Started this yesterday, but only finished it this evening and decided it was still worth posting :-) ... Hope it is...
I’ve felt moved today to write something in response to one of the major news stories currently filling our papers and TV screens. Whilst the Middle East tears itself up in revolution, we find ourselves oddly miss-focussed on two young sportsmen –Mr Cole and Rooney- and contemplating their recent behaviour.
For simple contextualisation purposes, Ashley Cole, the Chelsea and England defender is currently having to explain how and why he ended up shooting a young work experience kid with an air riffle, at the Chelsea FC training ground. Wayne Rooney, also an England international has been somehow cleared of a clear-as-day act of violence in Saturdays game with Sunderland (?) where he is shown to deliberately elbow an opponent without any obvious justifiable (if there could ever be) motive.
But I don’t want to talk so much about the actual incidents themselves, but more the bigger picture that surrounds it all. Whilst out on my long run today, I was thinking about these things and also the reasons why I myself, do what I do as a professional sportsperson. What's the reason… and I wonder what would be the answer Mr Cole and Rooney would give to this question.
The irony of these two news-hitting incidents is that for all the criticism and “outcry” that we see and hear from the papers and the public, come tonight when Chelsea play Manchester Utd (and both players are allowed to play) there will be nearly 80,000 fans cheering… dare I say it… worshiping these same two men regardless of their personal misdemeanours. Should it strike us as surprising therefore when people in their position do such things when the long term response they get is adoration and love. The perception of the reality of all they have is clearly lost… and it's easy for “us common folk” to sit back and point at them, criticising; yet are we any better? To what end do we do things, what's the reason and how morally superior do we stand up to them? It's easy for us to say “they don’t know what they have” and accuse them of being ungrateful and abusing their privileged lives, but are we so different ourselves?
In the pursuit of “idols” we can all too often I think, find ourselves doing things we try to justify or even choose to ignore and accept as “wrong”; and yet in the grand scheme of things how important are those things that we pursue, crave, follow… live for…worship? I know the word “worship” might seam alien to many, but when we ask ourselves do we sacrifice time, money, friends or family in order to get these things, or for these people? This ‘thing’ might be money, status or clothes; or these people might be spouses, celebrities or sports-people. Either way if the answer to those questions is ‘Yes’, then worship is maybe not so misappropriate a word to use.
Providentially the book I’m currently reading struck me with some quite hard hitting things on this very subject today. It's called “Don’t waste your life” (By John Piper) and here follows a short exert from it that brings some sobriety to some of the things in life that we all end up placing value on, yet find it all too easy to criticise others when they fall:
“At these moments, when the trifling fog of life clears and I see what I am really on earth to do, I groan over the petty pursuits that waste so many lives – and so much of mine… it is like a multi-layered dream world of insignificance expanding into nothingness…
[Contemplating the immense courage and sacrifice of World War II]… I cannot make peace with the petty preoccupations of most [modern] life. Reading [one] story I wanted to speak to every youth group in America and say ‘Do you want to see what cool is? ...Well listen up about Jack Lucas.
He’d fast talked his way into the Marines at fourteen… assigned to drive a truck in Hawaii, he had grown frustrated… stowed away on a transport out of Honolulu.
He landed on D-Day [at Iwo Jima] without a riffle. He had grabbed one lying on the beach and fought his way inland.
Now on D-Day+1, Jack and 3 comrades were crawling through a trench when eight Japanese sprang in front of them. Jack shot one of them through the head. Then his rifle jammed. As he struggled with it a grenade landed at his feet. He yelled a warning to the others and rammed the grenade into the soft ash. Immediately, another rolled in, Jack Lucas, seventeen, fell on both grenades. “Luke, you’re gona die,” he remembered thinking…
Aboard the hospital ship Samaritan the doctors could scarcely believe it. “Maybe he was too damned young and too damned tough to die,” one said. He endured twenty-one re-constructive operations and became the nations youngest Medal of Honour winner – and the only high school freshman to receive it.”
Now whilst that might not straight away seam like it has anything to do with football, or celerity status and lives… or you and me; I feel it actually has all too much to say to us all. As John Piper put it, can we ourselves make peace with the “petty preoccupations of most [modern] life”? How much time do we ourselves waste on things that serve no purpose, or that often actually have underlying damaging implications? Just because my mistakes aren’t so publicly shown and commented on, does this mean I should be any less prudent with the choices I make and the things I do? I would suggest not. Trust me, it's something that’s becoming more and more weighty in the choices I make and hope it will help me to ensure as many as possible are good and purposeful ones.
How easily we can read a gossip magazine and tear apart someone else’s lifestyle and ironically see no fault on our part for doing this. Or how readily do we pay extortionate sums to attain a possession we deeply crave or “need” without a moment of guilt for the selfish use of the money that could have so easily transformed the life of an earthquake victim, or Aids orphan.
This might seam like a pretty big and deep subject for my blog here… but this is what's been going through my head today as I’ve trained. It's certainly spurring me on to try and ensure I don’t waste my life and the gifts I’ve been given. I want to try and use what I do in sport to serve a greater purpose. I hope and pray that every decision and action I take towards this end won’t be wasted and that I too, won’t get caught up in petty preoccupations… or just as bad, pointing the finger at others who might – there might just be a big plank of wood in my eye while I’m criticising the spec in theirs.
While we may feel frustrated with the behaviour of such people as Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney, paralysed to impact it all in any way, I am beginning to realise that actually we can change it all more than we realise. Though speaking directly to such as these two sportsmen is highly unlikely, we can make changes in our own lives that impact in positive ways beyond simply getting one or two famous people to live lives we would deem “good”. Even that notion of “good” is something to be more closely examined (another day maybe) but for now I think I will start by trying to ensure that each conscious decision I make has a purpose that is greater than my own. If we all try to do this, then I think the difference would be far more profound that one of two sportsmen toeing the line of quiet, peaceful living. Challenging for me… but it's a challenge that has purpose and surely therefore, is worthwhile.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Race Report - the "bigger picture"
I said after my win at Taiwan 70.3 that there "[was] SO much MORE to last Saturdays win than what simply went on in the 4h09min of racing..." I wanted to write about EVERYTHING that had gone into achieving that result, but decided to wait until after IM Western Australia as this helps give extra dimension and further "body" to all of it, maybe for some of you reading this, extra credibility too. You can read race reports for both those races below & on my website to hear about the race days themselves; what's here though, to me, is FAR more important and significant than the normal post-race waffle I might give about 'race strategy and the nutrition I took onboard etc'.
Both these race performances have been a LONG time coming and despite MANY setbacks, something I always believed I was capable of. Yes there has been a LOT of hard work and perseverance but SO many people have been involved in getting me through some very tough times and to those results... I'll try to mention as many as I can here and explain their significance. I owe a HUGE thanks to them ALL.
I should probably pre-empt all of this too by pointing out that the win in Taiwan on October 30th, was almost exactly 1 year to the day since I’d returned to training after an enforced 10 weeks of complete rest having been hit with chronic fatigue. 2007,08 & 09 had been incredibly draining years for me physically, mentally and emotionally; the stress of which had gone un-acknowledge by me. It all lead to a gradual deterioration in both training and race performance and eventually to me imploding in August of 09. I was an empty shell with nothing left inside but my faith that God was still in control and would use this for good somehow. He was, and did and I’m actually very grateful for this time as I learned some hard, yet important lessons and grew in lots of ways that I needed to. We can learn our greatest lessons from our biggest defeats, and I certainly did, leading eventually to 1 year on feeling like I had been restored and I hope, better for it all.
But back to the race report “bigger picture”…
Undoubtedly, without my parents none of this would have happened; not least because I was at the point where I couldn't actually afford to fully pay for the trip. Without their help I wouldn't even have boarded the plane to get to the race in Taiwan. But far more than this is the unceasing support they have given without hesitation in so many other ways. Always encouraging and believing in me... and trusting in MY self-belief EVEN through the really bad and low times, when MANY others didn't. Last year when I literally fell apart physically and emotionally with chronic fatigue, they never questioned or deterred me for continuing and they did ALL they could to help me try to fully rest and recover. I know I'm INCREDIBLY blessed to always have my mum, dad & brothers behind me. Coming to races to support, help and simply sharing the pressure, the early mornings, feeding me the HUGE quantities of food I consume :-) ...the list is endless, but personally NEVER goes un-noted.
My church 'family' too, have been wonderful over the last few years. Some VERY close friends have supported me, encouraged, prayed un-ceasingly and also believed in/with me when things didn't seam to be going too well. When, at 10.30pm, the night before the race in Taiwan I was STILL waiting for my bike to arrive they were back in the UK praying for me. This kind of support is hard to put a price on... you can't, but knowing I'm never "alone" when racing even when 1000's of miles away has been key to me being able to race closer to my potential. They understand my desire to use sport as a "missionary field" where I can hopefully show and speak about my faith. (You can briefly read more about this at www.ForHisGlory.co.uk ) I know they share in my delight as the results come and it opens doors - such as this blog - to speak about why my beliefs as a Christian are so important... THE MOST important thing. In particular Chris, Linda and Jen, have shared every hard and easy road as I walked (sometimes crawled) on it and I really can't thank them enough.
I'm also very fortunate to have a very big but close circle of friends most of which I've known since I was a very little kid. We've grown up (I hope ha ha) together and they've known me as the Wimbledon tennis ball-boy, footballer, the "lads holiday" boy etc... I know its quite unusual to have a large circle of friends whom have been together for over 2 decades but in recent times, when training and racing has meant sometimes 2-3 months between seeing them, I've realised how close and important they all are to me. They too have understood when it didn't make sense and never undermined what I was trying to do even if the evidence at the time didn't seam to back up what I believed. They've also come to races, helped when money got a little tight and very simply been good, solid, loving mates; even their parents have helped me at times! To quote one of them recently in jest (himself quoting Morrissey) "We hate it when our friends become successful and if they're Northern, well, that makes it even worse..."
Others like Wayne who has been a great mate, fellow tri-geek to waffle tri-world chat to, share dozens of website links about the latest bikes :-) GREAT massage therapist and also massive help during some tough times in the last few years. His treatment of my legs before Taiwan was critical I'm sure, to my legs feeling SO GOOD in that race despite the mammoth journey I made so close to race day. It's little things -well actually to me they're HUGE- like his giving me free treatment and helping so much when I was injured earlier this year, that kept me going when sometimes I didn't feel like it. When I've been feeling a little low, their belief in me has restored mine or simply given it added strength when maybe mine was waning. I know particularly with Wayne that he's struggled himself with his training and racing recently so I hope that my results will give him a little personal satisfaction too and encourage HIM to keep chasing his dreams.
I am also, very blessed to count one of the worlds current greatest athletes (in ANY SPORT in my opinion) as a close and dear friend. It's says something of what she has achieved in triathlon and increasingly beyond it too, in such a short space of time that as I write this she has just received an honorary doctorate from Birmingham University and today is preparing to meet the Queen to receive an OBE! [It's often said that the BIGGEST stars need only be know by their first name so...] Whilst Chrissie has been destroying world records, beating most of the men in the world and racking up World Titles she’s also been a CONSTANT supporter, encourager, adviser and friend. Earlier this year literally HOURS after she broken her own world record she emailed me to wish me good luck for the race I was soon to do! This kind of thing is what all the on-line wana-be's and "haters" don't know about her. They don't see her fighting my little corner whilst they write complete rubbish about her, as they hide behind on-line pseudonyms; but I can't tell you how much it helps to have her also showing complete belief in me, even when things were going REALLY badly at times. Others previously very close to me have ended up very negative and un-supportive, but when I’ve have the best in the world saying otherwise its helped pull me through and I can't thank her enough. She deserves her royal honour and continued success in the future more than anyone I can think of.
The more I think about it, the more people spring to mind. Friends overseas who paid for me to have a holiday with them when external issues left me exhausted and emotionally drained (thanks to my American "family" for that!). There are SO many and it stirs up within me a deep sense of gratitude, love and humility when I stop and take it all in.
Sponsors too, have been very supportive and this year PureTri, Powerbar, CompressSport, ProVO2, Greeper and DC Leisure have really made things much easier when it comes to equipment, kit & nutrition that I quite simply couldn't afford on my own. It's nice to be able I hope, to repay them if only a little so far with the results and increased exposure of recent times.
Finally though comes the single most important influence and helper and the one who deserves ALL the credit for anything "good" I'm ever able to achieve... as a Christian I KNOW (as I wrote in my IM WA race report) its ALL a gift of Gods grace; I simply get to enjoy it... When things have fallen apart, it’s been my faith in Jesus ALONE that has kept me going, given me hope and purpose both in and beyond triathlon. I explain this on the website I linked to earlier and I hope you'll take the time to read it... because its not just what suits ME and helps ME, my faith isn't a crutch I lean on when the #### hits the fan; its truth, its real and I hope I can continue to share this and show it through how I train, race, speak, think and live. The bible speaks very clearly about endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2), but importantly, enduring with a purpose and NOT wasting the suffering that we ALL go through (1 Peter 4:11-16). Knowing this truth makes suffering, failure, hardship and defeat (as well as victories and good times etc) things I'm actually able to rejoice in... I know that seams like a complete oxymoron, but it’s true. And just by way of an example, consider that not less than 7 years ago I did my first ever Olympic triathlon at London finishing not far off 3hrs. A lot has changed since then (I'm nearly twice as fast now and as I write this I'm currently ranked in the top 30 guys in the world for Ironman and 70.3 racing); weaknesses have been turned into strengths (Hebrews 11:34). I've seen so many answers to my prayers and His hand SO CLEARLY at work in my life during this time, but I've only become increasingly humbled by my awareness that its all a gift, and I need to look after each opportunity, this body I've been given, every word I get to speak and use them as God wants me to... to reveal HIS glory :-) Soli Deo gloria
So you see, it’s certainly not as simple as swim, bike, run but nor does it come to watts, heart rates and energy gels :-) I know that Taiwan and IM WA don't make me a big "star"... they are only 2 reasonably decent results, but I certainly hope the start of more. Whatever though, Gods in control and I'm just happy I get to see a little of "the ride". I hope next year I get to share more of this with you all.
Both these race performances have been a LONG time coming and despite MANY setbacks, something I always believed I was capable of. Yes there has been a LOT of hard work and perseverance but SO many people have been involved in getting me through some very tough times and to those results... I'll try to mention as many as I can here and explain their significance. I owe a HUGE thanks to them ALL.
I should probably pre-empt all of this too by pointing out that the win in Taiwan on October 30th, was almost exactly 1 year to the day since I’d returned to training after an enforced 10 weeks of complete rest having been hit with chronic fatigue. 2007,08 & 09 had been incredibly draining years for me physically, mentally and emotionally; the stress of which had gone un-acknowledge by me. It all lead to a gradual deterioration in both training and race performance and eventually to me imploding in August of 09. I was an empty shell with nothing left inside but my faith that God was still in control and would use this for good somehow. He was, and did and I’m actually very grateful for this time as I learned some hard, yet important lessons and grew in lots of ways that I needed to. We can learn our greatest lessons from our biggest defeats, and I certainly did, leading eventually to 1 year on feeling like I had been restored and I hope, better for it all.
But back to the race report “bigger picture”…
Undoubtedly, without my parents none of this would have happened; not least because I was at the point where I couldn't actually afford to fully pay for the trip. Without their help I wouldn't even have boarded the plane to get to the race in Taiwan. But far more than this is the unceasing support they have given without hesitation in so many other ways. Always encouraging and believing in me... and trusting in MY self-belief EVEN through the really bad and low times, when MANY others didn't. Last year when I literally fell apart physically and emotionally with chronic fatigue, they never questioned or deterred me for continuing and they did ALL they could to help me try to fully rest and recover. I know I'm INCREDIBLY blessed to always have my mum, dad & brothers behind me. Coming to races to support, help and simply sharing the pressure, the early mornings, feeding me the HUGE quantities of food I consume :-) ...the list is endless, but personally NEVER goes un-noted.
My church 'family' too, have been wonderful over the last few years. Some VERY close friends have supported me, encouraged, prayed un-ceasingly and also believed in/with me when things didn't seam to be going too well. When, at 10.30pm, the night before the race in Taiwan I was STILL waiting for my bike to arrive they were back in the UK praying for me. This kind of support is hard to put a price on... you can't, but knowing I'm never "alone" when racing even when 1000's of miles away has been key to me being able to race closer to my potential. They understand my desire to use sport as a "missionary field" where I can hopefully show and speak about my faith. (You can briefly read more about this at www.ForHisGlory.co.uk ) I know they share in my delight as the results come and it opens doors - such as this blog - to speak about why my beliefs as a Christian are so important... THE MOST important thing. In particular Chris, Linda and Jen, have shared every hard and easy road as I walked (sometimes crawled) on it and I really can't thank them enough.
I'm also very fortunate to have a very big but close circle of friends most of which I've known since I was a very little kid. We've grown up (I hope ha ha) together and they've known me as the Wimbledon tennis ball-boy, footballer, the "lads holiday" boy etc... I know its quite unusual to have a large circle of friends whom have been together for over 2 decades but in recent times, when training and racing has meant sometimes 2-3 months between seeing them, I've realised how close and important they all are to me. They too have understood when it didn't make sense and never undermined what I was trying to do even if the evidence at the time didn't seam to back up what I believed. They've also come to races, helped when money got a little tight and very simply been good, solid, loving mates; even their parents have helped me at times! To quote one of them recently in jest (himself quoting Morrissey) "We hate it when our friends become successful and if they're Northern, well, that makes it even worse..."
Others like Wayne who has been a great mate, fellow tri-geek to waffle tri-world chat to, share dozens of website links about the latest bikes :-) GREAT massage therapist and also massive help during some tough times in the last few years. His treatment of my legs before Taiwan was critical I'm sure, to my legs feeling SO GOOD in that race despite the mammoth journey I made so close to race day. It's little things -well actually to me they're HUGE- like his giving me free treatment and helping so much when I was injured earlier this year, that kept me going when sometimes I didn't feel like it. When I've been feeling a little low, their belief in me has restored mine or simply given it added strength when maybe mine was waning. I know particularly with Wayne that he's struggled himself with his training and racing recently so I hope that my results will give him a little personal satisfaction too and encourage HIM to keep chasing his dreams.
I am also, very blessed to count one of the worlds current greatest athletes (in ANY SPORT in my opinion) as a close and dear friend. It's says something of what she has achieved in triathlon and increasingly beyond it too, in such a short space of time that as I write this she has just received an honorary doctorate from Birmingham University and today is preparing to meet the Queen to receive an OBE! [It's often said that the BIGGEST stars need only be know by their first name so...] Whilst Chrissie has been destroying world records, beating most of the men in the world and racking up World Titles she’s also been a CONSTANT supporter, encourager, adviser and friend. Earlier this year literally HOURS after she broken her own world record she emailed me to wish me good luck for the race I was soon to do! This kind of thing is what all the on-line wana-be's and "haters" don't know about her. They don't see her fighting my little corner whilst they write complete rubbish about her, as they hide behind on-line pseudonyms; but I can't tell you how much it helps to have her also showing complete belief in me, even when things were going REALLY badly at times. Others previously very close to me have ended up very negative and un-supportive, but when I’ve have the best in the world saying otherwise its helped pull me through and I can't thank her enough. She deserves her royal honour and continued success in the future more than anyone I can think of.
The more I think about it, the more people spring to mind. Friends overseas who paid for me to have a holiday with them when external issues left me exhausted and emotionally drained (thanks to my American "family" for that!). There are SO many and it stirs up within me a deep sense of gratitude, love and humility when I stop and take it all in.
Sponsors too, have been very supportive and this year PureTri, Powerbar, CompressSport, ProVO2, Greeper and DC Leisure have really made things much easier when it comes to equipment, kit & nutrition that I quite simply couldn't afford on my own. It's nice to be able I hope, to repay them if only a little so far with the results and increased exposure of recent times.
Finally though comes the single most important influence and helper and the one who deserves ALL the credit for anything "good" I'm ever able to achieve... as a Christian I KNOW (as I wrote in my IM WA race report) its ALL a gift of Gods grace; I simply get to enjoy it... When things have fallen apart, it’s been my faith in Jesus ALONE that has kept me going, given me hope and purpose both in and beyond triathlon. I explain this on the website I linked to earlier and I hope you'll take the time to read it... because its not just what suits ME and helps ME, my faith isn't a crutch I lean on when the #### hits the fan; its truth, its real and I hope I can continue to share this and show it through how I train, race, speak, think and live. The bible speaks very clearly about endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2), but importantly, enduring with a purpose and NOT wasting the suffering that we ALL go through (1 Peter 4:11-16). Knowing this truth makes suffering, failure, hardship and defeat (as well as victories and good times etc) things I'm actually able to rejoice in... I know that seams like a complete oxymoron, but it’s true. And just by way of an example, consider that not less than 7 years ago I did my first ever Olympic triathlon at London finishing not far off 3hrs. A lot has changed since then (I'm nearly twice as fast now and as I write this I'm currently ranked in the top 30 guys in the world for Ironman and 70.3 racing); weaknesses have been turned into strengths (Hebrews 11:34). I've seen so many answers to my prayers and His hand SO CLEARLY at work in my life during this time, but I've only become increasingly humbled by my awareness that its all a gift, and I need to look after each opportunity, this body I've been given, every word I get to speak and use them as God wants me to... to reveal HIS glory :-) Soli Deo gloria
So you see, it’s certainly not as simple as swim, bike, run but nor does it come to watts, heart rates and energy gels :-) I know that Taiwan and IM WA don't make me a big "star"... they are only 2 reasonably decent results, but I certainly hope the start of more. Whatever though, Gods in control and I'm just happy I get to see a little of "the ride". I hope next year I get to share more of this with you all.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
IM Western Australia 2010 Race Report
Having been away from home for so long prior to this race (since just before my win at Taiwan 70.3 back in October) there's a LOT I could write around this race... but I'll save that all for a later post. In short though I'd had a fantastic 4 week build up to this race staying with my good friends Andy and Melissa (and their boys Noah & Lucas) on the Goldcoast. The weather was great - certainly better than the snow back home and with 50m open air pools, runs along the beach and awesome riding up in the hills I couldn't have asked for a better prep for my 3rd and I hoped 1st successful (result) Ironman.
I'd also had a great time with my Homestay hosts Dennis and Liz; who'd welcomed me into their home so warmly and run around after me all week. With the picturesque town of Bussleton as the setting for the race, perfect race conditions and a flat fast course, I had no excuses not to be excited before the race.
With everything going smoothly the morning of the race, I found myself standing on the white sands of the beach waiting for 5.30am and the Pro's swim start. I was putting no pressure on myself and instead of a swim warm-up, chose to stand on the beach and take it all in, reminding myself that success or failure, pain or pleasure it was all a gift of Gods grace that I was blessed to be able to enjoy. This was going to be my approach to the whole day!
So when the gun went and the 50 or so Pro's all launched into the washing machine frenzy that the swim start always is, I found myself incredibly relaxed and calm. I quickly found my stroke and rhythm and settled into the the 2.4mile swim up and around the famous jetty. Crystal clear, warm water meant a great view of the wildlife underneath us including plenty of jelly fish that I kept cupping in my hands as we swam. Finding myself leading a large-ish group that i assumed was the 2nd pack, alongside number 35. He seemed happy to be sighting regularly so I simply swam alongside him, with 10 or so others tucked in behind us both. For the first time in a while I really enjoyed the swim; I felt relaxed and smooth and happy the day was starting under control, so I was really pleased to see the clock still on 52mins as we finally exited the water onto the beach and ran through the crowds into the transition area.
As with Taiwan, I was only focusing on racing my race today, and so even in transition I tried to be quick but calm and relaxed. I lost a little time on my fellow swim companions due to this but quickly caught this back up once on the bike and heading out of town onto the 3 loop VERY flat 112 mile bike.
Sticking with the plan, I actually quickly found myself passing them all and by the first short out-and-back section at mile 8 I was clear of them and pulling away. I timed myself here to the leaders and they had about 6mins on me... that's ok I thought, but as normal now, instantly disregarded this info and just pressed on at my pace. The ceepo venom is such a great stiff bike and MADE for TT'ing on a course like this and it wasn't long before I was already heading back into town to complete the first 37mile lap. By this time I had passed more guys who'd now become shall we say "legal-ish" passengers behind me. Once we started the 2nd lap heading back out of town I caught and passed fellow Brit Scott Neyedli and good friend Guy Crawford (doing his first IM). We exchanged a few funny words as I went by and pulled to the front once again. I was now feeling fantastic on the road and with the wind picking up settled into a nice big gear and just enjoyed the ride. I was extremely surprised to see that within 15mins I'd dropped them all and was now on my own... but more surprising was that I was catching everyone apart from race leader Luke Bell, who wasn't pulling away however. "nice" I thought. The halfway mark came and went in 2h10 and the main chase pack of 3rd-8th came into sight. Catching them again without trying to actively pursue them was a great feeling, not least because current champ Patrick Vernay was leading this group. I decided to drop in at the back, but quickly changed my mind - the pace felt too slow and I wanted to stick to my pace. So I moved to the front and into 3rd place over-all. Now having caught most of these guys for at least 4mins over the previous 100km, I should have been able to ride away, but lets just say the 12m rule the race org was trying to enforce wasn't adhered to by all of them... ignoring this however I stayed true to the plan and just pressed on at my pace, now with a motorized camera crew filming me for company. The rest of the bike went by without an issue. I got all my powerbar nutrition down as planned and happily, eventually got rid of my "passengers" at about the 100 mile mark too. Coming back into town in 3rd place was a REAL buzz and I was now really looking forward to staring the marathon and seeing how my legs had REALLY faired during the bike...
The Newton trainers went on and I headed out of T2 through the massive crowd now packing the new 4lap run course around the town of Bussleton. The first short out and back loop down past the finish on Queen St was a very exciting place to be right now. I clocked the gap to 2nd at about 2mins but was still very happy to run at a pace that FELT right and just see what happened. However my speed work recently has been going VERY well and I knew within the first km I was running faster than I probably should and yet it felt comfortable. I checked my split at 2km... 7m30 WHAT!!! That was WAY too fast... even if it DID feel comfortable; but maybe the marker wasn't quite right or I hadn't started my watch early enough. Luke Bell soon came past on the return leg of the short westerly out-and-back; He looked strong and smooth. I went past the supporters starting to build along this section to first turn around and first aid station packed with super enthusiastic and helpful volunteers and took another split at the 4km mark... 7m40! Ok I was running too quick without question regardless of how good i felt. I consciously tried to ease back as I passed back though town, along the beach path and out to the longer easterly turn point. More and more crowds were lining the course and being in 3rd over-all I got such a buzz from the energy and noise they were ALL giving out. I couldn't help but remember what a privilege it was to be able to do this.
6km point came... and my pace split was slowing though still too fast. I decided to follow my good friends advice at this point and simply "make hay while the sun shines". At the far turn around point though I simply HAD to stop and "make use of the green facilities" -porta loo - hopefully it would help me restart the run at a more sensible pace.
For the first time in an Ironman the run didn't daunt me. I simply concentrated on ticking each lap off as a task in itself rather than a full marathon. As I headed back towards town one of the best parts of the run started... two young ladies at about the 8km mark shouted as I passed "great ass" (insert Aussie accent) I laughed and replied "shame about the coating of salt all over it!" Referring to the nasty white coating all over my 2XU race kit from the sea water... and my sweat.
I passed the transition exit point where I'd first started my watch... the 10.5km mark. 39m30 was showing on my watch and that INCLUDED the toilet break OUCH I'd seriously gone WAY too fast! I made a conscious effort now to run at what felt like jogging pace. Dennis (my Homestay) and his family cheered me onto the 2nd lap and he gave me a split that I was gaining on 1st & 2nd. The atmosphere in the town continued to build as the crowds grew and more runners came onto the course. The 2nd lap went by nicely and included another great boost from my 2 cheerleaders out on the run course. My efforts to slow were working though I still went through 21km in 1h22, still too fast, but i continued to feel ok. In fact for the first time in an Ironman I was actually racing the run and the distance of the marathon wasn't over-whelming. However, not long past the 21k mark, my quads began to say "hello", I could tell my pace was slowing beyond what i wanted and by the far turn around at about 27km I had to walk the aid station. This was the start of a rapid decline in my running and despite more amusement from my new supporters and Dennis still cheering me through town I knew it was now about survival. Marty Whyte passed me and Pete Jacobs and Patrick Vernay had closed the gap I'd built up, VERY quickly. As I started the final lap I was now reduced to walking each aid station and just past the 32km mark both Pete and Patrick passed me with no ability to respond in my legs. My quads were now KILLING me... odd I thought given what a flat course it was. I was now in 6th and it was about hanging on through gritted teeth to the finish. The walk run strategy worked well enough and on the final turn for the finish and 4km to go I had over 6 minutes to 7th place. I could afford to take it easy, which was about all my legs would allow anyway.
It was though, still with great delight that i re-entered the town and ran through the final few hundred meters and onto the packed Queen St for the finish. I died on the run more than I'd wanted for sure, but I'd finished this one, raced it most of the way and in a field THIS strong, I had plenty to be happy about. As I'd tried to focus on right from the very start, it truly was a day to be enjoyed as a gift.
Congrats to the other Brit who raced too (Scott, Jo, Tim and Lordy all had great results) and a HUGE thanks from me to Liz & Dennis, Mel & Andy and all my friends & family back home who were incredibly supportive over the past few days and weeks.
As ever, also a BIG thanks to my sponsors PureTri, Powerbar, CompressSport, Ceepo, ProVO2, DC Leisure and Sanctuary Church Guildford.
Now its time to go home, enjoy Christmas, some great food and times with friends and relax for a few weeks.
I'd also had a great time with my Homestay hosts Dennis and Liz; who'd welcomed me into their home so warmly and run around after me all week. With the picturesque town of Bussleton as the setting for the race, perfect race conditions and a flat fast course, I had no excuses not to be excited before the race.
With everything going smoothly the morning of the race, I found myself standing on the white sands of the beach waiting for 5.30am and the Pro's swim start. I was putting no pressure on myself and instead of a swim warm-up, chose to stand on the beach and take it all in, reminding myself that success or failure, pain or pleasure it was all a gift of Gods grace that I was blessed to be able to enjoy. This was going to be my approach to the whole day!
So when the gun went and the 50 or so Pro's all launched into the washing machine frenzy that the swim start always is, I found myself incredibly relaxed and calm. I quickly found my stroke and rhythm and settled into the the 2.4mile swim up and around the famous jetty. Crystal clear, warm water meant a great view of the wildlife underneath us including plenty of jelly fish that I kept cupping in my hands as we swam. Finding myself leading a large-ish group that i assumed was the 2nd pack, alongside number 35. He seemed happy to be sighting regularly so I simply swam alongside him, with 10 or so others tucked in behind us both. For the first time in a while I really enjoyed the swim; I felt relaxed and smooth and happy the day was starting under control, so I was really pleased to see the clock still on 52mins as we finally exited the water onto the beach and ran through the crowds into the transition area.
As with Taiwan, I was only focusing on racing my race today, and so even in transition I tried to be quick but calm and relaxed. I lost a little time on my fellow swim companions due to this but quickly caught this back up once on the bike and heading out of town onto the 3 loop VERY flat 112 mile bike.
Sticking with the plan, I actually quickly found myself passing them all and by the first short out-and-back section at mile 8 I was clear of them and pulling away. I timed myself here to the leaders and they had about 6mins on me... that's ok I thought, but as normal now, instantly disregarded this info and just pressed on at my pace. The ceepo venom is such a great stiff bike and MADE for TT'ing on a course like this and it wasn't long before I was already heading back into town to complete the first 37mile lap. By this time I had passed more guys who'd now become shall we say "legal-ish" passengers behind me. Once we started the 2nd lap heading back out of town I caught and passed fellow Brit Scott Neyedli and good friend Guy Crawford (doing his first IM). We exchanged a few funny words as I went by and pulled to the front once again. I was now feeling fantastic on the road and with the wind picking up settled into a nice big gear and just enjoyed the ride. I was extremely surprised to see that within 15mins I'd dropped them all and was now on my own... but more surprising was that I was catching everyone apart from race leader Luke Bell, who wasn't pulling away however. "nice" I thought. The halfway mark came and went in 2h10 and the main chase pack of 3rd-8th came into sight. Catching them again without trying to actively pursue them was a great feeling, not least because current champ Patrick Vernay was leading this group. I decided to drop in at the back, but quickly changed my mind - the pace felt too slow and I wanted to stick to my pace. So I moved to the front and into 3rd place over-all. Now having caught most of these guys for at least 4mins over the previous 100km, I should have been able to ride away, but lets just say the 12m rule the race org was trying to enforce wasn't adhered to by all of them... ignoring this however I stayed true to the plan and just pressed on at my pace, now with a motorized camera crew filming me for company. The rest of the bike went by without an issue. I got all my powerbar nutrition down as planned and happily, eventually got rid of my "passengers" at about the 100 mile mark too. Coming back into town in 3rd place was a REAL buzz and I was now really looking forward to staring the marathon and seeing how my legs had REALLY faired during the bike...
The Newton trainers went on and I headed out of T2 through the massive crowd now packing the new 4lap run course around the town of Bussleton. The first short out and back loop down past the finish on Queen St was a very exciting place to be right now. I clocked the gap to 2nd at about 2mins but was still very happy to run at a pace that FELT right and just see what happened. However my speed work recently has been going VERY well and I knew within the first km I was running faster than I probably should and yet it felt comfortable. I checked my split at 2km... 7m30 WHAT!!! That was WAY too fast... even if it DID feel comfortable; but maybe the marker wasn't quite right or I hadn't started my watch early enough. Luke Bell soon came past on the return leg of the short westerly out-and-back; He looked strong and smooth. I went past the supporters starting to build along this section to first turn around and first aid station packed with super enthusiastic and helpful volunteers and took another split at the 4km mark... 7m40! Ok I was running too quick without question regardless of how good i felt. I consciously tried to ease back as I passed back though town, along the beach path and out to the longer easterly turn point. More and more crowds were lining the course and being in 3rd over-all I got such a buzz from the energy and noise they were ALL giving out. I couldn't help but remember what a privilege it was to be able to do this.
6km point came... and my pace split was slowing though still too fast. I decided to follow my good friends advice at this point and simply "make hay while the sun shines". At the far turn around point though I simply HAD to stop and "make use of the green facilities" -porta loo - hopefully it would help me restart the run at a more sensible pace.
For the first time in an Ironman the run didn't daunt me. I simply concentrated on ticking each lap off as a task in itself rather than a full marathon. As I headed back towards town one of the best parts of the run started... two young ladies at about the 8km mark shouted as I passed "great ass" (insert Aussie accent) I laughed and replied "shame about the coating of salt all over it!" Referring to the nasty white coating all over my 2XU race kit from the sea water... and my sweat.
I passed the transition exit point where I'd first started my watch... the 10.5km mark. 39m30 was showing on my watch and that INCLUDED the toilet break OUCH I'd seriously gone WAY too fast! I made a conscious effort now to run at what felt like jogging pace. Dennis (my Homestay) and his family cheered me onto the 2nd lap and he gave me a split that I was gaining on 1st & 2nd. The atmosphere in the town continued to build as the crowds grew and more runners came onto the course. The 2nd lap went by nicely and included another great boost from my 2 cheerleaders out on the run course. My efforts to slow were working though I still went through 21km in 1h22, still too fast, but i continued to feel ok. In fact for the first time in an Ironman I was actually racing the run and the distance of the marathon wasn't over-whelming. However, not long past the 21k mark, my quads began to say "hello", I could tell my pace was slowing beyond what i wanted and by the far turn around at about 27km I had to walk the aid station. This was the start of a rapid decline in my running and despite more amusement from my new supporters and Dennis still cheering me through town I knew it was now about survival. Marty Whyte passed me and Pete Jacobs and Patrick Vernay had closed the gap I'd built up, VERY quickly. As I started the final lap I was now reduced to walking each aid station and just past the 32km mark both Pete and Patrick passed me with no ability to respond in my legs. My quads were now KILLING me... odd I thought given what a flat course it was. I was now in 6th and it was about hanging on through gritted teeth to the finish. The walk run strategy worked well enough and on the final turn for the finish and 4km to go I had over 6 minutes to 7th place. I could afford to take it easy, which was about all my legs would allow anyway.
It was though, still with great delight that i re-entered the town and ran through the final few hundred meters and onto the packed Queen St for the finish. I died on the run more than I'd wanted for sure, but I'd finished this one, raced it most of the way and in a field THIS strong, I had plenty to be happy about. As I'd tried to focus on right from the very start, it truly was a day to be enjoyed as a gift.
Congrats to the other Brit who raced too (Scott, Jo, Tim and Lordy all had great results) and a HUGE thanks from me to Liz & Dennis, Mel & Andy and all my friends & family back home who were incredibly supportive over the past few days and weeks.
As ever, also a BIG thanks to my sponsors PureTri, Powerbar, CompressSport, Ceepo, ProVO2, DC Leisure and Sanctuary Church Guildford.
Now its time to go home, enjoy Christmas, some great food and times with friends and relax for a few weeks.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Taiwan 70.3 Race Report Part 1 - "the bare bones"
This is part one of my race report and will be a very simple (but maybe not so short ha ha) "how the race went" type of affair. I'll post again soon with what I'll call "the bigger picture" race report as there's SO much MORE to last Saturdays win than what simply went on in the 4h09min of racing... and there's A LOT of people without who's help i couldn't have got there. Whilst i know this isn't the be-all and end-all in terms of results - its not Kona - it does mark a point (and i hope the start) that I've been working towards for A LONG time and so is incredibly valuable to me and SUPER exciting.
Taiwan 70.3
Riding the short 3 mile trip to race start at 4.30am and actually just happy to even have a bike full stop (mine had only arrived from delayed luggage on my flight at 11pm the night before!) i noticed two things: 1. it was still very, VERY WINDY and 2. my legs felt GREAT!
Having got to the transition area, racked my bike and set everything up i headed off for a short 15min jog to get the blood moving around the body. my observations from earlier still remained... it was still VERY windy and my legs still felt fresh and ready to go. As mentioned in my last blog post, one of the keys i wanted to work on during this race was the mental side of things and i was going to focus on positively impacting what could control and not to "over-think" everything. So with the wind, i simply interpreted this positively thinking that "i like it being windy, it will make the bike tougher, and i want everyone else to have a hard bike" - i couldn't change the wind, but i could change how i dealt with it.
Time past quickly before the race and we were lined up on the beach waiting for the start before i knew it. As we dove into the gorgeous blue, crystal clear waters it quickly became apparent that wearing a wet suit wasn't such a good idea all of a sudden. with the water temp at 24 degrees, it was optional (meaning a DEFINITE for weaker swimmers like me) but i found myself working harder to stay with the front pack than i wanted and i was soon seriously over-heating! i had no choice but to back off a little and conserve energy and try to prevent my race being wrecked in the first 1.9km swim. I tried to carry on the mental approach though and focused on turning this around positively. Swimming as efficiently and controlled as i could, remaining relaxed - positively impacting what i could control.
Not wearing a watch i had no idea of my time as i exited the sea and started the long run to T1. i knew I'd have lost time to the likes of Kieran Doe, but not knowing how much or worse still trying to guess meant i couldn't over-think things and put pressure (negatively) on myself. The 2XU wet suit was off quickly and i was out onto the bike course jumping on my Ceepo, heading up the first (of many) climbs up to the start of the 2 loop, 90km bike course.
The wind was still blowing strongly and gusts making me swerve quite a lot at times as my disc wheel got caught. I wasn't feeling great now and the over-heating during the swim had certainly had an impact, but again i turned this around in my head to simply focusing on riding as strongly as i could until the body recovered. No pressure to catch anyone any time soon, just focus on controlling what i actually could control and doing its positively. I could see my HR was able to get high enough, so i knew my body was OK, it just need time to settle.
After about 10km of the bike there was a short out and back section up a decent climb that would allow me my first change to see how far in front the others were. I as actually really pleased to see Kieran only 4minutes in front and the chasers behind him space between 2-3 minutes. this was less than I'd expected given how the swim had felt and very encouraging. Again it reminded me that who i was "feeling" wasn't always a reflection of the reality of a situation. I stuck to my focus for the race tough, which was "race MY race" and didn't set about chasing anyone down. i wanted to ride my effort level and we'd just see where that got me.
The bike course was relentlessly up and down and the wind continued to blow. According to BG (Belinda Granger) the gust's were stronger than Kona and i certainly felt this when at times, despite riding down hill, i felt like i was toe'ing an elephant! But again, i took this all positively; the harder it was fr me, the harder it was for everyone else. I told myself that it was hurting "them" more than it was me. And so i just keep focusing on riding MY race.
I seamed to be catching and passing guys ahead of me at regular intervals and shortly before the end of the first lap, i caught and passed 5 time Ironman Nice Champion Marcel Zamora. this was a HUGE boost to me, though given how positively i was thinking about everything, somehow didn't take me by surprise. As i hit the turn around point on the out-and-back look at the start of the 2nd lap, i clocked the gap to Kieran as only 2minutes and to the now only 3 guys in front, at just 1 minute! despite once again being hugely encouraged by this, i still stuck to the mental game plan of riding my race. It took me another 20km to catch and pass positions 4th, 3rd and 2nd though and i didn't manage to drop them when i did pass, so spending the last 10km with some "passengers" behind me. the course was a great one and other than nearly getting "totalled" by the occasional wild dog insisting on playing chicken with me in the road, it passed without incident. Turning off the main loop and heading back towards transition on the short 5km stretch my legs felt great, and i was looking forward to seeing how i could run having done exactly what i wanted to on the bike - ride MY race. A ridiculous head wind had one final swipe at us as we headed back to T2, but again, i just told myself that i would "hurt" everyone else much more than me... it was a positive thing (despite barely riding faster than 20kph downhill!!!
As i turned into transition in 2nd place (3rd and 4th just behind me) i saw Kieran heading out onto the run. He looked strong, but ii was now barely 1 minute down on him and HUGELY satisfied to have made up so much time on the bike. my recent bike "companions" were through transition quicker than me, but as with the rest of the race up until now, i wasn't stressed. The newton's went on, Greepers laces tied, visor on and i was off and running about 30m down on them by now. This distance was closed within about 60 seconds though and without letting anything in my approach to the race change ("my race,my pace" i was past and back into 2nd place and began pulling away. I could see Kieran about 500m up the hill, but put no pressure on myself to catch him. i settled into a rhythm and would simply see what happened and if my speed was fast enough to catch him.
The sun was out in full force now and compared to the 0 degree's I'd been running in, back in London only 3 days earlier, the 80 degree's felt like an oven. wit the first 5km almost completely uphill too, the body wasn't about to have it easy. Again though, focusing on just running my pace, i told myself that the harder it was, the better... it was hurting everyone else more than me. Of course at no time in the race, did i know this to be true... but mentally to have this frame of mind really helped me repsond to the tough conditions and course in a positive way.
I knew i wasnt running "fast" and that wit people like Marcel behind me somewhere, it would be a hard 21km run today, but by 7km i'd managed to catch up to and pass Kieran, moving into 1st place!!! this is always a big boost but i tried not to let this change how i was running. i didnt look back to see if/how much Kieran was falling away behind me or if for that matter anyone else was catching me though. I tried to clock off the km's and set the target of the next aid station in my mind and just keep looking at the lead police car escort i was getting at the front of the race (VERY cool!). Despite the heat, i wasnt suffering any cramping issues, which is testiment to my Powerbar nutrition. The race oganisers had done a fantastic job in every way in this race and with aid stations every 2km's it meant i had plenty of opportunities to get fluids on board. the helpers at each aid station seamed more interested in taking photo's of me as i apprached, than handing me cups of water; they found it imensely amusing too as i went through my routine at each station of water > mouthfull > spit > sponge > over head > over back > water gulp... carry on running.
Km's 1-5 flew by, 5-10 were OK to, despite probably 75% of all the running being uphill. 10-15 began to hurt and i knew my pace was slowing, but refused to look back to see if anyone was catching me. From that point on though, km 15-20 it seamed like i was running through treacle! SO much of the course was uphill and the aid stations were coming along more and more slowly. the run course was a point to point course, so didn't finish back near transition and it was only at 19.5km that there was a small loop back where I'd just come from towards the finish line outside the YoYo hotel. This was the first chance i had to see what kind of lead i had and if I'd need to sprint for the finish. with no watch on, i counted my steps until 2nd place went by the other way - 85 meant about 2 minutes... with now only 1km left i was pretty sure I'd done it... i was about to win my first IM 70.3 title. As i rounded the final bend of what felt like the longest km of my life i could see the read carpet of the finishing shoot, which was lined with cheering spectators. knowing i had enough time, i swerved and walked down this "high-5'ing" the crowds as i went and soaked up every second of the victory i could. Crossing the line in 4h09 it certainly wasn't my fastest time over the distance, but on that course, in that wind i could care less it was my first 70.3 win and i was over the moon letting out a massive yell of relief as i crossed the line to the cheering crowds and the bank of photographers and camera crews behind.
As ever, a HUGE tanks to my sponsors who help me SO much - PureTri, Powerbar, CompresSport, Greepers, DC Leisure and ProVO2.
Taiwan 70.3
Riding the short 3 mile trip to race start at 4.30am and actually just happy to even have a bike full stop (mine had only arrived from delayed luggage on my flight at 11pm the night before!) i noticed two things: 1. it was still very, VERY WINDY and 2. my legs felt GREAT!
Having got to the transition area, racked my bike and set everything up i headed off for a short 15min jog to get the blood moving around the body. my observations from earlier still remained... it was still VERY windy and my legs still felt fresh and ready to go. As mentioned in my last blog post, one of the keys i wanted to work on during this race was the mental side of things and i was going to focus on positively impacting what could control and not to "over-think" everything. So with the wind, i simply interpreted this positively thinking that "i like it being windy, it will make the bike tougher, and i want everyone else to have a hard bike" - i couldn't change the wind, but i could change how i dealt with it.
Time past quickly before the race and we were lined up on the beach waiting for the start before i knew it. As we dove into the gorgeous blue, crystal clear waters it quickly became apparent that wearing a wet suit wasn't such a good idea all of a sudden. with the water temp at 24 degrees, it was optional (meaning a DEFINITE for weaker swimmers like me) but i found myself working harder to stay with the front pack than i wanted and i was soon seriously over-heating! i had no choice but to back off a little and conserve energy and try to prevent my race being wrecked in the first 1.9km swim. I tried to carry on the mental approach though and focused on turning this around positively. Swimming as efficiently and controlled as i could, remaining relaxed - positively impacting what i could control.
Not wearing a watch i had no idea of my time as i exited the sea and started the long run to T1. i knew I'd have lost time to the likes of Kieran Doe, but not knowing how much or worse still trying to guess meant i couldn't over-think things and put pressure (negatively) on myself. The 2XU wet suit was off quickly and i was out onto the bike course jumping on my Ceepo, heading up the first (of many) climbs up to the start of the 2 loop, 90km bike course.
The wind was still blowing strongly and gusts making me swerve quite a lot at times as my disc wheel got caught. I wasn't feeling great now and the over-heating during the swim had certainly had an impact, but again i turned this around in my head to simply focusing on riding as strongly as i could until the body recovered. No pressure to catch anyone any time soon, just focus on controlling what i actually could control and doing its positively. I could see my HR was able to get high enough, so i knew my body was OK, it just need time to settle.
After about 10km of the bike there was a short out and back section up a decent climb that would allow me my first change to see how far in front the others were. I as actually really pleased to see Kieran only 4minutes in front and the chasers behind him space between 2-3 minutes. this was less than I'd expected given how the swim had felt and very encouraging. Again it reminded me that who i was "feeling" wasn't always a reflection of the reality of a situation. I stuck to my focus for the race tough, which was "race MY race" and didn't set about chasing anyone down. i wanted to ride my effort level and we'd just see where that got me.
The bike course was relentlessly up and down and the wind continued to blow. According to BG (Belinda Granger) the gust's were stronger than Kona and i certainly felt this when at times, despite riding down hill, i felt like i was toe'ing an elephant! But again, i took this all positively; the harder it was fr me, the harder it was for everyone else. I told myself that it was hurting "them" more than it was me. And so i just keep focusing on riding MY race.
I seamed to be catching and passing guys ahead of me at regular intervals and shortly before the end of the first lap, i caught and passed 5 time Ironman Nice Champion Marcel Zamora. this was a HUGE boost to me, though given how positively i was thinking about everything, somehow didn't take me by surprise. As i hit the turn around point on the out-and-back look at the start of the 2nd lap, i clocked the gap to Kieran as only 2minutes and to the now only 3 guys in front, at just 1 minute! despite once again being hugely encouraged by this, i still stuck to the mental game plan of riding my race. It took me another 20km to catch and pass positions 4th, 3rd and 2nd though and i didn't manage to drop them when i did pass, so spending the last 10km with some "passengers" behind me. the course was a great one and other than nearly getting "totalled" by the occasional wild dog insisting on playing chicken with me in the road, it passed without incident. Turning off the main loop and heading back towards transition on the short 5km stretch my legs felt great, and i was looking forward to seeing how i could run having done exactly what i wanted to on the bike - ride MY race. A ridiculous head wind had one final swipe at us as we headed back to T2, but again, i just told myself that i would "hurt" everyone else much more than me... it was a positive thing (despite barely riding faster than 20kph downhill!!!
As i turned into transition in 2nd place (3rd and 4th just behind me) i saw Kieran heading out onto the run. He looked strong, but ii was now barely 1 minute down on him and HUGELY satisfied to have made up so much time on the bike. my recent bike "companions" were through transition quicker than me, but as with the rest of the race up until now, i wasn't stressed. The newton's went on, Greepers laces tied, visor on and i was off and running about 30m down on them by now. This distance was closed within about 60 seconds though and without letting anything in my approach to the race change ("my race,my pace" i was past and back into 2nd place and began pulling away. I could see Kieran about 500m up the hill, but put no pressure on myself to catch him. i settled into a rhythm and would simply see what happened and if my speed was fast enough to catch him.
The sun was out in full force now and compared to the 0 degree's I'd been running in, back in London only 3 days earlier, the 80 degree's felt like an oven. wit the first 5km almost completely uphill too, the body wasn't about to have it easy. Again though, focusing on just running my pace, i told myself that the harder it was, the better... it was hurting everyone else more than me. Of course at no time in the race, did i know this to be true... but mentally to have this frame of mind really helped me repsond to the tough conditions and course in a positive way.
I knew i wasnt running "fast" and that wit people like Marcel behind me somewhere, it would be a hard 21km run today, but by 7km i'd managed to catch up to and pass Kieran, moving into 1st place!!! this is always a big boost but i tried not to let this change how i was running. i didnt look back to see if/how much Kieran was falling away behind me or if for that matter anyone else was catching me though. I tried to clock off the km's and set the target of the next aid station in my mind and just keep looking at the lead police car escort i was getting at the front of the race (VERY cool!). Despite the heat, i wasnt suffering any cramping issues, which is testiment to my Powerbar nutrition. The race oganisers had done a fantastic job in every way in this race and with aid stations every 2km's it meant i had plenty of opportunities to get fluids on board. the helpers at each aid station seamed more interested in taking photo's of me as i apprached, than handing me cups of water; they found it imensely amusing too as i went through my routine at each station of water > mouthfull > spit > sponge > over head > over back > water gulp... carry on running.
Km's 1-5 flew by, 5-10 were OK to, despite probably 75% of all the running being uphill. 10-15 began to hurt and i knew my pace was slowing, but refused to look back to see if anyone was catching me. From that point on though, km 15-20 it seamed like i was running through treacle! SO much of the course was uphill and the aid stations were coming along more and more slowly. the run course was a point to point course, so didn't finish back near transition and it was only at 19.5km that there was a small loop back where I'd just come from towards the finish line outside the YoYo hotel. This was the first chance i had to see what kind of lead i had and if I'd need to sprint for the finish. with no watch on, i counted my steps until 2nd place went by the other way - 85 meant about 2 minutes... with now only 1km left i was pretty sure I'd done it... i was about to win my first IM 70.3 title. As i rounded the final bend of what felt like the longest km of my life i could see the read carpet of the finishing shoot, which was lined with cheering spectators. knowing i had enough time, i swerved and walked down this "high-5'ing" the crowds as i went and soaked up every second of the victory i could. Crossing the line in 4h09 it certainly wasn't my fastest time over the distance, but on that course, in that wind i could care less it was my first 70.3 win and i was over the moon letting out a massive yell of relief as i crossed the line to the cheering crowds and the bank of photographers and camera crews behind.
As ever, a HUGE tanks to my sponsors who help me SO much - PureTri, Powerbar, CompresSport, Greepers, DC Leisure and ProVO2.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Update from Taiwan
I'm sat on the bus leaving T1 heading back to the race hotel for the "carbo dinner" and thought I'd use the time for a brief blog update.
I'm in the first few days of a pretty long trip away, culminating I hope with a great performance at IronMan Western Australia in December. That race is the main focus of this trip, with 4 weeks of training prep in Australia near Brisbane leading into it, but first I've "stopped off" in Taiwan for the 70.3 race here this weekend.
I've not "tapered" for this race and as IM Oz is the focus, nor has my training focused on a "peak" performance. However IF I can have one of "those days" that you sometimes get during training (when you feel really good) then hopefully I can have a decent race.
The last 2 days haven't in truth been ideal for a great race though. A LONG journey in time, distance, flight changes and energy drain so close to a race isn't the best. Worse still is that as I sit here now, my bike STILL hasn't arrived. Building my bike (assuming it gets here tonight) at near midnight, then racing on jet-lag and hardly any proper sleep, well its about as poor as preparation can be. BUT I'm not bothered by any of that and certainly won't be using it as excuses for whatever happens out there tomorrow. One of my favourite sayings is "you always have a choice even if you don't have control". It's about making choices with what I CAN control. So I'll do all I can, to do everything as well as i can. And most importantly, I'll do it all with a positive attitude and expectation.
I've been trying in the last few weeks to really work on getting "mentally fitter", having realised that this was an area I'd grown weak and sloppy in. Tomorrow should serve to really test all of that and I'm quite looking forward to it. Keys to this will be not to over-think and over-analyse everything, especially external factors. And if/when the tough moments come, just to try and focus on positively impacting what I can control.
So... food (i hope at least some of it gluten free) awaits and then a night of as much sleep as possible and bike building, followed by a really great race. I'll report back soon on how it all works out. :-)
Blogged VIA email...
I'm in the first few days of a pretty long trip away, culminating I hope with a great performance at IronMan Western Australia in December. That race is the main focus of this trip, with 4 weeks of training prep in Australia near Brisbane leading into it, but first I've "stopped off" in Taiwan for the 70.3 race here this weekend.
I've not "tapered" for this race and as IM Oz is the focus, nor has my training focused on a "peak" performance. However IF I can have one of "those days" that you sometimes get during training (when you feel really good) then hopefully I can have a decent race.
The last 2 days haven't in truth been ideal for a great race though. A LONG journey in time, distance, flight changes and energy drain so close to a race isn't the best. Worse still is that as I sit here now, my bike STILL hasn't arrived. Building my bike (assuming it gets here tonight) at near midnight, then racing on jet-lag and hardly any proper sleep, well its about as poor as preparation can be. BUT I'm not bothered by any of that and certainly won't be using it as excuses for whatever happens out there tomorrow. One of my favourite sayings is "you always have a choice even if you don't have control". It's about making choices with what I CAN control. So I'll do all I can, to do everything as well as i can. And most importantly, I'll do it all with a positive attitude and expectation.
I've been trying in the last few weeks to really work on getting "mentally fitter", having realised that this was an area I'd grown weak and sloppy in. Tomorrow should serve to really test all of that and I'm quite looking forward to it. Keys to this will be not to over-think and over-analyse everything, especially external factors. And if/when the tough moments come, just to try and focus on positively impacting what I can control.
So... food (i hope at least some of it gluten free) awaits and then a night of as much sleep as possible and bike building, followed by a really great race. I'll report back soon on how it all works out. :-)
Blogged VIA email...
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