Karen and Kate's journey to Ironman and beyond

Rotorua marathon is next week.  Not 2 months away or several weeks away, it is now just next week.  Too late to get any fitter or any more ready for that 42 plus km.  Time to make sure the running gear is washed, the pills (fish oil, glucosamine, magnesium) and potions (anti-chafe and anti-flamme, super strength sunscreen) and lucky handkerchiefs and socks have all been found and put aside.  I have been following the 3 run/week senior marathon programme from Hal Higdon and I feel like I haven't been doing enough, I guess the proof will be in the running on the day.  The thing with plans is you have to have faith that if you follow the instructions (mostly) they will work, and this programme for experienced (+/- older, creakier or more prone to injury) distance runners, seemed to assure me of a comfortable finish while minimising the potential damage to hard working joints.  Eminently suitable for Ironman recovery. I find myself however be...

Ironman...woman...man...woman...Ironwhat? People tend to strike a slight hesitation and they laugh a little when they say 'Ironman' in reference to us. Yes, the title is a bit of a funny fit really.  Sometimes I mutter something about being happy to be an Ironman who is a woman.  Not sure how all of those other women who have become Ironmen over the years handle it. Our fabulous Caran has found the answer to our descriptive woes though. I was at work when this photo was taken, I didn't want to put my work clothes back on!

Kate and myself had planned a 'sorta-long' training session for Tuesday after work, 19km, where I was going to show her one of my favourite runs.  On Monday it was pouring with rain, no problems we agreed, we would still run if the weather was bad on Tuesday, aren't we tough? Actually, it is always good to practice in adverse conditions, we have learned over the years that you can never tell what you will get on race day and unless you have had experience it is tricky choosing the right gear.  Also there is nothing like getting really cold to remind you never to wear cotton or a really nasty chafe to teach you to slather the anti-chafe everywhere before hitting the road in the wet, better to learn that sort of lesson during training. So Tuesday afternoon, out to Maraetai, the rain was bucketing down, the car windscreen wipers were doing double-time, and obviously Auckland doesn't have a drought problem anymore. We got dressed in our wet weather running gear of choic...

I've not written for a while, busy at work and no internet connections at home. But today I have to say something. I was driving to work this morning to hear that 2 explosions have happened at the Boston marathon. Killing people and serious injuries reported. My brother was in Boston at the weekend and I immediately thought of the family and where are they. They are safely back in Wales, thank goodness for TXT. But I then thought of all those people who were out enjoying the run and the spectators watching, suddenly their lives will change forever. I saw a clip of video, showing people coming in to the finish and the explosion happening. My heart goes out to them, just thinking about you all in Boston.

Being a supporter is hard work.  Harder I think, than actually doing a race.  A week ago I did the 2.8km State King of the Bays 10th aniversary swim over at the North Shore with Kate, it was a lovely event, very much like others in recent years, you turn up, enjoy your race and go home, if it is a gorgeous day too then that is a bonus. Because it was so far away across Auckland it was a seriously early beginning to the day and the whanau dropped me off  to talk to Kate, watched us start, then they went and entertained themselves for a while. Me and Kate swam, and just over 70 minutes later the whanau were waiting at the finish line for a wet hug, oh just another event for Mum. I did enjoy the swim, in spite of being under-trained and having thought after Ironman that I could hide the wetsuit under the bed for at least 6 months.  The whanau support crew appeared to enjoy the day too, partly I think because successfully completing an event is an excuse for fast food an...

I can see the sea from home, but there are days when I realise that I haven't glimpsed the water at all.  That is because I haven't made the effort to look out of the window. Running is the same, you can go out, and see nothing, you have to look around, look out the window as it were. Last night I went for an excellent run and saw plenty, some good, some bad.  I saw  a runner in the distance and caught up with and said hello. We ended up running together for a good 4km chattering away, commenting on what was around us and our experiences and goals. Perhaps the pace was a tiny bit faster than my usual but I didn't really notice because it was just so nice to share a moment in time with someone else.  She was doing more training than I do (ever) for her half marathon in August. I said she could do a marathon with that amount of effort, she hadn't thought she could.  She was also mountain biking, why not look at triathlon?  I felt quite sad when we parted at...

There was a prediction that week 3 after Ironman would be the 'crash' week, experts intoned that this was where tiredness would set in, even if there had been an apparently easy or 'honeymoon' recovery immediately after the event.  Hmmm, 4 weeks down, well into a marathon training programme, still waiting for the crash.  I think, somewhat ruefully, that my first full Ironman is absolutely and completely over, time to stop treating myself like I am a delicate flower, stop eating so much, and get on with things. So what did I learn... The training isn't that serious.  Well, it is serious, but only as serious as you make it.  Training has to fit around you and your family and your work life and I didn't quite get that this time round. Because I didn't let training interfere too much with my life I was constantly worried that I was behind according to the programme, Kate was doing different things to me, the books 'said' this or that, I didn't...