Day after day: looking back on the benefits of continually showing up

Early on in the prep I heard a quote that stuck with me,

70.3 New York was my third 70.3 distance race and the first time I towed the start line of a 70.3 triathlon without the feeling of being afraid of the distance and what the race would entail.

I lined up for the swim ready to attack from the time the gun, tried to remain calm and powerful in the swim, lay down good power on the bike, and keep the foot on the gas on the run.

Frankly, it was close to a textbook day.

The swim conditions were tough – into the sun, against the current and wake for the first ¾ of it meant a slower start to the day than anticipated.

Out of the water and into a smooth T1 I refocused and felt good as I unracked my bike. Onto the bike I found myself in a group of 5-6 guys and we were working fairly and well together for the first ~60km of the bike. Some minor GI distress led to me getting dropped and doing the rest of the ride solo. T2 was a breeze.

The run was the main focus of our work over the preceding months and I was excited to see what I could do. Immediately I knew I was in for a good run – legs were relatively fresh, GI issues had dissipated and mentally I was ready to venture deep into the well. It was a PR half marathon that got me to the line and I was thrilled.

The outcome was great – I finished 18th in the 25-29 age group,

63rd amongst the men and in the top 3% of participants. I couldn’t have asked for much more and don’t think I could have gotten anything more out of my body on the day of the big dance.

There were very few hero sessions or days.

There were very few tank-emptying, bonk-inducing, or “f-this” workouts.

There were only a few sessions I look back on and say “that was a needle-mover”.

Instead, the outcome was the result of consistent and progressive work which was monitored closely, tweaked as needed, and limited were prudent. Kalli knew when to turn the dial up, knew when to reign the horse in, and knew when to kick my ass in gear and back off when I truly needed a break.