2018 Challenge San Gil- 1ST PLACE

What a feeling- a WIN at Challenge San Gil. This was exactly what I needed. I have had a lot of doubt in my mind the last 4-weeks and I went to San Gil with the intention of getting answers. Taking the win took care of a lot of those questions but more importantly my performance showed that I am right on track and still able to get the most out of myself. It is very rare that everything falls into place (especially with a last minute race decision) but this time around, it worked out and I could not be more stoked.

Photo: Challenge San Gil

My swim has been the only place this year that I can rely on. I exited the water at the front in all of my races this season and was confident that I would do it again here. That being said, the effort that it required to be in that position in those other races was significant. So this race I had two plans. Either go absolutely full-gas and try to get on the feet of super swimmer and 2016 San Gil champion, Davide Giridini or keep the effort as low as possible while still being in contact of the race. I missed Davide at the start so went right into the second plan- comfortably cruising in the group, keeping the heart rate as low as possible and exiting the water ready to ride+run. 

Photo: Challenge San Gil

I got onto the bike in a big group of 6 athletes and got a split that we were about ~:90 seconds down from the lead. I was motivated to put together MY best ride but also did not want to tow the group around for 90k riding steady from the beginning. I put in a big acceleration at the start of the bike, hammered a downhill and then got some separation. From there I settled into my pace- feeling great and riding strong. At the turnaround I was able to get a sense of how the race was unfolding. I was putting time in to the chase group behind but was losing time to the leader who I could see from far away being escorted by the flashing police brigade. I was pushing some really serious power (especially with the course starting at 6500ft elevation and climbing up to 7500ft at the top point) but still could not make any inroads to the lead. I did what I felt was my best ride on the day and got off the bike in 2nd with the gap to the lead at a daunting ~5.5 minutes. 

Photo: Challenge San Gil

I knew that the stable, non-variable ride would suit my run legs well. I got off the bike and felt just as good as I did on the bike if not better. 5:30 down seemed impossible when I set off on foot but I continually reverted back to my original race plan- get the absolute most out of my body on the day. I quickly settled into my pace and was clicking off consistent 5:50 miles- about what I thought I could sustain at high altitude. They felt hard but comfortable. I was getting a few splits on course and the gap was coming down but not as fast as I needed it to be for the first few kilometers. But there was a stretch from about 6k-12k where I picked up the pace and put in a LOT of time. Before I knew it, I got a split that he was just over 1 minute ahead and then shortly after I could see him up the road. At 17k I made the pass, surging hard and smashing it all the way home to the finish line. 

Photo: Challenge San Gil

My win in Iceland last year did not have a finishers tape so although I was elated, it was a bit anticlimactic. This time, I got to feel it. And it felt really freaking good. 

Photo: Challenge San Gil

Aside from the win, I am most pleased with how I raced. Aside from the swim, I was 100% solo on the day and that gave me a good opportunity to push myself. I averaged 315w NP on the hilly/ challenging bike course and 5:54 min/mi pace on the run- again both at 6500+ feet. All of the numbers were great but the most important thing was that I felt STRONG. Had I come 50th and felt the exact same way, I still would be happy. 

Photo: Challenge San Gil

My confidence is obviously up a notch and that is going to be critical in the next few weeks as I dive into some final preparation for Ironman Canada. It is just around the corner and I know that my form is on point for a great full-distance race. 

Highs and lows of this sport… they are crazy but for as crap as the lows can be, you can’t beat the feeling of coming out the other side on top. 

Photo: Challenge San Gil

Cheers,

Justin 

IRONMAN Boulder. Figuring out what happened and the plan moving forward.

IRONMAN BOULDER

It took me nearly a month to recharge from what happened on June 10th and put words together to describe it. It was by far one of the toughest days I've had to endure through racing. I poured everything into the preparation and crossed the finish line feeling a whole host of emotions. At the top of the list I was defeated, confused and upset. I was well aware that my first IRONMAN would be forging into unchartered territory but my result was not even in the range of what I thought possible. 

I was 2nd out of the water and moved backwards from there over the course of my 9 hours on course ultimately crossing the finish line in 13th place, having walked/ shuffled almost 10 miles of the marathon. 

Despite the race not going the way I had visualized, I was proud to FINSH. That was always goal #1 and completing 140.6 miles is an accomplishment in itself (not to mention in the extreme 90-100 degree temperatures on race day). 

After the race I was broken down. Boulder was the stamp on what has felt like a season already gone and lost. Kropelnicki and I spoke for hours trying to break down the mistakes we made in the preparation. My fitness was at lifetime best but as I have matured and grown, my body's response to training and racing has changed. This was our first stab at the full distance and we both took ownership of not getting it right. I invested a lot in this race to end up having it be a learning experience but we took away critical information that we will use moving forward for the next Ironman (and half distance races). 

So, what went wrong?

Contrary to popular belief, we believe I was actually UNDER trained going into Boulder (at least in the final 2-weeks). Let me explain... 

I did a massive training block and then started tapering about 17 days out. I took multiple complete days off training, backed off on the intensity and backed off on the volume. All of which sounds like standard procedure heading into an Ironman, especially with the 3-week overload I did just before taking the rest. But one thing that Jesse and I have found in my training is that I get stronger and stronger as training blocks go on and I accumulate more "fatigue." I generally have my best/ fastest sessions when on paper I should be the most tired. 

When I am training a lot, my aerobic system (heart and lungs) are very connected to my peripheral system (arms and legs). I have good blood flow, optimal oxygen transfer and low heart rate. When I take complete rest, everything goes haywire. My aerobic system can't communicate with my peripheral system leaving me with heavy legs, high heart rate and generally feeling unlike myself. 

Having the idea of one performance and having the outcome be the polar opposite is challenging and as I mentioned, I was confused. I questioned many things in addition to the training like my overall health and happiness. I got blood work done and analyzed my mental state- both of which I did not feel were factors in my performance. Both Jesse and I are confident that the physiological responses here are the cause for me not FEELING good on race day. At this point, it is beyond results for me. I just want to feel good during a race. 

Now what?

Post-race I immediately went into panic planning mode trying to organize a quick next move in order to redeem myself. I did that before going through the training with Jesse, before doing the blood work and before looking after my mental state. I nearly booked a 4-week trip to Europe in the 72 hours post race and right on the edge of it being too late, realized it was a mistake and took a step back. 

I took a day to recharge. It came down to having a conversation with Jeanni for me to see things clearly. After what was almost two weeks of total confusion and indecisiveness, it all came clear within about 5 minutes. First up a low stress half distance race in Challenge San Gil (July 8) and then another crack at the full distance in Ironman Canada (July 29). 

So that's the plan. I'm in San Gil now and look forward to racing this event again (I raced back in 2015). We are using this weekend as a "test" to try out a new taper. I do not care about the result here one bit. I just want to be able to push my body to the absolute limit and feel like myself again. If I can do that, it will be a win. 

Thanks for tuning in.

Justin