Thanks Rhys for starting this thread and thanks to everyone for the kind words! Especially the ones that were unintentionally kind (Was the course short?). Also thanks to Marino for coming out to Canada to race with us and congrats to him for crushing it! It was awesome to have him out there demolishing the rest us and showing us where we need to get to. I'll be telling the kids I coach back home that I got to race against one of the all time greats of our sport!
My coach and I made a plan to ride the bike conservative to ensure that I would be able to A. Ride strong on the final climb out of Pemberton and B. take advantage of my run strength. My thinking was that the large amount of downhill tucking sections weren't a reason to push harder but just a bonus for saving energy. I still felt pretty beat up in the last bit of the bike and start of the run but just rolled with it and started gaining momentum.
Now had I rode faster and run faster could I have had a faster overall time. Maybe and this is something to consider for next time. But no matter how I raced on Sunday, Marino still would have crushed me. He had 4 of a Kind and I had a Flush. So I think our plan worked well. For me a fast run split is just a way to get to the finish line as fast as possible. I would trade a fast run split for a faster overall time anytime. We'll as long as that got me a better placing. (On a side note I think Trevor had a Full House and will be back on top of the Podium at IM Lake Tahoe) What has me stoked from the race is that I was able to overcome the injuries that plagued me all winter and fall from crashing and then running a marathon at Challenge Penticon, get over some awful early season races (4:56 in Galveston 70.3), finish 2nd in a big race behind a legend of our sport, gain some great Ironman experience, and take a step forward in my development as an athlete.
I am still figuring this Ironman (or Iron-Distance for the folks back home in Penticton) out. I seems to me like the mental battle is just as important as the physical one. I think there was a huge benefit for me feeling good on run and getting splits that I was catching everyone. The positive energy kept feeding itself. I fed this energy with a lot of yelling, cheering other people and saying jokes out there. Turning my focus from internal to external seemed to really help. I also know it can be psychologically tough to be feeling a bit rough, hanging on, and hearing split that someone is gaining ground quickly. So even if from a physiological point of view I may have been better to have gone harder on the bike, I am not sure in this race it would have got me to the finish line faster or in 2nd place. It very well could have had me walking and thinking about how I need to brush up my resume and get a real job...
I had the benefit over Marino of being a local BC guy. The volunteers and people cheering out there were incredible! The coolest part was having a ton of my role models in the sport out cheering me on! Jonnyo, Scott Curry, Jasper Blake, Jason Shortis, Kevin Cutjar are all guys that I looked up and cheered on during the Penticton IMC days and to have them out there cheering and giving split was incredible. And to have Simon Whitfield yell my motto "Get Ugly Out There!!!" at me about a 1k into the run sure got me fired up and is a moment I will always remember! Marino may have had some support out there, but I can imagine it being as motivating and awesome as what I was lucky to have received!
The other benefits I had over Marino is that I sat on his feet for the last lap of the swim. Everyone mentions how much a hard bike affects your run but I believe the swim play a big effect as well. Especially if you have one of those swim where you kill it to try and stay with the front pack and get popped 600-700 meters in, struggle in no man's land and then get caught by the second group as soon as you hit the beach/boat ramp (This has happened to me at a lot of 70.3's).
The hardest part of racing is not being able to do something, but to actually do it under pressure. That's what makes the races and runs in Kona so special. So until I throw down a big one in Kona I shouldn't even be in the discussion of great runners. Plus I don't want too much hype or recognition because I thrive off being the underdog. So if you think I am not very good please post it on here. Like everyone whose strength is the run, I want people to forget I even exist.... until we hit T2.
I would be more than happy to answer any questions people might have about my training or preparation. I am still a work in progress but have been fortunate to have lots of great mentors and bad races to learn from! I would be more than thrilled to pass that learning on.
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