Damn, two sleeps to go until my first Half Ironman and I'm excited and a little bit sh*tscared.!

Going to a mate's wedding on Sat night and driving to the 'bez in the wee hours of Sunday morning probably isn't ideal preparation...

Anyhoo, are there any other coolrunners going to be there?

Yep, see you there RMR - I will have my CR hat on.

Unfortunately I won't be racing, spectating or cheering but I look forward to hearing/reading your race reports.

RMR, I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of sleep you will have on Saturday, just try to get a decent night's rest tonight and you should be fine.

Good luck to all CR's competing

Good luck to Hamburglar and any other Cool Runners taking part

Best of luck to all at Canberra! Be safe out there!

Keep your eye out for Runitloveit, volunteering on one of the drink stations - she will get you through this!

M

Goodluck mike and hamburglar!!! You'll both smash it!

Best of luck to Mike, Hamburglar & MissZ. Can't wait to read your reports

I'll be there on the drink station!! Good luck racers and looking forward to your reports.

Thanks for the support everyone!

Hamburglar, hope to see you there - best of luck.

Runitloveit, I'll hopefully see you at an aid station - thanks for volunteering.

Mango - good advice to get proper sleep 2 nights before. However the mind being what it is, it decided to transfer the "night before" anxiety to 2 nights before! Ah well, time for a nap...

All the best Hamburglar and others, have a great race!

have a good one guys.

Have a good one Hamburglar. I know you have been waiting for this one for a while. I hope it goes to plan for you.

Race reports expected.

Anyone heard anything, I believe it's been raining down there?

Not yet. The 'burglar has promised to SMS me as soon as he finishes.....

Waiting. Waiting.

6.12 for the Hambuglar -

He said -

0.42 for the swim. 3.45 for the bike (more hilly than I thought & I got a puncture) and 1.45 for the run. 6.12 all up. Lots of fun but I'm a bit buggered now.

Congrats on a great debut HB under what sounds like tough conditions

Now you can put in that IM entry

Raining - yes! Soggy course for all the competitors.

Saw a few coolrunner caps go through, so will await the race reports.

Nice one Hamburglar, enjoy a few brews now.

Congrats Hamburglar. Awesome effort. Shame about the puncture.

Good onya Hamburglar. Nice to get the first one under your belt. Now, you can go full steam ahead to Port Macquarie for the full monty.

Make sure you enjoy a few beers before then though.

A quick text from Wildthing says Helmet did swim 45min, bike 3:20 ( with puncture), run 1:47 for a total of 5:54. Very happy for his debut.

Well done Rob and well done to Chris as well.

What is it with punctures? Congrats to Helmet as well.

nice work mate!

Well done Hamburglar, solid debut...onwards to a full ironman no doubt. Your strawberry blonde colleague did quite well, he said conditions, particularly on the bike were tough.

Well done Burglar.

No turning back now, I'll see you at Port on April 6th!

Wow, thanks everyone for the interest and support. For a runner who has done a bit of swimming and cycling - these Half Ironman's are tough! Hardest thing I have ever done.

Pretty happy with how the day panned out except for the puncture. Swim wasn't as fast as I wanted, however I probably covered twice the distance with all the zig zags that I did .

After seeing the bike course yesterday, and realised it was much hillier than I thought, I resigned myself to a longer bike time. As probably all rookied do, I went out too hard on the first lap. However, things weren't going too badly until 10k's to go.

It is a bit embarrinsing really - riding up a hill, I looked down to put my bidon back and before I realised I had veered off the 2-3 inch shoulder and was in the gravel. Tried to bunny hop back on to the road and stacked it. Lying on the ground, my right calf burst into a fit of cramping. After a minute or two of stretching, with blood streaming down the leg and very little pride left, I got back on only to realise that I punctured the front tyre. So I spent the next ten minutes (in the pouring rain) fixing the pucture.

Finally got back to T2 for the fun bit - the run. A really tough run, harder than anything I have done before - marathons, sixfoot, 60k fatass etc - but really enjoyable. I passed heaps of people (especially on the 1st lap). The go coolrunner cries (runitloveit? and another) were much appreciated. It is great to be a runner in triathlons. The last 3k's were so painful. 1:45 was shy of my sub 100 target, but I am really happy none the less.

Whilst this triathlon journey has been fun, and I will definitely pick it up again, there will be no Ironman in April. I am looking forward to spending more time in my running shoes and getting ready for sixfoot. The ironman will happen, but not just yet.

Good to meet RaceMike Race and catch up with Wildthing, Helmet and TallGeoff.

Hamburglar that was me saying GoCool Runner as you passed me on the hill. I thought, yes, he looks like a runner - passing by all these struggling triathletes. Well done on your race.

I had a pretty good day. The swim was good as they had designed the course so you could sight to major landmarks and the buoys were big and colourful. I found some good feet for the first half and so probably pushed myself a bit harder than I normally would. My swim split was 33.XX, including a rather long jog to transition.
The bike course was tough! I am familiar with the hills but I still found it tougher than expected. For some reason I never felt comfortable or found a good rhythm. I usually really enjoy the bike but today it felt like a bit of a chore. My bike split was 3.14 which is slower than usual, but also the course was slightly long, around 95k.
I really enjoyed the run. It was cool and calm, perfect conditions for running and I felt that I managed to run fairly well the whole way. I even passed a few people in my age group in the last few ks which was great - not usual for me. My run split was 1.49, but better than the time was the feeling that I was comfortable and strong. Overall time 5.36.
I have pulled up pretty sore and am looking forward to a little break from training over Christmas.

Yep that was me handing out the water - Hamburgler looked like you were running great and there were many reports of people being slowed down from punctures. And MissZ congrats on your race, fantastic time - the bike course was actually 93k so a bit longer than usual.

Well done both of you - I didn't envy you at all having to do that bike course in the rain, those hills are hard enough on a good day. I do think a love of running definitely helps in triathlons!

Congrats Zoe and Burglar. Great racing in very trying conditions from all reports. I had reports coming back from on-course which picked up on the huge numbers of punctures and offs. I notice there were around 60-odd withdrawls (including pre-race) which included half a dozen pros - so you should be well-proud of your finishing times.

Congratulations Burglar, Zoe & Helmet. Any reports on how Mike went ?

It sounds like you had pretty torrid conditions in the nations capital so well done to all of you for toughing it out to the finish.

Well done Hamburglar on the first one and Zoe too on a good time.

I'll get there one day.

It was a tough day out there yesterday that's for sure, well at least it was for me in my half ironman debut.

It was even tougher for those of us who drove to Canberra after a wedding and went to bed at 2am, only to wake up at 4.30am for the race! Ah well, sleeping’s cheating.

It was great to meet Hamburglar afterwards - that's damn bad luck about the bingle and puncture on the ride. Congratulations mate, I have to say that your report really sounded almost exactly how I felt about my race.

The swim was the easiest part in my opinion - warm water, no chop and, as MissZ mentioned, all the buoys were lined up with big buildings so sighting was dead easy. 35 mins for the swim which I was happy with.

The bike was challenging, but then again I prefer the variety of hills to the flat stuff. I’m just not that good on the bike and 93km gave a lot of time for every faster person to fly by me! I just stuck my head into the rain and ground it out, going just over 1 hour per lap for a total bike time of about 3:12. I saw a ridiculous amount of flat tyres, surprising since there didn’t seem to be much debris on the road. The only issue I had on the bike was that about halfway through the 2nd lap I kind of needed to pee and for the whole 3rd lap I had to pee SO BADLY. Back teeth floating kind of stuff.

I was dying to get on the run – not only to ease the pressure on my bladder, but because I figure it’s the one leg of a triathlon I’m actually ok at. I basically hobbled to the portaloos conveniently placed at the 1km mark of the run and had a 2 minute pitstop there, then I thought “It’s go time!”

Unfortunately it was more like “slow time”. I just couldn’t get the legs the fire how I wanted them to. I was hoping for around 1:30 on the run, but by the last 5km I was seriously struggling, I could barely hang on to 5min per km pace and I was giving it everything I had. Which wasn’t much by that stage! It was a really strange and uncomfortable feeling that I’ve never had in a race before – even in the one marathon I’ve done. Bugger I didn’t grab my CR cap on the run, I plumb forgot (and it was raining) so I didn’t get the same level of cheering that I might have gotten otherwise!

However with 3 km to go I realised I could sneak in under 5:30 if I moved a bit quicker, so I managed to squeeze out a last little bit of effort (and right before the line so 2 other guys from the same age category that I “had” to pass) to hobble across in 5:27:25 with absolutely nothing left in the tank. Run leg was 1:40:27. And I was utterly wiped out.

Definitely the most suffering I’ve ever had in an event. When’s the next one? Think I might wait a year before attempting the full…

yep, on-yez-all.

misszoe is that avatar a pic of you at canberra in late 2005? which was a hot one.

Congrats MissZ & Mike on fantastic results under very tough conditions!

Did my first HIM yesterday after "switching" to triathlons following the Sydney Marathon in September. Buoyed with optimism after my 1st triathlon at Nepean a month ago, a HIM didn't seem beyond the realms of possibility. I was a bit shocked to discover how serious people are before the start and the emphasis on having the best gear. So it was an awkward feeling wheeling my 26 year old bike into the transition area surrounded by bikes that look like they were designed by NASA. From what I could see, mine was the only bike without toe clips, fancy handle bars and with a front and rear carrier. I wasn't feeling any easier waiting for the swim to start wearing only my speedos when everyone else was wearing wetsuits. I did however feel better when the gun went off and we were underway. And my chest filled with pride when I got to the transition area for the first time and put on my 2007 6ft shirt. When ever I put that shirt on I know that what ever lies ahead I can conquer it. The bike leg was tough and the first 10km of the run even tougher, but when I finally found my running legs I didn't want to stop.

For the record my time was 6:28 - pretty slow but I feel good enough to go for a run today.

So it was an interesting experience, but I can't wait to get back to the 6ft track. Running through the bush with a bunch of people wearing daggy old clothes who don't rely on high tech gear is where I want to be. I'm not saying that I wouldn't do another but I just don't feel at home there like I do on the 6ft track.

CHM

Congratulations on a great result & report Mike.


I did my very first triathlon yesterday. I wore my Six Foot t-shirt before & after the race for the very same reason.

just like runitloveit (without the triathlon cred) i was at a drink station on the run (just near the museum) handing out water and so forth.. i can clearly remember only 2 CR caps.. maybe the others were just going too fast!! made me want to race, seeing everyone... hmmm... maybe next year.. maybe..

Congratulations Jen! That one nearly slipped under the radar - where's the race report?

More to the point, will it be the Jen/Mango/Muzman show next year at Gold Coast Half Ironman?

A girl's gotta have a goal ...

Cool hand Mike - I saw you at the turn-around under the bridge in your 6ft shirt and gave you a big smile. I agree that triathlon has way more than its fair share of exxy gear and posers, but its does not have to be all about that. You might enjoy the events run in Canberra by the Sri Chinmoy people, especially the Triple Triathlon in November which is all off-road and really challenging.

Rohan, the avatar pic was at Canberra Olympic this year. Yesterday was my first time doing the Canberra Half, but it was sure a lot cooler than Shep last year.

I wasn't wearing my CR hat. Its a great hat but its not my special lucky race hat.

Congrats to the other Canberra finshers, and to Jen. Yes, where is the report??

Read Jen's blog for a report.

Helmet is very pleased with his first HIM in Canberra on the weekend. I am in the process of trying to get him to do a race report - he is a fellow of few words. Maybe tomorrow......

wt

LOL. Thanks Muzman & MissZ

There will be no GC HIM (or any HIM) for this little black duck anytime soon. It was fun (when it was over ) but I think I'll be sticking with my first love for the time being.

Well I’ve completed my first Half Ironman and my second triathlon after Nepean in November. “What a buzz,” after an initial nervous start in the water, I got my act together at around the 400m mark and settled into a nice pace for the rest of the swim. I was over the moon when my hand touched the exit mat and I could get my feet back on solid ground at about 45 minutes. The swim was definitely the biggest hurdle for me and I have to thank Wildthing for her “gentle” encouragement and my good friend Iceman for all those training sessions in the pool. It wasn’t that long ago that I was struggling to put together a continuous couple of hundred metres so 1.9km down and out of the way was fantastic!

T1 – I thought I was going ok; I was out of my wetsuit, helmet on and just pulling on my cycle shoes when one of the Balance Tri Club supporters yelled out “come on Helmet this is a race”, so with that I was off for the first of three laps in the rain. I hadn’t ridden the course before so lap 1 was the taste tester and laps 2 & 3 fell into place pretty well except for about 2 km from the end when I was pulled up with a flat on Kings Avenue…..bugger! Too far to ride on the rim so after a tube change, I was in for T2 with a bike time of 3:20. I was lucky to only have one flat in a race that had so many people on the side of the road – those travelling bike mechanics earned their money that day.

The run was pretty good, I found a steady pace in the first couple of km’s and only slowed slightly at around 16km, but with a couple of km’s to go, the excitement of finishing gave me a bit more energy and I finished with a run time of 1:47 and an overall time of 5:53. “Bring on Port!”

Many thanks to Wildthing and the members of Balance Tri Club for fantastic cheering and support.

Well done to all those at the Canberra Half !!!

I wish I could have been there as well.

Great time from Miss Z.

A special well done to the newbies, Hamburglar, Helmet and to my cycling buddy Nihao.
How far have we come. Nihao it sounds like you certainly earned your towel. As we have discovered the 3 disciplines all seem easy enough alone but suddenly become a lot harder linked together.

Hamburglar I know what you mean re the PM full ironman. Do you jump in now and up the training. It is a huge commitment and I once thought you could do a half effort and get through which is how I do many races. After the half I realised the results in a first time full ironman would be pretty interesting if the training wasn't up to speed.

A lot of people could never say that they have done even a haalf ironman so well done to all of you