Trains, Travels

The quick race report is ever so slightly delayed by going back in to watch the final finishers. However here it is. It’ll be brief as it’s past midnight and I should try to get some rest.

I started off with a great swim. 0:58:04 is the official time which includes a short bit of running at least. I stuck to my guns on going into the swim with confidence, placed myself near the front and got stuck in. Had a pretty decent draft for a lot of it with a few sections on my own. Having been warned it could get a bit aggressive out there things were remarkably calm. I like the feeling of coming in and seeing a sub-1 hour time on the clock.

Out on the bike the goal was 5:05 and I got very close. Unfortunately a drafting penalty cost me a few minutes and I came in with a 5:07. Unsurprisingly I didn’t think I was drafting. I had got caught up with a small pace line with a couple of frustrating riders who would surge to the front only to drop the speed off massively. After a lot of coasting and backing off I went round and came to the front. Immediately another guy had followed me and sat himself on the front of me. Before I’d had chance to drop back I was told to pull over by a marshal.

Obviously I did and was told I know the rules and I know I shouldn’t be doing that. Given if we argue our time doesn’t start I said nothing. The thing is I don’t know exactly what I did that made him decide I was the person to punish in the group. I’d been riding clean as far as I was concerned. There were riders around me who definitely hadn’t.

Still it is what it is. After a few minutes i was back on my way and finished a lacklustre first lap. Somewhere around the 100K mark I ate a bit of chocolate Powerbar and the sugars kicked in (or something did anyway). From then on I hammered the bike. Despite the stronger winds I made up plenty of places and some good time. I was pleased to be so close to my target all things considered.

I felt great at the start of the run and knocked out the first few Ks far too fast. Rather than reign things in fully I decided to go with it and see what happens. The result is a very tough second lap! Again the wind seemed worse and certainly made the run out of town hard work. I kept pushing myself and trying to overcome the fatigue and pain in my legs. Ultimately I got back onto a solid pace for the last few kilometres and finished strong grabbing a few more places in the last 2Ks. A run of 3:19 didn’t seem that good though.

So overall time was 9:31:12 which got me 30th overall and with an incredibly stacked 30-34 field only 10th in my age group! Nowhere near the podium at this one! Happy with the time. Happy with the performance at this point in the year. It’s a good start and I’ll be working to improve on that by the time I’ve reached Kona.

It’s time I put things on the line in fact it’s over due. I know over the past month there’s been times I’ve not looked too focused or on my A game. I definitely suffered a little from confused motivations. Racing without needing to earn a Kona slot? Why? Fortunately I’m passed all that and ready to go.

Starting in the water my aim is to break one hour. I’m told that the swim here tends to be fast so hopefully that’ll prove true for me. Far more importantly I’ve put a lot of work in at the pool this past month and I’m seeing improvements. I should be taking those into the open water and that means a better swim. Put it this way, if my swim is slow I will be disappointed. Very disappointed.

I suspect I’ve been guilty of mental sabotage in the swim. Either psyching myself out or not taking the time to plan or visualise the race. I enter the water already expecting it to be tough and that one hour mark to be a challenge. This time I’m getting in that lake knowing that one hour isn’t a problem and that if I don’t make it I’ve done something wrong. No excuses!

The bike is an interesting one. I’ve something like six thousand more kilometres more in my legs since Busselton. A lot of those have been pretty hard. Recovering after Epic Camp, then building back into training in February was so thick with fatigue I honestly thought I had nothing on the bike. The last week or two has rebuilt my confidence.

I’ve seen some good riding in tough conditions. My heart rate appears lower for a much better power output than I’m used to. I’m feeling strong. The forecast is potentially strong winds and I’m happy with that. I’ve lived in Wellington for a few months, I know winds. If the bike is tough it’s going to work in my favour.

Given I’m expecting better power on the bike than previous races I’m aiming for somewhere in the 5:05 region. A very solid split and perhaps those winds will knock that on the head. Whatever happens I’m aiming to push hard and work myself the whole distance. This isn’t going to be a conservative effort. Let’s see what I can do.

Then the run. Training has been going pretty well, though not spectacularly. Just like cycling it’s only been in the last fortnight I’ve felt I was getting somewhere. Ironman pace is feeling comfortable again. The reality is I’m not sure if I’m capable of going faster than recent races, but believe I can go fast.

The aim is to run another 3:10 split. Conditions shouldn’t be as hot as the last couple of races which will work in favour of that goal. I just have to keep focussed on hydration, nutrition and good running technique. Hopefully I can pull out a decent run and close with a fast race.

Overall we’re probably looking at going 9:20-9:25 if I hit my targets. Achieving this should also make my age group podium, at least based on previous results. It does feel ambitious – potentially a tougher course than Busselton, but a similar time. If you don’t aim high…

As ever, we’ll see tomorrow and I’ll be sure to get a mini-report out as soon as I can.