Karri Valley 2015
The weekend of the 14-15th of March, Andy and I made our down south to Margaret River
for a long weekend of training, racing and wedding planning.
We headed down south on the Thursday night reaching our
accommodation, the Bevilaqua's beautiful holiday house with uninterrupted views of the ocean! Straight to bed to get some sleep ready for the morning’s session.
A swim in Margaret Rivers 25m pool made for an interesting set
of twists and turns which by the end I think I got the hang of! A little tough
when you do not tumble turn. Maybe I should learn! A short 45min run after and
that completed my sessions for the day. The following day and predicted 'winter' conditions saw Kate and I complete a 3hr wind trainer session in the garage
hooked up to net flicks with the movies of my choice! This was followed with a run of the bike with Guy
advising us it’s not going to rain. Soon
after we returned a little wet!
Sunday Andy competed in the XAdventure race and Kate and I
took the opportunity to get our long run in along the off road run course and
extended this back onto the paths along the beach. Approximately 5km in I rolled my ankle
of a rock, which I simply did not see!! It didn’t seem too bad and I continued
my run.
After the race we drove straight home and by the time I
reached home my ankle was so sore! I couldn’t get out the car and walk inside.
Straight to see my sister for some physio advise and she said it is most likely
a Grade 1 Ligament tear! Oh no. So some tape, rest, ice, compression and elevation
and I was propped up on the couch for the rest of the night and next day.
An easy wind trainer set, swim sessions of pull only and come Thursday i was off to see Ruth to see if I pass her tests to see if i can race Saturday. With only minimal discomfort she convinced me
I was fine to race and I need to change my mental state! It was not the ankle
that caused me to fail the 'left foot hopping zig zag' test but just my inability
to do so! So after a laugh about my lack of co-ordination I left feeling comfortable and happy to race Saturday. So Friday saw a short wind trainer set and a short run, then off to work and then
off to Pemberton arriving at rainbow Chalets around 9.30pm!
A late race start is always welcome as this allows a rare
sleep in! Off to register for my first open race at 7.30am. Seeing my name on the list
under the other professional names was a little intimidating even for a low key
race. I fluffed around in transition for a bit before getting out and waiting
around.
Renae Baker was kind enough to give me some encouraging words before the race start and I had Kate Bevilaqua find me before the race start and I followed
her around in the water to do my warm up. Then we were lining up on the beach
waiting to start!
The gun went and I entered at the rear of the pack and hung
onto the fast toes until the first can. Unfortunately I feel off the pack
rather quick. I feel my swimming has come along way with the help of Kate and
Guy, but I need to be able to convert this to open water swimming, something I
hope I can learn as I become too complacent in the water and don’t know how
hard to push!
So reaching T1 2.30min down of the 3-4th placed
girls I took my time and eventually exited, onto the lonely 2 lap
60km course. I wasn’t too depressed when I saw the leading females head back
as I wasn’t too far from the turnaround knowing I had lost so much time in
the swim.
Unfortunately for me I overshot the turn around, (only
slightly!) as I cant turn! Another skill I need to work on! And off I went to complete the first lap. The wind
now was a head wind and so I pushed to get to the turn off to get back to the
more sheltered part of the course! By the time I turned to complete the first lap
the course was much more full and I found it less lonely! Another lonely lap but at least I could be tempted to draft!
Into T2 and now onto the run! At this stage I was pleased with
my race and just happy to finish my first open race. The ankle seemed
fine and didn’t cause any real trouble on the ride or run. The 3 lap course made it easy to count
down the short 4km laps and made the run seem fairly quick. A tough little
course found me a little fatigued and a week off my feet, I think
this hard fast run really woke me up!
The final descend, ascend and then descend down the grass to
the finish line and I was pleased to have finished! I was eager to find out the
result of the women’s race as I watched Renee Baker and Kate Bevilaqua race
side by side for the entire run and was informed it was a sprint to the finish line!
I do love racing and love the support I receive from
strangers, friends, other athletes but especially Andy. Its great to share support out on
course with fellow athletes and friends who provide you with the encouragement
to continue.
Andy and I headed to the presentations and dinner and caught up with
fellow GKE athletes to celebrate.
It was a nice reward to have finished 5th Female
overall, and collect the 5th Prize which I think Andy has already
claimed!
I have lots to take away from this race and I know the areas I
need to work on. My swim is the obvious one but small things like transitions,
turning on the bike and again just mentally being in a better place and having the confidence to execute a race as I intend so the hard work and training pays off!
A big thanks to Kate for all her support leading into the
race and during! Continually giving me words of encouragement and advice
throughout the day. I lack the mental confidence so to have this whilst racing
my coach is very much appreciated.
Thanks to Andy who entered me in the open category, giving me
that push I needed!
Next time I hope im 100% ready to go!
