Phuket 70.3 - not the way I was hoping to end 2011

But that's life.

Everyone has a bad race and this was mine. 2011 has still been an amazing year for me.

My first Hawaiian Ironman, 9hrs 9min (67th overall, 12th in a/g (1st aussie in a/g))

My first Overall Race win - Murray Man (SA long course championships)

Another a/g race win at Yeppoon 70.3 (which also included my first Top 10 overall)

Becoming a coach and loving every minute of it.

These have clearly been the highlights for me along with many other smaller achievements along the way.

Am I disappointed about the way the year ended? Of course I am, I wouldn't be doing what I do if I wasn't looking to improve on my previous races every time. The time, money and lifestyle invested in the sport which I never regret, however to have a poor performance definately makes you sometimes re-evaluate why I do this.

Phuket 70.3 was one of the most enjoyable races for me (performance aside) and one that I will have on my race calendar again in the future.

The dual swim, the ride through small villages with children screaming with support, dismounting to cross the highway, the hills (yes I did walk up 2 of them!) and finally the run course. Nothing can be faulted with this race. Throw in Monsoonal rain and I am pretty sure that I experienced every possible thing in one race.

I was really happy with my swim, being a non-wetsuit swim, I was able to hang onto the lead a/g pack for most of the swim and when I exited the first part of the swim course I could see the leaders diving into the lagoon. I exited the water in 8th in my a/g and was very happy with this.

Going from the very salty ocean (saltier than Kona) into a fresh water lagoon was an experience. You have no floatation in the lagoon and the water was very warm. It was not the refreshing feeling that I was expecting at all.

Once I got into T1, I was really happy with the way I felt. Getting onto my trusty and fast stead, knowing that my SCHNELL CARBON WHEELS were going to help me achieve the ride I once again was searching for. Catching upto the lead a/g pack happened after 25-30k's I felt really happy with how every thing was going.

Climbing some hills I was still really happy with how I was going and the gears that I decided on. This changed once we climbed the 2nd and 3rd hills. Don't get me wrong, the hills are not long, however they are steep. Having to get off my bike and walk up part of the 2nd hill was never in my expectations of this course, however I probably didn't give it the respect that it deserved either. There was a fantastic positive that occurred from this though. I was fortunate enough to ride with 6 time Ironman World Champion - Natascha Badmann.

This is not an opportunity that you get every day, so I made the most of it having a chat to her at every opportunity.

Heading back into T2, I knew that I had made big inroads into the leaders of my a/g, I was unaware that I was first off the bike in my a/g though. My legs felt great and as I headed off onto the run, I was confident of still being able to have a good run and hopefully gain another spot for the Hawaiian Ironman. Getting through the first few k's on track, my body decided that I was not going to be able to hold this pace until the end.

I had to walk, in discomfort and as I saw my main rivals run past I knew that Phuket would not be my ticket back to the Big Island in October. I tried to run every so often, however the discomfort would not go away and was confined to walking and talking to most people that I saw.

Another highlight of my day was when Michael Raelert ran past on his way to victory, I was applauding him. He not only acknowledged the fact that I was cheering him on, he returned the favour and encouraged me to start running again. With this encouragement I really had no choice but to start my run again. I think this time I ran for 1k, however I could not shake my discomfort and settled back into a Sunday stroll.

I managed to get to the finish line, feeling very weird. Knowing that I was in physically good shape, however having a few issues in the weeks prior and race day left me feeling rather empty. The race and experience was amazing and 1 race that I will be enjoying again.

I have now shut up shop for a few weeks to reflect on the year that I have had and also to sort out a few minor issues that my body has struck lately. I really can't wait to get back training for 2012 and I will make it my goal to have 2012 a bigger and better year that 2011.

For now...

X-Man