Hey A, thanks for thinking of me ;-) I've been out of internet-land for a few days, and do want to post a real RR, just haven't had the time!!! Here's what I've got for now, as I sip on a rose from the Hawke's Bay region, in Napier, the Art Deco capital of NZ...
Overall:
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Yeah the time wasn't what I wanted (12:42 vs 12:30) but is close enough to be good enough for me, it's still a PR (by 24min over IMC). Nose was an issue definitely. The incessant rain was demoralizing. But I am proud I finished. And I am super proud of Phil, who I knew was going to have a great day, but a 10:52? awesome! He amazes me...
Prep
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My training was so utterly minimal on the swim and bike, so I was actually reasonably happy to see almost identical times to IMC there. And, just as in IMC, "you know who" showed up (awesome - I really hate that bitch). At least this time I was able to ride aero for most of the bike... my T times reflect that fact - all the extra time "changing out" in the portaloos...
Most of my training was on the order of:
- 2x40min a week at lunch time swimming (so 4000m/week) from oh October through end of Feb;
- Mountain biking maybe 500k in Jan and Feb, with some 2-3hr trainer rides in those same months; utterly minimal, but I was not mentally able to hack the 4am trainer rides anymore... I found the MTB the best training for me. I was pushing a 53/42 x 11-23 for IMNZ and at no time had a problem with that gearing. The MTB riding really helped my leg strength - I just needed more TITS (time in the saddle)...
- Running was where I have spent most of my time since IMC 09, and I was running better than ever. I really really wanted to see at leat 30min better here. The 200mi Dec running challenge made all the difference here.
- Weight: I dropped about 10lbs from Oct thru Feb, so raced at (for me) a low weight. I think I can keep it close to this, I have learned alot about my eating behaviours (i.e.: emoional/boredom eating).
The Day
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Woke up to rain. A lot of it. Ugh. How easy would it be to just roll over and go back to sleep? No way. I am tougher than rain. Humans are waterproof (to a large extent). All the good portaloos were in Chch due to the earthquake. Our were "dodgy" at best, and few and far between. So my day began with a Boost, coffee, and desperatly trying to "process" before going down to the race marquee. We walked down (10min walk in the rain). Got marked. Spent way too long trying to get a wetsuit on damp legs. Bah. I am ready to burn that thing ;-).
Starting the swim, with my tinted goggles, in the almost-dark, was actually kind of scary. I had to swim so wide - the feet kept coming too close for comfort to the face when I tried to draft off the pack... and when I get anxious, I tend to breathe shallow, not good for swimming. So I kept heading away from the packs. At the turnaround (it's essentially an out & back), I started feeling pressure on my nose, and it was quite uncomfortable. I knew there wasn't much I could do, except try to finish. I came out and saw "1:30" - oh no really? worse than IMWA? AUGH... ohh wait, that's the pro clock - PHEW! So 1:16 (to cross the mat), which was only ~2min slower than IMC. Wow. I did a stupid amount of 5am masters swims for IMC, and did virtually the minimum swimming for IMNZ. However, I *did* try to swim like a swimmer... lots of drills, intervals, and hypoxic swimming sets. I'd like to believe that helped, because I sure didn't feel tired at all after that swim...
The bike was rain and wind and more of both. I am very glad I 1) put on a jacket; 2) put on full gloves (my mtn bike gloves with good grip and padding); 3) put the clear lenses in the Rudy's; 4) put on knee warmers. It wasn't super cold on the bike, but I was far more comfortable this way. The chipseal was utterly punishing on the gibbly bits. The rain created a lot of standing (or running) water. I was glad I didn't wear socks - any water that entered my shoes drained away easily... That course, with better hot-seal pavement, could be wickedly fast. The carbon wheels definitely helped dampen the road vibration, but I got off the bike with my upper body and gibblies just shelled. Legs, just fine thanks. But arms? shoulders? my biceps were killing me. Oh well. Bike time? 6:40 - almost identical to IMC, but again with less than half the training! ha!
Starting the run by leaving T2 with two soakers really did suck. However, if it had been hot hot hot (as it can be apparently) it might have been worse - I don't know, it's all merely speculation at this point... I get onto the main strip, and suddenly, the crowd is going NUTS. WTF?!?!, I look behiind me, and there's Cam Brown (winner and local fave) right behind me... trying to just stay out of his way, feeling like a shirking violet (look away...), ugh, was glad when he finally passed me (with a "go get 'em" - which was nice). The run is two loops, and quite a nice, reasonably fast course - no crazy hills. I just wanted to have a good run, as I had really spent more time running than anything else... and I did (for me), I passed a lot of women, some guys, but saw a lot of really shelled people out there. They started making people wear rain ponchos by the time I was about 5k from the finish. I told them I wasn't cold, and almost done, oh and from Vancouver - that seemed to appease them enough haha. But I recall seeing the med staff trying to get a guy in a full waterproof running jacket to put a poncho on... poor guy, he would have overheated methinks! My arms were so sore and stiff - they hurt to bend, so they ended up kind of frozen beside me...
Coming down the last stretch, I heard a lot of cheers, got a lot of high 5s, heard an "AndyPants!" from ShowPony (haha). Crossed the line, got led into the apres tent, and there was Phil with a Steinlager in hand for me... What a guy, he's a keeper, bonafide!
I did end up 32nd in my AG (out of 70 finishers) which is MOP and far far better than the almost DFL I had at IMWA in 2005... ;-). Overall: happy it's over, happy I did it, and at peace with my results. And with this race, I wrap up my M-Dot racing for some time, if not forever. I enjoyed the race, its volunteers (who were unbelievable), and even the venue (rain aside). But the WTC corporation will not be getting any more $ from me thanks. In a lot of ways, I don't think I got "value for my dollar". Mabe I'm jaded, maybe I've just been around tri too long (12+yrs), maybe I've just become tired of the constant nickel & diming I see in the sport. Or maybe, just maybe, I've done what I wanted and am ready for a rest.
There's a reasonably famous albeit older Canadian band called Spirit of the West, who had a great song called " Home for a Rest":
You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best
I've been gone for a week
I've been drunk (sore as hell) since I left
And these so-called vacations
Will soon be my death
I'm so sick from the drink (Ironmans)
I need home for a rest
Take me home....
(my edits in parentheses above)
And I think it's fitting that I wrap up my IM "career" abroad, because when I am ready to go home, it will be knowing I have done what I set out to do, and that there are other things for me to do now. It makes it easier, insome respects, to close that chapter in my life when there's a 14hr flight involved... Like refinish my front door. And complete Comrades. And teach my daughter violin. And get really good at Olympic distance tris ;-)
AP
PS: will post pics when I get to it ;-)
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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS