And we're off and racing!

  
I'm just back from Fuertoventura where my season started for 2012. Fuertoventura is Spanish for strong wind, an apt name for the little island in the Atlantic where I headed for the Challenge half ironman just over a week ago. It was windy when I arrived, windy when I left and windy most of the time in between. However despite the wind I really enjoyed myself on the dry, hilly, relatively barren volcanic island. 

Tapas in Gran Tarajal

Maybe it was because I was back racing again, certainly I loved being by the ocean again and the dry, the relatively unpopulated interior reminded my a little of parts of Australia too, big open space. A quiet moment of reflection the day before the race enjoying a simple tapas for lunch and the appreciating the chances in life that brought me to this place with this opportunity, by the beach in a small fishing village rated pretty highly too.

Back to racing, as my tagline goes, "hard, smart and with a smile"

Racing again was great. It was certainly not the best race I have done, but it was a solid season start. I enjoyed the experience as I nearly always do and it reminded me what my training is all about. It has been a long break since I last raced last November in the USA and since then a long, cold, snowy winter in the Alps from where I have been rebuilding my fitness base after taking a break from structured training late last year. I had only been back on the roads on my bike for a month prior to Fuerto due to the ice and snow lasting well into Spring this year. In fact this week we are back above the snowline again as a late cold snap has covered the garden and roads again each day. You learn to love your home trainer here! I never quite know how my form is until I am racing again, so I was pleased to meet my goal of a top 10 finish. It was a strong international women's field filled with many of the pros who use the Playitas Resort as a winter training base so most know the area and course well. For me it was my first time in the Canaries but it will certainly not be my last. It is a great place to train and race.

So to the race. For me, it went something like this.

Sunrise over the swim course

Swim: Good warm up, ready for action but missed the main women's group on the way out to the first buoy as hard to see them in the wind chop in addition to the usual chaotic start. Annoyed, but managed to find the feet of a couple of the slower male pros so got a good draft anyway, just at a pace a touch below what I would have liked to be swimming. Met a few jellyfish on the way. At least they didn't sting much. Swapped onto some faster feet as they came by later in the swim and picked it up a bit although overall a few mins behind my target time.

Transition to T1 was a 500m run up the hill to the tennis courts so a good chance to get the blood in the legs for the first hill on the bike heading out of the resort. Passed Heleen Bij De Vaate in transition so got on my bike ready to chase the next up the field.

Enjoying being on my bike, despite the crosswind given position

Bike: Usually my strength. Not so much in this race probably due to the limited time back on the roads before the race. I love hills and this course had +1,100m climbing in its 90k so it's  hillier than Nice IM (per km). It also had a relatively consistent northern wind coming down the island at about 35km/h which really is just like adding more hills as given it was a loop course, just as you have times with a solid headwind, other times are like a descent as the wind powers you from behind. I had done a good reccy before the race so although I hadn't ridden much of the course, in fact it was just as I expected and unfolded without me finding any super speed but without any issues or bad patches either. I was caught by Heleen 10k into the bike and Ute 10k after while I was re-securing my race belt that was coming off which was a good reminder of pro behaviour - watching and using every chink offered. Unfortunately at that part of the course I was unable to stick with them. I hoped to pick them up again as we headed up into the hills. Both got away. I did pick up Kristina Wiegland though at the top of the second climb and then got away from her well through the descent. Back into T2 I was in 10th and I could see just a minute or two at most behind Ute. No-one was super close behind me. Time to go chasing.

On course through the resort at Playitas

Run: The wind kept the course cool as the temperature rose into the mid 20s. A perfect day for a foot race. I felt good on the first out and back to Gran Tarajal (place of the good tapas and contemplation the day prior) and was slowly reeling Ute in. As I headed back into the resort the lead girls, UK's strong duo, Emma Kate Lidbury and Lucy Gossage closely followed by Eva Nystrom, Erika Csomor and Daniella Sammler passed me as they headed in for their finish. Erika and Daniella had a good battle going as they were shoulder to shoulder. I still had the shorter 2nd out and back so lifted as best I could with them and then put my head down for one more hill (times two sides) before I could come back and head towards the finish myself. Although my run felt good and my speed was as I would hope in the first lap, the second showed that my strength endurance isn't quite what I need yet. The gap to Ute opened up again and I ended up just holding my pace so no-one could pass me as I held the gap steady between me and the next woman behind. Unfortunatley it meant one AG athlete past me on a time basis as they started a few mins behind the pros and she caught and past me by 1min without me being aware of it as she was physically behind.

Mountain roads through the interior of Fuerteventura

So, it was no perfect race, but a solid consistent effort, a great course and some clear areas to work on through the season. As next stop for me is the Lanzarote Ironman just one island to the north in just under a month's time now, it was a great tester in similar conditions. So on that note I best get out and do some solid training to build that strength endurance to last longer and stronger next race.

Today is a challenge though. I'm off to the gym for a treadmill session followed by a swim in La Clusaz. At 2pm here the snow still falling steadily and our garden is now back under a good few cms of fresh powder as it has been each morning this week. Can the Spanish sun please make it's way over to the Alps now, please!!! I wouldn't mind just tele-porting myself back to the island of the strong wind. At least it doesn't snow there in late April!