Hospital Bill
Go on guess...1 night in hospital including 3 bags of saline, some painkillers, a blood and a urine test. Guess how much...?
$2806
Who can afford to go to hospital in the US??? Amazing. Lucky for me I have race day insurance!
Cx
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Settling into the off season
Settling into the off season
Things have started to settle down, I am feeling better and really ready just to take it easy. I went for a short run a couple of days ago and it felt OK, when I feel back on form I am looking forward to running and leaving my watch at home. No pressure training.
I collected my bike from Sam on Wednesday night. I am really sad it is over, but I know it was the right thing to do. In hindsight there were too many differences for us to overcome. Unfortunately, in the very wise words of my friend Claire, love just isn't enough.
Corinna pointed out that relationships that don't work out are like paving stones in the road to the right one. I have to say, this road is getting very long!
Fiona and Andrew got engaged this week which is just brilliant. I have started calling her Sparkles, she got a diamond watch for her birthday followed up with a very nice engagement ring a day later. The man has impeccable taste in jewellery.
Last night was out with the Ironhead Racing boys. Everyone is at the end of the season so it was nice and relaxed. Met up in Covent Garden at the Porterhouse which I was surprised to see was full of older men or groups of Aussies. I wasn't expecting that, maybe it was overflow from the Walkabout :)
We scarpered out of there and went to the Roundhouse which had Star on tap so I was happy :) It has been about 6 months now since I have been off the booze, so during that time it was rare for me to be on one of the last tube's home. I really did forget how entertaining it could be.
I am still shrinking, it is really strange because I don't really have an appetite so I'm not eating too much but I'm not doing crazy exercise (30min in an entire week). I think being ill hasn't helped but I am losing weight from strange places like my fingers and wrists. I was just talking to Mum and thanks to genetics I am never going to lose it from my chest or bottom! I am down to 58kg which is 1kg lighter than my race weight. I have started drinking again so no doubt it will pile on again quickly enough. Breakups and Ironman - The Carolyn Hewett Diet.
Have a great weekend!
C x
Things have started to settle down, I am feeling better and really ready just to take it easy. I went for a short run a couple of days ago and it felt OK, when I feel back on form I am looking forward to running and leaving my watch at home. No pressure training.
I collected my bike from Sam on Wednesday night. I am really sad it is over, but I know it was the right thing to do. In hindsight there were too many differences for us to overcome. Unfortunately, in the very wise words of my friend Claire, love just isn't enough.
Corinna pointed out that relationships that don't work out are like paving stones in the road to the right one. I have to say, this road is getting very long!
Fiona and Andrew got engaged this week which is just brilliant. I have started calling her Sparkles, she got a diamond watch for her birthday followed up with a very nice engagement ring a day later. The man has impeccable taste in jewellery.
Last night was out with the Ironhead Racing boys. Everyone is at the end of the season so it was nice and relaxed. Met up in Covent Garden at the Porterhouse which I was surprised to see was full of older men or groups of Aussies. I wasn't expecting that, maybe it was overflow from the Walkabout :)
We scarpered out of there and went to the Roundhouse which had Star on tap so I was happy :) It has been about 6 months now since I have been off the booze, so during that time it was rare for me to be on one of the last tube's home. I really did forget how entertaining it could be.
I am still shrinking, it is really strange because I don't really have an appetite so I'm not eating too much but I'm not doing crazy exercise (30min in an entire week). I think being ill hasn't helped but I am losing weight from strange places like my fingers and wrists. I was just talking to Mum and thanks to genetics I am never going to lose it from my chest or bottom! I am down to 58kg which is 1kg lighter than my race weight. I have started drinking again so no doubt it will pile on again quickly enough. Breakups and Ironman - The Carolyn Hewett Diet.
Have a great weekend!
C x
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Kona Pictures
You can also see them here with tags and descriptions http://aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ironcaro/
24 October 2007 Kona Photos
24 October 2007
14:54:22 o'clock BST
14:54:22 o'clock BST
You can also see them here with tags and descriptions http://aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ironcaro/
Monday, October 22, 2007
London 22 October 2007
London
I''m back! I am so tired so taking it easy at the moment. I am trying to get in to see my doctor as I suspect I may have stirred up my chronic fatigue again as I constantly have that drained exhausted feeling, or it could be becuase I just did another ironman :)
I have decided to draw a line under the 2007 season and call it quits. No more races this year and if I do want to train it will be without a watch, I just need to recover. Mentally and physically.
I have had nightmares every night since the race about the wind in Kona. I have this dream that I am going flat out on my bike but I can't get away from whatever is chasing me because the wind is so strong.
When you get body marked you get stamped with thick black numbers, which means the sun doesn't get through. I have now tanned around the 1757 that was stamped on each arm and it looks pretty funny :) I call them my Hawaii Tattoos.
I worked out today that I ate 35 gels and 2 power bars throughout the course of the day. No wonder I couldn't sleep that night, but they do work!
I also dumped Sam after we had this stupid fight in Hawaii and he managed to ignore me for the entire flight home. Not an easy feat I am sure. The incredible part was when he acted surprised when I dumped him saying I deserve better than that and that I want a man in my life not a child.
Physically I am getting better, but still so tired. The burns on my back are slowly healing, I have managed to hang onto my big toe nail that was threatening to leave and I don't have any aches or pains. No problems with my knee which is really encouraging.
I reckon it will only be about 5 days before I have been for a run... :)
C x
I''m back! I am so tired so taking it easy at the moment. I am trying to get in to see my doctor as I suspect I may have stirred up my chronic fatigue again as I constantly have that drained exhausted feeling, or it could be becuase I just did another ironman :)
I have decided to draw a line under the 2007 season and call it quits. No more races this year and if I do want to train it will be without a watch, I just need to recover. Mentally and physically.
I have had nightmares every night since the race about the wind in Kona. I have this dream that I am going flat out on my bike but I can't get away from whatever is chasing me because the wind is so strong.
When you get body marked you get stamped with thick black numbers, which means the sun doesn't get through. I have now tanned around the 1757 that was stamped on each arm and it looks pretty funny :) I call them my Hawaii Tattoos.
I worked out today that I ate 35 gels and 2 power bars throughout the course of the day. No wonder I couldn't sleep that night, but they do work!
I also dumped Sam after we had this stupid fight in Hawaii and he managed to ignore me for the entire flight home. Not an easy feat I am sure. The incredible part was when he acted surprised when I dumped him saying I deserve better than that and that I want a man in my life not a child.
Physically I am getting better, but still so tired. The burns on my back are slowly healing, I have managed to hang onto my big toe nail that was threatening to leave and I don't have any aches or pains. No problems with my knee which is really encouraging.
I reckon it will only be about 5 days before I have been for a run... :)
C x
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Sunday 14th October - Post Race Blues
Sunday 14th October
The day after. Predictably I was feeling pretty rubbish so only managed to make it to the pool. I had to do an interview and the guys kindly came to the hotel to meet me there.
I was pretty badly burnt and had blisters coming up on my lower back where my tri top had ridden up when I was on the bike. My shoulders were badly fried too. I wasn't feeling my best so spent the day at the hotel.
We headed off to the awards ceremony. Both Chris and Chrissie made great speeches and all it made me want to do was get back there and give it another shot. I hadn't achieved what I set out to do.
The day after. Predictably I was feeling pretty rubbish so only managed to make it to the pool. I had to do an interview and the guys kindly came to the hotel to meet me there.
I was pretty badly burnt and had blisters coming up on my lower back where my tri top had ridden up when I was on the bike. My shoulders were badly fried too. I wasn't feeling my best so spent the day at the hotel.
We headed off to the awards ceremony. Both Chris and Chrissie made great speeches and all it made me want to do was get back there and give it another shot. I hadn't achieved what I set out to do.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Saturday 13th October - RACE DAY Kona 2007
Saturday 13th October - RACE DAY
Up at 2.30 because I couldn’t sleep and gather my things together. Got on my funky little tri outfit with my sponsors names all over it and caught a cab to the start. First thing is to get body marked where you get stamped on both arms with your race number from your shoulder to your elbow in big black numbers. Then I headed into transition to pump up my tyres and put my drink bottles on my bike and give everything a last minute check over. I put on some 6-hour sunscreen and headed out to find everyone. I had about 30 mins before I wanted to line up and get in the water. It was already getting hot. For the past 2 days around 2pm it clouded over and the temp would drop a little. I was really counting on that because according to my plan I would be starting my run around that time.
Load of pictures later I headed off to get in the water. Because it is a mass start you have to seed yourself according to your ability. I wanted to be in the middle about 2/3 of the way back in order to take advantage of the draft.
The pro race started 15 mins before the age groupers and we were off at 7am. I was amazed at how I couldn’t see a thing. The water was just white due to all the arms and legs thrashing about and it was like this for about a hundred metres. There was a bit of jostling but is wasn’t too bad and I got into my rhythm quickly. Because of the swell it was hard to sight so I wasn’t sure how I was doing. I got to the turnaround point in 40 min, which meant I was dead on target. I had enjoyed the first half of the swim but could feel my Zoot suit scratching the back of my neck. This only got worse and as much as I wriggled it around the damage was already done and the salt water was making it sting. My swim back into the pier took 50 mins and I felt tired. I felt like I was putting in lots of effort and not getting anywhere. I caught a couple of draftsbut the field was really spread out and I was finding it difficult to get someone going the right speed. I was also conscious I was outside of my estimated time and was trying to make it up.
Out of the water in 1:30:27 in 1587 position. I ran straight into the showers they set up and there was load of volunteers so someone had my bag ready for me. I stripped off my Zoot suit and had my tri suit on underneath. Rob was waiting in transition for me and was filming me getting my shoes and helmet on and asking me about the swim. It really bothered me that there were very few bikes in transition. I am not a strong swimmer but this made me realise that I had missed the main pack. I got out on the course and did the loop through the town. Because I was 10 min down on my plan I really went for it, a tactic that had worked well for me at IMUK. I knew that in order to meet my target I needed to do 38min 20km splits.
I achieved this on the first 2 and was at 40 min for the 3rd one. I was finding the bike really hard going and it was so very very hot out there. There was a strong head wind and I was ill prepared for how desolate the scenery was. I was finding it easy to stick to my nutrition plan of eating a gel every 20 mins but I was becoming increasingly worried about my plan and how far I was down. It was also very apparent that the main pack had gone and I was closer to the back, something I had never experienced before in a race. This was really getting to me. The bike course is out over what is called the lava fields and that is exactly what they are. There isn’t anything to look at except black rock. There weren’t any spectators and the only human contact was at the aid stations. I gave up saying hi to people as I went passed them, this clearly wasn’t a friendly race, which was something I had really enjoyed about the UK race.
At around the 60km mark I developed cramps in both feet and this spread really quickly into both calves. I loosened my shoes, I tried moving my feet around, I even tried cycling with the sides of my feet but nothing worked. It was impossible to push any of the big gears and I had to stay in the lower ones. Anything too hard and I had pain shooting up both legs. I was slowing down and people I had over taken were now catching and going past me at speed. I was beginning to become really demoralised. At body marking you have your age written on the back of your left calf. I could now see that women in their 40’s and 50’s were going past me which frustrated and infuriated me. I would try and make a move to pull them back in and would have to almost stop pedalling to ease the pain in my legs. I wanted to cry with complete and utter frustration, as I knew my Kona goal was slipping away.
The course is an out and back and I experienced a head wind for the entire way. I knew that in the afternoon the wind changed direction and it wasn’t unusual for people to experience a head wind both ways. On the way out there were times I was down to 10km an hour due to the hills and the strength of the wind. It was infuriating to watch the KM’s tick by so slowly. Every metre felt like a KM. I could see people flying back in with the wind at their backs and that spurred me on. I knew I needed to get to the turnaround and get some respite from the wind that was sapping my energy.
I got around the corner and picked up speed heading back but the wind had already changed so Iwas getting a side wind rather than a full on tail wind. It was better than a head wind and I was going to take it. It really picked up, so much so I had to miss one of my feeds simply because I couldn’t take my hands off the handlebars. It was so bad out there one of the pros was blown off her bike.
My back was aching quite badly because it was too windy to use my tri bars and my upper body was stiff with the effort it was taking to keep my bike upright and on the road in the incredible wind. The respite I had hoped for only lasted around 40 minutes before I was faced with the headwind once again. I was still suffering with cramps in my legs and I could feel my skin burning as I caught the sun and the sunscreen was starting to wear off. I was feeling really low and thought a lot about pulling out of the race. It isn’t like me to give up but I was already so physically exhausted I wasn’t sure I could make the cycle back let alone run the marathon.
My average speed by this time had dropped and I was finding it difficult to focus. I had a few brief moments where I would get some strength but these didn’t last long and each time it took a little more out of me. I was continuously being over taken and this was really messing with my head. The only saving grace was that Eric the cameraman had filmed on the way out when things were not as grim. I was thankful there wasn’t anyone around to witness my rapid decline. I got back to transition 1:15 later than planned but by this stage I was in survival mode.
I came off the bike in 6:59:52 and in 1504th position. I had a long T2 as I tried to decide if I could continue and gave myself a mental kicking to get out there and finish the race. Rob was filming me come out of transition and I managed to hold back the tears of pain and frustration until I had passed him. I broke down where I saw my friends and they helped me to get going again.
This was the only day where the clouds hadn’t come over so the respite form the sun was not going to be had. I was now also thinking about the prospect of having to finish the race in the dark, something I hadn’t thought would happen to me. I almost pulled out of the race again when the same old cramp under the left side of my rib cage appeared and I had to walk it off. I got going again and made the turnaround on Alii drive, I even managed to pick up the pace slightly on the ay back to town.
It didn’t last long and once through Kona I had no idea how I was going to run the remaining 16 miles out to the Natural Energy Lab and back. My friends were at the top of the hill and I started to cry again saying I couldn’t finish. Sam, Antoinette and Corinna ran with me for a while and Sam continued on with me for about a km in bare feet, which got me going again. I kept telling myself I had to keep running because walking would take too long. Everything was hurting and I was in considerable pain from severe sunburn and chaffing. I was managing to get a gel down every 20 min and was trying to get as much water and ice down as possible, but I knew it wasn’t enough. It was just impossible to drink enough without getting more cramps.
Eric the cameraman found me on the run and I was really struggling, but I guess that makes great viewing. I kept running but I wasn’t getting anywhere, I have never run so slowly in my life. Mentally I was just taking it one step at a time trying to distract myself from the ever-increasing darkness that was falling and the huge number of people running back into town.
I held out getting a glow stick for as long as possible, I was in denial that I was going to have to run in the dark, but the worst was yet to come. I had incorrectly read the run route and thought the turnaround was at the top of the road to the NEL. As it turns out it was about 1.5miles down a hill on another road. It almost destroyed me. My pride was the only thing stopping me from pulling out and it was all being recorded on film. I put on a brave face, held back the tears and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
It was so dark along the route you wouldn’t see the other runners until you were right on top of them. I was running alone and it was so tough but knowing I was on the way back kept me going. It was getting grim and there were people still heading out of town, but some were in really bad shape. People were throwing up and collapsing on the side of the road and as cruel as it sounds it gave me strength to know that there were people in a worse state and it kept me going.
About 10km from the finish I started to run with this Canadian guy. We were both in a bad way but having someone next to you makes a huge difference. I was lucky that the times I wanted to stop, he kept me moving and I did the same for him. I don’t know if I could have finished without him. We even managed to pick up the pace slightly as I was getting slower and slower. I just had nothing left.
Corinna and Antoinette were waiting about a mile from the end and ran with me. I couldn’t even speak by this stage and their words of encouragement fuelled me for the last mile. Sam was waiting for me in the finishing chute and I was so pleased to be at the end. I crossed the line hand in hand with my new Canadian friend. I don’t even know his name and I lost him as we were both swept up by our respective friends in the finishing area.
I did the run in 4:16:36 and finished in 1368th place with an over all time of 12:56:08.
I did an interview but I don't really remember what I said. I went and got into the water to ease the pain in my legs and went and collected the most impressive medal in the world! I knew something was wrong when I couldn't eat or really walk without support so asked to be taken back to the hotel.
Things went down hill pretty quickly and in the space of about an hour I was pretty much out of it and on my way to hospital. I was put on a drip straight away and given drugs for the pain and nausea. The doctor ended up giving me 3 bags of saline and I was only in for the night. Not exactly how I had planned my Kona race to go!
Up at 2.30 because I couldn’t sleep and gather my things together. Got on my funky little tri outfit with my sponsors names all over it and caught a cab to the start. First thing is to get body marked where you get stamped on both arms with your race number from your shoulder to your elbow in big black numbers. Then I headed into transition to pump up my tyres and put my drink bottles on my bike and give everything a last minute check over. I put on some 6-hour sunscreen and headed out to find everyone. I had about 30 mins before I wanted to line up and get in the water. It was already getting hot. For the past 2 days around 2pm it clouded over and the temp would drop a little. I was really counting on that because according to my plan I would be starting my run around that time.
Load of pictures later I headed off to get in the water. Because it is a mass start you have to seed yourself according to your ability. I wanted to be in the middle about 2/3 of the way back in order to take advantage of the draft.
The pro race started 15 mins before the age groupers and we were off at 7am. I was amazed at how I couldn’t see a thing. The water was just white due to all the arms and legs thrashing about and it was like this for about a hundred metres. There was a bit of jostling but is wasn’t too bad and I got into my rhythm quickly. Because of the swell it was hard to sight so I wasn’t sure how I was doing. I got to the turnaround point in 40 min, which meant I was dead on target. I had enjoyed the first half of the swim but could feel my Zoot suit scratching the back of my neck. This only got worse and as much as I wriggled it around the damage was already done and the salt water was making it sting. My swim back into the pier took 50 mins and I felt tired. I felt like I was putting in lots of effort and not getting anywhere. I caught a couple of draftsbut the field was really spread out and I was finding it difficult to get someone going the right speed. I was also conscious I was outside of my estimated time and was trying to make it up.
Out of the water in 1:30:27 in 1587 position. I ran straight into the showers they set up and there was load of volunteers so someone had my bag ready for me. I stripped off my Zoot suit and had my tri suit on underneath. Rob was waiting in transition for me and was filming me getting my shoes and helmet on and asking me about the swim. It really bothered me that there were very few bikes in transition. I am not a strong swimmer but this made me realise that I had missed the main pack. I got out on the course and did the loop through the town. Because I was 10 min down on my plan I really went for it, a tactic that had worked well for me at IMUK. I knew that in order to meet my target I needed to do 38min 20km splits.
I achieved this on the first 2 and was at 40 min for the 3rd one. I was finding the bike really hard going and it was so very very hot out there. There was a strong head wind and I was ill prepared for how desolate the scenery was. I was finding it easy to stick to my nutrition plan of eating a gel every 20 mins but I was becoming increasingly worried about my plan and how far I was down. It was also very apparent that the main pack had gone and I was closer to the back, something I had never experienced before in a race. This was really getting to me. The bike course is out over what is called the lava fields and that is exactly what they are. There isn’t anything to look at except black rock. There weren’t any spectators and the only human contact was at the aid stations. I gave up saying hi to people as I went passed them, this clearly wasn’t a friendly race, which was something I had really enjoyed about the UK race.
At around the 60km mark I developed cramps in both feet and this spread really quickly into both calves. I loosened my shoes, I tried moving my feet around, I even tried cycling with the sides of my feet but nothing worked. It was impossible to push any of the big gears and I had to stay in the lower ones. Anything too hard and I had pain shooting up both legs. I was slowing down and people I had over taken were now catching and going past me at speed. I was beginning to become really demoralised. At body marking you have your age written on the back of your left calf. I could now see that women in their 40’s and 50’s were going past me which frustrated and infuriated me. I would try and make a move to pull them back in and would have to almost stop pedalling to ease the pain in my legs. I wanted to cry with complete and utter frustration, as I knew my Kona goal was slipping away.
The course is an out and back and I experienced a head wind for the entire way. I knew that in the afternoon the wind changed direction and it wasn’t unusual for people to experience a head wind both ways. On the way out there were times I was down to 10km an hour due to the hills and the strength of the wind. It was infuriating to watch the KM’s tick by so slowly. Every metre felt like a KM. I could see people flying back in with the wind at their backs and that spurred me on. I knew I needed to get to the turnaround and get some respite from the wind that was sapping my energy.
I got around the corner and picked up speed heading back but the wind had already changed so Iwas getting a side wind rather than a full on tail wind. It was better than a head wind and I was going to take it. It really picked up, so much so I had to miss one of my feeds simply because I couldn’t take my hands off the handlebars. It was so bad out there one of the pros was blown off her bike.
My back was aching quite badly because it was too windy to use my tri bars and my upper body was stiff with the effort it was taking to keep my bike upright and on the road in the incredible wind. The respite I had hoped for only lasted around 40 minutes before I was faced with the headwind once again. I was still suffering with cramps in my legs and I could feel my skin burning as I caught the sun and the sunscreen was starting to wear off. I was feeling really low and thought a lot about pulling out of the race. It isn’t like me to give up but I was already so physically exhausted I wasn’t sure I could make the cycle back let alone run the marathon.
My average speed by this time had dropped and I was finding it difficult to focus. I had a few brief moments where I would get some strength but these didn’t last long and each time it took a little more out of me. I was continuously being over taken and this was really messing with my head. The only saving grace was that Eric the cameraman had filmed on the way out when things were not as grim. I was thankful there wasn’t anyone around to witness my rapid decline. I got back to transition 1:15 later than planned but by this stage I was in survival mode.
I came off the bike in 6:59:52 and in 1504th position. I had a long T2 as I tried to decide if I could continue and gave myself a mental kicking to get out there and finish the race. Rob was filming me come out of transition and I managed to hold back the tears of pain and frustration until I had passed him. I broke down where I saw my friends and they helped me to get going again.
This was the only day where the clouds hadn’t come over so the respite form the sun was not going to be had. I was now also thinking about the prospect of having to finish the race in the dark, something I hadn’t thought would happen to me. I almost pulled out of the race again when the same old cramp under the left side of my rib cage appeared and I had to walk it off. I got going again and made the turnaround on Alii drive, I even managed to pick up the pace slightly on the ay back to town.
It didn’t last long and once through Kona I had no idea how I was going to run the remaining 16 miles out to the Natural Energy Lab and back. My friends were at the top of the hill and I started to cry again saying I couldn’t finish. Sam, Antoinette and Corinna ran with me for a while and Sam continued on with me for about a km in bare feet, which got me going again. I kept telling myself I had to keep running because walking would take too long. Everything was hurting and I was in considerable pain from severe sunburn and chaffing. I was managing to get a gel down every 20 min and was trying to get as much water and ice down as possible, but I knew it wasn’t enough. It was just impossible to drink enough without getting more cramps.
Eric the cameraman found me on the run and I was really struggling, but I guess that makes great viewing. I kept running but I wasn’t getting anywhere, I have never run so slowly in my life. Mentally I was just taking it one step at a time trying to distract myself from the ever-increasing darkness that was falling and the huge number of people running back into town.
I held out getting a glow stick for as long as possible, I was in denial that I was going to have to run in the dark, but the worst was yet to come. I had incorrectly read the run route and thought the turnaround was at the top of the road to the NEL. As it turns out it was about 1.5miles down a hill on another road. It almost destroyed me. My pride was the only thing stopping me from pulling out and it was all being recorded on film. I put on a brave face, held back the tears and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
It was so dark along the route you wouldn’t see the other runners until you were right on top of them. I was running alone and it was so tough but knowing I was on the way back kept me going. It was getting grim and there were people still heading out of town, but some were in really bad shape. People were throwing up and collapsing on the side of the road and as cruel as it sounds it gave me strength to know that there were people in a worse state and it kept me going.
About 10km from the finish I started to run with this Canadian guy. We were both in a bad way but having someone next to you makes a huge difference. I was lucky that the times I wanted to stop, he kept me moving and I did the same for him. I don’t know if I could have finished without him. We even managed to pick up the pace slightly as I was getting slower and slower. I just had nothing left.
Corinna and Antoinette were waiting about a mile from the end and ran with me. I couldn’t even speak by this stage and their words of encouragement fuelled me for the last mile. Sam was waiting for me in the finishing chute and I was so pleased to be at the end. I crossed the line hand in hand with my new Canadian friend. I don’t even know his name and I lost him as we were both swept up by our respective friends in the finishing area.
I did the run in 4:16:36 and finished in 1368th place with an over all time of 12:56:08.
I did an interview but I don't really remember what I said. I went and got into the water to ease the pain in my legs and went and collected the most impressive medal in the world! I knew something was wrong when I couldn't eat or really walk without support so asked to be taken back to the hotel.
Things went down hill pretty quickly and in the space of about an hour I was pretty much out of it and on my way to hospital. I was put on a drip straight away and given drugs for the pain and nausea. The doctor ended up giving me 3 bags of saline and I was only in for the night. Not exactly how I had planned my Kona race to go!
Saturday 13th October - RACE DAY Kona 2007
Saturday 13th October - RACE DAY
Up at 2.30 because I couldn’t sleep and gather my things together. Got on my funky little tri outfit with my sponsors names all over it and caught a cab to the start. First thing is to get body marked where you get stamped on both arms with your race number from your shoulder to your elbow in big black numbers. Then I headed into transition to pump up my tyres and put my drink bottles on my bike and give everything a last minute check over. I put on some 6-hour sunscreen and headed out to find everyone. I had about 30 mins before I wanted to line up and get in the water. It was already getting hot. For the past 2 days around 2pm it clouded over and the temp would drop a little. I was really counting on that because according to my plan I would be starting my run around that time.
Load of pictures later I headed off to get in the water. Because it is a mass start you have to seed yourself according to your ability. I wanted to be in the middle about 2/3 of the way back in order to take advantage of the draft.
The pro race started 15 mins before the age groupers and we were off at 7am. I was amazed at how I couldn’t see a thing. The water was just white due to all the arms and legs thrashing about and it was like this for about a hundred metres. There was a bit of jostling but is wasn’t too bad and I got into my rhythm quickly. Because of the swell it was hard to sight so I wasn’t sure how I was doing. I got to the turnaround point in 40 min, which meant I was dead on target. I had enjoyed the first half of the swim but could feel my Zoot suit scratching the back of my neck. This only got worse and as much as I wriggled it around the damage was already done and the salt water was making it sting. My swim back into the pier took 50 mins and I felt tired. I felt like I was putting in lots of effort and not getting anywhere. I caught a couple of draftsbut the field was really spread out and I was finding it difficult to get someone going the right speed. I was also conscious I was outside of my estimated time and was trying to make it up.
Out of the water in 1:30:27 in 1587 position. I ran straight into the showers they set up and there was load of volunteers so someone had my bag ready for me. I stripped off my Zoot suit and had my tri suit on underneath. Rob was waiting in transition for me and was filming me getting my shoes and helmet on and asking me about the swim. It really bothered me that there were very few bikes in transition. I am not a strong swimmer but this made me realise that I had missed the main pack. I got out on the course and did the loop through the town. Because I was 10 min down on my plan I really went for it, a tactic that had worked well for me at IMUK. I knew that in order to meet my target I needed to do 38min 20km splits.
I achieved this on the first 2 and was at 40 min for the 3rd one. I was finding the bike really hard going and it was so very very hot out there. There was a strong head wind and I was ill prepared for how desolate the scenery was. I was finding it easy to stick to my nutrition plan of eating a gel every 20 mins but I was becoming increasingly worried about my plan and how far I was down. It was also very apparent that the main pack had gone and I was closer to the back, something I had never experienced before in a race. This was really getting to me. The bike course is out over what is called the lava fields and that is exactly what they are. There isn’t anything to look at except black rock. There weren’t any spectators and the only human contact was at the aid stations. I gave up saying hi to people as I went passed them, this clearly wasn’t a friendly race, which was something I had really enjoyed about the UK race.
At around the 60km mark I developed cramps in both feet and this spread really quickly into both calves. I loosened my shoes, I tried moving my feet around, I even tried cycling with the sides of my feet but nothing worked. It was impossible to push any of the big gears and I had to stay in the lower ones. Anything too hard and I had pain shooting up both legs. I was slowing down and people I had over taken were now catching and going past me at speed. I was beginning to become really demoralised. At body marking you have your age written on the back of your left calf. I could now see that women in their 40’s and 50’s were going past me which frustrated and infuriated me. I would try and make a move to pull them back in and would have to almost stop pedalling to ease the pain in my legs. I wanted to cry with complete and utter frustration, as I knew my Kona goal was slipping away.
The course is an out and back and I experienced a head wind for the entire way. I knew that in the afternoon the wind changed direction and it wasn’t unusual for people to experience a head wind both ways. On the way out there were times I was down to 10km an hour due to the hills and the strength of the wind. It was infuriating to watch the KM’s tick by so slowly. Every metre felt like a KM. I could see people flying back in with the wind at their backs and that spurred me on. I knew I needed to get to the turnaround and get some respite from the wind that was sapping my energy.
I got around the corner and picked up speed heading back but the wind had already changed so Iwas getting a side wind rather than a full on tail wind. It was better than a head wind and I was going to take it. It really picked up, so much so I had to miss one of my feeds simply because I couldn’t take my hands off the handlebars. It was so bad out there one of the pros was blown off her bike.
My back was aching quite badly because it was too windy to use my tri bars and my upper body was stiff with the effort it was taking to keep my bike upright and on the road in the incredible wind. The respite I had hoped for only lasted around 40 minutes before I was faced with the headwind once again. I was still suffering with cramps in my legs and I could feel my skin burning as I caught the sun and the sunscreen was starting to wear off. I was feeling really low and thought a lot about pulling out of the race. It isn’t like me to give up but I was already so physically exhausted I wasn’t sure I could make the cycle back let alone run the marathon.
My average speed by this time had dropped and I was finding it difficult to focus. I had a few brief moments where I would get some strength but these didn’t last long and each time it took a little more out of me. I was continuously being over taken and this was really messing with my head. The only saving grace was that Eric the cameraman had filmed on the way out when things were not as grim. I was thankful there wasn’t anyone around to witness my rapid decline. I got back to transition 1:15 later than planned but by this stage I was in survival mode.
I came off the bike in 6:59:52 and in 1504th position. I had a long T2 as I tried to decide if I could continue and gave myself a mental kicking to get out there and finish the race. Rob was filming me come out of transition and I managed to hold back the tears of pain and frustration until I had passed him. I broke down where I saw my friends and they helped me to get going again.
This was the only day where the clouds hadn’t come over so the respite form the sun was not going to be had. I was now also thinking about the prospect of having to finish the race in the dark, something I hadn’t thought would happen to me. I almost pulled out of the race again when the same old cramp under the left side of my rib cage appeared and I had to walk it off. I got going again and made the turnaround on Alii drive, I even managed to pick up the pace slightly on the ay back to town.
It didn’t last long and once through Kona I had no idea how I was going to run the remaining 16 miles out to the Natural Energy Lab and back. My friends were at the top of the hill and I started to cry again saying I couldn’t finish. Sam, Antoinette and Corinna ran with me for a while and Sam continued on with me for about a km in bare feet, which got me going again. I kept telling myself I had to keep running because walking would take too long. Everything was hurting and I was in considerable pain from severe sunburn and chaffing. I was managing to get a gel down every 20 min and was trying to get as much water and ice down as possible, but I knew it wasn’t enough. It was just impossible to drink enough without getting more cramps.
Eric the cameraman found me on the run and I was really struggling, but I guess that makes great viewing. I kept running but I wasn’t getting anywhere, I have never run so slowly in my life. Mentally I was just taking it one step at a time trying to distract myself from the ever-increasing darkness that was falling and the huge number of people running back into town.
I held out getting a glow stick for as long as possible, I was in denial that I was going to have to run in the dark, but the worst was yet to come. I had incorrectly read the run route and thought the turnaround was at the top of the road to the NEL. As it turns out it was about 1.5miles down a hill on another road. It almost destroyed me. My pride was the only thing stopping me from pulling out and it was all being recorded on film. I put on a brave face, held back the tears and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
It was so dark along the route you wouldn’t see the other runners until you were right on top of them. I was running alone and it was so tough but knowing I was on the way back kept me going. It was getting grim and there were people still heading out of town, but some were in really bad shape. People were throwing up and collapsing on the side of the road and as cruel as it sounds it gave me strength to know that there were people in a worse state and it kept me going.
About 10km from the finish I started to run with this Canadian guy. We were both in a bad way but having someone next to you makes a huge difference. I was lucky that the times I wanted to stop, he kept me moving and I did the same for him. I don’t know if I could have finished without him. We even managed to pick up the pace slightly as I was getting slower and slower. I just had nothing left.
Corinna and Antoinette were waiting about a mile from the end and ran with me. I couldn’t even speak by this stage and their words of encouragement fuelled me for the last mile. Sam was waiting for me in the finishing chute and I was so pleased to be at the end. I crossed the line hand in hand with my new Canadian friend. I don’t even know his name and I lost him as we were both swept up by our respective friends in the finishing area.
I did the run in 4:16:36 and finished in 1368th place with an over all time of 12:56:08.
I did an interview but I don't really remember what I said. I went and got into the water to ease the pain in my legs and went and collected the most impressive medal in the world! I knew something was wrong when I couldn't eat or really walk without support so asked to be taken back to the hotel.
Things went down hill pretty quickly and in the space of about an hour I was pretty much out of it and on my way to hospital. I was put on a drip straight away and given drugs for the pain and nausea. The doctor ended up giving me 3 bags of saline and I was only in for the night. Not exactly how I had planned my Kona race to go!
Up at 2.30 because I couldn’t sleep and gather my things together. Got on my funky little tri outfit with my sponsors names all over it and caught a cab to the start. First thing is to get body marked where you get stamped on both arms with your race number from your shoulder to your elbow in big black numbers. Then I headed into transition to pump up my tyres and put my drink bottles on my bike and give everything a last minute check over. I put on some 6-hour sunscreen and headed out to find everyone. I had about 30 mins before I wanted to line up and get in the water. It was already getting hot. For the past 2 days around 2pm it clouded over and the temp would drop a little. I was really counting on that because according to my plan I would be starting my run around that time.
Load of pictures later I headed off to get in the water. Because it is a mass start you have to seed yourself according to your ability. I wanted to be in the middle about 2/3 of the way back in order to take advantage of the draft.
The pro race started 15 mins before the age groupers and we were off at 7am. I was amazed at how I couldn’t see a thing. The water was just white due to all the arms and legs thrashing about and it was like this for about a hundred metres. There was a bit of jostling but is wasn’t too bad and I got into my rhythm quickly. Because of the swell it was hard to sight so I wasn’t sure how I was doing. I got to the turnaround point in 40 min, which meant I was dead on target. I had enjoyed the first half of the swim but could feel my Zoot suit scratching the back of my neck. This only got worse and as much as I wriggled it around the damage was already done and the salt water was making it sting. My swim back into the pier took 50 mins and I felt tired. I felt like I was putting in lots of effort and not getting anywhere. I caught a couple of draftsbut the field was really spread out and I was finding it difficult to get someone going the right speed. I was also conscious I was outside of my estimated time and was trying to make it up.
Out of the water in 1:30:27 in 1587 position. I ran straight into the showers they set up and there was load of volunteers so someone had my bag ready for me. I stripped off my Zoot suit and had my tri suit on underneath. Rob was waiting in transition for me and was filming me getting my shoes and helmet on and asking me about the swim. It really bothered me that there were very few bikes in transition. I am not a strong swimmer but this made me realise that I had missed the main pack. I got out on the course and did the loop through the town. Because I was 10 min down on my plan I really went for it, a tactic that had worked well for me at IMUK. I knew that in order to meet my target I needed to do 38min 20km splits.
I achieved this on the first 2 and was at 40 min for the 3rd one. I was finding the bike really hard going and it was so very very hot out there. There was a strong head wind and I was ill prepared for how desolate the scenery was. I was finding it easy to stick to my nutrition plan of eating a gel every 20 mins but I was becoming increasingly worried about my plan and how far I was down. It was also very apparent that the main pack had gone and I was closer to the back, something I had never experienced before in a race. This was really getting to me. The bike course is out over what is called the lava fields and that is exactly what they are. There isn’t anything to look at except black rock. There weren’t any spectators and the only human contact was at the aid stations. I gave up saying hi to people as I went passed them, this clearly wasn’t a friendly race, which was something I had really enjoyed about the UK race.
At around the 60km mark I developed cramps in both feet and this spread really quickly into both calves. I loosened my shoes, I tried moving my feet around, I even tried cycling with the sides of my feet but nothing worked. It was impossible to push any of the big gears and I had to stay in the lower ones. Anything too hard and I had pain shooting up both legs. I was slowing down and people I had over taken were now catching and going past me at speed. I was beginning to become really demoralised. At body marking you have your age written on the back of your left calf. I could now see that women in their 40’s and 50’s were going past me which frustrated and infuriated me. I would try and make a move to pull them back in and would have to almost stop pedalling to ease the pain in my legs. I wanted to cry with complete and utter frustration, as I knew my Kona goal was slipping away.
The course is an out and back and I experienced a head wind for the entire way. I knew that in the afternoon the wind changed direction and it wasn’t unusual for people to experience a head wind both ways. On the way out there were times I was down to 10km an hour due to the hills and the strength of the wind. It was infuriating to watch the KM’s tick by so slowly. Every metre felt like a KM. I could see people flying back in with the wind at their backs and that spurred me on. I knew I needed to get to the turnaround and get some respite from the wind that was sapping my energy.
I got around the corner and picked up speed heading back but the wind had already changed so Iwas getting a side wind rather than a full on tail wind. It was better than a head wind and I was going to take it. It really picked up, so much so I had to miss one of my feeds simply because I couldn’t take my hands off the handlebars. It was so bad out there one of the pros was blown off her bike.
My back was aching quite badly because it was too windy to use my tri bars and my upper body was stiff with the effort it was taking to keep my bike upright and on the road in the incredible wind. The respite I had hoped for only lasted around 40 minutes before I was faced with the headwind once again. I was still suffering with cramps in my legs and I could feel my skin burning as I caught the sun and the sunscreen was starting to wear off. I was feeling really low and thought a lot about pulling out of the race. It isn’t like me to give up but I was already so physically exhausted I wasn’t sure I could make the cycle back let alone run the marathon.
My average speed by this time had dropped and I was finding it difficult to focus. I had a few brief moments where I would get some strength but these didn’t last long and each time it took a little more out of me. I was continuously being over taken and this was really messing with my head. The only saving grace was that Eric the cameraman had filmed on the way out when things were not as grim. I was thankful there wasn’t anyone around to witness my rapid decline. I got back to transition 1:15 later than planned but by this stage I was in survival mode.
I came off the bike in 6:59:52 and in 1504th position. I had a long T2 as I tried to decide if I could continue and gave myself a mental kicking to get out there and finish the race. Rob was filming me come out of transition and I managed to hold back the tears of pain and frustration until I had passed him. I broke down where I saw my friends and they helped me to get going again.
This was the only day where the clouds hadn’t come over so the respite form the sun was not going to be had. I was now also thinking about the prospect of having to finish the race in the dark, something I hadn’t thought would happen to me. I almost pulled out of the race again when the same old cramp under the left side of my rib cage appeared and I had to walk it off. I got going again and made the turnaround on Alii drive, I even managed to pick up the pace slightly on the ay back to town.
It didn’t last long and once through Kona I had no idea how I was going to run the remaining 16 miles out to the Natural Energy Lab and back. My friends were at the top of the hill and I started to cry again saying I couldn’t finish. Sam, Antoinette and Corinna ran with me for a while and Sam continued on with me for about a km in bare feet, which got me going again. I kept telling myself I had to keep running because walking would take too long. Everything was hurting and I was in considerable pain from severe sunburn and chaffing. I was managing to get a gel down every 20 min and was trying to get as much water and ice down as possible, but I knew it wasn’t enough. It was just impossible to drink enough without getting more cramps.
Eric the cameraman found me on the run and I was really struggling, but I guess that makes great viewing. I kept running but I wasn’t getting anywhere, I have never run so slowly in my life. Mentally I was just taking it one step at a time trying to distract myself from the ever-increasing darkness that was falling and the huge number of people running back into town.
I held out getting a glow stick for as long as possible, I was in denial that I was going to have to run in the dark, but the worst was yet to come. I had incorrectly read the run route and thought the turnaround was at the top of the road to the NEL. As it turns out it was about 1.5miles down a hill on another road. It almost destroyed me. My pride was the only thing stopping me from pulling out and it was all being recorded on film. I put on a brave face, held back the tears and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
It was so dark along the route you wouldn’t see the other runners until you were right on top of them. I was running alone and it was so tough but knowing I was on the way back kept me going. It was getting grim and there were people still heading out of town, but some were in really bad shape. People were throwing up and collapsing on the side of the road and as cruel as it sounds it gave me strength to know that there were people in a worse state and it kept me going.
About 10km from the finish I started to run with this Canadian guy. We were both in a bad way but having someone next to you makes a huge difference. I was lucky that the times I wanted to stop, he kept me moving and I did the same for him. I don’t know if I could have finished without him. We even managed to pick up the pace slightly as I was getting slower and slower. I just had nothing left.
Corinna and Antoinette were waiting about a mile from the end and ran with me. I couldn’t even speak by this stage and their words of encouragement fuelled me for the last mile. Sam was waiting for me in the finishing chute and I was so pleased to be at the end. I crossed the line hand in hand with my new Canadian friend. I don’t even know his name and I lost him as we were both swept up by our respective friends in the finishing area.
I did the run in 4:16:36 and finished in 1368th place with an over all time of 12:56:08.
I did an interview but I don't really remember what I said. I went and got into the water to ease the pain in my legs and went and collected the most impressive medal in the world! I knew something was wrong when I couldn't eat or really walk without support so asked to be taken back to the hotel.
Things went down hill pretty quickly and in the space of about an hour I was pretty much out of it and on my way to hospital. I was put on a drip straight away and given drugs for the pain and nausea. The doctor ended up giving me 3 bags of saline and I was only in for the night. Not exactly how I had planned my Kona race to go!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Kona Day 3 Friday 12th October
Friday 12th October
Up at 4.30 and Sam put Matilda together so I could cycle down to the swim. I got a flat which was lucky as I had managed to get the wrong CO2 cartridges, better to know now!
The camera crew were waiting for me and filmed Chris and I getting into the water.
Everyone was meeting down there for a swim out to the Coffee’s of Hawaii catamaran moored about 700m offshore serving, you guessed it, coffee! Quite a novelty. I didn’t partake myself. Chris and I swam quite a way out and it gave me some real confidence for the swim. There was a bit of a swell but nothing too severe. The water was really warm and it was so lovely that you could see the coral and lots of fish below you. Visibility was excellent and I could see the bottom the entire time, even when we were out quite deep.
Swam back in and got filmed exiting the water and then another brief interview. Can’t believe I am going to be on national TV in a bikini. Scary.
I cycled back to the hotel to do a final check on my transition bags, as I had to check everything in that afternoon. Had a rest and more to eat and packed everything up. I was feeling sick so was finding it difficult to eat. I think I was jetlagged.
My plan was to wear a Zoot suit that borders on legal as wetsuits are banned in the Kona race. Wetsuits of course give you buoyancy and make the water flow over your body more smoothly reducing drag because of the surface. The zoot suit is sleeveless and short and thinner than a wetsuit but does much the same thing. I did hear rumours that race organisers are going to ban them next year.
I cycled down form the hotel and checked in, it was daunting to see some of the bikes there. Amazing. Some people really do live and breathe triathlon. I have never seen such a collection of fit people in my life. Made me feel like a complete blob next to some of these complete muscle bound girls with 6 packs and rippling muscles.
Bike checked in and having walked the transition area I caught a cab back to the hotel for some more rest and eating. The heat was causing alarm bells to ring in my head but as there was nothing I could do about them I decided to ignore them.
I went to bed around 7:30 but couldn't really sleep.
Up at 4.30 and Sam put Matilda together so I could cycle down to the swim. I got a flat which was lucky as I had managed to get the wrong CO2 cartridges, better to know now!
The camera crew were waiting for me and filmed Chris and I getting into the water.
Everyone was meeting down there for a swim out to the Coffee’s of Hawaii catamaran moored about 700m offshore serving, you guessed it, coffee! Quite a novelty. I didn’t partake myself. Chris and I swam quite a way out and it gave me some real confidence for the swim. There was a bit of a swell but nothing too severe. The water was really warm and it was so lovely that you could see the coral and lots of fish below you. Visibility was excellent and I could see the bottom the entire time, even when we were out quite deep.
Swam back in and got filmed exiting the water and then another brief interview. Can’t believe I am going to be on national TV in a bikini. Scary.
I cycled back to the hotel to do a final check on my transition bags, as I had to check everything in that afternoon. Had a rest and more to eat and packed everything up. I was feeling sick so was finding it difficult to eat. I think I was jetlagged.
My plan was to wear a Zoot suit that borders on legal as wetsuits are banned in the Kona race. Wetsuits of course give you buoyancy and make the water flow over your body more smoothly reducing drag because of the surface. The zoot suit is sleeveless and short and thinner than a wetsuit but does much the same thing. I did hear rumours that race organisers are going to ban them next year.
I cycled down form the hotel and checked in, it was daunting to see some of the bikes there. Amazing. Some people really do live and breathe triathlon. I have never seen such a collection of fit people in my life. Made me feel like a complete blob next to some of these complete muscle bound girls with 6 packs and rippling muscles.
Bike checked in and having walked the transition area I caught a cab back to the hotel for some more rest and eating. The heat was causing alarm bells to ring in my head but as there was nothing I could do about them I decided to ignore them.
I went to bed around 7:30 but couldn't really sleep.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Kona Day 2 Thursday 11th October
14:57:02 o'clock BST
Thursday 11th October
Up at 5am to start getting used to waking up early and got my transition bags ready. We had a cab pick us up and take us to the power bar breakfast where there was around 70 people including Melissa Ashton (top 10 Kona finisher 2 years running), Luke Bell (big name triathlete and Kona winner), Scott Neyedli (IMUK winner), Jo Fenn (British superstar runner), Hillary Biscay, Belinda Granger plus a whole lot of other elite athletes. I also got to meet the head of Power Bar Europe and my contact Zibi who is based in Germany.
Power Bar have been a fantastic support to me and have not only provided loads of brilliant nutrition products but also a funky race suit. It was such an honour for me to be invited to the breakfast and rub shoulders with some of the super stars of triathlon.
The film crew arrived and filmed us having breakfast and me talking to various people. I had a good chat to Scott and got the low down on his IMUK race. Very impressive, I find it interesting that the elites have the same races as the rest of us, just quite a bit faster.
We each got given a power bar pack in a cool power bar bag and loads of free samples including recovery products, gels and bars. The US product is slightly different to the products we get in the UK in that it isn’t as thick and they have loads more flavours in both gels and bars. I decided to try out the gels and found them easier to get down when running. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for them in the UK.
The breakfast was held at the Kona outdoor circle which was up on the slopes so it overlooked the ocean. Beautiful views and it backed onto the Botanical Gardens. a fantastic setting and a lovely introduction to our first day in Hawaii. Thanks to Zibi for arranging our invites.
After the breakfast we headed into Kona to register. I got a bright yellow band put around my right wrist that was to stay there for our entire stay as it had my race number on it and is my entry into everything. Most importantly I paid my $10 to get my race day insurance…. something I didn’t realise I was going to need.
Through registration I got all of my transition bags, race numbers, spectator tickets, bike check in information, maps a free bag, cap, mouse mat and loads of brochures, mostly trying to sell you something.
We wandered into the ironman store and I picked up a few things I needed such as CO2 canisters, a couple of spare tubes and a bento box to store my gels in. There was everything you could possible think of with the IM logo plastered on it from clothing, coffee mugs, posters, an ironman bed (!), jewellery, pens, coffee, photo frames and many many other things.
Registration and the race office were located in the KKKBH, which is right next to the Pier where the race starts. 5 min walk down the road is the expo so we headed down there and ran into Leanne, Dan, Kaisha, James and Steve. It was really hot so I was trying to stay out of the sun. I was feeling a little bit apprehensive about just how hot it was. I was also a little stressed as I had to get so much done on the Thursday and didn’t feel like I was resting, eating or drinking enough. Plus I was tired from only having 4 hours sleep. IM is massive in the US so they had some big brand sponsors including Clinique. Finally someone is realising that women do this sport too! We all picked up some free stuff and the guys made me some cool signs to hold up during the race.
Corinna, Antoinette, Sam and I had lunch on the water and then I headed off to give another interview about how I was feeling pre race. I talked through my race plan and what I wanted to achieve. I then spent some time on the IMUK race stand at the expo talking to Chris and Ally. Chris has raced Kona twice so was giving me some great tips and we agreed to meet at 7am so we could go out for a swim on the course.
After that we met up with everyone for an early dinner and watched the sun go down. I then went off to the race briefing. I have decided I am not going to attend them any more as they are a waste of time. You don’t ever get told anything new from what is included in the race information. I was falling asleep and it took me ages to get a cab back to the hotel so I didn’t get to bed until 10.30.
Thursday 11th October
Up at 5am to start getting used to waking up early and got my transition bags ready. We had a cab pick us up and take us to the power bar breakfast where there was around 70 people including Melissa Ashton (top 10 Kona finisher 2 years running), Luke Bell (big name triathlete and Kona winner), Scott Neyedli (IMUK winner), Jo Fenn (British superstar runner), Hillary Biscay, Belinda Granger plus a whole lot of other elite athletes. I also got to meet the head of Power Bar Europe and my contact Zibi who is based in Germany.
Power Bar have been a fantastic support to me and have not only provided loads of brilliant nutrition products but also a funky race suit. It was such an honour for me to be invited to the breakfast and rub shoulders with some of the super stars of triathlon.
The film crew arrived and filmed us having breakfast and me talking to various people. I had a good chat to Scott and got the low down on his IMUK race. Very impressive, I find it interesting that the elites have the same races as the rest of us, just quite a bit faster.
We each got given a power bar pack in a cool power bar bag and loads of free samples including recovery products, gels and bars. The US product is slightly different to the products we get in the UK in that it isn’t as thick and they have loads more flavours in both gels and bars. I decided to try out the gels and found them easier to get down when running. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for them in the UK.
The breakfast was held at the Kona outdoor circle which was up on the slopes so it overlooked the ocean. Beautiful views and it backed onto the Botanical Gardens. a fantastic setting and a lovely introduction to our first day in Hawaii. Thanks to Zibi for arranging our invites.
After the breakfast we headed into Kona to register. I got a bright yellow band put around my right wrist that was to stay there for our entire stay as it had my race number on it and is my entry into everything. Most importantly I paid my $10 to get my race day insurance…. something I didn’t realise I was going to need.
Through registration I got all of my transition bags, race numbers, spectator tickets, bike check in information, maps a free bag, cap, mouse mat and loads of brochures, mostly trying to sell you something.
We wandered into the ironman store and I picked up a few things I needed such as CO2 canisters, a couple of spare tubes and a bento box to store my gels in. There was everything you could possible think of with the IM logo plastered on it from clothing, coffee mugs, posters, an ironman bed (!), jewellery, pens, coffee, photo frames and many many other things.
Registration and the race office were located in the KKKBH, which is right next to the Pier where the race starts. 5 min walk down the road is the expo so we headed down there and ran into Leanne, Dan, Kaisha, James and Steve. It was really hot so I was trying to stay out of the sun. I was feeling a little bit apprehensive about just how hot it was. I was also a little stressed as I had to get so much done on the Thursday and didn’t feel like I was resting, eating or drinking enough. Plus I was tired from only having 4 hours sleep. IM is massive in the US so they had some big brand sponsors including Clinique. Finally someone is realising that women do this sport too! We all picked up some free stuff and the guys made me some cool signs to hold up during the race.
Corinna, Antoinette, Sam and I had lunch on the water and then I headed off to give another interview about how I was feeling pre race. I talked through my race plan and what I wanted to achieve. I then spent some time on the IMUK race stand at the expo talking to Chris and Ally. Chris has raced Kona twice so was giving me some great tips and we agreed to meet at 7am so we could go out for a swim on the course.
After that we met up with everyone for an early dinner and watched the sun go down. I then went off to the race briefing. I have decided I am not going to attend them any more as they are a waste of time. You don’t ever get told anything new from what is included in the race information. I was falling asleep and it took me ages to get a cab back to the hotel so I didn’t get to bed until 10.30.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Wednesday 10th October - Kona Day 1
14:45:32 o'clock BST
Wednesday 10th October
So we are sitting in San Fran having lunch after a “fun” flight. Not a cankle in sight. All hail the compression flight socks. :)
Corinna is now known as the ‘Nun Worrier’ after walking in on a nun in the toilet. The nun was not best pleased and got a little huffy. Quite an achievement to get huffy with your habit around your waist. We think she is going to go to hell.
We had to pick up our luggage and then check it back through security after clearing customs. We had everything loaded on 2 trolleys, came up to the guy who was clearly a little stressed and started instructing us to ‘step away from the luggage. Thank you. Move away to your right away from the trolley’ I wonder if he actually does work for the airline.
United are not at the top of our favourite list. No personal entertainment system. No free booze. Sitting on the runway for almost an hour after we landed. Antoinette was ‘providing feedback for superiors’ in how communication is key to keeping their passengers calm. Those who know her can imagine the tone of voice being used with the target…. I mean flight attendant. One flight down, one to go!
Flight ended up being delayed for 4 hours so the journey ended up being around 27 hours.
We arrived in Kona and had a taxi waiting. We got Matilda in the back of the van along with our entire luggage and then had to unpack everything s the cabbie lost the keys. They were in his pocket the entire time. Checked into the Sheraton and off to bed by 1am.
Wednesday 10th October
So we are sitting in San Fran having lunch after a “fun” flight. Not a cankle in sight. All hail the compression flight socks. :)
Corinna is now known as the ‘Nun Worrier’ after walking in on a nun in the toilet. The nun was not best pleased and got a little huffy. Quite an achievement to get huffy with your habit around your waist. We think she is going to go to hell.
We had to pick up our luggage and then check it back through security after clearing customs. We had everything loaded on 2 trolleys, came up to the guy who was clearly a little stressed and started instructing us to ‘step away from the luggage. Thank you. Move away to your right away from the trolley’ I wonder if he actually does work for the airline.
United are not at the top of our favourite list. No personal entertainment system. No free booze. Sitting on the runway for almost an hour after we landed. Antoinette was ‘providing feedback for superiors’ in how communication is key to keeping their passengers calm. Those who know her can imagine the tone of voice being used with the target…. I mean flight attendant. One flight down, one to go!
Flight ended up being delayed for 4 hours so the journey ended up being around 27 hours.
We arrived in Kona and had a taxi waiting. We got Matilda in the back of the van along with our entire luggage and then had to unpack everything s the cabbie lost the keys. They were in his pocket the entire time. Checked into the Sheraton and off to bed by 1am.
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Speech. 08 October 2007
16:18:37 o'clock BST
Hello! I went to the AGSM annual Ball on Saturday and did my little speech for them after dinner. I was really happy with it, and think it went well. Everyone was lovely to me and wished me luck for the weekend. It is always nice to get the ball gown out! Sammy scrubs up alright as you can see from the pictures! I hadn't seen him in a suit before...Yum! Everyone was looking lovely on the evening.
2 more sleeps! I am starting to get a bit nervous and moving into the zone. I am going to pack tonight, the hard thing is that I have to take all my food with me, I don't want to risk not be able to get the things I like and know I can eat pre race. Sam has kindly packed my bike up for me today so Matilda is ready to go! I ran this morning, no pain in my knee so it is on the mend.
Rob Walker sent me an email saying they were heading out toHawaii today and that they are going to come to the Power Bar breakfast on Thursday and also come and film me swimming with Chris Boon, IMUK owner.
I plan on keeping this updated when we are travelling and away.
C x
Hello! I went to the AGSM annual Ball on Saturday and did my little speech for them after dinner. I was really happy with it, and think it went well. Everyone was lovely to me and wished me luck for the weekend. It is always nice to get the ball gown out! Sammy scrubs up alright as you can see from the pictures! I hadn't seen him in a suit before...Yum! Everyone was looking lovely on the evening.
2 more sleeps! I am starting to get a bit nervous and moving into the zone. I am going to pack tonight, the hard thing is that I have to take all my food with me, I don't want to risk not be able to get the things I like and know I can eat pre race. Sam has kindly packed my bike up for me today so Matilda is ready to go! I ran this morning, no pain in my knee so it is on the mend.
Rob Walker sent me an email saying they were heading out toHawaii today and that they are going to come to the Power Bar breakfast on Thursday and also come and film me swimming with Chris Boon, IMUK owner.
I plan on keeping this updated when we are travelling and away.
C x
Thursday, October 4, 2007
The Website is Live! 04 October 2007
13:46:08 o'clock BST Feeling Happy
The Website is Live!
Finally I have managed to get it together and get the website published. It is a work in progress and I will be adding some pictures over the next few days. Please do feel free to leave me some feedback either via email or this blog.
http://ironcaro.googlepages.com/
Carolyn x
The Website is Live!
Finally I have managed to get it together and get the website published. It is a work in progress and I will be adding some pictures over the next few days. Please do feel free to leave me some feedback either via email or this blog.
http://ironcaro.googlepages.com/
Carolyn x
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
MMMMM Normann! 03 October 2007
16:07:59 o'clock BST Feeling Ecstatic
MMMMM Normann!
I just received my shipment of goods from Powerbar and they have included a signed hat form Normann Stadler. I cannot convey how excited I am about this!!! He is my number 1 triathlon hero. I'm just sitting her gazing at it knowing his hands have touched it. I am sounding a little creepy so going now.
C x
MMMMM Normann!
I just received my shipment of goods from Powerbar and they have included a signed hat form Normann Stadler. I cannot convey how excited I am about this!!! He is my number 1 triathlon hero. I'm just sitting her gazing at it knowing his hands have touched it. I am sounding a little creepy so going now.
C x
Press Release 03 October 2007
13:53:07 o'clock BST Feeling Happy
Press Release
This is the press release put together by AOL's press company, enjoy!
WORKING WOMAN AIMS TO BRING WORLD ‘IRONMAN’ TITLE BACK TO BRITAIN
Amateur triathlete beats viral meningitis and pro athletes to get chance to represent UK
LONDON, XX XX – Holding down a full time job is tough enough for most people, but not for 29 year-old Carolyn Hewett, who is set to represent the UK in the grueling Ford Ironman World Championship in October 2007 - two years after being told she would never run again.
Carolyn, from West Kensington, London, qualified for the World Championship by winning the Female 25–29 age group at the IRONMAN UK competition on August 19th 2007 - beating the existing course record by 21 minutes in the process.
But unlike many serious triathletes, Carolyn is still only in her first year of triathalon and has to find time to for 17 - 20 hours of training a week outside of her busy full time job with internet portal AOL. And even more impressively, she was told she would never run again in March 2005 after being diagnosed with post-viral chronic fatigue following a bout of viral meningitis.
But the challenges she faced only made her more determined to succeed:
Carolyn said: “I didn’t want to believe the Doctors, so after 7 months off training I went for a short run and ended up in bed for a week recovering. So I waited a month, and only ended up in bed for 4 days – which I saw as progress”
Carolyn then built up her strength over the next year, finally making a comeback to competitive running at the Rome Marathon on 17th March 2006 – the anniversary of her diagnosis with post-viral chronic fatigue. Carolyn competed against 1574 other athletes at IRONMAN UK, the UK’s only official World Championship qualifier, going on to claim the only World Championship qualifying slot for her age group. The Hawaii championship will feature athletes covering a combined total of almost 250,000 miles on race day.
The Ironman is a long distance triathlon in which participants cover 226kms or 140.6 miles broken down into a 3.8km or 2.4 mile swim, 180km or 112 mile cycle and a 42.2km or 26.2 mile run completed consecutively.
Alison Boon, Race owner of Ironman UK said: “What Carolyn has achieved is nothing short of remarkable. To achieve this result in her first year of triathlon whilst holding down a demanding job is a great testament to her dedication”.
All the Athletes training for the Ford IRONMAN World Championships are expected to cover over a million miles – 40 times the circumference of the earth at its equator.
Carolyn said: “I can’t wait for the Hawaii Championship. Race morning is one of the most electric times with 1500 athletes waiting nervously to start a race to the finish line 140.6 miles ahead”.
She continued: “I’ll give the competition my best shot. I’ve learnt that almost anything is possible with the right attitude and determination”
Carolyn’s achievement is so significant that she will be the subject of a triathalon TV feature for Channel 4, ESPN and Fox TV.
A blog, photo archive and video coverage of her training and the competition are available at www.AOL.co.uk now, so supporters can keep up to date on her progress and achievements.
AOL is so impressed with their employee that they are also sponsoring Carolyn for the event.
Video: http://uncutvideo.aol.co.uk/videos/day/d242ce6c9c638f504f00fd231f5eb1f7?index=0
Blog: http://journals.aol.co.uk/ironcaro/my-journey-to-ironman/
Pictures: http://aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ironcaro/
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors For an interview with Carolyn or further information, please contact Alex Wood on 0207 861 3013 or awood@resonate.uk.com.
Press Release
This is the press release put together by AOL's press company, enjoy!
WORKING WOMAN AIMS TO BRING WORLD ‘IRONMAN’ TITLE BACK TO BRITAIN
Amateur triathlete beats viral meningitis and pro athletes to get chance to represent UK
LONDON, XX XX – Holding down a full time job is tough enough for most people, but not for 29 year-old Carolyn Hewett, who is set to represent the UK in the grueling Ford Ironman World Championship in October 2007 - two years after being told she would never run again.
Carolyn, from West Kensington, London, qualified for the World Championship by winning the Female 25–29 age group at the IRONMAN UK competition on August 19th 2007 - beating the existing course record by 21 minutes in the process.
But unlike many serious triathletes, Carolyn is still only in her first year of triathalon and has to find time to for 17 - 20 hours of training a week outside of her busy full time job with internet portal AOL. And even more impressively, she was told she would never run again in March 2005 after being diagnosed with post-viral chronic fatigue following a bout of viral meningitis.
But the challenges she faced only made her more determined to succeed:
Carolyn said: “I didn’t want to believe the Doctors, so after 7 months off training I went for a short run and ended up in bed for a week recovering. So I waited a month, and only ended up in bed for 4 days – which I saw as progress”
Carolyn then built up her strength over the next year, finally making a comeback to competitive running at the Rome Marathon on 17th March 2006 – the anniversary of her diagnosis with post-viral chronic fatigue. Carolyn competed against 1574 other athletes at IRONMAN UK, the UK’s only official World Championship qualifier, going on to claim the only World Championship qualifying slot for her age group. The Hawaii championship will feature athletes covering a combined total of almost 250,000 miles on race day.
The Ironman is a long distance triathlon in which participants cover 226kms or 140.6 miles broken down into a 3.8km or 2.4 mile swim, 180km or 112 mile cycle and a 42.2km or 26.2 mile run completed consecutively.
Alison Boon, Race owner of Ironman UK said: “What Carolyn has achieved is nothing short of remarkable. To achieve this result in her first year of triathlon whilst holding down a demanding job is a great testament to her dedication”.
All the Athletes training for the Ford IRONMAN World Championships are expected to cover over a million miles – 40 times the circumference of the earth at its equator.
Carolyn said: “I can’t wait for the Hawaii Championship. Race morning is one of the most electric times with 1500 athletes waiting nervously to start a race to the finish line 140.6 miles ahead”.
She continued: “I’ll give the competition my best shot. I’ve learnt that almost anything is possible with the right attitude and determination”
Carolyn’s achievement is so significant that she will be the subject of a triathalon TV feature for Channel 4, ESPN and Fox TV.
A blog, photo archive and video coverage of her training and the competition are available at www.AOL.co.uk now, so supporters can keep up to date on her progress and achievements.
AOL is so impressed with their employee that they are also sponsoring Carolyn for the event.
Video: http://uncutvideo.aol.co.uk/videos/day/d242ce6c9c638f504f00fd231f5eb1f7?index=0
Blog: http://journals.aol.co.uk/ironcaro/my-journey-to-ironman/
Pictures: http://aolpictures.aol.co.uk/galleries/ironcaro/
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors For an interview with Carolyn or further information, please contact Alex Wood on 0207 861 3013 or awood@resonate.uk.com.
7 MORE SLEEPS!!!!! 03 October 2007
So I have been working on my plans for the race which is really starting to get me fired up!! I am definitely getting into the zone as Sam calls it :) The zone for me is somewhere that I really get centred and focused on my race and I visualise all the things I am going to do and how I am going to absolutely kick butt and meet all of my race day goals.
We fly out next Wednesday, so a week to go! I had the film crew in here on Monday filming me at my desk which was great, they just asked lots of questions around how I got into triathlon and how I manage a busy work and training schedule. The presenter, Rob Walker, is very good, made me feel very relaxed. I checked out his website, he has done some cool things! http://www.robwalkertv.com/
Sam and I are meeting them tomorrow to do some cycling. Sam freaked out when I told him that he would have to be on national TV in lycra hee hee hee!
Apparently it is a beautiful 30 degrees every day in Kona at the moment, so the acclimatisation is going to be interesting! Corinna, Antoinette, Sam and I or CASC as I have started calling us have a gruelling 22 hour flight with a stop over in San Francisco to get there. I am really worried about my ankles and legs swelling up, it always happens when I fly so I am committed to stretching every hour on the flight and moving around.
Leanne has kindly put together a map showing where each of us are staying, each with our own TV show that has been filmed in Hawaii. Maybe I should think about getting my hair cut short? :) So Baywatch Hawaii is James & Kaisha, Magnum PI is Steve, Fantasy Island is Leanne and Dan and Hawaii 5-O is CASC. As Leanne pointed out if anyone complains, it could have been worse. Godzilla and Jurassic Park were also filmed there :)
My aim this time is to race for myself and not have to be picking off other competitors. I have 3 main goals:
1) Complete the race in sub 10:50 - this means a 15 min improvement on my qualifying time
2) Run a sub 3:25 marathon - this is a 5 min improvement on my IMUK time. As it stands at the moment, I have the fastest marathon qualifying time in my age group and ideally I want to have the fastest run time on the day.
3) Secure a top 20 place in my age group
Saying that, my race plan actually has me finishing in 10:38. The distances are the standard IM distance, 3.8km swim, 180km bike and a marathon, or 42.2 kms. I have an advantage in that the IMUK course is considered one of the most difficult ones to qualify on because it is so hilly, each one is difficult for different reasons and Kona is going to be tough because of the winds coming in off the lava fields and a combination of the heat and humidity. I am really going to be calling on my body to remember all that run training I used to do in the heat in Australia. The breakdown of my race is as follows:
Swim 1:20
T1 5 min
Bike 5:45
T2 3 min
Run 3:25
Total time 10.38
The race starts at 7am Hawaiian time, or 6pm UK time or 3am Sydney time on Saturday 13th October. I am sure you have better things to do on a Saturday night/morning, however if you really wanted to you could check out the action online at http://www.ironmanlive.com/ and http://www.ironman.com/
We fly out next Wednesday, so a week to go! I had the film crew in here on Monday filming me at my desk which was great, they just asked lots of questions around how I got into triathlon and how I manage a busy work and training schedule. The presenter, Rob Walker, is very good, made me feel very relaxed. I checked out his website, he has done some cool things! http://www.robwalkertv.com/
Sam and I are meeting them tomorrow to do some cycling. Sam freaked out when I told him that he would have to be on national TV in lycra hee hee hee!
Apparently it is a beautiful 30 degrees every day in Kona at the moment, so the acclimatisation is going to be interesting! Corinna, Antoinette, Sam and I or CASC as I have started calling us have a gruelling 22 hour flight with a stop over in San Francisco to get there. I am really worried about my ankles and legs swelling up, it always happens when I fly so I am committed to stretching every hour on the flight and moving around.
Leanne has kindly put together a map showing where each of us are staying, each with our own TV show that has been filmed in Hawaii. Maybe I should think about getting my hair cut short? :) So Baywatch Hawaii is James & Kaisha, Magnum PI is Steve, Fantasy Island is Leanne and Dan and Hawaii 5-O is CASC. As Leanne pointed out if anyone complains, it could have been worse. Godzilla and Jurassic Park were also filmed there :)
My aim this time is to race for myself and not have to be picking off other competitors. I have 3 main goals:
1) Complete the race in sub 10:50 - this means a 15 min improvement on my qualifying time
2) Run a sub 3:25 marathon - this is a 5 min improvement on my IMUK time. As it stands at the moment, I have the fastest marathon qualifying time in my age group and ideally I want to have the fastest run time on the day.
3) Secure a top 20 place in my age group
Saying that, my race plan actually has me finishing in 10:38. The distances are the standard IM distance, 3.8km swim, 180km bike and a marathon, or 42.2 kms. I have an advantage in that the IMUK course is considered one of the most difficult ones to qualify on because it is so hilly, each one is difficult for different reasons and Kona is going to be tough because of the winds coming in off the lava fields and a combination of the heat and humidity. I am really going to be calling on my body to remember all that run training I used to do in the heat in Australia. The breakdown of my race is as follows:
Swim 1:20
T1 5 min
Bike 5:45
T2 3 min
Run 3:25
Total time 10.38
The race starts at 7am Hawaiian time, or 6pm UK time or 3am Sydney time on Saturday 13th October. I am sure you have better things to do on a Saturday night/morning, however if you really wanted to you could check out the action online at http://www.ironmanlive.com/ and http://www.ironman.com/
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