Challenge Melbourne 2016
So, on Sunday I spent about 5 hours doing some stuff along Port Phillip Bay that I thought I would tell you all about. I know most of you were there, so don’t need to go into too much detail. And for those who weren’t, I’m sure you had really important things on like Weddings, Christenings, and Game of Thrones marathons… So you’re excused.
However, you missed a cracker of day. So many amazing TA athletes doing their first Half Distance race and totally nailing it! Anyway, I thought I would take you through my experience and hopefully you can get something out it.
Week Before
How good is tapering!? Besides Aus day disruptions (which we won’t talk about)… the cruisey swims, rides, and runs and pasta eating is the dream! It was fascinating to feel the difference it made and how my body felt in the lead up to the race by giving everything the proper attention and allowing all the previous build weeks to truly sink in.
Pre-race
After following a sketchy looking radar for the days leading in; race day delivered calm waters, dry conditions, and an ideal temperature for the event. This definitely helped to relax the nerves, as visions of last year’s wet & wild fest were playing havoc on the mind. After a tri-suit malfunction and one last gel shot, it was time to hit the water. Swim Definitely the biggest pack start I’ve ever done. And it was like a Punk-Rock concert in water. Took about 400m for the elbow-throwing to settle down and then I found a bit of rhythm. Though, what felt like a good solid swim turned out to be a little slower than I’d expected. However, people that know me know that I’m not a swimmer and a year ago I would’ve been wise to get swimming tips from Eric the Eel. So really… Getting out of the water is always a win for me!
Bike
Pushing through a slowish T1, it was time to settle in on the bike. I borrowed Hillario’s aero helmet, so I was feeling pretty bad-arse right now! It took a few Kms to realise that I still had to pedal and that helmet wasn’t going to do all the work though. Was great to be on such a familiar course. Knowing what was ahead really relaxes the nerves and in your mind, you’ve done it 100 times before. I’ll pass on whinging about crosswinds, and just say it was a good but challenging ride.
Run
While I could hear the support from the crowd on the bike, it was great to really soak it up on the run. The legs were feeling surprisingly good and it seems I’d gotten the nutrition right so far. So hearing and seeing everyone cheering really did inspire me and I took off at relatively good pace. Managed to hold the pace the first lap and only slightly slow down on the 2nd, though it was the 3rd that I really had to push through. Feeling signs of fatigue creep into the legs turned it into a mental game and trying not to think about cramping and simply holding on was the real battle. Manage to pull through it and like any “first race” coming down that finishing chute is truly and amazing feeling. And there was free beer at the end of this one… Whoop!
Summary
My number one goal was to finish the race… Though deep down I would’ve been disappointed if I didn’t break 5 hours. Please to say that I got in just under the 5-hour mark and was completely stoked! The best feeling about reaching these goals is knowing that all that hard work prior has paid off. Really satisfying! Though I don’t deem myself qualified to offer up advice, I’ll leave you with the below tips that I feel have worked for me.
1. Tick the boxes. Set the goal and work out how you are going to get there. There are no shortcuts. Get in the pool at 5:45am, don’t turn around at Mordi, and when your run program says T5… then you T5 the S%#t out of it!
2. Be prepared. If you do the hard work, then be sure to recover and prepare well. So put on Marvin Gaye, light some candles and make love to your foam-roller.
3. Look like a boss. It’s been clinically proven that wearing TA gear makes you 10 times more attractive, and 60% of the time it makes you faster every time!
Plus for the lads… Shave them legs! I’m not sure why, but just do it!
See you all at the next race!
Clarky
Overall time: 4:55:52.0
Swim: 0:38:13
T1: 0:03:31
Bike: 2:33:54
T2: 0:02:42
Run: 1:37:30
