Karen and Kate's journey to Ironman and beyond

How did it happen...again?  Next week, my first ultra-marathon is next week!  Am I ready, well of course not.  I am never ready, never manage to complete a training programme as intended, never believe I can manage to stay completely healthy and injury free, never shake this feeling that I am not good enough, and I am sure that the day of the race (and every day before it) will be a complete disaster. I wont finish, oh goodness, perhaps I wont even start! Reality is that out of the now quite large number of pretty serious events that I have signed up for, I've never missed one.  There is also nothing to say that anything in the above attack pessimism is true, nothing to indicate that I wont have an absolute ball and achieve exactly what I want to on the day.  I have only ever had a couple of events where I didn't whole-heartedly enjoy them once I actually hit the road (or water). In only one (last years Rotorua Half Ironman) did I really think not finishing wa...

Oh those aching ankles, sore legs, grumbling away, paranoia growing, this could be a problem.  The internet said DOOM, my mind said "I will crumple into a miserable heap in Brisbane when my feet disintegrate" and L the Ironman who now does massage to repair damaged athletes said "inflammation, tight muscles" while I said OWWWWWWWW. "Put your legs in a bucket of cold water and keep training" he said.  Sigh. OW.  Both ankles. Usually when both sides are problematic it isn't so much a specific injury thing, its a temporary, overdone it, need a whole body rest.  When one side hurts, and keeps on hurting you know you most likely have a real injury.  But for me it was both ankles, the problem has been coming and going since the Rotorua marathon when it developed at 20 something km, pain starting on the inner ankle aspect above the bony bump, going down behind the bump and into the middle of each arch, especially sore on longer runs, I would get to the poin...