Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka!

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:54:26 -0800

I can’t even come close in finding words to describe how crazy a place Sri Lanka is. As Bry very accurately put it “the most beautiful sh#$ hole on the planet”. The people, lovely and very accommodating. The countryside, gorgeous. The standard of living, very poor for most. The traffic, organised chaos, perhaps. Take this, bring an alien sport to the country’s capital city, and just begin to imagine the result. Whilst I can’t relay an accurate account of how the weekend went down, I will attempt to give you a taste test. What I can tell you is that unless you were here, unless you were out on that bike course on Sunday, I can’t even come close to describing what we experienced out on the streets of Colombo. Yes, it was scary. Yes, perhaps it was (a little) dangerous. Yes each and everyone of our hearts were pounding through our chests just negotiating the bike course and arriving into T2 alive. But I must say it was also very exciting, not a dull moment, and very different to any other bike course I or anyone else had ever ridden in a triathlon. The inaugural Ironman 70.3 event is one that will forever stay in my mind, and I am so very pleased to have been a part of the event.
In this cricket crazed land we were aliens, riding around on bikes worth more than their Tuk-tuk’s, the locals a little confused yet intrigued as to who we were and what we were doing. The local media showed great interest, with the press conference busier than that of some of the largest races on the circuit. Questions included what the race involved, how long it would take us, how many locals were participating, and how big this event may grow in future years. Local sponsors including Kik Cola, Red Bull and Elephant House were represented, as well as local police & army militia, one of which had a joke sharing with me that their home cricket team had just defeated my own, by 8 wickets. Ironically I know about as much about cricket as they do triathlon.
We find the local people very friendly and accommodating, and the Taj Samudra in which we stay extremely comfortable. The 25m pool and well equipped gym provides the perfect training ground in our backyard, yet the roads present a challenge that not many dared to venture onto. Bry and I decided to head out early Saturday morning just on light, and managed half an hour comprising 4 loops along the beach front. Of greatest concern were the stray dogs, some of which hardly even noticed our existence, others that decided to have a go. My intimidation tactics developed in Thailand in 2010 came in handy more than once, although the only tactics used with the local buses was to stay well out of the way & Tuk Tuk’s were generally just best avoided. Lap 1 was intriguing, lap 2 fun, lap 3 getting busier and by lap 4 I wanted out! An experience yet one I was happy to avoid on Sunday, there was to be a complete road closure for the entirety of the event.
Along came race day and with it more challenges for the organising crew, including those from USM Events in Australia who had flown over 3 days before to assist in getting this event off the ground. Our 6am scheduled start was moved to 6:20 (it was still pitch black at 6!) and once in the water warming up we were told 6:30, then another 15 minutes later we were off and swimming. As many guessed it was concerns over the road closures, or lack of, with the ground staff trying to communicate with local police to clear the road and provide a safe ride for the event participants. Yet in a land where our bikes looked like space ships, and with people wanting to carry on with their usual Sunday’s, closing the roads off suddenly wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
The situation provided a challenge to all, including local police and event staff, and we were faced with a very “exciting” bike leg. Coming from an adventure racing and mountain biking background, I often state the bike legs in triathlon are a little boring; not so today. With road’s coned off and with traffic controller’s on each corner, we were racing in amongst the hectic Sunday morning traffic of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital city. Buses stayed right until the bus stops, suddenly swerving in regardless of what was inside of them, and it was this exact situation that saw Bry take a tumble, with fortunately not too much skin lost. I soon found myself picking the best lines, overtaking Tuk Tuk’s, dodging buses and yelling at car’s in a couple of places where we had to turn across the traffic. It was defensive riding, heart in your throat, take chances or lose time. Some were luckier than others, a lot of packs had formed, although I rode the first two laps solo, catching Lucy with one lap to go.
The run was a bit of a disaster zone on most fronts, the only person that looked to be running a decent click Faris Al Sultan, winner of the men’s pro field. Aid stations manned by local children did a marvelous job of handing out drinks, despite their ice supplies melting within a half hour. This third leg of the race was simply about survival, there was nothing pretty or inspiring about it. Being first off the bike some may have thought I had the race tied up, but at this early stage in the season, and coming back from surgery only 3 months prior, for me it was about finishing my first race back this season, testing a new nutrition strategy, and not requiring any emergency port-a-loo stops. Mission accomplished, and with a podium finish at that.
In a sense you could criticise the race, the organisation, the traffic management plan; but to be honest and fair it was an inaugural race, in a country where triathlon is foreign, and where very limited time was in place to get the race off the ground (for reasons not explained here). Despite all of this, I believe the race was a success with everyone crossing the finish line in one piece and with a smile on their face. With the show displayed on Sunday the Sri Lankan government and local officials were impressed, they took note, and Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka will grow and prosper in future years. The bike course I believe will have a better traffic management plan next year, the run will still be hot as hell and the locals will flock to the seaside to take a look, cheer and share in the spirit of the event. Then, when all is said and done, they’ll go back to their homes and watch the cricket!
Please visit my facebook gallery to see more of this amazing country, especially from the elephant orphanage, really such amazing creatures!
Christie x

RETURN TO TRAINING!

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:00:03 -0800

It’s now 8 weeks post surgery and I’m slowly returning to full training. After spending the first 2 years of my career dialing in my race nutrition it appears I’m back to square one, with a new digestive system that doesn’t always like playing the game when I turn up the heat!
So for those wondering, and for the many that have asked, the gallbladder is a digestive oran used as a storage device for your liver. The liver produces bile which is pumped to the gallbladder, and stored until you eat, then being pumped into the stomach to digest this food. Now my body just works a little differently, with the bile produced in the liver flowing straight to the stomach, whether needed or not. Most importantly though, yes you can live a normal healthy life without a gallbladder. The question that I keep asking my doctors is can I continue to compete at an elite level, amongst the best in the world, without a gallbladder? I am assured that yes, I can and will continue to compete successfully, more than likely even more successfully then before with my infected, poorly functioning gallbladder.
It’s very early days and naturally I’m trying to balance the fine line between pushing hard and listening to my body. My drive and commitment to training sometimes see’s me forgetting how recently I was under the knife, and just what my bodies been through and is recovering from. What I’m constantly reminded of though, from my doctors and those kindly advising me, and from time to time my body, is the inflammation my body is still fighting following surgery. The important thing though is that I’m on the improve, I’m healthy and can’t wait to hit the 2012 season!
To be honest the role of the gallbladder, or lack of in my case, during aerobic activity, is an area with not a whole lot of research or testing, but I’ve been led to believe that in normal every day life I shouldn’t really face any problems. It’s when I up the intensity and subject my body to the stresses of racing that I could find things a little different. This is where things get a little difficult, as my body in the past tended to operate efficiently on a combination of fats, protein and carbohydrate, rather than exclusively carbohydrate from fuel sources like gels and electrolyte. With fats possibly not the best option from here on in, it’s time to experiment a little (here we go again!) to see what my body can best digest under a race situation. This is where my focus will lie over the coming months and early races of the 2012 season, with the hope of having this all dialed in by mid season, and leading into the big races, including HyVee, Las Vegas 70.3 & Kona IM world champs.
With non-drafting triathlon my focus, I’ll be racing a mix of Olympic, half and full Iron distances over the season, and will be interested to see what if any differences I notice in each of these distances. The longer the event obviously the more important nutrition becomes, thus the need for me to work out what my body can digest and use as a fuel source most efficiently whilst racing. Obviously the experimenting starts in training, although the ability to mimic race-like conditions in a training setting is extremely difficult. Thus the need to race, and you’ll see me on the start line of many early season races that I may otherwise not have raced., starting with the inaugural Sri Lanka 70.3 on February 19. Last week I started Challenge Wanaka with the intention of completing the swim, commencing the bike, and seeing what happened. The result was a solid early season swim that I was happy with at this early stage, and a very unhappy digestive system only 15km into the bike. I pulled in at aid station 3 where a port-a-loo, doctor and comfy chair in the sun were all conveniently located. A quick chat to this lovely doctor, whom was actually volunteering handing out bottles, gels and banana’s to athletes, reassured I had made the right decision to end my day at this point and that everything would be fine with a bit more time. With this advice I accepted a lift back into town to support my boy, Bryan Rhodes, who I later learned had been force to retire from the race with mechanical problems (3 flats, 3 pitstop puncture repair kits, 2 tubular tyres both being brand new, roaming mechanical assistance and finally a lift back into town!).
So whilst I see some challenges ahead, I’m 100% committed to overcoming each of these and returning not only to full fitness, but to lift my performance to a whole new level. I have a whole new support network on board for 2012, of which I’ll be announcing very soon, love my job, and finally feel I’m healthy and able to throw myself 100% into this sport. It’s a big season ahead, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you over the coming year.
Stay tuned!
Christie x

Life without a gall bladder...

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:30:55 -0800

Looking back on 2011, it’s been a season of mixed results. My year started off slowly, on return from a crash late in 2010 that ended my season prematurely. There were a few teething issues early on in my Australian races, although by the time I headed to the USA it seemed things were coming together. This was confirmed when in a few short months, from July through September, I racked up 5 wins, 2 of which were Ironman 70.3 Championships, a second, and ninth place at Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas, my first world championship race in any sport; regardless I was disappointed with the result and how I felt on the day. My run was the worst of my season, and I just felt a bit off; I knew something wasn’t right.
Following what was to be the final win of my season in Cancun, Mexico, a sudden pain appeared in my right side. Naturally I assumed I’d strained a muscle, nothing serious, and traveled back to the US to recover and prepare for my final races. The week progressed, as did my side pain, and by the weekend it was apparent I wouldn’t be racing the LA Tri. Regardless, I went along to cheer on Bryan, and a quick visit with the race medics raised a little suspicion of something more serious than a muscle strain. I’d sit it out a little longer and see what happened.
That night I was awoken with sudden, acute, agonizing pain in my side, just below my ribs. I couldn’t move, but it hurt to stay still. I was in a hot sweat, had a fever, and felt nauseous. In fact the pain was so bad I couldn’t even get up to go and get it checked out. So I sat it out, writhing in pain, until finally it settled enough to fall asleep. Upon waking it was straight to the hospital, where a plethora of exams were performed. This is the bit where I tell you how important good travel insurance is. If you don’t have any, get some before you travel next. My bill was estimated to be up around $3 - $5K, so thank goodness I DID have excellent travel insurance! Especially so seeing I was sent home with antibiotics, a referral to a gastro specialist, and the instructions of “come back if the pain doesn’t dissipate in 3 days”.
Naturally the combination of being an athlete, hating hospitals, and being a self diagnosis specialist I never returned, despite my pain far from dissipating. Weeks passed and I was unable to train, let along race, and I still didn’t have an answer as to why I felt so terrible. My internet self-diagnosis spelled “gallbladder”, but there wasn’t much I could do for this short of tearing it out. Bry and I decided under these circumstances to head up to Big Bear CA to stay with friends of mine for some fresh mountain air, do some mountain biking, and chill out before heading back to Oz.
Upon return to Australia my suspicions were confirmed and my gallbladder was scheduled to be removed. Surgery revealed an extremely infected, dysfunctional gallbladder that had been in such a distressed state for many months, even up to a year. Suddenly how I had felt and a lot of events that had occurred during the season made sense. To what degree this affected my training and racing I will never know, but what I do know is that it will never affect it again in the future.
6 days post surgery my pain is steadily decreasing, and my daily walk, although pathetic, doubled in distance today! My surgeon has directed me to take 2 weeks off training, followed by a gradual return to full training over 2 weeks. My first race back is planned for January 8, the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman in New Zealand, followed by Challenge Wanaka. I’ve got a big 2012 season planned, with a good amount of time to lead into Ironman Melbourne late March, a key race to earn valuable qualifying points for my first attempt at Kona in October.
Another week of recovery and I’ll be heading up north to Lennox Head to train with Gilsey and the Aeromax crew. Looking forward to getting back into it and can’t wait to take the new body for a test drive!!

Victory: Ironman 70.3 Champion Cancun

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:20:56 -0700

It’s well known that you more often than not leave Mexico with more than you came with, and this was true for me in a good way this year! Only a week after the World Championships in Las Vegas, I dragged my sore and weary body south across the border to Cancun Mexico, party capital of the country, and the only dancing I did was across the finish line to claim my 2nd Ironman 70.3 title for the season.
Barely making it to the start line due to the sorest legs I think I have ever endured following a 70.3 race, I was happy just to be walking like a normal person on Sunday morning. Bry had massaged some magic into my legs every night leading into the race, and along with a good dose of R&R I was on the start line in the hot, humid conditions that Cancun promises each and every year.
I’ve been working on my swim starts and the warm waters played to my advantage being non-wetsuit, and thus racing in my Blue Seventy PZ3TX which I just love swimming in. Missing the starting horn (along with 90% of the women’s field, we were all still asleep!) didn’t stop me reaching the first turning buoy first, but being directionally challenged in the water yet again my 90 degree turn saw me swimming off course and losing the feet of the two swimmers who were originally on my feet! Different race, same story, my speed seems fine I now need to concentrate on buoy spotting. Obviously.
2 minutes down onto the bike didn’t have me bothered as I swiftly moved through transition and calmly pulled in the two leaders, moving into first and never looking back. The Cancun bike course has deceiving false flats, was quite windy on this particular day, and has plenty of angry, stray dogs to avoid and keep your mind on the job. I built a nice lead heading into T2 with 4 minutes over my nearest competitor, Heather Gollinick, although left some gas in the tank, unlike last year where I spent all my change on the bike course.
Onto the run and carrying some seriously tired and sore legs from Las Vegas it was a case of keeping it smooth and holding my lead. The humidity was down a little although the heat still up and I managed to extend my lead to 6:30 by the finish. Not a fast run by any means, although no one posted even close to what you would call fast, I think the Mexican mile is a little like the Mexican minute; 1 minute = 1 hour!
My 2nd Ironman 70.3 victory was celebrated with an energetic, friendly and lively crowd, a few too many margarita's, and perhaps a few too many jalapeno’s! Those Mexican’s like it hot!
Huge congratulations also to Andi Boecherer for his victory in the men’s race, this is a name to watch in Kona next month!
Special thanks to Steve at Oakley Global for the cool new eyewear showcased at the race (check out the new female Radar lense coming out soon, they are the bomb!) and the continued support from Blue Seventy and Vince at HED Cycling; 2011 has turned out to be a pretty successful season!
Christie x

World Championships 70.3 Las Vegas

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:20:26 -0700

My first world championship, ever, in any sport. Nervous, yes. Excited, a little. I guess it was just a big mixed bag of emotions thrown into the city that never sleeps. Although all focus was on the big race on Sunday, not the partying that was to go down post race, at least until Sunday afternoon!
Full report to come soon!