#fromwhereisit at the finish line of another Ironman 70.3 race I have a smile on my face that paints my relief to be finished and the enjoyment I experience from racing triathlons. But the smile belies the disappointment that tarnishes the excitement of finishing.
It’s hard to admit to this feeling publicly as I feel undeserving and almost ungracious for the congratulations bestowed upon me. I want to shout ‘Thanks but I’ve done better!’ I am very appreciative of the recognition, just my silly sense of pride making me feel awkward about it.
I swam, rode and ran for 5.33hrs straight in stunning conditions, passing beautiful scenery and with constant encouragement and support. I enjoyed every second of it and feel ever so lucky to be able bodied and pushing my 42 year old muscles around in a test of strength and endurance. BUT, yes, there is always a BUT, it was 10 minutes slower than my personal best time last year. While I may not always get what I want (ok, I do get what I want a lot of the time – maybe that’s my issue?), today I got what I deserved.
While my result is not too shabby and I am happy with putting in 100% effort (often repeating the mantra to myself throughout the race), it is a great example of what you put in is equivalent to what you get out – or a million other cliches like ‘you reap what you sow’ and ‘you’ve made your bed so now you’ve got to lay in it’. I trained consistently, but had a somewhat ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude with many half-arsed attempts at training or sessions cut short.
So #fromwhereisit I’m going to utilize a wonderful piece of wisdom from my friend Steve who says to “borrow some of the pride your family and friends feel for you” and just be proud of getting out there and doing what gives me that finish line smile!
For those who actually want to know about the race…
The Swim – 38min
I could have stayed out there all day. The water was warm compared to the air and the rolling start coupled with my easy rhythmic strokes where just mesmerizing. Or, it could have just been the whack to the back of my head that made me gulp the weedy brown water and see sparkles? Either way, it was mostly a pleasant experience! A little slower than expected but also a very comfortable effort (read- pretty easy, I probably didn’t put in 100% here). It was a realistic time for my training effort.
The Bike – 2.52hr
I love this bike course. I love the hills and long undulating stretches of road and the two forks at the half way point that break up the course. The ocean is always singing it’s wavy melody as the sun reflects from the water onto us like we are the stars under spotlight. I was really happy with my riding and felt proud that I was pushing my legs to burn – I would usually back off when feeling this! My main issue is the daydreaming disease. When my mind would drift off into thoughts of whether I would have coffee, milkshake or wine when I finished or whether I should do my #fromwhereisit shot from my bike or from the finish line it would result in my speed dropping a little. Overall, given my preparation I was pleased with averaging 31.4km/hr for 90km, that’s faster than some oldies drive on pension day!
The Run – 1.58hr
Running a half marathon after encouraging your legs to burn is always going to be an ‘interesting’ experience, or at least I was prepared for it to be tough. My lead up to the race had seen me unable to run with a sore quad and this was the area where I had slacked off in my long runs on a regular basis. To my surprise I absolutely loved it and felt like I was floating through, often surprising myself when I would see the 1km split on my borrowed watch. That was until about the 15km mark where no amount of ‘100%’ mantra could sooth the dummy spit my legs were having. I wasn’t out of breath and desperately wanted to move faster, but my legs were like an adamant toddler amidst a full blown tantrum. That rudely bumped my average pace up considerably to 5.35min/km (for 21.1km).
I always have this weird prediction with my race bib number. I add all the numbers together until it comes to a single digit. That then represents my place. This continued the tradition (it has worked every other time, with 2 x 6th place in this event previously) with my 3069 = 3+0+6+9 = 1+8 = 9th (AG). The fun and raucous support on course during the race was amazing, just improving the experience by miles!
#fromwhereisit at the finish line with my blisters in unusual places, my knees all clunky and my new cowboy walking style, I really do love being fully engulfed in triathlon life!
xk
