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 :)

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.  :)

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...

Touchscreen Notebook

Good for:  Coolness factor, surprisingly convenient option of "touching the screen" to do what you want

Not so good for:  Older techno-phobes, Windows 8 annoying interface

Things have been a bit quiet on my side for the last week and a bit.  Reason being, I was first getting ready for and am now on, a flying visit to Malaysia! Being a true Malaysian who lives abroad, I have 2 interesting items on my agenda:  Eating and shopping.  :P  

I'll save eating for another post, but today I went shopping with my family. 

First I was dazzled by the colours clothes in F.O.S., and eventually I bought a touchscreen notebook.  I am not keen on Apple products, and do not own or use any computers other than my work machine, and my mini laptop at home.  So this is my primary means of storing data, tracking training and social-media-ing.  My criteria of selection was coolness, small(and light)ness and ability to transfer and process training data and pictures.

I first looked at a tablet with a keyboard option, but was told that whilst it appeared to be equivalent to a laptop, a tablet is not capable of supporting special software that I use regularly such as Adobe Acrobat, Garmin Training Centre, and Suunto Movescount. It was "USB capable" but only had one USB port.  And it did not have an SD card reader.  Good to know.  That just rendered it incapable of fulfilling 60% of my requirements.  So it was back to a more traditional laptop option in the end.  But with a touchscreen, hah!  It had to be cool in some way, right?!?

Hello Spring!

Good for:  Better weather for more outdoor training, outdoor meals, BBQs, etc (keyword being outdoors!)
Not so good for:  Unpredictable weather (it might snow in spring in Denmark)

With my ever improving Danish, I heard this on the radio today:  "Today is the last day of winter..."  Yay!  So I guess it is spring.....  I must confess that the picture above was more likely to have been taken in summer though.  :P

With spring comes new flowers, baby animals and most importantly (hopefully) better weather.  Don't get me wrong, I like winter for what it is - Christmas and candles and cozy windowsills.  But I do not enjoy cycling in the wind and rain.  Much as I enjoyed the spinning sessions with the local cycle club, I look forward to cycling outdoors in the (even if flat) Danish countryside, and even more so to the impending race season.  Game on!  :)

Oh yes, and did I mention BBQs??  That starts tomorrow...  :D

Examining the soles of your running shoes

Good for:  Getting an idea about your running style and what shoes suit you best
Not so good for:  Muddy shoes indoors :)

I remember a time when I bought the cheapest trainer on offer in the sports' shop when I was a student in the UK.  I ended up running in weird shoes, the weirdest being an indoor tennis shoe, although I did not know it at the time.  Then I started buying "real" running shoes from a running shop in Aberdeen.  The recommended shoe at the time were "stability shoes", something I wore for many years after.

That is, until I noticed the sole of my shoes last year.  The picture above shows my current running shoe.  As you can see, it is unevenly worn, with the inner, bottom part of the soles practically brand new.  I am a mid- to fore-foot striker.  Even more interestingly, it was a natural running shoe (bought from my friendly local shoe shop) which I would now not trade in for any of the padded stuff you get on the market today.

But you can learn a lot by looking at the last pair of shoes you have been running in.  Bring them to your local shop and they will be able to give you some good advice.  :)

Weekend free time

Good for:  Getting some training done, chilling out, doing something interesting
Not so good for:  Getting work done in the office (as if!)

I often get asked, "So how many hundred kilometres are you cycling this weekend?" or something similar.  The answer is actually "less than one" at this time of the year.  Weekends are good for some training, but more importantly they are used to "recover" from a busy week and having some fun.  Here is a sample of what I did this weekend:

Swimming (1hr)

Cycling (2 hrs)

Running (0.5 hr)

Sleeping (lots!)

Out for dinner (2 hours)

Visiting an exhibition (5 hours)

The last event also involved almost buying a caravan.  :)  Fun and recovery are important when the weather is cold and windy like it is in Denmark at the moment....

Have a great week!

Suunto Ambit2 S

Good for:  A "normal" looking watch with geeky functionalities, a very small wrist, compatibility with gym equipment (e.g. iQniter used for spinning at Varde Fysioterapi & Traeningscenter)

Not so good for:  Configuration on the go, compatibility with Training Peaks

Ok so the picture is a bit weird.  I have tried to illustrate just how small my wrist is by comparing it to a can of tomatoes.  :P

But that said, I recently (albeit a few months ago) decided to venture off the path of Garmin (Forerunner 910X being my last purchase) after 7 years, to try something new.  I had experienced a lot of hardware problems with my Forerunners in the past, so I bought myself a fancy Suunto Ambit2 S.  First impressions:  It looks cool!

But turns out that it is not as easy as the Forerunner (maybe I am just opposed to change), and everything has to be pre-configured from their proprietary website, Movescount.  This means you cannot suddenly decide you want to add "Auto Pause" to the watch whilst you are out running and stopped at a traffic light.

All in all it was good to try something else.  Even if to convince myself that it was worth dealing with the hardware problems of the Garmin Forerunners.  But this white watch looks better and weighs less on my little wrist.  :)

Spinning with your local club

Good for:  Getting your heart rate up and showing off how fit you are, motivation in cold winter months, alternative to having snow fall on your head whilst cycling outdoors on a roller

Not so good for:  Cycle technique, sweating like a pig

So I started doing spin classes with my local cycle club, Varde Cykelclub, this winter.  It is good fun, with a show-off opportunity of having your heart rate displayed on the big screen.  Being the ever competitive person, I have now managed to record up to 199 bpm heart rate, something I have never seen before in real, outdoor life.  Followed by pretending to be completely in control after, "199bpm?  No sweat, baby!".  Or something.....

But I also discovered that too much spinning = forget how to cycle a real bike. So I've agreed with myself once a week of spinning is ok.  Need to get on to a real bike the other 1-2 times per week.  :)

Welcome

Welcome to Trivestyle, and thank you for visiting.  Trivestyle is my new project, an attempt to reinvent my life.

You see, I have tried various modes of life.  Once upon a time I thought my goal in life was to get married and live happily ever after.  Well, that did not happen for me.  So I tried triathlon instead.  Which has been a fantastic journey, that has brought me to some beautiful and exciting places.  When I started, I did triathlon for fun.  Completely random training and race choices.  Then I thought I could be world champion.  So I hired a coach and took it very seriously....

Two years on, and I know I will never be world champion.  Fine by me, I just wanted to find out of it was possible.  And so now I embark on a new journey....  How do I thrive in a life that includes triathlon on top of a "normal" life?  I am up for trying new things and concepts, and will keep you posted along the way.  My ultimate goal?  To be happy with my life.

Let the journey begin!

Cross Country Skiing

Good for:  Building endurance, peace and quiet, lovely views, feeling alone

Not so good for:  Injuries (skis do not clip out when you fall!), legs not used to cross country skiing

So, I went on a ski holiday recently, to Trysil, with boyfriend and his kids and mum.  In an attempt to stay fit and/or get fitter, I did some cross country skiing.

Loved the peace and tranquillity of being out in the open mountain, but my legs did not like being used in a way that they are not used to.  I would recommend it for cross-training when on a ski holiday, but be prepared to be sore after.  Also be prepared for sweat drenched clothes if you wear too much, and be warned that the weather might change dramatically when you get to the other side of the mountain.  Been there, done that.  :D