Swimming: 4x (2hrs 42min) [7450mts]
Cycling: 4x (3hrs 24min) [95km]
Running: 5x (3hrs 49min)[24miles]
Totals: 9hrs 56min
Official Race numbers :
Swim segment 14.53 rank 31rd
Going into this swim I new from weather reports hat this park was going to be a little bit choppy. How choppy I didn’t know. To the gun and I was in the front group towards the left trying to avoid the washing machine effect and go hard. Approaching the first buoy MAN! panic attack the surf was so high I felt like falling from a roller coaster. I was on the feet of one of the kids of our national program and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how this 50pound little guy was getting trashed by the waves out there. I took quite a bit to wide last turn because of the currents and was no almost off course to the right which probably cause me a mere 20 seconds. I went hard the whole way and getting out of the water I was feeling great so far.
T1 0:31 rank 4th
Bike Segment (21.08km) 35.34 rank 21rst
Ran into my bike (which was at a perfect transition spot) helmet on, FLYING MOUNT and I was passing people struggling to put their shoes on like crazy. I attacked hard the hill out of transition and got into a nice group to keep the speed high. It was a one loop course with and inner circle inside so the turnouts where a little bit sketchy. I was holding a nice 40-41khr with a tail wind and 37khr into the wind the whole way and feeling strong. I didn’t even brought my TT bike and I was feeling quite good on my road bike without even clip-ons. I stayed on the drops and everything was ok. I did burn out a little bit in the last 5km but I decided not to panic, spin out some more my legs, take a gel and cruise in to transition, with a sketchy flying dismount I was off the bike.
T2 0:38 rank 20th
Run segment 25.06 rank 49th (ouchhh)
Here I just don’t know what to say. I’ve do the work I’ve put down the effort and it didn’t show up on Sunday. Perhaps I didn’t taper enough! As I was feeling very flat on my tune up short run on Saturday. But anyways I didn’t stop running, I tried coming home faster and even sprinted to the line with another competitor. One thing I wasn’t happy with was my attitude towards the end of the run I was OK with people passing me in the last km or so. This cannot happen I should try to fight and stay with them as long as possible. So once again I fail on the HTFU and mental toughness.
final placing 23rd/228
finishing time: 1:16:40
age group placing: 2nd
Notes: In a nutshell all I can say is that this week didn’t go nearly as I planned. I did reduced some volume and kept very little intensity trying to taper some and refresh going into the weekend’s race. Remember I thought I was doing the Olympic distance tri, so everything was done based on that. At the last minute all I could do was the sprint for some stupid reasons (mostly my fault) and I put little importance on this short race as a preparation and benchmark to where I stand regarding prep work for Augusta 70.3.
In this end this race proved to be all I need it. A RUDE WAKE UP CALL, I am not ready for and Olympic tri much less a half ironman race. Technically I hit this race perfectly my transitions were TOP 20 even compared to the ITU guys. In the water I proved to be OK, but nothing spectacular when you take into consideration the amount of work I’ve put into the water the last 2 months.Top 15-top 20 in every local race is my goal. On the bike , I was feeling strong! quite possible because of all of the crit style workouts I’ve done at the circuit just trying to hang on dear life to the wheels of the roadies.I was touching 25mph and feeling in control. Still stamina seems to be and issue because I feel like I died some in the last 3 km’s with the wind on my face. Run… well I don’t even know what to say. This have been my main focus this WHOLE year and It just doesn’t want to show up in race or workouts fwiw. I am running 5-6times a week. Long run currently at 11 miles with a medium run of 8. Shortest run @ 5 miles and improvement seems to be a long way away. On this race it was just more of the same, going hard out of transition almost to the point of puking and setting into a mediocre rhythm. Only positive I could say about this race is that almost when I thought I was about to walk my body got into “some” rhythm and I ran the whole thing.
At the end of the day I don’t know how to feel about the race, there seems to be a few positives but in reality compared to the amount of work and sacrifice putted into it, the results doesn’t make justice. All I know that the amount of work left to do in this 4 weeks going into Augusta are bigger than the Alps themselves and if I don’t make a turn for the good, this race would just be more of the same: a shuffle to the line.
