Libby’s Point to Pinnacle story….
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
-Randy Pausch
Feb 2009 : Presented as a sleep deprived mum! “Chris, I want to reclaim my health and fitness, run 5k comfortably, enter a 10k fun run by April”
Aug 2009 : Presented as a mum on a journey….health and fitness a happening thing! Big ticks for 5k, 10k, and Gold Coast Half Marathon! “Chris, I want to do this run, it’s called ‘Point to Pinnacle’, it’s a 21.4k run up Mt Wellington in Tassie, I want to do it November 2010”
Dec 2010 : Presented as a mum who finished her first Gold Coast Marathon in July and the very proud owner of a “Point to Pinnacle’ finishers’ medal and t-shirt…’The only way is up’. “Chris, I want to do a half ironman, I just need to learn how to ride a bike and swim!”
I’ve been training with Chris for the past 22 months. I see Chris for PT and he writes specific training programs for me. All good fun!
My last event was the “Point to Pinnacle”. The event begins at Wrest Point Casino and the finish line is the Pinnacle on Mt Wellington, Hobart. For me, it was such an amazing event and captured much of why I love feeling so fit and alive, I thought I would attempt to share my story.
September 2010 : Point to Pinnacle Training Program begins! Whoo Hoo! Comprised of a reasonable amount of stair, hill, and soft sand sessions!! My weekly PT sessions with Chris dealt with all the strength and conditioning stuff. Chris knows his ‘stuff’ and his willingness to share his knowledge helped so much with both physical and mental preparation. Thanks for believing with me.
18 Nov 2010 – 20 Nov 2010 : Let the games begin! With family in tow…leave for Tassie. Our son vomits at airport…maybe from excitement, or maybe not! Ahhh, over the next few days, we all succumb to a tummy bug. Lucky for me, I have a good understanding of my own health and did my best to continue with my preparation for the big day.
21 Nov 2010 : THE BIG DAY! Felt fantastic (apart from the tummy bug symptoms still lingering). Physically, I can’t recall ever feeling so strong . Mentally, focused and ready. 15 months in the waiting….it was here ‘my day with the mountain!’ Over night the weather had a swap from warm to somewhat cooler. From the start line Mt Wellington was hiding behind a sea of clouds.
Ok, the countdown to the start begins, normal butterflies and we are off. A huge surge of excitement! They don’t lie in their advertising saying it’s all up hill, in no time at all you can feel the start of the climb. I also felt the side effects from the tummy bug. At the first water station (around 4.4k) I was feeling the pinch. It was decision time, do I ring my husband and call it a day or ‘just’ see what happens. Had a little cry and opted for the ‘just’ see what happens. After this water station, you begin to leave the gorgeous residential setting of Sandy Bay and enter that of a more picturesque natural environment.
I knew my pace had slowed up due to the sounds of the police escorts sitting right behind me! This was pretty hard mentally. Around the 10k mark the police checked in with me to see if I was ok. Something clicked, I was going to be ok. I had a new race plan happening in my head. I was taking in all of the beauty around me, the very cool mountain air, the eeriness of fog and the low visibility. The little goals I was setting myself kept getting ticks. After much of the first half of the race being alone, I was now once again with a group of competitors!
The km’s just kept creeping up along with the climb of the mountain! At the 16k mark, I had made the decision to ‘go for it’ at 17k if I was feeling strong. At this point, I knew I was going to make the cut off time ….hop skip jump or crawl! 17k and off I went for the final 4.4k. I’d won my own race. To put in to words is difficult. All I can say is I felt so alive!!
Preparation is definitely the key to competing in this event. My healthy eating, physical and mental training made it possible for me to design a new ‘race plan’ on the run!
The Point to Pinnacle half marathon is an amazing event. You’ll walk or run through some of the most beautiful landscapes. The event is capped at around 1300, it’s friendly, and the volunteers are lovely. It’s all uphill, weather conditions can pretty much be all over the shop …and that’s why I’ll be back in 2011!!
