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Lazy or Tired?

Or a little of both?

It's true, I gave myself a mental time-out from exercise following the Blackwood. I promised myself an "off-to-light" couple of months, nothing serious to train for, just the classes I have to teach, so I can recoup and focus on other things.


Afterall, it's Silly Season. Christmas is nearing. Work is insane. We are short staffed, we're all working overtime. There are parties and functions to organise, plus I am teaching three extra classes a week. I'm not *completely* resting on my laurels. I also promised I would put more focus and effort into work. And I am doing that, too.

But since I'm not training about 10-12 hours a week anymore, I'm feeling an odd kind of guilt. Because I have a lot of time on my hands that used to be spent training, I'm finding that I'm fluffing through my empty time and not really being purposeful about spending it. So, it'll take all morning to do dishes, cuz it can, rather than hurrying the process to get out and doing something else right away. This makes me feel lazy. But I also feel tired. And sometimes I'm not sure about which one it really is that I'm experiencing at any given time. Some of the things I'm experiencing:

• I am sleeping in later - but I'm staying up later, too. I don't have to be up any more. And I'm watching more pointless television. I'm wanting or having more naps.
• I'm drinking more tea again - this usually means I'm looking for a pick-me-up, which means I'm tired, but also I learned that artificially boosting my energy with caffiene (even as little as is available in a cup of black tea) does turn out to be an energy drain in the long run, so this is a viscious cycle I'd be better off dropping (again).
• I am skipping workouts without really worrying about making them up. E* couldn't make it in for our workout this morning, so I just didn't do mine. Generally I don't rely on other people to get me to exercise. I mean, they help - big time - but I've been (reasonably) self-motivated the last 12 months, so to skip out on a 15 minute workout seems like a silly lazy cheat.
• I don't have a big goal in mind, so as a result, I am 'floating', so-to-speak. Motivationally, I do far better having a big fat hairy audacious goal to strive towards. Without that, I'm just going through the motions.

How do you know if it's time to push through (cuz you're just feeling lazy) or rest (because you truly are tired)?

Quick Weekend Recap

I've been away, so no post for awhile. To briefly summarise the last few days:

Friday morning I did the next workout, Expert exercises for 10 minutes. I wasn't at my best, feeling rather lethargic, however, I did get a good workout from the extra intensity added for this level:

• Pushups with a 3 second hold and then explosive jump
• Lunges with a 3 second hold and double arm overhead press (I was actually tempted to lower my weight, it got so challenging)
• Incline rows with elevated feet and a 3 second hold at the top. (I had to lower my feet!)
• Goblet squats with a 3 second hold. (I could probably increase this weight)

It was screaming hot on Friday. I taught Aqua and really had to take it easy. 36 degrees and rising! And then worked as a guard until 6pm. It was a long day, but a really good one.

The best thing about the day was that when I got home, Mat was doing the dishes, our bags were packed and we were leaving!! By his logic we would just sit watching tv until 10:30, so we might as well just sit in the car until then!

So we made it to Margaret River and did mostly nothing for all of Saturday and Sunday. Visiting, snacking, I dived into the ocean fully dressed (AWESOME) and went for a very short walk.

And we napped a LOT! I feel very rested!

Now we are home and I am off to teach Aqua Gold in the rain.

I will do my measurements on Tuesday morning and do the next workout on Wednesday (Expert for 15 minutes).

Guinea Pigs

I've been enjoying my Efficient Workouts, and also enjoying the Body by Science book, particularly now that I've had a few of my concerns addressed, and once again have skimmed forward and see that they will be responding to other questions I have. I think there's a nice balance that can be struck between doing functional high intensity exercise, and 'other' exercise.

My friend E* came to Balance on Monday night and complained at how difficult she found the class because she, due to some medical issues, was not able to exercise for several months, and having gone from a very fit person to an unfit person was very frustrating to her. So, I decided to invite her along to my Efficient workout this morning. Recalling how easy the first one seemed I thought it would be an ideal starting point for her to rebuild her strength after a lengthy time off, and she happily agreed to be a guinea pig for me!

The workout didn't disappoint! As predicted, it was doable, and didn't leave her sweating like a pig and unable to head to work without a shower - though I've warned her they do get harder and she will get sweatier. It also left her feeling like she challenged herself - she didn't believe she was capable of an inverted row, and yet there she was, doing a great job of them, and even liking them! And she even did 5 toe pushups! She came out of it saying, "I don't feel all used up, but I feel like I've worked. I also feel like I could use more weight on the overhead presses."

I thought that was a good starting point for her.

I did workout #4 which was same as workout #3 but for 15 minutes this time. I increased my squat weight to 10kg, but otherwise kept all the other things equal.

And I sweated and puffed and was nearly tempted to put my feet on the floor for the inverted rows. At about 13 minutes I was really really struggling to get rep 5 out of each of those rows, grunting like those weight-mad-monkeys at the gym! How embarassing!  But I perservered and actually did all sets for all 15 minutes with the elevated feet! Woohoo!

I also have another (in principle) guinea pig for the Body by Science workouts. Mat has agreed to try them out. Mat has a physical job - he's a welder - so he's always moving heavy things around. Improved functional strength is going to be a big help to him in doing his job better. It will also, hopefully, reduce his risk of injury, and improve his cholesterol levels (his aren't bad, but his family history suggests he's really going to have to watch it). So, since it's only 12 minutes a week and only 5 exercises, and it doesn't involve running (Mat says "running's got knobs on it unless someone's chasing you") he has agreed to try it out and see what he thinks.

Cool.  Now I just need to pin down a time with him!

I followed my workout with a quick run - 4.25km in 24ish minutes. It was, in fact, a quick run! I did about a 10.6 km/hr pace! Wow! And I thought I was struggling... probably just because I was pushing harder than usual! Nice!

Now I'm off to pay for a freezer, play with my horse, and await delivery!

Awesome day!

Must. Stop. Eating!

There is a difference between appetite and hunger.

For example, this morning, during circuit class, my stomach rumbled and growled. It felt empty. I was HUNGRY. Hunger is the physical desire to eat.

I ate some nuts and felt really satisfied. I stopped eating!

At lunch time I ate a nice Caesar Salad. Just a little one, with some Banana Bread for dessert and I felt really good. I wasn't hungry or stuffed, I was nicely satisfied.

And then in walked Sandy's Catering. The leftovers from today's lunch showed up and they looked soooo very good!!  And I said "No, I'm NOT eating anything, I'm NOT hungry" and then proceeded to scoff down two kebabs, a piece of chicken, four brownies (oh those brownies!!), two mini savoury muffins, a piece of quiche and three pieces of bread.

WHAT!?

I wasn't even hungry! I ate until I felt sick! I could NOT control my appetite! Appetite is the psychological desire to eat. And I had no control over it what-so-ever! Stupid thing is, it's MY brain and I should be able to tell it when to stop. facking. eating. already!

Luckily I did teach Aqua Intense afterwards, but there's no way it even came close to knocking off the amount of calories I consumed in those 20 minutes.


I don't even know what else to say. I am just so frustrated and embarrassed!

Thoughts? Advice? Anyone? Bueller?

Book Review: Body by Science (part 1)

D* put me on to this book: Body by Science: a research-based program for strength training, body building and complete fitness in 12 minutes a week by Doug McGuff, M.D., and John Little.

I've made it through to Chapter Four, which is where I think it'll get really interesting, because it starts to talk about actual exercise!

The first three chapters lay the scientific and research base upon which they build their thesis, which can be summarised in a VERY lay-man's way as being:

One weekly short high intensity session of prescribed weight training is all the exercise you need to be healthy and fit.

In fact, they go further and suggest that no only do you not need low intensity long duration training (such as running, cycling, tennis, etc), but that in fact you should not do these things because, again to paraphrase:

these repetitive exercises will cause your body to break down and you'll be crippled with arthritis and die of a heart attack at 50.

Uh! Okay... umm ...

Now, they don't dumb the first three chapters down, and I don't disagree with the science, even if I can't pronounce all the words. I agree with the the HIT principle (High Intensity Training). I prescribe interval training to all my clients, it's a great way to pack in a fat burning workout without spending hours doing it. I also agree that weight training is excellent for so many things: bone density, metabolic function, fat loss, and to improve strength which in turn improves our ease of daily living. Yup, I like weight training. And I like HIT!

I guess the thing that bothers me is not that this isn't a sound idea, or that they haven't gone out of their way to prove that it is effective, but that it so strongly rejects the idea of 'cardio' and essentially labels it as bad. This premise leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth for two reasons:

1. I like 'cardio'! It's fun! Bouncing around in Attack, doing Aqua, running... these are fun things to do! People like sport, they like to socialise, they like to challenge themselves. These are motivating factors to exercise and that keeps people going back. People should do things they enjoy so they keep doing them! Exercise is not exclusively about optimising health in 12 minutes a week. Well, it might be for some, but not for everyone. 
2. I am not sure that the intensity at which they suggest a person work is suitable for those new to exercise. Although their studies look at "the average" person, and have tried to eliminate genetic anomalies, I am thinking that some of my seniors, those new to exercise, and many weight loss clients would really struggle with this program. However, I admit, I haven't gotten that far into the book yet, so really can't make that call now.

One thing I really like about this book is how clearly it demonstrates that the body responds to all load in the same fashion, that the body should be looked at as a whole, rather than separate systems. In other words, it doesn't matter what you're doing to challenge the body, once it's appropriately challenged, the metabolic functions of creating and sustaining energy is the same. The anecdotal evidence to support this is from my efforts in the Most Efficient Workout program. By doing those resistance training exercises in rapid succession, I felt that I was getting a greater 'cardio' challenge than muscle-building challenge. My muscles were not fatiguing at the same rate that my heart and lungs had to work to keep up with the work load, but I was definitely getting benefits from working harder and faster than I normally would.

The authors also mention specificity of training: where if you want to be a good cyclist, you will have to cycle, and if you want to be a good swimmer, you'll have to swim (though they clearly state that certain body types are clearly pre-disposed to being more effective at some forms of exercises than others).  Therefore, so far, the place that their 12 minute system would seem to fall flat for me is that although this weight training program will improve my metabolic function, my muscle strength, will help me burn adipose (fat) tissue, and improve my heart and lung's capacity under load, it won't make me a good swimmer, runner, cyclist. So if I want to do a triathlon, I'm going to have to do those things.

In glancing through chapter four, when they discuss the Big Five, their core weight training exercises, I have to admit, I prescribe each of these exercises to almost all of my clients. They do provide a nearly full body range of exercises, they're compound and therefore are very effective in recruiting lots of muscle fibres. All good so far! Can't wait to learn more!

Better get reading!

Workout #3 and Measurements

This morning I woke up with a little muscle tenderness in my lats! And I thought, "oh wow, maybe that was a better workout yesterday than I thought!"

You're supposed to have at least one day rest between workouts, but I did today's anyway, because I'd like to get back on and stick to the schedule. Today, I did my measurements and the 10 minute Advanced workout.

Workout 3:
5 reps of each exercise for 10 minutes without stopping:

• Explosive Push Up (make hands leave the floor on the 'up stroke')
• Reverse Lunge with 1-Arm Press (as before, using 4kg weights)
• Elevated Feet Inverted Row (bar in same position as before, feet on step with 2 risers)
• Goblet Squat (holding 8kg dumbbell)

The Conclusion: Oh my goodness!

I wanted an upper body workout and I sure got it! I could only do the explosive pushups from my knees. And if you want to see a flailing monkey, that's how I felt! Very uncoordinated at first, but I eventually got the hang of it.

The elevated feet on the row, in essence, would have been like lowering the bar another notch, and was very effective at pushing my limits. I was definitely struggling to complete the last few reps to full range in the last several circuits.

The added weight in the squat allowed me to feel my glutes engage far more than previously, and I will probably go up to 10kg for the next round.

It took several minutes for my heart and respiration rate to return to normal after today's workout. I was working quite hard today! I needed to stretch my chest and shoulders for quite a lot longer than I normally would.

For a short little effort, definintely a challenge!!

As for my measurements, there is minimal change, and according to the chart, both my Body Fat Percentage and my BMI has gone up (I've gotten fatter!?), probably just because my weight has gone up. But my waist, chest, & wrist measurements have gone down - although the changes are realtively insignificant, and variations in those measurements could be due to not measuring in the exact same spot each time, as much as in genuine change in body shape. But I do think my arms are slightly more defined. When I am doing the rows, they sure look muscley in the mirror!

Another thing not considered is my diet over the last week. I must say it has been TERRIBLE! I have had a few really good meals, but I have also had a significant number of convenience meals, chocolate bars, and bread bread bread! I've also eaten more than I've needed on numerous occasions (why do I eat when I'm no longer hungry?) and I can generally say this week has been nutritionally poor. Lots of excuses, but mainly just poor planning... sleeping in and not having a lunch prepared, that sort of thing.

I'm hoping this week will be more nutritionally sound and that I will see, and, more importanly, FEEL changes in my body. I am so done with being tired all the time!

Workout #2

Yay! I did it! I found 15 minutes and I didn't forget!

Here's what today's workout was:

Workout Two:
5 repetitions of each of the following four exercises in sequence with no rests for 15 minutes.

• Push Ups
• Reverse Lunge and 1-Arm Press (5 per side)
• Inverted Row
• Prisioner Squat

The conclusion: MUCH BETTER!

This time I was working much harder. I got my heart pounding in my ears! I was trying to move more quickly, but I was still doing a circuit in about 1 minute, but I was getting more out of it this time.

• I did the first three circuits of Push Ups from my toes - until my right arm was very noticably over-compensating for my left and I was no longer going to full range. I was also able to do the last two sets from my toes. This means I did 25 full push ups after not being able to do ANY for MONTHS. Very pleased!
• I used 4kg dumbbells for the overhead presses in the lunges. I definintely felt my shoulders working hard by half-way.
• I focused on dropping directly into the lunge and keeping the front leg loaded when I stepped forward. This increased my speed, but I'm not sure I got into my legs enough. Might have to try to drop a little deeper still.
• I had the bar in a suitable spot for a bit of challenge immediately in the Inverted Rows, so there were no wasted reps.
• I focused on getting as deep as possible in the squats, but I think more than 5 reps is required, or some weight is needed to really make this exercise count in such a short workout.

15 minutes of the above left me short of breath, my heart was pounding and I was sweaty. I felt like I had gotten a fair workout, though certainly not the hardest workout in the world. I am looking forward to adding more weights/reps/challenge to the exercises, because although I did get a work out, it was almost more of a cardio challenge than a weight lifting type challenge. I could probably lower the bar one more notch for the Rows and I am looking forward to doing more toe push ups!

Yay! I can do pushups again!

World's Most Efficient Workout ... ?

I suppose this workout isn't going to be too efficient or effective if I don't do it, eh?

I was going to do Workout 2 Friday morning at 6am, but I was so very very tired. I have been tired and my tummy upset again this past week. Very frustrating. So, I slept in Friday morning and then was determined to do it after I completed AquaGold at 3pm.

But then I had to get my Working With Children Check renewal done! Oops! And it had to be renewed before 4pm on Friday! Double Oops! I did get that done, bought groceries, picked up horse food, came home and promplty forgot about the World's Most Efficient Workout.

Then, when I remembered, I said to myself: "That's okay, I'll do it Saturday after work. I will close up shop at 1pm and then do the 15 minutes and head home."

Instead I had a rather distressing encounter at work that sent me scurrying to see Mat for comforting, and, once again, put the workout well and truly out of my mind.

I have to work tomorrow, too. I am opening and on-call all day. I am therefore saying no to a 6am ride of 60-80km because I'm not so sure that a) I'm up to it, and that b) I'd make it back in time to do my job.

Instead, I will endeavour to do a mini-triathlon in the morning and then, when I open up on Sunday I will do my 15 minutes.

Maybe. :P

I might just need a more alluring goal.

World's Most Efficient Workout - Workout 1

So, I said I was going to get my proverbial in order and try this workout on for size.

I went ahead and measured myself on Saturday in anticipation of a Monday start, and my starting weight and measurements are available in my Measurement Chart, which is quicklinked to the right. It is my plan to measure myself weekly to see if this workout stacks up to its claims:

In only 4 weeks, you'll create a lean physique that looks like the product of hours at the gym.

This measurement chart does some approximations based on the data provided to determine weight from fat and from lean tissue. It also calculates BMI. I'm not a fan of BMI, but it's a standard measure and one way to see if there are any changes to my body composition. I've also added two other body parts, biceps and thighs, that are not considered in the calculations.

Unfortunately I didn't do this workout on Monday, I slept in and focused on Aqua choreography instead.

Leading up to this Wednesday's workout I did a fair amount of other exercise:
- Sunday: 30km bike ride, aqua training
- Monday: taught Aqua Gold, taught Balance
- Tuesday: did a little in Circuit, taught Aqua Intense, did a Body Odyssey with Kirsty (Pump warmup, squats and chest and Balance warmup, sun salutations and standing strength, plus cool down)

Today I intended to run to the gym and do the workout and then run home (I really need to run!), but I got called into work for a short time, so drove over, did what had to be done, then did my workout and came home.

Here is what the workout is meant to be:

Workout One:
5 repetitions of each of the following four exercises in sequence with no rests for 10 minutes.
- Push ups
- Reverse Lunge and 1-Arm Press (5 per side)
- Inverted Row
- Prisioner Squat

The conclusion: TOO EASY

I did about 10 reps of this circuit in 10 minutes, working hard on good form, and got up a bit of a sweat and felt my quads quite a bit. But I could already feel my quads from the night before. Without the big exercise day from the day before I don't think I would have felt my legs half as much. My upper body only got an ok workout. Not exactly what I was expecting. The article does state that:

Instead of counting reps and sets, you'll focus on the total amount of work you can accomplish in a fixed amount of time. As you progress, you'll naturally increase your sets and reps, be able to use more weight, and perform exercises that are more challenging.

So in all likelihood, I probably wasn't trying hard enough or going fast enough.

I really wanted to do more than 5 reps of each exercise, and I dropped the bar lower on the inverted row about the second set to get more challenge out of that exercise. I would have gotten a better workout if I had done the pushups on my toes, but just wasn't able to do that yet. I did two toe pushups and my shoulder complained. My shoulder is nearly mended and I can do a wide grip knee pushup quite comfortably, but once on my toes I can really feel the shoulder twinge. Won't be long though, and it'll be fine!

Friday is the same workout but for 15 minutes. Then the next few sessions increase the intensity using 'explosive' moves and isometric moves. That will probably create a much more distinctive burn!

I will weigh and measure myself on Mondays to see if there are any changes.

Resting on my Laurels

I've had a week off. It's been nice, but a bit too easy to get used to sitting around and just doing 'whatever'. Whatever often includes eating something, watching tv and sitting on facebook. Not really quality use of my time.

Now, I grant you, I needed that. I wanted to catch up on things. I wanted to rest.

Afterall, I really didn't have my whole body working for me until Wednesday, I had Aqua Gold and Aqua Intense choreography to sort out, I worked all day Saturday. I did some scrapbooking, bought much-needed groceries, cooked meals, did housework. So I had plenty of good reasons for sitting on my proverbial. I wasn't completely idle, but ... well...

What I didn't have a good excuse for was this Sunday morning.

My plan was to ride my bike to the pool at 6, have a little swim, head out for a little while on the bike, then open the Centre at 8am for the cleanup crew. I was thinking that I'd take TK for a walk today, too. He's got a nasty bite mark from Nero on his back, and can't put a saddle on him right now, but I thought a little time socialising with him would be a great idea.

Instead I slept in until 7am, went to work to open for the cleanup crew at 8am, then came home and started to clean my kitchen.

Okay, the kitchen REALLY REALLY needed a deep clean. It's probably been since this time last year that I washed the curtains and windows. It was time to de-web the house. And the mouse tracks were beyond disgusting. All the mice have moved indoors to hide from the big ass snake hunting in the hay shed. In truth, I've been putting cleaning the kitchen off for too long, and it is a huge job that I haven't managed to finish yet, even with most of the day spent on it. But at least most of the cupboards now smell 'lemon fresh bleach' clean!

But then, where was the swim, ride, walk? Have I already fallen that far off the wagon? "Yeah, I'm an Iron Woman, so I don't have to exercise." Uh, no, that doesn't seem right at all!!

Luckily, Helen asked me if I was coming on the 4:00 social ride today. I almost turned her down, but decided to put down my kitchen sponge and go for a ride!!

This coming week will see me pick up the number of active classes I teach from two to five, and there are pleny of opportunities to stay active thanks to work. But there's plenty more I need to do. If I don't run soon, I'll be back to square one. I want to try these exercise claims out. I need to set some goals. I need to get locked in to something great! I need to set a new workout schedule.

I don't seem to be able to exercise 'out of habit.' I know plenty of people who just get up and workout and that's that. I still have to make a conscious effort to strap on the shoes and head out. And this after a full year of high volume training, and knowing how great I feel when I workout.

Do you think this is strange? Or are you a regular exerciser who has to work at it too?

Tim Tam Explosions and Other Great Ideas

Body Attack was cancelled tonight, and instead of doing a workout, or going for a run, I went to T&Es and had tea and Tim Tams. I only had one Tim Tam, which shows major restraint on my part, because I ADORE Tim Tam Explosions!

For the uninitiated, a Tim Tam Explosion (or also called a Tim Tam Slam) is where you nibble off alternate corners of your Tim Tam, set one nibbled corner into your cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or Milo, and then SUCK as if through a straw from the alternate corner of the biscuit. What you get is the chocolate (and in today's case, chewy caramel) melting and exploding into your mouth! Then you have a warm slightly soggy Tim Tam to finish off, generally in a single mouthful, or you'd just make a terrible mess of yourself. Here's a wickipedia link to the process. Wickipedia knows everything!

If you haven't tried this, you MUST. I do believe Tim Tams are avaialble now in Canada, and last I heard, they were known as Arnott's Originals.

Anyway, I came home and while waiting for dinner to cook - just basic fish rice and veggies - I was surfing along and saw this post from Men's Health: "World's Most Efficient Workout." And didn't think a whole lot about it at first... but then the fact that I have started to read  Body by Science (which means I have scanned the book and looked a the pictures) and the fact that I am looking for a new training regime, put the idea in my head that I should try these workouts and review them!

So I am putting a little plan in place, and if I get my proverbial together over the weekend and get my Aqua Intense choreography figured out I will start off doing a weigh-in and measure on Monday morning and start the World's Most Efficient Workout! What fun!

If, in the meantime, you see any workouts you'd like reviewed, send them to me! Not sure what to expect or how it'll go, but it'll be a fun experiment!

War Wounds

These pictures don't really show off my injuries as well as I'd like, but here are the three main culprits that keep making me wince! I'm such a wuss!

This first one is my left calf/shin where I fell against the rocks trying to get into my kayak. It doesn't look like much in the photo, but it's surrounded by a lovely green bruise that just doesn't like being touched. It needed to be covered to keep the flies off it. It was kind of embarassing to have a big bandage on it for just a few scrapes, but flies love blood, and I hate flies! So I had it dressed up with a full wrap bandage, since the ambos didn't just have a bandaid, fix-a-mole or spray plaster. What kind of dodgy service are they running there anyway? hehe


Kayaking Wounds

This is the saddle sore on the back of my left knee/thigh. It burns just being there. It doesn't even like to have fabric touching it. It sucks. I can't bend my knee right back (as in swan pose) without feeling it heat up like a fresh ember! Funny though, I didn't even know I had it until I had a shower after the event and the water running over it made me jump!



Saddle Sores

And finally, also not impressive until you touch it, my second toe. There was a nasty blood blister underneath it, which has released, but the nail is lifted and there's dried blood under the nail too, that just won't clean out. It hurts every time I bump it. I felt this happen, as I was running down those big hills, my toe was sliding slightly forward and jamming into my shoe. I have the misfortune of having a size 8.5 left foot and 8 right foot. So I wear 8.5s. This has never been a real issue until taking up running, as that extra half size allows the right foot to move a little more, and voila! I have smashed toenails!



Ugly feet!

 Anyway, there's my war wounds!
Don't you just love showing off your bruises, scars and other injuries of pride? I know I do!!
Do you like to compare injuries, or are you more of a "I don't want to see that" kind of person?

So, now what?

So, I did it! My four year journey has ended.

I am a Blackwood Iron Lady!

So, now what?

I promised Mat I wouldn't do it again in 2011. Maybe 2012!? :)

My cousin Darin has been inspired to do the Iron Man next year, so I guess I have passed the baton. If I am able, I will be there to support him as he supported me! And offer lots and lots of good advice!

In the immediate future I need to focus on getting my Aqua Gold choreography figured out for Friday, and even more critically, my Aqua Intense choreography for Tuesday next week. I have only just glazed over the music and my notes and ideas. So I will be quite intent on all things aquatic for the next seven days.

In no particular order, and without deep reflection, these are the things that come to mind when I say to myself: In the next year I want to focus on:

• Mat, and providing whatever he needs from me to be successful in business and happy in life
• TK and getting our relationship strong
• Running - maybe doing a half-marathon
• Gardening, cooking and keeping house
• Home renovations
• Friendships - I'd like to entertain more frequently
• Finding ways to maximize my work - both in output and quality
• Being a great and inspiring fitness instructor - make more connections and have a greater impact on participants and clients
• Getting my Cert IV in fitness

These seem like the start of new year's resolutions, and I guess to some extent they are. I will have a time void now that I won't be training as much and I need to have a focus to fill in that void or I will only blunder along without purpose. I feel more 'whole' with a purpose!

As an aside, I haven't got my photos posted up yet but will do that shortly. I am still waiting for Jan to send a few over, but I have the few that Eleanor took and that Mat got on the phone (Mat's are already on facebook). The official photos are now up and you can see my photos by clicking on this link and then searching for w418.

I also plan to write a letter to the Blackwood organisers to thank and congratulate them on a well run event!

So, that's it! A few photos, and then ... ??

If I Had To Do It Again...

And I would... in a heart beat! But I promised Mat I wouldn't. It's his year!

But if I had to, here's some things I would change:

1. Equipment training. Get the equipment you are going to use on the day and practice in it. Change it if it isn't going to work and feel perfectly comfortable for the event!
2. Location training. Go to those hills and ride them, run them, cycle them. Paddle more, portage more.
3. Build in more recovery and cross training in training cycle. A macro-cycle of one week long slow distance, one week of speed and interval training, one week of maintenance and cross training, repeat cycle and then one week off, so you get a rest week every 6 weeks (adjusted depending on competition schedules). Actually, just thinking maybe that should be flipped around, with cross-training, then speed, then distance, so you rest after a distance week... only one way to find out which will be best! :)
4. Block training. Nail your transitions. Run then kayak. Swim then run then ride. Ride then cycle. Seems obvious, but practice with the gear you are going to use and get your transitions down to a fine art. Know where everything is, what order it needs to come out of the box. Stack it just so. Use it in that order. Be able to do it yourself, just in case you have to!
5. Nutrition. I was pretty happy with my nutrition planning. I had enough to eat and drink and never felt completely depleted. I was struggling a bit due to not being able to eat while on the horse, but I did drink and I wasn't completely destroyed. Practice with the food you use. Find what works for you and be consistent with it. Know that you don't have to use gels or gus or special drinks, that real food works fine too.
6. Preparation. I did good with this (except for missing my crop top, I had everything I needed when I needed it). Unless you have done it a few times and know exactly what you want and need and have packing down to a fine art, take the two days before. Plan everything, write a list, organise and recheck. Cook lots of food! Put everything in boxes for each transition and label the boxes. Let everyone who needs to handle the boxes know what's in them and what you need them to do with the boxes.
7. Recovery. Once again, I think I did well with this. Plan lots of food, plenty of time for sleep and rest, and massage and stretching. I probably didn't need to take two days for recovery, but am grateful for the second day, none-the-less, as it means cleaning up after the event is possible, and more naps and eating is possible, and there won't be any struggling through work.
8. Helpers. It takes an ARMY to support an Iron Person. There were 200ish teams, not quite 1000 competitors, and approximately 2000 support crew! That's a lot of people to help out! You need a team manager, you need to review the what's and where's, and the team members who are helping you need to know your expectations at each changeover, for example, "Meet with with a bottle of water, then I need the towel to dry off, then if you can put sunscreen on my back and shoulders while I change my shoes, I'll be ready to go." Clear expectations means that when you're adrenaline rushed you won't be puffing out instructions that might sound more like barking out orders. Also, trust that they have your back. Just do your thing and know that they are doing everything that needs to get done to make sure you can focus on your race. Trust! :)
9. Also, take good care of  your helpers! Organise food and drinks for them. They need to be strong and healthy to support you. Make sure they have chairs to sit on and hats and sunscreen and jackets too. Maybe some money for ice cream, if they are so lucky to be near an ice cream van. Yum!

Some discipline specific changes I would make are:

Run:

I was pretty happy with my running. But in training I did start to get bored with the long slow distances, and was struggling to get my distance over 12km. So the changes I would make are:

1. Use recovery macro-cycle: build long slow distances; build up speed in 5 and 10k runs with sprints and intervals; do hill climbs, stair runs, plyometrics, lunges, and other running drills to improve form, and keep it interesting.
2. Add off-road running.
3. Practice downhill running.
4. Make sure you are doing it in good shoes.
5. Stretch and do yoga to keep the muscles limber. I would love to have done about double the amount of yoga I did! It is good for a runner to be flexible!

Kayak:
Obviously, this easy point to make here is to actually practice in the equipment you are going to use!

1. Get good equipment. Try lots of things out, find something you like well before the event, and then practice in it lots. Even if you can't afford a flash kayak, get something you can afford (or borrow something you will be able to use regularly) and get on the water!
2. When you can't get on the water, do paddle at home in your living room. It really does help. Use a much heavier paddle than you will use on the day.
3. Go to the Blackwood River and train on it.
4. Practice getting in and out of the kayak quickly.
5. Practice carrying and dragging your kayak.
6. Cross train with lots of push ups, rows, tricep work (I have strong triceps and they were on fire after the paddle!). Chin ups and other lat work would also be a huge benefit. Wrist and forearm strengthening exercises will be of great benefit too.
7. Do pilates for core strength. Your back and core need to be in tip-top shape for maximum stroke effect. Get your obliques strong!
8. If your kayak has a rudder, pull up the rudder and practice paddling and controlling your craft without the rudder. You hear about this every year: rudder lost, kayaker can't control boat, barely or doesn't finish race.
9. Check your equipment before the race and have a back up plan! :)

Swim:
Fitness and some swimming ability alone will get you through the swim. But, there's always ways to improve!

1. In the case of the Blackwood River, don't wear brown-tinted goggles, as I did. It matches the water colour. And then you really can't see! Clear goggles are the way to go.
2. A wet suit adds buoyancy and warmth, but is not critical to the success of the swim, unless it's a really cold day.
3. Train in open water if possible, if for no other reason but to experience the distance for yourself before the race.
4. Train to swim about 2km in a pool, because without the rests and without pushing off at the end of each lap, you end up experiencing a much more challenging swim, even if you're going faster, because there is absolutely NO PAUSE button.
5. Practice running after your swim. Since you need to get up that bank, and you need to THINK after the swim, you need to develop your stamia beyond the 1km.

Horse:
Some of the things I mention here might be fairly specific to TK, but generally this is a harder and faster ride that is busier and has more people running out of control than is probably ideal. So you need trust and control with your horse.

1. Secure a strapper early. Lock them in. Work with them. Thank them profusely!
2. Expose the horse to lots of different environments. Go to endurance rides, social rides, ride in new places. Go to pony club, take him/her to different events. Let strangers handle your horse, take them to busy places, and away from them.
3. Work on control and TRUST. By trust I mean get the horse to trust that the rider does know what's best and will not steer you wrong, and get the rider to trust that the horse will listen, watch its own feet, and tell you when something is wrong. Do 'spooking' exercises, do group work, do alone work, get a good trainer you can relate to and work with your horse so that you know that when it comes to the day, he's not just fit, but will ride the ride you ask.
4. Build athletic and gymnastic ability as well as just stamina. Use the recovery macros-cycle mentioned earlier. Do long slow distances. Do some speed and heart rate training. Do lots of dressage style work, focusing on flexibility, strength. Do some jumping and in-hand work.
5. If possible, get a heart rate monitor for your horse so you actually know how hard he's working.
6. Always always always follow your cool down routine. Just starting the routine will teach the horse that the end is here and that he can rest and he'll be more likely to cool to requirements quickly. Practice this routine with your strapper.
7. Practice good equine management. Get the teeth done, worm, drench, and feed your horse appropriately. Get feet done regularly and make sure that you really trust your farrier, and that he understands the demands you are placing on your horse.
8. Separate your horse from a group, pull him up and make him do something different than his friends. Teach your horse that you are the herd, and he doesn't need the other horses. And, if you're lucky, you'll also teach him that he doesn't need to be first!
9. Practice riding in whatever you are going to be wearing out of the swim. Get it wet and ride in it. I got terrible saddle sores from my bike shorts under my pants. Wet rubber leg bands rubbing through onto the fender of the saddle made a BIG ouchie. I rode in my bike shorts in training, but not in them wet. What a difference!
10. Make sure your horse loads easily and that anyone can get him on a float. Practice loading with your strapper.

Bike:
I did alright in the bike, but there's heaps of room for improvement.

1. Get a decent bike with good gearing. I saw a few people doing this on mountain bikes, and they were working hard. Yes, they passed me, but that's not the point! :) Or is it? They had good gearing and knew their bikes. I also saw young Ryan on a very old bike that he wasn't very familiar with and didn't have good gearing and he struggled. He could have done the bike ride way faster if he had a better bike to practice on before the race.
2. Go to Bridgetown and ride those hills. Over and over again. In fact, ride it in reverse, too. I think it'd be even harder that way.
3. Use the recovery macro-cycle for training. Get some distance rides in, some hills, do some time trials, and a little weight training to develop leg strength.

So, now, in theory, you should be able to go out and do the Blackwood Marathon! Maybe see you there next year! :)

Recovery

Recovery has been interesting. I knew I'd be sore and I planned for that. I knew I'd be hungry and I planned for that. And I knew I'd be tired and planned for that too!

But my body thrown me a few surprises along the way.

I ate when I crossed the finish line, had an iced chocolate (milk, whipped cream, crushed ice and chocolate sauce - YUM) and an apple, a museli bar, some lollies, lots and lots of water. But could only eat two bites of a burger at that point. I was still feeling strong an hour after the whole thing was over, but I was feeling COLD! I knew I'd be cold as my body temperature started to settle back into resting mode, but I was really cold, and on a 23 degree sunshiney day I was in the warmest jumper Rob could find me! Heaven!

Got home and had a shower, and then had a few choc chip cookies and banana bread and a lot more water, and then laid down for awhile, thinking I'd probably sleep through dinner, but I didn't. I rested, I dozed, but couldn't sleep well. My war wounds were starting to ache, my body was starting to 'thrum' so I got up and Mat and I went for a very short walk to get my muscles moving.

I started peeing ALOT, but was still dehydrated, a bit headachey, so took some Tylenol, drank and drank and drank, and then at dinner ate my burger. It was PERFECT! Just what I needed! I even put pickled beetroot on it, and I liked it!! I stayed awake for longer than I thought, Rob went to bed with the kids at 8ish, and I was in bed by 9ish. No one stayed up late, not even Mat and Darin, who always stay up late talking! It had been a big day for everyone!

It took me a long time to settle into sleep. I was restless, I kept running over and over the movie of the day in my mind. This is what surprised me most. I thought I would crash and burn, and I didn't. I finally settled into a nice sleep, but was awake at 1am to go to the toilet. I couldn't fall back asleep, so got up and went to check the horses (Kat, Rob's horse, was making a terrible racket), laid back down, thinking "what is WRONG with me!?" and it finally dawned on me...

I was HUNGRY!

So at 2am I ate some biscuits, and a sausage (I know, how gross) and went back to bed. This time I slept wonderfully until 5am. And then I was HUNGRY again!

I have been hungry for small amounts of food every few hours for the last two days. Last night (Sunday) I slept through the night, but ate right till bedtime, and ate the moment I woke up. In fact, it was my stomach that woke me up! I thought I would be ravenous and want to eat large amounts of food in a sitting, but in fact I can't eat that much. I have been eating smaller portions than I usually eat, but much more frequently.

I also haven't been sleeping as much as I thought I would. Instead of long deep sleeps, I have been having these lie-downs, for anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes, I just rest, and sometimes sleep. I thought I would konk out and need to sleep for 10-15 hours, but even last night I only got about 7 hours. I am just happy to lie down whenever my body asks and let it rest.

Today I have a massage planned, and am so looking forward to that, and also Body Balance tonight. I took the night off, and wasn't going to do the class at all, but I realised that I would really benefit from the class and decided to come along, but have Kirsty do most of the teaching. I am so grateful that Kirsty is taking the 'hard' tracks. Standing Strength, Balance, Abs, Back, and a few others (she is doing most of the class, in fact) because I tried to so some Warrior 1s and 2s yesterday and let's just say they are not up to standard! I may need to rest frequently or 'cheat' in my form a little to get through those tracks. But I am really looking forward to the stretching and loosening up.

Time to feed the horses, dog, cat, do a few dishes, laundry, and plan my day. I also have a few other posts I want to work on and will be sharing much more soon! I am especially looking forward to writing the "If I had to do it again" post!

The Blackwood Marathon - Blow By Blow

PREPARATION

I was up early Saturday morning. Surprise surprise.  Got dressed, fed the horse, and double-checked all my gear.

 

Guess what I forgot?  My swim crop top! Yeah, I know! How stupid was that?! So I had to do everything in my regular sports bra top and running/cycling shirts. No biggie, but an annoyance, with so much planning in place, to forget the top I was meant to wear for the entire day.

 

I packed the food for myself and my strappers, double-checked all the boxes. Nothing else would be left behind!

 

So, by 7am-ish, we were pretty much organised, having discussed who was going to be where and when, reviewing road closures and everyone seemed on top of everything.

 

We loaded the horse, but he was not very cooperative. This is a frustration when we all have places to be!

 

T&E took the horse and float off to the yards to prep for vetting.

 

Mat drove me to the race start, and then had to leave to get to the kayak start to ensure we were set up there. I checked in and got my numbers marked on my arms and my bib (418), and sat with Steve and Jan leading up to the start. I also met Alison (402) and Ryan (405) who were also doing Iron Person for the first time ever too! So good to meet them and a few others. There is definitely some camradarie amongst the competitors. Everyone is there for their own race, but isn't against saying hi and offering a bit of support!

 

RUN

 

We started off and did the lap of the oval. It's quite a sight, 200 people taking off. Just to watch everyone running, stringing along, it's quite an experience.

 

Everyone was warning me about this first big hill. Really, it wasn't that bad. I mean it, it wasn't. It was long, but it wasn't horrible. As they say "all hills are flat" - it's not like we were climbing a mountain!  There was water at the top of the hill (and every 3km), and I slowed to a walk, had a good drink, and headed off again at each water station. In all, I would say there were only 5 decent up hills. But it was the downhills that you had to watch out for. The last two big downhill runs before the end were quick and that's something really worth practicing - running downhill on gravel and grass. Finding how fast you can go and how much you can trust your legs will help choose how to tackle the descents. I really opened up on the gravel, but slowed down on the grass a bit, the footing was more uneven as you run through the paddock towards the river. Off-road running should be added to the training schedule if doing this again.

 

I wish I had a camera with me, one that can also capture my amazement at the sight of all these people lined up along the finish of the run. There were cars and people and kayaks EVERYWHERE. It was wild and intimidating. There were kids shouting words of support to all us runners and giving high fives. It was great! It felt wonderful!

 

KAYAK

 

Mat saw me through the timing chute, got me to my kayak, and helped me get changed, watered, and sunscreened (I could feel my knees getting sunburnt!). Then the race crew helped me get down to the water. It was a long and treacherous climb down over tree branches and a steep drop into the water. And then I was off like the proverbial shot.

 

Okay, I wasn't that fast. I was weaving all over the place, and struggling quite a bit at first. Then I got going and did alright.

 

Some points of reference for the kayak, should you ever try to do this yourself:

1. Gear makes a huge difference. All the practice in the world will not make crap gear go fast, but great gear even without alot practice will get you a lot further. Get good gear. Then practice in it.
2. Double-check your gear. The paddle I was using started to FALL APART! It wobbled and lost rigidity. The shaft was fine, but the paddle itself started to crumble!
3. Practice getting in and out of your kayak quickly. Practice dragging your kayak for long distances over uneven terrain LOTS.
4. Accept assistance when it is offered! At the big portage across the weir the volunteers on the edge actually carried my kayak up the bank, thank goodness, and then shared the load across the road and down to the next bank. They also helped me out at the finish line and started to carry my kayak until Mat came and grabbed it.

 

I am actually surprised I did as well as I did. I was not last, and I gained a little on Matthew (414) who was also on a pleasure kayak and did the run in about the same time. But he was way faster into the water at the changeover, and he was really quick getting in and out at the portages. Suzie (417) had only three practice rides on her friend's surf ski and was challenged a bit at first, but quickly overtook me and did a great time! Trust me, it's all about the gear in this sport!

 

I was afraid that my paddle might fall completely apart during the course. I kept hitting the bottom, it was SO shallow in spots, and I could feel the paddle vibrating as I pulled it through the water. I wondered if I would be allowed to complete by dragging or swimming my kayak to the finish line if I ended up without a paddle!?Luckily, I made it to the end, and the paddle survived! But it's turned soft and flexible, with crumbling edges. Terrible!

 

I came out at the finish and I was bleeding. I had fallen in at the weir entry and sraped the begeebers out of my left shin. I asked for a bandaid and got the full-meal-deal from the St John Ambulance crew! I don't know if I'm going to get a bill, but they were really nice, even though we were in a bit of a rush to get to lunch. But we had to get the wound covered, the flies were terrible and trying to eat my leg alive! I got a temporary dressing to take off before the swim, and more gear to clean it and redress it after the swim. It wasn't a bad cut, but a good bruise and scrapes. I just wanted some of that spray bandaid stuff. But oh well!

 

LUNCH

 

Darin and Rob and the kids were at the lunch spot with the horse. As was Jan. It was so nice that they had found the time to come down and support me! Mat took the float away to the end location and I ate and visited very briefly. I was still abuzz with the excitement of completing the first two legs and not feeling like I was going to die. I was, in fact, feeling REALLY really GOOD! The morning actually seemed quite easy, all things considered!

 

SWIM

 

Jan walked down to the start of the swim. She took my glasses and shoes and got them back to the horse leg, so I wouldn't be blind on the horse. So glad Darin and Jan thought of these things, I hadn't thought of or planned for the glasses or shoes! A barefoot walk across the paddock would have hurt alot. And a swim with glasses, or a ride without would have sucked.

 

We had been told at the breifing at 8:30am by the head race marshall that all Iron People would move up in the swim order so we didn't fall too far behind in completing. Times are times, but finishing late because of the changeover times was just a bit unfair. So, we were to go down to the swim and were to be staggered between the regular team swimmers. Unfortunately, the swim marshall hadn't gotten the message and was holding all us 400s back! We were getting a bit antsy when Alison came though, got in the water and told the marshall in no uncertain terms that 402 is LEAVING on the swim and she needs to get the Iron People in the water. And then we were in! Go Alison!

 

The water was a shock when I hit it, and I really had a hard time talking myself into putting my head underwater at first. But as I got settled in, I got into the groove. The advantage of breast stroke is that you can see where you are going! I set straight line targets - through the closest bridge pillars, along the floats to the bank. No extra swing around. Lots of people were swinging wide, to try to catch some current, but there wasn't really any to speak of, so no point!

About half-way through (I guess) I had to pop by goggles off and swim head up, since I could NOT see! The water was clouding and filming over my goggles. YUCK!

 

At one point we hit the ground, the water was so shallow we RAN through the river for about 10 meters or more! It felt crazy to be running the swim course. Man the water was LOW!

 

I thought I was taking an age. I couldn't judge how far I had gone. I had no idea how much longer there was to go. And then the end was there and I was up the hill and Darin met me there and helped me get dressed for the horse leg. So good to have a helper, because I was struggling to think. The swim was tougher than I thought. No edge every 50 meters, no way to know how you're doing. So when he handed me a new shirt, and it was inside-out, I had no idea how to get it on. Funny how the brain works! hehe

 

HORSE

 

T&E and Darin and Rob had all helped with the horse. TK was dressed and ready to go, and cool as a cucumber. I adjusted the girth just to make sure that all was well, Darin gave me a leg up and we headed out. At first it was a slow trot as TK gathered up his surroundings, tried heading in the direction of the float and then...

 

... saw the horses running along the course...

 

... and we were GALLOPING again and out of control again, and I had no brakes. Our lessons were gone and he was an f'ing maniac! I had to call out to so many people "Runaway coming up, runaway coming hard" and he nearly crushed us with others through gates. I suppose I should count myself lucky that he is steerable while running like that, but what's not so good is that he is fitter and stronger now than ever, and it took 4km for him to slow down. Basically, he only slowed down AFTER he passed everyone he could see. I lost a stirrup in the process of all this, and was so embarassed and frustrated and just happy to still be sitting on him!! I was ready to quit, I was so upset, but then...

 

... we turned onto Lodge Road, and started this canter. And it was divine! It was in control. We trotted downhill, we cantered up, we made it look like I had a horse that listened. Until ...

 

... we once again turned down the track where a walk or trot is CRITICAL due to footing. Luckily Clare (rider for team 7) and her horse Thorny (whom I met at Manjimup) were with me and actually blocked TK from tearing off down this killer rolly rocky hill! We rode together for awhile, but when we went through the gates and got back into open paddock, and TK was off again. Where did he find the energy!? A second hard gallop. I actually managed to pull him up again just before we got through a gate. Once again, we nearly crushed a horse and rider through a gate, but we all managed to get through safely. Gotta tell you, it is SO embarassing to have a horse you can't manage!

 

We got into a decent canter again and I tried to get him to trot a bit, but he was so fired up! My lazy horse was no where to be found! Instead I had a Pony Express Horse! We had four km to go and we had had only three or four nice kilometers so far, and I decided I was going to push him up every hill, and once again remind him that I was the rider. So we were cantering up, and trotting downhill and I had my horse back finally, until ...

 

... we came around a bend and crest of the last hill, and he could see the floats, the bunting the finish line, and he was pulling on me again!!! It was a fight with every ounce of my being to keep him from galloping to the end. We cantered in, pulled up and Mat found us once more. MY HERO!

 

He handed me a card, a tail bib, told me where to go, where my bike was and took my horse away.

 

BIKE

 

And then Terry was there at the fence with my bike. He helped me change, right down to tying my right shoelace for me while I drank, and ate (since I couldn't do much of that on the ride! Not a stitch of food went down this gob! DYING!)

 

I decided to walk/jog up the first bit of gravel hill, Terry ran with me and helped push me off as I finally got my butt in the saddle and I was off on my last leg!!

 

It wasn't long before I was off my bike again and walking up the 'first big hill'. People cruised past and shouted words of encouragement and I was back on and cruising along, eating and drinking on the downhill, and then up the 'second big hill' where both Ryan (405) and I got off and walked. I was panting hard and wondering if I would be able to catch my breath on this ride. I wasn't even sure if I had caught my breath yet from moving from horse to bike.

But after that second big hill, I got on and stayed on, and even caught my breath! I was passed my many people. I thought I was getting passed by everyone, in fact, and my calves were cramping and my shoulders were aching and I was really struggling, but then I just decided to take it easy, to not fight the hills and just keep turning the legs over. And I felt better and just rode my own ride. I like that feeling, when I can slip into the "I'm doing this because I want to, because it's fun, because it feels good" mode. My run was like that and I was finding that place with my bike ride. I realised that at this point it didn't matter one stitch how fast I was. I was on the last leg and I was NOT dead.

People kept saying things like "it's all downhill after this" and they were all lying! But there were some GREAT downhills and I was flying down a couple and managed to stay on my bike for every other uphill I faced. So I guess that first 5km was, in fact, the worst of it.

 

At one point there was a sign that said "13km to go" and I called out to the marshall that I was SURE I had been riding for a lot longer than that already! But then I saw the junction sign for the main highway and I let out an almightly laughing/whooping sound. It was so primal that I don't think I could ever repeat that sound. That sign meant it was just 5km to go, and it was only undulating hills. I positiviely let rip when I saw this sign. Wind and hills be damned. I knew I had enough in the tank to do this last stretch with strength. I was renewed! I was screaming along in the 30s (still getting passed, but it was going fast for me) and then we turned into the final track.

 

They warn you about this track. It's gravel. You slow down and change gears. And then you get on it, and you freak out and slow down more and change gears again and just try to not get bucked off your bike! You come around the race track and cross the finish line and I swear, I was so RELIEVED. I climbed off the bike, handed in my bibs and then suddenly realised just how sore I was!

 

THE END

 

Once I stopped, I realised I needed to keep walking because my legs were threatening to stop working. Darin found me, took my bike from me, and I met up with T&E, Steve and Jan, Rob and the kids. It was so nice to see them all there!

 

And although I was really really stiff and sore... I was litteraly sore all over... I felt really great. It was 3:15 in the afternoon, I was at the finish line over an hour before I planned, and I had all these great people there with me! Every few minutes I could not resist the urge to throw both my arms up in the air as if I had only just crossed the finish line! I just kept thinking "I did it!"

 

THE AFTERMATH

 

After a bit of visiting and much eating (I have never enjoyed an apple more than that afternoon) we headed back to Steve & Jan's to see how Mat fared with TK at the vet check and loading him on the float. TK was home and looked well, but we found out the bad news: TK had vetted out.

 

When it was time to come to the check, there were lots of horses in the lineup ahead and behind TK. He was calm until he got into the chase, and where, with four horses lined abreast, he snapped back into racehorse mode, looking for the start of the race. He refused to stand still for Mat and the vet and the vet called/guessed his heart rate at 80. No frickin' way. Even though he came in hot and even if he wasn't to requirement, he would have only been at 60. But the vet saw an agitated, high headed horse that came in quick. He didn't see the sleepy-eyed mellow cooled-down horse that was led into the vetting arena.

 

So, due to the vet out, our run was declared "Unplaced". All that work and no ranking. But that doesn't undo all the work!

 

I am an IRON WOMAN!

 

How cool is that!?

 

And I've inspired Darin to do the Iron Man next year! Woo hoo!

 

We have lots of work to do with TK, and I am going to focus on him and I think on running over the summer. I have many war wounds to show off. And I have lots more to say and do. There are photos on the way, and they will need to be posted. I have some scrapbooking to do (I scrapbook all my competitions). Recovery has been an interesting journey... but I think I shall share all of that other stuff in another post. It's nearly 9:30pm on Sunday, and I'm ready for a shower and a sleep in my own perfect bed!

Thanks for listening, supporting, and getting me to the Blackwood! 

The Results - In Short

I did it!! I completed the Blackwood Marathon Relay!

I AM AN IRON WOMAN!!

Here is how I did, in brief (don't know how this will come through formatting-wise):
Leg               Planned     Actual       Difference
Run              01:20:00    01:05:44   00:14:16
Changeover  00:10:00
Kayak          01:30:00    01:48:14   -00:08:14
Swim            00:20:00   00:18:20    00:01:40
Changeover  00:10:00
Horse           01:30:00   00:49:14    00:50:46
Changeover  00:10:00
Bike             01:30:00   00:58:01    00:41:59
Total            06:40:00   04:59:33    01:40:27

The changeover is included in the following leg time, so I have calculated it into the difference.

- It was one of my best runs ever! Loved it!
- I was much slower on the kayak than I planned, but still made it to lunch by 12.
- Swim was hard but quick.
- Horse ride was hell! TK was insane! But he was fast and he finished strong. We did vet out, but we was down to requirements prior to going into the vet checkpoint. But with the chute squeezing him in with a bunch of other horses, and lining up with vets four abreast, he just though there was another race about to start and got fired up again.
- Bike leg was tough, I had to get off and walk first two hills, but I did way better than I anticipated I could ever do!

See Iron Woman results here, and overall results here.

Full story to come!

The day before

What a great day!

I woke up at 4:30am, and stayed in bed thinking and daydreaming until about 5:30am when I felt ready to get moving on some of the jobs I had to do today.

I made a list, I checked it twice... oh dear, I started singing a Christmas Carol! :)

And I turned my house a little upside down!



Gear Boxes

I have organised all my equipment for each transition. Food and drinks that don't need to be refigerated are in there. Changes of clothes and shoes, towels, face cloths, sun screen, gloves and helmets.

I marked my helmet with 418 in nice yellow electricians tape.  And did the same to the kayak.



I swear, it suddenly looks faster! :)

 
I also filled up 8 buckets of water for the horse. That's 160 litres. We hopefully won't need all 160, but I want to be sure we have enough. Steve & Jan are completely on rain water, and any way I can save them water the better. It has been a VERY dry year.

And kept baking and cooking and filling up my fridge.
It's just a little fridge, but wow, how am I supposed to fit all that into an Eskie? There is food on top of the fridge, on the freezer beside it, and in the oven on the other side! Sheesh!



Oh my goodness! That's stuffed!

 In the meantime, Mat went to pick up hay and do a few jobs to get the ute and float ready for travel. I made TKs feeds for the weekend, and then found time to do a load of laundry, wash the dishes and the floors and make a loaf of bread! I also packed all the weekend's food into the eskies. Yes, I did manage to make it fit. I suppose I wasn't taking everything in the fridge with us!

With that done, I took a few of the more perishable food items to T&Es for safe keeping in their fridge and dropped the dog off for babysitting over the weekend.

When I got back, Mat was home with the hay load.

All this, and so far only 11:30am, so we shouldn't be away too long after 12 afterall! Maybe a nap before we go!

I am feeling really good about this! Being organised takes so much of the sting out of the nerves. Now it's really only down to the physical act.

Time to test my limits!

Here I am at Thursday...

Thursday evening. Ready for bed. Quick post only.

I shopped, baked and cooked all day. And I have filled my little fridge to overflowing. Should be nearly enough food for us for the weekend. A little more to organise, but some can't be done too early, or the food will be soggy and yucky.

Picked up the kayak.

Em and her boyfriend came by to learn about taking care of the cat and horse that will be left behind for the weekend.

T&E came over for dinner and I think everyone is feeling pretty good about Saturday.

Still need to pack my transition crates with all the gear I need at each change over, and I have to put the horse's stuff together, which won't take too long. Last thing to do will be to pack the eskies and take some food to T&Es to put in their caravan fridge. I hope to be ready to go by 12 noon tomorrow, though Mat doesn't expect to be ready that soon. That's alright, I think I will remain most calm if I am ready when Mat is, and not have to run around finishing stuff up when he says he's ready to leave.

I set a target finish time for Saturday: I am aiming to be complete by 4:30pm. They end road closures at 5:00pm, so I assume they generally expect everyone to be in by 5ish, but it doesn't seem like there's any cut off time.

I won't have internet access until we get back Sunday night, but rest assured there will be an immediate update on my successes and failures of the weekend as soon as I have unloaded the ute, and possibly after a nap. :)

See you in three days!! :)

And in other news...

After work on Tuesday, I took my aunt and uncle through TKs dressing, undressing and cooling procedures. They'll be fine. He'll be fine. He's not a complicated horse, and he's not a real fighter. As long as they stay calm with him, he'll stay calm too.

I have invited T&E over for dinner on Thursday night to go through details of who will be doing what and where and when so that everyone (especially me) can feel secure in knowing what's happening on the big day. Knowing that the logistics are sorted will be a big relief.

I have secured the use of a leisure kayak, and can pick it up any time.

Now I am just waiting on my delivery of my hydration belt and bike box. I hope they come soon! This is a bit frustrating! I was expecting them last week.

I called Alison last night. What a cool lady! She's doing the full Blackwood for her 50th birthday. She figured if she waited any longer she'll be too old! She has done the swim leg many times in the past, and has done the horse leg on a few occasions, and she lives right at the start of the nasty bike ride. Perfect training grounds. Right on the doorstep of everything!

She did the run in 1 hour 20 minutes, and she did the bike ride this weekend in 52 minutes on a borrowed bike she's only ridden the once. (Though she has been training on a mountain bike, so switching to a racer should make it super-easy by comparison.) She is doing her horse ride on a 22 year old horse (which isn't ancient, but certainly not a youngster) but he's well trained and seasoned. She is expecting to do the run, kayak and swim in about the same time as me.

She will have 60 people at her house over the weekend. All competitors and their friends and families. She said it started with just a few people, and has snowballed into this major event, not just for town, but for her household as well! And she invited me over Friday night to visit and meet a few people.

What a busy, cool, neat lady! A real inspiration! And I laughed and said that I was really happy that I'll have some company out there at the tail end of the event, but said that since I'm quite a few years younger than her, I might have to try to beat her by at least one second! She laughed and said that would be fine as long as we both finish! In fact, I don't know that I will beat her. She does have a local advantage that will make her training far more effective than mine.

It's Wednesday morning and I was originally going to do a swim, bike, run, but I think I should take TK out for a ride first. He hasn't had much work this last fortnight. Of course, neither have I! I better get at it then!

Three days, and I'm DEFINITELY counting now!

Don't You Just Love Getting Mail?

I got my entry forms and information package in the mail today, which was awesome. But even better, it came with a great letter from the Competition Director. 

You see, I sent in a letter with my nomination forms:

To Whom It May Concern:

I first heard about the Blackwood Marathon when I was a teenager, still living in Canada. My cousin and pen pal would write me and tell me about this amazing marathon, and how he did the horse part of it, but the whole family was involved. Of course, I was interetested! It involved riding horses in a marvellously foreign and exotic place in the world! And I wanted to do it!


When, many years later, I finally moved to Australia, I insisted to the family that we put in a team! So in 2006, my family who had once upon a time participated as the “Pingelly Pee Wees” and their parents who were the “Woodland Wobblers” came together again to do the Blackwood. We called ourselves “Woodland Wobblers II” and with much support and advice from the orginal Wobblers, we ran, canoed, swam, rode and biked our little hearts out!


I did the horse leg on my lovely little mare, Cassie. We came through slowly, because there are no such thing as hills in Katanning, so we had to take it slower than we had trained. We had done the distanaces, the trot work, but those hills just knocked my little girl out! But I think everyone who participated was a little surprised by the effort that we all had to put in! I'm sure it all seems easier when you're young and fit! But the imporant thing was that we vetted through and everyone in the team finished!


At the finish line, I can remember Sarah Wiese joking about how she was happy that her husband had given her his horse 'because she was too slow' and was completely inspired by the Iron People. For some reason, that evening, the idea was born that I was going to do that.

I would be a Blackwood Iron Lady!

It took some time for everything to come together. Four years in fact.


I lost my lovely horse that I rode in 2006 and trialed three other horses, each proving unsuitable for one reason or another, until this year when I got my lovely gelding, TK. He's not fast either, but he's strong and I'm confident in our ability to complete safely.


I also had a long-standing knee injury that made it nearly impossible to run more than a few hundred meters without pain. It took well over a year of careful training and building up to finally be able to run 12km without pain! I am so happy to finally be able to call myself a runner!


In Katanning, our pool opens at the end of October, after the Blackwood Marathon, so getting any swim training in has been a challenge! So far, I have had three training swims leading up to the event. And to top it all off, I've been nursing a shoulder injury for 6 months, and can only swim breast stroke!


And as there are no real hills to speak of to train on, the bike leg is terrifying to me! The very idea of starting on tired legs and a worn body and pushing UPHILL for the first half of the ride is going to challenge every part of me, mentally and physically!


Even today, only 10 days before the race, I still haven't paddled a kayak in water yet! I know! What is this crazy lady doing?


But since the Blackwood Marathon won't wait for me to be any more ready than I am, I am going to do it! I will be slow, and I'm okay with that! Feel free to start presentations without me! But it is my intention to complete. I am confident that the training I have put in will take me through to the end, and if not, it will take me to my limits and I will know I have done my very best!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the finish line and then collapsing in a big happy heap!

 And in my information package there was a letter of reply:

Hi Andrea,  

Loved the letter you sent with your entry.

My sister-in-law has also entered the ironwoman section for the first time as Sarah and Tim Wiese stay with them for the weekend and have motivated her to do the whole event. She is SO very concerned that she will be in after presentations too but is determined to finish. She is also nursing a knee injury and is beginning to stress out about what she has got herself into!! Her name is Alison and her phone number is [removed for privacy]. I know she would love to chat to you.

Regards, Sue Doust, Competitor Director

How wonderful to get this letter! How much better is it to know I'm not alone out there? I feel relieved and happy.


I think it's time for me to make a phone call!

Kayaking! Finally!

So I finally got on the water! It was great!

Mat and I went in our borrowed two sit on top 'leisure kayaks' and my cousin and his girlfriend paddled their Canadian canoe. Yes, that's what a basic canoe is called here.

Leisure Kayak - Wide and Stable

Canadian Canoe

I played around with the paddles and technique and really got the hang of making sure I swung the paddle high and dug straight down along-side the boat. This makes such a difference to your ability to direct the boat straight along the course. Wide and low paddling means swinging along in a big zig-zag pattern, which is inefficent and a great waste of time. I also discovered that the straight aluminium bar is not very nice to paddle with, and the one with the light rubber coating for hand grips was really great to work with.

I'm sure that's fairly common knowledge for those who have kayaked before, but I haven't! :)

We moseyed along at a reasonably leisurly pace. We stopped a few times so my cousin could drop his fishing line in, they could show us a few features, and we could chat. We took about an hour paddling against the current (though it was quite still) to go about 4km. My cousin decided to fish a few minutes, while Mat and I headed about 1km further in about 15 minutes. I decided to see how quick I could head back to the fishing hole. It took me about 8 minutes.

We cruised back, but then the sea breeze came in and it really worked against our efforts, and the last 20 minutes were pretty much like riding a bike uphill and into the wind. It was a real challenge, and made the last kilometer seem an age!

All-in-all we were out for about 3 hours, over the 10km. But there were plenty of rest stops, making our average speed only 3 or 4 kph. Certainly not fast. But I felt pretty strong at the end of it. Yes, the wind challenge sapped me quite a bit, but my back and shoulders felt fine! If I can keep up that 8-10 minute km pace when I was 'trying' I reckon I'll be able to do the paddle in under 1.5 hours. That is really on-par with my objectives, so I'm happy about that.

But what I discovered I *REALLY* want is a sit on top surf ski! It's a long and narrow kayak, that is easy to get back onto since it won't fill up with water!

Surf Ski - Add it to the wish list!

I watched a guy cruise past us in one of these. It just slips through the water. Because it's narrow it's going to be easy to keep a true course. But it's also going to be less stable and would require practice. I learned that you can hire these for the Blackwood (if only I had known!) but with only 5 days to go, it's a little too late now! I would not have enough chance to master the machine before the race and would probably end up losing time climbing in and out of the darn thing! Oh well, next year! hehe

And Mat had SUCH a good time on the water. He could have kept going! He was loving the day the weather, and he was so much quicker than any of us! We definitely have to move to somewhere with hills and trees and WATER! Even if I don't do the Blackwood again, I think a nice kayak would be a great investment, since it's something Mat and I can enjoy doing together.

We kayaked Sunday morning, and it's Monday night, and my shoulders are no tighter than they get from sitting at the computer for too long. I'm pretty stoked about that! That must mean that my paddling in the living room, as odd as it may have seemed, did pay off! I had so many people telling me I would never survive the kayak, but I felt confident in my upper body strength and in my dogged determination.

Oh, in other news, it looks like I don't have a strapper. So I will take my aunt through the process of dressing and cooling TK, and see if we can talk someone into doing the rundown with him.

More news tomorrow, with only four days to go!

And I feel GREAT!!

Only one week to go

Today's milestone, 7 days, that's just one week, to go, was barely noticed.

I was up at 5am, ready for work and at the Centre before 6am to open for the Show. Although it wasn't super busy in the morning, it was steady and work kept me occupied and I felt really on-task all morning.

Had a short break at 11:30am where 6 of us acted as participants in a mini-Pump class. We just did four tracks: warm up, backs butts and hamstrings, lunges and shoulders. We do it on the main stadium floor, the centre stage at the Show as a promo to get more people to come to classes. I hope it does talk a few people into joining us!

The lunge track was SO hard, especially after last night's practice. I had to cheat on the last few bottom halves! Ouchies, they sure work. Sadly, I am always working, and not able to participate in Pump, and I am not much of one to voluntarily do lunges, so I may never improve in my ability to perform that exercise with any amount of strength!

The last track, shoulders, had me so worried! I used little weights, and it was alright in training last night, but would it be too much for me two days in a row?

NO! :)

My shoulder felt really good! I was even able to do a few slightly wider than usual pushups!! I did come back to a tricep push up at the very end of the track, but probably did about 4 or 5 wide grips before I could feel the shoulder complain! So that shoulder is REALLY getting stronger! It's healing and I am sure it won't be too much longer before I can do a full push up and a side plank again! YAY!

The bad thing about the Show, as with all fairs, festivals and fetes, is the FOOD. There is nothing but food... and I ate way too much! I had several hot chips (just picking them out of the baine marie), a Quiche Lorraine, a Chili Sausage Roll, and a Sweet Chili Chicken Strip. And all this after such a healthy breakfast - a nice two egg omelete with raw spinach in a wrap. I think I ate about three days worth of calories in one morning shift! On the way home I ate an apple. In my mind, that apple was cutting through the grease of all that Show food. :)

On a break now, and packing for our trip to Bunbury, and organising the animals food for the next two days. Really looking forward to paddling and seeing my cousins! We are leaving straight after the Attack demo this afternoon at the Show. Hopefully those 20 minutes of bouncing around will burn off a bit of the morning's over-consumption! Just water for me this afternoon!

So, I better get at it! Attack gear, kayaking gear, running gear, pyjamas, 'real people clothes', and horse feeds.

See you on Monday!

Ramblings of a Lunatic

Well, I'm starting to feel a little crazed.

Stress Point 1: No strapper.

I have tried a lot of people. There are still options, but they are less desirable for a few reasons:
- I don't know them very well and it seems a huge ask to an acquaintance
- They are very young and I am not sure I feel comfortable leaving a tween in charge of vetting my horse
- They are very old and I am not comfortable with the notion of them potentially getting injured by a large animal

Clearly, I am running out of options here.

Mid-stream edit: my acquaintance offered! She doesn't know for sure, but she's PRETTY sure, and I will know by Sunday. And if not, she's got a very competent young lady (still a teen though a little older than the other girl...) who handles her horse who may be able to help. Half a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF!

Positive Vibes Point 1 & 2: I get to paddle! And visit family!

We have decided to go to Bunbury for the weekend. We have even called ahead to confirm that it is going to be okay! That's great! Sure beats rocking up on a door step unannounced, which does happen with us from time to time! And I have been in touch with all my cousins from Bunbury and we are going to be able to catch up with all of them! That's marvellous! Double-positive whammy!

Stress Point 2:  Work!

I need to get through this weekend, the coming week, complete Blackwood and then get my choreography down for two brand new Aqua classes. When am I going to do that!? No really, when!?

I suppose I will have nearly a week. We will be home Sunday night, and first class is at 2:30 on Friday. So, that's quite a lot of time, since I won't be doing all the training... I do have time!


Other than that, actually things are going quite swimmingly, really. Other than being terrified by the reality of what I am about to undertake, and working hard to use the positive language and not the negative language, I'm doing ok. I just need to talk myself into things like "I am strong now!"

In fact, the irony here is that part of me is already planning the next Blackwood. Changes I'd make to my training program, things like that... What's that about? Perhaps I'll change my mind after doing it once, but something tells me this is likely to be a little bit addictive!

But, I know that the likelihood of being able to Blackwood next year is next to impossible. If I'm still working for the same company, which is highly likely, and if my manager goes on maternity leave, which is also likely, there will be no way I can get away from the Show. And the Show and Blackwood land on the same weekend next year.

But then the idea of a half-marathon appeals to me too!

So, there's going to be something to look forward to, regardless!

Oh and I did some hills on the bike, and it was very hard. Just the two big hills on Trimmer Road twice each. Tough riding!

There's more, but Mat's home, I have to feed animals and it's getting dark and I have to make a few more phone calls.

So there I am leaving without an ending...