Sunday 8th August, 2010.

Another week has flown by but my gosh what a week it's been!?  I honestly never thought I'd be able to train at the intensity I have this week  –  and the volume has been massive too,  the biggest weeks training I've ever done...welcome to Ironman I hear you say!

It's scary to think that my Ironman is only 5 weeks away –  I think it's just the distance that scares me.  I've really loved the increase in training and am enjoying learning about the different ' mind set ' you need for it.   Nutrition has been a major focus on my long rides too but I have to confess I've not got it quite right yet ....as I still can not avoid the odd can of coke and snickers at the last petrol station on route,  but that's usually after 5 or 6 hours on the bike so go easy on me!   It works too though as I do run well off it!!   I'll have to remember that for my special needs bag I think.  Sounds kind of 'OAP' but you actually get a 'special needs bag' apparently at Ironman..funny!

Today I have had the afternoon off as I am so tired.   The last few days have been big days...I mean BIG DAYS...and I've had a few media appointments too.   So I fitted them in around training.   It seems finally the American Tri community is starting to recognize me,  which is nice in one sense,  but I guess it means I'll become more of a marked athlete at some races.  When I first started racing WTC 70.3 races last year I'd turn up to the pro briefings and nobody knew who I was,  which I kind of liked to be honest,  I'm not one for being the center of attention.  But just the past three days I've done two radio interviews,  a magazine interview,  and I'm currently in talks with 3 new sponsors?!

 Yesterday I went on “The Simon Gowen Triathlon Show” It was awesome fun - I was on air for ages and loved it.   Simon chose some great questions to ask me,  he was interested in how I have achieved what I have so far - I just talked (as usual) and they seemed to like it?! 

The radio show was interesting though and I had a very long ride and run after it...so lots of time to think about some of the questions he'd asked me. 

The ride turned into yet another 'epic',  it seems like every other day is an epic at the moment.  I've got a new 'old' training partner in Roddy from South America. Roddy has just come back to camp whilst training for Kona and then Clearwater. If you ask Stephen he'll tell you he came back to escape the cardboard box Roddy lives in – on the streets of Bogotá.  I'm not sure where he got that from but he tells Roddy it at every available opportunity!? We shared a room with Roddy last year at Lake Stevens 70.3, Stephen was over for that race and he and Roddy have very similar (warped) senses of humor...

Our ride was beautiful, clear blue skies and you could see for miles down the coast as you climbed.   We rolled up and down the canyons but mis-calculated how long it would take.  Some of the climbs were pretty solid and after Simon had been asking about Chrissie Wellington that morning on the radio I kept imagining I was chasing Chrissie down in Kona!  Sometimes I imagined I was ahead of her after a good swim,  and I was trying to hold her off.   It worked really well,  and may be a little bit early  (I won't race her until next year)  but my god I want to be the first to beat her!

On the last descent down Tuna Canyon we got over taken by skate boarders which was pretty funny....to start with.  You actually get a lot of what I like to refer to as 'nutters' on these long skateboards,  they go crazy fast on the downhills. Anyway,  I don't know how they have the guts to come down canyons with sheer drops on one side at that speed  –  it scares me now to think about it.   I was coming down, brakes on fairly hard and they go down so fast and when they come up behind you they ramp their noses up in the air to slow down a bit – dragging the back of the board like a brake  –  it makes hell of a noise. 

Well they did this to me on quite a sharp corner and it gave me such a fright I lost it and crashed into a rock wall...... ouch..... road rash and bruising....you sods! 

It was nothing major,  I was more in shock than anything, and all I could think was 'I'm in great shape now...that was close.....don't muck things up now!'

Anyway once I saw it was only cuts and bruises I was relieved and carried on.   It made for a great story at swimming this morning too!  Stephen went ballistic when he saw the cuts but that was more out of worry for me, and once he knew I was ok he calmed down...I’m just glad it was Roddy I was riding with and not Stephen...the skateboarders may not of got off quite so lightly.

We got back to the car at around 7.30 pm and I still had a run to do in the dark,  what a day!  So I finished off my mammoth session with a run along the Pacific Highway in the dark.  It was a bit scary and silly now in hindsight but I suppose that is why I do achieve my goals because of my commitment and dedication.  Roddy chose not to do the run as he was pretty tired after the bike ride...boys!?

So eventually I got home at 9.30pm and my home stay had prepared dinner.  I have to admit I did not speak a lot during dinner, I was shagged, and then went straight to bed.   Today I just swam with the open water group out at Santa Monica ,  that was fine except I was so tired I was struggling to hold the pace.  I kept being positive and tried to put it in perspective, ' Come one Sam - just give your best effort and do what you can, you've had a big week' ,  so on the outside I was smiling but on the inside I was having a major debate with myself.  Afterwards I slept for two hours in the middle of the day which I haven't done for years,  so I must have been tired.

Next week I'm racing in the Lake Stevens 70.3, up near Seattle. This is a race I did last year,  it was when my form had gone south due to the ribs and crash.  I think I ended up finishing 4th.  This year I'm 'training through' the event with one eye firmly on Rev3 and September 12th.  So it will be interesting to see how I race next weekend.  I'm expecting to be quite tired going into the race,  but I should get one day off to travel up there so all being well I'll recover enough to redeem myself from last years performance.

Pilate's and core have been going well - I swear I saw an ab on my stomach one day this week.   It is definitely helping my run form as I did feel that I'd lost a bit of my running speed the past few weeks,  so I'm pleased that it seems to be coming back.

Mum – I hope you had a lovely birthday and the children spoil you as you deserve it – and buy something nice with the Marks and Spencer's voucher. 

Well that's me for another week – I'm ready for bed and a good nights sleep. Hopefully this 'constant tiredness' will pay off next week at Lake Stevens  I'll update you all again next Sunday on how I go in the event.

Regards,

Sam.

Monday 2nd August, 2010.

It's now my birthday and as I write this (Sunday evening) I am totally full from eating sooo much Carrot Cake today!

I feel a little guilty for over indulging but it was so good and it's not every day you turn 39.   I've had a great day but still had to train as in the back of mind every day now is the race on September 12th.

I started today with a long run on Venice beach and the Santa Monica promenade.   There were a lot of runners and cyclists out today and I wanted to run at least 30km so I had my new polar GPS pod with me so I could get my distance and times just right.

I was running along just fine for about 15km's or so until this guy started to run right on my heels.  I found his heavy breathing quite annoying to be honest so I decided to surge to drop him but he came back at me and over took me...which was like a red reg to a bull!    Although I was having quite a debate in my head  'hmm supposed to be easy day – but I'm not having this smart Alec pass me!'  It didn't take me long for the competitive streak to kick in and I found myself back ahead of him.

There had been a lot of people around up until this point as 'we' and I say 'we' in the loosest of senses as at no point did the guy even attempt to speak with me,  had run along the Pacific Highway (PCH) for about 8km's at this point,  but then the footpath ran out and I found myself running down a track – still with my shadow hanging on for dear life!?

After having him breath down my neck for a further couple of KM's  I slowed down to let him think I was getting tired,   I let him pass and then turned round as quick as I could so I could run the rest of my long effort in peace!

I was telling this story over brunch with my training partners and Hayley thought I should have a T-Shirt made saying  “this is my easy run”  and it is true because to be honest I did go a little faster than I should of and if Siri knew she would probably roast me!

After that it was a breakfast brunch with the team to celebrate my birthday.   I had a waffle with syrup and cream.   Oh and strawberries and bananas to make it slightly more healthy,  all washed down with and a huge coffee.  (I'm guessing I'm going to get an email from my Nutritionist Brian at Personal Best Nutrition within hours of posting this update!)

After brunch it was then back home for the obligatory birthday phone calls and presents from mum before going to swim practice. 

60 x 100m isn't the best present from the coach but oh well some things just have to be done,  and as I've already said   – firmly in the back of mind is September 12th and it's guiding most things I do at the moment.   I had a good solid swim and after that I headed to the beach and had dinner with my good friends;  Anthony, Yolanda and their family. 

We had a beautiful time down at the beach it was lovely.  I did have my bikini on ready but it was actually quite chilly so I sat with my jacket on over the top the whole time.   We then went off for dinner and they presented me with my birthday cake!

So I've had a lovely day and thank you to everyone who made it special,  all the Facebook messages and tweets wishing me happy birthday,  and thanks mum for th pressies and to everyone who posted cards.

When I think now that I am 39 – well to be honest I think blimey that's old?! I don't feel 39 and I never thought I would be doing what I'm doing now at this age. 

Maybe because it's my birthday and I'm sat here in my bedroom typing this out it's got me reflecting on what I've been doing lately...the past few years anyway.

It amazes me what I am doing but more importantly just how much passion I still have for this sport.  I remember standing at the side of the road in 2001 watching the Elite race at World Champs having raced in the amateur race the day prior,  I remember thinking just how much I loved triathlon and how I wanted to make enough so that I could just race triathlon full time,  I loved the sport back then and I still love it as much now.  

I am glad my body is still holding up too,   it had a rough 12 months last year I did wonder around the end of last year whether I'd passed my 'best before' date.  But since the beginning of this year I just seem to feel stronger and stronger week by week.

And if I ever need inspiration and when I do re-think that I could be 'past it' I just have to look at my new homestay's - Rosalind and Lamar, these two really are inspirations to me. 

They are training for the World Triathlon Championships in Budapest in the 60-65 age group.   Both Rosalind and Lamar have full time jobs but they're so dedicated to training.  And if that weren't enough they both still find the time and energy to help organize the many events that go on around LA for it's Tri community.

It's people like Rosalind and Lamar that make our sport so strong and keep participation so high.  Once again I can not believe how lucky I am to have found such a great home stay,   they can not do enough for me and I thank them for that. 

After a few sessions this week I must confess I could hardly walk and wondered if it was my age setting in or just tiredness.  Sometimes I wonder what could have been if I had been achieving this all in my 20's,  I think maybe things could have been easier but then I think would I of achieved as much.  

I could be part of the Tri NZ ‘programme’ whereby the young kids get Iphones to input and store their training, bases all around the world to make it easier to get to races and train in between them, even people to come along to World Cups and make sure everything is done for them. I wonder if I’d of achieved more in my career or not. I know one thing, the experiences I had coming into the sport at 30 and having to fight tooth and nail to get to the next race has really made me appreciate where I’m at now.

I remember Hamish Carter sleeping in transition the night before a world cup because he couldn’t afford a hotel, I remember crashing on his hotel floor the next year because I couldn’t afford accomodation,  and I remember HAVING to win prize money or I couldn’t afford to get home from the Ishigaki World Cup  (thank god I won!).  These sort of memories make you appreciate where you’re at.

As a professional there is always talk about sponsorship or winning large prize purses and I confess once I was like that.  But at this stage in my career I am just happy to be fit and just want to be the best I can be and see what I can achieve from week to week.  Winning’s a bonus, a nice bonus, but a bonus non the less.

My lifestyle is so different from a lot of 39 year olds,  and I still live on a basic budget,  but for me to achieve my dreams this is what I have to do now.   I am very lucky I have a partner that supports and believes in what I am doing 100%.

The volume has really stepped up the past week or two now,  and a few changes have been made in my training also -  Which I am finding interesting.

I am now living in the heart of LA -  a city girl - Which is different!   It is fine at the mo but I think underneath it all I'm a country girl at heart now.    I am finding it hard not to get a Latte every day because everywhere you go there is a Starbucks or Coffee Bean that could make a lovely skinny vanilla or caramel latte -  which I love! 

Being in the heart of LA has cut down my travel time so much that I'm getting the recovery I need,   when I do not get lost.   I just find it hard to work out which is East or West to be honest.   It feels the opposite way round to NZ for some reason.   I just find that you take one wrong turn and you can end up miles in the wrong direction?! 

Last Saturday I was meant to meet the bike group in Santa Monica,   I turned right instead of left and ended up going miles in the wrong direction.   When I was trying to find my way back everyone said head West towards the hills.   Well for one it was foggy so I could not see any hills anyway?!   And secondly head west meant nothing to me!!!   I ended up riding to downtown via Beverly Hills,   if I had my VISA card I probably could of ditched the ride and gone shopping on Rodeo Drive it looked fab and there were some amazing shops!   90 minutes later I arrive where I should of met the group.....2 hours previously!!!

So training has been going well.   I have been attending Yoga classes regularly at the gym to help my core/stability.   However,  I am finding it hard because I struggle to hold the poses,   then when the instructor says relax and breathe through the pose,   it just seems it is too much information for me to 'take in' and I just seem to shake and be in agony holding the pose?!   Then when you have to flow into the next move,   I am the opposite and I feel like an elephant.  One of the instructors commented it is harder with big muscles,  I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not?!

So this week I am going to try pilates instead to see if I have more success at that.   Apparently it takes several years to become good at Yoga - well at 39 I don't have many years left to master it!!!

Anyway, I am off to bed now.   Happy Birthday to all those other Leo's out there.  Murray (our neighbor at home in New Zealand)  I hope you have a great day on Tuesday – make sure Lois spoils you – you deserve it! 

Take care and have a good week,

Sam.

Tuesday 20th July, 2010.

Wow what a great end to a fun week winning The Racine 70.3 here in Wisconsin.   I was so happy with the win because not only did I have to work really hard for it on the day,  but I had to really get things right in the days leading up to the event also.

We left Providence on Monday after I finished 3rd in the 70.3 over there.   On Monday we drove to Newport and spent the day there.   We sampled the local Lobster Rolls  –  these were very nice!   We had a paddle on the beach and generally were tourists for the day which was so nice and relaxing.

It was also a great opportunity to put everything into perspective with regards Providence 70.3.   I was so gutted to get caught within sight of the finish and was struggling to come to terms with it,  but once my cold started coming out I kind of figured I must have been fighting it all day Sunday.

After Newport we headed up to Boston that evening, it looked a great fun city.   However,  due to my poor map reading and hitting Boston at rush hour whilst trying to find a hotel with a pool we only actually got to experience it in the car.   The only hotel we could find with a pool was $300 and my performance on Sunday just did not allow that sort of price in the budget.   So I missed my swim session that day!!!!

Anyway,   I said to Stephen we should head to the suburbs as the hotels would be cheaper,  so off we went to Chelsea as that sounded like a nice place to stay and wasn't too far from the city center.   Well unfortunately it was a case of locking the doors and keep driving.....to get the hell out of there!   We saw fights on the streets,  and some things I'm not going to repeat on here...needless to say we didn't end up staying in Chelsea!

Two hours later we were still trying to find a hotel.   I was feeling sick and Stephen was having a sense of humor failure as he'd needed the toilet about 1.5 hours before!  Eventually at 8.30 pm we found a hotel and that concluded our tour of Boston! 

Tuesday morning I felt like death,  I really did.  I'd stopped being sick on Monday but couldn't really eat still,  so Tuesday morning my muscles were sore from the cold and the race,  and I had absolutely no energy as I really hadn't eaten properly since Saturday night.

So we flew to Milwaukee and picked up a hire car.  Ordinarily when we get a hire car we get the absolute cheapest and thus smallest we can get,  but this time we thought we'd have a bit of fun and get something bigger,  and we also splashed out on a 'sat nav' after driving around Boston for hours the day before!

I've gotta admit this sat nav has been the 'purchase of the holiday' I can't describe just how good it's been!?

So after arriving in Milwaukee we spent the day looking round town.   In the evening we walked along the River stopping at the Ale house for dinner and for Stephen to sample a few local beers.  We then walked on to see the Statue of the “Fonz”   I used to love the “Happy Days”  Richie was my favorite so I was very excited at seeing the Fonz's statue.   On the way back Stephen found an English pub so of course we had to go in there for one,  which actually turned into a real good evening as we played in a quiz!

For the Providence 70.3 there was no homestay program so we ended up staying in a hotel.   After speaking with Ironman I found out that some WTC races are organized by locals,  and some by the WTC,  and generally the ones that are organized by locals have the established home stay programs.   I mush prefer staying with home stays and I think it shows in my results too.  All the races I've done well at this year – I've stayed with guest families!

 Luckily just days before leaving Providence we’d been told that a family had offered us a place to stay with them. Jeff is the President of the Racine Rotary Club and Rotary were helping a lot of athletes out for the race.   Jeff,  Meredith,  Reagan,  and Georgia were absolutely great to both Stephen and me,  and I do believe my result this past weekend is due to their hospitality and all round helpfulness.   When you're happy you race well, and I couldn't be anything but happy  –  they just couldn't do enough for us!

Jeff's place was right on the bike course and one of Jeff's good friends Herb from Krabb Construction took me out riding the roads which was really nice too. 

We actually met Herb and his family Friday night at the Patzke's when we went round to their place for a BBQ.   Stephen was in heaven because this house had it's own downstairs bar  –  and I'm not talking just like a little bar  –  they had a full size bar, pool table, pin ball machines..the lot!  We had a great dinner and then sat outside watching the fire flies and Herb's boys letting off fireworks! 

After my ride with Herb on Saturday morning we arrived back at the house for coffee and 'Kringles'.  A Kringle is one of Racine's traditional foods and also a 'bone of contention'.   Herb swore that his local baker was better than Jeff's so we had to eat quite a few to settle the debate!  It is like a danish crossed with a crumble.  

As race morning approached I was feeling heaps better and so much calmer than last week in Providence,  as I've said it was hard not to be relaxed -  Jeff and Meredith really looked after us,  Meredith cooked really nice meatballs and pasta the night before! I was looking forward to having a good race.

 Losing Providence 70.3 was a great learning experience in terms of hydration,  nutrition,  tire and wheel choice  -   I was determined not to make the same mistake again.  So I'd been working with Brian from Personal Best Nutrition all week on ways to up my salt intake.   We then drove all round Milwaukee looking for the tyres I should have had on the previous week. 

\On Thursday morning we realized that the course was a lot flatter than I'd thought and the rear wheel I had with me wasn't particularly suited.  The wheel I'd been traveling with is a HED 60mm rim,  but ideally I thought I should have been using a disc on this course.  A quick phone call to Vince from HED Wheels and Friday morning a HED 90 turned up at the house  –  this turned out to be THE ideal wheel -  Once I got it up to speed my bike felt like it was flying!   I loved the Jet 90 so thank you to Steve, Anne and Vince from HED for sending it to me.  You were right it was the ideal wheel for this course.

So to the race - it started well with a good 1.9km swim despite the long 50m wade to deep enough water to swimming.   I then struggled to find my rhythm and although I led through out the whole swim,   it really did not feel great.   I had two girls sit on my feet that I could not drop.

Once I hit the beach I had maybe a second or two on Magali and ten on Kate but I sprinted up into transition which was about 400m away and by the time I got to my bike I had 10 seconds on Magali and 15 on Kate.

I felt really strong as I exited on the bike and pushed hard to get the biggest gap possible.  There was a small hill out of transition and I extended my lead up that – just by choosing the right gear to have my bike in before the start – over the top it was 20 seconds to Magali and 30 to Kate.

My lead grew through out the bike section,  I think Magali really tried hard to catch me as she kept the gap below 1 minute for maybe 10 miles or so,  but then it blew out to 2 minutes at around 20 miles and I kept it there until 40 miles when it grew again to 2 mins 30 on the two chasers.

I had a little accident at mile 50 when I approached a junction and the officials were that focused on directing the cyclists coming the other way they didn't indicate which way I was supposed to go,  I turned right and went off course!?   I quickly turned around and got back on the course but it cost me around 20 seconds or so.

But heading back on the final 5 miles into transition I pushed hard after this and had got my lead back to 2 minutes 30 at T2.

I went for a really fast transition and started off strong on the run and had a 3 minute gap for the first lap. 

Unfortunately I think the effects of being ill last weekend and then my head cold this week started to catch up with me on the 2nd lap.  I was tiring and had to fight to hold off Kate Major.  She was running really strong and gaining on me every stride of the run!

 I really had to stay mentally strong and keep pushing although it was hurting pretty bad by this point. With 1km to go I still had the lead but knew Kate was not far behind as I could hear people clapping right behind me,  so I put my head down and surged again. 

The run took you threw a small zoo and there was a slight down hill section after it,  I'd kicked probably 3 or 4 times on the final lap and each time Kate had matched me behind.  But I knew she'd had to work very hard to get that close to me.  So I knew if I kicked again through the zoo and carried it down the 200m slope back to the beach  –  then I'd only have about 500m to hold on. So I kicked hard through the zoo and just gritted my teeth and held on for dear life!

 I was stoked with the win as at the moment I am not running well, yet I still held on for the victory.

It was a great feeling - My homestay and their friends were all there to cheer me on so that was really special too.

We are now sitting in bed after being out for a celebratory meal at the Racine Japanese Steak house. It was amazing as the chefs cooked the food in front of you and did all these fancy things with the flames. We then finished the evening with a night cap in the gazebo at Jeff and Meredith's!

I was a little worried with my running immediatel y after the race, as that's twice now that Kate has run me down, and to be fair, I usually run quite a bit faster than Kate and it just shouldn't be happening.  Kate is trained by Siri also, so we do alot of sessions together, so I know how she runs, and I know she is going REALLY well at the moment.  But I've had time to think about it and I'm comfortable with where I'm at presently.

I've been out of camp for about 7 weeks now, as I left the week before Rev 3 Quassy at the begining of June,  then didn't really train between that and Eagleman 70.3. And then I flew back to NZ and pretty much had a week off training.  And then obviously I flew to Providence and raced and had another week off training in between that race and Racine.  So when I add it all up I've missed a lot of training and should be happy that I can still win races off that preparation.

I'm actually quite excited about the result because it's made me realise something about myself.

I was always strong at ITU because I was strong across all 4 disciplines ; the swim, bike, run, and transition (don't ever neglect the 4th discipline!). At 70.3 we have one or two really strong athletes who are dominant at the moment, but they're dominant because 1 or maybe 2 of their aspects are strong.

It takes time to build up to be a balanced athlete, it took me 4 years at ITU and that's what I'm doing all over again at the 70.3 distance.   I've got my swim so I exit at the front consistently now,  and my bike is so strong now – my last 3 races I've ridden the entire 56 miles off the front on my own. 

And now I'm heading back to camp for 8 weeks where I always improve my run speed. You just can't go to camp and not improve your run speed – that's where it all happens!

So I'm excited because I know once I've had another good block of training focusing on my run, these super fast swimmers, bikers, or runners,  are going to have to deal with a triathlete sometime soon!

Best regards,

Sam.

Tuesday 13th July, 2010. (mid air flying across America...)

It is now two days after the Rhode Island 70.3.   We've had a great couple of days since the race and I now feel I can write my update in a more positive frame of mind.   If I had wrote this Sunday I would have been still full of questions as to what went wrong.  Now I know my melt down in sight of the finish was the summation of small gains – that weren't realized!

It's been a fun week - Flying back to the States to race,  and this time with Stephen.  It makes such a difference as you know who you are sitting next to on the flight,  we don't have to make small talk...we're quite comfortable ignoring each other for 12 hours!

There were no home stays at Rhode Island so we payed for a hotel for the week,  just outside Providence in a suburb called Seekonk.   Luckily we had a hire car as Rhode Island 70.3  is a great event,  but the swim start is about 60 miles away from the finish –  the race is point to point rather than the usual circuit which made logistics quite tricky at times!

Our hotel was in Seekonk and was ideal for the race finish as it was just down the road as was briefing etc.   Training around there was a nightmare though,  on the very first day Stephen and I did a 45 minute run around the Wal-Mart car park?!   It was either that or stop every couple of hundred meters for roads.   And then when I went cycling the day before the race I got so much glass in my tyres I had to buy new ones.....I'll come back to this point later.

On race day I did not feel great for some reason.  To be fair every race I've been to for maybe 3 or 4 months now I've been super relaxed before,  and the body has felt good.  But Sunday I struggled to eat breakfast.  To be honest I had said to Stephen I had felt a bit 'sickly' on Saturday but I just prepared for the race as if everything was ok and just basically ignored it. 

On race day morning I really did not eat as much as I should of as I just could not get it down. Normally I have no problem but again I just figured it was nerves that were getting to me

Once at the race start,  my warm up went well and it was announced a wet suit swim.  I wasn't sure what to think about that.  In ITU races I used to prey for wet suit swims as I was one of the 'weaker' swimmers at ITU and needed the extra buoyancy,  but here at 70.3 races I can exit the swim first so I think I now prefer non-wet suit swims as it makes it harder for the other girls,  and saves me having to drop them on the bike.  It's a lot easier to drop someone on the swim than the bike – believe me!

I had a good swim leading all the way,  until the final 100 meters when Michellie Jones caught a wave in and over took me,  that damn wave cost me money as I didn't get my Blue Seventy bonus!

I had a great transition and got out first on to the bike.   Michellie was sat on my wheel but I didn't want her getting an easy ride for 90 km's so I put the hammer down and managed to get about a minute or so into her in the first 10 km's.

Stephen drove some pretty crazy back roads in the car to see me at a few points on the bike and take splits,  he'd done his preparations and map reading well because the course wasn't easy.   So I know at 12 km's I was 90 seconds up on Kate Major and Michellie was right behind Kate.

Now when I think about it I remember thinking I felt sick in the first 10km's but once again I ignored it because it always hurts when you're going hard.  Siri has a saying 'if you're not hurting you're not going fast enough!'   So I kept pushing the pace and by 20km had a two minute buffer.

At this point I hit the hills.  I lost a bit of time there to my training partner Kate Major.   She took time out of me and at 30km's she was 1 minute back from me.   From this point onwards I held Kate at exactly 1 minute all the way to Transition 2 –  again I know this because Stephen took some splits for me.  It was basically a pursuit between me and Kate,  neither giving an inch,   the only difference being that she had a few hangers on during the bike.  When I arrived at T2 I'd managed to gain a few seconds on the run in to town leading Kate and Heather Jackson by around 1 minute 20 seconds.

I got off the bike and headed off on the half marathon run trying to focus on fast legs.   That's what I tell myself when I'm running –  key words.   However,  I did not feel great and after the first lap my lead had gone to 55 secs,  so I'd lost 20 seconds.  I surged to push the pace to get it back to 1 min which is what I wanted - This felt good.

So I'm at 10 miles into the run and I've just pushed and increased my lead to 1 minute over Kate....

I then started to climb the hill for the 2nd time,  it was called Power Street and was a tough hill of 10% for about 400m. 

Well it was like the hill sapped everything out of me -  I had no power!!   I hit the hill then hit the wall....literally.   I could not believe it  –  just how quickly I went backwards at the 10 mile mark.

I had led the whole race but just could not hang on for those last 3 miles.  I was gutted as I could feel my lead being eaten up by Kate Major.   She ran strong and had a great race and to be beaten by my training partner is some consolation. 

 I tried to go with her when she passed me but my body had nothing.  It was like my body was trying to tell me it did not feel well, and if I was unwilling to listen,  well it was now going to show me.  It was so frustrating to see my lead just fade away. 

I kept trying to minimize the damage but with a mile to go I got passed by Caitlin Snow who was having an amazing run,  and did the fastest run of the day.  She gave me words of encouragement but once again the body was depleted and I had no answer for her.

My body language crossing the line showed my despair.  I was gutted but that is racing and I kinda knew something had gone wrong. 

I did the usual massage and recovery therapy before prize giving.  My suspicions grew even more when we went to the Cheesecake factory where I got a huge white chocolate and Raspberry truffle cheesecake –  it looked great in the shop but I just couldn't stomach it -  and yet I'd dreamed about having one all week?!   And then to make matters worse the traditional burger and fries -  once again I could not face it.

So I went back to the hotel room and lay on the bed for the inevitable – within an hour of being back at the hotel I was vomiting for around 2 hours.  I've never known anything like it. I'm not sure if it was because of what I put my body through during the race,  or something beforehand,  but my body was basically having a 'clean out'.

Yesterday I felt really rough and was still not on solids but today I am feeling a lot better. 

I've been doing the usual beating myself up,  what went wrong?  Is it fitness?  Is it my run etc? The thing is with triathlon, the sport is so multi dimensional that there's never really one answer. And if there is,  you're lucky that you can pin point it, such as a puncture or poor swim etc.

Despite obviously being sick there were other 'small' issues that all added up to a less than ideal performance for me Sunday.

• Having talked with Brian Shea from Personal Best Nutrition (I've been working with Brian since an intro via Stephen on Slowtwitch) parts of my nutritional strategy started to look suspect on the day.   I am always going for that 'perfect performance', so as usual I wrote down how my nutrition / hydration plan differed to actually what I did. From talking to Brian it seemed I may of gone Hyponatremic (not enough sodium intake) I knew it was hot,  so I planned to drink four water bottles,  2 electrolyte and 2 plain water.  And that's what I did but the plain water diluted my own body's sodium concentrate so come to mile 10 I was running on empty.   It seems such a simple thing, but at 70.3 it's all about the details.  So I am now already working on a new plan for my next race in Racine 70.3, Wisconsin.   My calorie intake on the bike was good,  so adaption s are being made to increase salt levels and also get more fluid into me in the first half of the run. 
• The day before the race I went for a quick 45 minute ride to spin my legs out. When I returned Stephen did the usual last minute checks on my bike. Whenever Stephen travels with me he sort of takes charge of my bike. He must really annoy the cleaners at the hotels we stay in because he always gets a warm wet flannel and wipes my tyres clean with it to make sure there's nothing stuck in them. Well in those 45 minutes I must of picked up EVERY piece of glass on the roads around our hotel, they were riddled with it! So that afternoon Stephen grabbed some more tyres for me from the expo and I put them on for practice back at the hotel.    The tyres were Continental GP 4000 just like I normally use...well not quite...apparently it's all in an 'S',  I usually race on the GP 4000S which is apparently a faster tyre but they didn't have any faster tyres at the expo so Stephen had to buy these.    Now I've never really 'bought into' the whole bike tech thing, I'm just happy with what I get. But I've been taking a lot of advice recently from my good friend Jill Savages husband – Jordan.     Jordan is a US Pro who rides for Specialized and is very knowledgeable on bike related tech issues.     Jordan insists that it would take more wattage to push the same speed on the 4000 tyre. 

I'm not blaming any of the above, I'm just trying to emphasize that the stars really do need to 'line up' to win races, and when little 'details' aren't dealt to, they add up and affect the final result. I'm learning this more and more at the 70.3 distance – you really do need to cross your T's and dot your I's!

Anyway I am now feeling heaps better and I'm currently on a flight on the way to Racine. Who would of thought you could get Wifi on a plane?!

I've done a little run on the treadmill this morning, actually completed it not feeling sick and with the usual race soreness in my quads but nothing more so I'm really happy with that! 

We looked all around Boston last night to find a hotel with a pool so I could get my swim in but unfortunately the one we found was $400 a night and then we took another 2 hours to find another hotel. 

So I'm leaving Rhode Island on a very positive note as I think things were just 'against' me this past weekend.  It was obviously a number of little things were compounded by me not feeling too great.

 Well done to Terrenzo again for an amazing race.  . Sorry I could not back up the Kiwi double, I was there till mile 10!!!  Kate Major had a solid performance – well done Kate. And Graham O'Grady for being first out of the swim in the mens too – good effort Gog.

And finally thanks to Rob Fyfe and his team of helpers at Air New Zealand. I made my mind up late last week that I wanted to stay over this side of the US and race in another event in Wisconsin this weekend called 'Racine 70.3'. The only issue was because I'd booked mine and Stephen's tickets as round trips, if we didn't get on our flight back to LA it would cancel both our flights back to NZ! The American airline companies were adamant!? 

I contacted Rob Fyfe personally and by the time I woke up the very next morning, I had 4 emails from his staff informing me he was just off on holiday with his family but he wanted them to sort every detail of my travel!?

So thanks Rob and the team, lets hope I can make you proud next weekend in Racine!

Take care and speak next week,

Sam.

Monday 28th June, 2010.

Favourite Quote this week: “My wedding dress is gonna make liberace look like a librarian” Becky from Coro!

Well I'm back in New Zealand after a good overseas campaign that began at the beginning of March when I went over to America to race Oceanside 70.3 and finished up just over two weeks ago when I raced Eagleman 70.3 and won.  I've had 5 podium finishes whilst in America, and two wins.  The only race I didn't perform well at was Oceanside 70.3 when I was still recovering from a broken wrist.  All in all it's been a great 1st half of the season,  and ended a little differently than I'd expected at the start of the year!!

The past 7 days have been tough to be honest,  and the decisions I've made basically mean that my weeks are only going to get tougher from here on in.  I've finally made the decision to 'go long'.  There's been quite a bit of speculation on the medias part here in New Zealand as to my intentions,  but up until Rev3 Half it was totally my plan to revert back to ITU after that race.  But I've really enjoyed racing 70.3 events, and after winning Eagleman I had some tough decisions to make. 

Home has definately been the right place to be making those choices too – I couldn't be happier here.

I have really enjoyed racing ITU and I was really quite upset when I finally made the decision but at the same time I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

With my recent success at the 70.3 distance and the way ITU racing is going at the moment I feel it is time for a change.  I just love the fact 70.3's are all about pushing yourself,  there is no drafting so you rely on yourself alone and when you get off the bike you are racing someone in a fair battle - who has legs just as tired as your own. 

70.3's are so big in America too, with over 3,000 athletes competing in each event. 

Stepping up to the Ironman is the natural progression and it is something I have always wanted to do.  So,  since I'm in 2nd place in the Rev 3 series and that just isn't the sort of opportunity to waste - September 12th will be my first Ironman – so there's going to be some really tough weeks between now and then!!

Thank you to all those who have been behind me during my time at ITU –  no I don't mean the people I've beat!  I really do appreciate how you all supported me through the highs and lows,  both emotionally and in fact financially!  Thank you to my sponsors who continually stand by me and continue to do so on this new path.

Triathlon NZ and Sparc, I just couldn't of achieved all that I have without the investment you've put in my career.

And to everyone over the years that has cheered me on at the side of the road,  emailed me messages of congratulations,  and generally made the life of a triathlete one I've loved – thank you all.

So now to the future - Training this week has gone really well considering I'm back in NZ and the weather isn't the best.

It has been nice training around my old routes although as I say it's a little colder than I'm used to.  Finishing my evening runs at 5.15pm wrapped up with gloves, leggings, a hat isn't that much fun?!

I am back into my core training with Jon Renes and using the treadmills at his gym,  Fitness Plus on Dyer Street here in Whangarei.  It's an amazing gym tucked away in a quiet corner of Whangarei,  but has really great quality equipment and lots of space so you're never waiting for a machine.  The Whangarei Aquatic Center always look after me too when I'm at home.  I get my own lane there,  I don't know many places in the world where that happens! 

I also used the new Whangarei Athletic track just the other day - It was lovely, so springy and a great credit to Ian Babe and the Whangarei Athletic Club who have worked for years getting the funding and building Whangarei's first tartan track - No more grass track workouts!!

I've had a few SPARC Ambassador visits,  which just confirmed to me what my dream job would be when I do eventually retire!  I just need to find someone that will bankroll my public speaking career now!

Last Friday I spoke at Avondale College and I'm not sure if they were more impressed with the "Woman from the TV” (Michelle Pickles) or me!!!  Michelle came along to do some filming for TV3 news as they ran a story about my change in direction (Click here to watch the interview).

I have caught up with friends too which is what I really enjoy about being home and brings me back to reality.   I love being on camp but nothing can beat being at home. 

The house is looking great with the walls all gib stopped and sealed. The doors are all in now – with handles!  And we have an Olive grove?!  Stephen has done a great job.

I've been doing my own baking using fresh eggs from our chickens,  I thought I'd share my Chocolate brownie recipe with you below. Give it a go – everybody seems to love eating it and it's so easy to make. You just mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, and then bake – that simple!

Malcolm Stobie my sponsor from Integria was one of the lucky people to taste my current batch of chocolate brownie when he came up to Northland.  Malcolm's son was playing hockey,  so we went to watch too.

I am not very good at moving the cows as they are quite big now and Stephen has brought two more since I've been away. It's a bit intimidating when you're in the paddock with them,  I keep thinking one of them may turn and charge towards me!? I was honored on Saturday – Stephen let me drive the ride on lawn mower!!

So for now it is a glass of red wine in front of Coronation street with the fire roaring.  I love the evenings with the fire going. 

So I hope you're surviving the weather. And with my new direction I will definately be racing more in NZ which excites me even more and hopefully I'll be able to bring you more stories of races won and lost – you just can't beat being at home and you can't beat racing at home either!

All the best for now,

Sam.

Sam’s “Really Easy Chocolate Brownie” Ingredients:

-250g Butter, 1 1/2 Cup Cocoa, 5 Eggs, 2 Cups of Sugar, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 Cup of Flour, 1 Cup of Chocolate Drops.

Recipe:

Melt the butter in a big saucepan on the stove, Stir in the cocoa, beat the 5 eggs and then add them to the sauepan, stir, then add the sugar, stir, add the flour, stir the flour half in, add the chocolate drops, and then stir until it looks like a smooth chocolate.

Pour it all into a baking try and cook at 150 degrees centigrade for 50 minutes. Take out of the oven, cut into squares once cooled down a little...but not too much...it’s best when the chocolate drops are still melted a little. And even better the next day when they’re cold!!

Sunday 23rd May, 2010.

It's Saturday night and I am lying on the couch exhausted  -  We had an epic six hour ride today and god does my body know it now!

I can have a little giggle to myself now as I think about the ride,  but at the time we were just 'getting through it',  it really was heads down stuff, just watching the miles go by dreaming of being home! 

Desiree and I started at 5.30am this morning,  we rode up Montezuma as usual.   However a cold front came in across the mountain,  usually we're baking as we ride the big old mountain but today it just got colder and windier as we climbed.    By the time we had crawled over the summit the clouds were black.   We cycled on as normally you can descend the climb really quickly and escape any bad weather at the top but today the wind was so strong we may as well have been going uphill again,  we literally crawled down the mountain at 20 miles per hour! 

Desiree and I kept ourselves going by thinking of the hot latte we were going to have when we got to civilization.   Eventually we arrived Julian just as the front had passed and the weather started to warm,  at this point we made the executive decision to stop for a hot chocolate and the best warm apple / walnut / oatmeal muffin I've had!   Julian is a little town famous for it's Apple Pie,  Stephen and I actually came here for a day trip back in 2008 and we tried the famous apple pie then,  it was and still is,  amazing! 

Anyway today Desiree and I were tucking in to our muffins,  on this unscheduled and very much unplanned  (by the coach!)  'pit stop' ,  each laughing at each other because of how unhappy and cold we were when a face appeared at the window of the cafe.....Siri had seen our bikes outside and came to say hello!!

It was funny as we felt like we were naughty little school girls hiding,  not wanting to do PE so both hiding out behind the gym!?!   Especially as we each had a muffin in our hands too.

So after our impromptu stop we then continued the ride and cooked as we rode back to the valley as the temperature soared into the 90's  –  and we were dressed in our winter woollies that the mornings temperature necessitated. 

Siri wanted us to go hard for the final hour,  that's right,  we'd ridden 5 hours at this point and it was a head wind all the way home,  and Siri wanted another hour at time trial pace?!  To be honest I was glad to  –  we leave here tomorrow for LA where we'll be based for the summer. Stephen sent me another parcel and if it didn't arrive today I probably wouldn't get it – and the post office closed at 12 noon!!  So Siri's last hour hard was all good to me,  I just wanted to get home and fast.

We absolutely hammered that last hour,  I really don't know who came out on top between Desiree and I,  I do know that on numerous times we were both nearly blown off our bikes as we were going ' all out ',  what I do know is I got to the post office at 3 minutes past 12 and luckily they were still there and my parcel arrived!!!

The ladies there are used to me now and said 'treats from your husband?'  And yes it was,  this week he sent me more chocolate – a Galaxy bar I love it!  And also some kitchen magazines to look at and a beautiful new dress that someone must have helped him choose?! I'm spoilt that's for sure. Oh and some Nivea anti wrinkle Q10 cream....what are ya trying to say Stephen???

This afternoon I've cleaned my ranch and packed as we leave the desert tomorrow and head to LA -    We start a new training camp there.

I will be sad to leave as I've had a great time here but it is just getting too hot in the daytime to train (besides today obviously!) .   It has been in the 100's most days this week.   I've managed to get a homestay in LA which I'm really happy about also.  I got an email just this week from a super kind family in Malibu that heard of my plight and offered a room for the ten days I'll be in LA until I fly out to the next block of racing.  I'm stoked about that and whats even better is Anthony  (The father of the family I'll be staying with)  has qualified for Kona this year so we'll be able to do a little training together!

 So back to Borrego anyway, tomorrow's run up Montezuma will be interesting,  I've got a solid run to the top.  I really hope the weather is better tomorrow,  I wonder if I'll run to the top quicker than I cycled today?!   Although on the news at the moment they are giving out wind warnings so it could be more of the same.   We are still getting a lot of small earthquakes and after shocks, especially at night.  They are just enough to shake the house,   so they wake you up in the night and you're left wondering what the hell was that? 

The “fish bowl”  (that is what we nicknamed our coaches pool as it feels like you're swimming in a fish bowl)  has got very warm so I am swimming without a wet suit,  when I first arrived here I was cold IN MY WETSUIT!!!    The team have been getting on well as always and we've had a lot of fun this week.  Even when we all have to get up at 4.30am to avoid the heat,  we still have a laugh. 

So it has been another great week and I can feel the benefits of working through another solid block.   Thank you also to Urland Fletcher who introduced me to ART massage this week,   my legs felt great.   Also to Karen Sing (Profile Design) for agreeing to help me out with a hydration system on my bike.

I've got a bike fit with Jordan Rapp on Monday up in LA and I'm really excited about that.  Hopefully I should be ready and raring to go for my next race in two weeks, the Rev 3 Half,  in Maryland.

Thanks again for stopping by and hopefully I'll have some awesome stories to tell next week from my new place in Malibu!

Sam.

Monday 17th May, 2010.

I flew back to camp last Monday from Tennessee,  after leaving Knoxville at 10am I didn't arrive back in Borrego until 2am...what a day?!

After flight changes that couldn't be helped,  I did a little unplanned 'detour' driving from LA to Borrego and got lost.   Even in the middle of the night the LA freeways were so busy.

I arrived back to camp, to new accommodation that I'd never stayed at before to find I was sleeping on the floor?!   Nightmare as I was so knackered.   Anyway it was fine for the five hours I slept,  then after the morning training Stephen suggested I use some of my hard earner prize money to rent my little ranch from Vicky again – the place I'd been renting for the past 7 weeks,  luckily it was still available so I'm back in my little pad again  –  cable TV,  my own bed,  and all! 

Unfortunately the day after I got back to camp I came down with a head cold.  Although the temperature is regularly up to 100 degrees in the daytime now I still manage a cold?!

I trained through but had to monitor my body closely and there was even times when Siri has stopped me from training  –  anybody that knows me well will know that being told to stop training goes down like a cup of cold sick with me...but she's the boss. 

Having a coach to make those decisions is great,  although I'm gutted and frustrated at the time I knew I had to listen and let my body recover.   Now I am glad as just under a week on and I feel so much better.   The only real down side to the whole cold thing was that my nose and lips were so sore and red all week!   Thank god  ( well Malcolm anyway)  for Thompson's Nutrition – Immunofort. I take it everyday and it seems to help me fend off colds,  and when I do catch them I seem to be able to train through and recover quickly from them.

So during my bout of illness,  I did what training I could and just rested in between, sleeping or watching cable.   No extra swim drill sessions or core training

I've got to admit I've watched some awesome movies this past week,  real girly 'chic flicks' :  Mamma Mia,  The Proposal,  Pretty in Pink,   Dirty Dancing,   Billy Elliott and also The Rookie which is right up there with Rocky for inspiration!!!!   The Rookie is about a baseball player who gets a second chance and so leaves his loved one to pursue a dream.   I was in tears as I could relate so much to what he was doing but the thing that struck me was how much support he got from his partner at home,  how they always believed in him when he doubted himself and when he wondered was it worth it and he thought about the sacrifices.

I got a parcel from Stephen this week too which really got me crying after watching The Rookie?!   It had my Asics trainers in which was brilliant.  He'd also included a load of 'Kiwi' treats such as chocolate,  salt and vinegar crisps,  Marmite,  some girly mags,  a new T-Shirt,  my fav Smentos lollies,   and even Heinz Baked Beans so I could make myself some beans on toast after training!  (Oh and a mothers day card too...I'm not quite sure what he was trying to tell me with that one?!)   It was so much fun getting the parcel and treats,  and it reminded me of home.   I've been really good and still have the chocolate,  I'm just having one bit a day as a treat with a good old cup of tea. 

We have one more week left in the desert,  then we all move up to Santa Monica as Borrego gets too hot.   I have no idea where I am staying yet as I'm looking for a home stay but I haven't found one yet,  I'm only a little worried, we leave later this week!!!   I am quite sad as I have loved being here in Borrego and I've made some real big gains in my fitness.   And it's second only to New Zealand on my list of favorite places to train in the world.   Everything you need to train is right on your door step,  cars are few and far between and distractions are even more rare!

 At the moment training starts at 5.30am  -  biking or running,  which is awesome as we see the sun rise most mornings.   However getting up at 4.30am when it is so dark is not quite that nice,  but it's always worth it.

We then swim in the afternoon which is lovely because the water is now warm enough to not worry about wet suits. 

This past Saturday we had an epic six hour session  -  I thought I was going to die on the run in the heat.   However as always we got the session done which was an achievement in itself what with my cold and first time doing this session.   Thank you to Desiree Flicker for getting me through the whole 6 hours and Jenny for pushing me on the bike.

I wore my heart rate monitor for the duration of the session and afterward it said I'd burnt off over 3,500 calories so that evening when I went to skype Stephen from the cafe he was surprised to see me eating a pizza as a treat!

Stephen had his birthday last week and his sister traveled up to Whangarei for a few days,  thank you Becky for helping Stephen paint our bedroom – much appreciated!!

It's Monday here today  (Tuesday for you guys in NZ) and it's my rest day so I am enjoying having nothing to do,  I'm feeling good and just relaxing.   I have 3 more weeks until my next race so I'm happy to be back into a solid block of training.

And good coaching news (www.sweat7.com)  this week too,  one of my long term athletes Leonie,  who has been on a ‘break’ focussing on her career for a few months now has decided to start training for The Tauranga Half...I’m soooo excited to have her back and what we’re going to achieve together again!!

 Thanks for stopping by,  and I'll update you all again next week,  hopefully I wont be writing from a cardboard box on the side of the road,  if you know anybody with a spare room in Santa Monica I'm great at cleaning and baking!!!

Sam.

Sunday May 9th, 2010.

Another great week – another great homestay!   I've got to be honest,  as much as I'm enjoying racing,  I'm really loving staying at homestay's whilst racing these 70.3's  –  you really meet some lovely people.   I've been so lucky and would thoroughly recommend staying with a local family rather than at a hotel.

I'm presently sitting on the deck with a log fire roaring,  a lovely glass of wine ,  and the sun setting over the Tennessee river.

Training this week has been light.   After St.Croix last Sunday I needed a few easy days to recover,  I'm not getting any younger and I don't mind admitting it does take me a little longer to recover than the young girls!  But by Wednesday I was ready to tackle a tough session to kick start the system and remind it what it does.  It's always hard to do your first solid session after a race that you've smashed yourself in but I also knew I'd feel better for it afterward.

I left St Croix on Wednesday after my hard run,  I actually finished off my stay there relaxing by the pool after the session at the local resort.  This was where I would go for swim training but then hang out afterwards. 

I was due to fly straight to Knoxville via Miami.   However my flight was delayed for four hours in St Croix which is not the most exciting airport as all it had was a snack bar that sold hot dogs?!  I texted Stephen and told him about this and he said I should 'get one in me', but they looked absolutely horrid so I was glad I'd packed a few snacks in my bag for the wait.

By the time we landed in Miami it was 10pm and I had missed my connecting flight to Knoxville.  So courtesy of the airline I was put up in a hotel.  I eventually made the hotel at midnight.  I spent the following day in the hotel,  surfing the channels watching American comedy and films.  It was an awesome way to spend my rest day –  it's not often I do absolutely nothing!  I then flew to Knoxville and got picked up by my lovely homestay that evening.

Mike, Whitney, Susan and George have been absolutely fab putting me up here in Knoxville and chauffeuring me around,  here there and everywhere.   It has been a great stay,  I've been so happy here,  and that has been reflected in my performance this past weekend.

I've been staying in the hills just outside Knoxville overlooking the Tennessee River,  a beautiful and peaceful spot.   I've not had to leave the place except for the race as the neighbours had a 25 m indoor pool that I could use.   Susan, George, Mike and Whitney became my own personal support crew and did everything they could to keep me relaxed and to the start line in best shape possible.  Stephen Skyped on Saturday night and he thought I was high on drugs because I was so relaxed.  However,  we were just sitting on the deck by the fire chatting.  Their fire is a real log fire outside on the deck.  Sorry Stephen but that's something else I now want at our house. 

That's if we have a house when I get home in June!?  I was showing Mike and Whitney how Skype works and I thought it was a bit strange that Stephen had not got his camera on when talking to me.   I asked him if could he put it on to show them how Skype works and he said it wasn't a good time......I thought that was a bit rude.   Anyway he then went on to tell us he got drenched working outside on Sunday,  he'd come back up to the house to talk to me on Skype but had just taken all his clothes off and put on his dressing gown because he was so wet.  He then put some baked beans on the gas stove to make beans on toast for lunch.....and set fire to his dressing gown whilst lighting the stove.  Apparently it went up like a rocket and burnt all one side of his dressing gown.....and of course it was just after he'd put himself out that I'd rung on Skype!

Anyway,  today was the first round of the Rev 3 Triathlon Series.  A new fun and exciting series which involves all the big three triathlon distances (Olympic, Half Ironman, and Full Ironman).

It was a very cold morning so when we were told it was a non wet suit swim I nearly died. 

However the water was really warm it was just the air temperature that was cold.   We swam in the Tennessee River which was a little cloudy due to clay from all the flooding they have had in Nashville. 

I had a disappointing swim but as usual I just put my head down and cycled hard to catch most of the field.   The bike was a lovely undulating course through the countryside of South Knoxville.  I was freezing for the first few miles but started to warm once on the hills.

I struggled a little in T2 as I couldn't get my helmet off or put my shoes on,  my fingers were so cold.  I'd come into T2 in 4th spot and wanted to go out hard to chase the front girls  –  that was the goal.

Once I'd got the helmet off and shoes on I ran up to second quite quickly.  But then with 1 km to go I got caught by the third place girl –  Kelly Williamson of USA – but all I can remember thinking was my coaches words ' In the last Km you can do absolutely anything you can put your mind too'. So I ran smartly, side by side with Kelly hurting like hell,  until 200m to go when I kicked and sprinted for home.

The 38 year old did it again and I won the sprint to take 2nd place.   I was really pleased because I knew last weekend was a hard race so to back it up with another second place showed great strength and if I can just get my swimming back to where it was in February,  I'll be back on top the podium. 

After the race we all went out for dinner in downtown Knoxville which was really nice.  After that I had chocolate custard ice cream mixed up with M and M's....divine!!

Unfortunately I didn't have room for a Starbucks which would be my normal treat,  we were going to get it from a 'drive thru' Starbucks which was a first for me – how exciting, but I did get a photo !!

So right now I am getting ready to go to bed before heading back to the desert after a great two weeks away.   I know the next 3 weeks are going to be tough - time to get back into some quality training.  I've got the next round of the Rev 3 Series – a Half Ironman on June 6th and the week after that I've just confirmed this past week I'll be racing in the Eagleman 70.3 event over on the east coast.  And after that back to New Zealand for a short break and shopping for a kitchen ...finally!

Well done to Julie Dibens for winning the first round of Rev 3 and to everyone else who raced this weekend congratulations and I hope you're happy with your performance. Thanks to Heather and the team for organising a great event and I'm looking forward to the next round already!

Sam.

Monday 3rd May, 2010.

I'm sat here on the deck of my homestay's house here in St Croix -  Looking out across the harbour -  so peaceful and relaxing.   Exactly what I need after yesterdays effort

I'm here in St.Croix now until Wednesday when I fly off again,  to Knoxville for the first round of the Rev 3 Triathlon series. 

An hour ago I was swimming with a group at Cane Bay,  we saw turtles,  they were so graceful and moved so peacefully.   Apparently we swam over a bull shark too but luckily I didn't see him!  The water is so warm here it feels like a bath and for me to say that it must be warm! 

So the past week,  well I flew in to St Croix from California on Wednesday and I was excited to be racing again.  Competition was going to be tough so I figured that was just the challenge I needed.  I feel like I've trained a hell of a lot and am ready to race now, so I'm stoked that I have 3 more races over the next month before I head home to New Zealand.

Once again I had a lovely homestay organized by the WTC, Ed and Linda have looked after me so well,  to be honest I could quite gladly stay here for a long time due to their hospitality.  Linda has even let me drive around in her convertible BMW?!   From the moment I arrived my stay has been so relaxed and lovely,  Stephen actually organized a beautiful bunch of pink flowers to be delivered and waiting on my bed when I arrived.

St Croix is a beautiful Island and the bike course took in a lot of the sights, so driving the course prior to the race was a great way to get a feel for the place.  The weather has been so hot, humid and sunny.   This coupled with the hills,  humidity and winds made St Croix 70.3 the toughest race I've ever done. 

I started the race well with a good swim getting out in second and leading the chase pack up to the swim winner Nina Kraft -  I was stoked with this.   I was first out of transition and by mile 4 I had taken the lead.  At around mile 12  I was joined by Catriona Morrison from Scotland who won this race in 2009.   We then worked hard off each other to increase our gap over the rest of the field.

The bike course was just up and down all the way. There was one hill called the Beast which is a hill that gets as steep as 20%.  I imagined it was like climbing one of the amazing climbs in the Tour de France because the road was lined with spectators,  cheering and ringing cowbells and there were lots of messages written on the road,  I spent some time looking at the tarmac on that hill - It was so hard?!  It was so hot going up the beast,  and I was sweating so much that my hands kept slipping off the handlebars?!   I honestly thought I was going to fall off backwards at one stage.

After 'The Beast' we had more hills and a head wind so all in all it was such a tough bike course. 

Anyway I thought all was going well until I got off the bike and had that dreaded feeling when the body just does not want to run.   No matter how hard I tried to get my leg speed up,  my body would not respond.   It was the feeling you dread most in a race like this.

So I just had to put my head down and do the best I could on the day. It was so hot on the run,  I felt like I was melting. I was taking on fluid every drink station and pouring ice down my tri suit.  I got through the run and held onto second which I was pleased about because I was having one of the worst days I've ever had in triathlon.  I was just damn lucky I'd pushed so hard on the bike and had a big gap on 3rd place.

As it turned out, Catriona and I were the only two women to receive prize money as the WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) has a new rule this year ;  you have to finish within 8% of the winners time to receive prize money.  So I'm glad I soldiered on and just got in within 8% of Catriona's time.  It would have been easy to give up,  or maybe coast into the finish,  I can't say the prize money was a motivating factor for me to keep going though,  as that never crosses your mind when you're racing.  If you race for the money not only are you in it for all the wrong reasons,  but I'll guarantee you'll falter – it will become your master and crush your aspirations.   You have to love this sport,  it's just too hard to have any other reason to compete other than a love of the sport.  You just have to give your absolute best effort every time you go out.   I've never pulled out of a race in my life and I sure wasn't about to start in St.Croix.

I've been contacted by a couple of reporters wanting my opinion of the new WTC rule about re-distributing prize money,  and the above is all you're going to get from me sorry. I love triathlon,  I'm not here for politics,  and I'm not here to say 'look at me' – I'm here racing because I love testing my body and seeing how far I can push it.  Yesterday I pushed it to the limit so I thank the organisers of St.Croix 70.3 and all the volunteers for the opportunity to test myself once again.

On reflection now, a day later, sat here with legs aching (still!?) the St Croix 70.3 was the toughest race I had ever done. I thought Huatulco 2008 was hard, I thought the Athens 2004 course was harder, but St.Croix takes the biscuit!  It was so hot and with so many hills my goal was just to survive - and I did.

Apparently the day was the hottest it has ever been for the race and the medical tent was so full from people suffering from the heat that they nearly shut down the race?! 

For me personally I know my body shut down a little yesterday. I was drinking and took on fluid from the aid stations on the bike, but no where near enough.  I had my monthly too which is no excuse as I won Tauranga last year with it, but I think that combined with the severe heat and dehydration just took the edge off my run.

So anyway , another podium finish which I am very pleased about because it was a very tough day at the office, but now it's time to start getting my head around racing next weekend in the Rev 3 triathlon in Knoxville, Tennessee.

After finishing writing this I am going out to celebrate with a hamburger and fries,  I'm going with some friends I met over here.  They are going to get photos of me eating such a big hamburger as they can't believe I eat such crap after a race!  But after what my body went through yesterday that is the least I can do for it?!

Take care and speak soon from Rev3!!

Sam.

Monday 26th April, 2010.

Well I arrived safely back in the desert after my exciting weekend away to New Orleans – but now a few days on it's just another memory, a good memory, but a memory non the less and I'm back training for bigger goals.

I was so tired when I arrived back here, the trip seemed to take forever and I had very little sleep on Sunday night before having to get to the airport early Monday morning.

So I had a few recovery days and then it was straight back in to it – It may seem strange to some of you, but I absolutely love training!

I have to confess though on Wednesday I did crack.  I had to go to bed at 6pm, I fell asleep and woke up twelve hours later?! It was awesome and just what I needed. I woke up feeling great and had a great training day too. 

The weather has been freezing since I've been back from New Orleans - We had bike hill reps up Montezuma on Thursday and there was snow at the top of the hill and by the side of the road lay lumps of ice. It had gone from being 90 degrees the day I left to freezing on Wednesday when I woke!  I am happy to say it has warmed back up now and temperatures have returned to the 90's – just how I like it! For a couple of days there I was wearing thermals which seemed pretty funny, but now I'm back in my new swim suit that I treated myself to after winning New Orleans, it's stripy and apparently (according to Stephen) sexy...as I sent him a picture of me wearing it to try and encourage him to book a flight over to see me soon (I'm far too sensible for that - Ed)

My diet has been going well, despite the image that is portrayed back home, America really does have some lovely healthy food shops, with great choices, and natural too which is a real bonus. I have discovered the cereal 'Barbara Peanut Butter Puffs'. They are so good that I put them on top of my mixed up wholegrain oats and baby porridge with yogurt that's my new favorite cereal .....any time of the day!!  I have also discovered yogurt coated pretzels too , they're sooo good.

I'm on Soy milk soy milk and these herbal teabags called Guayaquil Organic Herbal Tea – they even do an endurance flavor.  These have all been introduced to me by fellow triathletes - Joey Hinton and Kate Major.  Although I've got to say I can't wait to be on the couch back home, with a big pot of PG Tips, and a pack of chocolate digestives to dunk!

Joey and Kate come up and stay at mine for a few days at a time as they both live in San Diego. They are not only great training partners but they also let me try their goodies and then tell me the benefits and (lack of) calories – it's great. Although to be honest I'm glad we have to make special trips to the whole food supermarkets otherwise I would of spent a fortune trialling stuff?!

Joey is here at the mo with me- we are watching a movie as I've got cable here in my little 'Ranch', we're recovering after our run up Montezuma , after this it's a swim and then relax for the evening.

Joey and I are just playing the game 'guess the session' at the moment, wondering if Siri will spring a killer swim session on us, or maybe it might be something a little more social – guess we'll find out in 45 minutes!

There is only Hayley, Joey, myself and Arvie here for the rest of the week as everyone else is away racing. Rinny and Jenny did really well at St. Anthony's Triathlon this mornings, and Marcie and Desiree in Texas, they had great races too.

So anyway, only a few more hard days before a little taper for the St Croix 70.3 Half Ironman next weekend. and I move out of my little ranch too this coming week.  That will be sad as it has such character.  I think the thing I'll miss the most is the cable TV – I've watched the Rocky movies soooo many times these past few weeks! When I was running down the home straight at New Orleans I heard the Rocky theme tune and had to smile to myself although I was hurting – I hope they play it for me again next weekend!

Right off to swim training now, let's see who wins the bet and picks the right session, I hope I'm right – we're surely due an easier day sometime soon?!

Take care and speak again soon from St.Croix on the Virgin Islands!!

Sam.

Monday 19th April, 2010.

Well it's Sunday evening now and after todays race I should be sleeping...  but I just can't nod off so I thought I would update my website. 

I'm not sure if it's because I am still on a high from the race or because of the thunder and lightening storm that's going on outside ...but either way....here I am in the small hours in New Orleans!  I'm hoping Stephen will get home soon from work back in NZ so we can Skype.   It's a 7 hour time difference between us and he'll be as tired as me as he started watching the race via Twitter at midnight and it was his first day back at school today after the Easter holidays!  

Anyway this past week I've enjoyed the taper,  and I think that was reflected in my result today.   I had a great last key session on Tuesday so that set me up in a really positive mind set.

I drove to San Diego on Wednesday evening to spend a night at my training partner Kate Major's place before my flight Thursday over to New Orleans.  It was really funny as I head over to San Diego  –  I honestly felt like I was driving back into civilization?!   I'm not saying that camp is un-civilized  (Although at times it is in terms of how hard we go out after each other in training!!),  it just felt really weird driving back into San Diego,   seeing more shops, super markets....and people!

 I had to get dinner and I was so spoilt for choice  -  which was such a change from the desert  –  it actually took me quite a while to decide what to have!!

I then flew on Thursday over to New Orleans via Dallas and had to pay the usual mega fees for my bike.  I actually asked the kind lady on the check in if my bike could sit next to me on the plane at that price.....she didn't appreciate my humor?  Funny thing was the bike cost me as much as my seat had?! 

I got off the flight from San Diego,  went to the gate in Dallas with my boarding pass but because I did not have a seat number they told me the flight was over booked so they could not guarantee I would get a seat.....how does that work.....I'd booked the damn flight that far in advance that my seat was actually nearly the same price as my bike....and then they tell me I've been over booked!  I was very polite and asked how can I not have a seat when I checked in at 6.00am in San Diego for a 3pm flight  -  I couldn't believe it,  Luckily two people volunteered to go on the later flight and I got a seat.  There was another man who was in the same position and luckily...... he was a lot more unpleasant and didn't get on..... So I eventually arrived in New Orleans and went to my homestay via a cab. 

My homestay once again was great,  and I have been spoilt.  Kristin and her two girls Hannah (13)  and Lucy  (9) have been fab to stay with and I can't thank them enough for opening up their home to me.  The girls are both up and coming athletes and by the sounds of it  I'm glad I was not doing my track workouts when they were on the track Friday night!!

So anyway,  leading in to the race I just spent my time in New Orleans doing light training.   Cycling up the bike path along side the Mississippi River and using the Tulane University sports facilities too –  these are amazing.   The Center got me wondering on a couple of occasions whether if I'd had access to facilities like this as a youngster could I of perhaps achieved in sport long before I did!?

Anyway, come race day  (this morning) I was well rested and in a great place mentally.   The race started with a non – wet suit swim.  The water was rather choppy and cold and I chose not to swim the course the day before which is no biggie  (Usually!?) .   But I've got to admit I made a rather amateur mistake by not checking the course was the same as the map they gave us in the athlete pack....it had been changed...damn!  

So once out in the 1.9km swim,  with the water so choppy and there were hardly any sighting buoys along with the course being different to the map.....things started to go wrong for me!   I lost a lot of time going the wrong way around the 300m mark and with it being a non-wet suit swim as well,  it highlighted the slight weakness that I still have in the wrist.

I exited the swim 4 minutes down from Dede but I wasn't particularly worried as I was backing myself on the bike and just focused on what I could do right then,  in that moment,  and the only answer was go hard as hell!!

I rode strongly and was taking time out of the lead group.  The course was dead flat with cross winds,  It took us out to places that have still not recovered from Hurricane Katrina,  even when you're racing your mind drifts from time to time,  and I couldn't help but imagine the devastation that must have occurred,  it was and still is so sad. 

There were actually rangers driving up and down the route on quad bikes just checking any Alligators didn't pop up to say hi?!

So anyway all was going well,  with no Alligators until 20km from the end of the bike and yet another Rookie error - my aero bars came loose.   So I had to ride the last 20km holding them in one hand whilst in an upright position?!  I felt like I was riding back from the grocery store having picked up my veges for the week!!!

So I lost time, got caught by two other girls and the lead went back up to 4 minutes....gutted!  Transition 2 came and I was in fifth.  I went out hard on the run and within the first mile I had got myself back into third place.

I then just went for it and surprised myself by taking the lead by mile 5.   It was a big risk in hindsight going so hard so early on the run because the weather was so hot and it was 84% humidity too – but I wanted to test myself.  I've been producing the times in training for a couple of weeks now so was confident I could hold that pace.   I made sure I took on fluid at every water station which paid off because I held my lead and extended it out to over a minute in the final couple of miles. 

The run was around Audubon Park with the last 2 ½ miles down this straight road that was so bumpy and uneven - It seemed to take forever to get down this road. But once you turned the corner you finished in downtown New Orleans and the streets were lined with crowds cheering.

I can't describe the feeling when you run down that finish chute first..all I can describe it as, is – 'That Feeling' – I love it! I think the picture below probably sums it up best:

It was a great feeling to see so many people lining the street. I ran the fastest run and broke the course record by 90 seconds so I was particularly happy with the result.

Tonight I've been out on Bourbon Street with my homestay which was lovely.  Bourbon Street was full of jazz bars and bright lights - It was awesome.  I had a Shrimp Poo Buoy one of New Orleans specialties -  It was lovely.  After my race I had shrimp corn and grits which was awesome too,  the food around these parts is fab as are the people,  I've really enjoyed myself.

Tomorrow I head back to camp.  I will be sad to leave my homestay as it has been great fun,  but I have invited everyone to NZ - Our house should be finished by then!

So again,  thank you Kristin,  Hannah and Lucy for putting up with me,  Carolyn for driving me round the course - it really helped me get my bearings and well done on your race today.  And to Sarah who I had a battle with out there on the run course - great effort, I'm glad you were in the teams race and not an individual!!! 

Well done to all athletes who battled the chop in the water,  the cross winds on the bike and the heat on the run -  It was a great fun out there today and to top it all off I've secured my Clearwater spot today, yeeargh!!!! That's goal 1 for the year secured, I'll let you know the rest as they come up!

So for now night night and thanks to the people of New Orleans for embracing us athletes and putting on such a great race and making me personally feel so welcome!

Take care,

Sam. 

Monday 12th April, 2010.

A turning point,  I think that's the best way to sum up the past week.   I really do feel I have gone up another level,  I'm not where I was last year before my crash,  but I'm as close to it as I've been since last June and that excites me.  My swim is coming back faster and faster every day  -  I can now do 4km sessions and hold good times.  I actually swam my fastest 100m since last June on Friday so to say I'm stoked would be an understatement  –  and what makes it even better is I'm off to race next weekend in New Orleans !!

Camp is going well with a great bunch of training partners -  This week I have been doing all my sessions with Mirinda Carfrae and Kate Major,  we had some great battles out there I can tell you.  But afterwards we always get on as good friends.  The weather has been great but the wind is so strong,  just this morning we did our long ride which turned out to be really long as the head wind home was so strong?! 

For about two weeks now we've been having lots of Earthquakes and after shocks.  Just last Sunday there was a 7.2 earthquake on the Bahar Peninsula  –  it rocked the hell out of Borrego and we were all absolutely petrified!   I had just parked the car and was about to go to swim practice but I couldn't figure out why the car was rocking from side to side –  I actually though to start with ' oh bugger what have I done to the car...Stephen's gonna kill me!'  My first thought was did I put diesel or petrol in....... I was quite panicky because I did not know what I had done?!

 I got out and when I could actually feel the earth moving I knew what was happening.  Half the water in the pool splashed out too which was quite funny!

However – there was still enough water to do the session...damn!

Since that day we've had a number of after shocks and just last night we had another shake at 2am.  It is quite scary when it is the middle of the night and the whole house shakes.  My neighbor has told me that apparently we are ok as long the San Andreas fault does not go off as that is only 50 miles away?!

So besides the earth ACTUALLY moving – I do feel like my training has taken a real step up.  We have found a great run circuit that is 2 miles long,  there is no traffic,  it's beautifully tarmacked,  the only danger are the rabbits that run out in front of you -  And they are huge!   I have never seen such big rabbits?!   They are always running away from you but when you see them suddenly appear in your path it makes you jump...

We're using Siri's own pool a lot.   Despite being in the desert the water is still really cold so we wear wet suits and I use my silver blanket trick to keep warm.  I've got one of those emergency silver blankets you take camping in case of emergency  -  I put it down the front of my wet suit and that keeps me warm.  I first used this back in 2008 at the Vancouver World Champs where it was sooo cold,  Stephen Farrell had some in his luggage so we cut some up for the race,  I've been doing it ever since whenever it's cold!   Besides the cold I love swimming in Siri's pool because it's 3 lanes wide and when we're all hammering out our sets it is just like being in the open water,  chop everywhere!

My diet has been going really well,  but on long rides I must admit I've been using fun size snickers as my energy and that has been great.  Because I feel like I am getting a little treat of chocolate and lets face it...  if I am going to eat chocolate I might as well do it whilst I'm actually training as then I'm hopefully going to burn it off.!

So life at camp is good. I am missing home and Stephen, but I've just got my head down and training hard.

I do genuinely feel like I'm starting to come out the other side of a very dark hole!  It seems like it's been one thing after another,  and I don't like to dwell on negatives,  but to say I've been low at times over the past 10 months would be an understatement.  I thought I was coming out the other side...just to break my wrist in February?!  But now I truly feel like the form is coming back and I'm excited about racing.

If I told you some of the low points over the past ten months,  how I've cried and cried,  well you'd probably think I'm a basket case!  The only way I can describe it is you put your heart and soul into training with the goal of being the absolute best you can be.  It's so frustrating when things don't work out how you'd hoped.  But when it happens again, and then again, at some point even the best of us start to question themselves and why you're doing it.  And I've done soooo much questioning over the months.

I'm just hoping that in 6 months time I'll be saying it's the measure of a champion to come through the other side.  Only time will tell.

But at the moment, as I say, I'm happy and my form gets better every single day.

Anyway I hope all your training is going well - Have a good week and I look forward to writing next time with my race report from New Orleans.  Congratulations to Bevan Docherty and Andrea Hewitt who both had amazing results in Sydney in the opening round of the ITU World Championship Series, hopefully if I have a good race in New Orleans next weekend I'll be able to announce my return to the ITU fairly soon! 

So to the turning point, well I don't know if it was my PB at 100m in the pool, I don't know if it was putting in session after session over the past ten days or so that I've felt faster and faster or in fact seeing Bevan win (at his age!!!) but something has really inspired me to get back to ITU racing.  The New Orleans 70.3 will have text updates on www.ironman,com on Sunday night from midnight (NZT).

All the best,

Sam.

April 9th, 2010.

I think I've settled back into the training camp well -  I have just thrown myself straight back into some good consistent training and that's what I needed after the disappointment of Oceanside 70.3. 

It has been hard as my training partners are all going very well and I am not quite where I would like to be at this time of the year but I keep telling myself that I burnt myself out last year after breaking those ribs and then punishing myself in training once I could start back  –  so this year the enforced break from the wrist could be a good thing and see me peaking later in the year when there are lots of great races to be done!

I have just got back home from running up Montezuma  -  it is an 11 mile climb that snakes it way out of Borrego Springs.   It was a great way to start the day but the last two miles were absolute hell.  The strange thing was my time was as good as last year when I was at a really good fitness level so perhaps I am just in a mental slump  -  Anyway the climb was worth it for the view!!!

My little ranch is working out well.  It is very cosy and quiet.   I suppose the biggest thing I notice about being here in camp is I actually rest and recover in between training sessions.   I come back and put my feet up.  I have no Internet here at home which is the only drawback.   Although, I do not mind it as I don't waste hours googling,   however I do not get skype either so that's a bit of a pain.  

The time difference here is not great with NZ either,  as Stephen rushes home from work so he can speak before I go to bed and I'm generally knackered as it's about 9.30pm and I've trained all day,  so he looks forward to talking to me all day and when we finally talk it's not very long before I have to head to bed?!   With the UK it is worse as I am always training when my mum goes on so I have not spoken to her for a while.  I usually sit outside the local cafe and steal their connection at night so that is quite funny,  sat in my car computer on, with all the doors locked, I must be a funny sight!

The weather is ideal for training at around 75 degrees.  There is always a head wind on the way home when you're out cycling  ( Do I sound like the glass is half full or half empty today..I've just re-read some of the stuff I've said so far!!).

 We went on our long group ride on Wednesday and we had a wind the whole way.  It was tough especially with the heavy, straight roads that go on for mile after mile.   I can remember thinking I am sure the turn for Borrego is coming up soon and two hours later it did  –  It was a damn long ride.  The roads are just so straight with sand and intermittent cacti for miles either side.   Even if my legs do not get stronger,  I think mentally I must be stronger for all this!

The good news is my swimming is improving day by day.  My technique definitely feels better and my times are slowly improving,  so I will definitely be back on track soon.  It is hard to keep so positive especially when your training partners are going so well,  but this is their time and mine will come.  This is the time to just put my head down and do the sessions the best I can  -  and that is what I am doing.   I know I still have a lot in me and a lot more to achieve.

Some people may find that strange, that I 'claim' to have a lot more 'in me' at the age of 38.  But last year under Siri's guidance here in the desert I reached levels of fitness I've NEVER been at before.  Don't get me wrong I've trained under the guidance of some great people and I'm not rubbishing the World Cup wins I've had under other coaches.  But the 'environment' here in camp is so conducive to improvement and that's not something I've ever had before.  It all started coming together in Madrid last year,  I'd had 3 good months in camp doing consistently good work,  and I ran a full minute quicker than all the other girls,  but I'd cocked up the swim so couldn't capitalize on my fast run.

 And then we all know what happened the week after and my two broken ribs. 

The thing is,  I know with consistent effort here in Borrego,  small steps – day after day – I can get back to that speed.  That's the comforting thing about training I think,  it's just you,  no other variables or factors to worry about  –  it's just you.  The harder I train,  and the more days I do it for –  the faster I'll be.  And the faster I am,  the better performance I put together on race day.  So yes,  I know I have a lot more in me and I intend to find it..at 38!

So back to training...

For swimming we use our coaches pool which is great for practicing wet suit swimming as it is a bit cold,  and the other pool we use at the complex about 2km away is heated  - That is very nice and when we go there we always go in the spa afterwards !!   However,  it is great to have the flexibility of going to either pool.  

So life in the desert is good.  I'd best describe it as peaceful and productive.  This is my third time back here now as Stephen and I spent 3 weeks here when I first began my relationship with Siri back in 2008 just after the Olympics.  The locals are even starting to recognizing me which is nice.  They say 'oh you're back', and 'it's great to have you guys back' which is nice.  I suppose they recognize us because there are not too many triathletes out training in the desert?!

Anyway,  I hope you all had a good Easter and did not eat too many chocolate eggs.  I can safely say I had none,  although right now a milk chocolate egg with a cup of tea would go down a treat!!!!  Good luck to one of my athletes who is going off on training camp this week – Reinhold from Germany. Reinhold  –  Train hard but train smart!!   Don't go killing yourself.  And to everyone else take care and I'll update you more next week before I fly out to New Orleans for the 70.3 there and test my fitness once again.

Sam.

31st March, 2010.

Well this week saw the start of my International campaign and it did not start off how I'd planned and in fact hoped it would.  However I have to admit it wasn't through lack of fitness,  or bad luck ( I've had enough of that the last 10 months to last the rest of my career...fingers crossed! )  it was just pure narrow mindedness –  I just wanted it too much –  and that's not good when you're racing I've realized the past year.

I had a said goodbye to Stephen at the airport last Tuesday.  It is always hard as it can be very lonely on the road and when he traveled with me last time it was such fun.  It's also really hard for Stephen,  I know he has to deal with a lot whilst I'm overseas,  every time I go away more seems to get done around the place in a few weeks than the months that I'm there!?

The flight over was fine,  I watched the film “Blind Side”  which was a lovely uplifting feel good movie.   I like Sandra Bullock as an actress and once again she was great in this.   After that I rolled over and slept all the way until breakfast was served.   I Did my usual and asked the air steward for cereal instead of the omelette's or pancakes -  it's not really an athletes food and I got the usual look of 'we do not have cereal' -  But then I always say is there not any left in first class. ... If they're nice they usually bring me some,  and luckily on this occasion she was good enough to go up front and bring me some!

I arrived in San Diego and was picked up by my homestay  Kelly Rideout – she and her husband Dave were awesome.   They spoiled me with great food and hospitality and they could not do enough for me.   Even on race day,  they were at drinks station 2 !!   And this homestay even came with it's own bike work shop.   Dave and Kelly are both keen cyclists so have all the tools I needed to get my bike ready.   They live up in the San Diego hills with their five dogs.  It was an awesome spot to spend my rest day on Thursday, on the deck looking out over the pond.   The homestay program that WTC operate is awesome.  At ITU races  (if you're lucky enough to be in the top 5)  you get put up in a hotel by the ITU, which is really nice.  But staying with a homestay gives you a totally different experience of the place you're staying and I'd thoroughly recommend it if you ever get the chance!

Preparation had been going well for the Oceanside 70.3 Half Ironman event.   I must confess I was very nervous leading into the race -  I think it was because I obviously wanted to perform well with all the bad luck I have been having of late.  Training had been disrupted somewhat by the accident in Takapuna, because of my broken wrist I had about ten days of swimming behind me leading into the race,  and the runs and bikes I've been doing have been very long and steady as we didn't want to risk injuring the wrist further by doing too strenuous work outs.   It was always going to be hard with these things in mind but I was prepared for that and was just looking upon Oceanside as a training race to see where my body was at, and it just signified the start of my overseas campaign.

On race morning I was calm and ready to go  –  I did all my usual tricks of how to keep myself warm when entering the 50 degrees water and how to avoid getting colder on the bike,  I had tin foil down my top,  two swim caps,  hot water in a flask,  etc and it worked well. 

I came out of the water just behind the main pack,  which I'd expected considering where my swimming and wrist were at.  I had a good strong first 10km on the bike catching the strong riders ahead such as Michellie Jones, Mirinda Carfrae and Sam McGlone.   I then took to the front chasing down the lead female Leanda Cave who was about a minute up on us at that point.

It was all going well until the 38 mile mark when we caught a pro man. We started to climb and at this point we'd caught him for 3 minutes, I could not get past him though so I started to drop back, at this point I did not see number 43 come up beside me so the technical official pinged me for not getting out of the passing zone within 20 seconds - I was gutted. 

It was like I had got a puncture, the whole air went out of me as I knew it was my race over.  I was in such a good position as was with the strongest cyclists in that particular pack,  we were making good headway into Leanda's lead,  and I knew out of the girls in the group only two of them would really test me on the run.

I did not argue with the ref,  I just asked the official to confirm the penalty tent was at transition and he said yes.  That lack of concentration,  cost me the group I was working with.  I just felt I had nothing in my legs and could not get back on to holding at the back of the group.  After that I rode solo home,  trying to be positive and focus on 'the now' thinking when will my (bloody) luck change -  When will things go right for me.   I went straight to the penalty tent, where I cried.  I laugh about it now but at the time I was so upset.   I had worked so hard to get myself fit for this race after the wrist and everything.  And it was taken away from me by my lack of concentration. 

Once I had served my penalty and dried my tears I head off on to the run, knowing that my coach would be saying go for the fastest run split.  Well I tried and I did run ok,  but I wasn't in the same league as Mirinda Carfrae who had a great race and won.  I guess the one bonus for me is that I will be training with her in the next few weeks, so I can use her as my inspiration!!

So I had to settle for a disappointing 9th place.  However, once again I learned something new from this race so it was not totally wasted.

I am struggling with this whole 'drafting'  'non drafting' thing to be honest. It's not something I'm used too.  I don't intentionally 'cheat' so to speak,  because both times that I've had a drafting penalty now have been for exactly the same reason;  I've caught a male pro who has gone off before us, and upon catching them I've been given a penalty for not passing quick enough.  The problem is I'm strong, and once I get my big gear turning I just keep going and going,  but I just don't have the 'surge' to pass them within the stipulated 15 seconds, and when you add stupid male ego's into the equation,  so they speed up to hold off a girl ( that's already caught them for 3 minutes ) then I get penalized.  So my lesson ( if I choose to learn from it this time!!! ) is to pick my passing spot well, and make sure I've got the speed to get past. 

Siri has said she'll dedicate some time to exactly this at camp, so I'm glad about that. Being in camp with all the athletes is great,  as when something like this happens we can do exactly that ; practice race scenarios and make sure I don't make the same mistake again!

So anyway I am now in the desert at Borrego Springs,  in camp until mid April when I'll fly to New Orleans for another race.  Borrego is one of my favorite training grounds.  I am staying in this really cool little ranch style unit, it's the same accommodation that Stephen and I stayed in after the Olympics, and where I built up to the final race of 2008 and my World Cup win.  It is so cute and feels warm and homely, definitely what I need after this weekend.

I have met my new training partners and we did the big climb over the famous Montezuma. That was nice and now I'm just about to go off swimming.

It is hard at the mo as every one is doing hard key sessions, but I am still on recovery mode which is frustrating as I want to get back out there to eradicate this last race and get ready for the next one to show that Warriner is fit and a force to be reckoned with. In a few days I'll be ready to go and I'm really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately too this past week I was off up for a bike fit with Jordan Rapp who is married to one of my great friends Jill Savege.  We were going to hang out and catch up as we have not seen each other for so long.  However Jordan was knocked off his bike last Wednesday whilst doing his final preparations for Oceanside.  Jordan was left for dead at the side of the road in LA,  he lost liters of blood, broke ribs, his clavicle and scapula too.

When I heard the news I was devastated and cried my eyes out.  I think it was as much because I felt so sorry for Jordan and Jill,  but also because I felt all alone in the States and know what it's like to get knocked off your bike and not be able to do what you love doing.

My thoughts are with them both and like everyone else in the triathlon community I wish Jordan a speedy recovery and can't wait to see him back out smashing the bike and leading on the run in yet another Ironman.  Jordan's my pick for a Canada comeback win this year!!

So anyway, the goal for this week is to bounce back from Oceanside,  keep my head down and get in to some great training under the eye of my coach Siri.   After this disappointment here is the best place to be to get me back in great shape for New Orleans and show Warriner is back and ready for the next challenge, whatever that may be. 

All the best to you too and I'll update again next week,

Sam.

23rd March, 2010.

Wow what a full on two weeks!   Hence why I haven't updated my website for a couple of weeks now.  Training has been extremely heavy and I've been doing some work for Sparc too.

A couple of weeks ago now I went to Fielding down by Palmerston North to do a workshop on Triathlon and training programs for a group of students,  it was great fun.

The Sparc Sports Ambassador Program allows schools and regional sport councils to apply for funding to have an 'Ambassador' come and deliver a workshop or prize giving.  There are 9 of us Ambassadors in total;  myself, Barbara Kendall  (Board Sailing),  Corey Hutchings  (Surf Lifesaver),  Bevan Martin (Softball),  Steve Gurney  (Multi sport),  Cindey Mosey (Kite surfing),  Fiona Southern (Cyclist), Nathan Fa'avae  (Adventure Racing),  and Danyon Loader  (Swimming).   Schools request who they'd like to come visit, and what they'd like them to talk on.

We get given some great resources to get the students thinking about their future goals, and help them find tools to realise their dreams.  To say I love the program would be an understatement,  it's a real honor to represent Sparc and get to talk to some really motivated students.

Sparc pay for my flights and accommodation and I also receive expenses for the whole thing – even better!

Fielding was great and the kids were super into it all which always helps.  Then this past week I was in Tauranga for 3 days for the Bay of Plenty 'Future Champions' seminar,  again heaps of kids  (about 300)  all keen on improving their sporting ability.   It was great fun and the youngsters aged 8-12 worked hard and took a lot of tools away with them I hope.  Bay of Plenty were trying to get the youngsters to take responsibility for themselves,  if they want to achieve it will be hard work,  but everyone of them is capable  –  it's over to them now to go out and grab their dreams!

I took my bike with me to Tauranga as I was there for a couple of days and the organisers were really understanding and scheduled times throughout the day for me to train too!  I love my Ambassador work, inspiring the young and sharing my stories of success ....and disasters!!! 

As I said I took my bike and training gear with me so that I could carry on my normal program.   On the Wednesday I had a long steady bike into run,  I did not finish till 8.30pm and as usual I did my hour run where I run for 30 minutes,  turn round and see if I can get home quicker.   Well I had gone around The Mount on the way out so even though it was dark,  I had to go round it on the way back.  I did but had the fright of my life when I ran round a corner and saw all these bright spots staring at me.   It was a flock of sheep,  I'm not sure who jumped more - them or me!!

Anyway I made it round but kept my right arm out in case I tripped as the last thing I wanted to do was fall on my left wrist that was already broken.

My wrist is healing well – I'm still doing my strengthening exercises as it's still weaker in the pool.  But I have made progress and I'm staying positive. 

I think I am doing well, then I look at my times in the pool and really have to mentally psych myself up and repeat I am doing the best I can with what I've got.  I suppose this really is the secret to making a future champion  (I hope!!!)

It was also the re-scheduled “Sam Warriner Tsunami Triathlon” this past Sunday.  We had a great turn out and it was a fun event.  My sponsors were awesome providing some great spot prizes.  I did the swim then ran on the bike course and cheered everyone on.

Elliot Frizelle ( one of my younger training partners here in Whangarei)  stormed home to victory.  But there were a lot of other youngsters who did great too so a great event for all.  Thank you to Mike Gowing for putting it all together again this year.

The morning of the race Stephen and I went and walked 5 km's at Whangarei's 'Relay for Life' as Stephen's school had put a team in and he decided he'd give them a break at 6am so we went walking?!  It was amazing to see everyone walking at 6am,  pitch black,  floodlit,  mist coming down,  but everyone really motivated.   Walking and reading the candles that people had made and lit was really amazing and a moving experience.  Well done to everyone who was there for the full 24 hours.

I am now at the Koru Lounge in Auckland airport with my feet up  -  It feels great.   I flew down early as I had to go and do some commentary for Contact Tri TV to be screened this Sunday  (28th March 2.30pm – 3.30pm on TV1) and even better – it's the last race I won – The Wanaka triathlon!

I really enjoy commentating it's so much fun.  Mark Watson was my co-commentator and I had a great time - Definitely an area I would love to get into.   Last week I had done a live interview on TV which was fun with the hair and make up,  but this commentating business is a bit easier as we could re-do it if we got things wrong!!

After that I've just come back to the airport here in Auckland to relax before I fly to the USA.  I am racing in the Oceanside 70.3 on Saturday  ( Sunday 4am NZT).  This is the same race that I was stung by a sting ray this time last year.   I then go into camp with my coach and training partners for six weeks.  I am very excited about going to race as it is the start of my International campaign.  I have done so much training,  which has gone well and I have enjoyed it but I feel I just want to race now.  I know I won't be in top form especially in the swim but that is only one part of the race.  My biking and running are strong and to be honest I could come last but as long as I have an 'incident free' race –  I'll be happy.  I just want to get back competing and start to look forward to the bigger races later in the year. 

So I am sitting in the Koru lounge with my feet up enjoying the reward of finishing a good block of training over the past 6 weeks,  I'm excited about the challenge of racing that lays ahead of me.  4 races over the next 7 weeks and then home in time for Stephen's birthday!

I did not finish packing till 10pm last night.  It does not seem to matter how organized I am - I still seem to be up late doing the finishing touches every time. Last night was an absolute nightmare actually..... I had another little drama!!!

As I finished packing I thought 'I do not remember seeing my wallet?!'.  That was when I realized I'd lost it.  Stephen had already cleaned and packed my bike at this point and had just stopped at 10.30pm just in time to help me go through the whole house looking for my wallet?! We decided at about midnight that it wasn't in the house so we went to bed and got up at 5...just to have another look.  Once we'd re- searched the house, and re-packed the bike I visually retraced my steps.  The last time I had it was when I was getting my healthy nibbles for the plane. 

I tend not to eat a lot of plane food so I take my healthy snacks, 'vita fresh' sachets and fruit with me. 

After stressing until about 9am and having visited the supermarket to see if it was there, and the police station to report it missing,  I then went to the pool for a swim. I'd resigned myself to taking cash with me to the States, and not having a driving license and hence no hire car?! 

So anyway, I was swimming up and down the pool when a lifeguard came up to me and said 'you're husband has just rung and he's got your wallet!' I couldn't believe it –  turns out I'd left it in the trolley at the supermarket and a security guard had rung Sport Northland to contact me, who then rang Stephen in turn.  Thank god for that!!!

Stephen has often commented that once I am gone he gets a lot more done and now perhaps I can see why.....

So, I hope all your training is going well - I have just a small taper till the race which is a nice thought. If you'd like to follow the race it will be broadcast on www.ironman.com from about 4am NZT on Sunday.

All the best,

Sam.

4th March, 2010.

Well last week was all about getting the appropriate treatment to get myself right for the season ahead.  It was busy to be honest - going from appointment to appointment in Whangarei,   then to Auckland to see the specialist.

 Everyone has been so helpful and doing what they can to keep me positive.  Even Stephen's school,  they gave him Monday off work to keep my bottom lip from ripping on the floor,  then Thursday to drive me to Auckland to see the specialist.    I thought I would be worse than what I have been but the support and encouragement I've had from people in Whangarei has been amazing.

 I suppose I have just got my head down and got on with what I can do instead of focusing on what I can't do!

Sh@t happens  -  I have to make the most of the situation –  and that's what I'm doing.   It is still very early in the season and my next race is not until 27th March so I should be fit for that,  despite what some of you may have read here in NZ, I am not out until July and my next race is not a long distance event in Germany... .I have no idea where that came from!?

At the moment my wrist is in a splint because I am waiting for the stitches to heal.   I am not in pain like I was when it first happened, although I can't swim, and therefore can't race.  I'll be out for maybe another 3 or 4 weeks,  but compared to last year when I broke 2 ribs, I'm a lot happier,  as all the damage is physical,  there's no internal damage to organs etc like last year.

I have been doing lots of stretching,  core and one handed weights  (thanks to Jone Renes of Fitness Plus who has been my core conditioner for a couple of years now)  so I should still be able to swim even if it is in circles!! 

Every day I have had some form of treatment whether it's been Physio from Wendy at Whangarei Physiotherapists,  my Osteo provider is Jessica Evans at The Rathbone Clinic,  Johnny Harris from Body Brain Integration here in Whangarei too,  and Lorraine Barton has been stretching and massaging me on a regular basis.  With out these guys I wouldn't be recovering as fast as I am.  I also need to thank Geoff Cunningham (my doctor) for keeping me positive. 

So really I have tried to keep my 'normal' levels of training up but have just missed out on the swimming!! 

Last Saturday I went on my long bike ride - six hours - it was  “one of those rides”.  I started at 7am as I was meeting my training partner Mike Gowing at Marsden Cove as Sunday was The “Sam Warriner Triathlon” and Mike wanted me to have a look at the bike course and give my approval.

We were just going to go over the final details.   But on the way I got caught in a heavy shower so I was absolutely drenched and got sooo cold.   Then just when I was thinking that I wish I had brought my water proof  -  I punctured -  nightmare!   I saw Oakleigh garage 500m away so I rimmed it to there in the hope someone would help me with changing the inner tube.   Luckily the work shop was open and I found this very nice young man who let me use the phone  ( as I'd forgot my mobile?! )  and he helped me change my tyre because changing a tyre with a broken wrist is not exactly easy!? It hurts.

Once the tyre was inflated I headed back into town where Stephen came to meet me to bring me warmer clothes and check my tyre pressure was ok  -  Thank god for supportive husbands who do the little things.  He even got up early this morning  (Saturday is his day off)  to make eggs and bacon sandwiches.  I was very excited as the eggs were from our own chickens and if I am going to be unhealthy and eat bacon and egg sandwiches it may as well be before a six hour ride.  So I met Stephen,  changed clothes,  pumped the tyre up then got some more inner tubes and headed off in the rain.

 As I rode off it struck me that I could of easily gone for the easy option and got in the car as I still had 4 ½ hours to go and not much had gone right for me at that point in time.   However,  when I thought about it,  it just struck me that despite all my bad luck that I have had - I still believe in myself and I am still determined to achieve more and importantly I'm sure the best is yet to come!

I love the challenge of pushing myself and seeing just what I can achieve.  Just because I can only bike and run I'm not upset,  to be honest I am enjoying the challenge of seeing how much stronger I can get on the bike.  I can't think about not being able to swim,  all I am focusing on is being fit and ready to race on 27th March.

The race on the 27th March is a '70.3'  (Half Ironman)  so swimming won't be the key,  the race will be decided on the bike and run.  If I can swim with a sting ray attack last year and get out 4th,  I can swim with a broken wrist - positive thinking and I will be good. 

Sunday was the “Sam Warriner Triathlon.”  It is the local race in Whangarei and bless the club they named it after me.   So I got up early so I could do my 2 hour run up and over Mt Tiger before we went down to Marsden Point for the event.   Stephen picked me up on his way into town and off we went - I was very excited as I love this event. 

The race is at Marsden Cover which is an excellent venue and we had a great number of people competing over the different distances.   My sponsors support me with spot prizes and we must be the only triathlon that offer free Sushi after the race!!! ( thanks to the Sushi Ninja who always races first and then rolls up the best Sushi in the North)

So anyway I started my job doing the number marking when I got there which I loved as I got to meet and talk to everyone as they arrived

My next job was being on the microphone for the race.  However, we had to delay the start due to the Tsunami warnings  (due to the earthquake in Chile)   Nobody really minded as it was in the interest of safety and we figured we'd get the race going at some point!

However,  at 11 am,  just as Stephen had paddled out in a kayak to set the buoys,  the Civil Emergency folks kindly announced we had to retreat to higher ground as there'd been a 2 meter difference in tide level just offshore at the Hen and Chicken Islands.  Everybody started leaving and I've never seen Stephen paddle so quickly,  we had to pack up quickly,  there and then and then cancel the event.   We were gutted but it was one factor we could not control!

So after that we headed home and Stephen did some more work on the house whilst I cooked a roast dinner for us which was gorgeous,  followed by a hop in the bath with Epsom salts  (thanks to our neighbours Lois and Murray)  all with a glass of wine and my book! 

The event has since been rescheduled for Sunday 21st March so I look forward to seeing everyone there (again) and hopefully this time we'll all get chance to get wet and have a great event!

This coming weekend Stephen and I are off over to Dargaville to have a look at the annual Northland Field days.  It was a toss up between driving to Taupo to watch Ironman NZ and shake a few hands,  or put a cap and gum boots on and go incognito over to Dargaville and spend the day with Stephen looking at quad bikes and lawn mowers?!  Should be a great day and I am really looking forward to it!  We're going to have a slow start on Saturday as I've done my training so I can have the day off,  Stephen's been on a 'de-tox' all week eating just fresh fruit and raw vegetables,  he's also cut out all tea and coffee!? So Saturday morning we're going to have a big cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs before we head over to Dargaville.  And then on the way home we may even visit a garden center or two. It's going to be a really relaxing day and I can't wait!

I hope everyone who races in Taupo has a great time, good luck to you all, and I hope Gina, Jo, Cam, and T all have a fair race and we end up with a worthy Champion on the day!

Take Care,

Sam.

25th February, 2010.

Before...Well I am now sat on our deck with a cup of Tea, Bo (our dog) at my feet, the turkeys coming up over the hill to investigate and Stephen watering the plants.   It's the most glorious,  still,  evening ever -  This is why I love being at home.

 I could have been in Takapuna waiting for the race tomorrow evening but I decided to stay at home and drive down tomorrow morning.   I just love pottering around home and being here for the evening sun sets.  I know it is partly because of the great weather we have been having and also because I know that in a few weeks I will be heading away to camp.  I will be ready then to go away on camp because I know the value of it,  but for now I am content being at home and making the most of these glorious evenings.  I just find it so relaxing –  this is definitely my happy place!!

I've had a great week training –  Monday I was still suffering from a fever.  I went back to see Geoff,  our doctor, on Tuesday and he confirmed my temperature was still high,  however I woke up on Wednesday feeling great?!  Geoff said it'd just suddenly just go one day,  and it did!?

So Monday and Tuesday I trained with a temperature which believe me with the 100% humidity and 30 degrees temperature wasn't easy.  I felt like I was cooking my brain,  especially Monday when I was out in it for over six hours. I rode then ran an hour off the bike arranging to meet Stephen from school.  I love doing that because it means you have to get to your destination by a certain time so it gives you a purpose.  I was so thirsty by the time I got there though.   I sat waiting for him to finish school and one of his students even asked me if I was Sarah Ulmer!!!

On Wednesday I had the most fun session - Thanks to Suzuki we got a Scooter, so we can do some motor pacing -  It was so much fun.  I warmed up then met Stephen who set the pace on the Suzuki for my efforts.  I'm really trying to get used to riding exactly 7 meters behind the bike in front of me,  so I don't get penalized for drafting in non-drafting races.  So Stephen rides at 50 km / h on the scooter,  with a thin piece of ribbon 7 meters long flapping around behind him.  Every so often I sprint up to 50 km / h and attempt a pass just like in racing  –  it's so fun,  and soooo hard!   I crawled back home afterwards.   Stephen was happy as he just woke up with a sore wrist the next day instead of sore body as it was so much easier for him to train with me.   After the session I had a go on the Scooter and it was great fun  -  I'll be popping around town on it soon!!

On Thursday I had the run session from hell.  It was on the track, so I used Stephen's school in Kamo.  Well what with the weather and 1,500 kids using the track at play time the track was so rough,  uneven and heavy.  Luckily I have learn t to just focus on intensity when conditions are like that as the times were pretty slow and by the end of the 50 laps  (which is what I counted up in total) I definitely was hurting!!   To be fair I was in the hurt box from the first interval so I can not tell you how pleased I was when I finished it!

On Friday it was off to Auckland as Tri NZ were holding their Annual luncheon for athletes,  sponsors,  partners,  coaches,  and the Tri NZ High Performance Team get together to reflect on the year and we as athletes get the opportunity to personally thank our sponsors. 

I went down with Mike Gowing and Sue Dyke from The NZ Refining Company - one of my principal sponsors.  I felt so proud to be able to take them down and personally say thank you.  Naomi from Blue Seventy was there too, so we had a great time on our table.  Unfortunately Jenny and Horry from Asics and Malcolm Stobie from Integria were not able to make it – but they've been with me all last year and continue to support me this coming year so that's far more important – Thanks guys!

 I was really pleased to get the opportunity to say thank you to my sponsors because with out them I would not be living the dream.  They are part of the team that make it possible for me just to focus on training.  Especially after this past year,  the way they stood by me and continued their support when things were tough just makes me feel even more lucky.  It also highlighted to me how happy I am being able to race again.

We have the Takapuna Sprint race tomorrow so a lot of the Media were there to get our views on the race and how we would go.  Normally I would get a little nervous or anxious but now I know what it is like not being able to race or stand on the start line as you're unhealthy –  all I really care about is taking part,  anything else is a bonus.   So all I could say to the media was I am just going out to have fun and enjoy the thrill of racing at home. To be honest the course really doesn't suit me,  and the training I've been doing isn't ideal either,  I've done 5 hours on the bike today into a 45 minute run!  But I couldn't resist racing at home in front of a big crowd!

So I hope to see you tomorrow in Takapuna – if you can't make it, the race will be broadcast live on TV1 from 3.45pm.

After....

Well if anyone read the Twitter updates from Sundays race you'll know that I didn't have my best race - I crashed!

I had a good swim but then dropped my race belt in transition going from the swim to the bike.  The belt fell into my front wheel and became tangled as I ran to the mount line.  I tried to get it out but couldn't, at which point the High Performance Coach Greg Fraine shouted at me to un do my front wheel and take it out – which I did – and the belt finally came free.  Once on the bike I got up to speed quickly and started to pass some of the girls that had passed me in transition.  I then realized my front wheel was rubbing and for some unknown reason panicked and thought that I hadn't done it up properly and it could come undone and fall out?! So what did I do...yeah yeah I know – how stupid of me – I lent down at 45 km / h and tried to tighten the front skewer that holds the wheel in place,  my hand slipped and jammed in between the forks.

A spoke cut the top off the palm of my hand (which has now been stitched back on) and the impact of the forks hitting my ulna at 45 km / h snapped both the forks and my ulna?!

I was quite impressed I did not faint when I saw the cut as I'm not very good with blood and guts.  However,  I must confess I had to lie down when they put the stitches in at the hospital.

So anyway,  I'm all stitched up and my wrist is in a splint .  I am annoyed and upset but it is still early season and I know I'll be back racing soon. 

In the mean time I'm just doing what I can - so lots of stretching / core / weights even if it is mostly one armed,  and then lots of visits to Doctors,  Osteopath's and Physio's. 

I'll keep up the updates even though I won't be racing for a while now.  I'll wait a couple of weeks to make a decision about what will be my first race back.  Although I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason,  and I had some really good form before the crash,  maybe too good to be honest.  I wonder if this injury could be just what I need to slow me down so I don't peak too early,  and am able to fire when the big races come in June, July and August!

Take care and remember – if you ever have a problem with a wheel – stop before you try to fix it!

Sam.

18th February, 2010.

I normally start off with something like 'Well it's been another good weeks training' but if I were to describe the past ten days I'd have to describe it as .....'Abormal'!

I came back to New Zealand quite low after my poor performance in Geelong,  I did did the usual evaluation of where it all went wrong  (4th in a 70.3...all went wrong?!)  Funny how anything other than a win is a failure to me...but that's me!

I beat myself up about it for a day or two but once I wrote it all down -  where I went wrong and where I have to go from here  -  I was fine. 

Everything I've learned about coaching over the years suggests I should evaluate performances the day after  (at least) once the emotions aren't quite so raw.  But I'm always going to be me.. .I wanted answers there and then, that Sunday arvo in Geelong,  and bugger anybody that told me otherwise!

And I got my answers on the plane on the way home,  by 6pm that evening I had a stinking fever,  red hot temperature,  a throat so dry I could of sanded the doors we don’t have in our house,  and I felt like crap!

I've since been to see the doctor and I've had a virus for a couple of weeks now,  nothing major,  just enough to knock me off my perch for a while.  All I can say is I'm glad it's now and not in 6 months time,  and maybe just maybe in 6 months time I'll be thanking this virus for slowing me down enough to hold my form back until the big races between June and September.

Once back home in Whangarei I planned to not leave the house for three days so I could do lots of baking and get stuck into writing our wedding thank you cards and I managed my three days too - I did lots of baking for Stephen also. 

Besides the baking my days were spent just going from the bed to the couch and watching TV.  I got into the series 'Brother and Sister',  the cooking shows,  and then finally Ellen who always makes me laugh. 

By the end of last week I was back training but only lightly and kept it all aerobic.  My temperature was high and then I came out with a head cold just to top everything off!?  On Saturday we started up our Saturday morning open water swimming group again.  It was great fun,  We popped into the Whangarei Mayoral Cycle Challenge as it was NZ Bike Wise Week,  so I called in to wish them all some luck for their laps around Pohe Island ,  then it was off for our five hours on the bike into a solid run.

So anyway, last week wasn't the best,  but by the end of it I'd started to feel there was light at the end of the tunnel.  This week has been better and I started to think I could be right for Takapuna (Sprint Race) by about Tuesday or Wednesday.

Today (Thursday) I had a key session running that would decide if I was fit to race in the Sprint Race.  I did 12 x 1 mile efforts on the track,  and the weather was diabolical.  I did the session at Stephen's school this morning,  got there at 7am,  and it was that horrible dreary drizzle that soaks you to the bone.  But to make it worst it must have been about 100% humidity,  it was so close and hot – and the track has seen better days – to be fair...it sucked as a session!  But I nailed the 48 laps (that's right....48 laps of a 400m track?!)  So I've made my decision today to race Takapuna this coming weekend.

I'm looking forward to the race,  as I guess I've got some unfinished business from last year in the same race.  One of the other girls last year cocked up her maths and some of us followed her and did half a lap extra on the bike!  This year I've been practicing my counting under pressure and am determined to get the laps right and have a fast and honest race against the other Kiwi girls.

But that said, it is first and foremost a training race, I’ll be doing the set 5 hour ride, into a 30 minute run on Saturday, so you’ll have to excuse me if it takes a KM or two to get into the run...but I will get going at some point!

I'm hoping Stephen will come down to watch the race so he can do some Twitter updates again for you all, but it depends on the weather,  it's been drizzling for a few days now and he says if it's fine this weekend he wants to stay and mow the paddock....boys?!

So I hope training is good with you - If you're up North like me I hope you're coping with the humidity.  Well done to everyone who competed in the Coast to Coast last weekend,  it sounds like conditions we're atrocious.  And finally a big congrats to my good friend Cameron Brown who's joined the Avanti Family again and will be on the podium in Taupo in a few weeks time, on the same bike as me!

Take Care,

Sam.

1st February, 2010.

Last week I raved about the importance of recovery,  and yet this week I've left the house at 5.30am and returned at past 9pm.. .on more than one occasion!!

But that said I've nailed every session yet again.  People sometimes ask me what's the difference between me and your average triathlete,  how come I've reached the level I have and others have not.   I tell them I'm not particularly gifted,  and they won't believe me.  I think the only real difference between me and all the other athletes working away at a goal is this:  I complete every session 100% to the letter of the plan,  I give absolutely 100% in the hard sessions,  I do the hard sessions HARD and I do the easy sessions  EASY.   Or if you want a really simplistic response; It's commitment,  that's all.

Over the last 3 years I could count on one hand the sessions I've missed.

When I look back at my training dairy,  which I do regularly  (I love writing down exactly what I've done and then evaluating it weekly) ,  I think  ' God that musta been a long day!'  but I just put my head down and got on with it.  When it's all finished I'm immensely satisfied with what I get out of my days.  (Although today is rather different and I'll come to that later....)

I find it makes a great difference in my training when I'm based in one place rather than making that trip backwards and forwards to Auckland too.  This past week I've just stayed at home in Whangarei and that's helped too.

This past weekend has been really fun,  thanks to Suzuki I got a Suzuki moped on Friday and Saturday morning I practiced riding 7 meters behind the moped to get me ready for the Geelong 70.3 Half Ironman next Sunday.  The idea is that in 'non-drafting'  races you're not allowed to ride within 7 meters of the person in front of you,  so Stephen would ride at 45 – 50 km/h in front of me and I would sit at 7 meters and get used to the distance.  Every so often I'd practice passing him at speed,  just as in racing,  I only had 15 seconds to make the pass,  and if Stephen sped up  (just as some of the ego fueled male age group athletes do when I go to pass them )  well I'd have to get out of the seat and make sure my front wheel edged in front of his so I gained the dominant position.

It was great fun and Stephen did it at the end of my ride,  where I was supposed to do an hour hard anyway,  so it wasn't an extra session as such,  just a bonus and great learning tool.

That particular ride finished up at the New Zealand Refining Company at Marsden Point as Stephen was helping set up the Whangarei Contact Tri Womans Event for the following day.

Mike Gowing once again did a great job organising the event with 180 women on the start line Whangarei got the highest number of women in any Contact event so far this year so we were stoked. 

They let me loose on the microphone again -  which I loved.!   It was a beautiful,  sunny day and ideal racing conditions.  It was once again inspiring to see so many ladies finishing the event with a big smile on their faces,  proud of their accomplishment.  To add to that,  a large number of ladies had traveled up from Auckland,  they'd raced the previous week in Narrow Neck and decided they wanted another challenge in Whangarei... good on you girls!!   Hopefully they saw why I love living and training in Whangarei, t he weather and scenery are spectacular here.

Before the event on Sunday I got up at 4.30am to do my run  –  there's that commitment again guys.   It was a long, easy run,  so I decided to get up and get it done before the event.   I did not realise how dark it would be though.   So I took one of the tea light candles (LED) we'd used at the wedding with me!   I held it in my hand and every time a car came by I'd wave my tea light at them so as to be seen!   When I told everyone at the event they laughed as it probably did seem funny.   It was almost a full moon so running at that time of the morning was beautiful.  I luckily did not see many cars,  mainly boaties heading out to catch the early morning fish. 

I ran 75 minutes in total and then Stephen picked me up and drove me to the event.  When I was running though it occurred to me how I used to do this regularly and a lot of athletes out there do this regularly,  train at ungodly hours just so they can work or spend time with their families.  It is very motivating to think about all that. 

After a great Contact Womens Triathlon at the NZ Refining Co. we went to the beach as I had a swim to do.  We met some friends at the beach ,  the surf was up so we played in the waves.   It was such fun and I had not done it for ages. 

We surfed on the boogie boards for ages,  it was like old times as Barts and I had not done this for ages.  We used to do a lot of body boarding in waves which we thought were big however in hind sight they were only like 3 foot.  But still when they dumped you,  you felt like you were in a washing machine and gasped a sigh of relief when you could breathe and see land. 

So the first part of my open water swim was practicing my kicking and pulling!!!  I did do a proper swim after that which the coach will be pleased about.  The water here at the moment is so warm,  which is awesome news for me as I am a wimp in cold water. 

However, due to the water temperature (which is about 25 degrees) we are attracting a lot of sea life.  Apparently our waters are full of stingray at the moment.   I have not seen any and not sure what my reaction would be all things considered?!  

When I swim I like to go out deep enough so I can't see the floor or anything as what I can not see I do not care about!   However,  if I go out too far I'm sh@t scared as I may see sharks!!!  Just recently a few beaches have called swimmers in due to sightings..  so it's always in the back of my mind.

Anyway, I survived and in the evening we had fish and chips with our friends at Pataua South on the estuary.  It was such a beautiful evening that we sat there till the sun went down.  It is amazing how you have some of the best vistas in your own back yard and you take them for granted?!   It was very relaxing and a great way to end another great week.

Today (Monday) has been hilarious.  We finally got round to putting some curtains up in our bedroom last night when we got home from the beach  (some sheets nailed to the gib)  so this morning it wasn't quite so light!  We woke at 9am and stayed in bed until...now!?  Stephen rang Sky and got the movies added at maybe 11 am and we've been drinking cups of tea and watching movies ever since.  It's now 2pm and I'm going to get up and bake some cakes!!  Gotta love those rest days.

So I hope you're all well and having a good day.  Those who are in Northland and Auckland enjoy Anniversary day  (and the rain...at last!!!!)   I have a day off and plan to do absolutely nothing.   Other than bake a carrot cake as I have a new recipe to try.   I am only baking once a week now as we are trying to get back on the diet.

Take care and once again well done to all the ladies who took part in the Contact Womens Triathlon - You inspired me and it'll be the thought of you achieving your goals that will push me around next weekend in Geelong.  I race Sunday in the Geelong 70.3,  south of Melbourne. It's a race I won last year and I'd like a solid performance again this time.  Stephen will be doing Twitter updates as usual throughout the race so have a look at my twitter site if you'd like to follow the race live next Sunday.

Regards,

Sam.

24th January, 2010.

But you have to make sure you get that recovery right!  If you've been reading my diary the past few weeks you'll know that it's been pretty full on here since the start of December;  family, Christmas, a wedding, Tauranga, then Wanaka?!

I'm in pretty good shape at the moment,  I started my base phase back at the beginning of November,  just long steady miles on the bike and run.  And in the pool I've taken on a new swim coach and started trying a few 'new' things.  So all in all things have been going well,  but there's been no time at all for recovery...and that ain't good!

After Wanaka last weekend I was absolutely toasted, make no mistake,  racing Tauranga,  a hop skip and a jump down to Wanaka,  racing the Contact Sprint Race,  and then the very next day a four hour ride before commentating from 11.30am to 11.30pm,  well that's gonna take it out of anyone?!

So this past week has been all about getting smart with my training.  I think if I'd gone on the way I was going I'd be bunged up with a cold or something worse by now,  so then comes Dawn to the rescue!

Dawn is an old friend of mine from up here in Whangarei,  she is a Sparc carded masseur,  who has now moved to Christchurch.  We stayed with Dawn when we got back there Monday and I had my own personal masseur and stretcher for a while,  it was heaven.

I had a swim only day on Monday so Stephen and I went out for a nice breakfast in Christchurch at a real groovy little cafe called 'Roma' by the river,  I'd recommend it to anyone,  their pancakes were to die for!

After brekkie it was all about being tourists,  we went punting on the river,  then had a fun tram ride,  before heading over the hills to Lyttleton.  A quaint little port town on the side of a hill,  we spent most of the afternoon either walking uphill...or down!  But in between we did manage to sneak in an hour or so in an Irish pub looking out over the harbour.

I must confess now,  and I really hope Siri doesn't read this blog,  I don't think she does as she's way too busy at the moment with new athletes coming to camp,  but Monday night I got a little but 'tippsie'!.

I'd just had another massage from Dawn followed by quite a physical 'AIS' stretching session (which didn't help) and Stephen was cooking dinner up stairs.  He did a Greek lamb with cous cous dish,  which is my favorite,  but by the time Dawn and I got upstairs Ian and Stephen were already onto their second bottle of red wine! 

Well the night just went down hill from there,  although dinner was beautiful as always,  I remember Dawn putting Stephen and I to bed at about 11pm with a big glass of water and some Neurofen.

You have to have days like that, or at least I do.  Being a professional athlete 24/7 takes its toll on you not just physically,  but mentally and emotionally.  The past few weeks have been so draining,  trying to hold everything together,  family,  Christmas,  training, and then the build toward Tauranga,  it was bound to happen at some point,  and was almost like taking the cork out of a Champagne bottle,  you need that release from time to time.

The next morning getting up for training I was very jaded and I do not know how I did such a great track session as I had SUCH A HANGOVER!!  But I nailed those times,  it's been a while since Stephen has been with me at a session like that,  because last year I was obviously based in the States for so long.  But he took the times Tuesday morning for me,  and you want to know the funny thing?  I was producing KM times 2 seconds quicker than I was doing them 3 weeks before the Olympics back in 08!  Granted I'd blown myself up by then and Stephen was making all the excuses in the book at the time to convince me I was still ok and a contender 'Oh the tracks heavy', 'This humidity will be worth a couple of seconds ATLEAST' etc.  But Tuesday I felt great,  I know it's all off base work,  and I'm really excited about this coming year.

After the track session I got 'hauled' into the the Triathlon New Zealand High Performance Coach's office. Well,  hauled is quite an exaggeration,  but I always feel like I've done something wrong if people ask to see me!  So in I went with my bottom lip well and truly dragging on the ground.  Apparently I created quite a stir after my comments at the Tauranga Half when asked which direction my racing is going this year.  But that's just me, if someone asks me a question,  and I know they're looking for a particular answer I don't feel compelled to tell them something they don't want to hear.  So anyway,  all the talk was of me 'going long' this year, something I should of nipped in the bud at Tauranga, but didn't.  And Triathlon NZ obviously had concerns about my intentions,  and rightly so.

Why I'd be producing sub 3.20 km's, one after the other, (with a hangover!!)  if I were going long, I'll never know!?

Anyway,  I can totally see that my comments could of lead some to believe that I'm not going back to ITU,  but that's not the case.  ITU is where it all really began for me,  I still feel I'm fast enough to win at the distance,  so won't be turning my back on it until the day I slow down,  and that's just not yet.

Greg was fantastic with me the days after Beijing,  when I was at rock bottom, he was the one who convinced me to stay in Beijing and just enjoy being part of the Olympics,  and again on Tuesday he was great.  Absolute faith in my plans to make a return to ITU racing (and the podium!).

So today I'll put my racing schedule up on the site too,  and then we can put this whole issue to bed and get on with training.

Thursday and Friday of this week it was great to be back at home. It was the first time in weeks that I can say that I actually followed the correct protocol for training.  I trained, then came back home and relaxed,  it was a great feeling being at home,  sitting on the couch relaxing and working on the computer  (and drinking copious amounts of tea!)  I had forgotten what it was like.

Thursday evening we were sitting eating dinner when this strange car drove up our drive.  Does it ever end......It was the drug testers!

 We were quite impressed to be fair that they found the house,  as our drive is over a kilometer long through native bush.  I was a little concerned as my set time is 9pm at night,  we have to give an hour slot that we have to be where we state we'll be.   They had arrived at 6.30pm and all I thought was ' I'm glad I am home'.  I must have looked worried because the drug tester said they can call the first time at anytime randomly and it does not go down as a strike but the next time they come at the set hour within two to three days and if you're not there then....Strike 1.

On Saturday we went to the Contact Womens Triathlon at Narrow Neck Beach,  Auckland.  It was great fun and once again I was over whelmed by the number of women getting out there and having a go.  It was inspiring and I loved it. Once again,  I was on the microphone a job that I could get very used to!   

Today ended a great weeks training with a 5 ½ hour bike to run. It was good .....but VERY hard.  Stephen came out for the last two hours.  That was funny because he had not ridden for 18 months so he obviously found it tough. 

The rest of the afternoon we had no energy so we've just sat on the couch,  drinking cups of tea and working on my sweat7 web site.  I had no energy to do anything else,  but I guess that's the way it should be after a hard week training.

This next week is going to be all about recovery,  as I said in the beginning,  it's all well and good ticking off the boxes in training,  but if you're not giving your body time to recover it's wasted.  One of my old coaches Ian Babe used to actually prescribe an hour a day as a training session,  but it was for recovery.  I had to lie down and do nothing in the middle of the day.  So that's the plan this week,  I'm going to try and have an hour a day doing absolutely Nada!  I'll let you know how I get on this time next week.

All the best,

Sam.

18th January, 2010.

Well it took me a few days to get over the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman but an easy day on Sunday,  a massage and a recovery ride on Monday and my body started speaking to me again!

It is amazing how quickly your body will recover if you look after it and let it do its thing!

This week has been another good one, how couldn't it be...I'm on honeymoon!!   We traveled home on Monday and spent a lovely couple of hours at the Waihi Water Lilly Gardens.  A magic spot with beautiful little walks around the lakes and really tame peacocks that amused Stephen immensely!  We spent just two days in Whangarei which gave us enough time to tidy the house,  take the dog to the vets for her final post op injection,  and repack for our trip to the South Island.

Stephen had never been to the South Island so we decided to head down there for Wanaka and continue with our honey moon.  We flew into Christchurch and stayed with our good friends Dawn and Ian.  Dawn is a masseur so it was like having my own personal masseur and stretcher.   And Ian loves his beer so it was like Stephen had his own personal bottle opener....

We had a night at Dawn and Ian's place and it was great to catch up with them.  They live right on a golf course in Christchurch,  with the ocean on the other side of the fairways,  it was a beautiful place to stay with great running along the beach too!

We then hired a car and drove down to Wanaka for the Contact Sprint Race and Challenge Wanaka.  The drive down was so scenic,  we stopped at Lake Tekapo where the water was so blue.  Once in Wanaka we stayed with some other good friends Katherine and Phil. 

We have been so lucky to be able to stay at friends,  as it makes it so much easier.  I think that's the great thing about New Zealand,  no matter where you're heading it's just kind of the 'done thing' that you pick the phone up and ring someone you haven't seen for years and they're more than happy to put you up for a few days!  I know we have people come to stay quite often and we love it,  it must just be the Kiwi Way?   And now we've got our walls up in the house we can have even more people!!!

 The sprint race  (750m Swim, 20km Bike, 5 km Run)  was on Friday night at 7pm -  It felt a long day waiting for it to start.   I rode in the morning then we went to the Cardrona pub for lunch and a beer.  Well,  Stephen had the beer,  I had my pasta to 'Carbo load'.   Then it was home for a sleep before going to register for the event.

At registration I bumped into an old friend that I went to University with,  it had been 20 years but Pogo (Alison) Patterson had not changed one bit!!   It was so amazing to see her and hear she is now living in Nelson - She was doing the age group race.   Pogo got third so during the prize giving I had to tell everyone I knew her.

Eventually my race started,   It was perfect conditions with absolutely no wind and the lake was like glass.  Although the water was only 13 degrees so although I was only in there for 7minutes I still wore a wet suit cap,  tipped hot water from a flask into my suit...and still froze!!!

I had a great swim exiting just 8 seconds behind Nicky Samuels.  However,  Nicky demonstrated exceptional biking skills as she continually put time into me on the bike.  By the end of the 20km bike Nicky had stuck 1 minute and 13 seconds into me,  and my legs were agony as I got off to run!  I had the Tauranga Half well and truly in my legs,  which was to be expected,  my legs are always stiffer from a hard bike than a run for some reason,  I'll never know why.  We knew this before the race though and I wasn't panicking,  I thought I could afford to give Nicky 90 seconds on the bike,  so I wasn't hitting the panic button just yet.  The course really wasn't my style either,  I've never been particularly good at tight,  twisty circuits,  Nicky showed that she really was at home on it and lapped all but about 4 of us!

I’ve introduced a new aspect to my training this year, since November I’ve been using a new crank set on my bike called ‘Powercranks’,  essentially when using a normal set of cranks as you push down with your right leg it obviously ‘carries’ your left leg to the top of the pedal cycle (12 o’clock) and there’s no incentive for your muscles to ‘pull up’. With Powercranks the individual cranks are isolated from each other, and hence you have to pull up.  There is actually alot of controversy about whether they work or not,  and I was sceptical to say the least when I started using them,  but Siri insisted as Mirinda used them last year and Siri swore they played a part in her 2nd place finish and record breaking run at Kona.  Anyway,  as with all things new and out of ‘left field’ as we say in NZ,  they’ll take time to prove themselves,  but I feel so light on the run now I’m using them.  I don’t know whether it’s psychological or they’re actually helping me,  but I sure feel light when I get off the bike and run.

Once off the bike I ran off as fast as I could,  I do this in all races whether I'm a minute down or a minute up.  I think it's so important to go out hard from T2,  both for yourself mentally – to trick your body into thinking it's going REALLY well,  but also to chip away at your competition too mentally!

I felt great on the run and it showed,  after just 2 km's I had taken the lead.  I then kept up my fast turnover to increase my lead to 90 seconds.  I was stoked to run that fast this early in the season,  it's given my confidence a big boost.  One of my biggest concerns over the past 6 months (besides the wedding!)  has been whether my lungs would function at 100% when finally asked to.  If I can run that fast off the base training I've been doing,  I'm confident when I start doing some more speed work I'll be competitive on the ITU World Championship Series and regain my position as top Kiwi!

On Saturday I got up early so I could do my long bike ride before commentating on Challenge Wanaka – The Ironman distance race.   Lee Greer,  my old training partner from 2008 Olympic Year,  was in Wanaka so we rode together,  that was nice.  We rode out along the Challenge Wanaka course so on the way back we could cheer the competitors on whilst they were negotiating the isolated areas of the course.

I got back from my ride and Stephen met me,  then we were off to the finish of the Wanaka Half and Challenge as I was doing the commentating and handing out medals -  It was such a great day.  The weather was beautiful (it was the only day it was warm down South the whole time we were there,  I could not believe how much colder it was down there).

Challenge Wanaka was an awesome day.  Two Kiwi's ;  Gina Crawford and Richard Ussher won convincingly.  So well done to them it is a great start to their seasons.  I was on the mic or handing out medals for 12 hours,  my feet were killing me at the end but I loved every minute of it to be honest,  although I'm not sure the crowd did!!! 

The two other commentators were our regular event commentators and the local radio DJ helped out too.   He was awesome because he knew every local racing and had a story to tell about them so it made it such a personal event.

There was an emotional moment when Felix (The director of the 'Challenge' Series globally) crossed the finish line.  He had an accident a few weeks before the event so he was having his own challenge on the run with his IT band.  Although to suggest Felix's was the only emotional moment,  or person with a major challenge would be an exaggeration. I was in tears on numerous occasions watching people achieve their dreams,  battling obstacles and challenges,  to be greeted by their proud families at the finish line –  the whole event really was beautiful.

Entertaining the crowd until gone 11pm was just that – entertaining!   It was great fun when all the Pro's got up and did some aerobics with me!?  Despite Richard Usher saying he'd raced hard today –  I still dragged him up!  I'm not sure if Gina was just too tired from her amazing effort, or intimidated by my dancing skills...but she declined, although I'll let her off as she rode an amazing race today and made us all proud to be Kiwi's. 

Then I had a group of youngsters that would bang their yellow blow up batons about 100meters away when a competitor came down,  and then they'd run ahead to let us know an athlete was approaching in the dark!

I loved it when the teams finished, all three would cross the line arm in arm or mums and dads would run the last part with their little ones,  it was very moving. 

At ten thirty the sparklers were lit,  that looked amazing when two athletes came down the finish chute with hundreds of sparklers lit either side of the chute. 

At 11pm the fireworks were let off and the crowds were excited,  it was an awesome end to an awesome day.  There were so many stories out there of athletes who had over come their own challenges to get on the start line that I could write a book,  it really was an emotional day.  A day that touched me and one day I hope I can be a part of.

My favorite story from the day was that of the mum and dad who trained and raced whilst their 7 children cleaned,  tidied and cooked so that they could get out and train.  The family would be cooking while dad was on the wind trainer and mum on treadmill.   All the kids crossed the line – arm in arm – with mum and dad.  Then there was the three guys who raced as a team and their total age added up to 233!!! It was inspiring.

I've seen quite a few events in quite a few special places around the world, but I'd have to say Challenge Wanaka is the most scenic spot for a race,  and the people made it such an amazing atmosphere it will stay with me for some time!

After a great day in Wanaka we headed back to Christchurch as I had a speaking engagement on Sunday afternoon.  I was talking to 150 young girls who were in the Canterbury Netball Development squad.   It was awesome fun and a lot of the girls were taking notes and had some great questions - I loved it!  With all my troubles last year it's weekends like this that make me realise how much I love my job as a professional athlete,  I really am lucky. 

 After the talk SPARC had kindly put me up in a nice hotel in central Christchurch.  Unfortunately, I was so tired I went to bed at 7pm and was out like a light so didn't really get to appreciate the comforts of the hotel.

Well done to all those who competed in Challenge Wanaka and in fact The Contact Tri Series on the Friday evening.  I look forward to seeing all the ladies on Saturday at the Contact Womens Triathlon at Narrow neck Beach,  Auckland.

And for all of you ladies who want to make the next step up from the 'Womens Only Series' or in fact the seasoned triathlete,  why not come to Whangarei and race in the Sam Warriner Triathlon on 28th February -  It's a great event,  with a friendly atmosphere and lots of fun – I'll put some details up on the site in the next few days!

All the best,

Sam.

This weekend saw me launch my 2010 racing season with the NZ Half Ironman Championships in Tauranga.   It had been an emotional week leading into the race with family leaving to go back to the UK.  They had come over for our wedding,  it was great having them here. To have a family Christmas was very special and to see my neices Madison, Grace and nephew Jack get excited about Father Christmas and then opening their presents was absolutely awesome.

Stephen and I got married on Monday December 28th on our neighbours property here in Parua Bay, Whangarei.  I enjoyed it immensely,  it was the best day of my life!  All the stress and organising before was definitely worth it,  although I never want to go through it again!?

Organising a wedding is no compliment to your training – believe me.  I did all my training except for three days; the day prior, the day after and obviously the day of the wedding.  The problem was I had absolutely no time for recovery in between sessions.  Some days I'd be out training by 5am and go through to about 11 or 12 without a break,  so I could spend time with the family in the afternoon.  Massage,  stretching and all the other little things like core work went completely out the window.   But that was only to be expected and I would not change anything about the past couple of weeks to be fair.

So going in to Tauranga I knew that I had to go with the attitude of it just being a training race.   My training had been very disrupted,  and add to that an emotional good bye to our families at the airport on Tuesday which took a hell of a lot of energy out of me,  it really was a case of not knowing how I would go in Tauranga.

Once we'd dropped the last of the relatives off at the airport we spent Wednesday packing and getting my bike and racing gear sorted for the race.  We then left for our road trip down to Tauranga.  Stephen and I always enjoy our road trips,  whether in NZ or overseas.   This was special as it was the start of our honeymoon too (of sorts!)   I know I am lucky as not many husbands would be so kind to let me race and to be honest when Janette first contacted me about defending my Tauranga title Stephen's initial reaction was 'No way'!!  But after some slight pressure from sponsors (and me!!)  he came round and agreed I could do it as long as I only used it for training and didn't stress about fitting in every single training session over the wedding period and thus jeopardize the time we could spend with family.  So that was how it was supposed to be,  a first hard training race for 2010,  no pressure, no expectations,  just a hard day at the office with the advantage of doing it with hundreds of other athletes.

 We arrived at the Mount on Thursday night and went straight to a pre race barbecue which was good as it meant I got my steak that I always have two days before a race.  It was then an early night so I could get up early and ride the course, which I did.  The rest of the day was spent resting and going to my bike sponsor Avanti's tent so I could sign posters.  That was great fun and I chatted to some interesting people.

The evening before the race,  I think at around about 9 pm I got Stephen slightly worried,  as I exclaimed as we were just getting into bed  “God I want to win tomorrow”.  Stephen went ballistic!!  I know it's supposed to be a training race,  and I know really that's all I need at this time of the year,  but I am me!?   And I just can't help being competitive,  there's nothing better than crossing the line with your arms in the air,  and hell I wanted to win and show everybody that 2009 was just an unlucky year due to a combination of factors.

The morning of the race, I was up at 4am for breakfast.  The usual whole grain oats,  yogurt and fruit. Then it was all about trying to keep calm and getting ready for the race.  Once at transition I got into my routines and felt good.  The conditions were perfect for running,  a strong wind on the bike was enough to make it challenging,  but the hardest conditions were in the swim due to the chop and strong tides.  I really did not cope well with the swim conditions.  I had a shocker to be honest - I just never seemed to find my rhythm.  I started ok but was in a group that swam into a boat?!   It was then hard to get back round the boat because of the current.  Once I finally managed to navigate around the boat I was on the inside for the buoy turn,  normally the best position however I took it too tight and got stuck on the rope line.  I could not get off it as I was being bombarded by other swimmers turning.  I eventually got round that only to swim to the furthest buoy where I decided to go wide so as not to get blocked and I went round fine only to look up to see that I was miles of course as I'd been pushed wide by the current, so once again I was playing catch up. 

My swim was so bad that it was 7 minutes slower than last year.  When I finally got out the water I was annoyed and relieved at the same time and knew that this was not a good swim but I had to make the most of a bad situation so just focused on 'what can I do now', right in that moment. 

The answer was easy - go as hard as you can on the bike - so I did.  My new Avanti Chrono Time Trail bike went like a dream,  I loved it.   We decided to use my HED disc wheel which once I got it rolling just kept going and going,  it was awesome.   Within the first 10km of the bike I had got myself into 2nd position. The group of girls then worked off me using the pace I was setting.  After the first lap I'd had enough of this and put the hammer down even more.  I dropped them and closed the gap on the leading girl,  it had ballooned out to over 3 minutes at one point while I was towing the other girls but once I got my head down I pegged it back to about 2.30 by T2.   I felt strong on the bike and felt confidence enough that if i could keep the gap to 2 -2.30mins  I would catch Caroline (the leading Swiss girl on the run).

To be honest I never ever check results of other races, but for some reason I'd heard someone talk about this Swiss girl the night before and it intrigued me,  so I went on the 70.3 World Champs website and studied her split times the night before the race.  When I saw the times for last years Clearwater World Champs I was absolutely gutted,  it was so hard for me knowing that if I had not had my crash,  or I'd given my body time to recover properly after breaking my ribs then I too could have been competitive at those races?!  (Oh well 2010 is another year!)   Now I am back,  happier and training well it is easier to look. 

Anyway,  I had seen that Caroline's weakest discipline was her running,  and knew that running was my strongest.  So I got off the bike and all I had in my mind was to chase her down.  I felt strong getting off the bike and within the first km had taken 30 seconds out of her,  some of that time came from transition as these 'Ironman' athletes still don't seem to have realized the importance of a quick transition,  or maybe they have and they just don't know how to get through T2 quickly.  I practice transitions weekly and know there aren't many athletes who can get off the bike and be running as fast as me.

The crowd were awesome shouting 'you can do it Sam',  ' you'll get her' so I felt like I had to as they were all gunning for me!!  So I just focused my mind on not letting up until I was at the front.

People were giving me run splits so I knew I was gaining.  Just before running around the Mount on the first lap I was 1.38 behind,  Stephen told me to attack the hills around the mount,  and let my legs run away with me on the downhills,  as that would be where I would make up heaps of time so I did and by the time I got around the other side it was down to 1.15.   I was then running down Pilot bay where the crowds were huge,   Their roar just lifted me and by the end it was only a minute to make up on the second lap. 

Stephen Farrell shouted to me 'Be patient Sam, you'll get her' and that helped too,  as 21km is a long way to run and if I had gone off much harder I would of blown as when I did catch her with 3km to go I was really hurting,  and the day had changed from a hard training session into a real battle of wills (just what I love!) .

It now came down to who was the toughest with 3km to go because Caroline sat on me.  She gritted her teeth and just sat herself on my shoulder.   I could not drop her,  so I thought 'ok, wait for the mount, the mount will decide who's the toughest and who wants it most' .

We approached the mount and I took a few final sips of coke,  I remember thinking 'Sam this is your turbo juice, let it fill your body with energy for a few seconds and then attack her with everything you can put together in one big surge!'

As we ran past the campsite and onto the uphill boardwalk I turned the screws,  I could hear her suffering behind me,  but I wasn't finished yet – I still had my big effort to come,  the track went uphill quite steeply after this for about 150m and I gave it everything at this point,  my quads were screaming at me,  I was actually a little worried I might cramp but I just didn't care,  I wanted that win so much.  Something in side me was telling me that if I could gap her and win the race, then somehow I'd put all the crap behind me from last year and start afresh,  it was almost as if Caroline was the sting ray attack, Caroline was the crash in Korea, she was the broken ribs in LA, the mis-diagnosis, the crushed diaphragm and all the other ShXt I'd put up with in 2009!!!   I wanted to drop her so badly and just lose all that negative energy...

There was no way she was staying with me up that 150m,  and to be honest that 150m seemed to take for ever,  I can still feel every step up that hill,  it was amazing running away from her and leaving all my troubles behind.

Once I'd got the gap it felt a long way around the Mount that second time,  I can't remember what was going through my mind once out alone,  other than just relax and enjoy it.  I know one thing,  when I got to the KM to go marker my legs were screaming and I felt they may buckle underneath me?!

Once again it was the crowd that lifted me and got me through, they were amazing.   I was too scared to look behind coming down toward the finish, and was just praying for the finish line to come as I was completely exhausted.  I crossed the finish line feeling so proud because to me this race was not a good day, but I had to endure it.

I had to endure it in two very different respects:

• I cocked up big time (in the swim) and had to get myself out of that situation.  It was me and only me that swam so badly and therefore it's only right that I should take responsibility for the situation and get myself out of it.  The bike was hard,  the run harder still,  but if you want something bad enough you'll go after it.

• I cocked up big time (in 2009) and had to get myself out of that situation too this weekend!  It was time to put it all to bed and move on.  Everything that happened to me in 2009 has been weighing on my mind for too long,  it really has.  I've been a horrible person at times,  because of things that ultimately I did...to myself!?  I knew going into this weekend that I needed to put it to bed at some point or 2010 would just be a repeat of 2009.  I knew the opportunity would arise when I could ditch all that baggage,  I just didn't know when it would come.  But the moment I caught Caroline and moved ahead of her I knew that moment was now and I knew only I could drop all the baggage and drop her too.
• That moment on the Mount was very liberating for me and I'll remember it for a long time to come.
• After the race and drugs testing we went back to the hotel for a hot tub as my body was soooo sore. Then I had a big burger,  as just like always,  I eat whatever I want after a good race!  The day ended with the prize giving before we went for a lovely dinner with my sponsors Asics.
• Today I had the day off as my body is not talking to me just yet.  We had a lovely breakfast at the Mount before walking along the beach.  Then we drove home stopping off at the Waihi Water Lily gardens and cafe which was beautiful, before sitting on the deck with a glass of wine and fish and chips. 
• Tomorrow the diet starts all over again!!!! 
• Well done to all those who participated in the Tauranga Half.   A special congrats to Amanda from Avanti, and Hori from Asics.   I hope you achieved your goals and thank you for all those who cheered me on and got me through it. 
• Thanks to The Port of Tauranga,  Janette Blythe and Jane Patterson,  and all the support staff for another great event.
• Sam.