Buffalo Springs 70.3 was one of the toughest races I've done during my four years in the sport of triathlon. To put it bluntly, it was a race that I'd rather forget, put to the back of my memory bank and not have to re-visit too often!
The race was held at Buffalo Springs Lake which is positioned in a canyon. Since Texas is essentially flat I was surprised to read that the course was to be so hilly. However, when Josh and I drove the course the day prior to race day I soon found out why when dropped down into a huge canyon. As such, much of the day was spent climbing in and out of the canyon during the cycle and run.
The week leading into the race my body wasn't feeling 100% and I didn't have my usual bounce of energy, however I was still looking for a solid result in Texas to add to my 4th place at Kansas 70.3 two weeks prior. Race day conditions were brutal; super hot, windy and dry. I have never raced in conditions like it and combined with my body feeling flat, the day was a true battle both mentally and physically.
Race start was moved forward to accommodate for the predicted high of 44 degrees that would hit at about 3 o'clock. So at 6.27am the gun went off for the 15 Pro Females. I felt pretty good in the swim and exited the water mid pack. Once onto the one lap 90km bike course the winds were picking up. Within the first 5km of the bike I had passed a few of the girls and was sitting in about 5th place and feeling pretty good. However as the ride went on, my energy levels started to drop considerably. The brutal winds combined with the rising temperature took its toll and I ended up exiting the bike in about 7th place.
Once out onto the run I new it was going to be one tough, long 21.1km. The run consisted of 3 hills, each ranging between 6-9%. The sun was beaming down like nothing I have experienced in a race. I was feeling pretty horrendous and have never felt so low running, but I was determined to get to the finish. I knew that as long as I kept putting one foot in front of the other and focused on getting to the next aid station then I would would make it to the end. Unfortunately I dropped quite a few more places on the run and ended the day in 12th place pro female.
After having one of my best races at Kansas 70.3 two weeks ago, it is tough to hit a such low in terms of race result at Buffalo Springs. I am really disappointed in myself for putting in such a poor performance, however as I have said before it is these races that I learn the most from. I'm still young, and while the positive in that is that I've got a lot of years to learn the trade and get stronger, I also will inevitably experience many more bad days before the good one's roll in consistently. This is all a part of racing and is a part of the building blocks to becoming a top-level professional athlete. Whilst I may not appreciate it at the moment these types of races will help mature me as an athlete both mentally and physically. With my next race less than two weeks away it is crucial that I put yesterday's performance behind me, get my body feeling 100% again and focus on the positives.
Thank you to Ruth Ann, Aubrey and Geoffrey for providing such amazing hospitality and support while in Texas, it was greatly appreciated.
Once again, thank you to all my sponsors and supporters. All is still on track for qualifying for World 70.3 Champs and with Muncie 70.3 as my final qualification race this will hopefully be confirmed with a solid result there.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Week 24 - The Green Hornet!
Phew...blog time seems to come around so quickly these days. Before I know it, Sunday is upon us and it is time for me to think worldly thoughts, put pen to paper (figuratively speaking) and blog away...
It was a pretty full on start to the week this week. Sam and I flew back to Boulder from Kansas on Monday afternoon. Luckily all travel went smoothly and we made it back in one piece with bike intact. It was then straight on with the thinking cap as I had to do exams (I am currently studying part-time nutrition at Uni) on the Tuesday and Wednesday. The exams were held at the University of Colorado in Denver, which is about an hour bus ride away (that hour was essential for my last minute study cramming!) The last thing I felt like doing after a hard weekend of racing was exams, but these things must be done and with multiple coffees (and OJ...apparently OJ makes you think smarter thoughts -thanks Pam!) under my belt I was set to go. Luckily I only lost concentration and started answering a question within a question once! So with those exams out of the way now, I can truly focus on some serious movie watching in my down time between sessions!!
The latter part of the week was fairly chilled out in comparison and my body started to feel recovered from last weekend. On Saturday I completed a great ride and discovered some new roads around the outskirts of Boulder...and I even got to ride with Crowie for a bit! Sunday was a nice long run through some trails over looking the farmland of Boulder. Then Sunday afternoon...BAM I got hit with a bout of hay fever which has knocked me for 6! At the moment there is a heap of pollen in the air. There is cotton flying around everywhere...normally it doesn't affect me but riding and running through huge clouds of it may not have been the greatest of ideas, as such I am struggling to breathe which isn't the best when oxygen is in scarce supply up in Boulder. However, after loading up with lemon, honey and ginger and a home cooked meal from Sam I am starting to feel better :)
In other news Sam and I bought a car. Our initial time together was brief as it was having a few clutch issues. But one tow-trip later and a visit to the mechanics the Green Hornet is going great guns! It sure beats walking home from the supermarket with a sack full of groceries.
Tomorrow it will be a month since we arrived in Boulder! It is crazy how quickly time flies over here...but it reminds me that I have to make the most of every moment. This week is another pre-race prep week as I am racing Buffalo Springs 70.3 on Sunday. The forecast temperature is supposed to be around 40 degrees which is going to add a little spice to the race!
That's about all from this end...apologies for the lack of worldly thoughts, maybe next week :)
It was a pretty full on start to the week this week. Sam and I flew back to Boulder from Kansas on Monday afternoon. Luckily all travel went smoothly and we made it back in one piece with bike intact. It was then straight on with the thinking cap as I had to do exams (I am currently studying part-time nutrition at Uni) on the Tuesday and Wednesday. The exams were held at the University of Colorado in Denver, which is about an hour bus ride away (that hour was essential for my last minute study cramming!) The last thing I felt like doing after a hard weekend of racing was exams, but these things must be done and with multiple coffees (and OJ...apparently OJ makes you think smarter thoughts -thanks Pam!) under my belt I was set to go. Luckily I only lost concentration and started answering a question within a question once! So with those exams out of the way now, I can truly focus on some serious movie watching in my down time between sessions!!
The latter part of the week was fairly chilled out in comparison and my body started to feel recovered from last weekend. On Saturday I completed a great ride and discovered some new roads around the outskirts of Boulder...and I even got to ride with Crowie for a bit! Sunday was a nice long run through some trails over looking the farmland of Boulder. Then Sunday afternoon...BAM I got hit with a bout of hay fever which has knocked me for 6! At the moment there is a heap of pollen in the air. There is cotton flying around everywhere...normally it doesn't affect me but riding and running through huge clouds of it may not have been the greatest of ideas, as such I am struggling to breathe which isn't the best when oxygen is in scarce supply up in Boulder. However, after loading up with lemon, honey and ginger and a home cooked meal from Sam I am starting to feel better :)
In other news Sam and I bought a car. Our initial time together was brief as it was having a few clutch issues. But one tow-trip later and a visit to the mechanics the Green Hornet is going great guns! It sure beats walking home from the supermarket with a sack full of groceries.
Tomorrow it will be a month since we arrived in Boulder! It is crazy how quickly time flies over here...but it reminds me that I have to make the most of every moment. This week is another pre-race prep week as I am racing Buffalo Springs 70.3 on Sunday. The forecast temperature is supposed to be around 40 degrees which is going to add a little spice to the race!
That's about all from this end...apologies for the lack of worldly thoughts, maybe next week :)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Kansas 70.3 Race Report
Today was my first race of the US season, Kansas 70.3. I have managed to get some good training under my belt over the past few weeks in Boulder, so was looking forward to seeing where I was at against the competition over this side of the globe…and what better way to gauge a measure of my progress than race against the world’s best in Chrissie Wellington! Chrissie is the type of athlete that comes around once in a life time…if lucky. I look up to her as both a person and an athlete, so it was awesome to be toeing the start line with her.
Race start was an early 6.30am, which was good so as to beat the heat. The 1.9km swim was a one lapper in the Clinton Park Lake. It took me a while to get going in the swim, but after about a kilometre I started to find my rhythm. I exited the water in 5th place, made up a place in T1, and headed out onto the bike course in 4th.
The 90km 1 lap bike course took us out through the hilly back roads of Lawrence, Kansas. The roads were smooth and the winds favourable for the first half of the bike. I was feeling strong and managed to reel in one of the lead girls at about kilometre 40. With about 15 kilometres to go I was passed by another girl, where I then held my position and headed out onto the run in 4th.
The 2 lap 21.1km run course wound through the Clinton Park campgrounds and dropped down to the lake car park, where we then had to climb up and out of. The first lap felt fairly average, and I knew that if I were to hold my position then I would have to get moving. Luckily I started to feel a lot stronger in the final 10km and ended up running a PB 21.1km time of 1.27. I crossed the finishing line in 4th place Pro female, about 2min down on 3rd and some 18min down from Chrissie (if you want to be the best, you have to race the best!)
I was aiming for a top 6 finish so was pleased to come away with 4th and gain some more World Champs qualifying points and a tonne of experience that I will take with me into my next race at Buffalo Springs, TX in 2 weeks’ time.
Thanks to Cheryl for providing us with such a great homestay, it definitely helps me to stay relaxed prior to a race knowing that I’ve got a comfy bed to sleep in! Also a huge thanks to Sam for making the trek to Kansas with me and taking awesome photos and keeping Mum and Dad updated back home.
My result today gives me the confidence I need going into a season of tough racing over here in the US and it is a stepping stone to bigger and better things to come in the future. Happy days :)
Race start was an early 6.30am, which was good so as to beat the heat. The 1.9km swim was a one lapper in the Clinton Park Lake. It took me a while to get going in the swim, but after about a kilometre I started to find my rhythm. I exited the water in 5th place, made up a place in T1, and headed out onto the bike course in 4th.
The 90km 1 lap bike course took us out through the hilly back roads of Lawrence, Kansas. The roads were smooth and the winds favourable for the first half of the bike. I was feeling strong and managed to reel in one of the lead girls at about kilometre 40. With about 15 kilometres to go I was passed by another girl, where I then held my position and headed out onto the run in 4th.
The 2 lap 21.1km run course wound through the Clinton Park campgrounds and dropped down to the lake car park, where we then had to climb up and out of. The first lap felt fairly average, and I knew that if I were to hold my position then I would have to get moving. Luckily I started to feel a lot stronger in the final 10km and ended up running a PB 21.1km time of 1.27. I crossed the finishing line in 4th place Pro female, about 2min down on 3rd and some 18min down from Chrissie (if you want to be the best, you have to race the best!)
I was aiming for a top 6 finish so was pleased to come away with 4th and gain some more World Champs qualifying points and a tonne of experience that I will take with me into my next race at Buffalo Springs, TX in 2 weeks’ time.
Thanks to Cheryl for providing us with such a great homestay, it definitely helps me to stay relaxed prior to a race knowing that I’ve got a comfy bed to sleep in! Also a huge thanks to Sam for making the trek to Kansas with me and taking awesome photos and keeping Mum and Dad updated back home.
My result today gives me the confidence I need going into a season of tough racing over here in the US and it is a stepping stone to bigger and better things to come in the future. Happy days :)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
WEEK 22 - A Brief Week
Sunshine:) Sunburn:( Rattle snakes...in bushes. Cows...everywhere. Yoga...inner peace. Swimming...in the sunshine. Frozen yoghurt...unlimited variety, unlimited toppings. Altitude...breathing through a straw. Dairy Queen...almost McFlurry. Riding...up hills, down hills, everywhere. Massage...must stay awake, do not snore. Ward cookies...mmmm. Car hunting...Saturn. Burrito...1kg! Apple and rhubarb pie...thanks Cookie :) NBA finals...Dallas Mavericks...Dirk Nowitzki. Reubens...best burgers in town. Skunk...pooeee. Tom Selleck...Jesse Stone. Study...over it. New tri shoes...zoom zoom. Coffee...in love. Boulder Creek...ice bath. Best Buy...intense salesman. 30min abs for athletes...buff...one day. Colorado Rockies...fail. Coyotes...a sighting is imminent. Heating up...34.5 degrees tomorrow. Hawthorn...lucky we'll be back in time for GF! This week...Kansas 70.3 race prep. Home-grown chooks...best eggs ever. Bed time...zzzzz.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
WEEK 21 - Boulder!
For the next 4 months, weekly blog time is going to be Monday morning Australian time (which is Sunday afternoon US time). I was considering keeping the blog on Sunday evening Australian time however that would make it only Saturday over here, and seeing as Sundays are quite eventful days blog time has now changed. Hence the reason you may be reading this on a Monday and not a Sunday…phew!
It has been quite a big week. Sam and I left Melbourne last Monday morning bound for the US. After 30 hours of travel and one missing bag we finally arrived in Boulder, which is where we will be based for the next 4 months.It seems only yesterday that we were last here. It is great to be back and hardly anything has changed at all. However the place we are staying at now has chooks…which is quite the novelty!
For most of the week we have just been settling back in and adjusting to the time difference, altitude and the travel. All of these factors combined have left my body feeling pretty sluggish, however within the next week or so I should start to feel ‘normal’ again. One of the most important factors to consider when coming to altitude is to ensure the body has the time it needs to adjust before training hard again. Doing too much too soon will leave you buried in a hole which is very hard to get out of when up this high. As such I have only done about half my weekly volume with very little intensity. It’s a little frustrating as I want to be training hard straight away, however patience is the key and with my first race less than 2 weeks (Kansas 70.3) I want to be fresh and ready to go, not still recovering from pushing too hard too soon.
This morning I completed my first long run at an easy pace, however I made sure that I stayed on the heavily populated trails as this bear fear has still got the better of me…but I will conquer it!! I feel as though I have made some small progression though, as there are now a herd of cows on my favourite running trail that I have to run through, this would normally have freaked me right out however now I can run within a metre of them no worries!
On another note, I am currently watching Sam race in his first road race of the US season, the Superior-Morgul Classic. It’s a pretty big road race over here of about 80 mile. Since the peleton only comes past once every 17 mile I thought it a fine chance to blog in between laps. He has just gone through lap 3 of 6 and is sitting pretty in the middle of the bunch and looks good. I have been put on camera duty, so the following photos are of the race. Although I am not very good at multi-tasking so it is either photos or cheering, not both!
This week I’ll start to increase the training a bit more. Between sessions will be sleeping, eating and studying…as I have exams in less than 3 weeks. Studying over here is much more fun than studying at home, as Starbucks (and just about every other café, restaurant, shopping centre) has free WIFI, so I can set myself up on the compfy couches with a grande no whipped cream mocha with a shot of espresso (seriously the choices of coffee over here are mind boggling!) in one hand and study notes in the other. It is good to have something to do between sessions to keep my mind active rather than just watch countless episodes of Sex and the City!
I will check back in next week with another blog. In the meantime I have got the twitter account up and running Maddie_Oldfield
with regular updates, so be sure to hit the follow button and get with the Twitter rage!
It has been quite a big week. Sam and I left Melbourne last Monday morning bound for the US. After 30 hours of travel and one missing bag we finally arrived in Boulder, which is where we will be based for the next 4 months.It seems only yesterday that we were last here. It is great to be back and hardly anything has changed at all. However the place we are staying at now has chooks…which is quite the novelty!
For most of the week we have just been settling back in and adjusting to the time difference, altitude and the travel. All of these factors combined have left my body feeling pretty sluggish, however within the next week or so I should start to feel ‘normal’ again. One of the most important factors to consider when coming to altitude is to ensure the body has the time it needs to adjust before training hard again. Doing too much too soon will leave you buried in a hole which is very hard to get out of when up this high. As such I have only done about half my weekly volume with very little intensity. It’s a little frustrating as I want to be training hard straight away, however patience is the key and with my first race less than 2 weeks (Kansas 70.3) I want to be fresh and ready to go, not still recovering from pushing too hard too soon.
This morning I completed my first long run at an easy pace, however I made sure that I stayed on the heavily populated trails as this bear fear has still got the better of me…but I will conquer it!! I feel as though I have made some small progression though, as there are now a herd of cows on my favourite running trail that I have to run through, this would normally have freaked me right out however now I can run within a metre of them no worries!
On another note, I am currently watching Sam race in his first road race of the US season, the Superior-Morgul Classic. It’s a pretty big road race over here of about 80 mile. Since the peleton only comes past once every 17 mile I thought it a fine chance to blog in between laps. He has just gone through lap 3 of 6 and is sitting pretty in the middle of the bunch and looks good. I have been put on camera duty, so the following photos are of the race. Although I am not very good at multi-tasking so it is either photos or cheering, not both!
This week I’ll start to increase the training a bit more. Between sessions will be sleeping, eating and studying…as I have exams in less than 3 weeks. Studying over here is much more fun than studying at home, as Starbucks (and just about every other café, restaurant, shopping centre) has free WIFI, so I can set myself up on the compfy couches with a grande no whipped cream mocha with a shot of espresso (seriously the choices of coffee over here are mind boggling!) in one hand and study notes in the other. It is good to have something to do between sessions to keep my mind active rather than just watch countless episodes of Sex and the City!
I will check back in next week with another blog. In the meantime I have got the twitter account up and running Maddie_Oldfield
with regular updates, so be sure to hit the follow button and get with the Twitter rage!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
WEEK 20 - Food Glorious Food
I have spent the past week at home in Tassie being spoilt rotten by Mum and Dad. I love going home as Dads cooking is a-mazing and Mum makes pretty awesome desserts, alas I thought it appropriate to do a picture blog of my yummy meals...as it is going to be a while before I eat this well again! Most people may find this blog excrutiatingly boring, however there are a select few out there who are just as obessed with food as I am. So scroll down and have a look! mmm mmmmmm.
Rack of lamb with potatoes, gravy, peas and brussel sprouts
Slow Cooked Beef with Peas and Dumplings!
Fresh Pasta Meatballs with Chopped Tomato
Homemade Pizza
Chicken and Leek Pie (it whats on the inside that counts!)
Spaghetti Bolignaise (the favourite!)
Roast Beef with Gravy, Cauliflower Cheese, Brussel Sprouts, Sauteed Spinach, Pumpkin and Stuffed Tomato
So now that the important news is out of the way...Sam and I head off to Boulder tomorrow! At this stage the first race is Kansas 70.3 on June 12. Looking forward to getting to the warm!
Rack of lamb with potatoes, gravy, peas and brussel sprouts
Slow Cooked Beef with Peas and Dumplings!
Fresh Pasta Meatballs with Chopped Tomato
Homemade Pizza
Chicken and Leek Pie (it whats on the inside that counts!)
Spaghetti Bolignaise (the favourite!)
Roast Beef with Gravy, Cauliflower Cheese, Brussel Sprouts, Sauteed Spinach, Pumpkin and Stuffed TomatoSo now that the important news is out of the way...Sam and I head off to Boulder tomorrow! At this stage the first race is Kansas 70.3 on June 12. Looking forward to getting to the warm!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
WEEK 19 - Not So Smooth Sailing
I honestly thought it was all over on Friday night. I actually thought I was going to die. No one seems to take me too seriously when I recount what I thought were my last moments...but it was truly a frightful experience!
Melbourne has had it's fair share of horrendous weather this past week and Friday night was looking to be no different. Bad weather at night doesn't normally phase me...except when I have to cross Bass Strait on the trusty stead that is the Spirit of Tasmania.
Normally when I make the crossing it is quite a pain-free experience which usually involves boarding the boat, eating tea, going to bed, and then voila, arrival at destination. However Friday night was quite the opposite.
After eating tea at the restaurant on board, Dad and I went out on the deck to check out the scenery (although at 9 o'clock at night in the middle of the ocean not much can be seen), and phew it was windy!! Dad made me hold on tight to the rails as he said I could possibly blow away (not sure if he was joking or not, but I made sure I held on as tight as I could!) We decided to head back inside once it started pelting hail and the captain made an announcement that "we were to be in for a rough night with 100km/hr winds, lightening and unexpected patches of discomfort so sit back, relax and TRY to enjoy the ride!
This was when I thought it was best to just head to bed, sleep through the bumpy crossing of Bass Strait and wake up to Tassie in the morning. How wrong I was! As I settled into bed the rocking of the boat started to get bigger and bigger, until the boat was doing full blown smack downs on each wave. It was like one of those rides at the show where you climb, climb, climb and then BAM you hit the bottom...except on a ride it's kind of fun and only lasts about a minute. On the boat it is horrendous and lasted for hours on end. Each time the boat smacked into a wave I was sure it would capsize and that would be it, life over!
It was at this point that I decided to send a fair well message to Sam and say that if he didn't hear from me in the morning then I would be at the bottom of the ocean. Nice to know that he took me seriously when he responded with a "Safe Trip!!xx"
As much as I tried to sleep I swear I woke up every minute...even one time to the people in the cabin next door screaming! When I looked at my watch and saw that it was 5.30am I was so excited...until I realised that I was looking at my watch upside down and it was in fact 1.30am! Meh...still another 5 hours of this torture!
Meanwhile Dad was snoring his away through this nightmare. Although I did take some comfort in this as he has done the Sydney-Hobart yacht race something like 17 times, so if this didn't phase him then I shouldn't worry...
Anyway, to cut a long story short I didn't die and we did make it to Tassie in one piece. I did in fact manage to get some sleep and when I awoke to the calm waters in Devonport I had to think twice as to whether I had just experienced a dream-nightmare or real life-nightmare. I conclude the latter...
Melbourne has had it's fair share of horrendous weather this past week and Friday night was looking to be no different. Bad weather at night doesn't normally phase me...except when I have to cross Bass Strait on the trusty stead that is the Spirit of Tasmania.
Normally when I make the crossing it is quite a pain-free experience which usually involves boarding the boat, eating tea, going to bed, and then voila, arrival at destination. However Friday night was quite the opposite.
After eating tea at the restaurant on board, Dad and I went out on the deck to check out the scenery (although at 9 o'clock at night in the middle of the ocean not much can be seen), and phew it was windy!! Dad made me hold on tight to the rails as he said I could possibly blow away (not sure if he was joking or not, but I made sure I held on as tight as I could!) We decided to head back inside once it started pelting hail and the captain made an announcement that "we were to be in for a rough night with 100km/hr winds, lightening and unexpected patches of discomfort so sit back, relax and TRY to enjoy the ride!
This was when I thought it was best to just head to bed, sleep through the bumpy crossing of Bass Strait and wake up to Tassie in the morning. How wrong I was! As I settled into bed the rocking of the boat started to get bigger and bigger, until the boat was doing full blown smack downs on each wave. It was like one of those rides at the show where you climb, climb, climb and then BAM you hit the bottom...except on a ride it's kind of fun and only lasts about a minute. On the boat it is horrendous and lasted for hours on end. Each time the boat smacked into a wave I was sure it would capsize and that would be it, life over!
It was at this point that I decided to send a fair well message to Sam and say that if he didn't hear from me in the morning then I would be at the bottom of the ocean. Nice to know that he took me seriously when he responded with a "Safe Trip!!xx"
As much as I tried to sleep I swear I woke up every minute...even one time to the people in the cabin next door screaming! When I looked at my watch and saw that it was 5.30am I was so excited...until I realised that I was looking at my watch upside down and it was in fact 1.30am! Meh...still another 5 hours of this torture!
Meanwhile Dad was snoring his away through this nightmare. Although I did take some comfort in this as he has done the Sydney-Hobart yacht race something like 17 times, so if this didn't phase him then I shouldn't worry...
Anyway, to cut a long story short I didn't die and we did make it to Tassie in one piece. I did in fact manage to get some sleep and when I awoke to the calm waters in Devonport I had to think twice as to whether I had just experienced a dream-nightmare or real life-nightmare. I conclude the latter...
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