When nobblies become slicks

Tre-X Endurance was two weeks ago now and that seems like a lifetime. But looking at images and video of the event brings it all back.

The day was wet, which we were told is typical of the endurance race. I'd never ridden in wet and muddy conditions, so I was wary about the conditions. Even so, I chose to not do a practice lap before the start of the race. Retrospectively, I think that was a good idea-it would have spooked me!


Going into the race I had a simple goal. I wanted to come out of the swim feeling stronger than last time. I certainly did that. In fact, I felt stronger through the whole race and took time off my run. I finished without feeling fatigued and knew that all the work I'd put in with my trainer had paid off. Thanks Dayna and well done on your race and result!

My swim was exactly the same time as the last race. I really need to do my swim sessions without breaking every 50 metres, though!

My bike leg was a lot slower than the first race because of the mud and rain. It was so muddy that I had to stop two or three times to clean muck out of my tyres and brackets so my wheels would turn!!

Riding in mud is so different and with our climate and conditions, it's not something we get much practice at. My tyres had a thick coating of sticky mud on them part way through first lap of the mtb course. There was no tread to speak of and the ground was incredibly slippery. Most riders around me were walking their bikes through bad parts of the track. A few times I attempted to jog through it, but my feet were slipping around as much as my bike.

The rain came and went throughout the race and by the time I was on my second lap of the mtb course it seemed to have diluted the top layer of mud enough that it was no longer so sticky. I was able to stay on my bike a lot more on that lap and did a quicker time.

I felt so good the whole race and remember smiling and laughing a lot. I couldn't have been much happier when I crossed the finish line.


The guys from Phoenix Adventure were there, always smiling, helping out with advice and race tips and letting me crash their tent-a blessing given the weather! Thanks Andy, Miriam, Katherine, Shane, Alannah, Clarissa and Co and congratulations on your results!

There are so many events coming up, it's hard to keep track. I'll post a list of them soon, with links to the websites.

t

From LunarC to Tre-X: they just keep coming

LunarC was absolutely thrilling! We all had the best time out there and In 2 Adventure put on another wicked event - thanks Robyn and Simon!!

We all agreed that our lights were woefully inadequate, but it didn't stop us. Riding at night is fantastic! Your attention narrows to the beam of light in front and you're forced to focus on the here and now. Then, to be riding as daylight starts to bleach away the darkness-wow, definitely something special. The air changes. There's a space of silence. Then it's day.

I am really keen to do more night rides - with better lights, for sure!

In the meantime, I have Tre-X Enduro tomorrow.

I'm not doing the endurance race. I'll stick to the short course and my goal is to come out of the swim stronger than last time and be able to take on the ride with more vigour. I know my training has been better going into this race and my legs are fitter than last time, so I have every chance of achieving my goal.

I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces again and getting caught up in the atmosphere-it's what keeps me going back for more!

t

Getting in to gear

I have started researching adventure racing and related disciplines, and what exists blows me away. The more you research, read and talk to people, the more you realise that there is a massive culture of very fit people out there.

A prime example is this morning on the way to kayaking training. I’m not generally out on the streets at 5.15am, so was amazed by the number of cyclists on the road. And I’m not talking about the casual Saturday peddler, but the serious, hard core, fully kitted enthusiast.

And that’s just road cycling. The mountain biking scene is astounding. From what I can ascertain so far, there is downhill, long distance, relays, and cycle-gaining just to name some. I have an appreciation of the organisation involved in setting and organising any sort of event so the list of races I have stumbled on is astounding.

All of this investigation is not helping my fitness situation. I am struggling on the running and hate any sort of uphill riding with a passion.

I’m not at the stage (or discipline level) yet whereby I am willing to attack my aerobic levels myself. I am displaying that all too common skill of finding every plausible excuse to not take myself off for that jog or bike ride.

I am trying to tackle this challenge by obligating myself to as much physical activity as possible that involves others. I won’t let people down, unless completely unavoidable, so when I agree to get up early, catch up after work or meet at lunch to partake in exercise I will be there. I also practice this approach in my social endeavours, so if anyone wants to meet at the pub I won’t let you down unless completely unavoidable!

Taryn and I are currently midway through a week long adventure race training course, and I am loving everything we tackle. I am getting excited about our first real race on the 23rd of August, which is part of the Teva series.

Taryn and I had a discussion last night about our individual goals and what we hope to achieve out of racing, and as usual we were on a pretty similar page. As our skills improve we may take on a more competitive edge, but our initial goal is not to come in a specify place, but just to c…… finish.

M

Fears and doubts

I've had a reality check this morning. My brother-in-law has just had to withdraw from a long-distance trek because of exhaustion. If a fit guy has that experience, then I may well be punching above my weight.

Hearing the news has triggered more questions. How do you manage exhaustion when you're on the trail? Is food or water the key? Both? Is it something else? Clothing? Shoes? What makes the difference? What training is going to be best to prepare?

What do you do with wastes - I doubt they have conveniently placed port-a-loos along the way (all the really big questions, as you can see).

This has also come after realising yesterday that I have a long way to go to get my fitness up to peak. I did weights and boxing classes yesterday, back to back. I enjoyed them and got through them fine (incredibly sore today, mind), but what was most concerning was how shattered I was for the rest of the day. It completely wiped me out. And that was just an hour and a half. For the GeoQuest race, I will be working at that intensity in continuous intervals for two days!

Even so, I'm still stupidly keen on doing this. It's just that now I realise I have to work harder to get into condition. That's cool - fun even.

t