My Buddy Lesley's Majorca Report

This adventure started last July when I was convinced by Melinda that it would be a great race and the best part a few days in the sun afterwards so I thought why not and where do I sign..... I had completed my first half distance a few weeks ago and knew I had plenty of time to train to make an improvement on my time this is my journey.

Training went well over the winter even when the alarm went off at 5am for either a swim or bike session,  I still got out of bed even though I wanted to turn over and go back to sleep.

The countdown was on and from something that was months away we were down to the final weeks and the self doubting kept popping up, if only if a couple more weeks of training left, if only I'd done more hill sessions etc etc the only thing left to do was get on and do it.

The final week before the race, I learnt how to dismantle and rebuild my bike and pack and unpack my bike in my nice blue shiny bike box, realising just how much kit we need to take including the just in case bits which we all pack. The time had come to set off to the airport.

With everything on board the only thing left to do was relax and enjoy. We arrived at the apartments and put the bikes back together, went up to register and pick up our packs. Everything went relatively smooth so after a lovely dinner with my buddies and with butterflies in my tummy off we went to bed.

Friday - packing and unpacking transition bags made the reality more real that I was going to do this so off we went to hand in our bags and bikes and head to the beach for a warm up swim.
Walking into the water I remember how lovely it felt compared to Denham lake the weekend before and after taking a few strokes and mouthful  of water a little panic rose it's ugly head after only a couple of hundred meters I kept thinking what the hell am I doing and was glad to be heading back to shore.
We headed off to drive part of the bike course and I remember when we set off thinking I was going to enjoy this but as we continued on and up and up I noticed how quiet we had become. I kept thinking this was nothing like Ivinghoe Beacon, a hill which I loved training on. Up and up we went I just knew I had to keep my head down and to push as hard as I could and get on with the run.

After a restless night race day was here and knowing it would be many hours before I would eat properly, I managed to eat my porridge and off we went heading to the start line

With Kerry and Melinda by my side we stood on the shoreline with what can only be moments to go until the start gun would go off but felt like a lifetime to wait then bang we were off......

The start of the swim felt like being but in a giant washing machine with arms and legs everywhere but once into a rhythm it all came together and even though I drifted twice I'm still happy with my 47 mins and coming out of the water I knew I had get a move on.

The bike started great and really started to power down and it was only as we started to climb the hill I started to struggle and getting to the top was going to be an achievement in itself. I was hot, my stomach had cramps and every time I had a drink I felt sick.

Marshals and other riders kept stopping to ask if I was ok and loads were giving words of encouragement to keep going and not far to go. I was so glad to finally reach the top and enjoy the descent. That was one tough ride.

After more than 4:33 on the bike it was time for the run the sun was blazing down I felt so thirsty I was so pleased to see the first water station after transition I need to cool down the marshal thought she was helping by tipping water all over me but most of it landed in my left trainer. I knew I would pay for that so with squelching trainers off I went heading towards the 1k mark my breathing became rapid and couldn't get my breath I then saw our support crew and emotion overwhelmed me making my breathing even harder I just knew I had to carry on and finish.
The heat was fierce and with hardly any shade I just had to keep going even though I was running on empty it had been such a tough day but I knew I had to finish along with my buddies heading towards the 6k mark I saw Justin he told me to keep going and I looked strong. I knew I didn't feel it but kept going walking and running the whole way round.
Collecting the 3rd band felt a bit like Christmas Eve, the end was near and I could see time was ticking and I just had to finish heading on the last stretch I could see Nina one of our support crew and she said (two bands back she would run the last bit with me thinking I was finishing) I gritted my teeth and went for the finish with my breathing more rapid I went for it and crossed that finish line after a whopping 8:57:54

My journey was complete I'd done it I know I couldn't have done it without my buddies and support crew you were all awesome but my biggest thank you is to my husband and daughter for all those hours I've spent training and family time has been on hold I couldn't have done it without you all.

The question is would I do it again ??? yes I would
I'm signing up for Kerry's spin sessions as I know training on my own is not enough and to have friends going through the same obstacles as I am will make the journey more bearable
Thank you to Melinda, Kerry and Justin for competing and to our support crew for the cheering on the sidelines I can't wait to support you next year xxxxx

Majorca update.......

Monday

Watford 10km

A few of my members were running the Watford 10km so we all met at The Grove and then walked over to Cassiobury Park. We completed the warm up that Belinda was taking which was great fun!

Smiling for the camera in our awesome Grove Vests:-)

 

The gun went and we were off. I was running with my buddy Grainne because she wanted to get under an hour so that was my mission. It was a very warm sunny day and the course was extremely hard with all the hills we had to endure. As we came to the last leg of the course I was telling Grainne to push the last bit if we were going to get her under an hour and my buddy dug deep and she did it - 57 minutes woo hoo:-)) Everyone did brilliantly and it was such a great day.

Enjoying a lovely lunch at The Stables

Tuesday

I did an easy swim in the morning before work and then did fitness yoga which I really enjoyed. I also made sure I ate really well too:-)

Wednesday

I did absolutely nothing today, just rested and ate well again:-)

Thursday

It was a very early morning start for us heading to Majorca getting up at 3am but very exciting.

My buddy M and I smiling for the camera:-)

The flight was good and think I had a little snooze before we landed. I was very excited about using my British passport for the first time:-) After we had been through passport control we collected our luggage and fetched our massive bike cases.

Me trying to steer the bike boxes - it was rather challenging as I did manage to hit a door

We made our way to our apartment and  unpacked our luggage and then headed to the race village to look around the expo before registering for the event. It was very exciting getting all my information and race bags. I am such a big kid:-)

When we returned back to the apartment we had the job of putting our bikes back together. Thank goodness my buddy Melinda was there to help me because I had no idea what I was doing.

 

My bike ready for race day:-) 

 

Friday

Melinda, Lesley and I cycled into Alcudia to rack our bikes and bags. I started to feel quiet nervous once we were doing this.

I had a good wander around the transition area and familiarized myself with the area,  Melinda had told me to make sure I knew where my bike was and to remember landmarks for it.

Chilling in the tent staying out of the sun

 Once we had finished sorting our bits we all headed to the beach for a swim in the sea.

Me before heading into the water

I have to admit I have been feeling extremely nervous about the swim in the sea. We all went in together and I have to say I am very happy we went for the swim because it put me at ease.

Before we headed back to the apartment we drove the bike route. OMG this made me extremely nervous and made me think what am I doing!!! The 20km hill look very daunting but the part of the cycle that really scared me was the down hill. I was very quiet in the car on our way back. I had a bit of a melt down and started doubting my ability to do the race because in my head the down hill was so scary. Thankfully my buddy Melinda pulled me together and gave me some good advice.
I had pizza for dinner and I also had a glass of wine to calm my nerves.

I do not normally do that before a race but the way I was feeling I needed one. It definitely helped because I did sleep well.

Saturday

I woke in the morning and just put the bike ride in the back of my head and tried to be positive. I had my cup of tea and porridge and toast with peanut butter and banana - yummy!!!

Baby oil time

Ironman pose

Once we were ready Charlie dropped us off at the transition area and we went and pumped our tyres and made sure everything was sorted. We then went for a warm up swim in the sea and then we were ready to go.

Ready to rock and roll

The music was playing and I was trying to get in the zone. I was thinking what am I doing!!!! Then the gun went off and off we all charged. My adrenaline was pumping all around my body. Everyone was running into the water and then all of a sudden we were in and fighting for our lives. I was trying to get my breath and could not even swim. I felt like I was just trying to stay a float. I could feel I was been kicked and felt like people were trying to swim over me but I just kicked back. I found myself doing breastroke and looked behind me and there was Melinda and we looked at each other and were like OMG this is awful. Thankfully I got into a good position and managed to get into a rhythm and made my way around the swim in one piece.

When I was out of the water I was so happy. I headed straight into transition and got my socks on and carried my shoes to my bike where I put my helmet on first then my race belt. I grabbed my bike and ran with it to the bike exit area. I quickly put my shoes on and then headed off out on the bike. The start of the course was along the coast and was just gorgeous, I was cycling along and admiring the scenery. I did have plenty of people zooming past me on their bikes. I was waiting for my buddy Melinda to come flying past me and it was not long until I heard her voice behind me and off she went. She did look super professional.
I slowly settled into the bike ride and I was just soaking in the atmosphere. I started the 20km climb and I was very proud of myself for doing it. I just kept pushing and pulling all the way up. I did have the men cyclist zooming past me in there amazing bikes. I did enjoy looking at everyone's bikes and there was alway's a bit of banter going on which past a bit of time.
Once I reached the top and saw the petrol station I knew I was going to be heading down hill. I found it very scary going down hill but I just went really slow down the hills and I was lucky because I had another girl behind me on her brakes too so we went down together really slowly. When I saw the village I knew that was the end of the down hill and I was just so relieved. From then on I enjoyed the cycle back to transition.

As soon as I entered transition I quickly racked my bike and went and grabbed my run bag, got my trainers on and headed out for the run. It took a while for me to settle into the run. It was awesome to see all our supporters at different times.

Happy to see my cheering squad:-)

I had to stop at every water station and took on water and coke. It was so unbelievably hot. I was so happy when it was my last lap. My buddy Roland cheered and ran a bit with me to keep me going to the end. When I came around the corner to the finish line I was so happy and then saw my buddy Melinda waiting for me. OMG what an experience!!!

Kerry Mccann

Rank: 33

Overall Rank: 1692

BIB:	241
Division:	AK W30-34
State:	Berkhamsted
Country:	GBR
Profession:

Swim:	32:30
Bike:	3:16:15
Run:	1:47:21
Overall:	5:46:56

Kerry, on your finish!

Swim Details Division Rank: 27

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Div. Rank	Overall Rank	Gender Rank
Total	1.9 km	32:30	32:30	1:42/100m	27	1230	145

Bike Details Division Rank: 47

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Div. Rank	Overall Rank	Gender Rank
15.5 km	15.5 km	30:18	1:09:27	30.69 km/h
78 km	62.5 km	2:21:54	3:31:21	26.43 km/h
90 km	12 km	24:03	3:55:24	29.94 km/h
Total	90 km	3:16:15	3:55:24	27.52 km/h	47	2218	257

Run Details Division Rank: 33

Split Name	Distance	Split Time	Race Time	Pace	Div. Rank	Overall Rank	Gender Rank
1 km	1 km	2:30	4:02:05	2:30/km
3.9 km	2.9 km	13:54	4:15:59	4:47/km
7.7 km	3.8 km	19:19	4:35:18	5:05/km
10.6 km	2.9 km	15:11	4:50:29	5:14/km
14.4 km	3.8 km	20:22	5:10:51	5:21/km
17.3 km	2.9 km	16:19	5:27:10	5:37/km
21.1 km	3.8 km	19:46	5:46:56	5:12/km
Total	21.1 km	1:47:21	5:46:56	5:05/km	33	1692	173

Transition

T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE	6:39
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN	4:11

 Me and my super awesome buddy

 

All four of us celebrating at the Apartment

Celebrating begins - what an awesome evening:-)

Sunday

 

Sunday morning was spent recovering and chilling by the pool at the apartment and even more drinking and laughs that evening.

 

Monday

 

We spent the morning packing and headed off to the beach for the day. Lesley and I had a massage which was very much needed. 

After spending most of the day at the beach we headed back to the apartment, showered and then headed to the Airport. We were all very sad to be leaving because we had had such an amazing weekend. It is definitely an experience I will never forget and got to share it with amazing buddies. I would like to thank my super awesome buddy Melinda for inspiring me to take up this challenge. I would also like to thank our super awesome supporters Nina, Charlie and Tracy. You guy's were amazing:-)

 

Bring on the Cotsworld 70.3 in 4 weeks time:-))))

My buddy Melinda's Majorca Report

 

 70.3 Mallorca  2014

 

The crew - Kerry Buddy: her first attempt at a long distance course, Justin aka transition king: his attempt at retirement, Lesley Legs: keen to beat the course, and Me: well I was there to smash out a PB.

I'm a novice, let's get that in here, a triathlon virgin of sorts. This would be my third race ever so I'm no expert however this last eight months I've been training under the guidance of British Triathlon Coach Roland Kemp. He's been taking me places I've not been and I've trusted the process, questioning where necessary but finding myself with a solid physical base to start the season off. My amazing trip to Kilimanjaro has left me with crap on my right lung so I've struggled with that and training in the lead up to 70.3 Mallorca was not as per plan A but rather plan B .. this is where a good Coach comes in!

So we got there - Roland & I had chatted strategy on the weds so I knew what I needed to do. Thursday we flew into Mallorca. Excellent bike box handling skills were on show at the airport, we all looked the part. Sun was shining so we relaxed into the day, put the bikes back together, signed on and settled in. Friday was about packing bags for transitions and checking in the bikes. Once completed we donned our wetsuits and headed out for a swim on the course. Clear sea meant I could see the fish, not quite as warm as the Samui waters I had been in weeks before but a damn sight warmer than Denham Lake!!

Justin and I felt it would be good to take Kerry and Lesley to drive the bike course. The first part of the course is out along the coast then inland for 20km of climb, 10km of this pretty "special". From the silence in the back seat it was fairly evident that the size of the climb was registering with my fellow race participants. That said 24hrs later we all smashed it so they were in hindsight unnecessary nerves!

Dinner was a quiet affair and I was tucked up in bed, ear plugs in and whilst not asleep the body was resting.

6am race day - all athletes in their corners eating quietly. My eggs and toast going down well despite no hunger. Trisuit on, hair braided and outside to jump in the car, wetsuit in hand. We were ready.

The start line - what seemed like a million pink capped, rubber clad freaks surrounded me, and oh yes I was one of these freaks! I was too far back this I knew but little I could do. Gun fires, we're off....

those million freaks have two million arms and legs, all thrashing about me, it's chaos! I even spot Kerry who above the commotion yells "oh my god buddy", I couldn't agree more. Head down. It takes a long time to find a rhythm, I'm not happy. On the final turn home I'm well in my stroke now, feels too little too late but I power through down to the beach. Then it's as I rehearsed in my head - zip down, hat and goggles in hand, pull wetsuit down, release the hat and goggles into sleeve, run, keep bloody running.....

I'm running because I know I'm about to find my happy place - the bike :)) This TT bike is about to get it's fifth ride with me, please let it be special. Roland had told me to fix average 28-30km/hr in my head so that's what I did. For me it was a steady ride, no issues or problems I was calm throughout. Only wishing I had more experience on cornering and descending on that beast TT. 10km from home and I'm sitting at average of 30km/hr, sweet. Should I have pushed more? don't know but race going to plan I'm happy.

Another transition to play out, again rehearsed in my mind ... bike racked, helmet off, shoes on and get out there...

I hear Roland as I run out of T2 "settle in your pace, good steady rhythm", ok I tell myself you've got this just run it home. 1km, 2km, 3km, 4km I'm on it this is ok and then the wheels came off. I lost feeling in my fingers then my feet, I couldn't breathe. I'd been here before in Samui struggling for air. My chest hurt I knew the only way out was to ease back so I did. Damn it. When I had to walk every water station in order to take on fluid and cough up a lurgy or two I knew it was a case of just get yourself to the line. I was unhappy. I passed Coach knowing I wasn't hitting my targets on this run leg, frustration killing me. I'm my toughest competition, a true nutcase when a number strapped onto me! Finally three arm bands and a lotta sweat later I crossed the line in 5:39. I'd beaten last years time but the min 10mins I'd lost on the run cost me the sub 5:30 I had in my head. I wait at the finish line for buddy - she comes home so strong, amazing woman! Justin announced he'd met his retirement target of a sub 6hours and Lesley deserved the top of the podium for enduring the heat of the day on that kick ass run. She has strength and stamina to outshine anyone I know.

For me, I've reran the race many times in my head in the week since, had good little chats to hubs and Coach and now put it aside knowing that there's more to come as this is just the start of the season.

Coming home I realise what a great weekend we had - the buddy team - we laughed so hard, there were tears and frustrations but mainly the sense of personal achievement for us all, including our supporters who had the onerous task of lifting heavy beer glasses each time we ran past on our run laps!! We raced hard and celebrated even harder :)

Anyone can play this triathlon game, and with a group of friends it makes for one hell of a laugh too. So come play with us.... it's a nut house!

 

 

Training Update.....

Monday

I took my spin class this morning and we focused on RPM work followed by hills and sprints. I felt very hot and tired afterwards. My buddy Melinda and I joined in with Soph's spin class this evening. She made us work this evening!! Once we had finished spin we went to the pool to have a swim in our wetsuits. Yes, we looked like weirdo's and had people asking us what we were doing. It was Melinda's idea to have a swim in our wetsuits so we remembered how it felt. I was worried about looking like a weirdo but it was a good shout from my buddy. Glad we did it:-)

Melinda had awesome news today - She will be representing GB in a half ironman for her age group in October. Super proud of you buddy:-)

 

Tuesday

Melinda and I ran from her house today. We did our warm up and then off we went for our last long run before Majorca 70.3. We were running along and heading up a hill when we saw Jenny and Di coming down the hill on their road bikes, we stopped for a chat. ( I was a little relieved as I got to stop on the hill:-)). Throughout the run, we had people beeping and waving at us and we are never always sure who it is but we give them a wave! (Now I know it was you Sally buddy:-)  We stopped at the 10km mark and had our gel to practice taking it on. We were happy once we finished and pleased we got our 16km mileage.

Melinda and I after our run

 

Wednesday

I woke up early and met my buddy Vikki in the pool at Sportspace. We put our heads down and got some laps in and I felt good this morning. Vikki said I was looking strong so coming from her makes me feel positive. Vikki is super speedy in the water. We did do a couple of lengths where I went off first and Vikki tried to catch me. OMG I was knackered because I had to swim so fast to keep ahead of Vikki but she was very close behind me. It was fun:-)

I did Carole Ann's spin class this evening. Flipping heck she made us work tonight. Awesome session buddy:-)

Thursday

I had two committed run club buddies this morning. It was raining and they were still keen to go - love it:-) We managed a 5km run and got drenched but was good fun.

Gemma, Dionne and me

After work I went to drop my bike off  at pedalworks to get it serviced before Majorca and I had booked a massage with Otts. OMG is was so painful today. Serves me right for not having regular massages.

Otts had fun torturing me - thanks buddy:-)

Friday

Grainne and I went for an easy 10km run together this morning. Grainne is ready for the Watford 10km on Monday:-)

Gee and me before our run

I did also did a 7km run with Gemma this afternoon.

After work I went to pedalworks to collect my bike. It all seems in working order and I am loving my new pink grips:-)

Love my bike

 

Saturday and Sunday

 

Rest