the latest goings on with charlie paul

What?????

This year I’m taking some time off from racing. What?????
Yes, I’ve let all my sponsors know and they’ve been amazingly supportive, and I really mean they have been amazing! I have some goals outside of triathlon that I’d like to hit this year. It’s a very exciting time for me. For 7 and a half years I’ve been racing Ironman- I’ve completed 22 in that time! There’s not been a single moment in that time when I didn’t have a race goal to aim for. So this year there are no race plans. None at all.

It’s taken me 2 months to be motivated to train again- such was my schedule in 2009! But don’t get me wrong- 2009 was the best year of my life- but to race optimally-for me- I did too much. It was an experiment, and I guess I know I’m not going to be living the life of a Pro athlete forever, so I really wanted to give it a go. Just really see what I could do and put myself out there- you’ve got to be in it to win it right??

I’m loving life right now. Training is still happening, but much less- more like 15 hours a week rather than 25-30. I’m learning to surf and if the surf is good…then we surf instead! Training is enjoyable again.

My week still consists of 3 x swims per week, 3 x rides per week and now that Kristian- the crazy lunatic- has signed up for the North Face 100- a run every day! I’m also working hard on my core strength – which I think seriously let me down towards the end of 2009.
So I’m hardly sitting on the couch!
I really want to improve my swimming this year. I’m fed up of always chasing! I see no reason why I can’t improve if I really set my mind to it. I’ve been inspired by good friend Ollie Whistler who has transformed his swimming in the last year. So this year I’ll really be working on my stroke- and I think core strength will play a big part in body positioning in the water.

There are some goals in Ironman that I am still intent on hitting. A sub 9 hour finish, a sub 3 hour marathon split and a top 10 finish in Hawaii. Just smallies:) They will be put aside until 2011. This year will give me time to refresh and get me really hungry to come back.

I will be blogging more- since my brain won’t be so mushy from training, so do please keep dropping by!

Happy training

Charlotte

P.S what was the “ish”?? Because you can never say never:)

I have been seriously slack on the writing side of things… It’s time to get back into it. I have lots of news and ideas for articles…so time to attack them!
I’ve really spent January getting up to date with the bookkeeping for our business- and believe me it is still a work in progress!
Time to assign some time to this again before you all stop coming back- Please don’t!
So if there’s any topics you’d like me to cover- pls let me know…
And for everyone who has signed up to my newsletter- it’s coming…:)

Happy training
Charlotte

Happy New Year everyone!
I admit I was a lightweight by NY. I always get a bit over all the drinking and eating and by New Year’s Eve I’m a party-pooper! This year was no exception.
But my holiday started when Ironman Western Australia finished on Dec 5th…

not our usual race destination baggage

We flew straight to Bali from Perth- only 3.5 hours- and you are in paradise.
We were extremely fortunate to be staying at a friend’s luxury villa…highly recommended. It was our first trip in a very long time- perhaps 6 years, with no bikes! We also went offline for a week. Triathlon and work talk was banned and we totally unwound…

Love the Balinese day beds

I

did I tell you the Balinese food was AMAZING??

Kristian did some surfing here, and I had a lesson at Double Six, from a Kiwi guy named Marcy, he was fantastic.

Our sunset viewing point...

We were back on the Sunny Coast for Christmas and we had my parents over from the UK…

We finally settled on our land- so we had some bubbly on it to celebrate

building starts late Jan early Feb

My Christmas present- we also used it as our Christmas tree and put parcels underneath it

Christmas Day started with a trip to the beach...

...followed by French Toast made by Kristian...

lunch and playtime at the Gage's

followed by dinner in Noosa at the Granger’s brand new pad. All the usual suspects were there; it was a meeting of the McKenzie, Granger and Paul families.

2009 was one of the best years of my life. I raced in 6 different countries and competed in 5 Ironman and 5 Half Ironman races. The most I’ve ever done in one year. I admit it was too much-I probably could have missed one of each mid year. China took a lot out of me and I think I should have had an extended break after that. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! But it was an experiment, and sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t! In the haze of training and racing fatigue it’s sometimes hard to really see things as they really are. More on 2009 later…

I look forward to some new challenges in 2010 and a fresh start.
Best wishes to you all- I hope you all fulfill your goals and dreams.

Charlotte

I took this snippet from an article about Michael Phelps in The Weekend Australian.

I ask whether he ever doubts his own ability to achieve his exacting goals; that he might fail to prove his detractors wrong.
“If you are passionate about something, you are going to get there come what may,” he says.
“People say that I have great talent, but in my opinion excellence has nothing to do with talent. It is about what you choose to believe and how determined you are to get there. The mind is more powerful than anything.”

So true. This is what I have come to believe in triathlon.

Tim Berkel and I at the finish line…pic by Ben Wolstencroft.

Ironman Western Australia, Busselton 2009.

For the first time in 6 years, it was not my day in Busselton…

This was my 6th year in a row racing in Busselton. I’ve never had a bad race here, so I’ve come to consider this to be “my race”. It’s where I had my breakthrough as a Pro, coming 2nd in 2005, inspiring me to go after an Ironman win, which I finally did in 2007. In 2008 I returned as defending Champion and that too was an amazing experience. I wanted that “winning feeling” again, but in 2008 I had to settle with 2nd.

I love this race because it has taught me so much, and I’ve grown mentally and physically. It’s really special to me because of that. I can see how far I’ve come.

This time round I was at the end of very long year of racing. I raced 5 Ironman and 5 half Ironmans in 2009. It was a bit of an experiment, but also “living the dream”- To travel the world and race as much as my body would allow. I really wanted to race regularly and give myself the chance to see if I could back up and be competitive. I was excited to be having a break after this one. It’s hard to explain, because I felt really fit coming into the race, and not over-cooked at all. I was in great shape for an excellent race. I felt confident and excited to be racing on my favourite course, in my favourite race town! Busselton makes me feel like a celebrity.

I was enjoying the lack of pressure on my shoulders, but didn’t realise that it was perhaps to my detriment. I didn’t have the same burning desire to win. It’s crazy because there were plenty of reasons why a win would have been fantastic- the money alone! All I can say is that on the start line there are a lot of us that are pretty similar in ability and fitness and on the day the one who shines often just wants it the most. I think getting into the “zone” for the 5th time this year, and getting into the hurt box, was just too hard. I was telling myself “one more time”, “you can make yourself hurt for one day”. But my focus was shocking. I think I was in the zone for the first 20kms on the bike and then was off with the pixies! I had an awesome frame of mind prior to the race, but it deserted me somewhere out on the bike course. I still feel that physically I could have done it. I recovered really quickly post-race. But mentally I just couldn’t.

Lack of focus led to lack of concentration on the basics- taking notice of how I felt in regards to hydration…which led to a headache…towards the end of the bike I couldn’t get enough fluid in- I had a constant thirst, and that’s how I felt for the entire run, seemingly regardless of how much I put in. Heading out onto the run my time was still respectable. I was off the bike in 6:05. There were 3 girls ahead, 2 of whom were I think 6 and 7 minutes up the road, quite catchable I thought!

But Busselton was hot this year- damn hot! High 30s or 100f. The hottest year we’ve had there- made worse by no daylight saving this year for the first time too. We were all moving slower this year. There were 15 girls on the start list, but 5 DNS, and 4 DNFs. Makes me feel slightly better:)

So I didn’t catch any of the girls in front of me. I have to congratulate Christie Syms and Sarah Pollett who took 2nd and 3rd having breakthrough races. Gina was the only one to not get caught by the age group packs, so she rode strongly, solo all day. She won the race on the bike this year, and was deserving of the win.

One of my highlights of the day was running up to Tim Berkel, who was walking, on our 3rd and final lap. I asked him to run with me, and he said “I would if I could”…but not long after I passed him he ran up on my shoulder. I was happy to have company in my suffering, and I think he was too. Running along with Tim was hilarious! We passed a group of young girls, screaming “Woohoo Tim”, wearing “We love Tim Berkel” t-shirts. I asked him who they were, he replied “no idea!”:)

The last lap was like a victory lap, thanking everyone for their support- except for one thing- we didn’t win:) We crossed the line together, happy to be finished, emotional and disappointed all rolled into one.

Another highlight was seeing one of my good friends and training partner out there absolutely on fire. Stephen Gage did a 49 swim and then rode like a demon, to be one of only a couple of age group men to ride the whole day solo. He was the 2nd age grouper off the bike. Seeing him doing so well gave me a big boost. I didn’t know till the finish, but unfortunately gut problems struck him down on the run. He has a scary fast race just waiting to be unleashed! His wife Danielle completed her first Ironman, and hasn’t said “never again” as she predicted pre-race! Woohoo!
Another good friend and athlete to watch out for is Ollie Whistler! I knew he was going to have a great race, and he did before he collapsed unconscious due to dehydration:) At just 21 years old he has plenty of years to get it right, and look out when he does! It was awesome to see him mixing with the big boys.

So for me now its Christmas break. I spent a luxurious week in Bali, with no laptop, no training, no tri-talk- it was heaven! Now I’m learning to surf and enjoying a total break from triathlon until the New Year. I need to re-charge the batteries so that I can come back stronger. It’s a funny feeling- getting unfit- to eventually get super-fit- but it works!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cut loose and enjoy the holidays.

Charlotte

On race day Kristian will be posting updates from my twitter account;

http://twitter.com/CharliePaul

you can also click “follow me” from the home page of this website.

The updates are sure to be honest and passionate!

Thanks for watching

Charlotte

I can’t believe another a year has rolled around and I’m back in Busso.

I have a big smile on my dial. I have only great memories of racing here. This race is very special to me, and its been part of my schedule since the inaugural race in 2004.

This is where I achieved my first Ironman victory and the race that has inspired me to improve year after year.

So I’m back again!

Yes I want to win the title back. I also want the record back.- But I need to go slightly faster than that- I need to go sub 8:57:50 to reclaim the title I lost in 2007- as the fastest in our household. In 2007 I won my first Ironman in 9 hours flat, but my husband beat me for the first time ever and went sub 9.- What a prick:)

Kristian is happy for me to regain this title. He will be cheering from the sidelines this year, which will be a big advantage for me. It’ll actually be a very exciting day for Kristian as a coach. He has 12 athletes racing, and I think all are in fine form. As a spectator he’s known to be pretty vocal so look out for him under a TP Therapy white tent!

I’m also really happy that my parents have flown over from the UK to watch. I think this will be my Mum’s 3rd time to Busselton- it might be the added lure of the Margaret River wineries?? It’s a big trip for Dad, so I hope I make it worth his while.

I’m racer #32, and you can tune in for updates online at www.ironmanlive.com

Thanks for watching.

Charlotte

I'd been craving for one of these all trip- acai blackberry bowl- it's like a smoothie with toasted muesli on top, delicious.

The famous Waikiki Beach

I've never seen sooo many surfers in the water at once, and such little waves- but that's the beauty of Waikiki- perfect for beginners and longboards

We hired stand-up paddle boards and surf boards and I loved it. I haven’t tried to surf for YEARS.

Breakfast buffet at the Moana Surfrider Hotel, K and his Mum

View from Brekkie

my great posie for catching up on emails

Very cool Bike racks in Waikiki- and did you know each bike has to registered??

We drove around the Island on one day, first stop was Haleiwa

Haleiwa Cafe as recommended by Layne Beachley

We'd like one of these on our wall back in Aus one day...

My arty shot of the trip:)

K checking out the surfers at Haleiwa on the North Shore

Shark's Cove

Pipeline

Dreaming of one day learning to surf!

Our skin came off all week in sheets, it was disgusting

OK, one more arty one, this is another of my favorites.

The iconic Haleiwa sign

what the heck can I say about this one? I don't think my sunnies match the flower- or vice versa?

Shave Ice is a Hawaiian thang

My appetite post-Ironman takes a looong time to slow down!

Awwww now I regret that!

Somewhere on the North/East Coast?? I like this pic, shame about my finger!

Hawaiian sunsets are amazing

Who's that ugly mug?

K all proud that he fits into kids clothing and gets it at a steal!!

Our last evening in Waikiki and the colours on the beach at sunset were beautiful

K's Mum had been eying up this GINORMOUS carrot cake all week, and on the last night she bought some.

Photos, photos and more photos

K's turn to be arty

From this angle? K and his Mum

i like this shot

happy

last footprints on the beach till next year...

Mahalo Hawaii