I'm back- Mandurah 70.3 - 21st October 2012

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but then again it has been awhile since I've raced and pretty much since my last blog in mid 2009 I have been to hell and back...

I might get into what has happened the last few years in a future post but for now let's keep in positive- I am back doing what I love, racing :)

Since studying for uni, in particular biochemistry I happened to stumble upon a life changing piece of information, which has appeared to have cured me somewhat of my mysterious cramping up in races and inspired me to come out of retirement where in typical Kat Baker style, I took it too far and worked up to 80hr a week for 4 different companies in various different jobs. Agh I just can't help myself. It was end of july and i decided i would just get back on my bike and make sure i still new how to ride, then August 1st i would follow a specific program i would write for myself, which i had been doing since the beginning of 2009 anyway. Port Macquarie 28 October looked like an achievable first race back. There was a slight problem though, back in September 2011 I had torn my Obturator Externus, on my last 'comeback' and it still wasn't healed, and would limit my running making Port questionable but possible, I decided to just keep it in the back of my mind as a possibility. As the race grew nearer I found out there was another race, Mandurah 70.3, the Australian Pro Championships none the less, which was Oct 21st, a week earlier. I'll do both. Again, a questionable decision, and I said to myself at least enter both then if there is any problems at least you'll have another to do as back up.

So against all odds and against what Brad Hisko- my awesome therapist helping me with my hip, would have said (I may have failed to ask him if I could race, I was only up to 20min of running at this stage), I got to Perth in reasonably good nic.

The Race
In the swim I did ok, definitely better than previous years. This I put down to my change of stroke in the month leading up. I came out in 5th just a bit behind Lisa Marangon who was slightly behind Annabel Luxford, Liz Blatchford and another ITU girl.
Onto the bike where unfortunately I did cramp up a little, preventing me from smacking it from the start but I got there eventually the cramps went away and I dug deep passing all the girls who had passed me while I was cramping up and all the girls who had beaten me out of the water. I was on fire, and it felt good.

Unfortunately i didn't pass the leaders until the end of the ride and I started taking my feet out of my shoes a little early, so the girls who had managed to stay with me (Blatchford and Marangon) passed me and got into transition first but I was right there with them but as I expected only having run 20min in the lead up they quickly ran away and I was passed by a few of the fast runners.. But on the
bright side I didn't do too bad, managed to hold onto 6th and ran a 1.36, with an overall of 4.19- one of my best! ( how does that happen???). I was back.