ITU Worlds, Good News

I'll start by saying Ann is not only world ITU long course F35 AG champion, but also posted the fastest female amateur time of the day, and out of the total, including the 23 pro women finishers (out of 28 starting), 15th, finishing with about the same time as US pro Heidi Grimm. Of course Ann will be 38 in a month which to me makes her performance even more spectacular.

Her time of 7:08 was run off a solid bike split, and a blistering 7:10/mile pace run for the nearly 19 mile 30K portion of the course. Again, only 2 minutes behind my run, as she did in Troika. She has been itching to race long course since her accident the week of IMAZ and I am very proud of her ability to put together such a good race. Still room to improve however, as she didnt ride in her aerobars on the bike, which several team USA team members commented on after the race. Once we get her new aerobars this week, she'll be set though, and will have them ready for Kona.

So,
Swim: 1:23 (4000+ meter)
Bike 3:05 (120K, 74 miles: 271 Watts, 23.7 mph, 79 rpm, 286 torque)
run 2:10 (30K, 18.6 miles)

I decided after the first loop of the 30k run that I would not drop out, even though my plan was to drop if I wasnt near the top 3 (podium in ITU Worlds) in the M40. Well, I knew I wasnt dropping after seeing the pain on many of the pro's faces as they ran by me on their second loop inspired me. I ran with a male pro in fact, language not understandable, but I think he said "good job"...or..."get away from me"...couldnt tell. We ran from 10 - 15 k and at a pace of about 6:50 per mile, and he was grunting and in obvious pain. Yet, I knew he was likely out of the top 10 and I believe was the 13th finisher because he was Danish and I checked the results after. Regardless, the venue FELT like the ITU World championships. There were about 30 countries at least, all walking around in their team uniforms with various flags, etc. On the race course, thousands of spectators yelling "go david" in multiple accents as I ran by. It was overall a good race and one I would recommend, especially as the official distance starting in 2009 is 2X Olympic instead of the 3X Olympic we ran this year.

Swim: 4000 meter? I think, as many after the race felt, that the swim was more like 4500 or so. This still doesnt account for Ann and I's 1:23 swim, esp since I've been under an hour in the past two 3800 meter IM swims, and in this one, I worked much harder, to the point of fatigue in both arms, shoulders and lats. The swim was poorly designed with over 3400 meters directly against the current and directly into the rising sun. I mean the sun was actually rising right over the buoys and sighting was very difficult. The current was tough as I swam a casual 19 minutes for the first 800 the day prior, and was 25 minutes at the 800 on race day, swimming much stronger.

Regardless, I nearly passed out when I saw my swim split. I knew I would be around 1:10 just from the way my body was beginning to fatigue and my hands/feet going numb..but 1:23? Well, no worries as I ran the 1:40 just to get to transition, then to see about 10 bikes in my row and another 10 or so in the next, all in my age group. I just immediately blew off the swim and turned my focus to the bike. I had some catching up to do.

The Bike: I made up significant time as the 3rd fastest of 119 M40 finishers (150 starters), and out split 14 of the 42 male pros. An additional 20 pros were within 5 minutes of me which is also very encouraging to me, seeing as I'll be 43 in a few months. Overall, very happy with a 23.7 mph average on this windy course. The winds are strong with long, 20 minute stretches of direct headwind. But, there were enough turns to keep the wind at bay and it wasnt that bad overall. I was looking forward to a 6-8 mile tail wind coming in on the second lap but the wind flipped on us and we had a direct head wind coming in. However, I was within a minute of my first lap and in retrospect, posted an outstanding bike split, and I cant be happier. I road with near consistent watts throughout, never let the race get away from me, and didnt push too hard.

The Run: First 10k 40 and change, about 6:48 pace. Second 10k 6:58 pace and final 10k 7:02 pace. I actually slowed down to around 8 min pace the final 3k as it was clear for about a mile in front of me from what I could see and while I kept the pressure on...I didnt kill myself, realizing I was not going to catch anyone in my AG at that point. 5th fastest running in category.

So, 6th is ok considering this is my final prep for Kona. I 'll be happy with this finish given this is ITU Worlds and was a very competitive race.

Dont ever let a bad piece of your race destroy your drive or intent. I wasnt going to allow my poor swim to dominate my thoughts, and in fact, dont remember even thinking about the swim after my initial shock after looking at my watch in T1. You can't allow negative thoughts to creep in or you will undermine your goals. Yeah, my goal of podium was not realized, and yeah, with a 1:08 swim would have been running up with 3rd place, but I pushed regardless, fighting to stay on course. This is another unsuccessful goal for me in racing, and I will have more. Very few successes come with this sport, or any sport. Nevertheless, I will not allow the odds stacked up against me to alter my will to succeed.

This is how you really get to know yourself.

Your race defines you. Not necessarily your finishing time or place...but how you feel during and after your event. This is how sport becomes your identity.