Andrea's words below
Post Kona I was riding an Ironman high. In the immediate days following when the opportunity came to race IM Busso I jumped at the chance. I couldn't wait to race again and had hoped to be able to qualify again for the following year. But as the days and weeks passed for the first time all year I had many negative thoughts. I kind of knew that was not a good sign. Positive thoughts breeds positivity. And likewise for negativity. I hadn't had this before. I was tired. I was back to fitting in working 5 days a week and trying to find the motivation to train after the most amazing trip of a lifetime. Reality hit and so did the post Ironman blues - big time! I skipped a couple of sessions, something I never do. I cut a couple of sessions short. I didn't put in the effort required. I always give my all. The tomorrow I'll start eating better sort of never really came. I knew I couldn't maintain the exact race fitness and weight I had from Kona for another 8 weeks but I still hoped I was carrying enough from Kona to get me through. It was a roller coaster ride for 8 weeks. Ups and downs and tears shed.
As much as I race and do triathlon because love it, I recognise I'm a high achiever. I race to goals I set myself and I wanted to win my age group and qualify again. I'm a competitive person. Competitive with myself mostly. I like pushing my boundaries and limits.
Busselton was a tough day out there physically, but also mentally, knowing I wasn't going to achieve them.
As they say hindsight is a wonderful thing and I was probably being a bit ambitious and asking a bit much of myself to pull off another good race. I'd had an awesome 18+ months with no real "off season" since starting this triathlon caper. I think it was worth the risk and although I didn't get what I'd hoped for I'm proud to have stuck it out and not giving up. I wanted to stop - A lot! But I didn't. I had some great on course support, from family, friends and fellow competitors. My niece and nephew were there watching too, and I didn't want to have to explain why I quit and didn't get a finishers medal for my nephew to take in for news just because I wasn't winning or having a good day. During the race I was so angry/annoyed at myself for not having the race I had hoped for. But I also I know I would have been more angry at myself if I had given up. A lot of mental lessons learnt for me from this race.
Anyway to the race itself...
Swim: I started way to the right. And that's where I stayed. Way too far!! I had a lot of open water and no feet to swim on. I also had a long swim to the first turning buoy but then made the same mistake swimming back in. I always breathe to the left so could see the jetty the whole way, but for some reason it was always so far away. I just didn't put myself amongst it like I should have. I knew I wasn't haven't a great swim. I just didn't "feel it".
I exited the water in 1:09:41. Only slightly slower than my Kona non wetsuit swim. Not happy. I entered the transition tent and it was super busy!!
Bike: Out on to my bike. My favourite leg, probably because it is normally my strongest. I spent the first hour being angry at myself for having such a bad swim. The plan today was to hold back a bit and save my legs a bit for the run. I still only work to perceived effort and was trying to watch my speed a bit knowing what I've raced previously. I knew I made a bit of ground on the bike but nowhere near what I normally do. Again I just didn't "feel it" and felt something was lacking the whole ride. Although I knew I wasn't going as fast I normally did, I felt I didn't have the power. Not to worry I told myself. I've got the run to go.
So 5 hours and 24 minutes later I was in to the next transition. A few less people in the tent this time! The volunteers as always were awesome. Sunscreen applied and off I trotted on to the run.
Run: And trotting I continued..sometimes I even strolled! I struggled for the first out and back section with a pesky cough that wouldn't go away. And then a toilet stop. One of my main goals for this Ironman had been to run a time I was happy with. It's frustrating me a bit coming from the running background and a sub 3hr marathon that I still can't run in to even a 3:30 something time. Hence the idea to hold back a little on the bike. But the theme of not "feeling it" continued and I now knew this day was well and truly over for me. I started walking the aid stations early to get nutrition in and just have a bit of a break. It kept me going seeing my family each time. I stopped and had a quick chat them on one lap when my niece and nephew weren't there. My sister went and got them for when I came back from the short out and back. High fives to them and off I went again. I saw one of the girls in my age group having a great race so I just yelled out to her each lap. It was nice to see at least someone I knew having a good day!! On my last lap I caught up to fellow GK Endurance athlete Jarrad at an aid station. We ran together (and walked) the last 8km. Sharing that last stretch with him would have been the highlight of my day - thanks Jarrad! It was so awesome to see him finish his first Ironman and achieve all his goals. I finished my run in 4:13:01.
Next up....Well firstly a lot of rest and recovery for the body and mind. It's been a big year. I'm under strict instructions to take the rest. It's hard though!! The first week was easy as I was so busy in Perth catching up with friends and family. But now back in Melbourne I'm finding I'm getting itchy feet. I snuck in an easy run, then told the coach after the run. I kind of knew I shouldn't have run. And as confirmed the feedback from the coach came, more rest still to be had...oops!! Take it while I can!
It's been a great journey this year and it's probably a good time to sit back and reflect what I've done. So two weeks post race and I've done just that. 2014 you were awesome!!! One bad race in my eyes isn't too bad, and as many people have said, you've got to have the bad ones to make the good ones good. My bike is unpacked now and I'm ready for an easy unstructured week of exercising.
I'm looking forward to 2015 now!! Thanks to CEEPO I have been afforded a great opportunity to race Strongman in Japan in April. Following that, I will race IM Cairns in June. If anything, not getting the result I'd hoped for in Busselton will give me a bit of extra motivation for my next one. I'm already pumped!!
As always..lastly but by far not least thanks to everyone - family and friends and coach Kate for your support and encouragement!!
Rego time.. hoping Brad doesn’t CRASH & BURN!
Last minute pep talk from the coach before heading home for lunch, rest and to get his gear and nutrition ready for tomorrow. We came back in around 3pm to drop of his bike and transition bags. This was weird and very unfamiliar and the nerves started to kick in then.. It was odd to pack everything into a bag and leave it there overnight, and even though we both looked at it a hundred times, the fear of forgetting something was lingering. Racking his bike and seeing ALL off the racks almost full with bikes was quite spectacular! 
Gear dropped off, bike racked and tyres let down.. then home to carbo load and get his tattoos on
Early to bed and surprisingly we both slept pretty well… even with the hill top hoods concert wafting across the darkness outside! 4am the alarm went off and we bounced out of bed and prepared ourselves for the day. Lucy decided to come with us to get Brad settled in transition and to be there while he waited.. and Jack was coming down later with Amanda to watch the swim start. The sunrise was beautiful … the sky filled with colour and light as people bustled around getting themselves into transition, nutrition on the bikes and tyres pumped up. Brad was pretty quick and came out and was quickly nabbed by a volunteer who started slathering him in sunscreen. 
The the special needs bag drops as well as his street gear bag before getting in his wetsuit and the walk down to the waters edge to watch the pro’s start and cheer on Kate & Guy. Lucy didn’t leave Brad’s side from that point. He was calm but very quiet. I could tell he was nervous but was fighting to stay relaxed. She just wanted to hold his hand and not let go.. 
And then they were called onto the beach.. We wished him luck and I watched him walked onto the sand and quickly got swallowed up by 1899 other competitors in a sea of colourful swim caps. At this point I was fighting tears and the nausea that was washing over me. I really wanted him to have a great day, and a good swim! First timers were asked to wave their hands and I searched for him with no luck,.. and then within moments the gun went off and they all took to the water in a mass of chaos, colour and splashing. 
Time to try to relax and get a coffee before heading around to the exit to watch the pros come in followed by the age groupers. It is really quite something to behold.. like the crest of a boat disrupting the water.. a wave of colourful caps and swinging arms, converging towards the shore along the side of the most spectacular jetty! Such an amazing thing to witness!
We spent ages trying to spot Brad.. studying every yellow capped person that exited the water and suddenly it was him! Way quicker than we all expected. 1:07:39 swim!! WOOHOO!!
Back home to wait, have coffee and breakfast. Lucy and I tried to time our trip back in to see him between lap 1 and 2 but we missed him by 1 minute
DOH! We hung around and watched the other age groupers and then finally the pros came in to start their run. It was HOT and the flies were RIDICULOUSLY relentlessly annoying… but we were having so much fun! The vibe was awesome! My phone was going flat fast from the over-checking I was doing of the tracker app I have. A little while after he hit the 151km mark, I wandered around to wait for him at the bike entrance. The wait wasn’t too long.. he was FLYING on the bike and it was great to see him smiling as he came off the bike and he looked strong as he made his way (via the loo) into the transition tent. Bike: 4:54:51 !!!! 
Brad’s folks had arrived and it was great that they were there to see him come out onto the run and cheer him on through the 4 laps of the course. It really is a sensational course for spectators as they loop past you 2 times each lap and I am sure it is good for the spirits of the competitors to have barricades lined with people cheering them on! I loved the energy of the people around me.. happy and positive mixed with weird nervous emotions. I must admit,waiting for Brad to return on the last 2 laps was tough.. wondering if he was slowing down because of pain or if he was still even moving forward. It was always such a relief to see his face and he was still grinning and looking strong, even though he was cramping up and struggling to hold his pace. 
It was beginning to get quite HOT! There was a slight breeze picking up which bought a little relief from the flies but we were all fading a bit from standing and waiting for so long. I am super proud of my (and Amanda’s) kids.. they stood there and cheered and clapped everyone who passed by. A few quick dips in the beautiful blue water to cool themselves down but otherwise they stood and endured (in our cool team kaye t-shirts!)! 
When Brad hit the last lap, we made our way around closer to the finish shoot. When he came into sight he gripped his arm and yelled out that he had 4 bands to us.. meaning he could head to the finish chute. We bolted across to the chute while he made his way around the back, and I dissolved into tears of pride and relief as I watched him run towards us and the finish line. 
As he ran past us, I tried to pull myself together and I must admit I giggled as I watched him jump up and high 5 the timing board. Run- 4:18:26.
Total Time-10:27 !!!! OMG! So proud!
After he hobbled to the car, we headed home for him to shower and get a well deserved beer! Our house was at the far end turn around point of the run course and we then sat on our balcony and cheered all the amazing competitors as they passed by, hoping to inspire them as much as they were inspiring us!
As the sun set and the glow sticks came out, we kept on cheering anyone who came past. I couldn’t help but reflect on what an amazing journey Ironman has been for our family and for Brad. Hours of training, juggling life, time, money, commitment, dedication and sacrifice.. but it was so worth it to see the sense of self fulfilment and pride on my husbands face. It is hard to explain the places that ironman takes you too.. highs and the lows.. It challenges your idea of what you might be capable of, what you can endure and what sort of “stuff” you are made of. Watching people bent over and hobbling but still moving forward towards the finish line was one of the most powerful things I have ever witnessed. Determination and self belief are challenged more than anything during this event and it is so inspiring to see people reach that finish line and celebrate their success over their mind and their bodies!
and signed up for IMWA 2015! (Holy crap!!!!) So it’s my turn to see whether I can conquer my inner demons and get myself to that finish line. Strap yourselves in for what I expect to be a LONG , possibly emotional and totally awesome 2015!