Preparation: This season, the first with a coach, had seen me take a huge leap forward. From battling to finish inside the top 10% overall and top 5 in AG, I had gone to pushing for top 20’s (out of 1000) in my local races and winning my AG in almost every race I did. About two months out from nationals I was starting to get very burnout, the explosion in the level and intensity of the training I did was not only testing my body (physically) but also mentally. At the Geelong Triathlon (also an AG World Champs Qualifier) I put out the most insipid performance imaginable. For the swim and the bike I just couldn’t mentally get myself to hurt, I just didn’t want to be out there. Fortunately I had a very very good run (mainly running on anger), but the clear lesson was that I needed a break from racing.
Its is incredible what a few weeks off racing can do! I was putting in some really good consistent volume (and heaps on intensity) hence training in the lead up had been decent. Yet going back to college had thrown a spanner in the works, it meant that I instantly got sick, missing about 5 days of training in the last 5 weeks leading up the event. You can imagine the effect 150 horny new first years running around sharing diseases with each other did to the overall welbeing of the college residents.
Not gonna lie Tapers are a #^&@&# Horrible! From Saturday till Thursday during the week leading up to Mbah I don’t think I’ve ever been so grumpy. Taper was timed perfectly though, body was crying out for rest. Will be spending my off-season re-building bridges with friends ;)
Swim: 22:5xx (included T1) Positioned myself perfectly at the swim start, front row at the far right. No amount of pushing or shoving was going to move me from there. Made a conscious effort to really smash myself in the first 100-200m of the swim, as I had been stuck pulling a pack along at my last OD race. The swim was in the 24c ocean waters of Mooloolaba, I liked not having to wear a wetsuit, saved 15mins of me swearing loudly at the race start trying to get the bloody thing on. The Kiwami Amphibian (which I’ve been racing in for two years) was awesome, super fast and comfortable. Splurged on a new one in the leadup to the race as wanted a very tight fit. Assumed my usual position of MOP mediocrity in the swim and swam on the feet of someone in an all white trisuit for the whole swim.
Swim: 22:5xx (included T1) Positioned myself perfectly at the swim start, front row at the far right. No amount of pushing or shoving was going to move me from there. Made a conscious effort to really smash myself in the first 100-200m of the swim, as I had been stuck pulling a pack along at my last OD race. The swim was in the 24c ocean waters of Mooloolaba, I liked not having to wear a wetsuit, saved 15mins of me swearing loudly at the race start trying to get the bloody thing on. The Kiwami Amphibian (which I’ve been racing in for two years) was awesome, super fast and comfortable. Splurged on a new one in the leadup to the race as wanted a very tight fit. Assumed my usual position of MOP mediocrity in the swim and swam on the feet of someone in an all white trisuit for the whole swim.
T1: T1 was a bit of a disaster. Grabbed my gel flask (1st Endurance EFS Shot) and shoved it (as usual) down the front of my trisuit. Was just about to hit the mount line when I was told that I needed my race number (even though we were told in the briefing it wasn’t mandatory on the bike). Fortunately my rack wasn’t too far away, I still had a 50-60m roundtrip to get it. In the haste of that my flask popped out, I didn’t even realise it until 10mins into the bike when I went to grab it. Hence I did the whole race on about 300mls of water.
Bike: 59.16 Was very isolated during the first portion of the bike; however felt awesome and (tail-wind assisted) absolutely smashed it for the first 15ks, think I averaged mid/high 40s. Just after the turnaround I caught ‘the pack.’ Frankly the next 5-10ks were like an ITU race, just ridiculous, worst culprits were the 16-19AG guys who (by the looks of it) normally race draft-legal, it was frustrating as I was clearly one of, if not the strongest person out there on the bike. Fortunately some TO’s came up and handed out heaps of yellow cards (three guys who finished ahead of me in my AG were disqualified after the race, presumably for not stopping at the penalty box). Last 10ks was back to normal, concentrated on not being taken out by some AG’ers (some seriously interesting bike handling skills out there…….not that I can talk). With 3026 individual finishers the bike was to say the least very congested. The danger came from passing people, especially the BOP’ers. Was dissapointed that some people told me to F-off when I asked them to move to the left so I could pass. People need to relax and smile, jeez if Chrissie Wellington can win Hawaii whilst being happy, I’m sure any of us Ag’ers could be a little more freindly.
I have a love/hate relationship with the mount/dismount line….mainly hate. At a local triathlon in Benalla I suffered the ignominy of having a very embarrassing crash whilst trying the flying dismount. Fortunately the only thing bruised/injured was my ego. Than a few weeks later racing another local Draft-Legal race I lost any chance of making the front group (was an enduro with a 200m opening swim leg) my flying mount was so aggressive my left shoe decided to make a runner, hence I had to backtrack 50m’s to grab it, put it on and then pedal off with the lead pack well into the distance. Hence for nationals, I went back to the mega-newbie mount dismount/mount…..it wasn’t pretty.
Run: 38.10 Been smashing the run in training and really thought I could improve upon my 36:46 pb (which was on an equally hilly course). Went out well over the first 4ks, holding high 3:30 pace (which was the aim), but I think a combination of smashing myself on the bike and having zero calories for the whole race caught up and I slowed significantly, getting re-passed by people I blew past at the beginning of the run. Doing more OD’s makes it mentally easier getting through the run, yet at the same time it makes you realise how hard you can really push….body wasn’t in a happy place. The course was very hilly, either going up or down the whole way (not sure which one was worse), most of the top guys in my AG came off the bike within 1-2mins so in essence it turned into a running race. It was so annoying I dropped my nutrition, with the high humitidity and the temperature (27-8 degrees celcius) I really think it cost me a good run. The gap to 3rd in my AG and 15th overall was exactly 1 minute and first in my AG and 7th overall was just over 2mins, without my disasterous T1 I think I could’ve pushed for a podium.
Result/Time: 2:02.53 5th in AG (out of 85) and 30th Overall (out of 3026)
Recovery: Post-race recovery was 2 beers, epic amounts of vomit and bed all before 10pm.
Very pleased with the result, the goal was to get myself a spot on worlds and that’s what I did. There would be no way I would even have considered going 2:02 last year (even in September my 5k PB was 18:20 and 1k pool swim 15:20). My OD races since Feb ‘11 have been: 2:17, 2:11, 2:10, 2:06, 2:02. Sub 2hrs at Auckland would be awesome (although I hear its a hard bike course).
