The race went pretty much as could have been expected. I had hoped for a lot more and felt great the last few weeks since the Cologne 226. I felt really good on the swim and was out in 2nd position but I backed it off when the leader put the pressure on and then hung out in the main chase group. It was never hard but it just seemed to take for ever. The went for the bike, it just went on and on (despite the nice view of the ocean and beaches - which I wasn’t much interested in at the time) but again, i was still feeling good and was in a group of about 8 guys with 2 up the road. Then suddenly around 110km I just lost all power, just when the pace picked up. I’d had plenty to eat and drink but I just couldn’t keep the pressure on and had to roll the longest 70km of my life in the big gear just trying to keep moving. I got out on the run with a decent rhythm and thought I could still run into a decent position. It was warm and I thought some of the guys would have to crack out there. It wasn’t be and I found myself in the finish around 15th despite still going 8hrs47min. Well, as they say, everything is clearer in hindsight but I wouldn’t change my decision to race anyway as I had nothing to lose and depite lots of ups and downs this year I am satisfied with the season on the whole.
4 IronDistance races all under 9hrs with a podium in Cologne and a top 10 at Challenge Roth with a best time of 8hrs13min.
1 middle distance win at the Auckland half and some solid League race results that helped out team finish top 3 in the LBS Cup.
All in all, 14 races. I also overcame some scary injuries thanks to the insight of my physio Joerg Brenn and look forward to building on the this season and come up big in Roth next summer.
Time for a break and some siesta at the CMR Spa here in Calella.
l8r