2015 Racing: What I had not planned for

Those of you who follow me might recall my somewhat disastrous end to my 2014 season. Against my better judgement, I attempted a 2nd Ironman of the season with little to no preparation. The results were not as dramatic as this picture looks, but I did end up visiting the ER in Calella, Spain to get a silly cast placed on my foot:

And so I decided that 2015 would need a new course.  I hired myself a new coach, who had a very different mindset from my previous coach.  Suddenly it was about life first, plan training around that.  If you are tired, go easy.  Hurry slowly.  This meant more time to do stuff with the family and prioritize differently.  :)  Here are Jesper and kids in Lanzarote on a submarine....

Another big difference with new coach was, I could race as much as I liked!  And not just a race to "go easy and get some training", the instruction was always "go for the win!".  I raced often this season, did well on many occasions, and absolutely loved it.  Here is a race I won early in the season, together with my better half  Jesper, in a mixed team time trial:

I was even lucky enough to win a race on Mother's day, that I could dedicate to my mum.  She was pleased to have received a virtual Mother's day gift of flowers I had won.  :)

Some days I even won money, like this race I did to support my club who was organizing the race:

A big advantage of racing locally is being able to take the family along.  Here is a day when all 4 of us ran.  8k for me and 5k for the rest of them.  I managed to see all of them during the run, and was at the finish line to greet them when they came in.  Great day for the family!

But things did not always go according to plan.  Kraichgau 70.3 (Germany, 10 hours drive away), where I had hoped to qualify for the world championship, was a bit of a disaster.  It was warmer than I expected (30+ degrees) and my head was in the wrong place.  I finished 16th (as opposed to on the podium) and was quite disappointed with myself.

But Mr Coach didn't seem to think it was a big deal.  Told me to go out and race again 2 weeks later.  #2HalfIMsin2Weeks??  Apparently so.  I did, and came home with a surprise trophy.  I came 3rd, and secured my slot to the world championship.  Well, why did I go all the way to Germany to do this then??  By pure chance this was Father's day and I could dedicate this win to my dad!

Threw in a sprint triathlon the weekend after and managed to be part of a champagne podium bath, a first for me.  :)

By now it was summer holidays and I had a month off to recover and enjoy some summer holidays with the family.  Another last minute race early August found me winning yet more money in a half ironman race in Fredericia.  I passed the race leader early in the run and proceeded to win by almost 3 minutes.

Final goal for the season was world championship for 70.3 in Austria.  I had no expectations for this race other than go out and have a great time.  I wasn't sure I would be doing another world championship in the near future.  I had a great time and picked up some great souvenirs.  I did myself proud when I dropped around 40 girls in the mountains on the bike.  I finished 38th in the world (!), good enough to place me in the top 1% in the world ranking for half Ironman.

And so what remained was finishing the season off with New York City marathon in November.  Not really a goal for the season, but rather something cool to do.  In the process I managed to win a half marathon by a whopping 13 minutes:

Sadly that was the last good run I would have before the NYC marathon.  I injured myself 4 weeks out from the race, and did no running for the 4 weeks prior to the marathon.  Less than ideal, but hey, this is New York!!

If you believe in miracles, then my marathon in New York might qualify as one.  I stood at the start line saying to my friends, "Well, I don't even know if I can run.".  Last time I tried (5 days before), I could barely jog slowly, and hurt very much the day after.  But well, I could run.  It was cool to start (I was so excited that I could run with no pain!!) but became a big struggle towards the end.  I fought and fought and fought, and never gave up to walking.  I finished in 3:33:38, not much slower than my best marathon time in an Ironman.  Not much slower than many people's PB in a marathon.  In fact faster than many people's PB in a marathon.  I was so proud.  My hard earned medal:

The moral of the story?  Well, to me, the moral of the story is that you can't always plan how things turn out.  You can hope to train, train, and hope for the best, but you never know what life will throw at you, during training or during the race.  But you can make the best out of the situation.  Be grateful for what you can get do.  Control your attitude.  Keep smiling, even when you can't walk any more.  :)

I am grateful to my coach Robbie Haywood from trisutto.com for encouraging me and putting up with my grumpiness and challenges, and for letting me race as often as I pleased.  Also big thank you to my biggest fan and better half Jesper, and our family who has helped enable our racing lifestyles.

Roll on 2016!

Complete set of 2015 results, in case you are interested:

Podium results:

EAM winter run series (winter) - 1st female

Brørup parløb (April) - 1st mixed team
Ringkøbing 1/2 marathon (May) - 1st female
Fredericia Vikingman 1/2 half ironman Aaugust) - 1st female by 3 minutes
Herning løbet 1/2 marathon (September) - 1st female by 13 minutes
Vrøgum løbet 8km (May) - 2nd female
Esbjerg stafetten (August) - 2nd all female team
Kronborg 70.3 (June) - 3rd in age group and qualified for World Championship

Other results:
Jels duathlon (April)  - 4th female
Kraichgau 70.3 (June) - 16th in age group (disappointed)
World Championship 70.3 (August) - 38th
New York marathon (November) - 3:33:38 after 4 weeks of no running

Overall result 2015:  Top 1% in the world at half Ironman (70.3) distance :)

Finally getting off the fence - #50WomentoKona

To start with, let's clarify my position.  I am a female Age Group triathlete, but also a big time triath-a-geek.  So much so that I thought "triath-a-geek" was a concept the average person would understand, but my partner advised me otherwise.  :P  But to illustrate my triath-a-geek-ness, here is a post I posted on Facebook not long before Challenge Bahrain:

I follow pro women races so closely that I know them by name.  That makes me a huge fan, supporter, groupie-if-I-could-be, sort of person.  So it has troubled me a bit, to watch the developments of the 50 Women to Kona campaign, without being drawn into it.  Whilst I am all for equality (I am a minority female engineer in the oil industry and know all about it), something about the campaign did not sit right with me.

I did not think that any, or perhaps many, deserving pro women were missing out on Kona, because there were only 35 slots.  To this triath-a-geek, the big names were in.  On the other hand, was it right that there were less women represented in this big race?  I didn't really think so either.  Following trirating.com suggests that pro women needed to work harder to qualify,  So something was amiss, I just never figured out what.

But today I was enlightened.  I read a great post by trisutto.com who suggests that rather than fighting for 50 slots for women, we should be fighting for a compromise of equality e.g. 40 men AND women to Kona.  Now that I can buy in to.  Let's make this an equal playing field, not necessarily by sending 50 Women to Kona.

By lowering the standards for women, you end up with the risk of me turning up in Kona as a pro, and I certainly do not deserve that.  There are many pseudo-pros who have a pro licence, but work and live a normal life beside it.  I could in theory be one of those, and I certainly would not want to devalue the true pros who have devoted their lives to this sport.  I am just a part-timer who gets to enjoy the finer things in life whilst dabbling in triathlon, albeit seriously....  :)

Let's focus instead on increasing the value of the true, good pros.  The Mirinda Carfrae, Daniela Ryf, Rachel Joyce, Jodie Swallow, Helle Frederiksen, Camilla Perdersen, Michelle Vesterby, etc of the world (and yes that list is Danish biased). They deserve it!

Winter Training in All its Glamour

Good for:  Building fitness during cold winter months

Not so good for:  Staying entertained

So let's do something different and start this blog with a question.  What is wrong with this picture?

I can forsee many answers...  Cycling next to a washing machine.  Almost exposed arse.  Weird laptop screen on top of washing machine.  Cycling indoors.  Taking a picture of all of the above.  :P

But this is the reality of winter training when you live in the colder parts of Europe.  To be a fair weather trainer is to not be much of a trainer at all.  So you make the best of what you have.  An indoor trainer, with a laptop for entertainment.  Sometimes with a washing machine and a dryer for company.  Always with towels and rugs to mop up the sweat.

But I don't complain (much)....  It makes you stronger in your mind if you can race against nothing on a stationery bike.  It is good value for time spent, because you don't have to worry about turns and traffic lights.  Just get on the bike and get it done.

Happy days, roll on race season 2015!

Reflecting on the season gone by

Good for:  A reminder to be thankful; lessons to be carried forward
Not so good for:  Facing the reality of a race that did not go to plan; accepting finishing the season with a DNF (Did Not Finish)

So it's been more than 2 weeks since my somewhat disastrous Ironman Barcelona.  Two weeks of pretending it never happened, two weeks of not unpacking my suitcases, two weeks of alternating between "you did the right thing" and "why didn't you just finish it?!?", two weeks of basically moping around.  :P

But I started running (a.k.a. jogging) on Monday.  I only managed 2k.  On Tuesday I managed 3k.  And this is 2 weeks after seeing my doctor and being told it will take 4-6 weeks before I can do anything again.  I guess I did the right thing after all.  Who knew that 2 weeks from this cast, I would be out running again??

And so today, I am ready to finally spend some time in reflection....

Reality is, 2014 was a very unconventional season.   I had decided (against my will) that I would do what was fun, and fit with my life, no more, no less.  If it didn't fit, well that was just too bad.  

So the year started with a new year ski trip to Austria (January):

This was followed closely by another ski trip, this time with kids (February):

Where I set an all time record for ski speed, or something.....

Next I realised my work and residence permit for Denmark was expiring, and I needed a new passport (March).  So I made a flying trip to Malaysia to renew my passport, and spend some time with my family (including building some Lego with my brother)....

When I got back to Denmark, I realised I only had around a month to prepare for my first "real" marathon without a 7 hour warm up (of an Ironman).  Three weeks of run training and I was "ready" for Paris Marathon (April).  Great experience to be shared with my parents and my better half, Jesper.  

 

I ran a 3:12 marathon which I was happy with, all things considered.  It was what I thought I could do, and did do.  So happy I might have knocked a few others on the head in my excitement to get to the finish line....

I then had the privilege of spending my Easter holidays with my parents in Denmark.  Guess the arm waving runs in the family?!

Next up, Jesper was doing a race, Grejsdalsløbet (May) in Vejle.  I was just along for the ride....

And then I thought it would be a good idea to do a mini training camp in Mallorca, all by myself...

...in preparation for Ironman 70.3 Aarhus (June), where I started the run in 9th place and ran my way into 2nd place.  Bonus:  Lucky enough to have stayed at a lovely campsite with a view....

I qualified for the World Championship for Ironman 70.3 but declined my slot, in favour of a different project this year, Ironman Copenhagen.

But before that, it was our summer holidays with the kids (July)!  We brought our shiny new caravan to Austria, where apparently they decided to build their mountains very steep.  My time trial bike looked pretty out of context here.  :)

Finally, it was IM Copenhagen (August).  It was a good race, where I took off 18 minutes from my previous PB at an Ironman distance.  A 10:33 Ironman is perfectly respectable, although I didn't realise this was my time as I ran down the finish chute with my flag:

I came 6th, 4-5 minutes away from qualifying for my dream race, Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.  Damn.

I then decided it would be a good idea to sign up for another Ironman, and signed up for Ironman Barcelona in the beginning of October.  So started my new campaign of #2IMsin6weeks.  However, I had an additional challenge to get through before then, Coast to Coast of the Pyrenees with Jesper and PP Cycling.

One week of cycling (September).  35 hours.  735km.  There were tears and there were smiles.  But it was all smiles at the end of the tour:

We had fantastic company, guides and beers:

But I as in dangerous territory, I had been sick, and was still sick by the end of the tour, and leading in to the race.

So starting Ironman Barcelona (October) was a bit of a bad idea, if I were honest with myself.  Maybe if I hadn't caught a cold, it could have been better.  Maybe if I hadn't cycled 35 hours in a week when my normal training hours was more like 10 hours per week, just 3 weeks before the race, it could have been better.  Maybe if I hadn't done another Ironman 6 weeks, it could have been better.  Who knows.

But fact was, I was there.  And so I decided to make the best out of it. Enjoy the experience.  And I did!  I had the opportunity to experience Oktoberfest in Calella!

And enjoy some fantastic seafood along the way!

But the race was not to be.  It started with a morning storm:

And you could argue that it was the storm before the storm.  :)

I pulled out of the race 23.5km into the run.  My Achilles hurt from step 1.  And it just got worse and worse.  My decision to pull out was based on the fact that I was not going to run a fast marathon, and did not fancy walking 20k back to the finish line (as it turned out I had run further than I thought).  I didn't need another finisher medal, and well, I didn't think the risk of being wheeled off in an ambulance was worth "just finishing" the race.

Tough decision.  But I guess it was the right one, knowing what I know today.  Turns out I had damaged my Achilles, probably from riding too hard in a bad position on the bike.  So I am happy that 2.5 weeks later, I am walking almost pain free and able to start running (jogging) again.

So I am grateful.  For being lucky enough to be able to do all of the above.  It's been an interesting year, if just a bit random.  Ten months of non stop action!!  Time to regroup and think about my plan for 2015.

PS:  Missy says "thank you" to her babysitters who look after her whilst I go gallivanting all over the world.  :)

US$3.78 million in the postbox

Good for:  Entertainment value and wishful thinking
Not so good for:  Presumably my bank account at a later stage

So, I collected this letter from my mailbox today:

Being an unbeliever of anything too good to be true, my first instinct was to Google it. And there you have it.  A letter that has been sent out again and again, for the last 4 years or so.  Same address, same name, same amount, same story.   Presumably hand signed too, just like mine.

Wow.  Why would anyone sit and look up new names and addresses, to send a letter to, years on end, unless there is a remote chance of success??  Turns out the story is, at some point, the sender will ask you for some money.  Duh.  What else could this be about....  Surely, surely, surely, people do not take letters like this seriously?  Please?!

I would be tempted to create a bogus email address and send this dude some abusive emails, except he knows where I live.  I blame the Danish (maybe Scandinavian since there were a lot of similar stories from Sweden) system of publishing names and addresses on the Internet.  :P

Cycling holiday across the Pyrenees

Good for:  Gaining some bike fitness
Not so good for:  Confidence (if I get my arse kicked by the guys)

So, before I decided to take on my latest challenge of 2-Ironmans-in-6-weeks, I had signed up for a cycle holiday across the Pyrenees.  Called Coast-to-Coast, with 800+km of cycling over 19,000+m of ascent from the East Coast of the Pyrenees (Perpignan) to the West Coast of the Pyrenees (Biarritz), I had my challenge set out for me.  But not an entirely new challenge, as I had done something similar across the Alps, starting from Switzerland and ending in Nice.  But I digress.....

Two weeks plus after Ironman Copenhagen and I can finally run again.  As in, run faster than the 6:20 min/km pace I was running a few days after the race.  I am back to my racing ways of 4:50 min/km of easy running, yay!  And next week we head off to France for a crazy week of cycling.

The hope?    Boost my cycle strength and do Ironman Barcelona in 10:15.  There.  I said it.  Another 17 minutes off my current PB set in Copenhagen 2 weeks ago, which was almost 20 minutes better than my previous PB from 2011.  Game on...

Racing an Ironman, or make that 2!

Good for:  Collecting a cool medal, looking forward to post race treats (see picture)
Not so good for:  Poor tired legs

So today marks 1-week-after Ironman Copenhagen.  I could post a picture of my medal but I've already done that.  I could post a picture of my swollen feet from last week but that would be boring.  So you get a picture of my dinner-with-my-biggest-fan from last night.  :)

Racing is great, but it is even better with the support of friends and family.  Many people follow me on Facebook, apps, in real life, whatever else they can find, whilst I run around for 10.5 hours completing my Ironman.  It is much appreciated, and this post goes out to all my supporters.  :)

For the record, we get to do it all over again in 5 weeks, on the 5th of October, where I will race Ironman Barcelona, just for fun.  :P