Everything felt right, I felt ready I felt confident I knew I was ready to perform. I had a plan and that plan was shattered.
I took a heavy mental blow after a below average performance, which is one of the reasons I have been putting off this race report. But it needs to be done.
As my eyes slowly open from a good night’s sleep, I know its game time. Race day has arrived and I am confident and ready to go. With Germiston around the corner from home there was no rush and made it feel like a home game. A gloomy start to the morning, wondering if the heavens would open up and shower down on us. But that was not of any concern as I was preparing in transition and warming up focusing solely on the task at hand.
Treading water waiting for the start as a few athletes finish off their warm-ups just ahead, and out of nowhere the start “gun” or whatever it was went off. A bit of uncertainty from the athletes as there were still a few swimming back to the start line from the warm up. Although in a mess the race had started with the same ferocious start as always with internal engines revving in their red zones for the first couple of hundred meters before easing back just a little below the red line and setting into a pace that would dictate the rest of the swim. I had a good start this was starting to feel good and I was confident this was my day, unfortunately this euphoria was short lived as the dream and light disappeared into the dark waters. All of a sudden I went from feeling great to this doesn’t feel right. I was struggling to complete my strokes breathing became harder and the nerves took control. All of a sudden my thoughts went from I can do this to, what am I doing here.
After a much longer than usual swim with the course being about 600m too long, I finally reached land and a place I was more familiar with as I transitioned over to my bike. Not the slickest of transitions that I have had, it was terrible! Once I started pedalling I tried to rid my mind of the negative waters that now lie behind me and set my sights on the road ahead. Now being on the back foot I was forced to go into damage control mode, confident that I could get some lost time back but this was not to be as the waters had seemed to dampen the fuse. Despite all this I was determined to push on and finish this; I wasn’t giving up just yet. As the leaders pass by on the other side of the road I start to count down to the turn around, eventually I stop counting, I have been left for dead. Finally the turnaround appears, although I had managed to shake off some of the cob webs that had seemed to plague me for the better part of the race it was too late as I made up a few minor places on the back end of the cycle leg. Making my way back to T2 and a place that usually takes me out of my misery and put a weapon in my hand to have some kind of a fighting chance or at least go down with some dignity, that place is in my running shoes.
Entering transition I hit the ground hard, running leaving an uncomfortable sting under my feet as I dismounted at a speed that is not advisable. Never the less I safely got into transition and armed myself with my Brooks Pure Flow. It was time to put it all on the line, whatever strength, blood, courage and dignity I had left in me I had to use to run as fast as I could for as long as I could. Suddenly I felt at home, when out of nowhere, an energy of sorts had entered into my struggling body. I now felt like I was racing. Managing to gain a few places on the road but not nearly enough as the road was limited to 10km of fight ending off with an epic sprint to a disappointing 18th place finish.
I wanted more from myself, I knew I had more to give but unfortunately that is the reality of racing. Sometimes it just doesn’t go as planned. We don’t know when it is going to happen and sometimes we don’t know why it happens but it is something I have to accept as soon as possible in order to pick myself up off the floor and ready my mind and body for the next race.
Results
Position: 18
Overall Time: 2:12:42 (-0:17:12)
Swim: 0:33:50 (swim was roughly 2.1km)
Bike: 1:04:26
Run: 0:34:24
Thank you to my sponsors for their continued support through the good and bad.
Catching a breather at the finish
TERRENCE LOWE 