TT Hawaii Ironman Coverage 2011: Athlete Profile – Anne Maclean

Age: 41

Country Representing: Australia

Occupation: Personal Trainer

Is this the first time you have been to Kona?  

Yes, I’ve been competing in triathlon (sprint and half-ironman) for 2-3 years and thought I’d better attempt the ironman distance. I was only ever going to do one ironman just to tick it off the list. There were 2 qualifying spots in my age group and I came second, so here I am. 

Where did you qualify for Kona 2011?  

Taupo NZ in March of this year. Despite the rain, literally all day, I loved it! I was very composed and being my first ironman I decided I was sticking to my race plan/pacing and not making the mistake of going out too hard. In hind sight I may have raced a little too conservatively, but this allowed me to have heaps of energy left for the whole duration of the run, and I felt amazing when I crossed the finish line. With about 5k to go I thought I might be able to get under 11:00hrs and I picked up the pace as best I could, but couldn’t quite get there and recorded a time of 11:02.       

Tell us about your preparation for Hawaii.

My preparation for Kona has been a bit of a disaster actually. I rested for 6 weeks after Tapau and then was pretty keen to get back into training. Went along as planned for about a month and then came down with whooping cough. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do but let it run its course, which takes about 14 weeks! So I kept up with the training and after a big two week block was utterly exhausted and ended up with heart palpitations on two training sessions. End result was I was suffering from overtraining and have mild left ventricle hypertrophy, not uncommon really. I’d been working pretty hard as a personal trainer also, so it was all catching up with me. Cardiologist has given me the go ahead to still compete, so after 2 weeks off and having scaled back work commitments I am finally starting to feel much better. Still have the whooping cough, but think I’m due to be over it about a week before the race!   

What has a typical training week looked like for you in the lead-up to this event?

As per the above, my weeks have been very irregular. I haven’t been as structured as I was when training for Tapau, but lately I have been just making sure I get in the key sessions (ie. long ride, long run, bricks and a little bit of pace work). If I’m tired I don’t mind missing a session.

What excites you the most about competing at an iconic race like the Hawaii Ironman?

Being warm!!! I’m so sick of training during a Victorian Winter! It will be amazing to see the pro athletes out there on the course, especially Chrissie Wellington.

Is there anything about the Ironman in Hawaii that makes you really nervous? 

Without doubt, the swim. As soon as I get over there I’ll need to practice in the water. I’ve only ever swum in the ocean a handful of times.

What are your goals for the race?

To finish it feeling relatively strong and cross the finish line in front of my husband and 3 children. 

What are you doing to relax after the race? Are you planning on a holiday in Hawaii post Ironman?

Yes, can’t wait! We are going to America for a couple of weeks after which will be a family trip of a life time.

Tell us a little about your background?  

I’ve always enjoyed running, but had never done anything too much before. A friend convinced me to enter our local Shepparton sprint triathlon and I loved it, so it all snow balled from there. 

How have you managed to balance the training for Ironman with your other commitments such as work and family?

This has been the hardest thing for me. I hate going out basically all day on Sunday for the long ride. But apart from this most of my training is done early morning or during the week in between personal training sessions, so it doesn’t affect them too much. My husband is amazingly supportive and never makes me feel guilty about my time away. I am really looking forward to scaling back my training though.

Interesting Fact:

I couldn’t swim 3 years ago and even had a phobia about putting my face in the water. My first sprint tri was swum freestyle and breaststroke polo style (ie. head out of water)!

Thanks for chatting to us and best of luck for the race!

We look forward to catching up with you on the Big Island :)

Do you have a friend or family member who has qualified for Kona?? We would love to profile them! Please have them email michelle@getsetupinsport.com.au