As most of you are already well aware of (unless you haven't listened to a radio, read a newspaper or seen the news in the last few days!) Victoria was hit with some incredible weather on Saturday and it was unlike anything I have ever seen before.
I awoke early for a short ride and swim the day before the race and met up with some of the other crew from Perth. It was a pleasant morning and hard to imagine the temperature was going to reach 40 degrees that same day. I returned to the hotel, met mum for breakfast then we had a little visit to the local shops for supplies for the rest of the day and tomorrow. We relaxed in the room for a few hours then it was time to register. It was only a 10 minute walk to the transition area so we were on out way.
Bang! It hit you! As soon as we left the hotel it was incredible! The hot hot winds were howling, there was sand blowing everywhere and apparently it reached 47 degrees in Geelong. The hottest day ever! We didn't last too long outside and didn't venture out again except to check my bike in. Thank god the race wasn't on Saturday!
Sunday morning was a completely different story. Yes, the winds were still up a bit, but it was more than 20 degrees cooler and I was rugged up prior to race start.
I wasn't nervous, but excited. I felt so happy to be racing again, but a little apprehensive. By the end of this race I would know how everything is. If I could keep going and push towards an Ironman or if I still needed to ease back a bit. Only time would tell.
I made sure I had a decent warm up prior to the swim and was ready to give him my best although I knew I was underdone in this department. I was okay for the first half, then a gap started to form and I should have gone but I didn't, or maybe couldn't. A little group of 4 formed and we stayed together until the swim finish. An area I really need to concentrate on now and work hard on improving. I can't afford to be giving up so much time at the start of the race and spending the rest of the time playing catch up.
Onto the bike, I felt good. It was to be a different strategy for me today. A bit more conservative, no panicking and if anything was left at the end, then use it then. I got into my groove on the first lap and focused on my nutrition. There was a few sharp downhill turns when you came back into town and I lost a lot of time on those. Bike handling skills, another area to work on!
By the second lap we had unfortunately been engulfed by age group men and I am sure everyone has there moments, but the packs forming were incredible. I guess on a 3 lap bike course with over a thousand athletes, there is only so much room. By the third lap I was riding solo and was really happy with feeling strong coming back into town and pushing into the head wind.
Into transition, my K-Swiss shoes were on and I was ready to run! Well ready to see what I was capable of running. There was an out and back section in front of the crowd before heading up a small incline. Three laps again, with half of each lap along a trail through the botanical gardens. There was plenty of opportunities to see other athletes and it was obvious that there was a group of us all very close. I felt terrible in the first lap. I was wondering if I had any run legs available for the day. I was patient and thought to myself, the first lap is a warm up. I began to feel a lot better the second lap on focused on my cadence and nutrition. By the third lap I knew this was it. I was going to use what ever I had left.
I am really happy with my race on Sunday. I finished 6th (7th overall, a speedy age group woman had an awesome day!) in 4.28. After the broken collar bone it is now time to amp up the swim and get that time down! I felt consistent and strong on the bike. Finally, my run, with no speed work in my program and only running nearly half as much as last year I was still able to run a 1.25:30. A great place to start for the beginning of the year. Even better, it is tuesday and beside general post half Ironman muscle soreness, my back is feeling fine! Yah!
Thanks for all the support and good luck messages. I am excited about some solid months of training ahead now and the opportunity to race my first Ironman in over a year at Port Macquarie!
