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Monday, June 4, 2012

Rev3 Quassy Half

I will keep this race report brief as I have some exam study that needs some serious attention before Thursday...

Quick low down on the race details- Rev3 Quassy Half (1.9km swim/90km cycle/21km run), one of the biggest races on the half ironman calendar. The pro women's field was stacked with Mirinda Carfrae as the race favourite. Going into it, I knew it'd be key to focus on my own race and not be too daunted by the competition. If I could do this, I knew I would be within shot of my goal of a top 10 finish.

After some choice words from Sam in the days leading up to the race on how important it would be for me to start off well, I was all set to put in a good swim to set up my race...and that I did. I've never felt so good in the water, just super relaxed, calm and in control. I came out with the lead girls and then set out on 90km ride.

Within the first few mile I found myself at the front of the race, however this was short lived as some of the stronger cyclists went screaming past. At about mile 20 Carfrae and Naeth caught me. I managed to ride with them for about 20min but knew that if I were to stay strong in the back half of the race, I had to pull back a bit and focus on my own pace.

I came off the bike in 8th place and set about tackling one of the toughest run courses in triathlon. I had driven the course the day prior but had somehow failed to take notice of the long one mile climb. It was tough going!

With about 4 mile to go, Williamson flew by me, putting me back into 9th place. At this point I knew I had to pick it up or I would fall out of that top 10. I managed to find an extra gear and picked up a place, and then ran into 7th in the final 200m with one last sprint. I was soo happy to see that finish line as I don't think I could've gone another meter!

This race was filled with lots of positives and some glimpses of what's to come if I continue to work hard. I learn so much when I race against the best athletes in the sport. I aspire to one day be as successful as these girls, so it great to have the opportunity to line up against them.

I must say a HUGE thank you to Trish for being the best homestay host an athlete could ask for (and for taking great pictures!). I felt totally relaxed all weekend thanks to the great hospitality. Also, thanks to Mum, Dad and Sam for staying up into the early hours tracking my progress.

In the meantime, it's back to Boulder for a solid few weeks of training in preparation for Rev3 Portland Half in July.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Rev3 Knoville Race Report

Rev3 Knoxville was my first race of the US season. The Olympic Distance (1.5km/40km/10km) Triathlon was held on Sunday in Knoxville, Tennessee. This was the first time I have ever traveled to a race on my own (domestically or internationally), so to say I was a little apprehensive about it all would be an understatement!

I was greeted at the airport on Friday night by my wonderful home-stay hosts Karen and Cecil. They went above and beyond in helping me out over the weekend, from driving me around, to providing me with meals and even buying ice-cream on Sunday night! I am so grateful for their support over the weekend, it definitely made me feel more at ease.

Photo courtesy of www.rev3tri.com

Race start was 7am Sunday morning (which was actually 5am Boulder time which made for an early one!). Aside from 70.3 World Champs, this was the toughest field I have come up against, as such, I didn't sleep too great the night before as I was pretty nervous.

The swim was held in the Tennessee River. We swam 500m upstream, then a nice 1000m downstream. I got into a good rhythm fairly quickly and exited the water in about 11th place, and this was the position I would hold for most of the day.

Photo courtesy of www.rev3tri.com

The 40km ride was held on an awesome out and back rolling course, with some steep ascents and a few gnarly descents. While the 10km run wound around the out skirts of the University of Tennessee. I felt pretty good for the majority of the race, although I felt I lacked a little of my speed on the run which could've come in handy! However I managed to hold my position, crossing the finish line in 11th place out of 25 starters. While a top 10 finish would have been a much more satisfying result and what I was gunning for, I gave it my all on the day and it was my fastest time in a non-drafting Olympic Distance race by a long shot, so I'll take that.

Photo courtesy of www.rev3tri.com

These past few weeks have definitely been a steep learning curve. It was tough dealing with post-race emotions on my own, however it is toughening me up and I am learning the importance of staying in a positive frame of mind. I have a 3 week block of training in Boulder and then will travel to my next race, Rev3 Quassy which is promised to be another tough race!

Photo courtesy of www.rev3tri.com

Thank you once again to the Goodricks for being great home-stay hosts, Mum, Dad and Sam for staying up into the early hours of Monday morning tracking my progress and to Josh for continuing to provide his coaching wisdom!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Boulder Blog

It has been quite a while since I last contributed to the blog, so I thought it a good time to check in from my new training base, Boulder Colorado.

I left Melbourne on Tuesday and arrived in Boulder some 26 hours later. This was my first time traveling to the US solo, and I'm happy to say that I managed to negotiate all airports with no drama. Although I must say that I did miss having chief bag carrier Sam there to help me with the bike (and just having him there in general to keep me entertained).

When I arrived, it felt as though I had only been away from Boulder for a few weeks, it really is starting to feel like a second home. I have spent the past 5 days adjusting to the altitude and time difference. Although I haven't been so successful on the later...if anyone is awake between the hours of 4pm-8pm Aus time, be sure to let me know, I'll be up for a chat! Every night so far I have been wide awake from midnight to 4am...not so great.

All going to plan, I will be in Boulder for a little over 4 months. This season I am going to race the Rev3 triathlon series. I will be racing a mixture of Olympic Distance and Half Ironman Distance races as part of the series. I have made sure that all my races are spaced out well to ensure adequate recovery between each. I have learnt from last year when I over-raced a bit, and this year I am looking at hitting every race fresh.

My first race will be Rev3 Knoxville, which is an Olympic Distance Triathlon held on May 6. I have put up a race schedule on my website: www.madeleineoldfield.com if anyone is keen to have a squizz. I will also post results, race reports and photos on there.

Boulder has certainly turned on the weather these past few days, which has made getting out the door for training very easy :)

Monday, April 2, 2012

2011/12 Gatorade Tri Series Race #7 Report

Last Sunday saw the final round of the Gatorade Triathlon Series for season 2011/12, and what better way to finish off the season than with a great sprint distance (750/20/5) triathlon down at St Kilda.

Since my 1st place at Race #3 in Brighton back in January, I have been on a winning streak for the Gatorade Races, and was looking at finishing off the series on top of the podium. I was confident going into the race, I have been swimming, riding and running well in training and I am now starting to feel the benefits of spending some time in the gym over the past few months.

www.marathonphotos.com

Race day conditions were close to perfect. The bay was a little on the filthy side, but I gather that is now common place in St Kilda these days. The elite female field was a small but quality field, so I knew I had to be on my game from the gun.

I had a good swim coming out with the pack, and made sure I worked it through transition to ensure I was out on the bike in the first group. There were just 3 of us in this lead group and we managed to put some time into the chase group across the 20km bike course. I exited T2 in 1st and ran well to cross the line in 1st place overall in a time of 1:03:23.

www.marathonphotos.com

I also took out the overall Series prize for the Elite Female category for the 4th year which was pleasing too.

I have had a great summer season of racing and training and I am now looking forward to the next phase of the year over in the US where I am hoping to build on my results from last year.

I must thank Robyn and Steve from Team Barefoot for supporting me over the summer, it has been great to be a part of the team. To Peak Bike Hub for always ensuring my bike is raring to go, Brooks Running for the fastest shoes on the market, Selle SMP and Salice for quality Italian saddles and sunglasses, Giro for keeping my head safe and Malvern Star for providing me with my speedy machines. Also, thank you to Sam for joining me on many a long ride over summer and always keeping me entertained. Mum and Dad for always supporting me on this journey...one day it'll all pay off! And lastly my coach Josh Rix for providing me with invaluable advice and guidance along the way.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

2011/12 Gatorade Tri Series Race #6 Report

We were treated to ideal conditions for Race #6 of the 2011/12 Gatorade Triathlon Series which was held at the picturesque Portarlington on Sunday. This year saw the inclusion of a long course race which was held in conjunction with the sprint race. Because of the training phase I am currently in and my upcoming race calender I opted for the sprint distance this time around.

Due to the number of athletes that would be out on the bike course at the one time it was decided that the elites race would be non-drafting. This was the first time in the 5 years I have been racing the Gatorade Series that we have raced non-drafting. Luckily this style of racing suits me down to the ground, so I was quite happy to bring along the TT bike for an outing.

www.marathon-photos.com.au

The race kicked off at 8.20am with a lovely swim around the Portarlington pier. The water was warm, clear and flat. I had a great swim, exiting the water with the lead girls, ripped throughout transition and headed out onto the 1 lap 26km bike course in 1st position. My new Oppy TT bike once again felt great and I came off the bike in 1st. It was then onto the 8km out and back run. The run course follows the coast, with views across to the city, so there is definitely plenty to look at! I managed to put in a solid run to cross the finish line in 1st place with a 3min40sec buffer to 2nd.

www.marathon-photos.com.au

Huge thank you the Robyn and Steve from Team Barefoot for providing us with team accommodation for the Saturday night, it certainly beats driving down from Melbourne on race morning.

One more race left (GTS Race #7) in 2 weeks time, then it's off the the US for a big season of racing!

Malvern Star | Peak Bike Hub | Brooks | Giro | Team Barefoot | Selle SMP | Salice

Sunday, February 19, 2012

2011/12 Gatorade Tri Series Race #5 Report

After having a less than impressive swim in my last Gatorade Sprint Tri at Brighton, I was really looking at putting in a better effort in yesterdays Race #5 at Elwood. I decided to do a longer 1km warm-up in the water prior to race start, as it often takes me quite sometime to feel warmed up and raring to go. This seemed to work a treat as I came out of the 500m swim with the lead bunch of 6 girls. The pace was one through T1 and a rookie error by myself saw me almost miss that lead bunch as I got caught up in a fence just before the mount line. How this happened I don't know! However, luckily it was disaster averted and I quickly found my way onto the 20km bike course. We had a nice group of 6 all working well together on the bike, and managed to stay ahead of the chase pack. Once again, the pace was on coming into T2. I managed to avoid all fences this time and made my way out onto the run course at the pointy end and it wasn't long until I hit the front. I knew I would have to keep the pace up as there were some quick girls behind me. The legs were feeling a little shabby after last weeks long course at Falls Creek so I was happy to only be running 5km. I managed to put in a strong run leg and crossed the line in 1st place. The win also happened to be my 10th win in the Gatorade Triathlon Series since I started in 2008 so it was nice to see that I still mix it in these shorter races!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Australian Long Course Triathlon

After spending some awesome time training up at Falls Creek over New Year I was hanging to get up there again for some fun in the mountains, this time for the 2XU Falls Creek Long Course Triathlon. Considering how unreal the course is, and the fact that is was an Australian Championship, it was somewhat surprising to see just two of us on the pro female start line...myself and World 70.3 Champ Mel Rollison. The much talked about scheduling clash of 2 long course tri's in Victoria on the same weekend and the brutality of the course may have been the reasoning for this, however you can only race who turns up.

The fact that there were only two of us totally changed the dynamics of the race. With great respect for Mel and the amazing athlete she is, my focus changed from racing for a place, to racing myself and trying to improve on last years time, all while having the privilege of a one-on-one lesson in racing by the worlds number 1 triathlete.

The race day conditions were perfect, credit must go to SuperSprint for bringing the start time forward an hour to avoid the afternoon storm front that would roll in.

Once we were set on our way for the 2km swim, and the blood started to flow, the chilly 15 degree water temperature soon began to feel like a bath...and thankfully that was the last of the chill that I would feel all day.

Altitude plays with the body, and as such the swim felt a lot harder than usual, however I managed to keep it controlled and exited the water with Mel closely on my heels. It was then onto the bike for the 3 lap, 80km cycle. With 6 kickers each lap, it made it tough to get into a rhythm. However my new Malvern Star TT felt the goods, and rocketed me to a bike time that was 4min quicker than last year and within 2min of Rollison.

Mel quickly stamped her authority on the run as she put 8min into me over the 20km course and streaked ahead for the win. Meanwhile, the amazing views out to the mountains helped take my mind off burning legs, as I recorded a run time 2min quicker than last year and crossed the line with a 6min pb.

Falls Creek is an amazing location for a triathlon. It is tough, it is hard and there is a lot of apprehension prior to race day day. However it is truly worth making the trip for and it would be great to see this event grow in the future and see more girls on the start line. SuperSprint did an awesome effort staging such a great event in testing and unpredictable conditions.

Huge thank you to all the support on the race course and to Mum and Dad for making the trip across the Strait to watch. Big congrats to all who raced and a shout out to SammyJ for ripping up the course to become Australian 25-29years Champ...all while doning some unsightful footy socks!