Acclimatisation and changes in expectation

After a couple of days of settling into an out-of-the-ordinary routine (always a challenge when you throw 3 Ironman triathletes into a new environment!!) We found our rhythm this week. Of course we had "the program" to follow, although mine was already slightly moderated as I had started a slight taper this week.

Our days basically consisted of waking (slightly later than in Melbourne, although the body-clock still had me on the 5am start for a while), coffee (which I never normally do before training; Foz and Kristy have converted me!!) a small snack, and out for the first session of the day. Back for breakfast (usually more like lunch), shower, do some work, massage or stretching, or core/pilates sessions, shopping for food then out for the second session of the day. This was usually a swim, as it worked better to do our bike or run sessions in the morning and swim in the afternoon. Back for a mega feast for dinner (chez Team Hawaii REALLY turned on the culinary skills!!) Then an hour or so of relaxation, and bed time. It's amazing how quickly a week passes repeating the above 7 times!!

Highlights of the week - 

Before the 5k swim

1. Our impromptu "OD swim!!" - Pete had arrived on Tuesday, to spend the rest of the week up here, and he hired a car. So on Tuesday night, we drove to Proserpine, where there is a HEATED 50m pool (Only Jo Coombe could actually get HYPOTHERMIA swimming in an unheated pool in Queensland!). The swim set, as designed by "The Red Baron" (our awesome swim coach Ben) was 4.7km. This included fins, and we didn't have any, so I didn't expect we would swim that far. But Kristy and I got quite into the session, and when we'd finished the full set in 1 hour 46 minutes - I said those dreaded words....."Well I'm not going to finish on 4.7k when I could just do the extra 300m and tick off a 5k set". Kristy, who had just taken off her swim cap promptly put it back on and we duly finished the 5k!! I haven't swum that distance since before my first Ironman in 2008, so it was a great session to tick off.

2. Seeing Holly and Ash, our great friends, who we originally met in Melbourne, and who now live in Mackay. We took a drive down there on Wednesday, and spent a fabulous evening catching up with them. I also got to run the Catherine Freeman Memorial Walk for my tempo run on Thursday. It was pretty motivating to be training on a walk named after an Olympic Gold medalist and inspiring athlete.



If only Kona had THIS kind of climb!!



3. My final "long" ride. By long, I only mean 80k (the other two rode 150km!). But I got to do some sustained riding into a fearsome, hot headwind back to Proserpine from the Peter Faust Dam. It gave me some much needed confidence in my mental strength into the wind, but the stats on my computer and heart rate showed me that my expectations of how my bike leg may go in Kona need to be VERY realistic. I qualified in France on a mountainous course. It suited me, as I climb well, and descend like a maniac!! The descent also left my legs quite fresh for the run. While Hawaii is hilly, there will also be long stretches that suit the time trialler. I have yet to really develop my strength in that respect. But I am OK with that. I said at the start of this preparation that my goal was to get to the race knowing that I had done everything I could to have my best race. And I have. That ride gave me enough time to be able to calm my mind about what might happen out there. I may rethink some of my goals, but I will talk about that next time.



And so to the race. Well the countdown clock on the Ironman website as I am writing says just over 12 days. I head back to Melbourne tomorrow, I've got one and a half days to unpack, wash, repack, train and get on the flight to The Big Island. We arrive in Hawaii on Thursday, so by the time I write my final blog before the "Big Dance" we will have settled in.

Weeks to go = 2

Total hours trained = 17.75

Swim = 16.5 km (record swim week!!)

Bike = 181 km

Run = 47.01 km