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STEF'S BLOG
POST RACE REPORT
When I first started writing this race report, it was my second day in New York City (for the first time ever) and I couldn’t believe that I was sitting at a computer in Burger King (of all places) in one of the most amazing cities in the world. Nevertheless, I did promise you all that I would write a post race report so that you could all know how the big event went. I got half way through the report when the smell of lard, the noise of popping and crackling grease as another serving of chips, sorry, “fries”, were ordered, and the sounds of Broadway and Times Square crying out for me to visit got the better of me. The reason I’m telling you this? Because I had a lot of people wanting to know how I went, and I just didn’t get around to writing the report in a timely manner. The excitement of New York City was just all too much for me. Sitting still long enough to write this report was impossible. So I apologise for the lateness of this. But I hope it finds you all well, and I thank you with all my heart for your support and encouragement before and after what turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life! Happy reading…
First of all, let me thank the many, many people who sent me messages of good luck and then congratulations. I really appreciated it! Best of all were those very close friends of mine who stayed up until about 3:30am Melbourne time and watched my race on the live web cast. When I finished the race I had about 15 text messages from them saying that they saw me at the start of the race and at the finishing line flashing a massive grin. So, that definitely sums up the race for me... Despite many obstacles before and during the race, I reveled in every second of the event, and a few times I heard supporters say, “Hey there goes that smiley girl from Australia” as I rode and ran past them. I was grinning like an idiot for the most part of the race! However, let me take a few steps back and start from the beginning.
As you know, leading up to the race the weather was appalling! It was bitterly cold, and the water temperature was 11.9degrees!! The ITU decided to decrease the length of the swim so that we weren't in the water for too long. This decision was made after numerous sprint distant athletes in the days prior to my race were taken to hospital because of hypothermia. Our
swim was now 1100m instead of the normal 1500m. Even though I'm still not the strongest swimmer, it was disappointing not being able to complete the full Olympic distance. However, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Because of increased dangerous conditions in the water, the women over 50 years of age, and all of the men in the age groupers were not allowed to swim and had to race a 3km/40km/10km duathlon. Apparently, the winds had picked up making the freezing water now also choppy, and rumour had it that many people had freaked out in the water and tried to climb aboard one of the row boats, which then capsized. Soon after this, officials realized that they didn't have enough man power in the "life saving department" to continue with the swim leg of the race safely. So there were quite a few disappointed athletes, especially those strong swimmers amongst us.
At the end of the day though, there’s nothing you can do about environmental conditions other than to be as prepared as possible. So I decided on donning two swim caps for the swim, and opted not to use the ear plugs, then lined up at the start of the swim in the pen amongst 96 other female athletes in my division. It was surreal, I was chatting to a girl from Mexico, and another from Great Britain, when one of the officials began explaining to us all what we were about to embark on and opened the gates to allow us to head to the starting line. We lined up along the long blue mat and waited for the starters signal. Even though you couldn’t see it, I knew that hiding underneath my wetsuit was my race kit in Australian colours and my name printed across the front and back. I was about to represent my country in my very first World Championship race. UNREAL!!
OH DEAR GOD!!! The sensation when I jumped in that icy water was indescribable. Even though I tried to prepare myself, the shock of the low temperature made my heart race and I found it hard to breathe. It took me a while to get going, but once I finally found my rhythm I stuck to the technique I’d been working on with Ryan my swim coach. No sooner was I actually enjoying the swim, was it time to get out of the water again because of the shortened swim distance decided by race officials. To my absolute joy when I emerged from the water was a sea (pun intended) of green and gold supporters. I couldn’t help myself so I pumped both arms in the air and yelled out to these strangers, who, because they were from Australia, I now shared a special bond with.
I had decided to go with a vest and a pair of gloves for the bike leg of the race. Transition is hard enough to complete smoothly, but with numb feet and hands, sliding on a pair of gloves is quite a battle. I eventually got myself sorted and trampled through the muddy tracks of transition with the sweet sound of supporters from all over the world cheering each and every athlete on. I couldn’t wait to head out to the bike course. It was such a stunning and varied ride. There were small inclines and dips, and at the end of each lap an awesome descent which I was very much looking forward to, especially because the ground had dried up. I hammered my way through the age groupers and AWADs (athletes with a disability) soaking up the phenomenal atmosphere that was, THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS! Each time I passed a team of Aussie supporters I’d pump my fist in the air and yell out to them, which in turn would jeer them up a little more. I managed to climb up the rankings about 25-30 places while on my two wheels, which shows that the bike is still by far my strongest and favourite leg. Each time I got to the descent I would zip up my vest to prevent the cold winds from hitting my chest too much while I stomped down hard on the pedals. I was glad I’d decided on the extra layers for the ride, that’s for sure! By the time I’d finished my 4th and final lap, I was so beyond excitement that I had forgotten to unclip my left foot from the pedal and consequently crashed to the bitumen still locked into my bike. But no sooner was I down, I was back up and heading toward transition and getting ready for the final stage of the race… Ten kilometers to go…
I couldn’t feel my feet for the first 5km of the run. They were still numb!! But it didn’t stop me from enjoying the pounding on the pavement. My body was holding up well, and I was so happy to be there, when weeks before the race I had injured myself. Because of injuries, I wasn’t as run fit as I would have like to have been leading into the race, and my time reflected this, but I was running, and that was the main thing. I didn’t realize how many Aussie athletes there were there until I nodded, smiled or yelled out to them as we would pass each other on the run laps. I heard yells from the Aussie boys in the crowd who were heading to the start line for their race to begin, and waved and yelled back to them to wish them luck also. It was just a continual stream of encouragement! AWESOME! Heading down that finishing chute at the end of the 10kms I grabbed an Aussie flag from our team management crew and soaked up the atmosphere, flashing a massive smile, which was consequently caught on camera for my friends back home to see me cross the line at, THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN VANCOUVER 2008!!
So it was over… Or was it? I think I hugged about ten strangers once I had crossed the finishing line, and then made some more friends in the athletes tent where we could get changed and get our very own thermal blankies. The vibe was just amazing, and I couldn’t wait to get back out there on the side lines to cheer on the rest of the Aussie team for the next few hours.
I walked away from the race with such a sense of Aussie pride and accomplishment. My original goal was to make it to the World Championships in the first place. At such an early stage in my triathlon career, I was beside myself with excitement knowing that when I boarded the plane in Melbourne, after being surprised at the airport with my very own cheer squad (my friends rock!), I would be touching down in Vancouver hours later, and be preparing for the biggest event of my life (so far). My swim was a bit of a kerfuffle, but the positives from it are that once I got going, I felt strong through the water. The swim is a mental battle which I’ll be addressing during the off season, so next season there’s no excuses, and I’ll be ready to be up there amongst the stronger swimmers with time. My ride was greatness, and allowed me to climb up through the rankings. During the off season I’ll be working on technique so that I can be even more efficient on two wheels. And my run, well, I was happy to just be able to run to be honest. I know I can take time off my run during the off season, and I look forward to jumping off the bike in my next race knowing that I can hold my own on two legs. Season 08/09 look out, because I am one pumped up athlete at the moment, itching to get stuck back into training!!
I finished 80th in my category, which obviously I’d like to improve on. But at this early point in my career though, I’m 80th in the WORLD! That’s pretty cool!
Again, thanks to my sponsors and supporters. You guys make these events so much more exciting then I could ever imagine. I am so lucky to have such a phenomenal group of people surrounding me and encouraging me each stroke, pedal and step of the way!
Happy training (and competing)
JUNE 6TH 2008 (PRE RACE)
Don't blink!!! I THINK I see a patch of blue sky here in Vancouver!! It has been non-stop rain since I landed here in not so sunny Vancouver. We still have one more sleep til our Age Groupers Race tomorrow morning. We may be the luckiest out of all of the events as the weather gurus have forecasted no rain. Keep your fingers crossed!
Unfortunately, those groups (juniors, sprint distance etc) who have raced this morning and yesterday had no such luck. There have been several people taken to hospital because of hyperthermia and other such related illnesses, many people have fallen from their bikes on the course, and a lot of other athletes have just not been able to complete the race. One lady had to be lifted off her bike as it looked like she was frozen solid in the crouched over bike position. It has caused quite a stir amongst athletes, officials, and supporters. Local Vancouverians have mentioned that the water is NEVER warmer than 15degrees maximum at this time of year, so the question being asked, is why are we continually putting athletes at risk by hosting these events at these locations. For some elite athletes, this race is their final qualifier to make the Olympic games. A little risky you might think??
Anyways, from a personal point of view, I do think the water temperature is ridiculous (and I'm originally from Tasmania!). Officials have shortened our swim leg from a 1500m swim to a 900m swim so that we're not in the cold water for as long. We have been advised by our team doctor that if we swim, breathing unilaterally (to just one side), we should change the side that we breathe to often so that one ear doesn't fill up with too much icy water. This can cause inbalances and a sense of vertigo. A lady I met convinced me to purchase some ear plugs, as during the week she experienced this awful sensation and could not balance when she was in the water and when she got out!
I have spoken to a few athletes who have already raced, and so many mentioned that once on the bike they still couldn't warm up, and the key was to wear as many layers as possible, even if this meant spending more time in transition. So I've decided on arm warmers, a vest and some gloves. I'll also put my toe covers back on my bike shoes and I'll wear socks for the first time in a race and hope that this will make a difference. Every single athlete at the end of their race so far have been given those thermal blankets (that look like aluminium foil), that's not the best sign!
In saying this, where do you draw the line? The extreme weather conditions place a lot of stress on our bodies, and i've witnessed some severe heat when I raced in Perth, but that was nothing compared to what the Ironmen and women go through when they race Kona, Hawaii. So, like I said, where do you draw the line?
I certainly don't want to have come all this way and not race, so I'm still VERY eager to get amongst it, but I can tell you this, I 100% will not be enjoying the swim. Even though at every race I'm hurting because I'm pushing my body to it's limits, I still enjoy it. BUT, this race is going to be different I feel.
So that's the latest... The next time you hear from me will probably be the day after the race, if i've managed to get out of the hot shower post race!
Stay good!!!
Stef
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -It's hard to sit down and write this blog about the lead up to the race in Vancouver. It's hard enough for me at the best of times to sit still, but when i'm this excited, sitting still in front of a computer is near impossible!!
I've been in Vancouver now for about three and half days, and each day I spot a different athlete representing their country. You walk down the street here and it's Triathlete city! Australia, New Zealand (I was on the plane with a whole bunch of kiwi triathletes on the way here), USA, Great Britain, Mexico, Italy, Ireland (will have to get chummy with these athletes, who can't resist the Irish accent?), Japan, Canada (of course), France, and the list goes on. It's just awesome! (I say awesome a lot, I fit in really well here).
I flew to the other side of the world expecting to follow the sunshine. Melbourne was definitely showing signs that it was ready for winter, so I was glad to be jet setting off to the other side of the world, where it was summertime. I was mistaken! It is freaking cold here! The first day on my bike checking out the course, it was pouring with rain. The course is just stunning, and there's an awesome descent, but when it's wet and there are corners, the descent just isn't the same. We had a dry day yesterday, so I managed to hammer it down the hill. Completely different course from wet to dry. Keep your fingers crossed that it stays dry because I think I can pick up a few places on the bike down that hill. When it's wet the course will be a lot more technical, and being on a time trial bike it just makes it that little bit harder. PLUS, not having any fear on the bike (or is it just stupidity), if it's dry I'll throw myself down that hill as fast as I can, and I'm sure that'll increase my chances of climbing up through the ranks.
Yesterday there was a mass swim familiarisation session and there were people everywhere checking out the swim course. You could be forgiven for mistaking these triathletes for smurfs as they got changed into and out of their wetsuits. It was that cold, our extremities were turning blue, and the humming noise you could hear was the sound of hundreds of athletes and supporters' teeth chattering in the chilly Vancouverian air. I am now racking my brain to figure out how I can keep warm for the rest of the race once i've slid out of my wetsuit. I do have my RunRideRun winter swim cap, so that will help during the swim, but on the bike, I need to figure out the most efficient way of keeping warm, without taking too long getting my gear on in transition... Hmm...
This morning we checked out the Junior Women's Event. Poor girls looked so cold! one girl was THAT cold she couldn't get her fingers to work, and so couldn't get her helmet off! She ended up running the whole 5kms in her helmet!! I love that she just kept going instead of getting frustrated in transition. That's what I love about this sport... the dedication and desire of each and every althlete is incredible. I've met quite a few people while i've been here. One is a 59yo lady, Jane. She is a machine and an inspiration (even though she doesn't realise it). She's done a lot in her career, but being hit by a car and a semi-trailer, three or four operations later and being told she would never run again... here she is... at the World Championships representing Australia. If you don't get goosebumps from a story like that, then you're dead inside. She is a legend! Another is a young boy, Bryce McMaster. He's come from a swimming background, and is now killing it on the triathlon scene, which he has only been a part of for 12 months. Keep your eyes out for this boy, he's going places!
Beside the rain and the cold, everything else is greatness! My back feels pretty good at the moment, so I'm stoked about that! The rest of the body feels good too! Other preparations leading up to the race seem to be going well, although, being in a different country it's hard to keep your normal routine when it comes to nutrition, so I've had to spend a bit of the time at the supermarket and preparing my own food. Breakfast is VERY different. At my hotel we get a complimentary continental breakfast. Sweet, I thought, cereals, toasts, fruit etc... Oh no... it's all sweet pasteries for breakfast!! I had a blueberry bagel one of the first days I was here and I think I can still feel it sitting in my stomach trying to digest!
Anyways, that's all from me, I need to attempt to get into that water again (eeeek!), and then we've got our athlete's parade and opening ceremony (wooooo!).
Hope you're all well and training hard (well, if not hard, then smart!),Stef