Geelong Coast Line
Phil, my manager, sent a note two weeks ago with the message “what do you think of doing the Geelong half?” With Abu Dhabi on my mind it was a definite training opportunity – a hard days work among many others. Racing pushes you more than any training session can. It brings excitement, intensity and adrenaline. It gives you that extra edge. Geelong Long Course became the perfect opportunity to get the kinks out before toeing the line at “the big one.”
So Wednesday after a hard bike hill session I started stepping back from training and praying that my legs would come around to give a solid effort on Sunday. It is amazing how your body can go from feeling the burn as you climb a stair, the kind that you actually lean forward to have your hands help you get up, to being able to bounce up them (almost). Friday I arrived into Geelong late at night mostly ready to go.
So Wednesday after a hard bike hill session I started stepping back from training and praying that my legs would come around to give a solid effort on Sunday. It is amazing how your body can go from feeling the burn as you climb a stair, the kind that you actually lean forward to have your hands help you get up, to being able to bounce up them (almost). Friday I arrived into Geelong late at night mostly ready to go.
The men and women were starting together for this race – something I am usually very happy about. This start however, was not the smoothest for me. A horn went and we were off... false alarm. Hate that. Back to the line. My second start was not all that much better than my first. I was not aggressive enough so by the time I started swimming I had a lot of work to do to get through the mens chase pack. I ended up swimming by myself in between the front and chase pack. Sadly for me Emma Moffat and Anna Cleaver were in that lead pack. I started 1:30 down onto the bike.
These days when I race I am consistent and usually negative split. I don't go too hard to start and usually get better as I go. This race was no different. I stayed “safe” plugging away but not getting any ground on the leaders. The girls behind me actually gained on me. Not good. Every time I started to really move I thought, great my legs are going to give me something here and I can finally gain ground. Every turnaround though there were those darn girls. The second lap I thought – ok you got to do something here Hoogland. Thirteen minutes HARD. Then reassess. At the turnaround they were still there. Twenty minutes HARD. Still there. One hour ended up passing while I upped the pace and finally I put some time into some of the girls. Definitely a negative split, an additional 15 watts on that second lap and lots of room to improve.
I love getting to the run now. I tried something new with my nutrition. At my last Ironman in Cozumel I realized too late that 9 hours of gels was a little much no matter how much you like them. So Brandon Marsh gave me the idea to have a GU chomp every mile. Just stick it in no matter what and either chew or dissolve the calories. And so I did. I have to say that it worked for me and so the strategy for Ironman nutrition unfolds again.
As hard as I tried I was not able to run Anna Cleaver (third place) down in this race. I ended up fourth. Solid but a step from the podium. Bummer. I keep reminding myself the point of the race – hard training day but really would I be where I would be if fourth was good enough? Nope. And so 3 weeks to go – going to make every one of those days count. Hard work and recovery. And maybe some chocolate to keep me going. Onwards!
These days when I race I am consistent and usually negative split. I don't go too hard to start and usually get better as I go. This race was no different. I stayed “safe” plugging away but not getting any ground on the leaders. The girls behind me actually gained on me. Not good. Every time I started to really move I thought, great my legs are going to give me something here and I can finally gain ground. Every turnaround though there were those darn girls. The second lap I thought – ok you got to do something here Hoogland. Thirteen minutes HARD. Then reassess. At the turnaround they were still there. Twenty minutes HARD. Still there. One hour ended up passing while I upped the pace and finally I put some time into some of the girls. Definitely a negative split, an additional 15 watts on that second lap and lots of room to improve.
I love getting to the run now. I tried something new with my nutrition. At my last Ironman in Cozumel I realized too late that 9 hours of gels was a little much no matter how much you like them. So Brandon Marsh gave me the idea to have a GU chomp every mile. Just stick it in no matter what and either chew or dissolve the calories. And so I did. I have to say that it worked for me and so the strategy for Ironman nutrition unfolds again.
As hard as I tried I was not able to run Anna Cleaver (third place) down in this race. I ended up fourth. Solid but a step from the podium. Bummer. I keep reminding myself the point of the race – hard training day but really would I be where I would be if fourth was good enough? Nope. And so 3 weeks to go – going to make every one of those days count. Hard work and recovery. And maybe some chocolate to keep me going. Onwards!
Ode to my Sponsors
Saturday I got to meet the Scody crew at the expo. Having sponsors is a big and important part of being a professional athlete and are far more than a product that we want to endorse. They are often the people at the race who you know have your back, will solve problems and be the face that says – you can do this and get it done. Meeting Bernard and Kristina from Scody, hearing from them the effort they have put into the fabrics, design, cuts of the garments, where they have been made (Australia!), the interest they have in creating a positive experience for everyone in their brand and just being good people, means so much. Check out the video about the race!
Specialized as always did not disappoint. I am not sure where Specialized finds their crew but no matter where I am in the world, the mechanics are brilliant. They live and breath the passion for Specialized bikes, their belief in Specialized athletes and bring attention to every detail of their work. Arriving to the tent I met Dan and mentioned casually that there was something up with my gears. Three hours and a few new cables and housing later my Shiv was a dream. He worked on and fixed every small and big problem there was. Second problem came at the end of the day when I found I had a flat tubular tire. Not an easy fix. It requires a new tire, new glue and essentially time and work. Dan again to the rescue. “Tenille – I'll fix it. Go home. Rest. I'll check your bike into transition and text you so you know it is done.” I wanted to kiss the guy. Sure enough that evening and I received a text with my beautiful Shiv sitting on the rack ready to go. If you want the best, you have to get the best and Specialized does not compromise or ever cut corners. Thanks Specialized!
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