Bella Comerford’s Blog

Our TeamTBB pre Hawaii training camp in Jeju, South Korea has almost ended now. The 8 of us are all set to go to Hawaii! Boss has made sure he got the best out of us each and every day we have been here.

Its been my first time to South Korea and I have been impressed. Its a welcoming, safe and clean country. Training facilities, well they are better than most countries! Its a cyclists paradise as the roads are amazing and so much choice of places to ride.

Ironman UK is well into the history books now and its all focas on Hawaii. It will be my second time to race Ironman Hawaii. But this time I have alot more experience and I know what I have to do. Last time I went into the race I was naive and a nervous wreck!

I have had my best year ever but I will treat this race like I have the rest. I am calm but excited.

Its not over after Hawaii, Stephen and I are off to Florida, (for the 3rd instalment of our pre-wedding-honeymoon!!? ! I have Ironman Florida on my birthday and then Stephen has 70.3 Champs on the 8th!

Yesterday was IM UK 2008. I possibly felt a little nervous going into the race, for the first time this year I did’nt think of the race as “going on a little holiday”. Instead I thought of it as real war time. I wanted to win this one. Although I was nervous, I was confidant too.

I had had good training and recovery since EmbrunMan. I believed I was stronger that ever before and that the other girls should be worried!!!

I had a strong swim, once recovered from being pushed under in the freezing cold water of Sherbourne Castle lake. I came out the water and ran throo the slimy muddy field, then slipped in it and went face first into the mud! Great!?!!

I wrapped up warm on for the bike as in previous days in had been the storm from hell coming down.
I set off strong and gained the lead by about 30km. It felt fine to be in the lead, but once your in the lead, you have no idea what is going on behind. I just got on with my job and worked at all the hills they had included on the bike. It was windy and pot holes everywhere. One had to keep their heads switched on. It made for a really fair race though as no drafting was happening at all.

Once I got my run shoes on, I did’nt feel I had my normal speedy run legs, but what could I do except deal with the legs I had. I was going for the win. NO WAY was I going to give it away, so off I went. I put the sore legs to the back of my mind and got on with it. I had the company of Declan for most of the run! My run partner on the track last week! We were good company to each other for most of the marathon. The run is also challanging. It is hilly, windy, muddy and grassy wet fields! Fun!!!
My lead was gaining but I never really knew by how much. The last 10 miles hurt, but I never let anyone know. ..well, maybe it showed once I crossed the finish line!!

What an acheivemnt to have won that race again. Once apon a time I dreampt of doing things like this! But right now, my dream is real. My hard work is showing. But it never really feels “hard work”. It is fun work.

I was overwhelmed with emotion because Stephen had also won. What a magical day. He was brave and really raced tough. Giving it to his competition all day and on the run, coming out of transition and running off fast for once instead of going out easy! He left them all behind never to be seen again!
It has been a fun weekend. So many people giving us support. ThankYou EVERYONE for encouraging us so much.

Now I have to go as I have alot of packing and sorting out to do. We have a flight to Korea at 9pm tonight!

On Friday I went to Embrun for the Ironman. It was my 3rd trip to Embrun. In 2002 Boss took me there to try my first Ironman. It was 1 week after the 2002 Commonwealth Games which had been to that date my “goal” in life! But that race at CG was my last Olympic distance race! Boss had thought that the longer distance might be good for me, and of course, he was right! I have never looked back!
I won that day, and in 2006 I went back again. I did’nt have such a good day as I made mistakes but still managed 2nd place.
This year I was physked up for the day. I remembered the challenges of EmbrunMan. if your not fit enough or organised enough, it shows. It is such a true test! Many mountains and the weather can also test you. I was physked up for the prize purse too!! The win would would help Stephen’s and my bank balance!

It was a little unsettling at 4.15am when we arrived to the race start in the biggest and scariest storm I have been in! To begin the day in storms was not the best! ..but what can you do! I had to laugh and then put my thinking cap on to how I should go about my day.
The swim started at 6.50am for the women, (unknown to Boss who thought I had swum on Stephen’s feet when I passed him at 1km on the bike!!! …he was WELL happy!)
Its a bit scary starting the swim in the pitch dark, but once we started I quite enjoyed it. I was the fastest girl there so I was right on the tail of the canoe with the light on! So navigating in the pitch dark was pretty easy! The men left 10 minutes after us so my little aim to myself was to get out the water before Stephen! Ha!! And I did! I was first into transition, ..but slow onto my bike as I had to put all the bike clothes I had in my wardrobe!!!

I began the 188km bike ride in first place, and after the steep first climb I settled into the day and tried to imagine I was just doing a nice long training ride, ..to prevent me from riding like a maniac! I enjoyed the ride and the challanges of the ride. Although when Audrey caught me on the climb of the Col D’izoard I felt a bit nervous, but I think I made her nervous by staying with her!
I dropped her at 2km before the top.
It starting hail stoning as I approched the top of the Col so I put my jacket on. After 10km of decending I was passing grown men who were shivvering like babies cos they wer’nt wearing enough!
Once I warmed up I took my jacket off and stuck it up my top, that was all fine until I was climbing the next mountain and the jacket fell out and got completly stuck in my back wheel. I really struggled to get it out, and whist picking it out, Audrey passed me. DAM! Once I got it out I left the stupid jacket on the side of the road as the weather had improved. I got going again and when I had decended and got round the corner I saw the biggest looking black cloud. Arghhhhh! I had no jacket now!! How stupid to leave it behind!
I re-caught Audrey and at 180km (where Boss had told me the race starts!) I rode up the final 6km climb feeling good. I dropped Audrey and came into the run with a few minute lead. Also feeling happy that that huge black cloud had’nt made me toooo cold.
I felt great running to begin with. I began to get tired legs about 13 miles. Boss told me I best eat a bit more. Once I started eating more, ..the more I ate the faster I went!
I put 18 miinutes into Audrey and won in a record time of 11 hours and 26minutes! ThankYou to the man who gave me the British flag!!
Met by my lovely boy on the finish line! It was so good to stop and have a rest! Stephen also had a great race coming 2nd. I nice pay day for us!
And also met by my Coach. The best coach in the World.

I am just home and into my routine again after a quick road trip to Klagenfurt, Austria. Stephen and I saw a sign while we were there, advertising some Ironman about to take place. It involved swimming biking and running. And since we do alot of that sort of thing, we took part! We both ended up coming 2nd so it was quite a satisfying holiday really!

2,500 people took part! And crowds bigger than I have ever seen for a Triathlon. I was deaf by the end as the noise was so intence!

It was really hot, like 30 degrees the 3 days before but on race day a storm had blown in and it was cool, rainy and thunderstorms.
However the lake was like a warm bath but we still had to swim in our wetsuits. I nearly passed out from heat exhaustion whilst swimming.
On the bike I began to feel strong after 20km. I seemed to be catching the girls ahead faster than I have ever experienced before. I was in the lead by 70km! A bit strange for me. I did’nt really like it cos all of a sudden I was getting no splits, but at the same time, it was fun too!
On the run I seemed to be moving along well. But I was hearing that there was another girl running well about 1 km behind me. Someone called Sandra Wollenhorst who I met a few years back in Boulder. I did’nt think she would be a problem for me, but by 37km she had gotten within 200m of me. She passed me but I had nothing more to give so she beat me. I realised I was still going to have a fast time if I concentrated hard. So I kept my head together and got to the finish line in 8 hours 51 mins! Not bad!!!!
I was frustrated at the finish line as I had enjoyed the taste of nearly another Ironman win. And then some camera man that kept getting in my way was the final straw. But after punching him and crossing the line I felt a little better. Met by Stephen who had also come 2nd! He calmed me down and convinced me my race had been very good.

It was a great race in a great place. Well worth a trip to!

Winning 70.3 UK has made me very happy and excited. I did’nt think I could do 70.3 competitivly! I feel pretty confidant about Ironman races and what I need to do in them but 70.3 feels a different kettle of fish to me, and to race Julie Dibens in one, (who I really respect at this distance) and beat her!!! I think I must be a bit fitter than I realise!

I was’nt sure the Boss would even let me race it so soon after IM Lanzarote, but he said yes! So I was very happy to go! I treated the whole thing more like a little holiday to England with my boy! (well, I serious business holiday! ..but, still in my mind I pretended it was a holiday!

We rode an easy lap of the bike the day before. I wanted to remind myself of the corners and decents. It took forever to get around! I was a bit worried I would even manage to get around the course for the race!

6am start. 6 degrees and mist on the lake. Bloody eery in the water and not being able to see anything. Yuk. But I came out only 3 mins behind Julie!!!

On the bike I just put my head down and rode the best I could. Because it was a short event, I thought I should just go as hard as I could.
All was fine till it pissed with rain and then hail. I really froze on the longer decent. I put the cold to the back of my head and tryed not to shake off my bike, as I decended, as I was shivering so much! I was so happy to have all the steep climbs to just warm up a bit!

I came off the bike only 4 mins down on Julie! Woooow. Thats not too bad I thought! But still, from the last 70.3 she did, ..she can run bloody good too.
I ate into that that time really quick. Before I knew it I was passing her with 5 or 6 miles to go! I kept running hard to get a good session in! And it was a brilliant feeling to come accross the line first! More news by category Topic -: Buy phentermine saturday delivery ohio Tramadol hydrochloride tablets Picture of xanax pills Free shipping cheap phentermine Buying phentermine without prescription Safety of phentermine Pyridium Generic viagra cialis Cialis generic india Pink oval pill 17 xanax identification Buy free phentermine shipping Best price for generic viagra Information about street drugs or xanax bars Ordering viagra Snorting phentermine Hydrocodone overdose Lithium Amiodarone Get online viagra Order viagra prescription Order xanax paying cod Cheap phentermine free shipping Imiquimod Tramadol next day Linkdomain buy online viagra info domain buy onlin Pfizer viagra sperm Vidarabine Cheapest viagra price Prevacid Viagra cialis levitra comparison Dutasteride Lisinopril Thiotepa Female spray viagra Black market phentermine Betamethasone Cialis forums What does xanax look like Loss phentermine story success weight Order xanax overnight Viagra alternative uk Diet online phentermine pill Order xanax cod Mecamylamine Eulexin Cheap hydrocodone Buy cheapest viagra Viagra xenical Phentermine with no prior prescription Xanax in urine Macrodantin Cheap phentermine with online consultation Epivir Buy phentermine epharmacist Ditropan Woman use viagra Cialis erectile dysfunction Xanax withdrawl message boards Viagra online store Atorvastatin Generic ambien Is phentermine addictive Next day delivery on phentermine Buy online viagra Ethanol Natural phentermine Avandamet Xanax long term use Diet page phentermine pill yellow 5 cheap Cheapest secure delivery cialis uk Information medical phentermine Cialis experience Phentermine no perscription Compare ionamin phentermine Viagra cialis levivia dose comparison Noroxin Effects of viagra on women Buy cheap cialis Viagra shelf life Hydroxyurea Phentermine discount no prescription Buy cheap online viagra Dog xanax Online cialis Viagra class action Viagra price Phentermine without prescription and energy pill Hydrocodone cod only Nicoumalone Cheapest viagra Cheap ambien Vicodin without prescription Phentermine prescription online Phentermine snorting Mirtazapine Quazepam Isradipine Buy generic viagra online Xanax look alike Moxifloxacin Viagra experiences Piroxicam Nicorette Free try viagra Sotalol Cash on delivery shipping of phentermine How do i stop taking phentermine Xanax prescriptions Cheapest phentermine 90 day order Niacinamide Phentermine weight loss Phentermine

I am just home to Switzerland after a very busy, but great week on the island of Lanzarote!

Our trip did’nt start quite 100% perfect.
We were welcomed by Iberia Airlines 150 euro bike fee, for each bike carriage, one way to Lanzarote!!! Even though we packed light and our only luggage was our bikes weighing 18 kg each. (It is some “new rule” that “special baggage” gets 150 euro charge)

So, heads up. I would advise NOT to travel on Iberia Airlines. They suck.
We met 2 guys from Annacy also checking in at the same time as us to go to Lanzarote. Well, poor guys, they could’nt affrod that fee, so one went home and the other, (David, who knows you Erika) left his bike in Geneva and just had a holiday in Lanzarote instead!

Maybe I should thank Iberia Airlines, for fuelling my fire to race harder and make sure I earn money!!

I had a good 2 final days preparing for the race. Stephen did my adjustments to my bike so it was ready to go while also training his back side off! (he did not race so his knee could get better and he will be strong for his next races instead)
I again had my fire fuelled at the pre-race press conference. I turned up 5 mins to 4pm. The other girls flop in between 4.15pm and 4.30pm!! Well, I just thought thats dam rude to the organisers. But I should thank them too, as it showed me how dedicated they are to themselves.

On race day, my swim went fine. On the bike it was windy, but I expected it to be. I just tightly hung onto the handlebars when the wind blew. By 150km I was getting really tired. I just ate a bit more as I realised it takes alot of energy to ride up hill into gale force winds.
When I got off my bike, I realised within the 500m transition run in my socks that my run legs were there! Once my shoes were on, I got on with my job.
I caught the Canadian girl, Tara Norton by 9 miles, I think the report said. I cant remember. But I continued to concentrate as the race was not over till I crossed myself over the finish line. I had that Dutch girl who ran past me at Ironman Florida last year so I really did’nt want that to happen again.

I crossed the finish line in first place! It was definatly an amazingly exciting feeling. And met by Stephen and his Mum and Dad who had also come to watch.

The Awards was very pleasant. Except that was quite a marathon too! It started at 6pm and ended after 10pm! Earlier in the day I went and bought myself some new clothes and fancy shoes for the evening! All great except when I stepped onto the stage I slipped in these new fancy high heels! Abit embarrasing but I suppose gave the crowd something funny to watch!!

It is really nice to be home now, and I will just continue to train as I have been so I am ready to kill some more in the next part of the season

What a day both Stephen and I have had last Sunday!
To both win this race is a magical dream come true.
I am so proud of Stephen. That was his first Ironman win, and a great win at that. I have seen his determination and hard work in trying to win these Ironman races. And whats even more exciting, is, there is more to come from him!

I am also very happy with my win! To win an Ironman is such a mega accomplishment. I love the feeling of complete satisfaction of winning. I will continue to work at this sport so once again, I can try to taste that amazing winning feeling.

The weeks coming into IM SA I felt strong in trainnig. I did beleive I could do a good job. The final days coming into the race I got a bit nervous. I got a sore throat and I was nervous about how I felt on the bike. I thought the wind was strong and the bumpy roads worried me! But actually once the gun went off, there was no problems! Well, untill 90km on the bike when I got a puncture! Arghhhh. I rode for 7km with the front flat, but it got so flat I had to stop. I ripped the flat off. And almost had a baby trying to put the new one on. God they are hard to get on. Then I put the gas on, and whooooosh, the gas came out, but not into the tyre. I was in the middle of know where with no gas. The TV crew were loving their oppertunity to get some fun tv coverage. I stood there realising my race was over. What a heart sinking feeling. I did ask the camera crew to go look for a mechanic and one of them did. A good 10 minutes later a mechanic came and gave me the new gas. I pumped up the tyre and suddenly I could continue, if I wanted. I really thought that was a waste of time though. I told myself, “whats the point, I have lost a good 15 mins now”. But then I thought, “well, I REALLY dont have anything better to do today” and I knew Stephen would not really want me standing at the side of the road cheering him on. He would rather see me out there doing what I have trained to do. So I just carried on and would see what I could do.

At 160km I passed Edith Neidinfringer who was also having a puncture. Edith, in my eyes was my major competition and suddenly we were in the same position! The race was possibly back on. I kept my head down.

On the run I was aware of the Czech girl 18 minutes up the road. But I felt ok. I was also concerned about Edith who was probably 2 mintes behind me. I was bringing the Czech girl in smoothly.
I had an uplift at 18km when Raynard passed me with Stephen 5 seconds behind him! Suddenly I knew Stephen would win this race! What a feeling. Suddenly I felt a real extra spring in my stride.
At 20km Edith caught me. Arghhh. I thought, ok, she is a good runner she will beat me today. But I really decided to stick on her and just see how long I would last. Well, we ended up running side by side till 42 km. And somewhere deep with in me I decided to sprint like a maniac. Somehow or another I sprinted so fast I got to the finish line just before her!! What a race! I got to the finish line wretching with the effort. Met by absolulty exstatic Stephen who threw me in the air and sqeezed me so tight I really did nearly threw up on him!!
What a day. An absolute dream come true! To both win an Ironman race. We’ll keep working away cos I believe we can do this again!!

It is time to leave for South Africa now! Ironman South Africe is next Sunday. I am looking forward to racing, I think I can be very strong. I am confidant having had consistant and strong training for a long time. Especially the last 5 weeks here in hot Subic Bay with the Team. All pushing each other and motivating each other every day.
I raced Ironman South Africa last year. It is a good race and I looking forward to “knowing the course”. Stephen is also racing, it is always very special to be on the same agenda as each other
It is a busy racing time ahead with many of us TeamTBBérs racing over the next 4 weeks. I wish us all the very best with strong and fast performances!

I’v just raced the early season, “Ironman New Zealand”
I wanted to race this one because it is a great race, in a great place, and as I have raced it a couple of times before, I always feel it is an advantage to know the course well. Its also been a while since December 2nd when I raced Ironman WA, ..I needed something else to get me teeth into!
So, I came 4th. An ok result but at the same time, the result has’nt fulfilled me! Instead it has helped to fuel my fire to keep working away, so I get the results I really believe I can get, and want to get.

I had an ok swim but lost a little time at 400m when I had a little panik attack. ANNOYING.

My bike ride was ok, consistance and fairly strong. The P3 was great!

Onto the run, where I would have loved to run the run I’v been practising over the winter, but it just was’nt quite there. I dont think it was the strong wind and rain that effected me as much as the invisable sun. I seemed to get really burnt and I think that affected my run performance. Better get back to Subic Bay and get used to that sun again. My pale skin cant take a sudden bout of sun like that!

Stephen and I arrived in Subic Bay last week. We have spent 10 days here. Its flown by!! Suddenly its time to pack our bags again, for our little trip down to NewZealand. (Actually, its not that “little” a trip, but we”ll tell ourselves that!)

It was a long flight here from London, but I recovered pretty fast. I have really enjoyed my training here. Being in the warm, seeing some new places to ride our bikes and run.

Last weekend we heard there was a Half Marathon race in Clark, (about 1 hour 30 min drive away) So we went! Stephen, Chrissie, Reto and I. We had to leave at 3.45am for a 6am race start.

I did’nt know how I would feel since we only arrived to Subic Bay 3 days earlier.

We arrived at the race start with 15mins to spare, so we jumped out the van, registered and ran to the start line. (that was our warm up!!)
But it seemed to be enough! I felt ok, and ran 1 hour and 18 mins. 30 seconds in front to Chrissie! I was very happy and proud of my run. To beat the World Champ felt special too! (Sorry Chrissie, I love you, but no love when when the gun goes off!!)

Better go think about packing now!

Speak Soon,