Ever have a good race?? I mean that in jest, but only half so.. I can’t remember the last time I truly enjoyed myself, hit targets, felt fit and competitive. In a world of recent penalties, technical malfunctions, injuries or post covid mental funk/loss of direction happy outcomes seem rather far and few between, however as I discovered in this past weekend’s Santa Cruz 70.3 they are possible and notably worth celebrating.
It’s been a few years since my last race report, my last event being Desert Tri March 1, 2020, two weeks before the Covid shutdown and having completed 8 races the season prior 2019. I used Covid as an excuse to pivot to something new, doing strength, eating a ton and putting on plenty of weight. I even recruited a body building coach with the intent of doing a competition before my 40th –
The harsh reality when bodybuilding didn’t come to fruition was that from June of 2020 I had gone from 167lbs to over 190lbs in my peak and was no longer anything identifiable, not a runner, triathlete, powerlifter or bodybuilder, just a mildly fit guy who liked lifting weights at the gym, ocean swimming and riding with friends.
I still wanted to be my best physical and mental self at 40, inspired by friends like Steve Procknal as he shared his fitness journey on social media, and decided it would be a worthwhile pivot to build a training program working up to an A race at Santa Cruz 70.3, still aqua biking (in this case teaming up to create a relay) but with the intent of hitting some numbers reminiscent to my hay day 5+ years earlier.
My start date was May 1, but I had already planned 2 long snowboarding trips that month, followed in June with a 2 week work trip to Asia without much time for or access to training, and immediately upon my return coming back for a ride on June 24th I hit a crack and crashed my bike, badly bruising my ribs. The pain was terrible but the timing worse. I had to pull out of a swim event I had signed up for and could barely walk the 4th of July 5k. It was another 6 weeks before I could even sneeze without pain.
The culmination of all these events, my poor fitness and seemingly not having enough time to properly build was very emotionally crushing, but it served a purpose. It reanimated my desire and reset my focus to make the best of the remaining 3 months. In that time I was able to complete 120 workouts, mostly following the template I had learned with QT2 but adjusted without running to 6 rides a week and 4 swims (2 ocean, 2 pool). Cycling – Monday jumps, Tuesday Intervals, Wednesday steady, Thursday muscular endurance, Friday recovery, Saturday long and optional Sunday coffee ride. Swimming – Monday/Sunday Intervals, Wednesday Tower 26 workouts and Friday LATC beach workouts.
My first time testing on the bike in May I could not hold 260 watts for 18 mins up Piuma, my previous 70.3 target. I began building intervals Mid July out on PCH, targeting 250 watts for 12-15 minutes but falling short in the beginning. I told myself then that with 2 months to go I would be happy if I could somehow hold 250 watts on race day. I started focusing on 1:30 pace in the pool. 100’s at a time, in 1:30, than on 1:30 and finally 4×500 swam in 7:30. I was building targets but still did not know what was achievable.
Santa Barbara was the test 2 weeks prior. My Garmin said I swam slow but my bike target of 250 watts was blown out of the water when I averaged 260/273NP. It was also the first time on new wheels (Zipp 858’s) with a new Zoot suit and helmet as well. All which felt great and had me super excited for Santa Cruz!
Race Day
What is there to say about race day? I set some achievable goals and then proceeded to exceed all my expectations.
For the swim I had gone 33 mins back in 2016 when I was swimming regularly and aggressively with Tower 26 so I seeded myself in the 30-33min corral with the hopes of going under 35. My plan was to stay long and strong over aggressive stroke rate. I started counting swimmers I passed and it must have been 50+, constantly getting blocked and passed by one I could see (Sabina, a swim coach with T26). Despite placement, in the end I found I had gone 29:25, one of my all-time fastest swims in the distance. A very happy way to start the morning!
(I hadn’t done a Ironman brand race with rolling start in so long but would definitely recommend starting 5 mins ahead of your corral as no one seemed to be swimming true paces that morning.)
For the bike, following Santa Barbara I knew I wanted 260 watts, to show that I was as strong as my coached days. In 2016 I was 254NP in a time of 2:31 with 22.4mph. The plan was to ease into things with the winding narrow start until picking it up on the fresh pavement of PCH, pushing the ups and cruzing the downs, leaving everything out there in the last 30 mins of the course. I rode with head tucked and sighting which I don’t like to do unless it’s a relatively safe (flat and straight) A race. It seemed like I passed another 50 riders and again was only passed by one, perhaps from my weight or poor execution from the racers.
The feeling of racing my bike with new Zipp 858’s on a fast road was exhilarating, the pavement reminiscent of a Star Trek warp from my short tucked view. The memory of thinking I couldn’t get to 250 watts, then targeting 260 and ending with 281NP, 2:26 (5 mins faster) and 23.2mph had me elated. The final stretch into town seemed effortless despite 185bpm.
Lucky for me on this day the run was not a consideration as I had a buddy, Nathan Patton, doing the final leg and he absolutely crushed it! A 1:18 gave our relay team 1st out of 62 teams and a total time of 4:21. I would gladely do a relay again as I’ve been doing them recently and the sense of satisfaction seems that much greater with doing it for someone other than yourself.
The general take away..
- Find what you love and hold on to it. It can change, but don’t lose purpose (ikigai or plande vida). My identity as an athlete suffered when I no longer trained. I’ve slept better and felt more fulfilled since I’ve gone back. It’s not about winning, but being your best.
- Don’t feel the need to conform. I’ve had countless people say “you should run!” like I haven’t or I can’t. I really enjoyed the 70.3 swim/bike portion, the perfect duration of 3 hours without any of the aches and pains. That doesn’t mean I won’t ever run again, but it’ll be when I’m ready and on my terms.
- Good things take time, it’s not an event, it’s a lifestyle. Push hard, be consistent, take breaks, listen to the body. When you put in the work day to day good things will inevitably happen but it’s often the journey not the outcome that you look back with fondness on.
I’m excited for setting some lofty goals in the future, which will need to be thought out a bit, but for now I’m excited to reset and enjoy some down time in the off-season.
David Welby 