Again, I was not very pleased with the finish, 11th place, however, I was pleased with the way my body responded to the training. I really feel like everything is starting to come around now. I know I can't expect glory straight off the bat, but it is coming and I can feel it.
All triathletes will give you a 100 reasons why things went wrong. I have mine and will use them to improve on this race next year instead of whine to you all. The swim was my fault on race day and I will leave it at that because that is all I have been thinking about to this day.
The ride to Alcatraz was very enjoyable. I was able to meet Ben Collins and have a nice chat with him on the way to the rock. He is a new up and coming ITU guy with a wicked swim. I was dreading the moment when we were called out to the edge. Land looks so bloody far away when your on that boat. Just like my buddy Matt Seymour said, "when your standing on the edge, you will ask yourself why the hell am I doing this race?!" The water was so dark and cold (57 degrees to be exact), and the outside air temperature was not like a typical Austin morning. The gun went off and in we went. I woke up the second I hit the water. Everything went numb and stayed numb until mile 8 on the bike.
Transition hurts bad here as it is a 3/4 mile run on concrete with lose gravel. You are running this barefoot and it HURTS! I was glad to get to my bike eventually to get going. The bike is a very hilly with some very fast descents. I rode by myself for the majority of the ride until I found another Kiwi, Ben Pattle, about 2 miles out from T2. We rode in together and started off our run together.
I felt pretty good going out on the run. Slipped on the K-SWISS kicks and took off. I had my partner in crime, Ben with me and we took off. We caught our first three runners within the mile and kept on charging. The run at Alcatraz is amazing, 8 miles has never gone by so fast! Your running on trails, beaches and sand ladders. The sand ladder was pretty challenging. Coming home in the final mile and a half, Ben surged and I couldn't respond straight away and a gap formed. It was then in the last half mile I caught him and almost ran down 10th in the finish shoot but came up short.
Alcatraz is a must do race!
Huge thanks to the Taylor family who joined us for the trip. Source Endurance and Derick Williamson, K-Swiss for the awesome shoes, CATZ, Phase One, and Hammer Nutrition.
5 comments:
Nice report. This race is a for sure on my to do list.
As long as you learn from your mistakes and make the required adjustments then the race was a success.
Nice job!
Cotter, way to go bud! Seriously, you look so fit in those photos! I have never seen you that fit... not that you ever looked bad, but you look lean and fit!
Tell Lins I said GREAT job with her nutrition help to you!
Hope your next race gets a result that shows all your hard work/training!
I don't know what happened on the swim (maybe just the cold), but you certainly ran well. It seems you are gradually getting in better shape, although I am not sure which is the big race you are training for from now on. Still, doing the smaller events in Texas is probably a good way to train, get better and avoid the stresses of long-distance travel. Maybe it is a more balanced approach to life, and provides more time to relax and enjoy being at home. Hope the work opportunities are there and that there are not too many hassles with vehicles. Best,
Bruce
Thanks Bree! I'm trying to pull a you, get a new high tech coach and unleash. I just dont like the whole time thing waiting for the body to adjust.
Bruce, big race of the year is Austin 70.3 in October. Have a bunch of other 70.3s around the US coming up here soon. No international travel for me this year. Swim was a disaster and I now know what to do for next year. Hope all is well with you.
The swim was a bit of a sighting challenge, probably would have helped to pay more attention at the pre-race meeting... I hope you didn't get swept into the GG bridge.
It was a blast (minus the flat at mile 4 on the bike and C02 malfunction thereafter!)
Well done, Cotter. Your form will come. Patience.
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