5 Days Cycling in Provence

I have just come back from an amazing 5 days in Provence cycling around with The Dutchman and 4 friends. We all met in Nice last Wednesday night with Midori flying in from New York, Oskar from Amsterdam, Pete and Ian catching the train from St Pancreas and The Dutchman and I flying in from Gatwick. Everyone got their bikes together and we pulled out the maps to check out where we would be going. I prefer not to know. I have been riding with The Dutchman long enough to know it will always be 'up' and it doesn't pay to know what's in store!

Day 1 - Thursday
Nice to Entrevaux 101km 2040m vertical.

We set out in convoy along the promenade and then as always with leaving Nice, you have to go up. We started climbing and it was then that people got a little envious that I wasn't carrying any luggage. The Dutchman had agreed to carry everything for me because I knew I would be the weakest rider in the group so for The Dutchman to get on his bike he had to perform a gymnastics routine to get over the tower at the back of his bike. I had been given a list of things I was allowed to bring but managed to sneak in some contraband makeup and clothes without him knowing :)
We were soon onto the peaceful quiet roads and headed up to Vence where we had some beautiful views of the valley. It was a little overcast but dry so it was perfect cycling weather. We continued climbing and had a 10km climb that started to bite a little near the end up to a tiny little village. We hadn't had time to stop for lunch due to some earlier mechanical issues so people were starting to blow going up the longer climbs such as Col de Trebuchet (1141m) and Col de Felines (930m). I was OK, I made it up all of the climbs but completely lost it on the last decent of the day down the Entrevaux where it was technical and steep. I had to stop and have a quick gel after I was about an inch from missing a switchback and launching myself over the edge. It made me realise how much even decending can take out of you. Maybe that is an indication of my current shape that I even blow up going down hill!!

Entrevaux is a beautiful little walled town with a river along one side and a moat with 4 gates in and out across draw bridges. Really quaint and charming. I would really recommend it to anyone who wants to get away cycling for a few days to use it as a base. The hotel in the town in very cyclist friendly, the best part was they gave us all seconds for dinner knowing we had been riding all day!

Day 2 - Entrevaux to Entrevaux 123km 2150m vertical

Everyone was very happy to leave their luggage in the hotel for day 2 and we set out to climb Col de La Couillole, a beyond category climb. This was going to be the toughest climb of the trip being over 16km and 1678m vertical. I knew it was going to be tough, and given how seriously I take my nutrition I was very silly and didn't eat enough before setting out which made the last 6km very unpleasant after I blew to pieces. I was really enjoying the spectacular views and we were riding up through the snow which was a great novelty but such hard work. The climb just seemed to go on for ever and I was getting slower which was not helping my mental state. I was trying to eat some bars but the damage had been done so I was having to stop frequently under the guise of taking pictures :)

I wasn't the only one who blew so after the lond winding decent we were all very pleased to spot a little place to grab some food. The owner didn't really know what to make of us as we consumed numerous cokes, coffees, 2 main meals and dessert each. I was much happier and we started the next climb up to a ski resort. So funny to be cycling along and have skiiers zooming past! We got some strange looks at the top as everyone was having their afternoon hot chocolate and we roll into town on our bikes. After a fantastic long decent with fast sweeping corners along the side of the Daluis Gorge the road started to flatten out and I could start to enjoy the view. We had about 20km to get back to Entrevaux with a viscious headwind which was the theme of the trip! Midori and I jumped on the Dutch express and stuck like glue to the back of The Dutchman who pulled us home to a well deserved cold beer.
Day 3 - Entrevaux to Moustiers-Ste-Marie 86km 1300m vertical

We set off early with the aim being to go along the nouth side of the Gorge du Verdon, also known as the Grand Canyon of France. We set out from Entrevaux and did a wonderful climb to get over and across to the lake where we stopped in Castellane for coffee. It was cold, the wind was really gusting and it was threatening rain so we agreed to cut the ride short by 30km and go around the north side to get to Moustiers earlier. It was the right choice because it started raining just as we arrived at the hotel.

The gorge is so beautiful. There is a river that goes along the floor that is an emerald green and flows into a lake. I took some pictures but it is so hard to really capture how lovely it is. There is a road that goes along each side that has been purpose built for tourists and it is smooth and in great shape. Very welcome after 3 days in the saddle :)

Day 4 - Moustiers-Ste-Marie to Les Arcs 103km 1550m vertical

We were greeted with rain day 4 but decided to brave it. We were so lucky it stopped within 30 mins of setting out and the weather wasn't too bad. Our old friend Mr Headwind was of course with us. We started climbing up through Aiguines to get back up onto the side of the Gorge du Verdon and just had the most spectacular views. We crossed over the Pont de l'Artuby which is Europe's highest bridge with a 180m drop. A real engineering feat to build it!

The group had split so Oskar, The Dutchman and I stopped for lunch on the gorge and the other guys were in Comps-sur-Artuby, 13km away. Oskar was the powerhouse of the group. He is also Dutch, over 6'5'' and is built like an ox. The guy seriously missed a career as a time triallist. You point him in the direction you want to go and hold on for dear life. I was tucked in behind him and have never done such incredible speeds on the flats going into a headwind. He was dragging me along doing between 45 and 50km hour! I was working so hard with my heartrate sitting between 165 and 170 bpm and having the time of my life at the same time! We covered the 13km in a flash to catch up to the other guys. Everyone should get themselves an Oskar :)

We collected the others and continued on down towards Draguignan. The Dutchman was so pleased with himself that he found us a tiny little road that skirted around Draguignan so we didn't have to go through it. The rest of us were not so pleased given that stretches of it were 22% up!! The good news was it was over within 2km. I did try and get a local kid to swap his motorbike with my bike but he just laughed at me!

It was our last night together so we had a fabulous meal in the castle over looking Les Arcs. The castle was restored in the 70's after it had been used for years to grow mushrooms in. French food at it's best and we all had the 7 course dinner. Yum!
Day 5 - Les Arcs to Nice 113km 1000m vertical

Finally the sun decided to come out! We had been very lucky with the weather but it was a welcome change to have some sunshine. We set out on a beautiful small road that was packed with cyclists! Anyone that had a bike was out enjoying the day with it being Easter Monday and also a bank holiday in France. We were climbing out of the valley out of Les Arcs and met some local triathletes who were telling me about the wonderful training rides they do. Makes Box Hill look like a speed bump :) The riding had much shorter climbs of 4km to 8km which suited me a lot more. The strange thing was I was feeling the strongest on day 5 so was powering up the climbs a lot better. We skirted around Grasse and then onto a quiet undulating road heading back to Nice. I jumped back into position behind The Dutchman and we had Oskar take on the head wind. The guys corner so much more agressivly than me so I kept slipping and would then have to sprint to catch the back of them again. Hard work but again very exhiliarating.

We got back to Nice and had an early dinner sitting on the beach. A perfect ending to a perfect 5 days :)

If anyone is interested in the routes we took or any tips about cycling in the Provence area, drop me a line, I am happy to share info.

Happy training.
Cx

A Shiny New Trophy!

I headed out with the Dutchman and my trusty Focus Izalco Chrono yesterday morning to Dartford in Kent to have a crack at my first ever duathlon and first race of the season. My last race, Ironman Arizona last November feels like a distant memory! Despite coming from a running background and loving to cycle, I was not really looking forward to doing a duathlon.
We got there with plenty of time to spare after a 6am start, went through the registration and got the Dutchman a t-shirt. I do the races and he gets the T-shirt. An arrangement we are both happy with :)

We then headed over to the transition area and slotted the Focus Izalco Chrono into an end space. I was very pleased to see that on the next rack was another Focus Izalco Chrono with a lovely Zipp disc wheel. I got organised which took no time at all which is a huge plus to duathlon. You don't need anywhere near as much prep time as triathlon given you turn up in what you are going to wear running and basically need a bike, cycling shoes and a helmet in transition.

They started the race in 2 waves with the majority of the men heading off 15 mins ahead of us ladies and the rest of the men. I started at the front with 1 other girl and stuck behind her with the 2 of us leading the field around the first 500m lap of the field and out onto the road. The other girls and guys seemed happy to sit behind us and see what was going to happen. I was slightly slower than the leading lady and decided I would run at my pace keeping her in sight and let her go for the time being. The boys behind us must have sensed this and started to move up also trying to keep her in sight. 1 guy managed to catch our speedy leading lady about 1km in. By the 2km mark I had slipped back to 50m behind her but was feeling good and actually really enjoying myself.

I sat back for the rest of the race pushing up all the hills and using the flats and downs to recover. I went through the first 5km in 19:33 which is OK for this time of year given I am still in base training phase and building up my fitness. I was thankful for all the recent track sessions as I am usually very adverse to that hard push required for short distance. Having been an Ironman athlete for 2 years I am really not used to pushing hard like that in a race so it is all new to me.

My T1 was a little slow and then out onto the bike. I was a little worried about the bike leg as it was the 4th time I had been on the Focus and we are still getting acquainted. The course was quite hilly and really didn't replicate any of the training I had been doing in Regents Park so was a bit all over the place with my gears and having to get out of the aero position to climb. This is exactly why I do these races early in the season to iron out the bugs as quickly as possible.

I am extremely lucky in that I have no fear descending and I loved the thrill of flying down the hills tucked up in the aero position. The speed is so cool! I don't have a computer on the bike as I sometimes like to race on feel rather than looking at the numbers so I have no clue how fast I was going. I got a pretty good indication when I hit some gravel in a corner and slid a little. Makes you realise how far away the brakes are all the way out to the sides!!

It was an out and back course and I had managed to miss the front runners who were a minute ahead at the first turnaround and working as a group. I was working hard but in hindsight could have been more efficient on the bike, especially climbing. Hill repeats in Richmond Park coming up for me I think :) I am so pleased with the way the Focus performs, as soon as I get in the aero position my back is completely flat and you just feel the bike surge forward. Now all I have to do is work on these legs and get them in tip top shape! It was a reasonably quiet road and the cars very patient. Being only 22km it was over reasonably quickly and I was off the bike in 37:48.

Back into T2 and out again for another 5km lap of the run course. I had overtaken 6 guys in a group at the end of the bike leg and was refusing to look over my shoulder knowing that they would be coming for me on the run. It was spurring me on and was pleased that only 1 of them managed to catch me and he was a great runner so I happily let him go :) My legs were feeling pretty heavy by this stage and it was a case of just keep pushing knowing it was only 5km.

The 2nd lap was quite a bit slower at 21:25, but I was very pleased given I had no idea how I would feel. With transitions I had a total time of 1:21:00, 2nd place and a shiny new trophy to boot. All in all a morning well spent!

The guy next to me in transition with his Focus Izalco won the race overall and broke the course record at the same time! Very impressive. Happy training this week everyone, I am heading to France to go cycling through Provence for 5 days with The Dutchman! Cx

Collecting the Booty

Friday saw Team Wiggle congregating at Wiggle HQ to collect all of our amazing Team Wiggle Kit. I almost fell over when I laid eyes on the Focus Izalco Chrono Is that for me??? This is some serious German engineering. Speed radiates out of this bike and it is so beautiful to look at. This thing was made to go fast, really fast. I think it is safe to say I am not going to get close to the times the Milram boys are going to be churning out on this Beast, but it isn’t going to stop me from trying! I am going to take it out and test it at a 20 mile time trial on the 18th April and see what we can do. I just need to learn how to ride it first! I haven’t been on a time trial bike before so a few sessions on the turbo first I think to get used to the position.
I have been riding the Kiron Scandium for the past few days and the weight comparison to my current bike Matilda is huge! Lightweight and good looking in a lovely bright red with black pedals and wheels. Very sleek. The next challenge is to name the 2 bikes. Any suggestions? If so, put them in the comments below :)

It has been like Christmas this week trying out all my new dhb gear Wiggle have kindly supplied me with. So far my favourite is the dhb Ladies Triple Lens Sunglasses. I must own the largest collection of single sunglasses lens and consistently lose 1 of the 2 lenses. I love that my dhb’s have a combined lens and they are so easy to change. The best part is they don’t fog up cycling or running.

I was on a recovery week last week so reduced volume and intensity. Terry has me do a 3 weeks hard, 1 week recovery cycle. I am lucky to have a gym in my office and I do all of my weights and core sessions there so first thing Monday was an hours session focusing on building leg strength for cycling and core strength. Monday night I jumped on the rollers for a high intensity hour workout with Pod Runner podcast http://www.djsteveboy.com/mixes.html pounding away in the background to keep me going, not that you really have a choice on rollers!
Tuesday morning I was on the Barnes Elm track for 6*1600m reps. I really don’t like that session, it really hurts!! It never sounds like that much when I look at the weeks programme, but the 4th lap of each mile rep is so tough. This morning was even tougher as there was a sprinter out doing a session and she was making it look like I was standing still as she breezed past me multiple times! It always makes me smile when I am on that track that you have to run around the geese who happily cross over in front of you to get to the grass in the middle. Very cute.
This week also saw me take a hard look at my diet. My weight has crept up a little following Ironman Arizona at the end of November last year and I could really do without dragging the excess few kg around with me. It’s like I’m taking the Wiggle deal literally as I have some ‘wiggle bits’ around my middle that have come from somewhere and have to go! Looking at the Focus Izalco Chrono all I could think about was that I am going to be a blob on this sliver of carbon :) It’s very dull but I find it really effective to control portion size and intake to write down everything I am eating including carbohydrates, calories, protein, sodium and fat. Given I have a weakness for cake and we have a lady from our canteen who brings a trolley laden with cake to our desks every 2nd day, it is a necessary evil. The big one is no more booze. I generally quit each year around this time because I find it difficult to stay hydrated doing 16-20 hours training a week, 2 sometimes 3 sessions a day and if I’m drinking alcohol, I’m not drinking water and sinking a little further into dehydration.
So the rest of the week is swim focused where I need to make huge improvements. I have a 1 on 1 with Terry to look at my stroke tomorrow, he keeps telling me how important it is to slow down in order to go faster, something I struggle with. I just want to smash it in every session and I find the slight changes to swim technique so boring and tedious. I’m sure I am not alone with that and will have to learn how to be patient! Anyway, that’s it for now. Happy training Wigglers!
Cxps. Don’t forget, comments below on any suggested names for the bikes!

Race Entry

This week I have been busy entering races and trying to find some suitable time trial to give the Izalco Chrono a chance to run. This weekend I am hitting the start line of the Fast and Furious duathlon run by White Oaks Triathlon club in Kent. It is a 5km run, 22km bike and 5km run. I'm really looking forward to it as I haven't done a duathlon before. It will be interesting to see how I race on it this weekend, this will be my first race since Ironman Arizona last November and keen to get that 'race' feeling back. I have been out a few times in the past few days on the Focus Chrono riding laps of Regents Park. It is a speed machine! I feel like a piece of origami folded up on it, the aerodynamics are so cool! I am so impressed with this bike, it is a dream to ride and handles beautifully. The Dutchman and I went to Nice last weekend to train...and it rained ALL weekend which certainly put a dent in the amount of riding we wanted to do. Next week we are in France again, starting in Nice and spending 5 days riding with 4 friends out through Provence. Hopefully the weather will be better, but too bad if it isn't, we are going anyway! I'm really into the swing of things now and loving the training. The hard graft of the past few months is starting to pay off and my times are going down. I love this part of the year when it starts to come together. Thursday is track night at Parliament Hill with Terry and some of the other athletes he trains and it is the session I probably dread most. There is no where to hide and the clock does not lie. Last weeks session was 10*400m at max with 1.30 - 2 min recovery. I was very pleased to see that not only were my times very consistent across the 10, but they were also 5-6 seconds faster than 3 weeks ago. I was trying to explain to my mother how it is a good thing if after each lap you want to throw up as it means you are working hard. She wasn't having a bar of it and wanted to know if I was ill, she didn't specify physically or mentally :) So, more next week after the duathlon! Happy training.Cx

I'm on Team Wiggle!

By some miracle I managed to get myself a place on Team Wiggle! This is such a fantastic opportunity for me as they are going to give me not 1, but 2 bikes to train on plus a whole bunch of other equiptment to get me through the year. I wrote to them along with a couple of thousand other people last year following an invitation to write in and tell them about my racing and training. Whilst out in Australia over Christmas (more on that later) I got an email from Paul inviting me for an interview. Lucky for me I made the team! So now I also blog for them on their site http://www.wiggleblog.co.uk/ as well as my own.

I can't stop looking at the beautiful bikes. Check these out!! If I am feeling a little low, or having a problem getting out of bed to train I look at this picture of the timetrial machine and it gets me going again :) Biggest challenge is going to be finding a great name for it!

I can't wait to get my mitts on that thing. I am going to fly! I met with Terry last night to go through the race schedule and we have a couple of races ear marked to do really well in. This year is going to be easier in some respects now I am focusing on shorter distance as I will be able to race more frequently and train in a different way. With Ironman, the emphasis is endurance. Shorter distance is about having a solid base as well as speed. I am very motivated at the moment and feeling great! I was on the track last night for 8x400m reps at maximum speed. Awful awful set but one of the ones that gives you that fabulous feeling of a job well done afterwards. This is the other bike, a beautiful carbon frame and what I will be doing the majority of my training on. Matilda (my current bike) will be moving to Nice which cuts out the crappy having to take her apart and put her together each time. This year The Dutchman and I are in Nice every 2 weeks until the end of September. All great training!!

So I included my first Wiggle blog below. I decided to focus on the people who are there for me day in and day out. I don't thank them enough for what they do, I really couldn't do it without them.

______ www.wiggleblog.co.uk

Hello, welcome to my first Blog! Whilst triathlon may be an individual sport, I am by no means alone so I wanted to introduce you to a few of the people who play a big part in my training and racing.
I’m really getting into my base training at the moment and can already feel the results. Last weekend The Dutchman and I went to Nice for the weekend. Saturday was spent skiing in Auron and Sunday I went out for a 11km run along the promenade, around the port and then up the hill, into the steep winding road to the top towards Villefranche. It’s the same run I do all the time and I never get sick of the wonderful views of the Mediterranean. The sea was so flat I was thinking I should have taken my wetsuit and taken a dip! The sun was out and it was a beautiful day, certainly makes training a pleasure!
The Dutchman: The Dutchman is my beloved and main training buddy. An ex semi pro cyclist and being Dutch means he knows how to handle a bike. He was known on the racing circuit in The Netherlands as ‘Kamikaze Pilot’ for his extreme descending skills, some of which he is teaching me! He has 1 bike that in 15 years he has never replaced the brake pads, says it all really. He also runs to keep in shape and drags me up Primrose Hill in London for nasty hill repeats. Its not all bad, I’m rewarded with a hug after each one :) The Dutchman has a base in Nice so we can often be found cycling around in the beautiful Maritime Alps, generally with me trailing along behind and him reminding me that “this is not a vacation!”.
Antz Pantz (Also known as Antoinette): One of the team who follow me around to races, making sure I have everything I need. Antz Pantz is an accomplished Ironman spectator and accompanied me to Ironman Austria last year and after stupidly forgetting my Co2 head, I had to convince one of the stall owners at the expo with extreme sign language to open early and sell her another before rushing back and handing it over to me relay style as I came out of T1. Superstar and I couldn’t do it without her.
Corinna: My other loyal supporter who I shared a flat with for 3.5 years and has seen it all. Including me fall off my rollers numerous times. Corinna dishes out the tough love, the kind that works best with me, and was seen at Ironman UK telling me to run faster because she wanted a holiday to Hawaii (Ironman World Championship). How could I refuse when she was wearing a grass skirt, a shell bra over a sweater and several lei’s along with her wellingtons.
Terry: My coach. Terry agreed to take me on 5 weeks before Ironman Austria last year and completely revolutionised my training. A well known and respected coach he has taken me to the next level in my training and racing. Terry manages to strike that fine line between pushing me hard but not too hard by having me do 11 sessions a week including 2 core sessions, 3 swim, 3 run and 3 bike. I train every day except Fridays and twice a day except Sundays where I do my long bike ride instead. My weekly training hours sit between 16 - 20 hours depending on where we are in the programme. A great coach who is always there when I need him.
Rich: My sports therapist Rich always jokes that the massage is free, its the advice I pay for :) Rich has thumbs of doom and if there is a knot lurking in a muscle, he will seek it out and banish it! An awesome masseuse, I give him credit for keeping me injury free by working wonders on my legs each week by stretching and massaging out the stress and strains that triathlon training puts on my pins. Having been in the triathlon game since the early 90’s he always has a wise word ready for me.
Wiggle: Last but not least, the great team of people at Wiggle who look after us athletes making sure we have everything we could possibly need.
So, that’s the team! Wonderful people who do more than they realise.
Cx

Arizona Ironman - RACE DAY!

I was feeling great come race morning. Ate my breakfast and headed to the start. They had a great service where guys were pumping up tyres so I did that and started slathering on the 50+ suncream. I was feeling very relaxed and couldn’t wait to get out there!

The swim was in the Tempe town lake which was quite big, but the water was very brown from all the dust. It was impossible to see anything which caused some problems as you would swim on top of someone before you knew they were there. I paid the price when I did that and got a sharp kick in the ribs which winded me and made me suck in some rather yucky tasting water. It slowed me down but I stayed calm and kept going. About 10 mins later a rather enthusiastic guy managed to rip my goggles off despite them being under my swim cap! I had to stop because I was so scared of losing a contact lens which would have made racing very interesting indeed. All of these things added time and put a dent in my confidence. I didn’t enjoy the swim and it became about just getting to the end.

I got out, ran what seems to be miles through transition and did a full change into cycling gear. We had a nasty head wind on the way out that kept me at 20km/hr or below, but saw me cruising back in at 45-50km/hr on the return leg in places. It made it very difficult to know how I was going given I was expending so much energy on the way out. By the 3rd lap the wind had become a cross wind so I lost the advantage of having the tail wind to push me home. It was very disappointing to see so much drafting going on. At one stage I had a pack of 15 riders go past me. I can understand that it is tempting to jump onto the back of that and take shelter from the wind but personally I can’t do it. It is cheating and just because lots of people are doing it doesn’t make it right.

I was feeling pretty good on the ride but was losing a few minutes each lap so was dropping time off my target. I wasn’t worried about the run but it was in the back of my mind that my legs were going to have a tough time simply because you never stop pedalling on the bike because it is flat. On hilly courses at least the legs get a rest descending.

I wasn’t having any problems eating so stuck to my nutrition plan 100% of eating every 20 mins and was keeping hydrated. The 3rd lap was tough but I was pleased coming off the bike. I had a bit of a fumble getting off the bike so ended up with one shoe on and the other on the bike. That was minor compared to the stories I heard later of people crashing into the barriers, and others into the bike catchers! There were bike catchers who take your bike from you which really helps so my transition times were pretty fast.

I grabbed my run bag and was very lucky to have 2 volunteers helping me so was in and out in no time including a full change into run shorts and top. First lap of the 3 lap run was OK with only a couple of guys passing me. About halfway on the first lap the lead guy came past which kept it interesting. Towards the end of the first lap I had 2 pro women go past. It was hard not knowing what place I was in and starting the 2nd lap even harder to know if the women I was passing were on their 1st or 2nd lap. I started feeling sick on the 2nd lap and felt like I had a huge lump in my stomach. I had never experienced anything like it. The 4 immodium plus I had taken over the course of the day gave me the confidence to keep eating gels because I knew I was going to have to keep running to pull some places in.

I saw the Dutchman who told me I had a couple of girls up ahead which got me moving again. I was running the aid stations because I didn’t trust that if I stopped I could start again I was feeling so ill. I caught this woman and sat behind her for a couple of hundred metres summoning the strength to go past her when one of her supporters told her she was in 3rd place in her age group (40-45) and she put the hammer down. I went with her but could feel myself starting to redline so I pulled back and let her go. I was passing a lot of people despite how I was feeling and starting the 3rd lap I knew I was going to have to really pull it out of the bag.

There was a girl from my age group who caught me and went past me so quickly I just knew she was headed for home. I was still about 7km out and knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain that pace for that long. I am pleased to say her and the other woman mentioned above were the only non female pros who passed me on the run.

I had picked my point in my reccie run where I would start to hammer it home and it was around 5km out. I was passing so many people I would just focus on one and draw strength from them each time I went by. I had been racing for more than 10 hours by this stage, I was having to swallow back vomit because I was so sick and my mind was wandering thinking of the most random things. I was counting people, my steps, trees, anything just to stay focused on keeping speed and getting to that finish line.

That last stretch along the lake was awful. I just went for it telling myself that the faster I ran the sooner I would be home. Turning left to go up the chute was more of a relief than an amazing feeling I usually get from racing and I pushed the last 200m thinking that someone was going to pass me. I must have stopped my watch by accident during the race because I my watch said 10.40, but the clock said 10.52. I started to cry with sheer exhaustion, frustration and self pity because I wasn’t even close to the goal I had set myself. I was in top shape and yet had done a better time in Austria 5 months earlier.

The Dutchman was amazing and gave me a hug despite me stinking and being rather wet and sticky. I felt like a bit of a pratt when this woman came over to me and congratulated me saying what a great time I had achieved. It did make me stop crying and appreciate a lot of people were still out there and would love to have a 10.52 time.

I felt very agitated about the entire race in the days following and was quite emotional about it simply because I had invested so much in the 1 race and I really don’t know what went wrong. Everyone I talk to says that you have bad days, but why was my bad day on the most important race day of the year for me?

It has taken me some time to write about the race and to work through it and come out the other side with the lessons learnt. Doing 4 ironman races in 15 months is a lot to put your body through, but from that I have fantastic endurance. The thing that I have forgotten how to do is race at speed. So, 2009 is about the need for speed. I am not going to chase a Kona placing this year but instead focus on getting faster over shorter distance and then applying that to longer distance. I know I can be a better triathlete.

The lead up to Ironman Arizona

I collected the Dutchman’s bike and then The Dutchman from the airport Saturday night. We left early on Sunday and drove North from Pheonix through Flagstaff and onto Sedona. As we got up at 5am, as was the plan to get ready for an early start on race day, we got to the outskirts of Sedona around 10am. We went into a roadside diner and had a massive breakfast and then unpacked the bikes to head out and go for a ride.

It was undulating, but very pretty cycling along with the red rocks as a backdrop so it didn’t seem like much of an effort. On the way out we had seen a few wineries advertising wine tasting, so we decided to drop in and see what they had on offer. Now I am not sure this was a great idea given that I had been off the booze for quite some time with the exception on Fiona and Andrew’s wedding at the end of September so to now pour 8 ‘generous’ tasting glasses down my neck with a 30km ride home was not the smartest move. Made all the more difficult by the head wind we encountered. It was worth it. We were in there for ages chatting to everyone in there completely decked out in lycra so it was hard to miss us. Was kind of cute when the woman serving us said how much she loved Amsterdam when she went there but had never been to the Netherlands J

The Dutchman had booked us into this beautiful hotel with the most spectacular view in Sedona where we were staying for 2 nights. The first night we went for a beautiful dinner and had the most incredible steak I have ever eaten. It was melt in your mouth cooked perfectly. I am sure I ate my body weight in steak. That was the other thing, I was dropping weight at a steady rate despite eating the same amount (around 2500 – 3000 calories a day) but not training so much. I wasn’t paying too much attention to it at this stage but in hindsight I think I should have.

We went hiking up into the red rocks the next day and encountered a family of Javalinas! They are like small hairy pigs and were out foraging for their breakfast. We hiked quite a long way in so felt like we had earnt ourselves an afternoon by the pool. The pool had the same view as our room and no one there! We had the entire place to ourselves. The Dutchman turned up in these tight little lycra shorts which earnt him the nickname of Eurotrash for the rest of the day.

I went running the next morning along one of the trails whilst The Dutchman hit the road to cycle further north towards the Grand Canyon. I caught him after he had done some decent miles in temps of around 3-5 degrees. The valley he cycled up out of doesn’t get the sun and it was too early for the air to be warm. In places there was ice, but he survived and I took him to starbucks to thaw out.

Arriving at The Grand Canyon and seeing that view for the first time is breath taking. I was in absolute awe. I had flown over it, but standing on the edge looking down into it, I can’t even explain. We were booked into the El Tovar, the oldest and grandest of the hotels in Grand Canyon Village and it was like stepping back in time. We checked in and hit a road that had only been open for 3 days. It was like riding on silk, there wasn’t a bump in it. We rode out to Hermits Rest and I have to say riding in the altitude really takes it toll. A small slope all of sudden is a lot harder to maintain pace.

I took lots of pictures so it took us quite some time to cover the 13km out. We really went for it coming back and we were cruising at 45km hour on the return leg. I was feeling fitter and stronger than any other time in my life.

We watched the sunrise the next day and then jumped on a bus to go out to the path that leads into the Canyon to Skeleton Point which is a 5km hike in, but only halfway to the bottom. It was an easy hike because the path is so well maintained and wide enough you can pass people. We were stopping frequently to admire the view as the path wrapped around and you would get a different vista every 10 – 15 mins. It was very impressive.

We got to Skeleton Point and we were the only ones there which made it all the more special. As we were sitting there another group arrived and we could also see the mules coming up the path.

The hike is advertised as a 6 hour round trip, but we were back in 3 having given the mules a 30 min head start, we soon caught them and over took them in our power hiking back to the top. We caught the bus back and jumped on the bikes. This time we got to Hermits rest in record time and I was feeling fantastic so I upped the pace and really pushed it home. It is one of only 2 times out of the hundreds of rides we have done together where The Dutchman has had to hang onto me and just sit on my wheel. It gave me a great boost mentally knowing I was in such great shape I could even push the indestructible Dutchman almost to his limit.

We got up the next morning and drove to an eastern point in the Canyon to watch the sunrise and it is one of the most romantic moments ever. Sitting there snuggled up with the Dutchman (it was about –2 degrees) watching the sun climb its way over the rim and splash into the canyon. It was like a spotlight being shone on various parts of the canyon and made you focus on the individual points as they became illuminated. In the background we could see the mules making there first trek of the day into the Canyon, following the path we had taken the day before. I took some pictures, but it is almost impossible to capture the beauty and expanse. You can see the mules over the Dutchmans right shoulder in this pic here.

We drove back to Pheonix and went straight to registration where I picked up my very disappointing race pack and my Zipp wheels. The Dutchman had kindly arranged for a set of 404 Zipps to be waiting for me. I decided to go for a spin on them as I had been in the car all day and wanted to stretch my legs out. Against the Dutchmans advice to take a spare I headed out…..only to get a flat 6km out of town. Now what does a chick in lycra do? Well, you want in the same direction as the traffic carrying your bike on your shoulder of course J I was walking all of about 25 seconds and this guy pulled up. Turns out he was doing a reccie of the course and had a 4X4 to fit my bike in the back. He kindly gave me a lift back in exchange for some tips on the course.

We met up with James and Kaisa the next day and they hitched a ride with us so James could register and I could go return my Zipps that had quite a few cuts on the tyres hence the puncture. I have to say, this guy was fantastic. It wasn’t a problem to change them over and he totally understood that I wanted everything to be perfect leading into the race. It was in complete contrast to Tempe Bicycles who were rude and very unhelpful when we returned the Dutchman’s bike. There are plenty of places to hire a bike in Phoenix and I would recommend somewhere like Dominic’s cycles over Tempe bikes.

So the Dutchman was smart and left me to race prep on the Saturday. I had pre warned him that I wasn’t the best person to be around the day before a race so he went off and cycled the 50 odd km’s to the top of Mount Lemmon down near Tucson. I did some more transition training and got my bags ready and then hitched a ride with James and Kaisa to check everything in.

Now to say that Arizona Ironman smacked of making money is an understatement. I was already disappointed with the rubbish registration pack. When I checked into the hotel I got a welcome pack of energy gel, sunscreen, water, energy beans, lip balm and a lovely note welcoming IM athletes and their family and friends. What do you get for $550 with IM Arizona? A free number plate holder and a bag full of flyers. L

I went into transition, got my bike spot and then went to dump my bags. They couldn’t even stretch to get racks to put the bags on or a tarp to protect them from the 33 degree sun. Nope, you put your bags on the ground following the hand written signs. I was beginning to think I had turned up at some Mickey Mouse event.

Feeling pretty good I headed back to the hotel to eat more and chill out. I was reading Ellen Macarthurs autobiography which I was finding very inspiring, exactly what I needed. The Dutchman returned and we had a slight drama when we set the fire alarm off. Problem solved by ripping it out of the wall, throwing it into the hallway and demanding a change of room because of the smoke and some silly rule about not being allowed to open the windows. We got to bed and I had an ok-ish nights sleep.

Cx