Lisa Marangon has had a stellar season by any account.
Lisa was on the start line for 23 races this calendar year. As a sign of her endurance and determination, she finished 21 of those races. And one of the two which she didn't finish was a tactical error - ie reminder for the new year, always carry a spare tube in case of a flat!
While Lisa's focus for this season has been short course, or Olympic distance, she excelled at all distances through the year from sprint through half ironman.
Overall, Lisa notched seven wins and seven second place finishes. She won in Australia: sprint and New South Wales club championships. She won in the US: Boulder 5430 Sprint. And she won in Asia: Singapore's Asian Cup; Lisa's first ITU win.
Of course, she ended the year winning Canberra 70.3.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Ironman Canberra 70.3 December 11th
Unfinished business!
After having a string of tough races this past month, my patience had started to wear thin. I knew that something wasn’t right.
So after racing in Shepparton four weeks ago, I had a blood test.
The results showed I’d had a bout of glandular fever and my iron levels were rock bottom. My doctor’s orders were: rest, recover and double my iron dose.
It took a few weeks to get my health back to where it should be but the time it did improve, there was no point in trying to train more ahead of Canberra. The sessions that I was able to finish completely wiped me out. Two hours was the maximum I could train in one go.
Heading into Canberra last week, I was over the year and I was so unmotivated to race.
My partner Aaron was kind enough to help me get my mind back into gear. Two days ahead of the race, I finally was getting excited. I decided that not only was I going to race, I would race to win.
I knew it would have come down to tactics on race day, and with my strong swim/bike combo I had to have a big enough lead to take the title.
The day before the race my son had his school awards in Moss Vale where he won an award (academic not sport like his mum). I am so proud of him.
After the ceremony we drove to Canberra, arriving a little later than planned. But we were there in time to catch up with sponsors, register and check in my bike.
Once organised it was off to the hotel for my final preparations. After having an great sleep, I felt unreal and ready to race. As I was setting up my gear in transition, my front tyre exploded. I didn't panic as I knew I had time to change it and still be ready. (Typical for something to happen to me before a race.)
The water was unbelievably flat and warm. We headed in and were set to start at 6.25am. I knew I had to swim as hard as I could to the first buoy and then see how I was feeling to get into a good rhythm and then swim the last 300m a little harder again.
I came out of the water with Adam Holborrow and I was top six overall, not too far from the leading men. Heading into T1 I had my change over, and was off with no other girls in sight.
With the three loop bike course ahead, I had planned to find my rhythm in the first 30min, then make my move. The wind started to rise and the rain started to fall, but funny enough it made me stronger. I LOVED the hard conditions.
I started to feel really good after the first loop and got stronger. I was flying past age group athletes. I wasn't sure how far of a lead I had but I didn't care. I was there to win!
I knew Michelle Wu could run and would be chasing me down. Once I was on the run I settled into 4-4.05min km pace. I managed to hold this pace for 8km and and ran through 10km in 41min.
Knowing Michelle was chasing and feeling hungry to take this title, mentally I was going through so much hurt (as well as physical).
Between 12km and 17km I almost stopped. I was hurting. But knowing my son Josh was there cheering and waiting at the finish line I didnt want to let him down. By the 18km mark I started to pick my pace up and finished the last 500m in tears!
It was a very emotional win for many reasons, but an awesome way to finish my 2011 season.
The amount of support I have had this year from family, friends and sponsors has been overwhelming. I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I have without it.
After having a string of tough races this past month, my patience had started to wear thin. I knew that something wasn’t right.
So after racing in Shepparton four weeks ago, I had a blood test.
The results showed I’d had a bout of glandular fever and my iron levels were rock bottom. My doctor’s orders were: rest, recover and double my iron dose.
It took a few weeks to get my health back to where it should be but the time it did improve, there was no point in trying to train more ahead of Canberra. The sessions that I was able to finish completely wiped me out. Two hours was the maximum I could train in one go.
Heading into Canberra last week, I was over the year and I was so unmotivated to race.
My partner Aaron was kind enough to help me get my mind back into gear. Two days ahead of the race, I finally was getting excited. I decided that not only was I going to race, I would race to win.
I knew it would have come down to tactics on race day, and with my strong swim/bike combo I had to have a big enough lead to take the title.
The day before the race my son had his school awards in Moss Vale where he won an award (academic not sport like his mum). I am so proud of him.
After the ceremony we drove to Canberra, arriving a little later than planned. But we were there in time to catch up with sponsors, register and check in my bike.
Once organised it was off to the hotel for my final preparations. After having an great sleep, I felt unreal and ready to race. As I was setting up my gear in transition, my front tyre exploded. I didn't panic as I knew I had time to change it and still be ready. (Typical for something to happen to me before a race.)
The water was unbelievably flat and warm. We headed in and were set to start at 6.25am. I knew I had to swim as hard as I could to the first buoy and then see how I was feeling to get into a good rhythm and then swim the last 300m a little harder again.
I came out of the water with Adam Holborrow and I was top six overall, not too far from the leading men. Heading into T1 I had my change over, and was off with no other girls in sight.
With the three loop bike course ahead, I had planned to find my rhythm in the first 30min, then make my move. The wind started to rise and the rain started to fall, but funny enough it made me stronger. I LOVED the hard conditions.
I started to feel really good after the first loop and got stronger. I was flying past age group athletes. I wasn't sure how far of a lead I had but I didn't care. I was there to win!
I knew Michelle Wu could run and would be chasing me down. Once I was on the run I settled into 4-4.05min km pace. I managed to hold this pace for 8km and and ran through 10km in 41min.
Knowing Michelle was chasing and feeling hungry to take this title, mentally I was going through so much hurt (as well as physical).
Between 12km and 17km I almost stopped. I was hurting. But knowing my son Josh was there cheering and waiting at the finish line I didnt want to let him down. By the 18km mark I started to pick my pace up and finished the last 500m in tears!
It was a very emotional win for many reasons, but an awesome way to finish my 2011 season.
The amount of support I have had this year from family, friends and sponsors has been overwhelming. I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I have without it.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Reed and Marangon Storm Canberra
On a day when the weather played a major part in many results, Tim Reed, from Lord Howe Island, and Lisa Marangon, from Vaucluse in Sydney, hung tough to take the victory in the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Canberra.
Lisa's stats
Swim 26:18
Bike 2:24:57
Run 1:29:21
Overall 4:24:41
Originally from: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/canberra70.3/inaugural-ironman-70.3-canberra-recap#ixzz1gNfCzlnp
Lisa's stats
Swim 26:18
Bike 2:24:57
Run 1:29:21
Overall 4:24:41
Originally from: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/canberra70.3/inaugural-ironman-70.3-canberra-recap#ixzz1gNfCzlnp
2011 Race Results
TRI NSW Training Camp Runaway Bay January 6th-10th
Devonport ITU Sprint Triathlon Oceania Cup and OTU Sprint Triathlon Oceania
Championships- January 15th-6th
Trishave Sydney Sprint Triathlon Kurnell Race 3-February 6th-1st
Elite Energy Callala Beach Triathlon Club distance- February 13th-1st
Australian Triathlon Elite Sprint Distance Championships Geelong- February 20th-9th
Trishave Sydney Triathlon NSW Sprint Distance Championships Kurnell
Race 4- February 27th-2nd
Wellington OTU Triathlon Oceania Championships- March 13th-9th
Mooloolaba ITU World Cup Triathlon- March 27th-37th
Elite Energy Batesman Bay Triathlon-Pro Tour- April 2nd-1st
Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championships Sydney-Open Age
April 10th-2nd
Hervey Bay Triathlon- May 1st-2nd
Byron Bay Triathlon- May 7th-2nd
TRI NSW Club Championships-May 15th-1st
Boulder 5430 Sprint Triathlon-June 19th-1st
Monroe ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup-June 25th-7th
San Francisco Triathlon Pan American Cup-July 10th-5th
Singapore ITU Triathlon Asian Cup-July 30th-1st
Capricorn Resort Ironman 70.3-Aug 14-2nd
Maitland-Oct 9th-Bike mechanical DNF
Forster Ultimate-Oct 16th-2nd
Noosa Triathlon-Oct 30th-8th
Port Macquarie-Nov 6th-DNF
Shepparton 70.3-Nov 13-2nd
Canberra 70.3-Dec 11-1st
Devonport ITU Sprint Triathlon Oceania Cup and OTU Sprint Triathlon Oceania
Championships- January 15th-6th
Trishave Sydney Sprint Triathlon Kurnell Race 3-February 6th-1st
Elite Energy Callala Beach Triathlon Club distance- February 13th-1st
Australian Triathlon Elite Sprint Distance Championships Geelong- February 20th-9th
Trishave Sydney Triathlon NSW Sprint Distance Championships Kurnell
Race 4- February 27th-2nd
Wellington OTU Triathlon Oceania Championships- March 13th-9th
Mooloolaba ITU World Cup Triathlon- March 27th-37th
Elite Energy Batesman Bay Triathlon-Pro Tour- April 2nd-1st
Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championships Sydney-Open Age
April 10th-2nd
Hervey Bay Triathlon- May 1st-2nd
Byron Bay Triathlon- May 7th-2nd
TRI NSW Club Championships-May 15th-1st
Boulder 5430 Sprint Triathlon-June 19th-1st
Monroe ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup-June 25th-7th
San Francisco Triathlon Pan American Cup-July 10th-5th
Singapore ITU Triathlon Asian Cup-July 30th-1st
Capricorn Resort Ironman 70.3-Aug 14-2nd
Maitland-Oct 9th-Bike mechanical DNF
Forster Ultimate-Oct 16th-2nd
Noosa Triathlon-Oct 30th-8th
Port Macquarie-Nov 6th-DNF
Shepparton 70.3-Nov 13-2nd
Canberra 70.3-Dec 11-1st
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Shepparton 70.3 - Nov 13th
After having a string of bad luck with my races over the past month, I was making sure that everything was going to be right for this race.
I drove down to Shepparton on Friday arriving just in time for the welcome dinner held by the race organisers. I was quite tired so I had an early night. This is one of my favourite races not only for the course, but the tremendous support from the community to make us athletes feel very special and at home in their town.
My first bit of bad luck was when both my front and then rear tubes exploded while I was in the car. I wasn't too worried as it was an easy problem to be fixed.
I had an early morning swim at the local pool. And once I fixed my bike I went for a test ride to make sure everything was working fine. After a spin on the bike I had a short treadmill run at the Quest hotel where I was staying.
I was ready. I registered and checked my bike in early so I could go back to the hotel and relax. Maybe I was a little too relaxed.
Going into this race my goal was to win. I was fresh, pumped, nervous and ready to perform.
Race start was at 7am. I got to transition quite early and checked over everything and was ready with an hour to spare. I did a warm up, got my wetsuit on and swam across to the start line. The water was very brown and when you put your face into it you couldn't see anything. I positioned myself well and my plan - as always - is to attack form the word 'Go'.
Once I hit 200m into the swim I was in front. I wasn't sure by how much but I kept my eye on the men who were out in front. I felt unreal in the swim and for the first time in a long time there was no pain in my shoulder.
Exciting the water and heading into T1 I saw no other girls. I knew I had to put time into Sam Warriner as I rode much faster than her at Port. I heard her name called as she entered transition; I was heading out onto my bike. Excellent, plan is going right!
I didn't feel as good as I did at Port on the bike and my lower back started to hurt. Within the first 10km Sam rode past me like I was standing still. I just didn't have it in the legs to go. By the 20-30km mark Elly Franks was sitting behind a guy and she flew past me as well.
I was being patient with myself and was wating for the power to kick in. By the finish there was nothing. I saw Sam Warriner in the penalty box and I knew that I could outrun Elly if my stomach played right for me.
I hit the run and started to pace myself for the first lap. I was closing in on Elly and Sam was hot on my heels - someone to chase and someone chasing me. At the 4km mark Sam nudged past me and then I ran past Elly with Sam still within eyesight.
I ran 30min for my first loop and started to really feel good. Mentally I was trying to convince myself to catch Sam. While my mind was fresh, as each kilometre ticked by, my legs were ever so slightly slowing.
I was consistent with the second lap, coming in on 31min. Sam though was putting more time into me. While I couldn't see who was behind me, I knew I had built at least a 5-6min gap. My legs gave in on the last loop from lack of endurance. I still had a fantastic race coming in behind Sam for second place.
Everyone was unreal in the race, especially Meg Gillmer who sounded like she was going to lose her voice in cheering for me (Thanks Meg). I appreciated the enthusiasm from other athletes racing who cheered me even as they were pushing their own limits. The volunteers at the aid stations were so much fun and so were the spectators.
I checked my bike after the race and had realised why I didn't ride as strong - my back brake pad was rubbing on my wheel!
Thanks to the Shepparton community for making everything so much easier and relaxing for me and of course the continual support of my sponsors.
Next up for me is a charity ride called the sea2summit. Then it's head down for a strong finish of the season at Ironman Canberra 70.3.
*Photos by Meg Gillmer
I drove down to Shepparton on Friday arriving just in time for the welcome dinner held by the race organisers. I was quite tired so I had an early night. This is one of my favourite races not only for the course, but the tremendous support from the community to make us athletes feel very special and at home in their town.
My first bit of bad luck was when both my front and then rear tubes exploded while I was in the car. I wasn't too worried as it was an easy problem to be fixed.
I had an early morning swim at the local pool. And once I fixed my bike I went for a test ride to make sure everything was working fine. After a spin on the bike I had a short treadmill run at the Quest hotel where I was staying.
I was ready. I registered and checked my bike in early so I could go back to the hotel and relax. Maybe I was a little too relaxed.
Going into this race my goal was to win. I was fresh, pumped, nervous and ready to perform.
Race start was at 7am. I got to transition quite early and checked over everything and was ready with an hour to spare. I did a warm up, got my wetsuit on and swam across to the start line. The water was very brown and when you put your face into it you couldn't see anything. I positioned myself well and my plan - as always - is to attack form the word 'Go'.
Once I hit 200m into the swim I was in front. I wasn't sure by how much but I kept my eye on the men who were out in front. I felt unreal in the swim and for the first time in a long time there was no pain in my shoulder.
Exciting the water and heading into T1 I saw no other girls. I knew I had to put time into Sam Warriner as I rode much faster than her at Port. I heard her name called as she entered transition; I was heading out onto my bike. Excellent, plan is going right!
I didn't feel as good as I did at Port on the bike and my lower back started to hurt. Within the first 10km Sam rode past me like I was standing still. I just didn't have it in the legs to go. By the 20-30km mark Elly Franks was sitting behind a guy and she flew past me as well.
I was being patient with myself and was wating for the power to kick in. By the finish there was nothing. I saw Sam Warriner in the penalty box and I knew that I could outrun Elly if my stomach played right for me.
I hit the run and started to pace myself for the first lap. I was closing in on Elly and Sam was hot on my heels - someone to chase and someone chasing me. At the 4km mark Sam nudged past me and then I ran past Elly with Sam still within eyesight.
I ran 30min for my first loop and started to really feel good. Mentally I was trying to convince myself to catch Sam. While my mind was fresh, as each kilometre ticked by, my legs were ever so slightly slowing.
I was consistent with the second lap, coming in on 31min. Sam though was putting more time into me. While I couldn't see who was behind me, I knew I had built at least a 5-6min gap. My legs gave in on the last loop from lack of endurance. I still had a fantastic race coming in behind Sam for second place.
Everyone was unreal in the race, especially Meg Gillmer who sounded like she was going to lose her voice in cheering for me (Thanks Meg). I appreciated the enthusiasm from other athletes racing who cheered me even as they were pushing their own limits. The volunteers at the aid stations were so much fun and so were the spectators.
I checked my bike after the race and had realised why I didn't ride as strong - my back brake pad was rubbing on my wheel!
Thanks to the Shepparton community for making everything so much easier and relaxing for me and of course the continual support of my sponsors.
Next up for me is a charity ride called the sea2summit. Then it's head down for a strong finish of the season at Ironman Canberra 70.3.
*Photos by Meg Gillmer
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Port Macquarie 70.3 Nov 6th
My recovery from Noosa was great. I was fresh, fast and ready to race Port Macquarie 70.3. My son Josh had a mid term break from school so I was even more excited that he was coming to watch.
I drove from Sydney to Port Macquarie the day before the race. I had picked up my brand new Trek Speed Concept from Clarence Street Cyclery the day I travelled.
I felt very lucky to have this bike as Trek Australia (based in Canberra) had only recieved it on Thursday and they sent it to Clarence St street in Sydney) the same day. It was a full day of work to build this bike. I also had Daniel Roberts, my manager, hurry the process along too.
On the journey to Port my car broke down. It was 8.30am and we had only been driving for an hour. It was the last thing I needed to happen, of course. But NRMA came out and sorted the problem and I was back on the road within the hour.
I am not really a superstitious person but - in hindsight - they do say bad luck happens in threes. An ominous start to the day.
Once we got to Port, we checked into the Rydges hotel (Thank you Michaela Smith for organising this for me) and we unpacked. I wanted to test the bike out just in case there were any problems as I had one hour to register and drop my bike off to the compound.
I couldn't pump my back tyre up. Graeme Seers Cyclery were checking bikes and they found that the valve was closed so really I was worrying about nothing. I got to test the bike and everything seemed fine.
After the briefing, Josh and I had a fish and then a swim in the hotel pool, followed by dinner and watching my traditional funniest home video show to relax. I was ready.
Transition was a five-minute walk and the finishing shoot was 100 metres away. I got my transition area sorted, did my warm up and was ready to race. We had an introduction before we entered the water and I had lots of butterflies in my stomach.
I was racing in a high quality field consisting of Sam Warriner, Jo Lawn and Carrie Lester. I knew it was going to be hard to be out in front but looked forward to the challenge.
It was a deep water start and I decided to start out towards the left hand side near Luke McKenzie and Mitch Robbins. I wasn't sure where the other girls were but my goal was to try to stick with the guys for as long as possible. I only lasted 100m but had them within eye sight for direction.
As they slowly disapeared I ended up swimming on my own. I wasn't sure which female competitiors were in front or behind until I got to the swim exit. I had entered out in front. WOW!
With a quick transition I was on the bike first and it felt really good. I was building into my ride knowing there were other girls who were just as strong on the bike. Within the first 10km Sam Warriner passed me but I managed to keep her in sight.
The hilly out and back 2 loop course was one I had to pace right for the first loop. Coming back into town, I started to feel good and dropped Sam on a hill. I started to put time into her. Carrie Lester and Jo Lawn not too far behind.
Coming back into town for the last 15km I had run out of fluids. Not good. It was a hot day and I thought I could make up for not drinking on the bike when I got onto the run.
Getting into T2 I had a few minutes lead on Sam and Carrie. I got some fluids in and was running 4.15km/hr pace comfortably. Port is a hard hilly course and for once my legs felt fine getting off the bike.
Once I hit the 2km mark I started to feel sick. I had a little walk and tried to get more fluids in. Then I started to run again. I got the the 4km mark and was almost throwing up!
I again tried to get more fluids in and had a seat on the bench and started to get head spins. Within a few minutes after that I was shivering and knew I could't keep going on.
It has been very hard this past monthm having one problem after another. I always pick myself back up and get over it to be even better for my next race. And that's still the plan.
I want to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors, friends and family who have been awesome throughout this process.
I have Shepparton 70.3 this weekend and I am keen to have a solid performance.
I also want to thank my manager Daniel who has helped me expand my network to help make this journey a whole lot easier.
I drove from Sydney to Port Macquarie the day before the race. I had picked up my brand new Trek Speed Concept from Clarence Street Cyclery the day I travelled.
I felt very lucky to have this bike as Trek Australia (based in Canberra) had only recieved it on Thursday and they sent it to Clarence St street in Sydney) the same day. It was a full day of work to build this bike. I also had Daniel Roberts, my manager, hurry the process along too.
On the journey to Port my car broke down. It was 8.30am and we had only been driving for an hour. It was the last thing I needed to happen, of course. But NRMA came out and sorted the problem and I was back on the road within the hour.
I am not really a superstitious person but - in hindsight - they do say bad luck happens in threes. An ominous start to the day.
Once we got to Port, we checked into the Rydges hotel (Thank you Michaela Smith for organising this for me) and we unpacked. I wanted to test the bike out just in case there were any problems as I had one hour to register and drop my bike off to the compound.
I couldn't pump my back tyre up. Graeme Seers Cyclery were checking bikes and they found that the valve was closed so really I was worrying about nothing. I got to test the bike and everything seemed fine.
After the briefing, Josh and I had a fish and then a swim in the hotel pool, followed by dinner and watching my traditional funniest home video show to relax. I was ready.
Transition was a five-minute walk and the finishing shoot was 100 metres away. I got my transition area sorted, did my warm up and was ready to race. We had an introduction before we entered the water and I had lots of butterflies in my stomach.
I was racing in a high quality field consisting of Sam Warriner, Jo Lawn and Carrie Lester. I knew it was going to be hard to be out in front but looked forward to the challenge.
It was a deep water start and I decided to start out towards the left hand side near Luke McKenzie and Mitch Robbins. I wasn't sure where the other girls were but my goal was to try to stick with the guys for as long as possible. I only lasted 100m but had them within eye sight for direction.
As they slowly disapeared I ended up swimming on my own. I wasn't sure which female competitiors were in front or behind until I got to the swim exit. I had entered out in front. WOW!
With a quick transition I was on the bike first and it felt really good. I was building into my ride knowing there were other girls who were just as strong on the bike. Within the first 10km Sam Warriner passed me but I managed to keep her in sight.
The hilly out and back 2 loop course was one I had to pace right for the first loop. Coming back into town, I started to feel good and dropped Sam on a hill. I started to put time into her. Carrie Lester and Jo Lawn not too far behind.
Coming back into town for the last 15km I had run out of fluids. Not good. It was a hot day and I thought I could make up for not drinking on the bike when I got onto the run.
Getting into T2 I had a few minutes lead on Sam and Carrie. I got some fluids in and was running 4.15km/hr pace comfortably. Port is a hard hilly course and for once my legs felt fine getting off the bike.
Once I hit the 2km mark I started to feel sick. I had a little walk and tried to get more fluids in. Then I started to run again. I got the the 4km mark and was almost throwing up!
I again tried to get more fluids in and had a seat on the bench and started to get head spins. Within a few minutes after that I was shivering and knew I could't keep going on.
It has been very hard this past monthm having one problem after another. I always pick myself back up and get over it to be even better for my next race. And that's still the plan.
I want to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors, friends and family who have been awesome throughout this process.
I have Shepparton 70.3 this weekend and I am keen to have a solid performance.
I also want to thank my manager Daniel who has helped me expand my network to help make this journey a whole lot easier.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Noosa Triathlon October 30th
All my training had been going well and I was ready to roar for Noosa. I had my race plan and goals for this race and I was feeling ready to execute it.
As it was a non-wetsuit swim, my first objective was to take off with the girls from the word go. So I did.
I stayed with the group until the turn around and then they slowly started to edge away. I was still swimming well, with them still within eyesight.
I'm not sure where I came out but I knew I had to chase on the bike. Into T1, onto my Trek and away I was.
Within the first 10 minutes I had passed 3 girls. But I didn't have the power I normally have on the bike. I kept monitoring my power output and making sure I was hitting the power Coach Timbo Reed had set me. Before I hit the furthest turn around, I saw 3 more girls ahead. Then Melissa Rollinson flew past me like I was standing still.
Heading back into town, we had a bit of a headwind and I found it hard to push against. I saw who was behind me and kept riding. Heading back into town the crowds were roaring and I saw Mel and Emma heading onto the run as I went into T2.
I didn't have a watch on me but I was told to pace myself for the first couple of kms so my body could get into the run. My legs felt great getting off the bike. At about 3km I got a stitch. I thought I could run it out and as I slowed down Felicity ran past me.
I saw I was still in 5th with a few other girls not too far behind. I tried to get water in at the aid station but it seemed to get worse. I hit the 6km mark and started to walk it out. Once I started to get back into the run my body had shut down. I jogged back in to the finish and placed 8th.
Things didn't go to plan but I took a whole lot of positives from this race to take to my next one - Port Macquarie 70.3 this weekend.
As it was a non-wetsuit swim, my first objective was to take off with the girls from the word go. So I did.
I stayed with the group until the turn around and then they slowly started to edge away. I was still swimming well, with them still within eyesight.
I'm not sure where I came out but I knew I had to chase on the bike. Into T1, onto my Trek and away I was.
Within the first 10 minutes I had passed 3 girls. But I didn't have the power I normally have on the bike. I kept monitoring my power output and making sure I was hitting the power Coach Timbo Reed had set me. Before I hit the furthest turn around, I saw 3 more girls ahead. Then Melissa Rollinson flew past me like I was standing still.
Heading back into town, we had a bit of a headwind and I found it hard to push against. I saw who was behind me and kept riding. Heading back into town the crowds were roaring and I saw Mel and Emma heading onto the run as I went into T2.
I didn't have a watch on me but I was told to pace myself for the first couple of kms so my body could get into the run. My legs felt great getting off the bike. At about 3km I got a stitch. I thought I could run it out and as I slowed down Felicity ran past me.
I saw I was still in 5th with a few other girls not too far behind. I tried to get water in at the aid station but it seemed to get worse. I hit the 6km mark and started to walk it out. Once I started to get back into the run my body had shut down. I jogged back in to the finish and placed 8th.
Things didn't go to plan but I took a whole lot of positives from this race to take to my next one - Port Macquarie 70.3 this weekend.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Forster Ultimate October 16th
I was more organized for this race than last weekend. It was the first Ultimate distance race in Australia and organised by Elite Energy.
I had such an unreal sleep the night before, I awoke fresh and I was ready to go. The swim was at the original Forster Keys where Ironman Australia started which bought back memories for me. I did my first half ironman and Ironman here way back in 2002/2003.
I had the lucky number 13!
Our wave was 1 min after the open men and I was ready to take off. As soon as they told us to go, I broke away. My strategy for the swim was to go as fast as I could for the first 400m , then settle into my rhythm for the rest of the 2km.
I caught a few of the guys from the first wave and felt superb exiting the water first woman. I got straight onto my bike and was off. I wasn't sure how much time I had in front, I just knew it was going to be a tough 120km.
I rode solo the whole way and I wasn't too far off the leading guys for the first 40-50km. It was a 2 loop course, and once I turned around to go out for the 2nd loop a strong head wind had picked up. It was like riding into a brick wall.
Once I hit the turn around to ride back into town, it was at around the 100km mark, a bee went down my suit and stung me on the chest. As I am allergic to bees, I freaked out. I sat up and scooped it out, then found the stinger and squeezed it out.
I was very worried because I wasn't sure how my body would react. I got into transition and asked the officials what I should do and they left the decision up to me. I decided to head out onto the run to see how I would go.I was in 2nd place and within a few hundreds of metres running well. After about 10 minutes, I hit the wall and started to walk a bit. I got fluids in and started to run again but my legs were not responding. I was still only a few minutes back by the 8km mark and I started to walk again. My legs were very sore but mentally I pushed myself through.
At about the 15km mark I started to build a quicker turn over with my legs. By then it was too late and I finished in 2nd.
Congratulations to Michelle for winning and also Nathan Stuart for taking the men's race.
Two weeks until Noosa, which is the goal race for this month. Thanks to everyone for the response on my result, I really appreciate it.
I had such an unreal sleep the night before, I awoke fresh and I was ready to go. The swim was at the original Forster Keys where Ironman Australia started which bought back memories for me. I did my first half ironman and Ironman here way back in 2002/2003.
I had the lucky number 13!
Our wave was 1 min after the open men and I was ready to take off. As soon as they told us to go, I broke away. My strategy for the swim was to go as fast as I could for the first 400m , then settle into my rhythm for the rest of the 2km.
I caught a few of the guys from the first wave and felt superb exiting the water first woman. I got straight onto my bike and was off. I wasn't sure how much time I had in front, I just knew it was going to be a tough 120km.
I rode solo the whole way and I wasn't too far off the leading guys for the first 40-50km. It was a 2 loop course, and once I turned around to go out for the 2nd loop a strong head wind had picked up. It was like riding into a brick wall.
Once I hit the turn around to ride back into town, it was at around the 100km mark, a bee went down my suit and stung me on the chest. As I am allergic to bees, I freaked out. I sat up and scooped it out, then found the stinger and squeezed it out.
I was very worried because I wasn't sure how my body would react. I got into transition and asked the officials what I should do and they left the decision up to me. I decided to head out onto the run to see how I would go.I was in 2nd place and within a few hundreds of metres running well. After about 10 minutes, I hit the wall and started to walk a bit. I got fluids in and started to run again but my legs were not responding. I was still only a few minutes back by the 8km mark and I started to walk again. My legs were very sore but mentally I pushed myself through.
At about the 15km mark I started to build a quicker turn over with my legs. By then it was too late and I finished in 2nd.
Congratulations to Michelle for winning and also Nathan Stuart for taking the men's race.
Two weeks until Noosa, which is the goal race for this month. Thanks to everyone for the response on my result, I really appreciate it.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Maitland Mid Distance Triathlon October 9th
I was very excited to be racing again in Maitland.
This race was the first one that I ever won overall way back in 2005. It also happened to take place this year on the same day as the IM World Champs which was exciting.
However, I hadn't raced since Yeppoon in August and so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Under a new training program with Tim Reed, who was also racing, I had no taper for this race as the focus for this month is Noosa. I was a little flat but it was to be expected.
It was a deep water start and this year, due to the current, we swam upstream. I felt awful in the swim as I simply couldn't get into a comfortable rhythm. I started to cramp in my right thigh which wasn't a great start but I knew it wouldn't take long before I could get on the bike and ride hard.
Matilda and I exited out of the water together. I had a quick transition and was out in front. I picked up the new Trek Speed Concept 9.9 demo bike on Friday from Clarence Street that Trek Australia had sent (thank you guys for looking after me). It is such an amazing bike.
The wind picked up during the bike creating a tail wind on the way out and a head wind back. I started to think of the guys and gals racing over in Hawaii suffering worse than I was and kept pushing the pace.
Once I headed back out for the second loop I got a flat, at the furthest turning point. It was my first ever flat in a race. As I didnt have any spares on me, my day was over.
Even though I didn't finish the race, I learned a few lessons.
I am going to Forster next weekend for the Ultimate distance which I'm really looking forward to and then I will be tapering for Noosa.
Congrats to Tim for winning and also to Tilly for her first win.
This race was the first one that I ever won overall way back in 2005. It also happened to take place this year on the same day as the IM World Champs which was exciting.
However, I hadn't raced since Yeppoon in August and so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Under a new training program with Tim Reed, who was also racing, I had no taper for this race as the focus for this month is Noosa. I was a little flat but it was to be expected.
It was a deep water start and this year, due to the current, we swam upstream. I felt awful in the swim as I simply couldn't get into a comfortable rhythm. I started to cramp in my right thigh which wasn't a great start but I knew it wouldn't take long before I could get on the bike and ride hard.
Matilda and I exited out of the water together. I had a quick transition and was out in front. I picked up the new Trek Speed Concept 9.9 demo bike on Friday from Clarence Street that Trek Australia had sent (thank you guys for looking after me). It is such an amazing bike.
The wind picked up during the bike creating a tail wind on the way out and a head wind back. I started to think of the guys and gals racing over in Hawaii suffering worse than I was and kept pushing the pace.
Once I headed back out for the second loop I got a flat, at the furthest turning point. It was my first ever flat in a race. As I didnt have any spares on me, my day was over.
Even though I didn't finish the race, I learned a few lessons.
I am going to Forster next weekend for the Ultimate distance which I'm really looking forward to and then I will be tapering for Noosa.
Congrats to Tim for winning and also to Tilly for her first win.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Capricorn Ironman 70.3 Yeppoon
I decided to race this event about 3 weeks ago when I found out that the one I planned on doing in Korea was cancelled. I also was going to have to rely on my years of long distance training and racing to carry me through.
I knew that I was fit from all the short distance racing I have been doing, I just needed to touch base with my Trek Speed concept to see if my legs remembered what it felt like.
After a few sessions on the bike I was feeling good. I wasn't going to cram in miles of training in such a short time especially since having raced in Singapore only 2 weeks ago. I definitely needed to catch up on recovery.
I have just started with a new coach, Tim Reed from Transition Fitness, over a week ago. His simple plan for this race was perfect.
The weather conditions leading into the race were perfect: beautiful sunshine, glassy water and not much wind. Race day was a little different, but was definitely manageable. There was quite a bit of surf, but we were lucky the current was with us. The wind was up and it had rained overnight.
I was feeling very relaxed, a little nervous but ready to deal with whatever lay ahead. I knew I had to "pace" myself differently as I was going to race for more than 4 hours not two.
I broke away early in the swim and found it quite hard to head in the right direction as I couldn't see the buoys and the current was pushing me into shore. It felt long and it was very lonely but I felt fast.
I got out in front, not knowing how far the other girls were behind me and built into my loops on the bike. I rode the first lap conservatively and was watching at each turn around how far the others were back. By the third lap I felt really good and started to put a bit more effort into it and started to widen my lead.
I was getting my High 5 sports nutrition in and monitoring how I was feeling. I can say that by the last lap I wasn't feeling too good but knew I had a fair bit of time in the bank. However, I wasn't sure if it was enough to keep Michelle Wu from catching me. She has come back from the US in unreal form.
I got onto the run and immediately felt like I only had one gear. My stomach started to feel awful and all I wanted to do was stop to throw up.
I backed off my pace a bit and Wu passed me at 6km. She is such a great sport, high fiving me as she went passed. By 12km I had a little walk to get my HR down and to get more fluids in. By the 15km mark my stomach started feeling better but with lack of endurance my legs were telling me a different story.
I crossed the line in second, very happy with how it all went.
I will be having a bit of a break from racing now and will build back my strength with a good block of training.
I have had such an incredible support.There are too many people to thank but you all know who you are. I am so grateful to have such a strong network to help me to achieve what I have so far.
There are bigger and better things coming my way and I look forward to developing more networks and keeping you all up to date for the rest of my 2011.
I knew that I was fit from all the short distance racing I have been doing, I just needed to touch base with my Trek Speed concept to see if my legs remembered what it felt like.
After a few sessions on the bike I was feeling good. I wasn't going to cram in miles of training in such a short time especially since having raced in Singapore only 2 weeks ago. I definitely needed to catch up on recovery.
I have just started with a new coach, Tim Reed from Transition Fitness, over a week ago. His simple plan for this race was perfect.
The weather conditions leading into the race were perfect: beautiful sunshine, glassy water and not much wind. Race day was a little different, but was definitely manageable. There was quite a bit of surf, but we were lucky the current was with us. The wind was up and it had rained overnight.
I was feeling very relaxed, a little nervous but ready to deal with whatever lay ahead. I knew I had to "pace" myself differently as I was going to race for more than 4 hours not two.
I broke away early in the swim and found it quite hard to head in the right direction as I couldn't see the buoys and the current was pushing me into shore. It felt long and it was very lonely but I felt fast.
I got out in front, not knowing how far the other girls were behind me and built into my loops on the bike. I rode the first lap conservatively and was watching at each turn around how far the others were back. By the third lap I felt really good and started to put a bit more effort into it and started to widen my lead.
I was getting my High 5 sports nutrition in and monitoring how I was feeling. I can say that by the last lap I wasn't feeling too good but knew I had a fair bit of time in the bank. However, I wasn't sure if it was enough to keep Michelle Wu from catching me. She has come back from the US in unreal form.
I got onto the run and immediately felt like I only had one gear. My stomach started to feel awful and all I wanted to do was stop to throw up.
I backed off my pace a bit and Wu passed me at 6km. She is such a great sport, high fiving me as she went passed. By 12km I had a little walk to get my HR down and to get more fluids in. By the 15km mark my stomach started feeling better but with lack of endurance my legs were telling me a different story.
I crossed the line in second, very happy with how it all went.
I will be having a bit of a break from racing now and will build back my strength with a good block of training.
I have had such an incredible support.There are too many people to thank but you all know who you are. I am so grateful to have such a strong network to help me to achieve what I have so far.
There are bigger and better things coming my way and I look forward to developing more networks and keeping you all up to date for the rest of my 2011.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Yeppoon 70.3 - Second
Lisa Marangon smashed out a flat 25 minute swim and built her lead with the fastest bike split on the day, 2:27:08.
Unfortunately Michelle Wu was on fire on the run, clocking a superb 1:25:58 to finish in first.
Lisa held on to second, crossing the line in 4:28:21.
Unfortunately Michelle Wu was on fire on the run, clocking a superb 1:25:58 to finish in first.
Lisa held on to second, crossing the line in 4:28:21.
Friday, August 5, 2011
2011 OSIM Singapore ITU Asian Cup.
Who said that you couldn't win an ITU race from the bike!
Less than a week before I was due to fly to Singapore, I had fallen ill. All I was doing was sleeping. I was a bit worried as I didn't want to fly to another country feeling the way I did. Fortunately, the day before I left I started to feel much better, still once in Singapore, all I did for the first two days was sleep.
By race day I was feeling "back in the game". Temperatures in Singapore sat at 32 degrees throughout the whole day. The humidity was high too. I stayed with friends of a friend who lived in the city only 10 minutes from Singapore botanic gardens. They also had a 25m pool in their apartment building, though there was nowhere to cycle.
I was taken for a spin by an Australian who lives in Singapore, Wes, who almost took me to the border with Malaysia the day before the race. (Singapore is quite small.)
On race day, I found it really hard to wait around all day. My body was ready to go. The elite women started 45min after the men at 2.45pm (which was 4.45pm AEST). I felt quite proud that I was ranked No 1 - a position that I decided to defend.
The water temp was 29, there was a harsh wind blowing and there was some chop. The bike was nice and flat with a few technical turns, and what seemed like a constant headwind. The run was flat and extremely hot.
I had a pretty good start and then got smashed by the waves. There were five girls ahead of me and on the second turn around buoy, I somehow got stuck on the rope. By this stage the front girls had put 50m into me. We had to do a 2nd loop and run out onto the beach before heading back in. I said to myself I would do anything to catch the leaders, so I put my head down and swam hard.
By the final turn before heading back the beach I was equal with the leaders. We all got out together and ran into transition. I accelerated and got on the bike first putting my head down to get away as fast as possible.
Mick Maroney and Chris Lang had told me to do this. It worked. Mick also told me to ride as hard as I could for the first 10k and that's what I did. Putting 1min into the group behind me. It was a 6 loop course and by the 5th loop I stood up to stretch and cramped a little in my calves.
I was drinking heaps of fluids but it obviously wasn't enough. I saw that I had bridged a huge gap into the chase group so I decided to back off a bit for the final 5 km and spin my legs out so I didn't cramp on the run. It worked.
I didn't feel too good on the run, but no stitches as per previous races. It was so hot and at every aid station there was icy cold water and people spraying hoses; I used everything available to keep hydrated. It was a really tough 10km run. I wanted to stop about 4 times. I saw that I had a very big lead and I didn't give up. It was unreal to see the finish line and know that I had won. I was so proud of Courtney and Chloe to round out the top 3 for Australia!
Thank you to everyone for all the messages and to my family and friends who believe in me. I also couldn't have done it without my sponsors too.
Clarence Street Cyclery, High 5, The Running Company, Halo, Skins.
I look forward to my next race in less than 2 weeks in the sunny state of Queensland.The Capricorn Resort Ironman 70.3 Yeppoon.
Less than a week before I was due to fly to Singapore, I had fallen ill. All I was doing was sleeping. I was a bit worried as I didn't want to fly to another country feeling the way I did. Fortunately, the day before I left I started to feel much better, still once in Singapore, all I did for the first two days was sleep.
By race day I was feeling "back in the game". Temperatures in Singapore sat at 32 degrees throughout the whole day. The humidity was high too. I stayed with friends of a friend who lived in the city only 10 minutes from Singapore botanic gardens. They also had a 25m pool in their apartment building, though there was nowhere to cycle.
I was taken for a spin by an Australian who lives in Singapore, Wes, who almost took me to the border with Malaysia the day before the race. (Singapore is quite small.)
On race day, I found it really hard to wait around all day. My body was ready to go. The elite women started 45min after the men at 2.45pm (which was 4.45pm AEST). I felt quite proud that I was ranked No 1 - a position that I decided to defend.
The water temp was 29, there was a harsh wind blowing and there was some chop. The bike was nice and flat with a few technical turns, and what seemed like a constant headwind. The run was flat and extremely hot.
I had a pretty good start and then got smashed by the waves. There were five girls ahead of me and on the second turn around buoy, I somehow got stuck on the rope. By this stage the front girls had put 50m into me. We had to do a 2nd loop and run out onto the beach before heading back in. I said to myself I would do anything to catch the leaders, so I put my head down and swam hard.
By the final turn before heading back the beach I was equal with the leaders. We all got out together and ran into transition. I accelerated and got on the bike first putting my head down to get away as fast as possible.
Mick Maroney and Chris Lang had told me to do this. It worked. Mick also told me to ride as hard as I could for the first 10k and that's what I did. Putting 1min into the group behind me. It was a 6 loop course and by the 5th loop I stood up to stretch and cramped a little in my calves.
I was drinking heaps of fluids but it obviously wasn't enough. I saw that I had bridged a huge gap into the chase group so I decided to back off a bit for the final 5 km and spin my legs out so I didn't cramp on the run. It worked.
I didn't feel too good on the run, but no stitches as per previous races. It was so hot and at every aid station there was icy cold water and people spraying hoses; I used everything available to keep hydrated. It was a really tough 10km run. I wanted to stop about 4 times. I saw that I had a very big lead and I didn't give up. It was unreal to see the finish line and know that I had won. I was so proud of Courtney and Chloe to round out the top 3 for Australia!
Thank you to everyone for all the messages and to my family and friends who believe in me. I also couldn't have done it without my sponsors too.
Clarence Street Cyclery, High 5, The Running Company, Halo, Skins.
I look forward to my next race in less than 2 weeks in the sunny state of Queensland.The Capricorn Resort Ironman 70.3 Yeppoon.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
First ITU win!!!!
2011 Osim Singapore International Triathlon
In the Women's Elite Category, usual triathlon powerhouse Australia swept the podium with Lisa Marangon, Courtney Gilfillan and Chloe Turner coming in with first, second and third respectively.
Champion, Lisa Marangon, a single mum of an 11 year old boy, said, "I have been competing in triathlon events for 9 years and I finally got my first win in an official ITU event."
"I had difficulties in the swim leg and found it hard to get into the rhythm but today was a perfect day for cycling though it got a little hot in the running leg."
She adds, "I wake up at 4.30am every day to train and I hope to be a professional triathlete in future. This win is dedicated to my very supportive friends and family back home."
ESPN star.com
In the Women's Elite Category, usual triathlon powerhouse Australia swept the podium with Lisa Marangon, Courtney Gilfillan and Chloe Turner coming in with first, second and third respectively.
Champion, Lisa Marangon, a single mum of an 11 year old boy, said, "I have been competing in triathlon events for 9 years and I finally got my first win in an official ITU event."
"I had difficulties in the swim leg and found it hard to get into the rhythm but today was a perfect day for cycling though it got a little hot in the running leg."
She adds, "I wake up at 4.30am every day to train and I hope to be a professional triathlete in future. This win is dedicated to my very supportive friends and family back home."
ESPN star.com
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
ITU Pan American Cup San Francisco 2011
Starting to progress.
To start the journey off I had missed my flight. I was on the phone to get another ticket and luckily enough got one the next day. So smooth sailing from then on.
I was feeling strong, I was excited, I was ready to race.
I stayed with the Erkelines family who were friends of my friend Hugh Dowling. They lived on the top of a hill in Oakland. I could see where I was going to race from their house.
Once again I was discovering where I was (steep hills so no cycling). I found an unreal swimming pool in Piedmont, a 5km lake that you could run around. The race start wasn't until 1.15pm which gave me plenty of time to get there and be ready. The water was a chilly 15 degrees. It was very windy, coolish temperatures but at least the sun was out.
I had a pretty bad swim start as I got smashed and pushed and dropped by the front group. It was a two lap course and by the second loop I was feeling awesome and caught the group back up. I wasn't sure where I was placed but i knew I had to ride hard to catch whoever was in front.
With a great transition I was instantly in a pack of five girls and we slowly caught the girl who was leading. We stayed together as a group for one lap, dropped a few on the second lap. I knew I could break away.
I waited until we got to the hill and boom, I made my move. I felt so strong. I held them off and started to gap them by a minute or so. As we got to the last lap they were closing on me and they got off their bikes as I was putting on my shoes on.
I headed out of transition in first. I ran in a pack with 3 other girls and by the first kilometre they broke away.I started to get stronger by the 5km mark and was holding onto 4th place.There was a canadian girls who was running strong behind me and within 1km to go she caught me which put me back to 5th place.
I was happy with my result and head back home here to catch up with my son.
Thank you to Vickie and Bruce for bringing me into their home in Boulder, you guys are just like family now.
Also to Mark, Jill, Ranson and Josh in Monroe for giving me a place to stay and welcoming me into your home, and of course Min, Bill, Josh and Ashlee in San Francisco who were also unreal to live with especially how busy your lives are.
Also a special thank you to Hugh for being such an awesome support in everyway. It's so great to have all of you with me
A huge thank you to all my sponsors as well back home in Oz.
My journey is still continuing in this direction for the Olympics I now know what U have to do to better myself to become more competitve.
My next stop will be Singapore.
To start the journey off I had missed my flight. I was on the phone to get another ticket and luckily enough got one the next day. So smooth sailing from then on.
I was feeling strong, I was excited, I was ready to race.
I stayed with the Erkelines family who were friends of my friend Hugh Dowling. They lived on the top of a hill in Oakland. I could see where I was going to race from their house.
Once again I was discovering where I was (steep hills so no cycling). I found an unreal swimming pool in Piedmont, a 5km lake that you could run around. The race start wasn't until 1.15pm which gave me plenty of time to get there and be ready. The water was a chilly 15 degrees. It was very windy, coolish temperatures but at least the sun was out.
I had a pretty bad swim start as I got smashed and pushed and dropped by the front group. It was a two lap course and by the second loop I was feeling awesome and caught the group back up. I wasn't sure where I was placed but i knew I had to ride hard to catch whoever was in front.
With a great transition I was instantly in a pack of five girls and we slowly caught the girl who was leading. We stayed together as a group for one lap, dropped a few on the second lap. I knew I could break away.
I waited until we got to the hill and boom, I made my move. I felt so strong. I held them off and started to gap them by a minute or so. As we got to the last lap they were closing on me and they got off their bikes as I was putting on my shoes on.
I headed out of transition in first. I ran in a pack with 3 other girls and by the first kilometre they broke away.I started to get stronger by the 5km mark and was holding onto 4th place.There was a canadian girls who was running strong behind me and within 1km to go she caught me which put me back to 5th place.
I was happy with my result and head back home here to catch up with my son.
Thank you to Vickie and Bruce for bringing me into their home in Boulder, you guys are just like family now.
Also to Mark, Jill, Ranson and Josh in Monroe for giving me a place to stay and welcoming me into your home, and of course Min, Bill, Josh and Ashlee in San Francisco who were also unreal to live with especially how busy your lives are.
Also a special thank you to Hugh for being such an awesome support in everyway. It's so great to have all of you with me
A huge thank you to all my sponsors as well back home in Oz.
My journey is still continuing in this direction for the Olympics I now know what U have to do to better myself to become more competitve.
My next stop will be Singapore.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
ITU Pan American Cup Monroe June 25th
What another great experience.
I arrived a few days early for this race so I could familiarize myself with a new place and adapt to the temperature. I had a great 2.5 week training build in Boulder and I felt confident that I had done enough to prepare myself physically and mentally. I didn't really know any of the other athletes except the Aussies.
Our race start was at midday.We were introduced to the crowd, then we lined up on the mat. I was feeling real good and fresh, nervous and excited! I haven't felt like that for a while.
Water temp was sitting around 19C,so it was a wetsuit swim. I started off quite slow and was watching all the other girls take off, but once we finished the first loop we got out onto the beach and headed back into the lake for the 2nd loop, and then I finally got into my groove.
I started to make a move and could see the lead girls were just up ahead. I exited with the second pack feeling a bit disoriented and started to run in the wrong direction - they had the juniors transition just in front of us.
I lost only a few seconds before reversing my steps. I had a quick transition and rode as hard as I could to catch Anabelle who was leading. Within a few minutes I caught her, and I had a pack of girls who stuck with me and we formed a small group. I was riding hard out in front giving the other girls turns and I felt the pace drop every time the others rolled through so I tried to get in front on the turnarounds to try to accelerate out and drop them.
I kept trying to break away but they kept clinging on. It was an 8 loop course and we were riding solid. Heading back into transition I positioned myself up in front with three others and had a quick transition with only seconds between us all.
I started to get a stitch and slowly the other girls put some time into me. It took me one whole loop to get rid of the stitch.Once I got my rhythm, it was too late. The other girls just kept putting time into me. I didn't feel like I could go any faster but I held for a solid run.
I crossed the line in 7th position feeling happy about my race.
I want to thank my homestay Mark, Jill, Ransom and Josh for all their support and for taking me into their home. It was such a well organized race and I would recommend it.
I have now returned to Boulder to train before heading to San Francisco in two weeks and then heading back home to Australia.
Life is a journey and you need to make the most of it!
I arrived a few days early for this race so I could familiarize myself with a new place and adapt to the temperature. I had a great 2.5 week training build in Boulder and I felt confident that I had done enough to prepare myself physically and mentally. I didn't really know any of the other athletes except the Aussies.
Our race start was at midday.We were introduced to the crowd, then we lined up on the mat. I was feeling real good and fresh, nervous and excited! I haven't felt like that for a while.
Water temp was sitting around 19C,so it was a wetsuit swim. I started off quite slow and was watching all the other girls take off, but once we finished the first loop we got out onto the beach and headed back into the lake for the 2nd loop, and then I finally got into my groove.
I started to make a move and could see the lead girls were just up ahead. I exited with the second pack feeling a bit disoriented and started to run in the wrong direction - they had the juniors transition just in front of us.
I lost only a few seconds before reversing my steps. I had a quick transition and rode as hard as I could to catch Anabelle who was leading. Within a few minutes I caught her, and I had a pack of girls who stuck with me and we formed a small group. I was riding hard out in front giving the other girls turns and I felt the pace drop every time the others rolled through so I tried to get in front on the turnarounds to try to accelerate out and drop them.
I kept trying to break away but they kept clinging on. It was an 8 loop course and we were riding solid. Heading back into transition I positioned myself up in front with three others and had a quick transition with only seconds between us all.
I started to get a stitch and slowly the other girls put some time into me. It took me one whole loop to get rid of the stitch.Once I got my rhythm, it was too late. The other girls just kept putting time into me. I didn't feel like I could go any faster but I held for a solid run.
I crossed the line in 7th position feeling happy about my race.
I want to thank my homestay Mark, Jill, Ransom and Josh for all their support and for taking me into their home. It was such a well organized race and I would recommend it.
I have now returned to Boulder to train before heading to San Francisco in two weeks and then heading back home to Australia.
Life is a journey and you need to make the most of it!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Boulder 5430 June 19th
Having a fun day.
It's less than two weeks since I arrived in Boulder and I have really been enjoying training, the sun and the people. I celebrated my 31st birthday last weekend with Bruce, Vickie and Briannah.
Today I raced, four days after deciding to enter. It was my first race since club champs in May. It reminded me how much I love to race.
I had a little accident the day I flew here (I fell over running and injured my wrist) and haven't been able to swim like I was back in Australia. Biking was great as too was running.
The atmosphere at this triathlon was unreal. Music pumping, the commentators psyching everyone up, people having a ball, how couldn't you have fun?
There were about 1700 people racing and I was in the 6th wave. It was hard for me to know how I was feeling until I got out there and just did it.
It took a little while for me to get into the swim but after about 400m I was flying.I exited out of my wave first in 10:06 (800m) and got straight onto the bike and went as hard as I could! I passed so many people it felt like I was going really fast. The bike course was a 24km loop and I was still in front (I had no idea how far back the others were and I was on my road bike) and came off in 43min.
I couldn't feel my feet going into the run and knew I had to give myself a few minutes to build into it. The effect of altitude is really different on the body. I wasn't sure whether I was running fast or slow. I was passing people though.
It was an out and back run and there were people everywhere. Once I hit the turn around I built into a strong finish running 19min, winning the women's and placing 18th overall. It was awesome also to watch the oldest man at 84 doing his first ever triathlon (I got a bit emotional for him).
I also had a few Aussie cheers! Thank you! Congrats to everyone who finished.
It was such a very well organised race and I had so much fun.
I look forward to a few more days of hard training then a short taper for next weekend.
It's less than two weeks since I arrived in Boulder and I have really been enjoying training, the sun and the people. I celebrated my 31st birthday last weekend with Bruce, Vickie and Briannah.
Today I raced, four days after deciding to enter. It was my first race since club champs in May. It reminded me how much I love to race.
I had a little accident the day I flew here (I fell over running and injured my wrist) and haven't been able to swim like I was back in Australia. Biking was great as too was running.
The atmosphere at this triathlon was unreal. Music pumping, the commentators psyching everyone up, people having a ball, how couldn't you have fun?
There were about 1700 people racing and I was in the 6th wave. It was hard for me to know how I was feeling until I got out there and just did it.
It took a little while for me to get into the swim but after about 400m I was flying.I exited out of my wave first in 10:06 (800m) and got straight onto the bike and went as hard as I could! I passed so many people it felt like I was going really fast. The bike course was a 24km loop and I was still in front (I had no idea how far back the others were and I was on my road bike) and came off in 43min.
I couldn't feel my feet going into the run and knew I had to give myself a few minutes to build into it. The effect of altitude is really different on the body. I wasn't sure whether I was running fast or slow. I was passing people though.
It was an out and back run and there were people everywhere. Once I hit the turn around I built into a strong finish running 19min, winning the women's and placing 18th overall. It was awesome also to watch the oldest man at 84 doing his first ever triathlon (I got a bit emotional for him).
I also had a few Aussie cheers! Thank you! Congrats to everyone who finished.
It was such a very well organised race and I had so much fun.
I look forward to a few more days of hard training then a short taper for next weekend.
Friday, June 3, 2011
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