On Saturday I finished my 5th Half Ironman at
Busselton. Race day coincided with my birthday this year and I must say it was
a fun way to spend the day, doing exactly what I love!
I slept well the night before the race…. I mean really well….
Apparently there was a storm… I only found with out when Lisa and Mark
were talking about it in the morning. My first thought was ‘I hope Di2 is water
proof!
Conditions in the water were choppy… which generally suits me;
however this swim was another story! The conditions made it almost impossible
to slight the buoys and I went WAY off course (like most people). I was really disappointed
with myself during the swim and was quite negative (not what you want at the
start of the race). I exited the water and had a look at the clock, showing
just over 31min (it was a slow day)… When I got to my bike most bikes where
still around and Mark and Luke were right there too! My attitude immediately changed
–game on!
I am very confident on the Busselton bike course, my legs
know what to do and they came out to
play. I rode the first few kms with Mark and Luke and at the turn onto Layman
Road I noticed Brad Wauer just up the road. I signalled to Mark that we need to
bridge the gap and I went and never looked back. I rode up to Brad who then
matched my pace. I rode hard for the first lap and went through the first hour
in a 41km/average. Out on the second lap I continued to push the pace and
opened up a gap to everyone behind me. At the 60km mark I lost my gel flask and made the decision to leave it.
I still had enough on board so kept on pedalling. The last 20km were tough as the wind picked up. I managed to
catch the leader of our age group just before transition.
My legs felt heavy getting off the bike which was not a
great sign. I made a quick transition into my running shoes and started the
half marathon. I struggled through the first 6km while my legs started to feel
the rhythm. Brad passed my just before
the end of the first lap and I made an effort to go with him, but could not
match his pace. I kept turning my legs over to get to the finish line! Not a
pretty run and I walked most of the aid stations.
Congratulations to Brad Wauer for great win and to Luke Burton
for rounding off the podium.
A special mention to Lisa who managed to get to the finish
line in a PB time! We both accepted spots to the Ironman 70.3 World Champs in
Las Vegas in September!
Well done to everyone who toughed out a tough day!
A big thankyou to Total Triathlon, LMW Hegney, Team K-Swiss/Break
Your Limits, XU1 Sports and my Coach Stu (Eclipse Fitness) for you continued
support in helping me chase my dreams. My preparation for this race was not
ideal but to come out with this result gives me a lot of confidence.
Next stop, Hawaii 70.3
Cheers,
Andy
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