Karen writes: 2010 Rotorua Half Ironman...reminiscing

Made an appointment to meet up with Trainer Grant.  Tick.   Sent a complaining email to the people I bought my spin bike off.  Tick.   Written a preliminary plan for myself for the next couple of weeks.  Tick.    Promised myself that I shall cut back the cake (again).  Sorta…maybe…tick.  

15 weeks to go to the Rotorua Half Ironman.   This was a huge step into unknown territory for us last year, I was petrified as it seemed like such a massive undertaking.  It turned out to be a fabulous experience, our bodies coped with swimming 2km, cycling 90km, and running 21km. 

I remember getting to Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) outside Rotorua horribly early in the morning, excitement mounting, checking the gear, re-checking it, and hopping from one foot to the other in the cold watching the other…athletes.  They looked like ‘real’ athletes as opposed to Kate and me who felt like we were impersonators…and they seemed to be very relaxed and taking their time about getting into their wetsuits.   I didn’t want to look like a totally over-keen newbie by getting into my wetsuit too early, but the anxiety levels rose the longer the wait, it takes me AGES to get suited up, what happens if I still had one leg to go and couldn’t squish everything in enough to zip up and the starting gun went!   Finally, the cruisy lot got suited, so did we, and still time to wait.  I picked up my new goggles and went to put them on my head…and the nosepiece broke clean in half.  Panic, my heart didn’t sink, it plummeted!  Kate had a spare pair, thank goodness for Kate’s super-organisation.   Then down to the beach.  The music started, stirring orchestral music, with the mist spiralling off the water and the sounds strangely affected by the trees around the lake it was just extraordinary.  The men went first, then the women...we were off.    I got swimming and I always struggle to get into a regular stroke, I kept wanting to put my head up and see where I was, or look around to see where Jayne or Kate were.   I watched the bottom as I swam and then realised that what I was seeing was not just beneath me, but was actually probably very deep.  I had the strangest sense of vertigo and had to swim with my eyes shut for a bit, it was just too weird to see the bottom but know I couldn’t touch it.   I looked at my watch.  It was full of water…courtesy of the new battery I had had put in it, oh no, this wasn't going well on the equipment front!   Round the buoys, two laps.  And it was done, a run up the beach to transition…wetsuit off (harder than putting it on if you mess that up), quick dry, cycle shirt on, socks, cycle shoes, helmet, glasses, gloves, and run the bike to the road and OFF. 

Cycling half way up the big hill away from the lake I realised I only had tri–pants between me and my torture instrument of a little skinny seat, I  would have to ride 90km without the protection of good padded bike shorts, and I had also forgotten my raincoat and it was raining.   It RAINED.   Some of it was ‘just make everything a bit soggy’ type of rain, some of it was ‘be blinded by the water splashed up by the cars and immerse the bike wheel’ type of rain.   90km of RAIN.     Tried to eat according to plan, a square of damp marmite sandwich and a half serve of energy gel every half hour, but I lost track of that just trying to stay alert on the bike, same with drinking, Powerade was in the drink bottles, but it's hard to remember to drink when everything is wet.  12km from the cycle leg finish, something made a very loud cracking noise in the innards of the pedal workings, I was very nervous from then on, but my poor bike made it up the extremely unfair hill on the last bit back to the lake with me trying to keep the pressure off the pedals as much as possible…down the hill…transition again.   It helps to take your helmet and glasses off before trying to take your cycle shirt off.   Clean running shirt on (bliss), clean dry socks (heaven), running shoes, fuel belt (oh no,  more sweet stuff), and I couldn’t get my number off my old shirt so had to break the safety pins.  Toilet stop, and off running. 

Actually, it was hobbling…I got across the beach and into the bush realising that my legs didn’t want to work and as soon as I was out of sight I had to stop, stretch and try again, same thing, the thigh muscles cramped and wouldn’t work my legs.  That went on for a while, me thinking this is going to be a very long half marathon, but eventually they sorted themselves out, and two laps of the lake with a few sidetracks of gorgeous Rotorua bush, with the unlikely combination of cola and chocolate chippie cookies providing the last bit of energy to keep going, and then the finish line was in sight.  Then you pull yourself together and try to run in looking relaxed… I went up the red carpet and crossed the line with both of my beautiful daughters now running beside me.

And we are going to do that all again in less than 15 weeks.   Okaaaay.   Actually, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Firstly, it is a gorgeous venue, with fabulous people, and for a great cause, the Rotorua Hospice. Secondly, strangely enough, its having problems and overcoming them that creates the events very best memories when you look back, you then know you can cope with almost anything…and of course...this time we are very different people...um...we will actually done some seriously planned training this time!