22.03.07
Jindabyne down, now for Port Macquarie
Danielle checks in and provides us with some thoughts on the Jindabyne camp.
I received a good luck card in the mail yesterday for my Ironman adventure. It read, “Hard… but not impossible”. I think this summed up the hardest part of the weekend camp in Jindabyne – the 20km summit loop. If I had been mentally prepared for what was the “summit run”, where 7km of it was near impossible to run and the final 8km back to Charlotte’s Pass is the longest and hardest 8km ever run, where the body pleads you to stop and the mind says you can’t, then I think I would have handled the 2hr 50mins better. Or at least I would taken in more of the scenery and spectacular views.
Reaching Coach back at Charlotte’s Pass I needed a moment to compose myself, hold back the tears, declare I was never going to survive Ironman, wash down 2 hot cross buns with water before I was over my near breakdown and able to face the descent back to Jindy. I now have full confidence that fuelling on hot cross buns during the Ironman is the key.
This is just a small test of what I am going to face in 9 days time.
Day 1.
Reaching Dalgety (the town) on today’s wet ride I had not realised the hill we had descended some 15km back was the infamous “Dalgety Hill”. I am not sure what I was expecting but I was still waiting for something. After threatening Jon Howse that if he was lying to me and that if we saw another hill that I would not be a happy camper, Coach turned our group around and pointed us home via the same hill. “Hard… but not impossible”. Another battle of brain versus body. I am happy to say I made it to the top, without stopping and without resorting to the ‘Truck of Shame’. While renting a Truck of Shame is just plain cheating – JR!!!!
A quick run off the bike, green tea at Gloria Jeans and it was time to wetsuit up. After a quick swim to the island and back in Lake Jindabyne, it was time to shower and then the stretch session and finally eat and sleep.
Day 2.
The epic day – 2h15 climb up to Charlotte’s Pass – 2h50 20 km walk / run and a 1h plus change descent to Jindabyne. The weather gods were with us today – not a cloud, not a breath of wind and mild temps. Important when you are 2000m above sea level.
6pm: Dinner at the bowling club. I think we all got our monies worth at the unlimited salad bar. This was followed by icecream (a must) and then Grey’s Anatomy (a bigger must) and then lights out. Legs dead… tired.
Day 3.
Alarms went off to the sound of pouring rain, thunder and lightning. We decided to wait for coach’s call. “Meeting as per normal 7:30am in the carpark”. Out came all the wet weather gear for a amended 50mins out 50mins back ride. The rain had eased by 7:30am but roads were very wet.
There may have been a funny incident on the bike. I won’t mention names but it involved what we pieced together to be a case of too much soap in the washing machine, combined with wet weather, the friction of bike knicks on saddle causing a foaming / frothing backside. Amusing to those behind in the bunch. Yes, Steve Baker frothing is a severe sign of dehydration but it normally appears around the mouth.
Back to the hotel, shower and coffee at the bakery before heading home.
Back in Canberra and trying to recover and taper. I have been warned that with a reduced work load I need to also taper on the food intake to match this. Maybe I should have been told before I finished off Dwayne and Azza’s [Farlow] dinner on Monday night.
A fellow Ironman competitor Steve Baker has lend me the DVD’s from 2004, 2005 & 2006 Hawaiian Ironman’s. Who would have thought you would need a box of tissues with you to watch. I am not sure reality has set in that that will be me in 9 days.