Attitude of Gratitude

Race number one of the season 13/14 has final come around. This weekend I'm heading up to the beautiful Noosa Heads to give the infamous Noosa Tri a red hot shot. This is an Olympic distance triathlon (1500m swim/ 40km cycle/10km run) Wow, it's been a serious gap in between races. The last race I competed in was the Olympic distance triathlon down in Geelong in February earlier this year. That was my first race of that distance. In the lead up to that race I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into and due to that I was completely relaxed, right up until the start siren at the waters edge. I surprised myself out there that day feeling really strong in all legs of the race. We had good weather conditions that day and I came in finishing first in my age category 20-24. 

up on the podium at Geelong in February 

time to better this weekend.

Having turned a quarter of a century in July I have now moved up an age group, 25-29. That, along with the high calibre of athletes that this festival attracts, has definitely helped the butterflies brewing over the last few weeks. I have had my doubting thoughts, 'have I improved all that much from all this training?', 'especially with such a big lead up will I remember what to do?', ' Will I stand a chance against the girls in this age group?' Unlike the blissful naivety I went into Geelong with, this time round I am alot more aware of what I'm getting myself into. 

I know I am stronger now with 5 months of solid training behind me. I don't however have any indication of how I will go on the weekend. My goal is to better my times in all of the legs. If I can do that in hotter conditions, no matter where I place, I'll be happy :) I'm also going into the race being open to uncertainty. The weather, transition malfunction and I don't even want to mention a flat tire (if that happens I'm totally buggered, so cross your fingers) are all elements on the day that are unpridictable. So no matter what, I'm going to be stoked with myself for just getting to that start line. Whatever happens from then on is a bonus. And let me tell you, I'll be working my lill' butt off to make that bouns count!

As crazy as I am, I joined 30 other crazy peeps in an open bay swim on Monday just gone. I wanted to make sure I remembered, and more importantly find out if still felt comfortable in the open water. Oh it was freezing! When I first put my head in the water it felt like I had an ice cream headache, without the added benefit of the ice cream! Once I got going however, I felt the best I have in an open swim covering close to 2kms from the Frankston boat ramp to the pier and back.

bring the team home in Port mac, Oct 2012,
running a half marathon in the heat of the midday sun.

loved the energy and vibe of this event last year,
starting with a team is a great way to get involved!

                                               

So much for spring, we haven't had a chance at all to train in warmer conditions, so I'm thinking it's going to be a shock to the system when I head up north. Sunday, race day, is going to be a top of 31 degrees, and as they do, they have save the best to last! My heat setting off last at 8:58am. That leaves us running as the day really starts to heat up. I have had experience of running in the heat of the day up in Port Macquire Half Ironman as apart of a team last year. Hydration in the two day prior is what's going to make all the difference.

the s-work has saved my butt! literally,
can't wait to see what we can do on Sunday

my spring riding attire

I had my last training ride today, an easy 2 hours. I'm so grateful  that I have had the opportunity to training on my S-works Amira, I have notice such a difference in my riding. I'm so much more efficient on take offs, hills and race pace efforts. I can really thank the bike to my increased confidence on the bike. This has been and still is an area of big improvement for myself so I'm excited to see what this specialized edition can do on Sunday. I don't have tri bars for this race. I have had any practice with them and I've been told that Noosa is a quick, and slightly intricate ride so I don't feel at a disadvantage because of this. Tri bar help you become my aero dynamic on the bike because you lean over the bike. This also allows for more power in your legs. I'll be looking to add these to my bike for Shepparton Half Ironman in 3 weeks time.

I can't wait for the weekend to put all this hard work to use, and to kick back Sunday night after the race ;). There is always such a great energy in the air at these race festivals and with over 25 crew members from the MPTC up there it'll feel like home away from home! For that I'm am also grateful; being surrounded by such a positive, motivated bunch makes it all the more fun!

bring on the sweet sweet sunshine

Now it's time to get packing!

Wish me luck,
Maddy xx

Grande Sundae

Life's been big for the past two weeks. The fun kind of big. The kind of big you know you have chosen, yet at the same time it sets you up for a challenge; take it all in your stride. And just like a cherry sets off a sundae, we had the 'Big Brick' session on Sunday to finish off the last two grande weeks.

I guest many of us would liken it it 'busy'. Work, training (the staple two) followed by extra work commitments, meetings, events, yoga classes, work dinners, catching up with girlfriends; well over due yet so great :) supporting sisters launch art exhibitions, hanging upside down at anti-gravity yoga oh and nanna's birthday! We all have stuff to do. And in my case it's all fun stuff. The key then is not to get 'busy' with it all. Sounds good in theory and this is what I tell myself. Do I always have this mind set? Nope, to be honest it doesn't happen all the time, but I can practice and with that I am getting better :)

love a good family dinner out, never a dull moment!
happy birthday nanna xx

Side note: You've seriously got to give anti-gravity yoga a shot! Elle and I headed down to the gorgeous Silver Leaf Yoga School in Merricks to check it out. Neither of us had tried it and before we knew it, Robin had us hanging up side down like little Buddha's, cannon balling through the air and turning inside out into the 'Vampire'. We did loose it complete half way through, trying to suppress our laughter. The sight of grown ups flailing about got the better of us!! 

this is what I've called the little up side down Buddha's.
 picture from www.beyondfitness.com.au

Now as I mentioned earlier, like a cherry atop of a sundae, the Brick session set off the last few weeks with a sting. A Brick session is the closest thing we do in our training that get us in a race environment. Lots of people have asked me if we do the whole race in training, before the race? and the answer is no. Before Ironman, I would have never put all 3 distances of each leg together in the one session! Hence why the brick is such a good measure of how your mind and body will perform on the day. Other than the odd run-off-the-bike effort, it's the only time when we as a crew work our butts on and off the bike into a run. This is were being with an awesome group of people makes it so much more... I'm going to use the word enjoyable! And there is proof in the pudding, since I started training with Clinton, Trispecify, we have been upgrading spaces each Brick session we do to accommodate the growing numbers. This time we took over the Osbourne Primary School hall and from a rough head count I think 40 of us crazy people filled the space then spilling out onto the foot paths!

I do love these sessions. Not only does it give you the chance to test the out body over 4 hours of physical activity. You really get a chance to work on keeping your mind focused, clear and driven over that long period of time. In saying this I was knackered after work on Saturday, and come Sunday morning I really want feeling 100%, unsure if I ate something the night before that didn't agree with me? However with Noosa literally just around the corner, and Shepparton just over the hill, this wasn't an opportunity to sit back and go along for the easy ride.

Our session was broken down in to 3 x sets of Cycle/Run, consecutively. Broken down even further it looks like this: 
45mins - Stationary Cycle with varying efforts, heavy gears, out of the saddle, grinding, and fast paced. 
30mins - Run race pace for 15mins/easy for 15mins, we also had a set of a stinger 1km race pace drills in the middle set!

Thoughts on the drive to training; so I've got my bike,
wind trainer, clip in shoes, runners, 2 x drink bottles,
need to stop to get powerade, got my watch,
heart rate monitor is on, food, towel... hmmm I think that's it!

For this you need energy. On Sunday's set I consumed:
2 x bottle of water
2 x bottle of Powerade
2 x clif chocolate gels
2 x clif bars ( choc chip, white chocolate)
1 x banana
I found that this was just enough for me, I didn't get a stitch, cramp or fade through out the whole set. It's funny chatting to a few of the guys afterwards how every body is so different in terms of what I requires to be correctly fuels. It's all a game of trial and error.

Overall I finished the brick feeling like I had put in my best. The ride component is always hard; keeping focus and effort up on the wind trainer isn't my strong point. My trick when I felt like I was starting to day dream was to zone in on Ben's pedals in front of me and keep pace. By our first run it had already started to heat up outside, good prep for the weather we'll be racing in up at Noosa! I felt strong, running out just under the 4min/kms for the first few kilometers and then held 4-4.10min/kms for the 15mins before running back easy. It's so good to build this quick take off off the bike, I can remember the first training session combining the ride/run last year, and I could barely shuffle, my feet felt like lead!

Gosh the last ride set was a killer, 3 hours in and my legs were now felt like lead! Knowing that we still had a 30min run to finish didn't help much at all either. However it's not to hard to keep pushing though when you see those around you giving it their all and encouraging each other on when it gets tough. When I think I have reach my max, I do keep surprising myself. The last run I took off quick again, not holding the 4.10min/kms like the first run. Yet after 3.5hrs I was happy averaging 4.30min/kms for our last effort. 

rebels in the back row. Keeping the boys in line!

Done and dusted, that was the last big training effort before we head up to race Noose next weekend the 3rd Nov! This week is long slow efforts on the bike and run. Oh speaking of run I have to show off my new kicks! Brooks Glycerin 11. I have literally worn my old pair flat, naughty me had being running in them for around 2 years, I couldn't event tell you how many miles, however they never cause me any trouble so I'm sticking to what I know! And wow I know these guys suit me just fine!

you wont miss me in these!

Maddy Xx

Sparkle's back...

So I haven’t laid down a week plan here in a while. Each week, to date, has had a similar rhythm to it. At first it took me a while to see that there was some order to the chaos; working a non 9-5 job / training for an Iron'wo'man / being a normal social being. Now, however, I can quite simply map my week out. There is a nice balance where all areas of my life come together, not mentioning the super early starts, an arvo nap and early social departures tucked in here and there.

As I have noted in previous posts, I have found by planning your work and working your plan (the diary is your best friend), combined with keeping your eye on the 'big' goal that you're working towards, you are able to turn a daunting week of training and achievable task. 

I would be lying if I said I rarely speak of my training and journey towards Ironman. Somehow it turns up in every conversation whether I bring it up or not. The good old, 'so what have you been up to?' ' What's new's with you?' evidently leads to the ins and outs of firstly 'Why?!', my training routine, nutrition ect. To be honest I am really just taking it one step at a time, not dwelling on the huge mission of the day (March 23,2014 for those playing) and by no means claiming to be an expert. And trust me, I'm finding lots of Ironman 'experts' out there :) . I love hearing the advise, concerns and past experience of others, everybody has a story. I choose to listen to them, appreciate them for sharing it with me, and then keep faith in the path that I am taking and what my coach has in store for me. 

Gosh, if I was to take onboard all of the tips, judgement and concerning stories I would be stopped, dead in my tracks. Where is the fun in that?!

So the week that was: 

After two or so week of feeling heavy, tired and flat, at one stage there were nearly tears in the googles at swimming, it felt awesome to show up to each session, this last week, fresh and raring to go. Or as my coach  Clinton would say, I had my 'sparkle' back. And boy was I happy to have it back. When you aren't feeling 100% everything become an up hill battle. Good recovery, catching up with friends, improved nutrition and most importantly a positive, clear mindset when training, were the mix of elements that lead to this weeks sparkle. I know life isn't always bright and shiny, however you always have a choice to make it the best you can. Even if you have had a few draining weeks of work, training or life in general stay on the ride. Perseverance is the key, because before you know it your back sparkly and stronger than before!  

Red faced after the trail run, up, up, up Arthurs Seat!

Cooking is one of my favourite ways to chill out.
As I tell my mum, Messy =  Delicious!

And wasn't I right, this was a hit with the fam!

Quinoa, almond and ricotta 'meatballs' with zucchini pasta
Check out Belle Gibson's app,
@healing_belle, The Whole Pantry for this delicious recipe.

Sisters getting active. Well about to!

Couldn't resist a coconut water with
Terri after an awesome yin yoga session with
Aimee at Summer Healing Yoga 

Go on, surprise yourself.

I keep coming back to the whole notion of;  rarely does greatness manifest by doing what we feel. It's created by feeling what we feel, then taking action regardless.

If I acted by how I felt, not much would get done. I can confidently tell you that most mornings you would find me sleeping in, being too busy, tired, sore, flat to get off my butt. However, over this last year, I have trained myself to feel these things and get moving regardless. The most amazing thing I have found and have proven time and time again, is that, once I get going (whether it be training/starting a project/ writing this blog post) I become alive. The mind loves to set up these hurdles that want to keep us from starting anything great or small.

It's all about the magic in the action. I have learnt to believe in myself, trusting that taking action will send me leaps and bounds ahead of where/what I have ever thought possible.

Take Saturday just gone for instance. On my program from the coach I had a 5 hour ride. Let me just say that again... I had a 5 HOUR ride. That in a car my friend would take you to, I don't know... Bemm River! (Look it up, it's a gorgeous little costal town on a lake in East Gippsland :) ) This would be, by far, the longest effort on the bike to date. Something that I would never had thought possible 6 months ago!

So the alarm goes off at 5am. I want to fit a 5 hour ride in before one of my best friends, Elle's, birthday lunch at 12pm in Elwood. What a mission! And if anyone was around in Melbourne on Saturday, Gale was out in force! I set out just after 5:30am with 2 water bottles, 5 clif bars, Morg's gloves, 3 layers on top and my squeaky clean, freshly body geometry fitted bike. I can tell you that in the wind and the sideways sprinkle of rain...this is a moment of feeling what I feel and acting regardless.

I did it, 5 hours in the saddle. I rode from Aspendale to Rye return, 120km's and all done solo. I kept the ride easy yet at some points the head wind, cross wind, diagonal wind, rear wind, made it some what difficult. There was one point I was practically leaning hard to my left so I wasn't shoved out of the bike lane onto the rode. The bike handled beautifully and only with a report of a sore butt! the fit that Matt did at Total Rush was perfect.

Body fit at Total Rush - Entire body is measured and lined up.

Matt making such slight adjustments, making such a huge difference!

Video footage was captured of me riding from all difference angles.
So funny to see you're self riding up close! and how out of alignment my knees were at the beginning! 

I was so proud of myself that mentally, I stayed focus for the whole ride. I can't remember a time where I was completely frustrated, pissed off, or wanting to stop and get off as I have done on previous 'long' rides. Not letting myself get to worked up prior and keeping a goal of staying in the T2 (easy) zone, allowed me to keep perspective. What an achievement :) This gives me hope that I am going to stay sane come Ironman day, my goal for the 180km is 6-7hrs!

I'm aiming for greatness. I know everyone's not keen to become an Ironwoman,  however everybody has things in their lives that they want to strive for, where they want to see greatness. How can you feel what your feeling and act regardless? Try it out, you'll surprise yourself.

Maddy Xxx