WHAT AN ADVENTURE. I do not even know where to start!
I had been excited to race 70.3 Xiamen since entering the event back in August. Following the Ironman World Championships held in September I had a week off training. I found it really hard to find my mojo after this week off. It was only a short build to 70.3 Xiamen and I knew this would be my last race for the year and this provided me with some mental strength to get to this date and then I could have some time off.
2 weeks prior to the race I was run down. I caught a cold, had a massive week of commitments and events and took on way too much. One week before the race we left super early on Saturday morning and my husband and I made our way to Bali for what was meant to be a 10 day holiday or 'summer honeymoon' before I shortened our stay here to race 70.3 Xiamen! (opps!).
We spent 3 nights in Ubud and 2 Nights in Seminyak and it was lovely.
The pre race training was interesting! I was able to run. I opted for the safety of a treadmill and nailed these sessions. Swimming was non existent with the pools and beaches not allowing me to do what I needed. The bike - I managed 45mins in a Bali gym before walking out of there looking like I had completed my swim set!
Regardless, the weeks of training prior to this holiday were what I needed come race day, not this 'taper training' so this didn't concern me too much.
On Thursday, Andy and I left Bali in the morning and made the trip to Xiamen.
Bali > Singapore. Singapore > Xiamen.
And this is exactly when I feel my 'bad luck' started. For some reason so many little things just seamed to not be going right. It was one thing after another and I was starting to feel jinxed. I am superstitious so this doesn't help!
Friday I finally got in the hotel pool and enjoyed my swim set and being in the water again. I took a solo trip out on the bike course and Polly my P5 was good to go for Sunday. I decided to register for the race on Friday, freeing up Saturday to get race ready and relax. Relax, that was the plan.
Friday night we realised I did not have my passport and was sure I had left it a race registration as this is the only place I had taken it. Andy reassured me it would be at registration and to keep calm, we will pick it up in the morning.
Saturday morning I got up to do my training and then straight to the registration to find this passport. I was not there. Panic settled in, followed by a search for it, notifying everyone (hotel, staff, ironman staff) and then a trip to the police to file a missing document and so on.
Lets just say at this point my mind was as far from tomorrows race as it possibly could be and it was the last thing I felt like doing. Everyone was telling me not to worry, we will sort it on Monday and just focus on tomorrows race. Much easier said than done when you are in a foreign country with very little english and no ID! How was I going to get home, how much would it cost, how long would it take?
RACE DAY
Come race day I woke up somewhat positive and ready to race. The 9.45am rolling age group start allowed me to catch up on some sleep I lost the night before.
Walking to the transition area, everyone entering was searched and scanned for security purposes! It was like entering the airport as we were all body scanned, bags searched and made to take a sip of our fluids.
The athletes were called into the swim start holding pen 40 minutes prior to the rolling start time of 9.45am. This was not ideal as we were all suited up and fighting for that prime start position, sweating out rivers as we were all cooking in our wetsuits! Regardless, I started right at the front of the AG start. As soon as I hit the water I didn't feel good. Whilst the water felt somewhat refreshing I could not find a rhythm let alone any speed. This swim felt like an eternity and is my slowest 70.3 swim to date! I was pleased to exit the water and hit the bike.
SWIM: 35.17
T1: 4.27
It was a fairly quick transition and I wanted to make most of the relatively clear roads ahead of me. The roads were closed to the public and were a beautiful road surface and a luxurious road 2-3 lanes wide. I was anticipating a fast ride. It usually takes me some time to find my mojo and settle into the bike but unfortunately it was not my day. I also seamed to struggle in the lack of wind. It was dead calm and made it difficult to gage how hard I was riding. I had a motorbike with a camera crew film me for 10 minutes on the bike!
The course was lovely although race day was far more smoggy than the previous days. It was a constant mental battle on the bike which turned into a physical one when I struggled to pass a male athlete on a mountain bike, in sneakers sitting upright. I simply could not bridge the gap and overtake!! Thankfully the layout of the course allowed me to break up the ride and what I thought was going to be a long day actually went relatively quickly.
BIKE: 2.34.30
T2: 2.48
Now feeling absolutely defeated and not wanting to run I entered T2 and again made a fairly quick transition. Now time to run.
As I started the run I could see Andy running towards me with arms waving and a massive smile. I thought he was cheering me on and I responded with "I have no will to run. I don't want to do this".
What I received back was the best news I could have asked for.
"Your passport has been handed in! We can go home! Run! Run!"
I can not tell you how good that made me feel and what a massive weight off my shoulders that was. I let out some tears of joy and immediately turned on race mode. For me this is where my race began. Better late than never right? But I had some work to do. I knew Ling (the current leader in my AG) was a solid rider and anticipated her putting in at least 5mins into me on the ride.
She had a big lead to catch up. So off I went hunting. I like chasing especially on the run. The first opportunity I saw Ling was approaching the 3km turn around.
I was focused. Nutrition, aid stations for water, ice, sponges. I wasn't stopping at these but made sure I took everything on board as I needed to. The volunteers were excellent at getting exactly what I needed to me, although I did pass up the opportunity for 'coka ko-ra'. At the end of the first lap I had put a lot of time into Ling and I wasn't giving up just yet!
It was heating up and it was much warmer than I believe most athletes were expecting and this was evident out on the run.
I also found myself with a young Chinese man who had decided to run side by side with me. I don't usually like this at all but with some sign language of thumbs up he stayed with me for almost that whole lap, until he asked if I was on my first lap, to which I responded with '2' fingers. And that was the end of my company!
By the end of 14km and the start of the final lap I passed Ling and didn't look back. I knew I had to make a solid lead as I had no idea of the true placings with the rolling start. I was able to finish the final km's strongly and as a result I was announced as the first female age group athlete across the line.
I was proud that Andy was there to share that moment with me.
RUN: 1.34.06
OVERALL: 4.51.08
Click here for a quick video recap of my race
Now, again an anxious wait. Had I put enough time into Ling for the AG win and was there any other athletes out there who had started later than me but had the overall fastest finish time?
More importantly, I was keen to leave the finish line and head to the hotel so I could get this Passport! So off we went and 90mins later I was the happiest girl in the world with the possession of my passport back in my hands. I can not tell you how good it felt to pick it up!! See below;
Back to the Hotel to try and search the results. Finally after some delay I was able to confirm the Ironman results had ranked me as 1st Female 25-29 AG, 2nd Age Group Female athlete overall and sneaking into the top 10 with 9th Female.
Anything really is possible.
Relief, Joy and some stress for my now growing credit card debt. $1400.00 AUD for an entry to the Ironman World Championship but the best money I had spent all trip.
I had achieved my goals for this race with a first place, ensuring me a slot to the Ironman World Championships. The golden ticket!! I don't even like beer but you can count on the fact I had one at presentations with Andy and a the small crew who travelled from Perth. Cheers!
So happy to be returning to the big island again for 2017 and this time I will be more prepared and experienced. Bring it on.
As usual, I have to acknowledge the support my husband provides me. Allowing me to change our holiday travel plans to participate in this event. The cost of the $1400.00 Ironman World Championship fee - dam exchange rate! The time I spend training, time I spend hungry, grumpy, smelly and tired. The time he spends supporting, cheering, videoing and making race day clips! I love our adventures as a result of this sport and I am grateful you allow me to pursue my dreams whilst I can.
I not long ago I mentioned to a friend 'I owe Andy big time'.
His response was Andy would be bored with out me. He owes me forever!
Following this trip it was certainly far from boring and I think will be a lasting memory for some time.
I had been excited to race 70.3 Xiamen since entering the event back in August. Following the Ironman World Championships held in September I had a week off training. I found it really hard to find my mojo after this week off. It was only a short build to 70.3 Xiamen and I knew this would be my last race for the year and this provided me with some mental strength to get to this date and then I could have some time off.
2 weeks prior to the race I was run down. I caught a cold, had a massive week of commitments and events and took on way too much. One week before the race we left super early on Saturday morning and my husband and I made our way to Bali for what was meant to be a 10 day holiday or 'summer honeymoon' before I shortened our stay here to race 70.3 Xiamen! (opps!).
We spent 3 nights in Ubud and 2 Nights in Seminyak and it was lovely.
The pre race training was interesting! I was able to run. I opted for the safety of a treadmill and nailed these sessions. Swimming was non existent with the pools and beaches not allowing me to do what I needed. The bike - I managed 45mins in a Bali gym before walking out of there looking like I had completed my swim set!
Regardless, the weeks of training prior to this holiday were what I needed come race day, not this 'taper training' so this didn't concern me too much.
On Thursday, Andy and I left Bali in the morning and made the trip to Xiamen.
Bali > Singapore. Singapore > Xiamen.
And this is exactly when I feel my 'bad luck' started. For some reason so many little things just seamed to not be going right. It was one thing after another and I was starting to feel jinxed. I am superstitious so this doesn't help!
Friday I finally got in the hotel pool and enjoyed my swim set and being in the water again. I took a solo trip out on the bike course and Polly my P5 was good to go for Sunday. I decided to register for the race on Friday, freeing up Saturday to get race ready and relax. Relax, that was the plan.
Friday night we realised I did not have my passport and was sure I had left it a race registration as this is the only place I had taken it. Andy reassured me it would be at registration and to keep calm, we will pick it up in the morning.
Saturday morning I got up to do my training and then straight to the registration to find this passport. I was not there. Panic settled in, followed by a search for it, notifying everyone (hotel, staff, ironman staff) and then a trip to the police to file a missing document and so on.
Lets just say at this point my mind was as far from tomorrows race as it possibly could be and it was the last thing I felt like doing. Everyone was telling me not to worry, we will sort it on Monday and just focus on tomorrows race. Much easier said than done when you are in a foreign country with very little english and no ID! How was I going to get home, how much would it cost, how long would it take?
RACE DAY
Come race day I woke up somewhat positive and ready to race. The 9.45am rolling age group start allowed me to catch up on some sleep I lost the night before.
Walking to the transition area, everyone entering was searched and scanned for security purposes! It was like entering the airport as we were all body scanned, bags searched and made to take a sip of our fluids.
The athletes were called into the swim start holding pen 40 minutes prior to the rolling start time of 9.45am. This was not ideal as we were all suited up and fighting for that prime start position, sweating out rivers as we were all cooking in our wetsuits! Regardless, I started right at the front of the AG start. As soon as I hit the water I didn't feel good. Whilst the water felt somewhat refreshing I could not find a rhythm let alone any speed. This swim felt like an eternity and is my slowest 70.3 swim to date! I was pleased to exit the water and hit the bike.
SWIM: 35.17
T1: 4.27
It was a fairly quick transition and I wanted to make most of the relatively clear roads ahead of me. The roads were closed to the public and were a beautiful road surface and a luxurious road 2-3 lanes wide. I was anticipating a fast ride. It usually takes me some time to find my mojo and settle into the bike but unfortunately it was not my day. I also seamed to struggle in the lack of wind. It was dead calm and made it difficult to gage how hard I was riding. I had a motorbike with a camera crew film me for 10 minutes on the bike!
The course was lovely although race day was far more smoggy than the previous days. It was a constant mental battle on the bike which turned into a physical one when I struggled to pass a male athlete on a mountain bike, in sneakers sitting upright. I simply could not bridge the gap and overtake!! Thankfully the layout of the course allowed me to break up the ride and what I thought was going to be a long day actually went relatively quickly.
BIKE: 2.34.30
T2: 2.48
Now feeling absolutely defeated and not wanting to run I entered T2 and again made a fairly quick transition. Now time to run.
As I started the run I could see Andy running towards me with arms waving and a massive smile. I thought he was cheering me on and I responded with "I have no will to run. I don't want to do this".
What I received back was the best news I could have asked for.
"Your passport has been handed in! We can go home! Run! Run!"
I can not tell you how good that made me feel and what a massive weight off my shoulders that was. I let out some tears of joy and immediately turned on race mode. For me this is where my race began. Better late than never right? But I had some work to do. I knew Ling (the current leader in my AG) was a solid rider and anticipated her putting in at least 5mins into me on the ride.
She had a big lead to catch up. So off I went hunting. I like chasing especially on the run. The first opportunity I saw Ling was approaching the 3km turn around.
I was focused. Nutrition, aid stations for water, ice, sponges. I wasn't stopping at these but made sure I took everything on board as I needed to. The volunteers were excellent at getting exactly what I needed to me, although I did pass up the opportunity for 'coka ko-ra'. At the end of the first lap I had put a lot of time into Ling and I wasn't giving up just yet!
It was heating up and it was much warmer than I believe most athletes were expecting and this was evident out on the run.
I also found myself with a young Chinese man who had decided to run side by side with me. I don't usually like this at all but with some sign language of thumbs up he stayed with me for almost that whole lap, until he asked if I was on my first lap, to which I responded with '2' fingers. And that was the end of my company!
By the end of 14km and the start of the final lap I passed Ling and didn't look back. I knew I had to make a solid lead as I had no idea of the true placings with the rolling start. I was able to finish the final km's strongly and as a result I was announced as the first female age group athlete across the line.
I was proud that Andy was there to share that moment with me.
RUN: 1.34.06
OVERALL: 4.51.08
Click here for a quick video recap of my race
Now, again an anxious wait. Had I put enough time into Ling for the AG win and was there any other athletes out there who had started later than me but had the overall fastest finish time?
More importantly, I was keen to leave the finish line and head to the hotel so I could get this Passport! So off we went and 90mins later I was the happiest girl in the world with the possession of my passport back in my hands. I can not tell you how good it felt to pick it up!! See below;
Me and my found passport outside the police station.
Anything really is possible.
25-29 Podium
Relief, Joy and some stress for my now growing credit card debt. $1400.00 AUD for an entry to the Ironman World Championship but the best money I had spent all trip.
I had achieved my goals for this race with a first place, ensuring me a slot to the Ironman World Championships. The golden ticket!! I don't even like beer but you can count on the fact I had one at presentations with Andy and a the small crew who travelled from Perth. Cheers!
So happy to be returning to the big island again for 2017 and this time I will be more prepared and experienced. Bring it on.
As usual, I have to acknowledge the support my husband provides me. Allowing me to change our holiday travel plans to participate in this event. The cost of the $1400.00 Ironman World Championship fee - dam exchange rate! The time I spend training, time I spend hungry, grumpy, smelly and tired. The time he spends supporting, cheering, videoing and making race day clips! I love our adventures as a result of this sport and I am grateful you allow me to pursue my dreams whilst I can.
I not long ago I mentioned to a friend 'I owe Andy big time'.
His response was Andy would be bored with out me. He owes me forever!
Following this trip it was certainly far from boring and I think will be a lasting memory for some time.
