When things do not go quite as planned

OK- well it has taken me a while to get my 'Rev 3' race report up- and there are a few valid reasons for this. Firstly, I have done so much travelling since I left Kona that I hardly know what time zone I am in let alone what day it is. I do not think I gave it quite enough credit just how big the United States of America is, how many hours of flying it would take to get from Kona to Hartford, Connecticut, the 6hr time difference between the two States and then my final two flights and another time change to get to my final destination- Boulder, Colorado- I get tired just thinking about it
Secondly, nobody wants to write a race report when the actual race wasn't, well lets just say, wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. Now lets get it straight from the start- the race itself was nothing short of amazing- Heather Gollnick, her husband Todd, Charlie and everyone who was involved in getting the inaugural Rev 3 race up and running should be commended- it was simply an awesome event. The actual course was back to 'grass-roots' triathlon- one loop swim, one loop bike and an out and back run course that was one of the toughest I have done in a while ( it was definitely on par with the run course in Honu minus the heat). It was such a tough and honest course. My race, on the otherhand, was nothing short of abismal. I am not going to make excuses- not my style, but I just felt flat all day and just didn't have the strength needed to do well on the course. It was, however, unbelievably exciting to watch some of the best gals in the sport go head to head in a thrilling race. Watching Rinny, Natasha and others pushing themselves to their limits was all inspiring and has really motivated me here in Boulder to pick it up a few notches.

My homestay family in Woodbury (nextdoor to Hartford) were just wonderful and did everything in their power to ensure I had a great day of racing. Unfortunately I could not repay them with a great result but I have promised them that I will come back next year and try again :)

Well- lessons were certainly learned- no race is a complete disaster. There is always something that you can take from the race and use at a later date to your advantage. Yes- it is hard to see this immediately after the race (all you want to do is crawl away and hide) but give yourself a few days, a couple of easy sessions on the bike where you let your mind wonder and it is amazing how one can put it all into perspective.
Time to move onwards and upwards. It has been exactly 12 weeks since my surgery and I am starting to feel the strength and fitness come back. I have completely changed my scenery from the vast and endless views of the blue waters of Kona to the equally spectacular views of the mountains in Boulder, Colorado (I think my pics show the contrast quite well). I thoroughly enjoyed my time training on Kona but I am just as excited to be here in Lyons just outside of Boulder. I have always loved training in the mountains- I spent the last three years training in the Swiss Alpes. This season I opted for the Rockies. I haven't been to Boulder since 1996- that is 13 years ago!!!! Justin and I came here so that he could prepare for his first attempt at Hawaii. I came along for the ride. Honestly, back then, I thought Ironman was for crazy people (by the way I have not changed my mind about this, I have just joined the crazies).

Coming back here now brings back so many great memories. When we were here in 1996, I got to train with Greg and Sian Welch, Mark Allen and Julie Moss, Chris Legh and Christian Bustos (who we nick-named 'Chilli-dog'). It was so much fun and really set the ground-work for my passage into Ironman- I just didn't know it yet.
We have been lucky enough to stay at Chris and Sarah Legh's house out in Lyons- it is such a great little town- it is at the base of all the great climbs and the town itself looks like it has not undergone a facelift for at least 50 years. But that is just how I like it- no distractions, just good, hard training. The view from the house is amazing, as you can see from my pictures. There is just something so tranquil and fulfilling about waking up and looking out over the snow-capped mountains- you just want to get out there and ride up every single one of them.

I have been here now since Monday and have already managed to make my way to the top of a few of them- typical me-cannot wait, must do it all at once.
Tomorrow Justin and I are heading up into the clouds to do a 15 mile trail running race- it starts at 9000ft and continues to go up. Justin is going to race it, I am going to 'run' it- and I use the term 'run' very loosly. I am looking forward to the challenge and the view- I am sure it is going to be nothing short of spectacular.
After the run we are heading over to Greg and Laura Bennett's house- they have just moved into their new pad and it is so cool- I will have to take some pics. It is BBQ time and I can't wait.

Will let you all know how the run went- I will have lungs the size of Pharlap by the time I finish.