist behind me. I headed out onto the bike in 14th place and it was brillaint riding out past everyone through the trank farms and depsite the fog and drizzle it was pretty awesome feeling to be riding over the harbour bridge. The bike course was alot harder than I thought it would be and I rode well but was by myself riding into the wind for most of the bus lane out to Albany and nearing the end of that I got passed by a few of the other pros.

The albany section of the course was grey, wet and quiet, and it was a hard slog back into twon, but once  over the bridge it was back into the crowds and the smooth flat loops of the water front and it was awesome to get to race along there with the support of so many family and freinds.

I managed to finally get free of a couple of the girls I had been riding with and back to transition ahead, however 2 had got away on me. (Awesome riding Rebecca and Hillary!)

Leaving transition I new i was in a good place for the run, you can always tell from those first few 100m and It was a great feeling to have my running legs back!

The Britomart section of the course was slippery in parts with the rain but was laiden with people cheering and supporting and it was a great experince to run by so many family and freinds. Once out on Tamiki Drive it was pretty quiet and was definatly the harder part of the course. I put together a solid run, and managed to make my way up the field from 15th to 11th. I made up 40secs on 10th place in the last 2 km but ran out of "real estate" to catch her, leaving my run for the finish a little too late.

I had felt pretty good on the run, better then I had in the last 3 races so was quite surprised when I saw my run split until the roumours starting circling that the run had been nearly 1500m long!

 I finished knowing I had given it my best for the day. It was a solid performance in all three diciplines and thankfully nothing technical had gone wrong. It was a great event to be a part of and a tough but fun course.

It was as I said a top international field and awesome experince to race them! So even though I didnt manage the top 10 place I was after given a very challenging 2012 I am really happy with how it went.

  

I am looking forward now to some planning time with Coach Walker!! and looking forward to the next race. I know what needs to be improved and how to go about that so bring on the rest of 2013!!



 

Happy with the days work!!



My Sisiter and kids all the way from Cambodia!!

  




















2012 review/rebuild

Sometimes life can just feel like one rebuild after another, just when you think your starting to make progress forward toward your goal a sudden and unexpected turn of events can suddenly have you crashing dwon and struggling to re find yourself, and the way back up to where you were.....

Our life journeys are full of twists and turns and dips and mountain tops and i reckon the further up your willing to climb.... the steeper the slope you choose..... the narrower the moutain peak is that your trying to climb up on...... the greater the risk........ the further there is to fall, and when for what ever reason you do fall the depth of that fall can be easily put out of prespective due to the length of the  fall and the distance back up to where you want to be can look pretty challenging.

2012 after starting with such succes, excitment and promise, has been a year of just that, working hard and climbing to some great heights, only to fall pretty quickly back dwon, further then i think i have ever been, both physically and emotionally before.

 I decided when i started this blog to vow to myself to be honest about things and not cover up with a sense of false optimism when the realitly of life was not all roses. However the last 7months have been hard and with the challenges begining with the sudden illness and gal bladder surgery and the long physical rebuild and healing of that compounded with huge ups and downs in other areas of my life i found it personally easier to just not write then to have to be brutally honest about how hard things have been at times.

However due to the unconditional support of my family and freinds around me and some solid self talk! i have pulled through and am now back in a space where i feel that i can train and enjoy racing again.

I still have a bit to go to be where i want to be but to be honest after the challeneges of the last 7 months I am stoaked to be back racing again and to feel heathly and strong.

I have put together a few solid performances with 5th place in both the Tinman Triathlon and the
Taupo Half, 4th in the Whangamata Contact Tri, and most recently an 11th in the Ironman 70.3 Auckland which doubled as the Asia Pacific Championships.

I didn't quite reach my top 10 goal in the 70.3 but I was close and I was stoaked to be feeling strong again in all three diciplines and to race such a quality pro field in my home twon, it was an awesome day and event!

so with the whole of 2013 lying ahead, and the challenges of 2012 behind me, i am ready and looking forward to a new year full of opportunity.

More then ever I am awear of the preciousness of our health and the blessings of the oppotunities and gifts we are given in life and very aware of the hard work required to achieve my goals. But the truth is I love been an athelete, I love competing and and I thrive off the hard work needed to succeed, I am  putting things on the line so I can live my dream and loving it.....twists, turns, moutains and ditches......... okay so not such a fan of the ditches!

Last year has helped me keep things in perspective and appreciate what I have but at the   same time i have had my eyes open to many more mountain tops that are waiting to be climbed. So fully awear of the risks i am going to keep climbing and see how far i can get, and whether it be the top i had in mind or not I am definatly going to enjoy the journey and the view !!!

have an awesome 2013 everyone......... Go out and embrace what you have and climb some mountains!............ oh and dont forget to enjoy the view!