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...

Lucky Number 418

My name is now officially on the list. Right at the bottom. Pretty much where it'll be on the results page! hehe

So, my arms, legs, kayak, helmet and horse will all be marked with the number 418 for the Blackwood Marathon.

Trying to see if there's any significance to the number 418, so I did a search of the number and didn't come up with much of anything, so went browsing a Chinese Meaning of Numbers page on an astrology site.

According to this page, since 418 is an even number, it's a Yin symbol. Yin symblos represent: Dark, Matter, Earth, Female, Passive, Tiger, Down, North, Water, Winter, Shade, Receptive, Valleys, Moon, Cold, Death.

Not so happy about that last one! Sheesh!

• The number four seems to be about Earth and feelings of security.
• The number one is about initiation, beginning and conception. Also, 'One has a thrusting energy that surges forth new growth and potential.' Cool!
• The number eight is supernatural, it would seem. 'To the Chinese mind, number eight has that "anything is possible" feel to it.'

Well, it's not much to go on, but it seems my number might be working in my favour! Well, except maybe that death bit!

Normally, my favourite number is 25, of course, because it's my birthdate, but I think I'll run with 418 for awhile! :)

What's your lucky number?

Still no strapper...

Well, now I'm starting to get nervous.

A strapper is absolutely essential to ensure the wellbeing of my horse. Not that Mat can't do it, it's just that he's not likely to have time with all his other responsibilities! And I did a few more calculations, and I don't think I'll even be able to dress TK prior to the ride as I originally had hoped, because I'll probably be cutting it too fine for time if I want to eat something solid and still swim without puking.

I have a couple of people on my list I can still try, but, unfortunately they are people I am less confident about. Not that they can't do it, just that they have so much less experience that it will take a lot more work to have them ready and feeling confident about a horse they don't know and a sport they have barely heard of. And that's assuming either of them agrees. And it's only 9 days from the event!

I also have one person I will go back and ask again, because I've heard a faint whisper there may be a change in her original plans. Maybe she can squeeze me in afterall?

And another I can BEG and cry to, and if worse comes to worse she will cancel her Hallowe'en party to help me. But that seems a bit harsh.

Finally got ahold of my last few relatives last night to see if they were coming. They are coming, but the 'when' is a bit of a question due to work commitments. They will be there by the afternoon sometime for sure. That's cool! A few more people to cheer me past the finish line!

The Show is on this weekend, and things start to fire up at work, with zillions of people coming and going now. I have Pump and Attack training tonight with Kirsty and a few others, as we are doing a demo for the Show, one at 11ish and one at 4ish.

After that, Mat and I are heading to either Albany, Margaret River or Bunbury to paddle on Sunday and Monday. I'd like to pin this down very quickly, so we can make the necessary arrangements, but we can be very indecisive! I think. :P

Probably won't be able to squeeze in a run or bike tonight, must get groceries before training. There's only so much rice, beans and frozen veg you can eat before you think, "seriously, how hard is it to buy a bit of food?"

Off to feed the animals and get ready for work!

Easy Run with 10 days to go

Tomorrow will be single digits till the big day. Yikes!

This morning I couldn't sleep so got out of bed at 6:30 and did stuff. Like complete my entry form and pay my entry fee, as mentioned earlier. I had butterflies all morning.

By 9am I was finally ready to get out and do something. I decided to do my regular 5km run. Just a maintenance run, nothing long or complicated. I headed out with those butterflies. What's interesting is that the nerves I was feeling from submitting my entry were pretty much the same as the feeling I get before a race. Some strange combination of anticpation and dread, all forms of excitement bundled up into a nervous energy ball in the belly.

And it made me run faster than usual. I'm sure of it.

I was feeling pretty good and was cruising right along until BAM! 3km in, I have the stitch from hell! It finally forced me to walk, not once, but FOUR times! It sapped my strength and just ruined my wicked pace. At the 3k mark I was at 17 minutes, a full minute faster than my usual pace. That set me on track for what I was hoping would be a personal best 5k run, and was looking to pick up the pace, but the stitch was going to be a problem. I walked out the stitch and headed off again, but it wasn't long before it dragged me down, again and again. I shortcutted home, only saving a few hundred metres, but needing it. :( Still a good pace (10.4kph), even with all the walking, but not a great feeling end to that run, unfortunately.

Lesson learned: I didn't hydrate sufficiently prior to the run. I was not prepared for the heat and wind. Even at 9am it was quite hot (already 25 degrees), and I only drank about 250mL of water, which is far less than I typically drink before any session (usually work on 500-750mL to pre-hydrate). Of course, I figured it was going to be a short easy run, so wasn't paying enough attention to all the conditions around me. So let it be noted that hydration is imperative, no matter what the circumstances, but particularly in the heat!

My hydration belt was shipped this morning, so I hope to have it by Friday. That means I can do another run or two with the belt on and see how drinking on the run works for me. I think it'll be really important and will give me the boost up the hills on the Blackwood day!

I also did my first run in my new visor! It's awesome, because the sun is off my face, and it's absorbing lots of sweat, but my head gets to breathe. I simply feel too hot in a regular cap. This was excellent! Very pleased with this purchase.

Now I'm off to try my gloves and paddle in the lounge room for awhile.

Mat and I will be going to REAL water this weekend and really paddling. Was noting on the Blackwood event page that they have four portages this year, as the water is quite low, so that will be quite the challenge.

Also, hopefully have a strapper! Updates to follow when I get a yay or nay!

I've Done It!!

I've filled in my Entry Form.

I've paid my $110.00

Now it's REALLY official.

I'm in.

I'm going to be a Blackwood Iron Lady!

I'm litterally shaking and have butterflies! I can feel my heart pounding. This makes it so official that it's impossible to not feel... SOMETHING :)

12 days and counting

Saturday was a good day. I did my pool lifeguard requalification and as well as CPR, rescues, and a bit of legal stuff, it also includes a 400 metre swim, which I did in 9:20 - they give you 13 minutes. For the swim you have to do 100 each of breast, freestyle, side stroke and survival backstroke (which is 'elementary backstroke' back in Canada). I did 200 breast, skipping the free, and still did well. Probably better than if I had been able to do freestyle anyway! hehe

Today, Monday, I don't have to work until 4:30pm. So, I planned a big morning of exercise, and in the end only rode my horse, and even there I didn't do that as fast as I had planned, but that was mostly because MD decided to come with us and he really started to wear out, as it was 30 degrees out, and I was working TK in a trot and canter, but with lots of walk breaks to let MD catch up. At one point I found a dam to let MD drink. Please note that MD HATES to get wet. Hates baths, only goes in to his ankles at the ocean, and just avoids getting wet. Period.

With that in mind, here's MD at the dam:

Right up to the belly!

Right now he's crashed and burned at home. I don't think he'll be moving too well tomorrow. Poor dog!

I can relate!

I've been feeling kinda ... demoralised? Procrastinationey? Bummed? the last few days, if I bother to stop and think for any amount of time.

I was reading on another site about "end of training blues" and I am certain that is what I am feeling!

There is a sense of disapointment and sadness just hovering about. I guess I've gone from panic to something a little different now.

I also feel sad that I won't have all the people there that I was hoping to have. In the end I know that it doesn't really matter, since I would hardly see them all day and would be pretty focused on what I have to do next, but the idea of having their support has turned out to be a lot more important to me than I initially gave weight to. If I had been aware of this, I would have made phone calls months ago to get them to book the date out. But I suppose months ago I wasn't completely sure I'd be for sure doing it. And now suddenly here it is. I guess I can't be disapointed that people have other things to do if they didn't even know the date of this crazy event!

Anyway, have to get ready for work now.

And try to find a strapper for the big day!

What Would Bear Grylls Do?

If you haven't heard of Bear Grylls or Man vs Wild then you've probably been living under a rock somewhere.

Of course, if you've been living under a rock somewhere you might already have the requisite survival skills and not need Bear's advice.

But I'm starting near the end and not the beginning of this story...

We went in search of water.

Lake Ewlyamartup, as mentioned earlier, smelled like death and was was pretty shallow and gross. So, I, in my infinate wisdom, assumed that Lake Dumbleyung, being so much bigger and so much deeper.... and once upon a time, only a few years ago, in fact, I even swam in it ... I assumed it would have, well, you know... water in it!

Picked up the kayaks from Carl & Helen, and Mat and I headed to east Dumbleyung. We could have gone west towards Boyup Brook and actually rowed in the Blackwood River, but Dumbleyung was half the distance away, and that was definitely the tipping point in its favour.

When we got near, things didn't look promising.



Not much water in there!



But when we got down to the boat ramp. And we could see that there was water out there. Quite a long way out there mind you... I can remember swimming to that rock.... Anyway, we decided to go for a little stroll...

Yes, that's a boat ramp

Look! I'm wearing thongs in the snow!

That's not snow! It's SALT!

The water looked pretty shallow, so Mat decided to see how deep it was. We needed a bit more than ankle deep to do any paddling in, and it looked pretty shallow for as far as we could see. Hard to tell for sure though, so in he went!

If you can't go to the ocean...

And pretty suddenly it was deeper than ankles, and Mat was up to his knees in salty muddy crud!

Keen for a swim?

And this is where I started laughing and saying, "What would Bear Grylls do!?" And then laughed a whole lot more!



Mat had to sacrifice a thong to the depths, and then threw away the other one in frustration, but did a fine job of demonstrating the "spread your weight out and don't struggle too much" technique.

It was decided that the water was too shallow and the bottom too bottomless to risk going out. If we had managed to get out further we would have probably found deep enough water to paddle in, but if we got into any trouble - lost a paddle or boat or anything - we probably would have found ourselves stuck out there with no safe way back in to dry land.

So, instead of a paddle, we had a nice drive, a nice walk, a big laugh and a night in watching movies.

Do I Believe?

I've had a few family members plan other things for the Blackwood Marathon weekend. This week, when I spoke to a relative, he said, "Oh! Are you still planning on doing that!?" as if he had expected me to back out.

And when chatting with a family friend about the event she more or less said she'd be proud to see me complete even just half of one leg!

Even Mat has suggested that I do only two or three legs, rather than all five.

Perhaps my nature or history might suggest that I would have backed out?  Perhaps there is so much doubt in my ability to complete that people would expect me to wait until I was "more ready"? Perhaps people don't know how much I have trained and that the timing seems to be now or never? Perhaps they realise that I would rather do WELL and therefore might not normally have tried to do such an event when I know there is every likelihood that I will, in fact, do quite poorly.

One of the first thoughts that comes to mind is a quote from a university professor Mr Swedburg, who didn't know it, but was paraphasing a quote from my grade 4 teacher, Mr Saas.

Mr Saas said:

If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it badly.

And Mr Swedburg said:

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.

It's true, I might be underprepared. I probably am. I might fail miserably. But the fact is I have tried! I haven't given up, and I have shown more stick-to-it-ness in this last year than I probably ever have for any other thing in my life! And I'm enjoying most of it, even the parts I'm not quite so good at! If nothing else, I am enjoying the learning and lessons!

This article from Sport at its Best is quite timely. He is referring to a few quotes from Agassi's book Open, where Agassi talks about how he was treated differently when he started to win, and how fleeting the good feeling of winning was. The author of this blog, Duff Gibson, says:

That’s why I believe that at the highest level, very successful athletes are more about the challenge than the actual victory.  In other words, the greatest fulfillment comes from the journey rather than the destination.

How often have we heard that in one form or another? But it seems far more true to me now that ever before, because now I have really challenged myself on this journey. It's been revealing and interesting, and to take a word from Duff: fulfilling!

Do I believe I can do the Blackwood Marathon? Yes, I do.
Do I believe I will do well? No, I don't.
Is there every chance I will fall in a heap? Yes, there is!
Possibly not even complete? Yes, that might happen.
Does it matter? Nope, not really!

It only matters now, to me, that I TRY. I can't do any better than that.



"At least not this year!" she says with a mischevious grin... ;)

Thursday 14th Oct - 16 days left

Long live tapering!!

I didn't go cycling at 6am this morning. I responded to that request by rolling over and sleeping for an extra two hours! Ah yes! That was awesome!!

After work I went in the gym with the intention of doing a 5km run, but I just walked the first two kilometres. It felt so good to just move at an easy comfortable effortless pace and not push. I did run/jog the last three ks, and it still only took 44 minutes all up without putting in a hard effort. I didn't knock myself out at all, I just went with 'comfortable' and 'cruizy'.

Attack, on the other hand, was freaking INSANELY HARD and I was honestly tempted for the first time EVER to walk out at the end of the first peak. Seriously! And it seems like I wasn't alone. Somthing about the change of weather back to the more wintry trends just made everything a little stiffer, I think. Spring is funny, isn't it? Summer one day, winter the next!

I tried that new drink mix for recovery that was supposed to have a buffering system to prevent cramping. It's basically a powdered Powerade, and it didn't make me feel any better than a Powerade or Berocca does. It certainly didn't prevent cramping! It didn't taste too bad, it was meant to taste like apple, but I probably wouldn't have picked the flavour without seeing the lable. It just tasted like a sweet sports drink. For the price I paid for the 4 sachets that make only 1 litre of fluid, certainly NOT worth the money and will just use Powerade for the extra glucose and sodium recharge!

Now for another long, hot shower and early night! I have been sleeping so well these days. And am not even feeling stressed right now. I think I've just sort of accepted that I have done all I can at this point and am just going with the flow. What happens will happen and I can't change that.

Wednesday - 13th October - 17 days to go

Nothing much to report. Went for bike ride with Helen, Carl and Graeme this morning at 6. Just a quick zip down Police Pools and I was really pleased with the ride. I was working at about 27kph. Now, there aren't any hills and there wasn't any wind so the conditions probably couldn't have been any better, but it was still a great ride! Fastest for the year!

Bought a few things. A visor to keep the sun out of my eyes, gloves to paddle in, and they will be great for cycling, too. I also ordered a bike box, for some food on the last leg of the journey and a water bottle holder to wear when I run and ride.

Taught Balance tonight. It was nice.

Have been on the Endurance Riding Forum to ask some advice about TK and getting him in tip top shape. Got some great advice! If you're interested in the discussion, click here! Looks like I have a lot more work to do! Will reply tomorrow. It's 9:30pm and it's time for bed.

Tuesday - 12th October - 18 days to go

Not done the day yet, but probably not doing a whole lot more with my day.

I was meant to bike ride after work today, but will go with Helen at 6am tomorrow instead. I am tired and I am tapering, afterall. I need to focus on feeling 'fresh' for these next two weeks.

I look at that 13km run on Monday as my last big run. Yes, I do have a 10km run coming up, but will be sticking to 5s and 7s for maintenance over the next two weeks. I know I have the run in me, and have been thinking of training for a half-marathon! So there I go, looking out for a new big crazy goal again! But I am enjoying running so much. I think because I had to work so much harder at this than anything else. I fought with my body, coaxed it, and eventually we came to this agreement. And I feel so very proud that I can run now! It has taken so long. Mostly I am proud that I stuck it out and I got here! Wow!

I am also feeling really confident with my swimming, considering that I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to do it at all a few weeks ago. As I suspected when working out my plan, I felt that I would be fit enough to handle the swim, and would just need to do a few sessions to ensure I had the breathing right. Freestyle would have been far more challenging, and I probably wouldn't have knocked off 1200m in my second swim, but freestyle's never been my forte anyway! :) At any rate, I am glad I was able to predict and interpret my body's reaction to the work! YAY!

Will try to keep TK intersted and happy going out these next few weeks, but as with me, all we can hope for now is maintenance, there really isn't any room for improvement left. Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more social rides with people from town to keep TK more enthused about riding out. He was so happy to see another horse when we finally met up with Mel on Chloe. We went from a snails pace to a big trot, with his expression saying "Oh thank goodness I'm not alone out here!!" Both horses were stoked to have another horse out there, though interestingly enough, neither seems to have any affinity for the other. TK can easily walk away from Chloe, but is much harder to separate from Sparky or Dee, for example. I also find he doesn't feed off her energy levels. Dee was calm and relaxed and that translated to a calm TK, but Chloe was virtually asleep on our ride, and TK was silly half the way. Interesting, eh?

One thing I do want to work on with TK in the long term is balancing his training output with his event output. And the other thing I want to work on is my confidence in my ability to ride him when his energy is high. I want him to go faster, but for us both to feel relaxed and in control. Most often when he's finally going at a speed that is where I want him to be, he feels frantic or overexcited, and he's working his mouth and neck in that weird racehorse way. He's still in my control, but he's just hovering there at the very edge of it, and it's an uneasy place for me. I either have to grasp that feeling with both hands and just go with it, or I am going to have to figure out how to keep him further from the edge.

I am steeling myself for the fact that we are probably going to have a hell of a start at Blackwood, but know that he'll run it out, calm down and we'll finish fine. The hill's'll knock some sense into him anyway! He was sure feeling them after the Manji ride, but handled them alright.

Bad news, though. Strapper number two is also unavaialable for the Blackwood weekend. And in fact, it's looking very much like Mat and I and T&E are going to be the main attendees. I hate to put any pressure on T&E, especially with T's back so crook, but they want to help, so I am going to accept it! I am just hoping to have a strapper that is a bit (dare I say it?) younger. T&E are in their 70s, and though they can accomplish some amazing things, I would hate to be the person that had a crazy horse wrench an arm or a heavy saddle do a back.

I hope to get out and paddle on Saturday afternoon. I work Saturday morning till 1, and I have my pool lifeguard requalification all day Sunday. The following weekend is the show and the fun run. Then the Blackwood. If I can't go tomorrow morning (and I haven't got a kayak yet, though I have been told to just call to say when I am coming to pick it up) then Saturday afternoon will be my last opportunity.

And then there is the cycle. Why couldn't the horse ride have been last? Seriously! Anyway, I will just keep going, just keep spinning (like Dory from Finding Nemo) and I will make it in the end.

Check out my last two posts which are links to the Map My Run maps for the courses. The distances aren't a perfect match, but the 'Climbs' speaks volumes. Time to move to somewhere with HILLS, TREES, and WATER!

Kackin' My Dacks

The cycle is a killer. Like a big scary death killer.  It's over two-thirds climb!

But don't take my word for it, check out this map!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/detail/24192810/

There is a 4km long category 5 climb. I have my work cut out for me, to say the very least. And I think it's going to be even harder than I imagined, and trust me, I had no illusions about this event to start with!

If I complete this Marathon, I will really have accomplished something spectacular!

Comparing Running Routes and Elevations

Been playing around with Map My Run again...

Here is the Blackwood Marathon run. Click on the 'Climbs' tab (I do hope it's accessible to everyone) to see the elevation changes! WOW!

Thankfully, it would seem that the Trimmer Road run I do (or have done... twice) is a fair training place for this run.

However, the Blackwood run has TWO category 5 climbs. Near as I can tell, that's pretty frickin' bad! Okay, it's not too bad, 5 is the "least bad" of hill climbs in their system, but the Trimmer Hills don't even have enough elevation changes to constitue any analysis by their system!

Oh shit! I sure do wish I had done Trimmer Hills a few more times!

On to the analysis of the cycle! Be afraid, be VERY afraid!

Let me know if the runs aren't viewable and what, if any, error messages you get - I'm still new at this! :)

Monday - 11th October - 19 days to go

Oh geez, I'm in the teens!

But I had a good Monday. Monday's are usually a good workout day. It's the start of my week and I approach it with much vigour. Today was no exception.

I started with a 13km run, which I did I a good time. My fastest outdoor run of that distance so far, especially if I were to knock of the four minutes of farting around I did in the middle of the run.

It was a two loop trek of just over 6.5k, and so when I came in to the start/finish the first time at 39 minutes, I decided to give myself a full minute to rehydrate, and restart my run at 40 minutes, since that was my target time. And then I thought I better text G and tell him that I am going to be a little later to the pool, since I started my run a bit later than expected. Then I took off, and he replied, so I checked that, and then I saw my horses both laying down having a little nap, and they were SO CUTE I simply had to stop and take a photo. Of course, it's a new phone, and I was having a little trouble with it all... so at 43 minutes I actually started to run again!

80 minutes was my total target time for the 13km run, and I checked my watch at one point in the second lap and thought that from that point in the first lap I took 15 minutes to get to the start/stop point, so I better hurry, because I've only got 12 minutes!!  And so I started to push it! And push it hard! I was cruising! I betcha I was actually doing the otherwise unachievable 12km/hr at that point. And I ran like that for 9 minutes (!!) before I had to slow up a bit, but by that time, I was really on the home stretch and I came in in 78 minutes! Yes, that's right, you heard me correctly! I kicked ASS!  Now, granted, a 4 minute rest certainly helped, but maybe I should take a little lesson from that:

rests and breaks are your friend!

Then I zipped down to the pool on my bike and had a great little swim. The water was a balmy 22 degrees, just right for laps and I was doing 100 metres in about 2.5minutes pretty consistently. I did 1200m in about 30 minutes and was pretty pleased with that! The only complaint I really had was that my calves cramped up in the last few hundred metres. Ouchies!

I rode my bike to the pool and had intended to do PP Road and head home, but guess what!? I forgot to put on my helmet! Are you serious? How stupid is that?! So I rode home to get my helmet and then kinda just stayed there and had a REALLY long hot shower. I was SO cold! The wind was nasty once again. Will have to consider how to get and keep warm if it's a cool day on the BIG DAY!

On the gear front I have had a success!! I found an old K-Mart/Wal-Mart special in a bag that I probably have never worn before. You can tell it's cheap because there's a label inside with bright red writing:

DO NOT WEAR NEAR FIRE

Wow, no marshmallow roasts for me!

But on the up-side, it doesn't chafe! It's not the most supportive little thing in the world, but luckily (I guess) I wasn't built with much bounce, if you know what I mean, so I was still comfortable on the run, and it was fine in the swim. I also ran and swam in my bike shorts, and although there's nothing attractive about wearing a full chamois bottom pair of shorts, I was comfortable enough.

So, still a few things to get taken care of, a few purchases to make, but getting there!

Balance was a welcome treat. I really needed Balance. The stretching and relaxation were just what my body needed.

Also, booked my recovery massage for the Monday following the Blackwood. That'll be nice! Something great to look forward to! :)

Sunday - 10th October - 20 days to go

What weird weather.

Yesterday was SO hot and dry and windy, and it seemed that there was no chance of rain at all. It felt like summer was on us, and that was it, it was going to stay hot! But sometime late in the night (or early in the morning) it did rain, and it did a pretty good job of it.

When I got out to the horses at about 7am, it was clearing and warm and seemed like it was going to be a nice day. I cleaned the troughs and made some breakfast and by the time I headed out to get the horse ready for our ride with Mel just after 8am I thought that it might be wise to bring a jacket on this ride!

I ended up starting with the jacket, and then took it off and wore it around my waist for awhile, but it wasn't that far into the ride that the wind picked up again. It was a very cold wind, and black clouds came rolling in with it. We didn't get wet, but we got spat on. Everyone made it home dry for lunch, but it was not to last. The whole afternoon has been windy and raining and black! The winds have been just as strong as yesterday - today throwing rain sideways across the windows, yesterday it was just sand and dust blowing around. What a contrast!

But anyway, TK and I went over 17km. Mel and Chloe went about 24km! We were a little quicker than we usually are on a training ride, even though we walked most of it. TK was very forward, walking with a nice stretched out relaxed stride, but he did have a few silly moments. He tends to get wound up in the wind, and today was no exception. He was doing his silly face-pulling thing at a trot, but was really mellow at a walk. Just need to translate that relaxed manner into his trot now!

When I got home from my horse ride, Mat was baking bread (yum!) and I was trying to calculate the distance we travelled today, thus the discovery of mapmyrun.com! What fun! There's also a MapMy Walk, Ride, Tri, Fitness, and a few others I think. They all require separate registrations, which is weird, since they all look the same.

My afternoon trip to Lake Dumbleyung to kayak was cancelled, the weather is just too wild for a first time on the water! Will try Wednesday morning, or this weekend, on whichever day I am not working. I also didn't cycle. There's usually a 4pm social ride down Police Pools on a Sunday, but I didn't get any "where are you?" messages so I imagine I'm not the only one who said 'no thank you' to a very wet and windy ride!

Tomorrows plan is the big hill run, followed by a swim, then ... well I haven't decided what my third sport will be. I need to make some alterations to my plans due to not kayaking or cycling today. I did have horse ride on my Monday plan, but since I rode today, and didn't bike due to the weather, I probably should cycle tomorrow after my swim. I think that's a really good idea!

RUN, SWIM, CYCLE! That's a fun morning! Let's hope there's no rain to squash my plans.... or better yet, let's hope that if there is rain, that I don't allow it to be an excuse to squash my plans! :)

Map My Run

Why didn't I learn about this sooner?!

I just entered the ride that Mel and I went on today. This is awesome!

Check out our ride here (I put it under 'hike' since they don't have a horse ride option).

Guess what I am going to spend the next few hours doing!? :) hehehe

Saturday - 9th October - 21 days to go

Up at 4am.

Feed horses, make feeds, cook for humans, pack ute, hook up float, load horse....

Try again... load horse....

Erg! Arg! Call for calm!

Load horse...

We meant to be on the road by 5:00. 5:45am we hit the road.

We got about 60km away, started to do the maths and realised we were not going to make it in time. Briefing is at 7:45am, ride starts at 8:30am. I need to vet him in at some point before 8:30 and he needs time to settle after a 2.5 hour drive.

Guess what time we're going to show up?

8:30am

hmm... I know that if you don't leave the start area by 8:45 you are disqualified from the ride. I don't know if you're allowed to ride the trail if you've been disqualified. We decide that it's an awfully long drive for an incredibly uncertain result, so we turn around.

I will ride down Police Pools with Mel and a few other tomorrow, so will still get some distance in.

The horses spent the majority of the day grazing in the back yard - there's nothing alive in the paddocks anymore, and it's not even summer yet. It is promising to be a VERY hard summer. We will buy a large square bale to let them have free access to roughage, and keep the back lawn alive and let the horses graze as regularly as we feel the lawn can handle.

When we got home Mat had a nap. He really needed the day off anyway, so I guess it's a good result for him. I took the opportunity to do things like wash my car and do ... I don't know, completely random stuff.

Later, we drove out to Lake Ewlyamartup to see if it will be a suitable training area for the kayak. I suppose if I don't mind paddling on water that smells like dead animals, yeah, it'd do. Iew! And it's only about half a metre deep at the middle. We agreed that a trip to Dumbleyung, though further, might be a better location. Dumbleyung is deeper, so even though it's also very low this year, we are hoping it won't smell quite so bad.

And then I had a nap. And Mat had another nap.

It was really hot and there was a viscious dry wind today. Although we spent most of the morning outside, after lunch when that wind picked up and the heat got over 30 we hid inside.

I guess I have another challenge with the weather now. As it is warming up, and far more quickly than typical, I will have to adjust to doing all this good stuff in the heat. That means more hydration challenges. I've bought a few different hydration mixes to experiment with over the next few days. I noticed on Thursday night that I felt really 'sloshy' and uncomfortable when I rehydrated after the run and during Attack. I've got a mix that says it has a 'buffering system to prevent cramping'. Guess we'll see.

And I'm having trouble with the clothing issue! My crop tri top chafes like a bugger. I went to SportsPower, our only sporting goods store, and they only have the exact same crop top like I already have. Even going up to a size 14 it still fit wrong. The cut is just too close under the armpit. My best fitting shirt that I could also swim in is way too hot to wear in this weather. Though it's wicking, it's a full torso top and it's far too thermal! Don't know what I'm going to do there. Trip to Albany? Yeah, but when!?
 
Both Mat and I can't wait until the Blackwood is over. I may be training for an IronWoman event, but this is certainly not an individual effort. Without the support of Mat, especially, and my friends, family and co-workers, I would not be where I am or as close as I am. I owe so much to Mat... I am so grateful for his support.

Friday - 8th October - 22 days to go

So far the day has been uneventful. I worked a short day shift, went and did some shopping, and am now home making up some meals and organising for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a 25km endurance ride in Boddington. This will mean another 4am start for me, and a 5am departure to get there for the debrief and to saddle up for the ride. Expecting to take 2.5 hours for the ride.

Mat's a bit over driving me all over the country-side for events. Luckily, this is the last 'away' event until the Blackwood. I think we'll be taking a few months off travel after this is all over! I am also feeling weary and looking forward to staying at home and gardening and pottering around the house.

But, as Kenny Rogers said, "There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done!"

Thursday - 7th October - 23 days to go

Feeling a little more on-track now.


Ran 7km on treadmill after work and then did Body Attack directly afterwards.

It's been good to vent and tell people that I am stressed and it's been a bit of a relief to get a bit of sympathy back. However, I think it's time to focus on FOCUS, rather than sympathy and stress!

Been enjoying the Commonwealth Games! I particularly love the swimming!! How awesome is it to see the Paralympic athletes included in the games? The slowest of the female paralympic freestyle swimmers is still faster than me at my best! I really should stop complaining about a little 'twinge' here and there! Australia is doing amazing, but how great was the Canadian Hayden in the 100m Freestyle!? And the Aussie women are on fire!!

Anyway, it's time to eat a little more and get to bed!

Holy Falling to Pieces Batman!

OMG! Total meltdown! I have somehow lost track of my week and my workouts and have managed to fail to run this week! And only one bike ride! And only 5km on the horse!

What have I been doing with my time!?  I feel like I've been busy! Oh crap....

I'll be the wimpering puddle in the corner if you're looking for me!

Wednesday - 6th October - 24 days to go

Kinda got out of bed on the wrong side today. It was 1 degree at 6am. This really put me off going for a ride or run or anything. So I slept some more.

At 7am it was only 6 degrees. So I did dishes instead of exercising and then freaked out because I suddenly remembered that I didn't do a few things at work. I ran into work, threw my weight around and really didn't do a good job of being a nice person, all because I was feeling really stressed out about not doing my exercise and not being able to do my job properly... *sigh*

And then I went for a quick horse back ride. I didn't let TK walk, we trotted and cantered, and I tried really hard to get him to sweat in a short time, but he's actually quite fit! But still got him working well.

Then I headed to the pool and swam 700 meters. I was actually really pleased with this! It did take about 30 minutes, so, agreed, not stellar, but as I got warmed up and into the rhythm I started to really enjoy the swim. I was doing 50 metres in about 1 minute 10 seconds. If I can maintain that, I'd be looking at about 1km in 25 minutes - give or take, I'm not doing the math now, too tired!

Did Body Balance at the end of the day. Do love that class! :)

Time for bed! I'm wrecked!

Tuesday - October 5th - 25 days to go

I was thinking of swimming Tuesday morning, but it was only 8 degrees out. I decided that was foolish!

Went to work, where we had a yummy goodbye lunch for Linda, and then had Seniors Gym afternoon tea. I ate way too much!

After work I was going to ride my horse, but ended up visiting with my aunt for a good hour and  a half, which stole that time.

So I paddled for 2 hours.

My elbows, forearms and wrists were killing me!  I must get onto the water, because if it hurts like that doing it without resistance, how will I even get halfway there in the water!?

Anyway...

Finding that I am completely scatterbrained these days. Having trouble focusing at work, having trouble sitting down and just doing my plan for the Blackwood, having trouble remembering things. And getting really good at shuffling around my exercise scheduled based upon what I'd rather or rather not be doing, rather than what I need to be doing...

These last few weeks are going to be a huge test. We have a big month of events, including 'the show' which needs LOTS of attention and there is SO much to do! And it's the week before the Blackwood.

I just hope I come back to normal when this is all over and can do my job again. And I hope my coworkers can forgive me for my lack of focus!

Monday - October 4th - 26 days to go

Got up at 6am for a bike ride, but decided to wait an hour - the highway was really busy with the early shift zooming up to Wammco, and it was really cool out - only 8 degrees. Cleaned up after last night's dinner and headed out at 7am.

Did the Trimmer hills, and thought I was way faster than usual, but only had an average of 21.7 overall, so was a little disappointed. However, part of that might be blamed upon the fact that I found myself drifting off with the fairies on two occasions, waking up thinking, "What gear am I in!? Oh geez, no wonder I'm not getting anywhere!" I just completely went off into la-la land and forgot what I was doing and where I was! However, I did a few uphills with more strength and speed than I usually can muster, but still haven't managed to beat my all-time speed record of 50.2kph down the big hill. Got to 49 today though!

When I got home I was SOOOOOOO sore! My butt was on FIRE, I couldn't bend my knees! My calves were tight! I did work very hard, and I suppose Sunday's run contributed, but I could barely sit! I was really working hard and sitting well back on my bike. Probably my best overall riding position of recent rides, actually. So, though not as fast as I would have enjoyed, I do have many positives to take from this ride.

I also got into the pool today! Didn't do much for long. It was COLD! OMG! Took me ages just to get wet to the shoulders and then ages again to submerge my head but I have learned that:

• I can do breast stroke. I can feel the shoulder complain, but it's not twinging, just probably more of an unworked muscle than anything. I think as long as I approach the swim with some patience, this will actually won't be too bad at all! (Phiew! Sigh of relief!)
• I cannot in any way shape or form do freestyle (front crawl) with my left arm in proper technique! One stroke made me yelp! It was not good. I can, however, do doggy paddle the left arm and freestyle the right, and that's the best I've got.
• I can do side stroke laying on my right side, definitely not on my left.
• I can do a wide variety of back strokes with sculling arms, and can even get the left arm almost in line with the shoulder for a big sweeping action, but is most comfortable just sculling at the hips.
• I did not even attempt back stroke. Just seemed pointless.

Only in the water for 15 minutes maybe, back and forth a few times in the learn to swim pool a dozen or so times just playing with the strokes and seeing how it all felt.

Once I got used to the water temp and started to enjoy it, I remembered how much I love the water! I have motivational posters on the wall in the lounge and my swimming one says

Swimming is Freedom!

And it really does feel like that when things are going well! No wonder dolphins play so much! :)

Well, it's lunchtime and time to get to work today. Body Balance tonight to stretch out my very sore legs! Breathe another sigh of relief!