Yokohama World Series 2013- Ouch!



 

You never really want to write race reports when they aren’t positive. You never really want to watch back you sliding along the ground. You never really want to reflect on what you did wrong. I didn’t want to go to sleep with the knowledge that I will wake up sorer. But hey, that’s part that makes you move forward and experiences that come with the sport we are in!

 

The start of the overseas journey, the “land of the rising sun” awaited us. A 9 hour flight we headed to Yokohama for the race on Sunday. Very luckily we got 3 seats to ourselves to lay down on the way over. The days leading up the race all I wanted to do was sleep and recover.  We took things fairly easy and found a perfect crit bike course on Friday to stimulation Saturday. The water was a fresh 17 degrees and with rain predicted. More interesting, was our adventures to China Town in Japan, where we were have had a near year supply of cheap and fresh Sushi.

 


Down at the start line Saturday morning, I was trying to get my excited and beaming to go. All my warm up’s felt fine and it was time to do what we do in training. Diving into the water for race start, I don’t think I have ever first worse. I had no strength or no energy to get into peoples feet and I could just see people getting away. The whole 2 laps, I felt like I was getting bashed up and I had a target on my head and anything I did to get away it was giving me a small 1cm. Coming out so far back, I realised not only being in front pack allows to benefits to get onto the bike but also people just want to swim, rather than fight you. I am pretty disappointed with my very uncharacteristically bad swim- not a place I ever want to be again. 

 

Onto the bike, there was just three of us with the main pack ahead for the first 2 laps before the group behind caught us. We worked well together and started to put time into the main group up ahead. The rain started pouring which meant the whites lines or a pedestrian crossing that you turn onto every corner were slippery. I could feel my back wheel starting to slide alittle on other corners. Being tired and not so alert, after 5th lap, the last corner into transition, I took the corner abit fast following wheels infront and next minute I found myself talking a breather on the road. I looked down at me and I looked at my bike. I know how to put a chain back on, and this was definitely not an excuse for a DNF next to my name. I knew the group had gone up the road and caught the main group. My frustration that I could have been up there and redeemed by bad swim by working hard on the bike was through the roof. For the last 3 laps, I put my head down making sure I didn’t want to get lapped out.

 

 
Coming off the bike starting the run, it’s disappointing being so far back with no motivation to run fast with others not around pushing you. Training has been going really well and I actually wanted to see where my running was at. Basically I just wanted to finish the 10km, making sure I still have key processes in place, that make me feel strong and keeps my form. Finishing was all I wanted at the end of the day. To sum it up in a sentence, it really wasn’t my day. I was tired, felt flat and wasn’t alert. No excuses, I was just off my game today. I hate looking like a cry baby so lucky with my ribs hurting so much it was forcing me not to laugh or cry. Abit of road rash on my shoulder and leg were basically all with the wet road providing a lovely sliding ground to add to my collection of scars already. My ribs took a lot of the impact so strapping them up and alittle cartilage damage is all that is done. I think I have a good idea now what training makes me tired and what affect and influence it has on swim, bike or run.

 

Thanks Triathlon Australia for everything over the weekend! Thea Dillion is fabulous physiotherapist that looked after me before and after the race. She definitely knows her stuff, putting time into the specific issues relevant to our bodies. And that’s why she is working with some of the best athletes in Australia.  Thanks to Bernard for organise dinner, pool bookings and general race things over the weekend.  Thanks Jamie for keeping us in check and being supportive as a coach over the weekend. Congratulations to my other Wollongong Wizards, Gwen for the win and Charlotte and Ryan for their 10th. Also to the other Australian girls, Moffy for 2nd and Ash for her 4th.

Onwards and upwards to Madrid in 20 days time!




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