So new blog time.
Last weekend I qualified to compete in the 70.3 World Championships in Mont Tremblant Quebec Canada in September. 70.3 is also known as a half ironman triathlon or 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run all in one day (actually its a few hours).
So starting the new blog feels like I am at the start line but really this all started many years ago. I have been doing triathlon for many years. We have a small local club who run events each week over summer. Sprint distance or shorter generally so 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run.
In 2003 I decided to compete in a marathon. I had been running with friends who did them and decided as it was likely to be the only marathon I ever ran in my life I decided to go and do the London marathon. It was a hoot... tough but a hoot anyway. 35000 people all running at the same time and every pub had a band... there are lots of pubs in London. I didn't do the time I wanted but I did discover that my talent really lies in long distance event. I just keep ticking along all day.
The winter after returning from London my life changed a bit... I snapped my cruciate ligament and had a knee reconstruction. My ability to run in anything but a straight line was limited. It was at this stage I got back into to triathlon... long distance triathlon. There was a reasonable size group planning to complete in the Busselton half ironman that year and I joined in.
I loved it and finished in a really respectable time of 5:42. Much quicker than I thought, but I stirred my knee up in the process. So back for another arthroscope of the knee only to find I had loose bit on my medial ligament. Once cleaned up I got back into triathlon and despite my knees still causing problems and my physio telling me I would never manage an ironman.
So in 2010 I got brave and entered the full ironman at Busselton - 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run. Training was tough but I got to the start line with a dread about running the 42.2km at the end. I had done this before and I knew it hurt. I also stood at the start line and thought to myself.. I haven't swum 3.8km in a single session or ridden 180km in a session and I definitely haven't run 42.2km... oh well too late now. Then the commentator said - "don't think of it as an ironman its just a sunday training brick with 1500 friends". This was exactly what I needed.
I finished in a very respectable 12:50 min. Quicker than Tony Abbot who did Port Macquarie earlier that year.
I kept entering half and full ironman for a few years, Busselton half and full again the next year, with Gold Coast half ironman (in the pouring rain) in between. Port Maquarie the next year then Mandurah half later that year. It was at Mandurah that I got and idea. My half times were starting to come down..I was actually getting pretty good at these, especially the half distance. May just may be I might be able to qualify for the world championships. I was now knocking on the sub 5:30 time for the half... and that was with a terrible run leg.
In March last year I did my last full ironman in New Zealand. It was so much fun, but the training had been gruelling.
Next aim was to qualify for the worlds... I tried in Busselton 2013, but I was too far down the list and didn't go to roll down.
roll down is a process where the slot gets offered to the winner, then the second place person etc until all the slots are taken. The slot are allocate to age groups depending on how many compete. Any slots not taken by the age group are then redistributed to the larger age groups. Each slot stays within the gender it was allocate. So if the 60-64 women don't want their slot it goes to another age group.
So I did get to go to the final Las Vegas 70.3 World championships. The 2014 was announced as Mont Tremblant in Canada.
First chance to qualify was Mandurah Half Ironman. I was 10th in my age group with a PB time and the first time under 5:30. My father was very unwell and I raced the event with him in hospital in ICU. I went to the roll down where there were also slots available for Kona (full ironman worlds and a much bigger event - also much harder to qualify for). No way I was going to get one of those slots at 10th (went to 1st mostly but sometimes rolled down to 5th). Then the 70.3 roll down started. There were 4 people wanting slots in my age group and only 2 slots up for grab, so they went to 4th and 5th. Then more slots got allocated and 7th got to go on the last spot. So I missed out by 1!
Busselton is a tougher race. There is a more competitive field so I knew I would be struggling to get top 10 or even top 20. Making roll down more a lucky thing, although with less time to save and plan perhaps others wouldn't want the slots.
We I did another PB but only by seconds - 5:26:44 is my new PB and I was 14th. There were more people than slots so roll down was on.... Fortunately there were only 2 of us who wanted the slots so I got to go as did the 20th place.
So celebration time now and a little break... training starts 15 weeks out on the 19th of May. I will try and blog each week with my progress and mind set heading to the event.
Fit, not longer fat and now going to the world championships in Mont Tremblant.
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