Rebecca Preston’s Blog

I raced a local Olympic Distance triathlon here in Calgary, at Lake Chaparral on Sunday. I was looking forward to the opportunity to race over a shorter distance, and have a short hard race in my legs before IM Canada this weekend. I am happy with my performance, placing second female and ninth overall. While I struggled all day to get out of the ‘ironman pace’ (especially on the bike), it was great to get out there and push myself to my limits.
Sitting there in the sun after the race at the awards, hoping my number would get picked for a random prize (hahahahaha), I was reminded of the many sunday’s I spent at Raby Bay and Robina, doing the local Gatorade tri series; and I realised how much I missed racing. So I am making a resolution to myself to get out there and race as much as possible.
I met a lot of friendly people at the tri, all who read our blogs and our forum. Hi to everyone I spoke to sunday!
Thanks also to Joel and Jillian of Niklas Group, who have sponsored me to come to Calgary and race at Lake Chaparral and Penticton; to my hosts here in Calgary, Bob and Lyn; to Doctor Kale at the Chase Chiropractic Clinic who’s helping me get my body back ‘in line’; to Anita, the best masseuse I’ve met in a long time- thanks for all the pain :), and to Trevor at Multisports for holding a challenging race on the weekend.
I’m leaving for Penticton tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Belinda, so I can catch up with all the Ironchick gossip from Leysin.

Hi Everyone,
I’m writing this blog from Calgary, Canada. I arrived here on Saturday after a full day of traveling. I’m doing IM Canada on the 24th of August, however, I am also here to race an olympic distance race this sunday on the 17th of August, at Lake Chaparall. Joel Goralski, owner of The Niklas Group, a land development company here in Calgary, has sponsored me to come and race at Lake Chaparall and Penticton. Joel is an age group triathlete, and is coached by Marc of Ironguides. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to stay in Calgary in the lead up to these two races. Bob and Lyn are my hosts, and I have to be honest, I’m being a little spoilt. Their house is only 10 mins to the shops, pool, running trails, so I feel like I’m back in Leysin (well….not really….it’s a ‘little’ bit flatter here).
Anyway, back to the title of my blog- ‘blog-worthy’. This morning while kicking in the pool, I saw something that was definitely blog-worthy. A man (probably about 40-50 years old, and not very fit looking) got out of the pool, walked towards the change room, wearing nothing but a skimpy g-string. It was one of those ’string like g-strings’ (you know, like dental floss). I wish the fellow iron chicks were there with me, so we could all have a huge laugh about it. Instead, I looked around the pool, to see if anyone else was concerned and thought this site was little bit out of the ordinary. Nope. No one even took any notice of him.
That was one of the most bizarre things I have every seen. So Matt, Donna, Luke, Marilyn, is this the norm here in Canada, eh?

Today I received the all important package from my parents, back home in Australia. With IM Switzerland coming up this weekend, it’s imperiative that I have my fix of vegemite, especially on race morning So as the slogan says, I’ll be powered by VEGEMITE.
Also included in the package were a few other essentials that will keep me going while training here in the swiss mountains; packet of juicy fruit (yum yum yum); my other favourite chewey from home, spearmint extra; chico’s (really yummy australian lollies); various trashy magazines to keep me up to date with all the gossip- ie. who’s anorexic/fat; who’s in rehab; who’s pregnant/had a baby; is tomkat breaking up?; did posh smile today?/did she eat something today?; the latest on Britney; who is Lance dating?….wow, I really could go on and on.
Training has been going well over the past couple of weeks. Despite my disaster at Ironman France, I feel as though I gained some bike strength from the experience. And I’m hoping to be able to use that bike strength this weekend at Zurich. This will be my third year in a row racing at Ironman Switzerland. This year, the bike course has been slightly changed. It seems as though it will be a faster course, with less hilly sections. I’m a little bit unhappy about this, because I really liked the old course, and that third time up Heartbreak hill, can really ‘break your heart’. However, I understand that the course has been changed to relieve some of the congestion associated with a 3 lap course, so I hope it results in a cleaner race overall.
Anyway, I’m off to read my trashy gossip mags and have some juicy fruit

Hi guys,
Just thought I’d update everyone on my day yesterday.
First of all, it was very special to be here, racing in Nice. A beautiful place that has an important place in tiathlon history. I knew going into the race, it was definitely going to be challenging, however, I was determined to get the most out of this experience.
I think this is probably one of the biggest fields I have ever raced in. I’m not quite sure of the number of competitors, but I was pretty nervous standing on the startline with a couple of thousand of my closest friends. I have become pretty accumstomed to our ‘nice pro starts’. If we don’t have a 15 min head start, we usually at least have a buffer of 50/100 metres on the rest of the field. Not today. The gun went, and I went down….somehow I found myself fallen down at the water’s edge. And this is no australian beach, with nice sand. Big rocks. Ouch! While getting run over, I somehow got up, and got myself into the water, where I continued to be swam over and pushed under the water. Wow, it was really scary! And that was sort of the pattern of the whole swim. I finally made it out of the water, and was suprised to see Katja Shumacher in the transition tent with me. I was just about to say to her, “I thought I was going to die”, when she said to me, “I thought I was going to die”. I guess most of the WTC races are being soft on the pro’s with our separate starts- I might have to go back to doing the french races to get used to this madness at the start.
Anyway, out onto the bike. Almost immediately, I was feeling sick. I must of took in a lot of salt water during the swim, because anything that I took in, came back up. That’s ok, I told myself, I have heaps of ‘fuel’ on me to get me by, as long as I could drink water, and some coke. Even though I was feeling like shit, the bike course is amazing. Laurent Jalabert came flying past me early on, looking super smooth. I managed ok on my modified nutrition plan until about 120km when my body just stopped. I stopped for 10 or so mins, to regroup myself, then rode the rest of way back to Nice the best I could (which thankfully was mostly downhill).
I guess I was pretty dehydrated, I don’t know, but somehow between putting my run shoes on, and leaving transition, I found myself in the medical tent. And that’s where my day ended.
I’m honestly at a loss to dnf again. Thank you to my family and my coach who continue to support me regardless. Back to the drawing board…..

“Welcome back to the real world” were the words my coach said to me following a bike hill repeat session on monday. In between gasps for air, I think I uttered “Thanks???”. Since returning to Leysin last week, my training has inevitably been kicked up a notch (or ten!). No complaints here though. I am really so happy to be back training hard, and pushing myself to my limits, everyday.
Today was no different. Today we had THE BRICK. This is a 80km hilly bike loop, followed by a 10km hilly run on a mile loop trail. (hmmm, I’m noticing a trend here, did someone say ‘hills’?). My first year here in Leysin (2005), we pretty much did this session every week. Oh, how I remember my first attempt. Because I was too slow on the bike to ride with anyone else, I would set off before the rest of the squad and hope to hell I would get back before the others, so I could start my run. By the end of the three month camp though, I was able to ride with a group around the loop, and run a pretty decent 10km off the bike.
Today’s session was reminiscient of that first brick session for me. I was so anxious about my ability (or rather, my inability) to complete the session, especially given my training partners for today (Olympians, World Cup Winners, Recent IM Champions). To cut a long story short, I actually surprised myself. I got around the loop (the HARD way) in one piece, and was able to complete the 10km run. It wasn’t easy, but it’s not meant to be
As I lie here writing this blog, (because I’m too tired to sit), I can hear those words echoing in my head. “Welcome back to the REAL WORLD”. The difference is, this time, I’m here to stay!

I have some exciting news. Well, it’s exciting for me First ride up the hill today (in Leysin), and the good news is…..the road works under the bridge about half way up the hill, has FINALLY been completed. I used to absolutely dread this part of the ride up the hill. 9 times out of 10, I would get the red light and would have to unclip here. This part of the road is one of the steepest sections of the climb, so I would sit there, having a stress attack about a) clipping into my pedal on the steep incline; b) holding up cars behind me as I cycled up the hill because it’s only one lane wide; c) not making it past the one lane section in time, and having a head-on with the cars the other way. I also found it so annoying to stop and restart again, which would usually result in my legs ‘exploding’, which probably also had something to do with the fact that I would usually sprint this section.
Anyway, that’s my great news. No more stopping at the bridge. Yay!!!!
But I have some bad news to report too There are TWO road works sections now. Both in the first half, but neither gives me the same panic attacks as the bridge roadworks. Both are short, and situated on less steep inclines. In fact, one of them is situated on one of the very few flat sections on the climb.
Sorry if anyone was really excited about my blog and thought I actually had some really good news…..
Today was my second day back in Leysin. One of my favourite places in the world. It’s great to be back. This is my fourth summer here, and I hope there is many more to come.

Hi Everyone
It’s been so long since I last posted….unfortunately there hasn’t been much racing going on. Since Hawaii last October, there have been quite a few up’s and down’s. Hopefully, the rollercoaster ride for me has finished, and I’ll be able to jump aboad the Team TBB express
I’ve spent the last month training in Phoenix, Arizona. I have been lucky enough to have a great homestay here, Marcie, and her daughter Madison. Bella and Stephen have stayed here in Phoenix with Marcie and Madison the previous two years, and were able to put me in touch with Marcie. Thanks guys!
Last week, my dad came to visit me here in the states, so I headed up to Flagstaff with him. I’d been hearing great things about this little town, and I was eager to experience some training there. Wow, I was flat out running 5min/km pace. Flagstaff is at 7000 feet, and I certainly felt every bit of that elevation. I really enjoyed the 6 days of training there, especially the running, as it brought back great memories of running in Leysin.
From Flagstaff, I headed to Nevada, to complete my first race of 2008 and my first race since Hawaii. It was a small low key Olympic distance race, held in Boulder City, just outside of Vegas. My sole purpose for this race, was to cross that finish line. I’m unsure whether it’s because I’m not race fit, or the course was challenging, but I’ll put it plain and simple- I suffered like a ……… But the most important thing is, I loved every minute of that suffering It reminded me why I do triathlon’s. Out there on that run course, I also found that little thing deep in my heart, the urge to push harder, push to my limits and hopefully push past those limits; you know the point when you are holding on for dear life, with the knowledge that any second it might just all crumble- that’s what I found out there.
After the suffer-fest, Dad and I went into Vegas, to see what all the fuss is about. My head was spinning! It was crazy. Although I don’t gamble, and I didn’t have any intentions of partying, it was a pretty fun night. And instead of spending all our cash on gambling, we spent it in the shops- yep, I went to vegas, and went shopping.
From Vegas, we travelled towards the Grand Canyon. What a contrast to Vegas. Pure natural beauty. We saw the sunset, and the sunrise the following morning.
I’m now back in Phoenix. I’ll stay here for a week, and I hope to get some good quality training in, before next weekend’s Wildflower triathlon. After Wildflower, I’m happy to say, I’m headed back to Leysin! :))))))))

Hi everyone!
It’s taken a long time for me to sit down and write my blog from IM Hawaii. I still can’t really believe the race has been run and won, and it really is all over :(. Since 2005, my first visit to Kona, and my first attempt at the Ironman World Champs, I have been dying to go back and race, and race hard! I guess you could say, my first outing in Kona left me with feelings of regret, knowing that I could have raced harder and that my inexperience on the world stage let me down. So this time, I was determined to give it my all and walk away with no regrets.
So how did it all go down??? I had an excellent swim. I exited the water with the main bunch of girls, girls who would usually be cycing down the road while I was still in the water. So I was very happy with my swim. And I thought to myself, “this is your chance, try you hardest to stay with these girls”. With excellent cyclists in this group such as Belinda, I knew this would be no easy task…. And it wasn’t. I managed to keep the girls within sight for about 30km, then I just lost it. I was struggling, and didn’t feel strong at all. But I knew I needed to regroup, focus internally, and do the best job I could out there. So while my ride wasn’t my best IM bike ride, I was happy I got through the bad patches (i.e. the last 150km hahahahaha), and FINALLY made it back to T2.
I came into transition with Desiree Ficker, but I managed to start the run before her. I was expecting her to run past me at any moment during the first 2 miles. I felt like I was crawling, and at some points, I’m sure I was. I kept reminding myself to have faith in my body, and it will come around. The first run portion is an out and back along Alii Drive, and I struggled this whole section. This is also the first opportunity to see other girls. When the motorbikes came towards me, indicating the first girl was on her way back, I was elated to see Chrissie in first place! It gave me a boost and I managed to pick it up for about 5mins, then it was back to my crawling pace. Instead of focusing on how far I had to go, I told myself to think about the next step, then the next, and to drink as much as I could at every aid station. Then I finally came to my FAVOURITE part of the run….the run up Palani. Although not long or super steep, it is about the only real hill on the run course. This is where I found my run legs. Then it was out onto the Queen K highway, the long road to the energy lab and back. It was quieter out here, not too many spectators, just yourself and the road ahead. I got into a nice rhythm, and really enjoyed pushing myself, and willing myself to go harder. The further I got into the run, the more fun I was having. I ran myself into the top ten, and I coudn’t quite believe it. With 3km to go, I was in 6th place, but I knew there was Bek Keat 1 min up the road. I said to myself, “should I go for it?” I reasoned, “6th is pretty god damn good, you came to get top 10..,” The last section on the highway is a slight incline, before you go down the descent of Palani Road. By the turn into Palani, I saw her. People were telling me there was two ahead, not just one? “Give it all you got Beck, no regrets remember”, I told myself. And that’s what I did. I ran down Palani so hard, and I could see I was closing in on Bek Keat quickly. I came up behind her, and thought “Shit, Bek’s from short course…..please don’t come with me…..I’m sure she’s got a sprint”. I ran past her as fast as I could, hoping she wouldn’t follow. I wouldn’t look back though; never, never, never look back! Instead, I kept running as hard as I could (which I’m sure wasn’t really fast, but it felt fast :)), trying to pull back Jo Lawn in fourth. But there wasn’t enough road. Alot of people say you’ve got to enjoy the finish straight along Alii Drive, but the only way I knew how to enjoy it was to keep pushing right to the finish, cause I didn’t want to wonder “what if???”.
To finish in 5th place is unbelievable. Congratulations to Chrissie for winning and becoming Ironman World Champion, what an honour. Thank you to Belinda for helping me so much throughout the year. I’m sorry she didn’t have the race we all know she is capable of, but when you put it into perspective, top ten in the world is still unreal. And Hillary, to have Hawaii be your 8th IM finish for the year is pretty unbelievable. I don’t know anyone else that could do this.
Team TBB has had a great first year, and I think it’s just the beginning……

Hi Guys
Sorry I haven’t been updating my blog and letting everyone know how things are going.
I arrived here 9 days ago, to give myself plenty of time to acclimatise and to familiarise myself with the course here in Kona (even though I raced here 2 years ago, I can’t remember much….)
Thailand makes Kona feel cold.
We’ve (team tbb members here in Kona) done a few key sessions out on the course.
Monday we did a 4 hr ride which covered 120km of the bike course, and Sunday I did a long run out on the Queen K to the energy lab and back.
So I’ve just checked my bike in, and all I have to do now is have a quick swim and wait for 6.45 am tomorrow.
Wish me luck!!!!!

Well, I thought I better get this blog over and done with….. As you all know, a DNF. I won’t go into a lot of details, as I’m sure the rest of the team members have more positive stories to report. It was a day that started well, and I had a reasonable swim, exiting the water with a couple of my team mates (which shocked me). I jumped on my bike, and immediately, I felt flat. Not to worry though, I told myself, just take it one pedal stroke at a time. I was conscious of the heat and humidity, and was sure I was taking in enough fluids. Maybe I wasn’t drinking enough, maybe I arrived to Korea from Switzerland too late, I’m not quite sure, but I was cooking out there. After 120km, I was starting to really lose focus (and the plot!). I stopped by the side of the road at aaround the 150km mark, sat down, and had a little rest. Somehow, I had fallen asleep (????). After god knows how long, I finally got back on my bike, and slowly rode the remainder of the course back to the hotel.
After stuffing my face with copious amounts of food, I returned to the race finish and watched my team mates finish, in what will go down as one of the toughest days, for everyone out there. Congratulations to everyone!
While I am very disappointed to DNF, I have learnt some very valuable lessons.
Hopefully my next blog will be reporting some more positive news.