Phwoah...getting back on the wagon is a wee bit hard.

Well, I am still on the edge of my seat waiting for confirmation that I have got a spot at Port Macquaire.  I think I have, but until I have signed on the bottom line (and parted with a decent chunk of change) I won't feel confident enough to book flights.

In the meantime, I've been trying to get back into training, but I've fallen off the wagon a  little bit so I feel like I am trying to catch back up to the stupid wagon.  I spent Saturday traipsing round the town following a green dinosaur, Susan Boyle, God, Jesus, assorted devils, four pirates and a handful of sailors.  So that counts as training right?  My liver certainly got a workout, and it is still suffering.  And like my feline companions, I am chubbing up for winter, not ideal for peaking for an endurance event.

But Port Macquarie is not far away, so I can't keep making excuses, basically time to rediscover my good habits and love of training.

Fingers crossed, hopefully IM Australia will have some good news for me on Friday!

Until next week, don't drink anything served out of a plastic 10 litre bucket.  Honestly.  Don't do it.
love
Ironmaiden

It's on!

Right!  Plans are afoot.  IMNZ emailed today - they have some entries to pretty much all the Ironman races between now and the end of June.  I just need to chose, get a spot, organise finance, flights, accommodation and logistics, get time off, find a house sitter and train.  How hard can that be?

These are my choices:

Ironman South Africa – April 22, 2012;
Ironman St. George – May 5, 2012;
Ironman Australia – May 6, 2012;
Ironman Texas – May 19, 2012;
Ironman Cairns – June 3, 2012;
Ironman Regensburg – June 17, 2012;
Ironman France – June 24, 2012;
Ironman Coeur d’Alene – June 24, 2012;

My heart is telling me Nice (France) or Coeur d'Alene (which is in Idaho), but my head is telling me Australia (Port Macquarie) would be a much less complicated and expensive exercise.  Speaking of exercise, I haven't been getting much lately but my coach seems to think it is OK to ease back into it and you know I like to do what I am told.

There are only limited entries to each race so I will be competing with at least 400 frustrated Australians, but fingers crossed, and Idaho or France are not so bad as far as back-up plans go.

So it is a bit more "watch this space", but I promise anticipation is delicious!

Until next week, give way to your right!  After next week, all bets are off and don't be on the road at the same time as me.

love
Ironmaiden

Best laid plans and all that...

Well.  It is now the 7th of March and I am not an Ironmatron.  Or an Ironman.  Or an Iron anything really.  Ironman New Zealand 2012  was postponed and shortened to a 70.3 distance race.  How did I feel after training for a year only to be told I wasn't going to lose my Ironmaidenhood?  Freakin excited that's how!  Why?  Lots of reasons!  I didn't have to go out and ride my bike in a raging headwind (we like that), I wouldn't have to worry about my friends and family battling to be volunteers and supporters in what was being billed as "a storm of the likes we have never seen before", and more importantly, because of my lightbulb realisation that Ironmaiden 2012 was still going to happen, she was just going to take the campaign on tour!

In fact, the only real disappointment of the weekend was that The Storm never really got to Taupo - the wind certainly came and in its own right was a show stopper, but I wanted the drama and thrill of The Storm.  But a minor detail.

So stay tuned for Ironmaiden to take a whole new direction: Ironmaiden International

But more of that later.  There was a race on the weekend.  So a 70.3 is a half-iron distance. Having already done one this length I could go in a lot more confident than I would have gone into the full.  I think a lot of us pushed too hard, but I lived to tell the tale and even went a few minutes faster than I did in December.

Not without calamities of course.  As if I could spend 7+ hours doing anything and not have some calamitous episodes....

• On the bike - I was riding along, day dreaming about travelling to France to do an Ironman...and I strayed off course, almost into the grass.  I over corrected and then over-over corrected (I really am not good at driving those aerobars) and before I knew it I was sure my wheels were heading off in two different directions.  Miraculously I recovered, and then as the relief wore off, I did a quick glance around to check no one saw.  Unfortunately, a man cycled up beside me shortly after and said "Wow, you nearly took a tumble back there!"  Dammit...I tried to swear him to secrecy, but he wouldn't have a bar of it.

Still smiling after 90kms

• In the run - the run went pretty well until the last 500 metres or so.  I had turned into the main street, right in front of the pub where all the cheerful people were watching the less cheerful runners...only to get cramp in my right hamstring.  A massive cramp.  A "turn my leg into a jointless wooden post dangling from my hip" cramp.  I did a big "Craig Barrett about to collapse at the Olympics stagger" and grabbed the railing.  Cue shocked gasp from crowd. I couldn't get the damn leg to work, I clung to the railings, begged a stranger for help, and all I could think was that I wasn't allowed to crawl, bum shuffle, or drag myself to the finish line with my lips!  Stupid international Ironman rules!  But then I realised, I could walk backwards!  I fooled my hamstring into thinking I wouldn't need it anymore!  So I walked backwards through the main street of town.  Cue smartarsed comments from crowd.  I got to the last aid station, gulped back half a cup of Coke, inadvertently splashed coke all over the poor volunteers shoes as I discarded the half empty cup in the wrong place, then turned around and ran!  Forwards!  Cue delighted applause from crowd.

I still got a towel, a t-shirt and a medal.  Truth is in the eye of the towel holder right?

So I finished.  I was sore!  But  on a whole a good day.  It was great seeing so many people out supporting.  And now I have a trip to plan and an Ironman to knock over!

Till next week, go google "serendipity", and you'll understand how I am feeling.

love
Ironmaiden

Secure lose objects and check boat moorings...

Well I didn't really think this week's blog would be about something so mundane - the weather - but it is sort of dominating my consciousness at the moment - look at tomorrow's forecast:

It is a real old batten-down-the hatches Storm.  "Destructive gales"and heavy rain. Single digit temperatures.  Well, I love a challenge!  Fortunately I've had all week to get in the right headspace and prepare for wet and wind and cold.  What I am now most worried about is that the race will get shortened, or worse, cancelled.  I want to be an "Ironman", not a wishy-washy "Ironman less a swim".  Duathlon is not what I signed on for.  But having said that, it would be a pretty hardcore duathlon.  I might not be Ironmatron, but I would still be "Cycled through destructive gales then ran a marathon in pouring rain Matron".  It doesn't trip off the tongue quite so sweetly, but it will still be cool!

So regardless of the forecast, and the thinly veiled warnings from the Race Organisers to expect the worst, I am packing my bags and still hoping that tomorrow the Storm will decide to blow right on through and go visit Auckland instead.  Or Australia. 

Wish me luck, and if you have any weather-god influence, could you put in a good word?

Who knows what next week will bring?
love
Ironmaiden