Singapore 70.3 reflections

Its been a week since the Singapore 70.3 and I have had time to analyse my race and give some thought to the things that went right and the things that went wrong last Sunday.

I am generally happy with how things went during the race. My swim was solid, leading my category out the water. Given the strong current in the water it was easier for the pack to stay on my feet for longer in the first lap. The small run section (only 30m) made it tough to get going again on lap 2. It is a skill we practice and I have done it before in races, however the first 100m after is always painful.

Into T1, after the long run from the swim finish I missed my bike on the rack. A bit of an rookie mistake but I new as soon as I ran past it I had gone to far. I stayed calm, backed tracked a few meters and continued on. The rest of my transition was smooth and controlled. I mounted my bike, secured my shoes, glasses on, nutrition in the back pocket and away I went.

My bike section was great and I felt my nutrition was spot on. I picked up water on each lap (no dropped bottles!) and made sure I was riding efficiently. My lap splits were very even. This is the best half ironman ride I have done to date.

T2 was again smooth, controlled and focused. This was the first time I have used socks during a race and I think it was worth the extra 5 seconds (in the humid conditions).

The run was disappointing. However after giving it some thought and considering I walked every aid station I have realised it could have been a lot worse. The first 4km were just slower than my ideal pace. The next 10km things fell apart. During this time I tried to stay positive and made sure I got the rest of my gels down. I managed to get going in the last 7km which was a good thing. This has helped me mentally for my preparation for the ironman later this year. During the bad times you just have to persevere, trust the training you have done and do what you can do well.

From here it is back on the training track for another hard block before the Busselton 70.3 in May. I can't wait for this race. Last one of the season!