Galveston 70.3...that was, uh, interesting.

      "the first skill to learn is the art of letting go the human inclination to judge ourselves and our performances as either good or bad" -Timothy Gallwey
 

  Galveston 70.3 was the 1st race of the season for me. Training has been going very well, a good 3 week camp in Tucson, but we backed that up w/ another really good 3 week block. I think it's easy to go from season to season and try new things, look for that magic training plan or workouts that will bring you to the next level.  I really didn't do any of that this year.  But I've really focused on just doing everything right.  So whatever Cliff's plan was, whatever my nutrition plan, just doing it all as prescribed.  I handled the training well and was fairly confident going into the race.  There's always a question mark before the first race, but at least it was a good chance to see where my early season fitness was.

 

me looking appropriately disinterested during the pro meeting

    Relaxed travel and I felt good leading into the race.  Got a chance to get a good warmup, and had a great start in the wetsuit legal swim.  Couldn't quite stay with the Richie Cunningham/Will Clarke group, but settled in right on Pedro Gomes feet, and got out of the water and into transition in 25:19 with Chris McDonald, Tim Van Berkel, Gomes, and most of the other contenders.

    I was smart on the bike, but committed to staying strong.  The pace was solid, and I was definitely above my target watts at times, but that's how racing works.  I knew Van Berkel and McDonald would be in the mix of this race, so that's where I planned to stay.

   I heard a good quote from Jesse Thomas' California 70.3 race report, "courage over confidence"...He got that from a sports psychologist he works with, and I just stole it from his blog.  So maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but it seemed to work for me.  Forget about any preconceived expectations of where you, or anyone else in the race "should" be.  You don't deserve to be ahead of some other guy just because you think you've "paid your dues."  Likewise,  there's no reason why, if I'm fit enough, I shouldn't be at the front of the race or ahead of anyone else, regardless of their palmares.

  A decent group heading out, Chris McDonald finally made a big move that only Tim Berkel and myself went with.  A small gap formed from them to me, but I was back on by about 38 miles, and we were closing on on 1st place.  Galveston has multiple timing mats, so there's evidence that I was riding very well, and had outsplit Richie C.  and the other leader ...here are the 1st 3 checkpoints:

15.5 mi 15.5 mi 35:13 1:02:59 26.41 mi/h
28 mi 12.5 mi 27:22 1:30:21 27.41 mi/h
40.5 mi 12.5 mi 28:50 1:59:11 26.01 mi/h

*updated w/power file:

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/55LY6VSOCVA2UKUCKL4ARC4WEAIV636VM4R65BY

I was under control, but riding well.  Then, BAM!   Flat rear tire.  I honestly couldn't believe it.  A huge cut on the tire, so a Co2 was useless.  No tech support (until mile 54!) so I really had two options, pull out and get a ride back, or just ride it out.  It was pretty frustrating to be passed (and passed, and passed) by groups of guys I was well ahead of. If you've ever ridden on a flat, you go from 26-27 mph, to 20 mph, like that. 16 miles was a long time to ride on a flat, but it was my only option at that point.

 Then, to add insult to injury, a group of 5 guys passed me, and the last guy sat up to take a gel.  The official with them told me I entered the passing zone, and had to pass the group.  I told him it was "f***ing impossible" as I had a flat and could only go as fast as I was going.  Red card, 4 min penalty.  I was pretty upset about this (and let him know) but what can you do?  I had a different official w/ me the WHOLE ride before I flatted.  I was proud of my ride, and felt like the call was more to just make a call, not to insure a clean race.

  "it is not so difficult to have a beginner's mind and to be willing to invest in loss when you are truly a beginner, but it is much harder to maintain that humility and openness to learning when people are watching and expecting you to perform" - Josh Waitzkin

So my "breakthrough" race out the window, I reminded myself I was there to get a race under my belt, and see where my fitness was.  What else was I gonna do that day, right?  AJ Baucco, who also had a flat tire early on the bike, ran up on me in the 1st 2 miles, and we just tried to give an honest effort and see if we could catch a few guys (which we did).  I think I was capable of a faster run, but a low 1:18, considering the situation, at least made it an solid day. Also, riding well pre-flat, I wanted to prove, mostly to myself, that I had the fitness for the whole race.

the only race pic I currently have

    So, despite the problems, I still went 4:05:14.  Which in years past I'd probably be happy with.  But me and Cliff knew I was around 3:55 shape, and I think that showed.  As I said after the race, moral victories suck, but I gave the best effort I could on the day.  Going forward...just stay fit, continue to try to do things right, and fight another day.

Next up is New Orleans 70.3, followed by Florida 70.3.

Big thanks to my sponsors/support team.  Athletes Lounge, Blue Seventy, Rolf Prima, BMC bicycles, ClubSport Oregon, Craft USA, Oakley, Sci-Con, and Quietly Fierce Media.

 Also a huge thanks to my incredible coach Cliff English, and Jesse Kropelnicki of QT2 for the nutrition/body composition work.  And especially thanks to my family, for unconditional support for what I do.

  Thanks.