The last time I checked in on the state of affairs with my own training and racing for triathlon was after Half Ironman Des Moines. I spent about 10 days after that race mentally and physically smoked; unsure of how to proceed with the summer.
One of my favorite races, Matt Mason Memorial Cowboy UP!, was on the cards and I put myself on the startlist 6 weeks in advance without much of an expectation for the race. Below is a report of that race and it left me with a new perspective.
Swim
The swim was advertised at 1000 meters, so my initial plan was to go at Olympic 1500 meter effort. This should have given me a little extra to push hard on the bike which was my focus for the race.
However, when I hit the first buoy, I knew the course was definitely not 1000 meters (ended up being 750). I turned the screws after this first turn and felt quite strong toward the end.
My main struggle in the swim is always the first 5 minutes. I feel horrible in every race even if I am not sprinting to take it out fast. After this initial bit, I always feel strong and am left wishing the swim would never end.
I swam 9:01 for ~750 meters which is on par with my threshold swim pace give or take a bit).
Bike
I nailed T1 for the first time ever and was out on to the bike quickly. This course packs a punch with 400 meters/1300 feet of elevation gain in only 30 km/18 miles.
I have been practicing handling skills with my bike every Friday morning for the past 6 weeks because I knew that type of work could pay off.
I was trying to keep my power steady but this was difficult with the frequent uphills. I averaged 262W normalized and did 50:34 for the overall ride time. A personal best for this course but I need to find a way to hold about 10-15W more for this distance. I know I can run, and I have proven in training I can ride hard, so fear of riding hard needs to be squashed.
At the end of the bike I was led off course for a bit coming into T2. I was fuming about it initially but it turned out that other athletes behind me were taking the same route. There was a mistake by some of the volunteers.
Run
T2 was not as sharp but I blasted out fast like usual. My splits were looking great and I was feeling smooth from the get go. I had a tailwind which helped things along.
I hit the turnaround at 5K in 16:53, immediately feeling the headwind for the return trip. This was the first I was starting to really hurt and 6, 7, 8 k were not my best. I fell off my initial pace but the out and back course allowed me to see the lead I had built up.
With 2K to go I tried to give it a final push into the finish. I did not have the extra gear and felt that something was missing on the run. May have been heat. May have been lack of motivation. May have been lack of high end fitness. All I know is there is more to be discovered for finishing a run well.
My final time on the run was 10 km in 34:32 which is an off the bike personal best. I took the first overall title and set the run course record. These were some sweet accomplishments and perhaps with more sharpness I can achieve the higher level run I know I can.
Wrap up
The race as a whole was a success. I did many things on that course that I would not have been capable of a year ago. Training has also not been anything special lately, so a result like this is about on par with what I have been doing. I cannot expect to go above the level of my current training.
The performance does beg the question:
“What type of commitment does this sport require to go to the next level?”
I have been searching for that answer for a while now.
Maybe the answer is in being patient.
Maybe the answer is in dialing back the expectation.
Maybe my mindset should shift from trying to be elite to trying to have fun.
I have some great resources to consult and I will get to the bottom of it.
Food for thought
One of my athletes quoted a tweet I made about the race with the following:
It would be easy for me to see a comment like this as an ego booster, but my initial reaction was asking the following question:
“If I can do this for one or two people, how can I make a relatable experience available on a larger scale?”
That is an important question for me to ponder and one that I will aim to fulfill going forward. Getting started with my own coaching service back in May was the start of that process.
It is no longer only about selling out for my own performance gains. I am equipped to serve others and I must pay attention to that.