Prestige Half-Iron Race Report - it's all mental
A quick report...4:45. 14th place. 1st place 30-34 AG.
SWIM was COLD. 15C. I slacked the first lap of the swim. More goggle problems.. I'm going to throw them out and buy new ones... uggh. Lost my draught while adjusting them. Swam the second lap at a proper pace cuz I was pissed at losing my draft. Crappy goggles meant poor sighting and I went a bit off course. Swam 32 and change..
BIKE. I was feeling ok, and working it well for the first 70km. The course is mild rollers, with mostly smooth roads. Temps were mild... around 20C, with a light wind that was getting stronger. Was chasing the slowest Montana dude for the first 50km or so til he finally pulled away from me. Fell apart mentally just before the final turnaround and probably gave up a few minutes, and was passed by another dude. 2:35 bike split was ok... but not great.
RUN. Just couldn't bring it together. Went through the first lap in about 50mins... wasn't trying very hard. I was even walking some aid stations. The lead women started to get close though, so I actually started to work, and pushed myself to the finish just ahead of her. 1:37 for the run... a very slow time for me.
No real issues except my mental game. I just didn't want to hurt that much yesterday. I spent too much of the race in my comfort zone. I think I used up a lot of my race mojo in Oliver and Victoria already this season. Time to rest my body and reset my mind... and be ready for Canberra in just over 3 months.
Congrats to Heather, first half-iron ever and a 5th place showing for $100 in prize money!
The race organization, just like Wasa, was outstanding. Everything is perfect. I will recommend this as THE race to enter to anyone.
posted by Greg @ 7/31/2006
5 Comments:
Greg, I can totally relate to using up "race mojo" during earlier races in the season. Sylvan Lake was a huge grind for me both mentally and physically. Just didn't have game that day. I've been saying to my wife I'm looking forward to some time off after Heritage Point...before I start training for IMCDA'07.
Gratz to Heather on a great first half-iron...she's an animal! ;)
Greg, to be perfectly honest, these sort of comments frustrate me:
"..probably could have gone a minute or two faster with better goggles."
"My body had 4:30 fitness or better, but my mind said 4:45."
The first one is silly to anyone who knows anything about our sport, and the second one isn't showing the respect you should to the competitors that beat you between 4:30 - 4:45. You may ruffle some feathers with comments like that, and rightfully so.
Trev
Trev, to be perfectly honest, I don't write my blog for your satisfaction. So if it frustrates you... move on.
My goggles leaked.. again. I spent the first lap wondering if I was going to lose my contact lense. When I tried to fix my goggles, I lost my draught. 2mins... I think that's about right.
What does my analysis of MY performance have ANYTHING to do with my competitors? Not a damn thing...
Fair enough, enough said, just thought I would give you a heads up.
Trev
Anyone who gets their feathers ruffled by a few over-analytical (no offence G) comments on a race report needs a good kick in the ass. Seriously, who's going to be that worried about Greg's take on his own race? For those who are that worried: Suck it up; concentrate on your own race and maybe a slack-effort 4:45 wouldn't piss you off so much.
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