New year, new me?

… and then she disappeared from the surface if the blogosphere. I don’t want to dwell on the last few months of 2011, and why I haven’t emptied the contents of my head in this blog on a regular basis. To summarise briefly, I had no time due to trying to finish my thesis, I wasn’t training very much – so what to talk about now?, and I was not in a happy place.

Kona: The Race Report

The Swim

2 years ago this was carnage. To avoid being beaten up this time we made a plan to start all the way to the left. I’m not entirely sure why, but somehow we ended up right in the middle. Carnage again, but slightly less. Tobi who had managed to go all the way to the left, reported a trouble-free swim. Noted for next time! I stopped 3 times to put my goggles back on, and got dunked and kicked in the stomach a few times, but that was about it. I do know though that my technique was absolute pants for the first half of the swim: Head high, bum low – not what I tell my swimmers every Friday night.

Kona: Pre race check-in

I’m not sure whether I’m writing this for myself or for others, but I guess in either case, it may be interesting to some. It certainly is a very honest post. Today is the day before the race, and whatever shape I’m in now, I will be in tomorrow. Training is long done, I’m fuelled up, and it’s just a short night’s sleep away before I’ll be treading water with 2000 other athletes next to the pier.

Kona: Days 4 to 7

The relaxed theme of the first few days continues. Two years ago we really never went out for meals, partly because we had not cruiser bikes to get around so easily, partly because we were skint. No change to the latter fact (at least for me), but then you only live once, and you only go to Hawaii every so often. Spontaneous trips to restaurants, the ‘White Sands Beach’ for a quick dip are welcome and frequent, interspersed with spots of training, eating, and putting our feet up.

Kona: Days 1 to 3

Today is day 4 of our stay on the big island, and I finally have some time to write a decent blog entry. Considering that I’m only here for the second time it all had a remarkable ‘coming home’ feeling. It also explains why the blogging took a backseat. So many people to meet, so many places to re-visit. And I’ve also taken some work – got to get this PhD finished haven’t I?! I’m claiming that it’s good distraction from pre race jitters.

Hawaii – we’re here!

Photo stop on first training ride on the Queen K highway

September was busy, busy, busy. I trained a lot. I slept a lot, I worked a bit and continued my hunt for a job. It went pretty well apart from the fact that I certainly didn’t quite manage to the progress on the PhD front I had envisioned. Once again I had to admit to myself that I’m not superwoman. Somehow I got to the end of the month uninjured but very deprived of sleep. I was so tired that the first night sleep in Kona was the best I had in weeks. And that is saying something given my experience from 2 years ago. Jetlag non existing!

Château de Chantilly Tri Race Report

Another castle, another race. However, despite many laughing at me when I voiced the hope that Northern France might not be too hilly – ‘It’s a castle, they are usually built on a hill!’ – I struck lucky here. Picture book castle with a moat, but no hill in sight. Score #1!

Post race in front of pretty castle with bike dressed with fast & sexy Strada wheels