Lake Wanaka Half: It's Just a Training Day

There are a few YouTube videos doing the rounds at the moment that really strike a chord with me, and probably every other triathlete around.  "Sh*t Triathletes Say" is a compilation of common phrases we are probably guilty of saying and which, to a "normal" person, probably sounds off this planet.  As an example, this video is one of my particular favourites:

As I watched it for the first time I realised that I was sounding exactly like this when discussion turned to me doing the half iron individual event at the Lake Wanaka Half last month.  I would try to lower everyone else's expectations of it (and my own) by qualifying my entry with the comment: "It's just a training day for IMNZ".  

Riiight...(I can now hear people thinking!)

So why would I qualify it at all (and therefore join the realms of triathletes talking sh*t worldwide)?

Quite simply, I didn't know what to expect and didn't want to take on any more pressure than I had already been experiencing over the past year.  

Entering the Lake Wanaka Half was a bit of an evolution.  In April last year it started out as an idea to enter a team in the full distance and I was keen to do the bike leg as a training day for Ironman - I know, another "sh*t triathletes say" moment.  By the time St Pete and I were leaving for Sydney, however, the idea had moved on from a team entry to me entering the half as an individual and using it as part of my build up to Taupo.

It seemed like a fabulous idea at the time - a great excuse to go back and catch up with the Christchurch crew and an opportunity to try out this course that I had heard such good things about.

So I entered.  And there was no turning back. 

And then I entered the most challenging period of my training so far - adjusting to new city, new job, new country, new geography, new climate.  You name it, it had changed and I couldn't even begin to contemplate how it would affect my ultimate goal of ironman, let alone the half at Wanaka.

Coach Dave was a star - if he was worried about all my niggles, concerns and doubts, reports of missed sessions or sessions that weren't going to plan, he didn't let on.  And probably just as well!  

During one particular Skype session he asked me how I thought training was going.  After what seemed like an eternal silence I realised I couldn't answer him.  I had no benchmarks to base this year's training against last year's.  I was running and biking in heat, humidity and hills - three things I hadn't experienced in Christchurch and traditionally didn't deal well with.  I had reached the point where I was going to be just happy to make the start line at Taupo, let alone have any sort of attempt at a 13 hour finish.

There's a bike in there somewhere...

But I kept telling myself that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and so with St Pete's encouragement (and continued cooking, cleaning and caring!) I found myself packing up the bike and preparing to head back to New Zealand for 

"it's just a training day in preparation for my A race".....