A different style of blog
This blog won't be all about training and stats. I may write about some of the training I do along the way; the highs and lows. But anyone who races Ironman, or even knows someone who does, understands that it takes a lot of training, many hours, and to be honest, there's nothing that exciting about reading a list of numbers!
For those who would like to look at my last "12 weeks to Hawaii" blog from 2011, here's the link
This blog will be very different from that one!
The feedback I have received from my previous blogs is that people like to read the other aspects of the sport that I have written about; the ups and downs of training; juggling work, training and other aspects of life (eating and drinking for example!) But also, the mental and emotional side of training and reaching the goals that I set for myself and importantly, how I manage that aspect without becoming so caught up in achieving the goal, that the beauty of the journey is lost in the process.
Goals
I'd be insane if I said I didn't have goals for Hawaii. I suppose the fear of the heat and humidity is enough to motivate anyone to train - you don't want to turn up to Kona half fit! But I actually feel NO pressure to go back and perform any better than I did in 2011. I was happy with my race then, despite my issues on the run. I now know that getting there in 2011 wasn't a fluke. I won my age group in Malaysia to re-qualify. But it's taken me 4 years, including a year of recovery from breaking down with fatigue to get back there. So for me, the second Kona will be just like doing my first; go and enjoy the experience, and soak up every minute. Be grateful to be on the start line, and I aim to enjoy every moment as if I may never get back there, because who knows if I will?
But I digress. Yes, I have goals. It's pretty difficult to put real numbers on the swim and bike in Kona, as they are so affected by the currents and winds. That said, it is having the goal dangling like a carrot that keeps me wanting to get up and train every day.
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| Malaysia swim - 1.09 |
SWIM
IF the swim is relatively normal in terms of the currents, and given my huge improvements this
summer, I'd definitely like to target a sub 1.09 (my IM Malaysia swim time, non wetsuit). In most recent years, anything close to 1.05 could have me out of the water top 10 in my age group. As a complete non-swimmer 10 years ago, if I could accomplish that, the rest of the day I'd be floating on cloud nine!! My last Kona swim was 1.16.
BIKE
In 2011 I rode a 5.57 on the bike. I know that during that race I turned myself inside out in the final 30km to come in under 6 hours, and this may well have contributed to the massive loss of salt that I was then unable to counteract, and led to my demise in the run. I will not be making that mistake this year. Anyone who knows me has witnessed my love/hate relationship with the bike! I love going out and climbing up mountains. I'd do that for 100s and 100s of kilometres. But generally training the bike is a huge drag for me. Come race day, there's no problem, BUT I will not be chasing any kind of PB on the bike. In Malaysia I rode EXTREMELY conservatively for a 6.27 bike split. With a 4hr run, that was enough to get me the age group win, and a 11.44 finish time. So I guess I'll be happy with a comparable time to that (again, dependent on the winds).
RUN
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| Running a 3.09 marathon in 2012 |
Now this is the leg where I do have a definite goal. After all I do consider myself "a runner" above all else, and I have a 3.09 marathon under my belt. The level of heat will affect the run in Kona, but not really any more from one year to the next. After running a 4.00.29 in Malaysia in the "cauldron", I'm pretty confident that with the right prep (and better use of salt this year) I can break 4 hours for the run. This would be a double win for me; not only as I would achieve my goal, but it would also be my second fastest ironman run, after France (3.28). Last time in Kona, I ran 4.28, but had been on target for well under 4 hours until hyponatremia struck.
A word on the conditions
I seriously hope they are as brutal as any year has ever been in Kona! Having laid out my goals, I am realistic enough to know that if the conditions are seriously bad, those times could be out of the window. If that is the case then I want a REAL battle of attrition!! I went to IM France in 2011 expecting the most horrific heat and brutal climbs of my life. On the day, it seemed easier than I'd expected. Similarly in Malaysia, I wanted it to be as hot as it could possibly be, because while I don't consider myself a particularly good triathlete, I truly believe I have the art of suffering down pat! So the tougher the better as far as I'm concerned!!
That's about it for this first blog of the prep. I have a big ride in the hills to gear up for tomorrow. I'll be starting the ride with a few other Ironman athletes, including some who are Kona-bound. I have no aspirations to keep up with them tomorrow, but at least starting with others makes the long rides seem a little less lonely! Following that, I have a fun cross country relay race (everyone runs 3.5k twice!) to look forward to. And after a terrible cold, wet week in Melbourne, it looks like we might have some sunshine!
That's about it for this first blog of the prep. I have a big ride in the hills to gear up for tomorrow. I'll be starting the ride with a few other Ironman athletes, including some who are Kona-bound. I have no aspirations to keep up with them tomorrow, but at least starting with others makes the long rides seem a little less lonely! Following that, I have a fun cross country relay race (everyone runs 3.5k twice!) to look forward to. And after a terrible cold, wet week in Melbourne, it looks like we might have some sunshine!
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