ALOHA HAWAII – REACHING THE HOLY GRAIL

Sat June 2 and here I am lining up at the start of the Hawaii 70.3 Half Ironman, a qualifier for the World Championships. I take myself away from the crowd to have five peaceful moments and focus on my goal of winning my age group. This is to be my last ditch effort to reach the holy grail of Ironman..A do or die experience.

After a devastating DNF at IM WA December 06, I took time out to reflect on what went wrong. Physically I stopped eating 2/3 way on the bike and fell apart on the run. However I had to be honest with myself and see that mentally I gave up, I doubted my ability to finish and listened to the negative chat in my head which said I was no good. I had to face up to my self imposed limits and self doubt. So in the new year of 07, I joined TriSpecific knowing that I would be challenged at every corner on my belief’s and that would lead to being challenged on pushing my limits. I joined a great group of people who were also challenging themselves and saw how positive they were about themselves. I decided that I was going have one more go at getting a spot for the World Championship and take on the mental challenge as well. It was time for change.

So what followed was four months of solid training both physically and mentally…challenging my doubts about being a winner, of being able to go beyond my self imposed limits. Each time that I pushed myself and reached another little goal, I found I was able to run that little bit faster, push myself on the bike up the hill a bit further and even more startling, I started to believe that I could win this race, started to believe in my abilities. This was so different from 06 when other people believed I could do it, but I didn’t.

Every week of training Kristian would set a higher goal or a new challenge or another race. At track my times were getting more consistent and I could keep a faster pace for longer, my running times in fun runs were faster. At the Sydney Half Marathon I decided to ‘start hard and finish harder’ and I did a PB of almost four minutes!

Every time that I expressed doubt, Kristian was onto me. Patiently and with great tolerance and support, Kristian's passion and willingness to keep moving the goal posts effected my own belief system in a positive way. With each training program or email, Kristian always adds a short positive affirmation. So it was with all that solid work and focus that I now find myself on the start line.

I am the outsider of our age group except for Beryl who I know from Oz. I am stared at by the other women in my group and find out later that they know all about me and my past races…so they have done their homework and I can see the hunger in some of their eyes for the one spot in our age group.

I wait in the water for the hundreds on the beach to get into the water for the start of the race. I situate myself near the back as I hate the rush and am just about to move up a bit but leave room for those on the beach, when there is a sudden surge. The cannon didn’t work and all hell brakes loose. Now I realise why it was a beach start as its closer to the first buoy and I am 30 metres behind the start line. Doooh. The current is quite strong and I struggle to get a rhythm going but have it by the first turnaround. Then for the next kilometre, the sun is straight ahead and I am blinded by it and discover too late that my goggles have had it and are fogging up with the humidity, so doubly blind and have to stop every little while to make sure I am going in the right direction!. Oh well, the water is beautiful with wonderful fish to look at.

Out of the water and a 200 metre run uphill to transition to see that most of the bikes in my group are gone. So now I am on a mission. The heat is on and I remember to focus on hydration and my race. Once settled into my pace, I manage to keep it up all the way to the top of Hawi and feel strong. Can’t believe how many people I am passing. Just before the turnaround to go back down the mountain, I pass the first three placed riders in my group. I fly by and decide not to look back, click into top gear and let it rip down the hill...a great tailwind before the crosswinds start to blow. I am amazed again at how many riders seem to be freewheeling down the mountain rather that using it to move on ahead. Get some great comments like Aussie you are kicking ass go for it!

Off the bike and a quick transition for me onto the run. Now it is like tres hot (I find out it’s around 36 degrees) as I head off onto the lava fields. I have been given advice to take it easy in the first half as it’s even hotter in the last 8km which I find hard to believe that it could get any hotter. Now my nutrition plan must be adhered to or I will end up walking or cramping like so may I see on this last bit. I see a woman in my age group on my return of one switchback road and reckon she is only about five minutes behind me. I let myself think that I must be near the front or it could be there is someone way ahead – I don’t know and glad I don’t as I am trying to run my own race.

The heat is stifling and at every aid station I put ice under my cap (which only lasts till the next aid station), grab water, cola, sponges, anything to stay hydrated. I suck on the sponges only to be told later that they are picked up off the ground and reused Yuk!

I find a slightly slower pace and stay at that, not stopping at the aid stations and just keep going. I visualise winning that spot and also dare not look back in case I am being caught. I feel like I am running slowly but get comments from people I pass that I am running well. Who knows, I just want to finish.

With 6km to go I head down the loooooong straight and totally boring service road where the heat just gets almost unbearable. I visualise running around Centennial Park in the shade! One the turn around and almost back at the top of this hill with only one mile to go, I see the woman who is chasing me going down the hill and can see I have increased my lead over her and I hear her say Hooly Dooley. I realise that unless I cramp and walk she will not be able to catch me. Then...I can hear the music and see the finish line as I get shouts of support from the crowd as I run into the finish Shute and can’t believe the time I see. 5.52.01...my fasted half ever. The splits were swim 49.50, bike 2.50.02 run 2.04.01

Someone from a group I am with supports me as I start to fall and gives me the water nectar. I ask one of them to check the results as I think I either have it or am second. They tell me I have won and I cry. A dream comes true after four years of trying... I have qualified and am going to the World Championships.

It is great to experience being called a winner from Australia at the awards presentation and even greater to see Michelle Jones cheered on, albeit second this year and then the standing ovation for Chris McCormack who broke the record. Great also too see so many Aussies there.

So everything from here on is a bonus. I figure I have nothing to lose and will train and aim to win my age group at Kona. I am a winner for getting this far, so why not believe I can. And if one World Championship isn’t enough, I have the world Half IM in Florida as well in November. 2007 might see me a World Champion and I will definitely have a huge debt to repay next year, but hey at 56 I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So if you want to be challenged, want to reach a special goal, want to be a winner, then why not avail yourself of a coach who can get you there. If I can do it, so can you.

BRING IT ON!

Kate Rowe