Ali was coming off the back of a podium finish at the Canberra 1/2 IM a week ago, Tim O was easing back into training after a back injury has seen him doing nothing for several weeks, and for many this weekend was going to represent the first ever ride over 3hrs....get that body glide and chammy cream ready! There was a lot of uneasy anticipation of what lay ahead.
Having just been told by my physio to cut back on cycling due to my calf injury feeling worse, the prospect of the 5 hour Saturday morning ride suddenly didn't seem so onerous since I'd be stopping after 2...so much for hardcore Ironman training! All the goodies I'd packed to fuel me before, during and after the ride were all going to seem a little redundant. Hammer endurance fuel, vegemite sandwiches, gels, biscuits and an ice-cold Sprite for finishing just don't hold the same value for 2 hours in the saddle...I'd feel guilty even having the Sprite afterwards!
The weekend started off Friday night with a trail run in Noosa National Park for most. I'd done an hour water running in the morning and so opted for the get there later and chill option :-). After a Thai feed, we all rushed off to bed at 9pm in preparation for the forthcoming slog fest.
My own training was of course reduced from what was scheduled, I actually did less than I have been doing the last few weekends with Em and Jacque. But the change of scenery, having nothing better to do than chilling out and resting after training was great. It was also a good time to socialise with more of the group doing IM. I was truly impressed by everyone's efforts over the weekend. For those doing 4 days, they backed up the Saturday 5hr ride with a 4hr ride on Tuesday morning too...after swimming, running and more riding in between.
And mine, well the highlight was steaming up Noosa hill against the advice of Coach who reiterated the need in IM to pace the hills.....and flying down the other side of Noosa hill when advised to go easy in the wet - 72.3km per hr - now that made me temporarily forget about not being able to run, or ride quite how I should be at this stage of IM training!!!!
Onward and upward (I'll be back smashing out laps of Cootha again soon)!!
Faye
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