Race Review- Triathlon Pink Melbourne 200m/6km/2km

After lying on the couch for 2 days straight trying to recover from my corked thigh (check out my earlier post), I was ready and raring to go for my triathlon today. I pulled up a little tight, but was feeling confident and ready to beat my time of 45:08 from last year. This triathlon series (Triathlon Pink) offers a range of distances, and is especially good for beginner triathletes as the swim is in a pool, or there is also a no swim option.

The Swim: As the swim is in the pool, it is not a mass start-each swimmer enters the water individually at approximately 3 second intervals, and then swims in a M pattern to complete their 200m. I felt great on the swim and enjoyed myself. I really enjoy pool swimming, and I felt like I was totally in my element. The swim is really well organised and perfect for beginners, as you are allowed to stop and hang onto the sides of the pool if necessary, or hop out of the pool and move straight into the ride. I think this a great option to encourage all women to get involved with triathlon, and help to take away some of the stress on the day. Obviously everyone is encouraged to have a go at the swim, but there is no pressure if you struggle and need a break.

The Bike: The bike leg is fantastically flat (it actually takes place on part of the course of the Australian Grand Prix!!), and was a 2 lap course. I really enjoyed the bike course as it was flat, not too windy and I was still feeling strong. The sun was shining and the course wasn't too crowded.

The Run: Ahhh, the run. My worst enemy! After spending 2 days focusing on getting my corked thigh back on track, I completely neglected my usual pre race habits for managing my shin splints-stretching, icing, foam rolling. It hurt me on the run. I struggled, but made it through.

Overall: I was proud to finish the race- I was worried with my injury I would not even make it to the start line. I managed to finish in 40:17, wiping just under 5 minutes off my time from last year, which was another bonus. On the downside, my shin splints flared up and prevented me from cutting even more time off. I would not hesitate to recommend this race to someone who wanted to take the plunge and try a tri, but aren't quite sure where to start. I love this race, and will definitely be back again next year! See you then Triathlon Pink!!

Would a pool swim make you more likely to try a tri? Why?

Ash :)

A Runner's Worst Nightmare- INJURY

Speak to any runner. No, speak to any triathlete. Wait, speak to anybody who plays sports. Actually-speak to anybody, BEING INJURED SUCKS!

I am a naturally clumsy person, and I must admit the majority of my injuries are not 'running' related. I am not someone who get stress fractures or muscle strains (and I'm not complaining)- but I definitely am someone who gets injured! Aside from running and triathlons, my other passion is touch football. I am sure most people reading this have never heard of touch football, so in summary, it is a 6 on 6 game similar to rugby league with no tackling and no kicking. Here is a little youtube of the game if you are interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp-SpodC6bY (video care of Touch Football Australia)

Anyway, point is, after my Thursday night game I have come away with one painful corked thigh. Having never experienced one before, let me tell you- it hurts! I have been resting on the couch icing, elevating and with my compression sleeve on. I have seen the physiotherapist and watched too many hours of terrible TV today (and honestly-who thought there would be a day where I complained about too much time relaxing and watching TV)!

As an athlete (and I use that term very loosely), there is never a good time to be injured. It drives me insane. With a triathlon (my 1st anniversary triathlon and one I was going to smash my PR in) on Sunday, I am determined to do everything I can to be fighting fit! Even if that means another day of terrible TV and RICE, RICE, RICE.

Do you have any tips on a fast recovery or how to avoid injury?

Ash :)

Race Review-Team Up Triathlon 3 200m/6km/2km

This weekend I completed the 3rd mini triathlon in the Team Up triathlon series.

The 5:30am wake up call wasn't much easier this week, but at least it isn't getting any harder! I arrived at the race and went to set up my transition area and rack my bike, only to realise I had forgotten my towel in the car! With not enough time to go back to the car and grab it before race briefing, I decided I would have to go without :(   As it turns out, it actually wasn't too annoying, but I won't be in any rush to make that mistake again.

The Swim- The swim was a little rough, and the current was strong. For the first 100m I wasn't sure if I was actually moving or not! I kept chugging along and eventually made it to the turn around where the current eased up and I could cruise back to shore. I made my way into transition, and without my towel I could not find my bike. I just stood there looking confused-after what felt like an eternity (about 30 seconds in race time), I found my bike. Then I had to shove my dirty, sandy, grassy feet into my socks and jump on the bike (which is why I would not recommend a tri without a towel).

The Bike- The bike leg was actually shortened by 4km due to a fire along the course earlier on the weekend (from 10km to 6km), so it went by very quickly. A nice flat, out and back course. I had to fight a strong headwind for the 2nd half of the bike leg, so when I made it to back to transition I was eager to start the run leg.

The Run- SUCCESS! My new Zensah compression sleeves worked wonders. I had a 100% improvement on my shin pain from last week, and was able to run virtually pain free. I actually managed to shave over 4 minutes from my run time last week.

Overall- A good race, although the field is of a very high standard. It was very competitive and a little discouraging for a beginner triathlete-a few angry older men on the bike leg and some over zealous yelling can be very off putting. I would save this race series until you have a little more experience under your belt, and stick to the Active Feet Series for total beginners.

Ash :)

14 in 2014

The lovely ladies from We Run Disney brought this to my attention, and it is a 14 in 2014 challenge from Jill Conyers.

I have decided to challenge myself to 14 races in 2014 in a range of distances. There are choices including completing 14 events in a 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon, trail distance, or a combination, which is what I have chosen.

After completing my own personal challenge 'The Year of the Fun Run' last year (where I aimed to complete one event a month), I decided a new year called for a new challenge, and this fits the bill perfectly. With no races booked in yet (though many in pipeline), this challenge has given me a lot of food for thought. At the moment, this is what my race schedule might look like:

No races in Jan/Feb because I already have lots of triathlons scheduled.

March:
April:
May: Spartan Race Sprint
June:
July: Gold Coast Marathon
July: The Age Run Melbourne 5km (with my mum) or half marathon
August:
September: Dubbo Stampede 10km
September: Numinbah to Polly's 50k trail
October: Melbourne Marathon
November: City2Sea Melbourne
December:

There are still a few gaps to be filled, and I seem to be a magnet for finding races, so I am sure this plan will change quite a bit!

Any recommendations on races I should try?

Ash :)

Race Review-Active Feet Triathlon 2 200m/8km/2km

As I mentioned, I am just starting to get into triathlons, and on the weekend I had my 2nd mini triathlon as part of the Gatorade/Active Feet Triathlon Series. Here is a little review of how the race went...

A 5:15am wake up call is never nice, but knowing I am only one and a half hours from doom (open water swimming) makes it even harder. I arrived at the St Kilda race venue with about 45 minutes to spare, but this quickly disappeared after racking my bike, getting my race number written on me and setting up my transition area. The race was due to start at 6:45am, but was delayed by about 15 minutes due to some marshaling problems. Before I knew it I was lining up at the water's edge ready for the siren.

The Swim-Let me preface this with a simple statement- I hate open water swimming. Everyone says you will get used to it, but I just can't help thinking there is probably an octopus waiting in the water to attack me (more likely seaweed, but it's still risky business). I held a steady pace at the middle/back of the pack, not wanting to get caught up in the kicking and punching craziness that is open water swimming. I exited the water feeling good and made my way to transition.

The Bike- The bike is usually my slowest leg, but after some training over the Christmas holidays I managed to slightly improve my bike leg (yay me!) and was able to overtake a few people over the course. I rode at a hard yet comfortable pace, and then I was back to transition.

The Run-Disaster! I have been fighting a long and annoying battle with shin splints for the best part of 2 years now. Having seen the physio only 2 days before the race I was confident my shins could handle the short 2km run. Boy was I wrong! I was in pain from the first step out of transition and it only got worse from there. Let's just say I was glad when it was over!

Overall- My best swim and bike performance combined with my worst run performance to make a very average triathlon. I am hoping some new Zensah compression sleeves will make the next triathlon run leg a whole lot more bearable.

The event was well organised, and Active Feet and Supersprint run an excellent triathlon! If anyone is interested in getting into triathlons and don't know where to start, I would definitely recommend the Active Feet Series.

Any tips for a beginner triathlete?

Ash :)

An introduction...

Hi!

I'm Ash, and I am just your average runner! I'm from Melbourne, Australia and I love the sunshine, ice cream and buying all sorts of sports gear.

I tackled my first half marathon in October last year (2:41:56) and I am hoping to do my first marathon this year! In between running, I have just started to get into the world of triathlons, and I also play touch football.

I have started this blog to help keep me accountable, and hopefully find some more amazing, like-minded friends.

Thanks for reading, and I can't wait to get to know you!

Ash :)