Ok so its nearly a week since the race. I haven't really thought about the race much to be honest. Anyone who i've been talking too knows that im a little unhappy about my performance on some levels, but on others quite happy. I may as well rabbit on for a bit.
So the race prep went great, evening before we went to the race briefing and the athletes pasta party enjoyed the food and the dancing courtesy of the Rose of Rapperswil and her Krew.(snigger) Got a bit of a shock when they mentioned the gearing they recommended, 30 ring at the back...i had a 24. Fuck it not much i could do then. Ate my food, then went back and got my bike sorted to go into transition. All the prep worked, got my stuff in then went for a walk before bed just to get out of the Hotel for a bit. May have had some ice cream. Got to bed nice and early and got ready for the not so early start at 6am.
6am alarm call, insert food, insert water, insert coffee. Music on, mental prep go now. All good. Last race check and down for more food at 7am. Don't eat too much, get some more coffee in. More water. More trips to bathroom than you need to know about. Off to the race venue at 7.30 and drop the last of the bottles and so on into transition. Last bit of time on my own to listen to my pre-race music, last toilet break and then time to don the wetsuit for the swim.
Swim:
Got in the water and the nerves that i had managed to keep under control hit, HR up to 150 and all i was doing was threading water waiting for the start! Look at the mountains, breath, just relax. HR came back down to a reasonable 110 before the start. Minute to go call and i moved into my slot in the middle of the pack. GO!! Not so hectic start, but about 100m in where it narrowed from 30m too 10m the fighting started. Held my nerve and kept my water. However i managed to miss the faster feet and ended up on my own for the first 700m of the swim. No biggie, just chill and keep a steady pace. 800m or so in it hit me. I was doing the race! I started lauging and felt so good in my head, hit the turn around and caught some nice fast swimmers and dragged off them for the next 500m. Left them for dead 200m from the end and started to up my legs and arms to get the blood moving for the transition run.
T1:
Out of the water, up the stairs, grab some water, insert water, strip and run. Got to my bike without even thinking it, socks on for my first time ever in a triathlon! Lid, shades, eat a gel, water in mouth again, run out. Mount the bike and start to settle in.
Bike:
First 10km had to resists the urge to push. Power less than 200W and nice and easy, just chill and ignore the urge to push. HR nice and low, maintain a nice little tuck. Started to enjoy the bike just as we hit the first hill of the day. 1km Witches Hill 18% average gradient. No problem. Add the music and crowds and there is no way you can't gun it to the top. Felt great the first time, just knew that i had to hold form and i'd be ok. All worries of the 30 rear went out the window and i perked up a bit more! The next 90km passed like a dream. All the hills and the sweet descents. 74km/hr on your tri-bars while eating on a corner with one hand makes me smile even typing this. I love descending. Nearly as much as i love eating :) Second lap felt stronger than the first even though i mentally had to hold back so much in the last 10km. my brain wanted to race but my legs knew that they needed to be able to run!!
T2:
Cyclo-cross dismount. Quick in, ditch the bike, change into runners, out. Simple as.
Run:
Wow, my legs worked out of T2. What a feeling not going fast but still going. Scoffed a gel at about 1km in and started to try and push a bit. Legs said no. Simple as, ok keep the pace up. Ohh need to pee, find a tree, piss, hmm that's quite orange. Grab water at the next station and keep it up for every station. Starting to notice that the heat is actually quite intense. 4km in, WTF cramps! Arrgh pain pain pain, walk a bit. So begins the next 19km of hell. Couldn't push, knee on the right leg kept at me when my quads started to cramp, then my left calf starts to cramp. Bugger it, could run at a decent pace for 600m or so but then had to walk for 100m. Fuck it. Simply put i was loosing time and my race was FUBARed. I got more and more angry until about 10 km when i came back into the main gantry, i've loved to have gone straight and finished now. But no no, i had 11.5km to go. However i did get a major mental boost and pushed for about 2km before i had to start walking again. Lashed out at Wags with about 4km to go when he cheered me on going to other way, was pissed off for about 500m then instantly felt bad about it. Had to apologise to him the second i crossed the line. When i knew i had 3km to go i started to pick it up again, i knew i was not going to finish under 5:30 but i had sworn that if i didn't finish under 6hrs i was giving up this damn sport. Last km was the easiest one of the race. I felt like i was a god, run run run Greg!! Hit the chute again, and went straight instead of turning left.
Finish:
Last .5km are the best feeling. Ran into the finishing gantry and i felt like crying, i have no idea why, i felt fantastic yet so depressed. Then boom, noise, cheering, slap hands with the event organiser. Cross the line and nearly broke down. Big cheer from the lads and the best feeling in the world. I'd done it. I'd actually done a Half Ironman. The start to the goal. Got my medal, saw the girls, quaffed some water and Red bull, and went to get my race shirt. Still hadn't fully set in until about two days later but i'd done it!! WOO me. Shower and a massage, oh yes massage, i actually want to marry the large Swiss man who gave me a massage! i don't care, he is a god.
Aftermath:
Went to the race after party, ate my food, drank my free Erdinger and looked at all the happy fuckers with their blue shirts. Yeah i had one but i didn't feel like i deserved it. I know i'd just achieved something i had never thought i would do, but i still felt disappointed with it. Over the next few hours my mood uplifted and i started to feel happier...this may have been to due with the beer and food :) Next day pains weren't as bad as i reckoned, actually felt pretty good. Not too tired, but hungry, very hungry. Ate for most of the day, and sat a lot, then walked, then ate, then sat, then walked, then drank a little more coffee.
Ohh, compression tights are the best thing on the planet. I love them. Pretty much lived in them for the 3 days after the race! Oh at some point we flew home.
So the race prep went great, evening before we went to the race briefing and the athletes pasta party enjoyed the food and the dancing courtesy of the Rose of Rapperswil and her Krew.(snigger) Got a bit of a shock when they mentioned the gearing they recommended, 30 ring at the back...i had a 24. Fuck it not much i could do then. Ate my food, then went back and got my bike sorted to go into transition. All the prep worked, got my stuff in then went for a walk before bed just to get out of the Hotel for a bit. May have had some ice cream. Got to bed nice and early and got ready for the not so early start at 6am.6am alarm call, insert food, insert water, insert coffee. Music on, mental prep go now. All good. Last race check and down for more food at 7am. Don't eat too much, get some more coffee in. More water. More trips to bathroom than you need to know about. Off to the race venue at 7.30 and drop the last of the bottles and so on into transition. Last bit of time on my own to listen to my pre-race music, last toilet break and then time to don the wetsuit for the swim.
Swim:
Got in the water and the nerves that i had managed to keep under control hit, HR up to 150 and all i was doing was threading water waiting for the start! Look at the mountains, breath, just relax. HR came back down to a reasonable 110 before the start. Minute to go call and i moved into my slot in the middle of the pack. GO!! Not so hectic start, but about 100m in where it narrowed from 30m too 10m the fighting started. Held my nerve and kept my water. However i managed to miss the faster feet and ended up on my own for the first 700m of the swim. No biggie, just chill and keep a steady pace. 800m or so in it hit me. I was doing the race! I started lauging and felt so good in my head, hit the turn around and caught some nice fast swimmers and dragged off them for the next 500m. Left them for dead 200m from the end and started to up my legs and arms to get the blood moving for the transition run.
T1:
Out of the water, up the stairs, grab some water, insert water, strip and run. Got to my bike without even thinking it, socks on for my first time ever in a triathlon! Lid, shades, eat a gel, water in mouth again, run out. Mount the bike and start to settle in.
Bike:
First 10km had to resists the urge to push. Power less than 200W and nice and easy, just chill and ignore the urge to push. HR nice and low, maintain a nice little tuck. Started to enjoy the bike just as we hit the first hill of the day. 1km Witches Hill 18% average gradient. No problem. Add the music and crowds and there is no way you can't gun it to the top. Felt great the first time, just knew that i had to hold form and i'd be ok. All worries of the 30 rear went out the window and i perked up a bit more! The next 90km passed like a dream. All the hills and the sweet descents. 74km/hr on your tri-bars while eating on a corner with one hand makes me smile even typing this. I love descending. Nearly as much as i love eating :) Second lap felt stronger than the first even though i mentally had to hold back so much in the last 10km. my brain wanted to race but my legs knew that they needed to be able to run!!
T2:
Cyclo-cross dismount. Quick in, ditch the bike, change into runners, out. Simple as.
Run:
Wow, my legs worked out of T2. What a feeling not going fast but still going. Scoffed a gel at about 1km in and started to try and push a bit. Legs said no. Simple as, ok keep the pace up. Ohh need to pee, find a tree, piss, hmm that's quite orange. Grab water at the next station and keep it up for every station. Starting to notice that the heat is actually quite intense. 4km in, WTF cramps! Arrgh pain pain pain, walk a bit. So begins the next 19km of hell. Couldn't push, knee on the right leg kept at me when my quads started to cramp, then my left calf starts to cramp. Bugger it, could run at a decent pace for 600m or so but then had to walk for 100m. Fuck it. Simply put i was loosing time and my race was FUBARed. I got more and more angry until about 10 km when i came back into the main gantry, i've loved to have gone straight and finished now. But no no, i had 11.5km to go. However i did get a major mental boost and pushed for about 2km before i had to start walking again. Lashed out at Wags with about 4km to go when he cheered me on going to other way, was pissed off for about 500m then instantly felt bad about it. Had to apologise to him the second i crossed the line. When i knew i had 3km to go i started to pick it up again, i knew i was not going to finish under 5:30 but i had sworn that if i didn't finish under 6hrs i was giving up this damn sport. Last km was the easiest one of the race. I felt like i was a god, run run run Greg!! Hit the chute again, and went straight instead of turning left.
Finish:Last .5km are the best feeling. Ran into the finishing gantry and i felt like crying, i have no idea why, i felt fantastic yet so depressed. Then boom, noise, cheering, slap hands with the event organiser. Cross the line and nearly broke down. Big cheer from the lads and the best feeling in the world. I'd done it. I'd actually done a Half Ironman. The start to the goal. Got my medal, saw the girls, quaffed some water and Red bull, and went to get my race shirt. Still hadn't fully set in until about two days later but i'd done it!! WOO me. Shower and a massage, oh yes massage, i actually want to marry the large Swiss man who gave me a massage! i don't care, he is a god.
Aftermath:
Went to the race after party, ate my food, drank my free Erdinger and looked at all the happy fuckers with their blue shirts. Yeah i had one but i didn't feel like i deserved it. I know i'd just achieved something i had never thought i would do, but i still felt disappointed with it. Over the next few hours my mood uplifted and i started to feel happier...this may have been to due with the beer and food :) Next day pains weren't as bad as i reckoned, actually felt pretty good. Not too tired, but hungry, very hungry. Ate for most of the day, and sat a lot, then walked, then ate, then sat, then walked, then drank a little more coffee.
Ohh, compression tights are the best thing on the planet. I love them. Pretty much lived in them for the 3 days after the race! Oh at some point we flew home.
1 comment:
So, when's the next one? :)
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