Zurich is beautiful. The lake is crystal clear and the rolling green hills remind me of home. The perfect place to race!! We flew in and registered on the Friday. I was amazed at how commercialised the Ironman was. I’m used to relaxed, friendly Ultra running races that are organised well but you essentially turn up in a field or on a mountain and run. The Ironman takes over a city for the weekend and they build a village on the foreshore to sell products and make money!! I registered despite a bit of pushing from a fiesty Spanish guy and then went back to the hotel to rebuild my bike after the flight over. I was drinking and eating as much as I could to get my glycogen and hydrogen levels up prior to the race.

Saturday was bike registration day. I call it, “Mine is better than yours” day. Some amazing bikes on show and some serious money being thrown around. I racked my bike up in the transition area and put the raincoat on in case of rain overnight. With my bike racked, I was ready.

We woke early on Sunday morning and headed to the race start. It was 5am and I was listening to the theme song for Team Hoyt to pump me up. Emma was with me and looked more nervous than I was! She was going to volunteer for the day to get close to the action. I was just thankful to have her there…. I had a feeling I would need some care later in the day! Just before 6:30, I slipped into my wetsuit and began to warm up. I was amazed at the turnout. Over 2000 entrants!

I lined up at the start ready for a long day. This was it. The race I had watched and dreamt about since I was a kid in NZ, and now I was in one! The professionals left 5mins ahead and then the gun went for us. I sprinted out to avoid the washing machine of swimmers and I was thankful to get a clear run to the first bouy. I settled into a good rhythm and sat on fellow competitors toes to minimise me looking up and loosing energy. I cruised at about 85% effort saving energy for the other legs of the race. I pushed through the water steadily and when the finish of the 3.8 km swim leg approached I was pleased that I had caught some of the professional swimmers. I exited the water and headed for my bike. Emma was watching and screamed out my place – 44th overall including the pros. It was downhill from here though.

I rode out of transition and settled on a pace of approx 35kmh. I thought that was ok until the other competitors started to catch and not pass me, they flew passed me. I was shocked. I pushed on but being careful not to blow a gasket all the while, competitors were flying passed one after the other. After the 14km hill out the back of the course, I was starting to question my involvement and preparation. I pushed on and just tried to race my own race even though it was hard to do with so many people passing me. I was conscious of my race management and kept eating and drinking the whole way around. I was burning a lot of calories and knew I would “Bonk” if I wasn’t careful and then it would be hard to come back. I reached heartbreak hill which signalled I was close to half way on the bike so I kept the pressure on. Heartbreak hill is as close to the Tour De France as I would ever get. People lined the streets, cheering, clapping, bands playing music and the riders were single file up the hill as the crowds were so close to you. That was it – I was 90km of the bike in and time to get my head back in the game. The next 90km I focused on my bike leg and got my head right for the marathon than was about to come. I groaned and grunted my way around the course feeling happy everytime I passed another competitor which was few and far between. After 180km on the bike, I was ready to give my bike away! I racked it, strapped on the running shoes and got to the marathon run leg!

It was at this time it started to rain. I was pleased to be off the bike and the rain refreshed me. I was averaging under 5min km’s and I knew Emma woud be on the course supporting me. A friendly, loving face was what I needed when the going was this tough. The first lap was easy, the 2nd became tougher and then the last 2 laps of the run were “block it out of your mind” hard! I was eating and drinking at every aid station and in between I was trying to sing tunes to myself to block out the time. I find marathons easy but on the back of a hard bike and and swim, this was tougher than I imagined. I ran, walked, crawled through the run stage until I hit the blue carpet of the finishing shoot. That was one of the happiest moments I have ever experienced! One of the toughest races and one of my childhood dreams now complete! I hobbled over to the medal table and then saw Emma out of the corner of my eye. I hobbled over and hugged her almost in tears from the physical, mental and emotional strain. I was done! Time for a beer with Albi and Amry and my chief supporter – Emma. After burning 10,000 calories in a day, I deserved a beer and pizza!

3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2 run in 11 hrs 42mins. 600th or so placing. Not a great time but not a bad time. I’m not a cyclist and the arrogance, materialistic nature of triathlons has made me realise how much I enjoy ultra running races. Back to the crazy running events for me with a few open water swims thrown in for good measure. Open spaces, with friendly competitors and an over ambigious running goal – that’s living!

We arrived in Paris on the Saturday morning and headed straight to the Expo to get registered. The nerves were setting in for Emma but the sun was out and the race was set to live up to the previous years experience. After a quick sleep in the afternoon and an early meal with our friend and fellow runner Sean, we hit the sack to get ready for the early start.

We woke early, got dressed and fed and then it was off to the start line. Thankfully we were staying close to the Arc De Trimphe so it was a short walk to the start line on the Champs Elysee.  With 40,000 competitors registered, it was worth getting there early. Emma and I started in the same group to ensure we could run the whole way along. I was the mule carrying her Gu and carbo shots so I had to make sure I was there from the start.

With the faint sound of the starting gun, we started to shuffle forward. We crossed the start line, pressed start on the Garmin and we were off. Emma set off at a cracking pace which carried all the way down the hill and passed the Louvre. After a quick loo break in Starbucks, we carried on our way weaving in and out of the other competitors keeping a steady fast pace. I tried to pull Emma’s pace and save her energy for later in the race but she was too excited and pushed on through the 10km mark, through the 15km mark and up to the 20km mark. We were on pace to do under 4hrs which is a a great time for Emma who has done limited training.  Every 45 mins we had a Gu or some shot blok electrolytes and drank water at every station. I was worried the pace from the early part of the race was going to come back and haunt her.

At 30km we were still running strong but at 32km, Emma hit the wall. In fact she face planted into it. She lost all her energy, her legs started to cramp and then she started to panic. It was the first time she had felt this feeling and it was a huge shock to her. I fed her Gu’s and Jelly Beans to get her glycogen levels back up and tried to get her to push on. She was really struggling though and I thought it could be the end of the race for her. She is one tough cookie though and her will power made her push on no matter how slow we had to go. 10km may not seem a long way to some but when you’ve hit the wall, 10km feels like a marathon in itself. She was close to breaking down and her legs just weren’t responding. We pushed on, slowly but surely. By 35 km she was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She knew it was again possible for her to finish.  Run a few hundred metres then walk for a while and then repeat.

At 37 km she was through the wall and we could run for longer periods of time. The pace was a lot slower and a lot of people were passing us but the fact that the finish line was in sight made her keep going – one foot in front of the other. After 41kms the crowds were thick and the finishing line celebration could be felt in the air by everyone. I too was looking forward to the finish line but not as much as Emma. We rounded the final corner and headed for the finishing banner. She put a huge smile on her face and we crossed the line together in a great time of 4hrs 15mins. I was so proud of her for sticking with it and pushing through to the finish. She’s one tough cookie and she loved it! She now wants to do another one… this time she’ll train for it and see if she can go for her original goal of 3:30.

I hydrated, I ate, I rested. I was ready for this one. I had a plan and I knew I would succeed. Luckily this time I had a mate (Mark Power) entered in this one to help me pace and complete the event.

We set off early for the start line making sure I had all my gear and plenty of time to loosen the muscles before the start. Emma was entered in the 10km race which started later so it was nice to spend some time chilling out before the race.

We started off on the flat coastal path which quickly lead to the hilly coastal sections. Mark and I kept a steady pace to save energy for later in the race. We chatted and tried not to get too excited with our running speed.  We continued like this all along the Seven Sisters admiring the white cliffs and dramatic drop off with no barriers. Best to keep clear of  the edge of no return.

The sun started to come out and it started to heat up. Pleasing most of the runners. Power and I kept on running, pushing the struggles of the week and mental tiredness to the side. Legs getting tired, and time ticking away – we were both searching for the finish line. Unfortunately the hills didn’t stop. There was little left in the legs and the jelly baby fuel and Gu was beginning to test our taste buds!

After almost 5hrs of running, we hit the finish line. Exhausted, mentally drained but happy. We had done it. I had made up for my failing in Devon. I ended up 27th out of 155 in a time of 4:47. Seems like a long time for a marathon but it shows how tough the hills were.

A successful race with Danny, Andy and Nessy all completing the Half Marathon and Em completing the 10km race and Mark and I completing the marathon. The afternoon was reserved for food, beer and watching the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat race. A perfect way to finish off the day.

Next stop – Paris Marathon.

We got down to Devon on the Friday night after another hard week at work. After a disjointed sleep in an uncomfortable bed, I work early with fire in my belly. Emma drove me to the start line where I was able to register and do my final prep. I wrapped up warm as the sun was shining but there were rain clouds in the air and the sea breeze chilled everyone. I was ready to start the race and boy was I pumped to get out there.

We started on the flat and quickly got introduced to the South Devon hills via a trail that lead from the road. We crawled our way through the trees and mud to one of the most spectacular coast lines I have ever seen. The path was extremely muddy which made it difficult to get a good rhythm. I climbed up the leaderboard using the fire in my belly to fuel my pace. This was to be my downfall later…

With ipod in, I kept weaving my way along the coastline all the while my legs were getting heavier and heavier. The pace I set at the beginning of the day had meant my legs were in danger of cramping. I managed to get to the 32km mark when my calves and quads gave in and locked up. I couldn’t move the cramp was that bad. I literally had to lie on the ground for 5 minutes to get the lactic acid to dissipate. That was it… my race was over. My legs were completely gone. I hobbled back to the start / finish area completely deflated. My eagerness to get out and race and my under preparedness had meant I had failed to complete the race. My Coastal Marathon completion would have to wait till the Sussex race. This time I won’t fail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

So the real question is – who are you? How do people perceive you and how do you want people to perceive you? Moreso,  how can you affect one’s perception of you?

Connections. Connections rule the web. Whether you are a business wanting to be connected to other businesses or a person wishing to connect with like minded people – the whole web runs off the principle that everything connects. Google even helps promote sites on their search engine results pages based on the connections or links they have with other sites. Linkedin and Facebook have created business models out of people connecting.

Connections forms the first part of your reputation. Who does this person know and who are they associated with? What information is shared with the world just because you are connected. I can be connected with people in my industry from a professional stand point allowing people to see my field of work. I can be connected with businesses and online shops where my profile of purchases is retained in a database. I can be connected with old and new friends on social media sites allowing people to see who I mix with and in a lot of cases – what I do when I mix with those people. Do I play sport and if so, what sport. Do I socialise in bars and where. Do I play board games, play music or even dress up in medieval dress – your interests and interactions are now more than ever out in the public domain.

The second building block in your reputation is what your connections say about you. Do they recommend you on linked in, do people tag you in photos on facebook and write comments on your wall, does amazon recommend books to you based on your purchase history and connections with their sellers.

The third building block is what you say about your connections. Do you tag your friends or write comments on their wall? Do you recommend people on linked in or write book reviews on amazon? Do you write hotel reviews, publish blogs about your views, participate in online forums.

Although a lot of the sites that house your connections are disparate – it is becoming increasingly easier to find that information about anybody and for people to form opinions based on their preception of who you are.

I believe social media and web 3.0 is going to increase the web’s openess making it easier for everyone to view your connections. Even now there are packages like seesmic where you can aggregate your twitter and facebook accounts to control the flow of information from you or about you.

Remember – the 3 keys to Online Reputation Management are:

1. Monitor where information about you is found
2. Analyse what people are saying or how people are perceiving your comments
3. Influence – write, write, write. The more you write and get your ideas out there, the more influence you will have on people’s perception of you.

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