Evening walk on the beach

Western Australia often provides us with great sunsets and sunrises. The old saying "Red Sky in the morning, shepherds warning" is not correct here though. We often get red sunsets and sunrises and still not a lot of rain...

While trying to catch the gorgeous sunset a week or so ago we raced down to the beach... however we missed the best of it which was a shame. As we literally raced out the door we didn't grab any warmer clothes... and here Jason is showing how "cold" it was... all of about 25 degrees I think!!!
In this shot, right at the far end of the beach you can see Fremantle Port. Here Jason is on the collapsing sand bank.
It was such a beautiful evening and a great way to relax before going home! There were lots of kids and dogs playing, and people walking, running and fishing. I really like living close to the beach and being able to get out and about regularly. It is also pretty refreshing as the Fremantle Doctor is often blowing so its a good way to cool off before heading inside after work.

I think Jason is moaning about how cold it is... boy how things change hahaha

The tide was out as far as I have ever seen it this evening, we have never seen these rocks before...

As you can see, the sunset was putting out a lovely light for photos...

Aussie National Surf Lifesaving Champs

The weekend after we got back from New Zealand Scarborough Beach was the home of the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships ("The Aussies"), bringing together more than 6,000 competitors and officials from all over the country.

The Aussies marks the climax of a busy season for surf lifesavers. Clubs and individuals pit themselves against the elements and their peers to prove they are the best rescue and resuscitation outfits, ironmen, swimmers, boat crews, march past teams, ski paddlers, board riders and runners.

A number of the NZ team heading to the Aussies were on our flight back from NZ so Jason and I decided to pop down to the Beach and see the action. The great thing was there was a free shuttle bus service set up from from the car park (about 2km from the main beach). So many people were trying to find the closest park to the beach and not utilising the services on offer. We were parked and shuttled to the beach while other drivers were still circling as close to the beach as they could get.

There was so much going on at the beach, sprints, flags, paddling, rowing, swimming and more... how they keep track I don't know!

We watched the beach sprints for a while, they can run sooooooo fast on the soft sand. I was tired just walking in the sand. It was amusing to watch the younger competitors and their reactions when they muck up and drop the baton... its hard to work all season and then one tiny mistake means that a title is out of your grasp. At least with triathlon if you make a mistake early on in a race you can get your way back into contention... not so in a beach sprint relay!! We spent a bit of time trying to work out who would be the best sprinters...

Here's a ship way out to sea... but worth a shot.

Next on the spectating were the boats...The row boats always provide lots of photographic opportunities, especially as they try to get in through the surf.... great to watch all the action.Here they come...
They ended up crashing into each other!
I got heaps of great shots, it was hard to choose which ones to publish...
After the boats we caught the mixed double ski paddlers.... it was about now that Jason thought he might do surf again next year.
We had a great view of the men's belt race... and I don't mean the bum shot I have here :-)
What I meant was we were right by the mighty Zane Holmes... a legend in surf circles... and we got to see him first hand in action... he mowed the field down in the race... here he is on his way in. Yeah, he looks like he is in shape :-)
All in all good day at the beach.

I hit the wall...

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I have been really busy at work and when I get home I just don't have the energy to get straight back on the computer! So now its Easter I have a bit of spare time (not so sure about the energy though) to catch you all up on the goings on from Perth. I apologise for the lack of emails, text messages and phone calls as well. Hopefully things settle down a bit.

A couple of weeks ago Jason was lucky enough to head down to Rockingham to do his kitesurfing lesson (this will be the subject of another post soon). SO I faced the prospect of a 5 hour hills ride on my own. On the Friday at swim squad I put my feelers out for a group doing a long ride so that I could have some company. My coach found me a group (that were leaving from the Narrows bridge at 6am!) and then when he heard who it was he said "that will be a time trial!"... Hmmm how hard could it be!

I got to bed nice and early as I needed to be up at 5am (at the latest!). Poor Jason also had to be up early to drop me off at the start destination. I started to get a little concerned as all the other riders for the session turned up... now I know flash bikes don't necessarily mean good riders, but REALLY flash bikes combined with ultra skinny cycling types with leg shaves better than I ever have start to ring some warning bells. I was the only one on a tri bike, the rest brought out their roadies...

A little after 6 am and we were off, down the bike path by the Kwinana Freeway.... and from the minute we left we were on a mission to where ever we were going... lucky it was dark so I didn't see how fast we were going, but I tell you what, I was lactic within 5 minutes and I was truly wondering how I was going to sustain 5 hours of this.

This pace was maintained for the first hour as we headed from the CBD to the hills... so many times I considered pulling the plug but I seriously had no idea where I was going so I had to stay with this bunch, or get lost in the middle of nowhere.

As we neared the hills another one of the girls mentioned that she was only just holding on as well and when I stopped to check we had lost two riders on the trip already! SO at least I made it to the base of the hills. Apparently they like to ride fast through the town streets to get out of the traffic (what traffic at 6am on a Saturday I thought...) and then the pace drops somewhat in the hills.

One of the riders let me know what hills we had ahead of us... apparently just 4 main climbs, one at 14km but moderate grade, the second at 3 km but really steep- so steep that a zig zag technique is sometimes applied... and then two 4 - 5 km moderate to hard hills to finish. I was pleased to note that they regroup at the top of all climbs as well.

As we set off up the first hill we pretty much all split up... I was in the middle so was pleased with that... My biggest fear was coming in last!!! My legs were pretty shattered but I got into a good climbing rhythm and we were soon at the top. We had a rest at the top while waiting for the other riders to catch up and then we were off again. Now when I say 4 main climbs to a ride that doesn't mean the rest is flat... there were hundreds of undulations... some that should definitely been classified as hills I thought!

We stayed together for the next hour or so and then we hit this amazing down hill... I hit an all time high for me of 78.6kmh!!!!!!!!! SO close to the 80kmh!!!!!!! The bike was wobbling a bit though!!!!

The second hill was a killer... more so on a tri bike! I wanted my road bike SOOOOO much through this section.

About 3.5 hours into the ride I was starting to get a bit tired so I was consuming as much food and fluid as I could... and then I took a sneaky caffeine pill. Yay for being a responder. As the caffeine flowed I immediately felt much better, the next two climbs were great for me and the guys who were leading the pace at the start of the day were suffering (good to see I wasn't the only one having a tough day!).

Finally after the last main climb we hit Kalamunda and most the group stopped for a coffee and muffin. There were a few of us that wanted to keep going though (I figured if I stopped I would struggle to get started again)... so we headed off down the hill and then flat back into down... and smack bang into the head wind (from the West) that plagues Perth late morning early afternoon!!!

By this stage I was out of fluids and it was heating up a lot!!! We were still riding at about 35kmh so the pace was still hot! 2km from the city we all went our separate ways and I had 15km to get home... the first 3 km were ok and then that wall snuck up on me and smashed me in the face.... I was shaking, I got lost (on a bike path!!) and I had no idea how I was going to get home!!! I was dehydrated, needed food (I had nothing left) and I started crying. There was no one to call to help either as Jason was an hour south of Perth on his course. I was on my own....

Its so hard to truly get across how bad I was... I have never, ever hit the wall like this. This day I was worse than my race in Canberra even. A combination of the heat, lack of food, dehydration, speed, long ride and not as much sleep as usual all culminated in one big ass wall that I needed to climb to get home....

I was never going to make it all the way home so I focused on getting to the petrol station 6 km from home, there I could refuel and hopefully regather my thoughts and energy!

I was reduced to a crawl nearly and at one stage thought that I might get off my bike and walk it! Every pedal stroke was a mission for me..... I wanted to curl up in a corner and die!!! All I could think about was how pleased I was it keep it together while with the new riding crew! Ahahaha pride is a funny thing :-) Especially as a triathlete/cyclist!

Finally I got to the garage and I hit the coke (not diet but real coke!!) for the caffeine and sugar, also powerade for the dehydration, and a trail mix of fruit, nuts and chocolate. I sat down out the front on the garage and seriously just wolfed down my stash... I was shaking so badly so food was going everywhere, I must have looked like a homeless person who hasn't eaten for weeks!

I demolished everything is sight and then pulled myself together for the last 6km... it is amazing what food can do... The next 6km were much easier than I thought that they would be... and finally I was home..... HOME SWEET HOME!!!!

Needless to say the next few hours were spent on the couch.

Now the real kicker was my programme for the Sunday... my coach had a race in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How on earth was I going to do that I wondered.

Well this is the amazing thing about the human body... I got up the next day, had a little residual soreness from the ride to day before, but nothing to write home about! We arrived at the race course (Point Walter- a subject of a previous blog) and I wondered what I was getting myself in for.

The course was going to be tough! A relatively easy swim, but then a 1km uphill run from the water to transition... then a 20km hilly bike course, followed by a 2 lap hilly run! Hmmm

Well I started the race with no expectations, I had no idea how the body would react at all. Well it reacted well as it happened! I led the whole race from start to finish... picking up about a 20 second lead in the swim/run to transition, then pushing this to a 2.5 min lead at the end of the bike, which I further extended in the run (only by 15 seconds...)... so all in all nearly a 3 min win for me.

I felt AMAZING on the ride and just wanted to keep going... I then ran a good 5km and only 20 seconds slower than my 5km triathlon PB (from a flat course). All in all it was a sprint distance PB as well...

SO all I can say is, that wall can be scaled and its amazing what we can do once we get to the other side!!!

Trip to New Zealand...

Jason and I visited New Zealand for a number of reasons from 6 - 16 March, his 30th, Blossom's 21st, to visit family and friends and for me to race nationals. It was perfect timing for a break as well as we have both been working pretty hard of late.

We left Perth on Friday 6th March, our flight was around 6.50pm, so we had to work a full day of work first! As per usual I was pushing to get everything done on time, but finally got out the door at 4pm. It had already been a long day as we had been up since 4.30am for swim squad (and it was a tough one that morning).

As we were traveling with a bike we had to pack light but the airline check in lady was very impressed with our packing! In hindsight we really should have taken a few more winter clothes.... hehehe

The flight itself was pretty uneventful, it was an overnight flight, leaving Perth 6.50 pm and arriving in Auckland around 5.15am NZT (on Jason's birthday!) (1.15am Perth time). As per usual I slept at least half the flight, and Jason didn't sleep at all!

We arrived in Auckland and were very surprised at how humid it was, given that Perth has such low humidity levels it was sticky and yuck! Not nice at all!

Not long after we arrived in Auckland we were finally off to Wellington. It was very exciting heading back to Wellington and nothing beats the sight of the harbour and the hills! I miss the hills SOOOOOOOO much! Perth just really doesn't compare at all!

Wellington airport: I didn't even stress out when my luggage didn't arrive... I know that seems a bit strange as I would usually get very stressed about something like that! The luggage services man said "sometimes they just don't load all the bags..." The good thing was they delivered the bags to the Papps' house when it did finally make it to Wellington.

We were met at the airport by Jason's parents and his sisters arrived mid morning for a birthday brunch for Jason. We were treated to "albino" corn fritters (the fritters just didn't want to brown up...).

We were incredibly lucky to have our friends the Lewis Family (Mark, Josie and Cassien) up from Christchurch this weekend, so we spent the afternoon wandering around Oriental Pde with them and visiting a couple of other good friends.

Finally after over 30 hours up for Jason we went to bed and totally enjoyed being able to snuggle in duvets with a hot water bottle (well I did anyway...). I totally miss that since living in Perth and the 25 deg + nights that we have!!!

Sunday morning I did a bike/run training session and then it was preparation time for Jason's birthday BBQ. Thanks to everyone that turning up (and for the presents as well). It was great to catch up with everyone! Wellington put on a stunner of a day, one of the ones where EVERYONE says "you can't beat Wellington on a good day".

I didn't really get many photos of this day unfortunately. But here is the birthday boy himself...

This is Jason's godson James:And Josie and Mark's beautiful daughter Cassien:
We had a great day celebrating Jason's birthday and catching up with lots of friends. Later in the week Jason and his Dad went motorbike riding... Jason's first real ride on the open road... he loved it and I am sure that it won't be long until be wants to get another bike!
Both the boys before heading out for their ride!
After Jason's ride we caught up with some friends at Tuesday night quiz night at the Black Harp, we weren't so good at the general quiz, but did win the general Quizzler section, taking away a prize including a bottle of wine, some toys (donated to Wellington Hospital), a frog, a puzzle and some chocolates.

The rest of the week was spent catching up with friends and for me resting up and preparing for the New Zealand Triathlon Championships. I stayed with my very good friend Ang the night before the race.

We were up at 5.30am eating big breakfasts for the race, and I arrived at transition at 6.30am. It was time for all the usual preparations, setting the bike up, shoes, helmet etc. It started raining while we were setting up but all in all it was a nice day for a race, not too much wind and neither too cold nor too hot. Here is a shot overlooking transition. It was a dark-ish morning and perhaps I should have bought clear goggles in order to sight better in the swim.
Here's another shot showing how gloomy it was, I was struggling to see the swim buoys on land, so I knew it was going to be tough in the water. In this shot the boys have started swimming and we are lining up getting ready to go.
Under starters orders.... just waiting for the gun.
By the time we were on the home stretch it wasn't quite as dark out there. All in all I had a pretty disappointing swim by my standards of late. I was bashed about by a very persistent and annoying fellow competitor, I even tried backing off and letting her go ahead but it just didn't work for me.
Finally, I got rid of the basher!!! and on to someones toes... phew a bit of drafting for a while.
Time for a big breath!!!
And here we are coming into the marina.
Yay, finally finished the swim. I ended up being about a minute slower and 10 places in the field than I should have been. I was really surprised about how much the fighting with the other competitor took it out of me. I ended up having the 19th fastest swim time...
This is the alien in me! Hmmm or maybe just going too fast for the camera hehehe...
After a pretty average transition (I just couldn't get one leg out of that wetsuit) I was off on the bike.
The bike was pretty much as I had anticipated it would be, a much more pleasant ride than previous years with a more favourable wind.

I think I came off the bike in about 8th position, so I made up 11 positions through an ok ride. Now just a 10km run to go...here I am concentrating hard...
Its starting to hurt and my lack of top end run fitness was really starting to show at this stage...
Yay, the finish chute finally!!
A small smile I think.
So I ended up finishing in 10th position overall, and 2nd in my age group. SO for the past few years I have been 2nd in my age group, but my overall placings have been sliding. 3rd overall 2 years ago, 4th overall last year and 10th this year!!! The young girls are getting quick. But when compared to my age group I have been consistent to I need to be content with that I think.

I am pretty indifferent about my race really, not unhappy but not ecstatic about it either. I did what was needed in that I automatically qualified for the World Champs, but I didn't have the fitness to do any more.

The rest of the day was pretty busy, we had a birthday lunch for Blossom (Mike Taylor) and then his actual 21st party in the evening. Here is Jason and Blossom:
And Bloss showing us what he's made of... he is wearing an apron, not a skirt!
We had a great night and were so pleased to share the day with our great friend Bloss!

The next day was our last full day in Wellington and we wanted to make the most of it. It was another stunner of a day so we started it with a morning bbq at Blossom's flat (although we had to leave before the food was cooked :-)... next stop was lunch on flying fish (Jason's family yacht), then a family dinner and a last round of visit/phone calls to close friends.

Here's Jason at the boat shed:
How amazing is Wellington on these types of days!
Jason loving relaxing on the boat with a beer!
Wellington: a whole different perspective from the water.
Jason and his Dad.
Jason's dad, kicking back relaxing!
We anchored at Kau Bay and enjoyed the sun and each others company while the quiche was cooking! After a great lunch we motored round the harbour for a while and before we knew it, it was after 4 in the afternoon. It was a thoroughly pleasant way to spend our last day in Wellington.

Finally.... it was time to go home!
Here's a shot of the sun on the water!
So all in all a great and successful trip to New Zealand, we had 2 absolutely stunning days and in Wellington 2 out of 9 is a high proportion :-)

It was great to catch up with friends and family, but Jason and I were also pleased to be returning to Perth as well. Thanks everyone for making it a great trip and we look forward to our next trip to NZ. Meanwhile, we have a spot in our home for anyone who wants to visit us!

RED BACK SPIDERS.... EEEKKKKKK

Although I have had a special request for the subject of this blog to contain some photos of the inside of our apartment I think that today's topic definitely supercedes this request. Our apartment has very little storage, so the kayak and paddles are in the carport, the bike box hidden behind the tall boy, the bikes are stored in the lounge and the wind trainer and kayaking gear are stored on the deck.

Some little creepy crawlies thought that the stuff stored on the deck was a good spot to hang out... Jason noticed two red back spiders on the weekend, one on the wind trainer and one in his kayaking gear bag!!! Here's a couple of shots of them for you: