Ironman 70.3 Lahti- My Race Review

So after a little while away from the phone and laptop and social media which has been extremely useful and liberating, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have popped a message over for my birthday and good luck wishes etc for the race…..

Not the result that I was looking for after a good preparation and feeling in good shape leading up to the race.

The race itself was really well organised and the course was beautiful, taking in some amazing scenery through the Finnish countryside.

I managed a top 10 swim in my age group which I was happy with, not my smoothest swim by any means but solid enough.

Then on the bike, well…… an event that I normally make up lots of ground on, it seemed like I was going through treacle.
Having practiced and trained using power as a measure of intensity, I know the speeds and feel of the different efforts I am capable of….. on the day, something was array…..I put out nearly 25Watts on average more than my race target and my legs were screaming, yet I seemed to be going backwards as hoards of athletes went past me….. this was physically and mentally very tough for me….. as I said for me the bike is a strength and normally the phase I look to put time into those who I am competing with…..not on this event….

All sorts of things went through my head…..have I over trained (I knew I hadn’t), do I need to get blood tests done, I need to take a break from Triathlon….it’s amazing how many negative things go through your head when you are under pressure….

I had a word with myself as my legs started to cramp and seize up….. just get your backside to the finish line, as a competition this race is over….get to transition and get your shoes on and if you need to walk the rest you can.
Having expelled the amount of energy I did, consuming 300ml more fluid than anticipated because of the extra time I was out there….some 25-30 mins longer than planned….I thought the run was going to be emotional! The legs were battered! Investigations begin when I get back to see what is happening here!

This was killing me inside….. I sat down in transition had something to eat, which I put in my run bag as a back up incase all of my food falls off the bike…..it couldn’t get any worse so why not have it was my attitude.

Running in anger, frustration and disbelief!

I got out of transition and thought right 9 mins run, 1 min walk….that’s my back up plan!

Luckily a young Russian guy, who happened to speak really good English overtook me in the first 500m and I thought about what Will Smith said about not being the most talented but never be outworked! From there on we ran together at a really good pace, I think we overtook roughly 350 athletes in our first lap and then a load more in the 2nd lap.

Weirdly as I ran, I thought this is not the run of someone who is burnt out, under prepared, ill and all of those negative (excuses) things I had told myself on the bike that were the reasons my bike split was so poor.

We got to 19km and I felt great…..I said to my now Russian friend ….”right you coming?” as I wanted to leave nothing in the tank! I just remember running like a man possessed for those last 2km….. angry but also really happy that it didn’t turn into an even longer day out!

A run split of 1 hour 35 mins for the 1/2 marathon I wouldn’t be unhappy with off a good bike split, let alone one that left my legs in bits!

So overall, happy with swim and delighted with the run…..the bike…..investigations begin when we get back because something odd has happened there!

No top 10 finish to keep the run going for 2018….but really happy to have a few things to work on and I am now looking for a race to set the record straight and do a time I now feel capable of!

A few thank you’s to Dan and Jo for being support crew …. albeit very well lubricated by the time I finished….I didn’t anticipate being a carer/taxi driver at the end of a race, to mum for looking after Dealer and to Mike and Carys for keeping our clients moving forwards back home!