Las Vegas, 9/11/2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championship
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| Number 624. Representing Italy |
5am,
I wake up with absolutely no stress whatsoever in our hotel ( Sunset Station in Henderson, NV ), outside is still dark and Kimmy, now used to the drill, jumps right off bed and start putting things together with me to make our way to the resort where the race will take place. After a few minutes, we both realizes It is VERY late, no much time for breakfast, kisses or hugs... I need to get there before 6am or they will close the transition area ... but I keep looking at the bathroom with the hope that my nerve d*mp will kick in before we leave :-).
6am
2000 athletes involved, each one with family and/or friends watching, press, organizers, volunteers. The Lake Las Vegas Resort is literally full, hard to find a parking spot and god knows how long the line will be for the bathrooms...I am getting a little anxious. My race will start at 7.45am ( 15mins after the PROs ).
7am
Everything is in place, I went through all the possible chores, bike is in place, pitstops done :P, one last kiss to my lady and I am off to the starting line where all the other athletes are already lining up in their waves spots. The swim is a non-wetsuit one, temperature is 85F outside and the water is already higher than 78F... it is going to be an HOT and LONG day, but I am happy to be here. I have never seen in my life so many fit athletes around me, all of a sudden you look around and you feel the biggest, chubbiest and inappropriately dressed among all. ( 99% of the racers had some sort of speedsuit on and my biking short did not really look PROswim at all ).
7.30am
The PROs are off, right after the national anthem, but I can't see much, I am way back in my wave area ( very close to the bathrooms...umh why not take advantage of it and get a lastminute super fast pitstop ...).
Back in the line, we are all walking towards the start, the excitement level is rocket high. Photographers, people cheering from everywhere, I can hear 10-15 different languages spoken around me...it seems like everybody around us became extraordinarily vocal...but the athletes. WE ARE NOT TALKING... each one of us is checking each other moves, getting our goggles ready, trying to maintain focus and group all the energies needed 5 minutes from now.
7.44am
We are all in the water, aligned under what it seems like the perfect copy of "Ponte Vecchio" in Florence(ITALY), we are less than 200 in my age group and It does not seem too crowded in the water considering how wide the start is. I can see Kimmy in the bushes with her cameras, screaming for me... I am happy to be here, let see if I can swim hard and make it the best swim of my career.
7.45am
BOOOM... and we are off, I am in front, swimming so hard that I am surprised of my own cadence. The navigation should be easy, it is an out an back course following yellow buoys north for 1Km and orange buoys coming back.
After few minutes of glorious ( apparently ) swimming... I decide to take a quick look behind me to see how to check out my opponents... umh weird... let me look again.... daaaaarnnn I am the last one... I am officially the last one of my wave, I can't believe my own eyes but in a few seconds of depression I start swimming again, this time a little more relaxed to let my mind think about what's happening and how to emotionally bounce from this
I keep repeating to myself: "... this is unfair... it must be my biking shorts.... nope I am simply a slow swimmer at the Worlds...it must be the current... nope every body is facing the same current.... it must be the navigation... nope the buoys are there on my right... etc... etc.." and so on.
After 15 minutes or so I can see the turning point... I am half the way.... the swim race begins now, goal: avoid the girls that started 5 minutes after me to catch up.
8.15am
After 30 minutes of painful swimming I am still in the water (bad sign), still 5 minutes before the end... this is the slowest swim I have ever done and ...dang here they come... the first 2-3 elite 40-44 women are coming... let's see if I can finish with them.
8.20am
I am out of the water, sporting my bare skin and pumped upper body muscles... too bad I am coming out of the swim with a bunch of girls (which by the way are running faster than me to the transition area)
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| I am alone out of the water.... ( not a good sign ) |
TRANSITION TO BIKE
Wow, this is first class treatment, I get to the changing tent and I get one kiddo all for me to help me out with the transition... I feel honored, I am rushing it and my heart is pounding try to transition as well.
Socks+Shoes+Helmet+GGTC t-shirt, good I am ready to fly.
I am so excited to run to my beloved TT bike that I forget my sunglasses .... oh well it is going to be a fun ride in the desert :(.
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| I wish I was that relaxed during transition |
8.23am
I saw Kimmy for 1 second right before jumping on my carbon lady ( My Cervelo ), I am happy but totally worried about the next 56 miles of biking. Temperatures are going to be in the 90s and I don't know if my San Francisco trained body can take the Las Vegas desert-like conditions.
8.23am-11am
The first few miles seem pretty easy, I am passing easily people ( maybe because I was one of the last ones on the swim? )... this time though after mile 10 I am already getting competition, I am really having an hard time to pass riders, every one looks fit, fast, aggressive and pretty much immune to pain. After the poor swim and the reality check with the level of fierceness out here... I better put my in peace and focus on the enjoyable day.
I am riding in the desert, fast, free and at the Worlds ... can't complain... and for the first time during a race I realize how much I want to finish it to hug my love again.
Not even at the half point and I am looking at the PROs coming back, they are all out here ( either prepping for Kona or just trying to win the 70.3 Worlds ), Craigs Alexander, Chris Lieto, Andy Potts .. I can count at least a group of 20-30 of them and what impresses me the most is their FACE.
They are racing a 56 miles bike leg but their face is the one I have when I am VO2Maxing at 1000watts for a 5 seconds effort.... I cant believe at the level of intensity these guys are..... oh well one day :-)
Not much to tell on the bike leg, everything is going smoothly... prob too smoothly, I am trying to save myself for a good run and just take it easy to avoid some crazy breakdown... I keep repeating myself that a slow overall time is better than finishing cramping/walking/puking etc.
2h37 minutes after I am back in Henderson (Las Vegas).... I did suffer in the past 5 miles.... and kinda mad at the organizer to have left 5 miles of pure climbing at the end!
11am-11.01am
Second transition is smooth as well, somehow I start to have this weird feeling of accomplishment that I have never had before during a race. I am just so proud to be here, having Kimberly screaming and cheering like I am winning it, having family and friends following me and virtually supporting me.... BOOM off to the run.
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| Lovely downhill |
11.01am-12.32pm
The 13 miles run is split in 4 laps and each one of them is built with an '8 shape' (lol it sounds like an elementary school math problem).... this is great, I will basically get to run through the cheering crowd and Kimmy for 8 times.... Love it.
Going flat and down hill is great, I can sustain a sub 7min/mile pace but going up hurts. I never raced such a hilly long distance triathlon, I guess the Worlds this year have been built in purpose to do selection in the field.... for sure it worked against me.
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| Passing people can give you that extra push sometimes |
I am saving it though, somehow so happy to just run and be so close to be done to this accomplishment.. the run goes by so fast that during the last lap I realize I am just 1 mile to go.... and it is flat.... oh well.... let's sprint it... why not.... 1 mile to go and I am running at 5.50 pace....LOL.... so happy.... I have a smile on my face and when I see the end in front of me (300yds) I just cant help it accelerate even more ( inside of me I know I saved way too much energy during the whole race ..but whatever it is not relevant )....and DONE.... while I hear my name called with the worst pronunciation so far ... I am DONE and ready to give Kimmy the sweatiest, saltiest hug ever!
4h47 minutes is not a Worlds-level performance but for the first time in my 2 years of Triathlon life I get it.... this is not THE POINT... the point is to be proud of every single small accomplishment made and enjoy the journey, wherever, whatever and whenever.
A good way of closing the 2011 season and make sure the motivation stays straight for the next year to come.
V.
