Russell Cox’s Blog: Busselton Report

Last week I left things on a cliff hanger. Now it’s time to reveal what happened at Ironman Western Australia! Whether all that meticulous preparation and hair removal paid off. Most importantly did I reach those goal? Break nine hours, make it onto the age group podium and even get a Hawaii slot?

Early morning Saturday and it was already light when I arrived at transition. There’s the usual nervous atmosphere as triathletes make the final checks on their bikes. Being an old hand at this I wander over to mine, pump up the tyres, put bottles in their cages and the bike computer on. I’m done. I’d arrived ninety minutes before race start to do five minutes of preparation! It takes a brave athlete to cut it finer.

Everything ready it’s time for that all important last trip to the portaloos and then get the wetsuit on. Make that two last portaloo trips! Better safe than sorry. Once the wetsuit is on and your bags are handed in there’s nothing to do but head down to the starting compound on the beach.

The start was remarkably casual. I stood waist deep in the ocean aware that in a matter of minutes the gun would go off. The water in my ears and swim cap stopped me hearing any warnings and that gun went sooner than I expected. Luckily I was ready to go and started swimming with the crowd.

With the Jetty always on the right and a crowd of swimmers ahead things couldn’t be easier. The conditions were particularly kind only the barest hint of chop out to sea. It felt more like swimming in the local pool than the ocean. With the huge draft in front of me I comfortably made it round the Jetty in an hour. Just about on plan.

Transition attempted to derail things. My wetsuit wouldn’t come off without a fight. I rarely blitz transition, but even by my standards this was slow! Brute force shows the Blueseventy who’s boss and finally I’m putting on my helmet and shoes for the next stage. I’m not a fan of transitions as they involve skill and coordination. Anyone who’s played ball sports with me knows I’m lacking those!

With relief I grabbed my bike from the rack and ran to the road. A slow, inelegant mount and off I went. Three laps of a course I know like the back of my hand. Local knowledge is a bonus, but only one piece in the puzzle. There’s just the matter of getting my legs to do the work. I wanted a good bike split so started pushing hard early on.

This worked well for two laps. Things were on pace to make or possibly break my goal of a 4:50 bike split despite the wind being more of a handful than previous years. It was getting hot out there though, the amount of fluids I was getting through confirmed it. That heat and the fatigue of over three hours hard riding forced me to dig deep for the final lap. I arrive back at transition a few minutes behind my bike goal.

Heading out onto the run I knew that if I met my marathon goal I’d be close to nine hours. Running is my strength so it should be easy! Except for the fact my calves were killing me, they were like rocks. I wasn’t about to give in. This was my best chance of getting that time.

The next three hours and twenty-two minutes involved digging deeper still. I did my best to ignore the pain and keep moving fast. Lap two was a minor disaster in that process, but I came good the last time round. When another competitor told me I was second in my age group I made a last push for the finish. That was some hard running to the end I’m not sure I’ve felt so spent crossing the line before.

It was worth it as the announcement came that I was second in my age group. I’d completely missed the nine hour goal with the tough conditions, but I was on the podium and guaranteed a Hawaii slot. For the second time this year I got to pick up my Kona entry and received a trophy at the awards ceremony. Both very good feelings I can assure you.

On The Podium

The sixth race of the year over and done and a couple of months till the next one. Did I kick back and relax? Well sort of. I have been eating my way through every piece of junk food I can. My knowledge of the local cafes and their cakes has increased ten fold. I’ve developed a bit of a chocolate addiction too!

The Post Race Ice Cream

In between reckless bingeing I’ve been getting out and training. In five days since the race I’ve ridden about 250km and swam 8km. Perhaps that sounds a little crazy, but I don’t think I’ve recovered as quickly before. The first couple of times hurt, but now my legs feel almost normal again. Most importantly it’s stopped the post-race fluid retention that has turned me into a Michelin Man before!

The secret is to keep things really easy. I mean really, really easy. If you don’t feel slightly embarrassed by your pace you’re going too hard! Those kilometres have taken a long time to do, but it’s been worth it. I’ll be back into training far quicker than normal.

My next race isn’t until March so it might seem odd to rush back into things. I’ll save details of my plans for a future blog, but just mention that in a few short weeks I’ll be riding the length of New Zealand. I’m attending Epic Camp for the third time. It’s going to be two tough weeks training at my limits, I can’t afford to be out of shape. In fact it’s time to hide the chocolate and get back on the bike!

For those who like their race reports detailed I leave no stone unturned on my website. I recommend you make yourself a drink, get some biscuits and allow plenty of time to read through it!

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