IM Busso.. I get knocked down, but I get up again!

Well 20 days after dusting off my triathlon kit and getting out and attempting to put together a strong performance it was unfortunately not the day I was hoping for, ive been non stop since the race traveling home and then to Ohio, USA for a week and a half I am finally home, building back up and able to key my reflection down for your entertainment

My build up to race day had been great, I don’t recall when I had felt as fit or strong as I did, all my set up was spot on, my bike looked epic and everything was dialled in.

I was super proud to be swimming in the new Blue Seventy Helix and their incredible contour goggles, which are amazing by the way so make sure you check them out! In the swim I exceeded my expectations by swimming just over 57 minutes in 8th which I was stoked about, I’ve been swimming solo for the last twelve months so it is great that the dedication had paid off, the swim was tougher than normal due to the two lap swim and with a self seeded start (which suck by the way, people need to be real about where they start) we were lapping hundreds of athletes and having to dodge them but despite that, I smashed it.

Onto the bike however, within the first km I felt my legs not responding as they have in the past, I thought I’d get through the first 20km and they would wake up but they didn’t, it was as if I had done a massive training day the day before, my power was dropping while trying to hold 230 watts at 85 rpm so I could only do one thing, drop my cadence and grind it out for survival, it wasn’t about finishing, for me I want that Kona slot and by in contention, I managed to work in a group for the first lap coming around in 2.23 hour and worked up to 5th place but at this point my legs were aching and before I knew it I was in no man’ land cycling squares and contemplating life decisions but i got through the mental barrier and pushed on. I started to have this unusual sensation in my left quad at 100km mark as it felt like an electric shock from my inside knee to my groin so, I adapted and pushed harder on my right leg and pushed on. This was awesome... until the 150km mark when I was in a situation where both inside quads had cramp along with this electric shock sensation in both legs forcing me to stop peddling and free wheel to almost a stop not once, not twice, but six times. There was nothing I could do at this point, I had to push through every single cramp until it subsided and I could continue until it hit me again.

I got off the bike for the run in still a great time considering what had gone on in 4.57 in 11th, I was praying that when I got off the bike cramp wouldn’t cripple me to a walk which thankfully it didn’t but I had paid the price and after the first lap when stomach issues kicked in I knew today wasn’t my day but it would be a day for me to learn from, dig deep and finish. As the run went on I adjusted my expectations so I would not give in, I honestly have never felt the pain I did, I ran the marathon in 3.54 and for three hours it felt as if with ever stride someone was punching my each quad it really was torcher so to finish under 10 hours and 14th in a competitive age group is not bad.

I need to say a massive thanks to my wife Penny, her sisters and their family, Mikey G and Anna for making the journey from Perth and New Zealand to cheer me on, my coach Simon Cochrane (Athletic Peak) for getting me to the start line in one piece and joining me for the journey and my supporters, @Goodbuzz @Puresportsnutrition @OSM @Savvytouch for believing in me and being part of team Kiwi Triathlete.

So where to from here.. we are going to be working on three things;

1. Do longer harder erg sessions during the week on the bike which is hard with a full time job but something I need to do while maintaining my swim and run volume.

2. Pick back up on my leg/ core strength work

3. Despite me for the first time in many years feeling comfortable with my body image this does not mean I am my ideal race weight as such, I need to slowly drop 4-5kg over the next few months and lean out by just being more structured.

4. Recovery, recovery, recovery. With more training means more stress on my body as such I have started to add sups and focus on foam rolling/ yoga/ meditation and most importantly, quality sleep.

With that said I have a massive 5 months ahead of me with Tauranga Enduro in January (used as a long race effort training day), IM NZL in March and IM Australia in May so for now, the keyboard is down and I’m off to chill, stay tuned and most importantly, have a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Ciao,

Robo