the post cairns wrap up

so after collecting my towel and medal i wandered into the recovery tent.  it was nice to have the towel to warm you up a bit but it was soon quite damp.  i went and got some hot soup.  i really want to know why the food is always so bland and boring ?  then tim yelled out as he had finished about an hour earlier and was waiting for rae to finish.  i grabbed my gear bags and finisher shirt (another ugly one) and sat down to wait for rae and to eat some food.  once rae came in we all headed back to their apartment as they were kind enough to let me have a shower before i called a taxi to take me home.  if the weather had not been so miserable i would have stayed to watch people come into the finish line.  

once home i had another shower and warmed up.  i put ice on my knee.  it had bothered me for the whole run.  not enough to stop running but it was there the whole time.  i didnt sleep well and was up early to go and get my hire car.  i was worried that i would not be able to get it out of the car park area because it had turned to a muddy mess.  my legs felt okay and only a bit sore going down stairs.  my toes were a fucking mess.  the big one on my right foot looked like it had lifted straight off and had shrunk.  thank goodness the car was okay and aside from a bit of sliding i managed to get back onto the main road and  drove into cairns to pick up the bike and run bag.

Mud Transition

i was early so i headed to mcdonalds and had two bacon and egg rolls.  fucking awesome..  i then purchased an umbrella - yes it was still raining.  another trip to the merchandise tent to give WTC more money in exchange for a really nice finisher jacket.  then i had to once more wade through the mud pile that was transition to get my bike.  after this i then had to spend $30 on a new pair of thongs as my shoes were trashed.  somehow i managed to get all this done and i made it to the roll down ceremony just in time to see the girl who won my age group take her spot to kona.  it was worth the effort on the off chance that it rolls down to sixth.  it rolled down to fifth in the age group above mine so you never know.  it was also interesting to attend a roll down ceremony as i never have on any previous occasion.

i didnt get up to much else while in cairns.  i went out and had some wonderful meals and enjoyed a glass of wine and a few beers for the first time in many months.  i packed up all my gear and the bike and got to the airport at dawn to catch my flight home.  the last day was a beautiful day weather wise but it was raining again when i left.  now i was worried about molly and just wanted to get home to make sure she was alright (which she was).

so what did i learn from cairns.  i am not as disappointed with my overall time as i am with my run.  i really let myself down and i dont want that to happen again.  for the first time i was really unprepared for a race.  to be honest i was getting a little tired of pretty much everything leading up to it. but this was the challenge and i think i did okay but not great.  when you get tired you take your eye off the ball and you get a little more casual about things.  my run training wasnt up to par and i got what i deserved.  i am not experienced enough to be able to just wing it.  i seriously have to think about what i wear, what i eat and drink and how i can improve my transition times  because none of that really worked for me at cairns.  i never want to be one of those triathletes who sign up for races and just show up with the only goal being to finish.  i always want to compete at my best level possible.  i have also come to the realisation and this has been naive of me to think otherwise but no one in this sport can say that they are not competitive. everyone is and everyone knows who they are competing against.  it is bullshit to pretend otherwise.  so lets all just be honest about it instead.

Down comes the finish line.

so what is the plan for the future ?  my next race is mandurah 70.3 in november.  before then i have a half marathon (first stand alone run) and a mtb event just to mix things up for a change.  i have to sort out some niggling injuries.  then i have some changes to make to my training so it takes my out of my comfort zone and into some different routines.  and it all starts now.