Charlotte's Day in WA

Whose idea was it to do 20 hours of flying 2 days after an Ironman? Ludicrous. It just goes to show how quickly we forget pain! Well I am now recuperating in sunny Somerset, and have been looking back on my race.

My 7th Ironman is done and dusted and I am over the moon, as it’s my best race and my best result to date. I have been trying to run a sub 3.10 marathon for the last four Ironman races, and finally I have nailed it.

I had a great week leading up to the race. I was relaxed, well prepared, super organised and happy! I think I had an advantage over the other girls in that I had not raced Ironman since April, so was raring to go. Mentally I was fresh, and I think that is very important. I don’t remember ever feeling so excited to race. Physically I felt I was in the best shape I have ever been in. My training was lighter than it has been in the past, so I didn’t feel overcooked. And my recovery had been prioritised with regular trips to the hyperbaric chamber. This gave me the feeling of quiet confidence. I wanted to compete like the underdog, pressure free, and raise my level of play.

We woke on race morning to the sounds of thunder and lightning. Recalling the swim director’s comments at race briefing I had to laugh, he said “ don’t worry about the sharks out there, more Australians are killed every year by lightning!” I wondered if this was to be a repeat of the Korea 2004 Ironman duathlon? But it is what it is, and race morning preparation continued regardless.

Swim start was postponed by 30 minutes, at which point the rain had stopped, and we could see gaps in the clouds starting to appear.

The swim was different this year, one lap all the way round the jetty, which was great for navigation. There was plenty of chop, but it was just head down and get through it. It was my slowest swim since 2003, but I didn’t feel wasted and I was in contention, so job done.

Out onto the bike, my expectations were to ride a similar time to last year. The concentration techniques I had been practicing through the week worked a treat. I was able to keep my mind on the race, thinking about technique and cadence, and the time flew. Better still, I enjoyed the ride, I was full of confidence and I was smiling! I did a lot of technique work over the winter with my coach Mark Newton, and rode with a higher cadence than last year (96rpm). I didn’t get off the bike any quicker this year, but I felt much fresher.

My plan for the run was to start the first km easy and build into 4min30/km pace. Well, the first km felt easy, but I went through the first 4kms in under 17 mins. Whoops! But it felt so slow that I actually wondered if the schoolies had been messing with the signs. My heart rate was ok, I felt comfortable, and I wasn’t pushing, so I decided to go with it. I settled at 4.30 pace at around the 10km mark, and just kept going. I was catching girls easily and it was a great feeling.

I was getting heaps of encouragement from the crowds and fellow competitors. Before I knew it I was in third, and eyeing up the distance to second. Kristian was going nuts! Talk about ruining my surprise. I had Marilyn Macdonald within sights, and I was thinking about sneaking up and then blasting past so there would be no chance of a pick up in her pace. But Kristian, the foghorn, put an end to that idea. I think the whole of Busselton knew that I was about to overtake! I got a bit emotional at this point, realising I had second place, but had to put it out of my mind. It got me choked up and I couldn’t breathe! I had to just focus on the present.

The last 100 metres was a fantastic feeling. I wanted to lap it up, but still wanted to get over the line as quickly as possible! You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!

I just feel so happy that I have achieved the result that I felt was possible. I feel totally revitalised with enthusiasm for Ironman and can’t wait for 2006. Next time I want to win!