This weekend saw the combined running of the 2011 Port Macquarie 70.3 and Ironman. Having both the events on the same day was a new concept that seemed to work quite well and I'm sure it will continue on in the future.
Port Macquarie was the first 70.3 event I have raced in. After doing well at the long course distance in my past two races I decided to step it up and get a season of 70.3 racing under my belt in an attempt to qualify for the World Champs in Las Vegas in September.
I was fairly nervous going into this race - it was the strongest field I have come up against with names such as Granger, Lawn, Wu, Rollinson and Lester all toeing the start line.
I learnt two things from this race - 1. I don't want to be doing a full Ironman anytime soon...after seeing all those Ironman athletes out on the course today, it definitely looks like the hardest thing to be done!
2. Don't give up...
After posting a good swim I headed out onto the 1 lap 90km bike course with Granger, Wu and Franks. The first few hills combined with the headwind made for super tough riding and I soon found myself spat out the back. It was at this point that I thought my race was over and all those negative thoughts started to creep in. However I soldiered on and started to feel strong again in the second half. With the legs feeling good, I was looking forward to posting a good run time and try to make up some ground.
Heading out onto the 2 lap 21.1km run I had no idea what place I was in, but soon heard feedback from the crowd that I was in around about 5th place. This was a lot better than expected and gave me the confidence to give it my all on the run and try to chase down the girls in front. I was feeling good so stepped up the pace and managed to pick up a few places, and eventually crossed the finish line in 2nd place pro female, behind winner Jo Lawn.
I was really pleased with this result. The aim was to put in a performance that was respectable and I believe I have achieved that today. This result gives me the confidence that I can mix it with the pro field and it will set me up for a great year in the US. I have so much more to learn and so much more strength to gain, so this is all just the beginning and I can't wait to give it all I've got in the coming years.
A huge thanks to Darrel and Sonia Nash for their awesome hospitality while in Port, as well as all the supporters out on the course including Dan, Pat and Allison. Also to my sponsors Malvern Star, Brooks, Giro, Selle SMP and Peak Bike Hub.
Once again the biggest thanks to my coach Josh Rix...I will be forever grateful of the countless hours he is putting into training me, it's all starting to pay off :)
It's a quick turn around this week, with Busselton 70.3 in 6 days time. If I can get my body right then it should be an exciting race!
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