|
|
Xtri Chats With IM China Champ, Charlotte Paul
By Betsy Delcour
4/24/2009 |
|
|
Last weekend's Ironman China has entered the books as one of the toughest - if not THE toughest - M-dot event that's been held. With temperatures soaring to a reported 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and steamy humidity, the race became a battle for who could finish. And not many did - hundreds of athletes would drop out, or collapse, before reaching the finish line. Charlotte Paul, however, not only made it first across the finish line for the women, she managed to pull out the fastest marathon of the day overall in 3:35:44. We spoke with Charlotte about how she managed her nutrition during race week and on the day, what's it like being married to her coach, and what's ahead for her this season...
Hi Charlotte, and congratulations on winning IM China!! What was your strategy during this race – did you go into it with the goal of winning? And when did you realize the race was yours?
Thanks Betsy. I definitely went into this race wanting to win. And I guess not just wanting it, but feeling really determined to go after it. I knew it was going to be a tough race in terms of my competition. Edith Niederfriniger I think is very similar to me across all 3, and I knew Tereza Macel was on form after a strong race at the Singapore 70.3. Then there was Hillary Biscay, Mariska Kramer-Postma and Kim Loeffler too...we totalled 5 past Ironman Champions.
Tereza flew on the bike, and I was 16 mins down starting the run. But as I came in on the bike, the course follows the first 10km of the run course. I caught sight of Tereza walking. This gave me a huge boost, and I didn't give up hope. The run was incredibly hard especially in the first 10kms, the heat was just so intense, like nothing I've ever experienced. Just running was an effort- forget what pace- just running. So I concentrated on just that- keeping on moving forward. I was breathing like a train considering I was going so slow. In that first 10kms I made up 10 mins on Tereza and was only just behind Edith. At this point I thought I could catch them. I really didn't let myself think about the win until I was at the 30km turnaround, and I could see there was no one coming to get me. Even still, I was so conscious of not cramping, or dehydrating that I remained really focused the whole way to the finish.
From what I’ve read, it sounds like the weather was cooler in the days leading up to the race, then we all know what happened on race day. How did you cope with the river currents, and then the oppressive heat? Did you adjust your nutrition/hydration plan on the fly? If so, how did your intake compare to a normal Ironman?
Race day was a real shock since the forecast was max 34 and storms! So totally unexpected for it to be so hot.
I didn't cope too well with the river currents! I chose a terrible line on the first lap, but was wiser on the second. It was a very technical swim, and really seperated the strongest from the weakest.
I think my ability to recognise that the heat was going to affect my performance, and my adaptation of pace, nutrition and time expectations was the key to my success.
The heat wasn't too bad for me on the bike, but I did notice after the first lap that I hadn't peed, and was starting to feel a bit "off". I needed to drink more. Until that point I was getting a 500ml water bottle at every aid station- every 30 mins. So I started slowing down at the aid stations and grabbing 2 bottles each time. I also started pouring water on my head- absolute heaven. I chose to wear a non- aero helmet and am very glad of that decision.
Onto the run nutrition was paramount. I just made sure that I took on whatever liquid was on offer, and as much as I could each time.This was no time for being choosy! Most people were stopping for aid and so they weren't really prepared for anyone trying to run through the stations- so I just had to grab whatever I could. I was taking about 2gs of sodium per hour in the form of salt sticks, and made sure I had my High5 gels in small amounts- because I knew my guts would be more sensitive.
Compared to a normal Ironman I drank much, much more all day, and took more electrolytes on the run. Normally there's margin for movement in your plan. But in this race you had to be super diligent. There was no room for slacking off. I felt totally on the edge.
When traveling in a different country for a race, how do you handle race week, as far as staying relaxed and eating familiar foods? Do you pack a lot of familiar foods with you? Do you have any pre-race rituals to keep you calm mentally?
I was really lucky to meet a great bunch of age group athletes from Melbourne and have them to hang out with and keep relaxed. I went alone, but never felt alone. With the astronomical excess baggage charges these days I had to pack super light. So all I really had from home was some High5 protein powder, and a couple of sports bars.
The hotel had lots of choice and Western food, so I was fine. I didn't eat anything that I wouldn't usually, and stayed away from tap water, ice, seafood and ate solely in the hotel. You're not going to get your usual tucker, so a part of staying stress free is just accepting that and going with the flow.
Hmm...pre-race rituals would be having a great book to read- something inspiring- this time it was Michael Phelps "no limits'. It was Kristian's recommendation. One great point that I thought about during the race was, W.I.N, what's important now- staying focused on the moment.
These past few months, you’ve been part of a crew of world-class athletes training together in Noosa – people like Belinda Granger, Hillary Biscay, Luke McKenzie, Amanda Balding (who won IM China 70.3), and members of the Dresdner Kleinwort team, among others. Was this planned, or did everything just fall into place? How has training like this affected your fitness?
I guess like attracts like. I think Noosa has been this way every summer, but more so this year. This wasn't planned for us, just an added bonus, since we're now living here permanently. Most of the pros have taken off now for the North American or European summer, but I hear the Kiwis are coming before Hawaii- for them it'll be hot:) To be honest I didn't do too much training with any of them. I did some group rides where everyone would turn up- and I'd work my butt off to not be dropped, and the Sunday arvo "recovery" swim/smash fest! For me it was more the motivation I got from seeing them training. It's inspiring to be around successful people and I loved that. When Luke and Belinda won Malaysia it was an awesome buzz for us all here.
You’re married to ironguides coach, Kristian Manietta. What’s it like having your husband as your coach? How do you balance your relationships as husband-wife and coach-athlete?
Interesting at times!! Lots of people wince at the idea. But for us it works really well. I just recently persuaded a good friend to try letting her husband coach her, which she had ruled out as "divorce material". The pluses are that he knows me better, wants me to succeed and believes in me more than anyone else. He sees me day in day out so can see how I am responding to the training. And I trust him implicitly. Our personalities are very much opposite, so we fall into our roles easily. When I had my first breakthrough race it was an amazing feeling of "we did it", and since then a win is a win for both of us. The husband/wife relationship gets a few hours per week! Probably not much balance right now, but that's not the goal.
In the past couple of years, Kestrel has been making a comeback of sorts into the tri world, sponsoring you, Dede Griesbauer, Michael Lovato and Pip Taylor, among others. The Airfoil in particular looks different than a typical bike – what’s it like to ride?
The Airfoil is awesome to ride. I was riding the last model before I was sponsored by Kestrel, so it was me who approached Kestrel as my first choice of sponsor. My new Airfoil Pro SE is stiffer and lighter than the last one. The Airfoil is no less stiff due to the missing downtube and there's less wind resistance from cross winds due to less surface area. For me being vertically challenged (5ft 3) this bike is a great fit. I ride the 47cm frame, with 650 wheels, and with the super short head tube length of 7.6cms I can get in quite an aggressive aero position which is very comfortable.
It's exciting times for Kestrel, and it's great to be involved in their comeback. They're bringing out a new TT bike this year which looks hot! and is smashing it in the wind tunnel.
Of swim/bike/run, which is your weakness and which is your strength? How do you address these in your training?
The run is my strength, and what comes most naturally to me. If I’m less strong at a discipline then it becomes a challenge to improve it- and I enjoy that challenge. And you know even though the run is my strength it also has room for improvement. So I'm continually working on all 3. With ironguides, I'm getting more quality work done, because I'm able to tax some systems, whilst allowing others to recover. I don't have days off or easy weeks, or feel I need to, since my recovery is built into my training. The greater quality of sessions consistently really adds up.
How do you spend your time when you’re not training and racing? What non-tri-related past times do you have?
I hate this question because I'm going to sound like a norman-no-life outside of triathlon. I help Kristian with his other business, TP Therapy Australia, which is growing at a rapid rate. I try and always be doing some kind of learning, whether it's the mental side to racing or running a small business, sales, marketing etc. After that I don't have much time or energy for anything other than reading, watching dvds or catching up for coffee with friends. One of my favourite things to do on a Sunday morning is to go to the farmers market in Noosa, and go for brekkie after.
What’s in store for the rest of the season and what goals do you hope to accomplish?
It's a big year for me. I'm racing more this year than I have before, mainly because the training I'm doing with ironguides is allowing me to. My main goal for 2009 is to run a sub 3 hour marathon, on the back of my best swim and bike. When I achieve that, I should reach all my other goals for the year.
My big races will be: Quelle-Challenge Roth, Philippines 70.3, Hawaii World Champs and Ironman Western Australia.
Charlotte
www.charlottepaul.blogspot.com
www.charliepaul.com
Thanks to all my sponsors for their support;
ironguides Australia and Global
TP Therapy Australia and USA
Scody
Kestrel
BioCeuticals Sports Supplements
Nike
3T
Blue Seventy
High5
Tri Travel
Zipp
Timex
Oakley
Photos
1. With Hillary Biscay post race
2. At awards with Ben Welsh, Gabrielle Kopke and Dave Hathway.
3. My special new transition towel
4. My husband and coach Kristian Manietta.
|
| Back to Listings |
|
