Epic Camp New Zealand Final Days

Epic Camp is over and I'm back on the Gold Coast taking a well earned break for recovery. Once again it was an awesome experience with a great bunch of athletes that helped me push myself all week long. With an end-to-end of New Zealand camp planned for next year I'm definitely looking at fitting it into my schedule.

I've two more posts up on my blog, the first reporting on days 7 and day 8 of camp and then a final Epic Camp epilogue.

Hopefully they give some insight into how tiring and tough camp is, but how much fun it is too.

Tara - Epilogue

Overall Totals:
Swim: 29 700m, 8:10
Bike: 1215 kms, 43:15
Run: 73.5 kms, 6:15

Total # of hours of training in 8 days = 57:40

“Intense” is a good summary for Epic Camp. And I mean intense in every way! It wasn't quite as intense as last time due to my wee injury, but it really is amazing to be in this environment with such strong athletes and great people, all of whom are pushing to their upper limits. Even though I suffered an injury and didn’t get to compete like I had intended (and by the way, my entire leg is now completely black and blue and I am sure other colours are soon to surface), I was still able to learn a lot about myself, about my limits and about how I cope with challenges put my way. I know that I have gained fitness, gained new motivation to continue to push myself to be the best triathlete I can be and I have formed new amazing friendships. This is a very unique and special experience that I feel lucky to have had a second time, and I will never take it for granted. I will also have lots of great stories to tell all my friends and family. Good times!

Tara - Day 8

Swim: 5000m, 1:20 or so
Bike: 63K or so, 2:05
Run: Nothing for me again!

(25K bike to Rabbit Island for start of triathlon: 2Kish swim, 40K TT, no 10K run for me)

This morning started with a pool swim of 3K (for only three of us because Scott, Lou and I were the only ones to do the 3000m for an extra point) and the “events”. We started with the 400IM long course race which is always hilarious to watch as fit triathletes nearly drown in the butterfly section. Of course, watching Bevy do breaststroke was even more comical because he does he most massive butterfly kick that I am surprised there was any water left in the pool. Thanks for those laughs Bevan James Eyles!! Next up was the 200m kick and considering my dud leg, I was surprised to come in about 4th place. I am not a great kicker which goes to show you how we triathletes really do not kick. Finally we did the 50m freestyle sprint that left Scott and I feeling embarrassed that we could actually swim that slowly, while Ken the speedster pulled of the fastest split of the day! When I dove in on that last event, I pulled my hamstring pretty well so wasn’t too happy about that.

After breakfast, we cycled to Rabbit Island (Steven took the ‘long’ route when he thought there were two from our group up ahead going the wrong way and went ahead to catch them to let them know) for the start of the triathlon. It was a beautiful beach. It was hot and the water was very warm. Oh, and very wavy! John Newsom measured the course at 1500m but it was definitely more like 2K! I once again missed the lead train, and exited with my Lou. I had to walk all the way to transition so my T1 time was possibly the slowest time in the history of transitions and I started the bike just behind Del who massively passed me in transition. He was looking so strong on the bike and I could not catch him. I pushed as hard as I could on the ride and came in to transition wishing I could do the run. Nope. Not possible. Instead I cheered everyone else on with those McDonalds and awesome support guys and gal. It was fun to watch the battles unfold and to analyze all the different running gait styles. It was stinking hot out there and everyone did a great job to finish the camp with a nice strong run.
Many drinks and laughs were had on the last day of the camp, reminiscing about the 8 days of insanity that had just unfolded.

Tara - Day 7

Swim: 2000m or so, :25 or so
Bike: 180K, 6:20
Run: Nothing for me!

(Nelson to Arnaud with tack on to 180K)

Today started with the ride to Arnaud to Lake Rotoiti. I have been struggling a bit with this wee leg injury but I am managing to hang on. I am riding at my own pace (and still managing to ride lots with the main pack too) and as a result have had different sources of company along the way. It’s been fun riding with everyone here. It really is a great bunch of people and as Bevy James Eyles says, “good times” are happening all around, injury and all.

There was a pretty hard headwind today with those darn “Kiwi rollers” and a net uphill ride by a long shot (I realized this fact on the return)! It was a tough ride and we were all working together to battle the head winds. Actually I wasn't doing any work at the front! We leave that to Chris! At about 1:30 into the ride, Russell hit Bevan’s wheel (Marilyn commented that she had been thinking that a crash may happen because she was seeing that people were starting to get pretty tired and sure enough she was right!) and promptly went down. Dave Langley was right behind Russ and he did a nice job of minimizing the damage as he went down too. His back wheel went up and sideways in the air and as I veered right, his wheel hit my arm and ripped my watch right off my wrist. It all happened so quickly and fortunately I escaped going down as did Lou who followed my wheel. There were two crazy things about this crash. First of all, Lou has been doing the camp solo (he has been riding mostly off the back of the pack) and this was the ONE time he was in the peloton – go figure! Second, I didn’t even know my watch was gone because I was checking out the tire burn mark on my arm. Later, Dave pulled out my watch from his pocket and handed it back to me. So my ‘protector’ really did protect me today, AND saved me the expense of having to get a new watch. Thanks Dave!

I was relieved to get to the lake and because Marilyn had forewarned us about the sand flies, we doused ourselves with bug juice as soon as it arrived in the support van. Lake Rotoiti is spectacular! We were all expecting the swim to be frigid and I was upset that I didn’t know to bring my neoprene booties and watched most people pull theirs on along with some neoprene caps. Scott mentioned that the swim would be shorter because that was all we would probably survive. Well, the water was beautiful. The warmer temperature took everyone by surprise and it was a fun four loop swim. New Zealand has had one of their warmest summers, so I guess it warmed up this lake.

After the swim, everyone went for what looked like a pretty slow paced 50min jog (we had to laugh watching Molina walk the last part of his run) and a few took some tumbles on the trail, but none as serious as mine the other day! I should get points for the colour of the bruise that is coming out on my leg. I tried to run two steps but it was still a definite no go. I keep hoping I will wake up and be able to run, but this injury will need more time. Lots more time. Instead, I hung out with Marilyn and Chris and the support gang in the sun and ate lunch early.

The ride back to Nelson was a screamer! This is probably the first time at Epic Camp that I have had this kind of a tail wind. And it was fun. Usually the winds find a way to switch directions just as you are expecting a nice tail wind. I started out riding with Dave Dwan and Dave Langley and it was quite comical to hear Dave Langley comment about that grand piano someone put on his back. Eventually the main pack caught us and I caught that FAST love train for a while. I hit 76K/hr and let the pack go ahead when they hit speeds upwards of 80K/hr (no need for me to go that fast) and I did not have the ability to put on any surge to catch the train with my injury anyway. I rode solo with the pack in sight until they stopped at a gas station to refuel, thank goodness. I needed to stretch my leg because my knee has been killing me since the fall (probably because I am compensating with my quad seeing as my hamstring is out of commission). We only had about 25K to go and I tacked on at the end with Lou to hit the 180K mark for an extra point. I know I am out of the points now, but it is still fun to go those few extra kilometers for an extra point.

Final day is tomorrow and I will be happy to be done. I am still having lots of fun, but it is hard to keep going at this intensity with my injury. Steven Lord is ahead in the points by a million. Even if I was uninjured, I would be playing for second place. It is truly unbelievable what that guy can do! Like run 50K on day 5!

jo - day 8

Day 8 – Races

The final day of the camp and the camp-long points competition has closed. There’s a great mood this morning, I guess because the pressure is off, or the end is in sight. I’m feeling kind of sad that its almost over, but tired and was anticipating the morning swim events, followed by an Olympic distance tri race with some nerves as to how dumb I’d look in the former, followed by how my legs would hold for the latter!

Since there was no more point scoring to be done, and a race later in the day, I had a lie in and no run this morning – spent the time catching up on some emails instead. Light breakfast and a ride in the van to the pool.
We opened with 400IM race – I was glad to be in the first wave – get it over with. I was also pleased that my other strokes have come on a bit since I last tried an IM in Italy last summer – almost made the complete 100m butterfly in one hit. It was hot and great to sit around watching the racing events and have a good laugh seeing some very competent triathletes flailing with the other strokes almost as badly as I had – just a little more practiced! And to see Heath’s demonstration of how it should be done, of course. This race was followed by 200m-kick race – very painful on legs with over 1000km cycling and 100km of running in them for the week to date – and 50m freestyle. Hopeless in both, but up for giving it my best shot.

We cruised out later on in the morning to Rabbit Island, where we’d be racing a point-to-point triathlon. Plenty of pre race excuses being banded around the campers, all kited out in our new Epic Camp Oomph gear we looked the part even if no one was feeling especially fired up. But, of course by the time we arrived – with a little slack navigation and slight detour resulting in Steven chasing a couple of random cyclists up the highway just to get a few more hard miles in his legs – the great spirit of everyone on the camp shone through and we joked on about the race ahead.

3 laps between buoys that John had accurately measured by ’van’ (I assume this means driving the van along the beach and looking at the buoys out of the window), followed by a 40km bike route back to Stoke and a 4 lap run around ‘The Point’.

The swim was choppy, and I ‘m sure it was long, but got stuck in -in my usual race style, which is ‘quite hard’ following swimmers some way in front to guide me to the buoys which I couldn’t spot and make sure I don’t loose position after the first rush. Swim over and suddenly I’m feeling great – raced up the beach, stripping wetsuit. Wetsuit off in a flash and out on the bike in no time.

I rode as hard as the legs would allow – watching the speed stayed over 20mph since the Powertap had packed in. I could tell I wasn’t pushing it at full throttle but was working hard - looking over my shoulder for the inevitable figures of the guys behind me on the horizon. Managed to hold them off to the end, really pushing as fast as I dared along the final stretch that was bike/pedestrian path, figuring the lads would be less cautious than me! Another flying transition in the garden of our hotel ad out into the heat for the run. Most of the guys were already out there of course, which was great fun as we passed each other several times. I managed to make up a few places, and lose non on the course, and pleased that I was able to run well, if not fast.

A great day topped off with early afternoon beers, a lovely meal in very civilized settings of the hotel restaurant, followed by more beers and banter.

An awesome experience, really sound group of triathletes, some inspirational performances and awesome support crew. I don’t think this will be my last epic ;o)

Epic Camp - NZ09

Epic Camp New Zealand 09 has just finished with an awesome final dinner. Great to chill out with all the people that have helped push me this camp and give superb support throughout. Waking this morning I felt I'd achieved my aim of getting myself pretty wasted. For more details of how the week went here're links to the daily blogs I posted on my website:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8

jo - day 7

Day 7 – St Arnaud

My first surprise of the day was waking naturally and in near daylight. Something was not right! It wasn’t – I had forgotten what day it was (that happens when you don’t have a day-job ;o)) and set my alarm for yesterday…almost rolled over to sleep in until breakfast, but a quick calculation realized that if I went immediately I’d get 50min run done and have time to run around for a 7.30 departure. Glad I did, as I was treated to (another) awesome sunrise over the water with misty blue mountains as a back drop during my run, which necessitated several laps of the housing block on the Monaco point to make up 50 min.

The profile of the ride up to the Lake at St Arnaud was a bit daunting – 50miles continuously rising, with a few more acute gradients on the way. There was a strange vibe on the morning of our last ‘big day’ – tired and fearful of a hard ride to a glacial lake where we would swim in waters at 12 degrees, and then run a 10 km race - all the while being bitten by sand flies. Yes, John had really given this excursion a good sell! The group headed out at an ‘easy’ pace which meant that I was constantly working hard to stay in the line – though today I was gratified to see that I was not the only one suffering. There was a noticeable head wind which meant staying tight on a wheel was crucial – so every change in pace had to be chased after and then care taken not to get sucked into the wheel by freewheeling thus loosing momentum again. With everyone being so tired this concentration was wearing and we had a minor incident as Russ and Bevan clashed wheels on a sharp rise taking Dave down with them. Once the gradient really picked up, I found my legs screaming that they were unable to hang on any longer, so plugged in the tunes and set to work at my own pace. It was a fantastic ride; gorgeous day and her were some nice sweeping descents to make up for all the slogging! I caught up with Russ, Mike, Del and Dave on the long climb but lost sight of them again on the way down into St Araund and the lake.

The lake was incredible – surrounded by huge forested mountains, their tops skirted in cloud but otherwise bright blue skies. We’d been told that the lake was extremely cold, so most of us wore our freebie blue seventy booties and a few of us had neoprene swim hats. Due to the extreme conditions the daily swim minimum was reduced to 20min.or 4 laps of the 3 marker bouys (around 400m). To our surprise it was a very bearable temperature and I enjoyed a very relaxed 30 min swim for fear of over heating in my neoprene bonnet!
Due to the ‘high injury count’ on this camp, the 19 km race was substituted for a 50 min run through the forest trail. Another treat! It was lovely underfoot – well tramped forest carpet with lots of gnarled roots to hop over. If I had not been so puckish for lunch, I’d have run further.

The ride back was all down hill – except for those ‘bumps’! And much with a tail wind – except for the bits with a headwind! I rode alone again, just enjoying the day. The return trip was just over 100miles, so I ‘tagged on’ to 112 to get 180km bonus point, having to crank it in order to get back, drop bike and set off on my 3rd run of the day 50 min before my 12 hour cut –off. A very fast transition followed by a very slow run. But that is it done for the camp really – except for the small matter of swimming events and a Triathlon race tomorrow!

Epic Camp New Zealand Days 1 to 6

Last time on Camp in Italy I was pretty slack on the blogging side of things, finding it hard to fit it in. Whilst it may appear Tara and Jo are the only ones to have put the work in I have been posting to my own blog. I've made two posts one on Days 1 to 3 and one on Days 4 to 6. Go have a look if you want the details of my experience on this camp.

Compared to Italy this has been a different kind of sufferfest. My memories of my first Epic Camp are of being sick and just trying to hang on to the group and get through those minimums. This time round if I've suffered it's been at my own hands! With just one day to go I've stuck to my new goal of all the minimums and some tack on. Some of it a little bit crazy, some of it easy extra points. I'm higher up the rankings than I expected to be that's for sure.

Crashing after touching Bevan's wheel today may have put a spanner in my performance for tomorrow's games as I think I've bruised my ribs. Ouch, I'm glad I saved that one for the end of camp. That said the points are tight and my final position may come down to my performance on the final day.

Next time I post it'll all be over. After 56 hours of training in a week I'm actually a little glad!

Tara - Day 6

Swim: 4500m or so, :70 or so
Bike: 112K, 4:15
Walk: 3K or so, :35

(Collingwood to Nelson (stop at winery) with a KOM up Takaka Hill the other way and an Aquathon in Kaiteriteri)

Well, I woke up feeling much better, but was still hobbling around. I felt better thinking about my whole season ahead and feeling like the injury won’t keep me out for very long. I decided to do my own ride and not push too hard. I rode off the back of the pack and caught Jo and Del along the way. Heath flatted and rode up to me a little later so we ascended the Takaka Hill together. Riding with Russ the previous day and Heath up Takaka Hill gave me something other than my pain to focus on and I think my leg started to feel better up the climb. This is a good sign! Heath and I crossed the “KOM” together and Heath got in an extra workout by pushing on my back a few times up the big climb! Quite sweet, really!

The descent today was less frightening and as Scott pointed out the pavement going down the other side was better and we regrouped at Kaiteriteri beach for the aquathon. It was beautiful! Gorgeous water and John set out the course for the swim race. I sure as heck missed the lead love train in that swim and ended up pulling John Ellis and Dell around the course. I decided that I would try jogging to try to complete all the workouts to get the bonus 10 points at the end of the camp, but ended up walking the first of two loops of the ‘run’. I was SO tempted to walk the second loop (it is really hard not to give into the pressure at this camp to get as many points as possible), but I stopped and had lunch instead. I really enjoyed the walk cheering everyone else on in the camp as they sweated it out on a super hot and hilly run, but decided to make the smart decision to call it a day on the run. Chris McDonald isn’t running at this camp and he called out “the bigger picture Tara” and I really appreciated that call. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone here and while it is hard to not complete every workout, I know I will heal faster and be good for my upcoming season.

We rode from the beach to a winery on the way back to Nelson and yummy cheese and dips and crackers (and Salami by the others) were consumed with some great wine. Nice way to finish an Epic day, injured or not! Scott, Del, Ian and maybe one more opted not to ride back (no penalties given) and I joined Scott for a good chat and beer at the famous pub that is across the street from where we are now staying for the rest of the camp.

I will see how I am tomorrow and try running, but again, I will play it smart and may just opt for an extra swim or something!

Tara - Day 5

Swim: 3K, :50
Bike: 60K, 2:20
Run: 20K, 2:20 (and then about a 20min walk down after I fell)

(3K open water race, long Heaphy Trail run and Crash and ride around Collingwood)

Oh dear, sometimes I wish I could go back in time…and today is one of those times. Today started out with a pretty funny 3K open water swim race. We were swimming in about 2 feet of water and after I lost the lead love train, Heath the fish excluded, I soon realized that I could dolphin dive faster than they were swimming. I seriously dolphin dived for about 1000m and caught the lead pack. We all exited the water close to each other but Scott out sprinted me to the line!

The Heaphy Trail was beautiful and the plan was to run to John and turn back. Poor Lou and Big D (Douglas) went farther thinking it could be a tack on, only to find out in the evening it didn’t count! I had trouble on the trail. I was constantly rolling my ankles (especially the one that I had a couple fractures in October) but made it to the top without any major injuries. Running down was pretty tough with many little rocks that you couldn’t see very well. I was focusing the whole way down, but with about 5 more minutes to go, I tripped and took a major wipe out. I out stretched my left leg and I swear I heard a huge riiiiiiiip! Oh boy, this is not good I thought as I lay on the side of the path. Fortunately I stopped myself from going over the edge! Ken and Dave came down behind and then Mike and Douglas and Lou followed. They all offered for me to put my arms around them, but fortunately I could walk the rest of the way myself.
We stopped for a bag of frozen veggies on the way home (THANK YOU Mike!) and right onto the massage table I went for an ice massage. John seriously saved the day again. I kept thinking that it could be worse because at least I could walk but I did have a few tears of pain on the table as John massaged the area. I then lay down for a bit assessing the situation. Today was the day to do an easy 60K minimum bike and I wasn’t happy sitting in my room while everyone went out for a nice leisurely ride (well Jo did 150K) so I decided to further assess the situation and try to spin for 60K. It was a gorgeous day and it was the only easy ride day. It felt like we had mounds of time to get in the training for the day and off I went. The whole ride hurt, and my knee started to hurt too, but I was so happy to be out spinning. Russell joined me and we had a great chat, taking in the beautiful scenery that was hard to see in the rain the previous day. Russ tacked on to 90K so I left him to finish his ride.

I had another massage and Lou gave me an anti-inflammatory patch to put on the area. Dave Dwan gave me an oral anti-inflammatory. I tell you, I was well taken care of in the drug department!

Time to sleep and HEAL and hope I can run tomorrow in the 8K Aquathon. The 60K ride today was to keep the dream alive!

Tara - Day 4

Swim: 6000m, :50
Bike: 150K, 5:35
Run: 10K, :50

(Nelson to Collingwood with Takaka hill race and KOM and tack on to 150K)

Up early to run 50mins to the pool for a ‘supposed’ 7am swim start. Heath and I ran together with Lou a few paces behind (only Lou then ran back to the hotel – he was a little bit confused, but got a ride back to the pool). Today there was time to swim 6K (for the second and final allowed 2-point bonus) and it was Steven and I who stayed to do the long swim. Unfortunately the pool people were late and I got pretty cold waiting out front after getting a bit sweaty on my run. I did warm up in the 20 x 100’s on 1:30 set with Scott, John, Steven, Chris and support crew Daniel and stayed warm doing a 200fly! But I then sufficiently cooled down again once I got 2/3 of the way through the IM set (12 x 100IM/150free continuous swim).

We got back to the hotel to eat and head out on our ride to Collingwood. Collingwood is a cute little town in the middle of nowhere and unfortunately the ride there was so rainy and cold it was hard to take in all the beautiful scenery.

Today was the Takaka Hill Climb race and KOM. I was feeling pretty tired and tried to stay with the leaders for a while. My pace dropped off and decided I would just prevent anyone from passing me and hope that Steven would remain only one place in-front of me. I took my glasses off because I was fogging up and couldn’t see anything in the rain, only to drop them on the ground. I just got these new Giro glasses and I love them. The other day in the TT Del, dropped his glasses and kept on riding. I did not pull a Dell and stopped to pick them up. Bad idea. It is a steep climb! Anyway, I got to the top and put on layers for the cold and wet descent. Ouch, that was painful!

Once I got to the bottom of the hill (Lou is the only one who descends slower than I do!), Russ, Ken and Douglas and I all grouped together to ride to our lunch stop in Takaka. I decided to do a big pull because I wanted to get to the food and get warm. We were cruising at about 38km/hr for most of the way. Had to get to the church on time!!!!

I changed into some dry clothing for the ride into Collingwood and unfortunately my stomach was very crampy. I managed to hang on the bike with a slow ride (some with Jo) to tack on to 150K.

I had to lie down and had trouble eating dinner and had to miss out on going to the local Collingwood pub to hear Scott tell his hilarious stories, but in the end, Dr. Big D Douglas saved the night and gave me an anti-gas type pill. Thanks Big D!!

Tara - Day 3

Bike: 270K, 9:45
Run: 10K, :50

(Kaikoura to Nelson with Rye Saddle KOM and tack on to 270K)

The morning started out with a wee 50min jog in the dark with Scott and Douglas. We knew there was a long ride coming up so decided to get the run out of the way before, rather than after the ride. On the way back, we met up with Jo but she didn’t look so good. I thought she must have turned around early due to her leg injury.

Ok, so this was one BIG ride. Especially for Steven, Piet and I who tacked on to 270K! It was windy and there was a lot of climbing. Lunch wasn’t until about 180K and fortunately we all worked together in a true echelon form because I don’t think we would have made it otherwise. Everyone worked really well together and no one spoke a word. There had to be a lot of concentration and I think survival mode kicked in for everyone. It was very cool though, how everyone rolled around perfectly, only taking a few seconds at the front and the headwind didn’t seem quite so cruel!

There was a KOM at the top of Rye Saddle that was stinkin’ hot and I think I made it to the top in about 5th place. After a slower descent than those in-front of me, I was able to regroup with Bevan, Steven and Piet at the drinks stop (thank you Sarah because we were all getting totally dry!) to make our way to Nelson. After pulling out the map a few times and retracing our steps once, we made it. Steven, Piet and I tacked on to 270K. Phew, long day, but a great day! This is what Epic Camp is all about!

After dinner we had ice cream which was the best treat after such a fun and challenging long day! I think that is the farthest I have ever ridden in one day. Fortunately I was booked for a massage with the great John Ellis, because it was needed very much! My wrist was pretty inflamed from all the vibrations and from gripping the bars for so long.

Tara - Day 2

Swim: 6000m, 1:45
Bike: 200K, 6:35
Run: 10K, :50

(200K with a 64K TT from Cheviot to Kaikoura and tack on to 200K)

Day 2 started with a 6K swim with Rolly’s squad at the QEII. I did 4700 with the squad and then a steady 1300m to get to 6000m. First of two allowed 6K swims for an extra 2 points accomplished! Of course Steven and I contemplated running back to the hotel but time was running low and so Chris McDonald, Steven and I waited for Jo to finish her 6K swim including her band only 1000m that saw her feet dragging along the bottom of the pool. Chris was driving the van back and nearly passed out from lack of food!

We did make it back in time to get ready and grab a bite to eat and roll out on the bikes.

The ride was included a KOM at about 85K and knowing there was a 64K TT from Cheviot to Kaikoura coming up, was happy not to totally kill myself at the top of the KOM. I think I crossed in 8th place.

The TT started after lunch and we were all freezing cold as we pulled into lunch. I think I put on every layer I had in my day bag and really should have taken an extra layer off (I only took off two layers and left two behind!) but I was happy to feel warm again. Seeing as I was in Yellow, I was the last one to start the TT. I watched Steven pull ahead and worked hard to try and catch him, to no avail. I knew once I hit the descents, he would be much faster than I was (I really need to work on my descents but it’s a bit challenging once you have crashed and landed on your face!) and sure enough he beat me by just over a minute. Chris speedy McDonald won the TT and I came in a solid 3rd just ahead of my coach!

At the end of the TT Scott, Del, Russ and I went in for a coffee. A flat latte has never tasted so good. Scott said he was going to tack on, but then all of a sudden said he wasn’t and I kind of forgot about the timing – you have 12 hours from when you start training to finish your day so I didn’t have time to get to 210K so had to settle for 200K (good for two bonus points, but not a third which I would have had if I had gone to 210K). Oh well, I had enough time to fit in my 50min run. Just in time!

jo - day 6

Day 6 Aquathon

Motivated by a good day yesterday, I decided to get up and go for a bonus 2 hour run before breakfast. This meant setting off in the dark with a head torch at 5:15 and heading out on the road toward the Farewell Spit. I was running very slowly, legs still tired from the hard ride yesterday afternoon but enjoying the dawn chorus and incredible sunrise over the estuary.

Arrived back just in time for a big breakfast and pack up to move on again. We were heading back to Nelson – via Waikirikiri for an Aquathon race. Initially I was feeling good riding the group, but this was because the pace had set out very easy. As soon as the pace picked up I began to feel pretty nauseous from my ‘double breakfast’. I’d tried to get extra calories in to refuel after my run as well as fueling for the ride, but you cant fit a pint in a half pint pot and spent the next couple of hours throwing it up again into the side of the road. I wasn’t able to take on any water and my legs just drained of all their power. I was disappointed to be so far off the back and not have the energy for a strong ride up the hill to Takaka but I was glad to make it, thanks to a tow over the gently rising approach from Heath! It didn’t seem as bad going up this side as it had from the other way. Managed to consume some coke and water at the top and made my way down to meet the others at Waikirikiri beach.
I was unsure as to how I’d survive a 2km swim and 8km running race, but as it turned out, I fared pretty well in both the swim – beautiful sea swim – and run where I was able to hold a comfortable steady pace very a very hilly course without any real complaint from the dodgy leg.

The ride back was a bit tough after that hard effort, but with John and Chris holding a quick but not too brutal pace on the front we got to the winery, where a few beverages were on offer fro those who wished to sample some real Kiwi wines, whilst the rest of us headed back to Nelson to gain a few extra bike miles. My legs were done in and rather than tank it for a further hour until my 5:15 deadline, Steven and I grabbed a coffee on a leisurely spin back to the very luxurious Monaco apartments.

Its hard to believe that there are only 2 days left now, but at last i am beginning to feel a little Epic'd ;o)

jo - day 4&5

Day 4. Collingwood

Started the day with a fairly uncomfortable run to the pool (50 min out and back up along concrete pavements with Russ and Steven) and full of intentions of a 6km swim, which would include 2 ‘points’ sets – 10 reps of 200m off 3:20 and 20 reps of 100m off 1:45. The former is manageable if I am swimming well and the latter would normally be attainable swimming steady, though this experience is from 25m pools, rather than the 50m that we were using today. I figured that it was worth giving the 200s a go first whilst fresh and following with the 100s afterwards. That should help the 6km pass by. Unfortunatly all did not go to plan, as the pool guy failed to show up and unlock as arranged at 7am and during the 25 min wait in damp run kit I cooled down a bit too much. The water was warm still from the previous (scortching) afternoon but I struggled to warm up, and thought the best thing was just to get going with the swim. After 3 reps I was failing to get in on the 3:20, so reverted to the 100 rep set…which Russell and Piet just happened to be starting off on in the adjacent lane. It was going ok for the first 4, I just missed the 5th and by the 6th could see that Russell had pulled away considerably and I wasn’t going to make it. I was getting pretty cold so I also decided to knock the long swim on the head and completed my minimum 3km with another 2x[5x 100/1:45 + 500 steady with paddles] and hopped in the van or a ride home and relaxed breakfast.

We rolled out on the bikes at 10;30am, for the relatively short trip to Collingwood. The pace was very gentle indeed since everyone was tired after their big ride the previous day. That suited me as it enabled me to ride easy and just get the sore quad working lightly. I felt so much better on the bike it was fabulous to be riding comfortably. There was a big climb to get over, with a points race and KOM over the top, but I wasn’t going to get drawn into that today. As it happened, there was considerable temptation to do so – finding myself some way behind the group as we started the ascent, I tried to put in some work and catch the back few and work my way through the groups during the climb, but after a short effort that proved too painful and resorted back to plan A – sticking at a comfortable power and taking my time. The 10km climb over 750m ascent proved pretty tough regardless and although my right leg and lungs were quite happy with the situation, left quad was far less pleased with the treatment and the whole of me pleased to finally reach the top. Great descent, albeit a little hairy in the very wet conditions, and a quick lunch preceded a 30km cruise into Collingwood for a relatively early end to the day, and plenty of time to notch up to 150km for an extra ‘camp point’.

Legs stiff as a board getting of the bike, but very satisfied to have been able to ride today.

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Day 5 Back in the Game

The day started with a sea swim race. The usual sick in the stomach fear that comes to me before every open water swim was present as we waited in the chilly morning for John to tie off the buoys for the (kiwi) 3k course, and as usual it subsided pretty soon after we got going and I realize that I’m actually enjoying myself. With so many strong swimmers on the camp, I really didn’t even consider racing this hard, just a great opportunity to swim a reasonable distance in my wetsuit. So, there I was, swimming steadily towards the buoys and ever receding arms and leg splashes of the others ahead, when I noticed that all of those who’d already reached the buoy were stood up and were walking around it. I realized that I as actually only swimming in about a foot of water myself! Still, I tried to ‘swim’ the whole distance – which I am sure was longer than 3km….

Another fine breakfast spread followed by a ride in the van to the start of the Heathy Track – a tramping trail – or a 2hr –ish off road run. I’d been a bit nervous as to how my quad would hold up on this, given that I’ve barely been able to run 50 min on it recently, but taking it nice and easy on the way up, it felt great to be running on trail, through the sunshine and screaming Ciccada chorus. We ran up the track for just over an hour, before turning about and running back down again. The descent was a little tougher, but I have done plenty of this sorts of running (and had a few falls) so got down reasonably quickly on my nice, fresh legs. A few of the guys tumbled on this decent and there were plenty of wounds to be mopped up at the bottom!

We hastily returned to Collingwood since the ‘free’ afternoon was going to allow me, in my revived condition, o try and make up a few of my missed bike miles. In 5 ½ hours I was pleased to get 150km done – ridden as 1hr easy, 2 hours steady, 1 hour moderate (IM race pace) and 2 hours hard (HIM-OLY pace) in order to squeeze those last mile in before the 12 hour deadline. An exhausting day but very pleasing to feel that I’m back in the game.

Tara - Prologue and Day 1

I am just back from the Epic Welcome Dinner at Winnie Bagos and Day 1 of the camp commences bright and early tomorrow morning. Let the fun begin…

The dinner tonight was fun with some good carbo-loading food and a few beers all around (you can always count on Scott to have a beer or two!). Erin (Scott’s wife) came as well and it was neat to finally meet all the campers in person. The only one missing at the dinner was Bevan Eyles from IM Talk (aka Mr. Pump) and I am getting psyched for his HIGH energy and yelling of the phrase “Good times!” when he shows up in a day or so.

It was really great to reunite with last year’s New Zealand campers and support crew again. Scott and John Newsom went over the details of the camp including the rules, points system and general outline of the days that lie ahead. It’s time for everyone to strategize about how they are going to play the game, if at all…Last year I had the goal of completing every workout, tacking on only a little (you get extra points for tacking on extra mileage) and that worked out well, placing me forth overall. This year I may try to go a little harder (or should I say farther), but I will have to assess as the days go on and make some decisions as I go!

I found out today that there were a couple campers in the past who ran a few minutes out of sight and sat on a bench for forty minutes and ran back pretending like they had completed the run for the day. That was a total shock to me. Epic Camp runs on the honour system and it really blows my mind that anyone could live with themselves for cheating…Oh well, I am sure no one will do that again!!

Last year I was the only woman of 21 campers, and this year there are three of us. This is going to be great! Last year, Toby was my partner-in-crime and my “protector” was Andrew Charles. Charlsey and Toby are not here this year (miss you guys already) but Charlsey has sent over another protector for me and I am sure I will find my new partner-in-crime…

Well, I must sleep now so I can start my first day of camp with some good zzzzzz’s.
More later…Tara

Epic Camp NZ 09 Day 1 – Tara

Swim: 3200m, :50
Bike: 180K, 5:55
Run: 20K, 1:40

Day 1 started with a 10K run to the pool. I decided to follow John Newsom’s lead and do a 1000m band only (good for one point) as warm-up to the 2K time trial.
Heath led out our lane with Scott in second, John Newsom in third and me fourth. It was evident from the warm-up swim (as Heath lapped us all with a band around his ankles) that he would be the TT winner! Sure enough he went out at a 1:09/100m blistering pace. I finished the 2K in 25:59 (and we all did an extra 100 in our lane, as did Steven Lord next door), which was good for second place overall. John and I switched places a couple times, each taking a turn to do some pulling and we all caught the Heath love train when he lapped us with a few hundred meters to go! Who knew there would be a day that I beat my coach in the pool!? Thanks for all the great coaching, Coach! Oh, and this was also largely due to the fact that coach isn’t at his peak swimming form right now because when he is, I wouldn’t stand a chance!

Steven, Jo, Russell, Douglas and I all opted to run back from the pool for another 10K run and an additional point. Only problem was that I left my running gear in the change room while we swam and came back to find it was gone! The woman at the front desk said to me “Oh, it just went to the laundry – we always wash our lost gear! And I can’t get it now because I can’t leave my post.” Fortunately they don’t wash running shoes so I had my shoes and had my cycling gear in my bag to run back in, otherwise I would have been running back in my bathing suit! See, that BIG day bag of mine came in handy! We made it back to the hotel in time for a nice, big and yummy breakfast and off on the ride we went. I first lubed up with Vaseline because my cycling shorts were wet with sweat seeing as I had to run in my cycling clothing (and I didn’t have another option). Oh boy, I thought, this could be a painful day…

The ride today was the 150K Gorges Loop (and Steven, Jo and Russell tacked on the Porters Pass climb after lunch which meant a very long ride for those three and I am impressed that they rode over 200K today!!). Instead of doing the Porters Pass climb, I tacked on a 30K extra at the end (on the flat but in the deadly wind) for an additional point.

The wind today on the ride was gusting and harsh. There were brutal headwinds all the way to lunch, including up the KOM of the day. So that made for some hard riding! Chris MacDonald (super strong cyclist extraordinaire and recent Wanaka Challenge Champion) handedly took the KOM while John Newsom, Marilyn - my new fast-bike-buddy (because she declared she won’t be my tack-on-buddy and isn’t running or swimming this camp), Steven and I jogged positions right up to the KOM where I happened to figure out where the end of the climb was…just in time! After the KOM we stopped for lunch and I stocked up on more Vaseline, not without some comments from Scott!

All of us pulled out of lunch expecting a screamer of a tail wind to head back to Christchurch only to have the wind COMPLETELY change directions resulting in headwinds again with gusting and insane side-winds! This meant we essentially rode the entire day into the darn wind! I found out later that poor Lou ended up being blown off the road into a sign but he is tough and went out for a second run after the ride was said and done! Nice!

We pulled into a Shell station to re-fuel (thanks goodness because I was suffering) and eventually made it back to town. As I tacked on my extra 30K I started to wonder if this was a good idea on Day 1 and thanks to Em's Power cookies, I made it alright. Steven and I are actually tied for first place, but I beat him in the 2K TT and the KOM, so I and the lucky one to wear yellow, even if it is just for one day! Hey, I am the first woman to wear Yellow at Epic!

Dave Dwan (and his lovely wife – behind the scenes) made the most amazing dinner and I feel re-fueled (well, almost) to do it all over again tomorrow! Petr (I hope I am spelling that correctly) got the vote for the Green jersey which is camper of the day for all his pulling into the headwind! He definitely deserves it but I also thought tough Jo Carritt should get a nomination for doing that Porters Pass climb (with the other two)!

I am excited. It is a GREAT group and the support crew ROCK! It’s going to be a tough, but amazing eight days together!

Time for bed to get MORE zzzzzzz’s!!!Tara

jo - day 3.

Day 3. Van.
Another tough day, but for very different reasons. Woke early despite getting bed late, and as a result of Muscles Inc John’s superb and generous attentions to my dodgy leg it felt OK. Decided that this was far better than it would feel after the scheduled 250+km ride up to Nelson, so took it for an early morning run. Saw Douglas heading out but did not want to risk someone else’s pace (especially his!) so we ran in separate directions – me picking up the unlit beach path whilst he stuck to the high street. Probably a more sensible option since it was still dark (and stunningly starry) at ten past 5am. I felt ok running at an easy pace, so long as I did not lift my knees. Great technique to practice for Ironman! Warmed up sufficiently after 40 min or so to tag along with Scott, Tara and Douglas on their way back into town. Not much chat pre- coffee from those guys.

Ride set off at 7am so it was a rushed pack up and breakfast, picture of Steven and I in our jerseys (he’s got his hands on Yellow now) and out we rolled into the chilly morning. The quad objected that pedaling was not at all comfortable to start with but I was going to give it a chance to limber up. The two line pace group was working beautifully again, the pace moderate in anticipation of a very big day ahead. 250km off the back of two 200km rides isn’t to be taken lightly and the stronger riders showed consideration to the group by keeping the pace steady. The day would be a lot easier for us all, including the support crew, if we could keep the bunch together for as long as possible. We rolled around the coast road – which happens to be the main north south traffic artery; Highway 1 – quite different from the M1 we joked as the sun reflected off a calm sea to our right and ciccadas buzzed loudly from the shrubbery on the left. As far as we could see through the morning haze, the road followed headland after headland – our route to Nelson. As enjoyable as this should have been, I was really feeling uncomfortable. My left quad had eased a little initially, but after 90min of riding I was counting the km to the first drinks station. There were several periods of feeling only ‘not quite ok’ in between increasingly long periods of ‘ pretty bad, actually’ interspersed with a few moments off ‘holy crap that hurts!!’.

For me the decision to quit the ride was excruciating. I hate the feeling of having given in, especially when there’s a real sense of missing out – and this was obviously going to be the ride of the camp – a day that would be shared and joked about and savoured as an experience long after the camp. However, as caught up in the fun and games as I am, and keen to prove I’m tough – I decided that it just isn’t worth it. I’m here to get fit, not wrecked. A day off the bike should, with luck, see me right for the rest of the week, whereas pushing myself through such a log ride could stuff me for the rest of the week or more, so I hopped in the van, hoping that the (nearly) 60km ride to this point would count for my daily minimum and enable me to ‘complete’ the camp.

It was fun to see how the excellent support team operates – totally on the case, calm and efficient even in the case of a near crisis when it emerged that one of the vehicles had its diesel tank filled with petrol! The day went pretty quick – there really is no hanging around for these guys, but Heath (another muscular injury) and I had a chance to chill and see the amazing scenery that the others were riding through. That was hard to swallow, and if there is a chance off a ‘free ride’ day, I’ve earmarked one climb in particular, not so far out of Nelson, just for the incredible descent! Those guys really will have earned it by the time they arrived at that point on the route..and it seemed that from Hira it was mostly downhill with a tailwind which I am sure made it a real pleasure to round the lovely coastal road and see destination in sight.

We arrived in Nelson just in time to locate the pool and get an hour swim done before the 12-hour cut off. A nice 50m out-door pool, though unfortunately most of it was occupied by inflatable dragon covered in boisterous children, and 2/3rd off that which was not, by slightly less boisterous children learning to swim. Nonetheless, with Heath and Ian as my witness, I swam 3km as 12x [100IM + 150 free].

Everyone has arrived at the Lodge now, all exhausted sore and sunburned in peculiar patterns, but satisfied. Whilst I may hate the fact that I don’t share in that for now, I am sure that I’ll be glad of it tomorrow!

jo Epic NZ 09 day 1 & 2

Day 1. Porters
Camp started at full throttle wit a 6miel run to the pool – a good pace and we arrived earlier than planned for our swim. As per Epic Italy, the first swim set included a 2km TT – one of my worst fears of the camp. Pleasingly I swam ok, and not the slowest, at least. Intentions of a few other campers in for the points game were quickly made clear with Tara being the first ( apart form steven of course) to suggest a second run of the day back from the pool. Russ is also well up for it this year and joined us, as did our temporary room mate, Douglas. The scheduled ride had been modified to exclude Porters Pass, which was a bit of a disappointment,. As I’d been looking forward to getting up there. Steven and I discussed this when we found out, and decided that despite making it a much harder ride ( an addition of 60km, much of it climbing in to a head wind) for no camp points, we’d do it for fun. Russ decided to join us. It was well worth it though we really had to crank it most of the way to make it back in time for the 12hour training curfew. Good for steven its the fastest that I have ever traveling down the Old West Coats Road!
Super had been saved for us and was really impressive – home made lasagne, pies and carrot cake, in large quantities! They have really set a standard!!

Day 2. Tough day.
This morning’s swim took advantage of Rolly’s coached session at the QEII – and we were advised that this would give us the option of a longer session, earning bonus camp points for a 6k set. Rolly’s sets tend to be up o 5km anyway for my lane so it was a bit of a no-brainer. I was pleased to be swimming well this morning, despite being able to feel a twinge in my abductor when I was kicking hard to get those 100m in on 1:30. It got kind of chaotic when Rolly’s later squad session turned up and all of us ‘regulars’ started shifting through the lanes…but most of the “campers’ finished their swim after 3km in order to run back for breakfast. Steven, Tara, Chris and myself stayed on in the pool, thus committing us to run later, off the bike. My decision to try the 1km band only swim meant that the remaining 1.7km after Rolly’s set was pretty well taken care of, but was extremely challenging and resulted in a lot of swallowed pool water – through breathing and laughing. Steven managed to appear just like he was swimming but not kicking much, whereas my feet seemed o be drawn to the bottom of the pool instantly. At least in a 50m pool it as just a case of thinking ‘ there and back’ just 20 times. I discovered that if I did a little bit of a butterfly kick every now and then, or swam a bit ‘fly dive’ it provided a bit of a breather. I decided that this was not cheating, since no stroke was actually specified for the challenge, as far as I am aware. Anyway, it was a great workout and despite making for a rushed breakfast (not just for me, but the others having to wait for me to get through it – so sorry, guys).

The day’s ride was a 190km point to point to out next overnight destination – Kaikoura. We rolled out socially over the flat start, getting a 2 line clockwise rotation going nicely. With the lead pulling off out to the right line and rider coming through from the left behind them, gave a good variety of conversation as the pairs swapped – a little like speed-dating, I thought, and a good way to get to chat a little to the other campers a bit. The pace remained moderate until the first refreshment/pee stop at 50km. The King of the mountain comp was to finish at the crown of one of the climbs 30km further down the road. We had not been rolling long when the pace suddenly seemed to kick up. I had been in a good covered position near the front on outside line but let a gap form. Fatal. Before I knew it, other riders were coming through to ‘plug the gap’ and I was loosing position and the pack. With that pain in my quad still sharp despite the recent ibuprofen hit, I failed to put in the small effort required to push and stay connected – the cost being a solo ride, through cold drizzle for the next couple of hours – and out of the KOM all together. The latter was probably a blessing as climbing hard wouldn’t have helped my leg, but I was expending more energy to maintain 16-17mph, as I would have to cruise at 20 in with bunch. With the ‘broom wagon’ cruising right behind me, I’ll admit that the temptation to stop and get in the damn thing was extremely strong, especially knowing that immediately after a (rushed) lunch the day would end with a 70km time trial, which I was in no fit state for.

Still, when I arrived at lunch stop, despite being very cold, everyone seemed quite happy to wait for me to eat and Steven gave me a reassuring hug. I felt better about the TT and decided hat I might as well at least ride the distance to the finish even without racing it. When I was informed that I was setting of 4th last (in reverse points standings) I was further encouraged, plugged the turbo mix on the MP3 and went for it. Immediately, with the techno pumping and the bit between my teeth, I felt great. It was awesome seeing the speed at which Chris pummeled past me and disappeared into the distance, and shortly afterwards John, Steven, Tara and Russ followed, but I was holding a steady power and enjoying it. My leg didn’t hurt, either. I soon caught Douglas.and then a few more of the guys, enjoying the motivation to continue persuit of the figures up the road, and to push on in fear of getting caught. I was also conscious that if I did not hurry to get to Kaipkoura I’d not have time to get my obligatory 50 min run of the day done. As it happened, I arrived with time to tag on for 200km -though another 10 km would have gotten an extra point so that was a bit of wasted effort since the 200km bonus can only be won twice on camp and tomorrow’s ride guarantees that distance anyway – clearly after the ordeals of the day I was not thinking very clearly.
The run off the bike had been playing on my mind for the later 45min of the ride as my leg began to seize again, and my fears were dramatically realized. It was an agonising jog. I had hoped that a run would loosen the muscle but not the case this time and I jog/walk/sobbed my way round for 50 minutes totally mad with myself for potentially stuffing myself for tomorrow. But, I’m icing it and have managed to convince John to give me a quick massage and some advice. Fingers crossed.

Dinner was a great BBq with plenty of steak and homemade burgers. Just what I wanted after all the carb –bars that I ate today. Even I find it hard to believe that 6 months ago I would not have let that meat past my lips!

Tomorrow promises to be a challenge – with a point-to-point ride over 250km! But for this evening I am chuffed that my hard efforts for the day were recognized, and I was awarded the Green ‘camper of the day’ Jersey :o)