JASPER BLAKE RACING

Part relief, part happy, part satisfied, part admiration for my competitors- part everything really after last weekend.  After taking a year off from IM racing in 2010 for health reasons it was good to be back in Penticton racing.  Ironman Canada is a special race for me, started my IM career there in 2000 and have raced 8 times in the last 11 years.  As a Canadian I’ve always felt it’s the most important race outside of Kona but that might be just me.  I’ve always prepared almost exclusively for that event and this year was no different.

I knew going in that it would go well, the build up was good and I was recovering and feeling normal for the first time in years.  I executed well- honestly I’m not sure I could have done anything differently to have a better day.  I ran myself from 14th to 5th on a very hot and windy day- toughest conditions i think I’ve ever raced in there.  The head winds on the bike really exposed my biggest weakness and I lost a ton of time.  But I stayed within the effort I knew I could do- something I tell everyone to do but is often tough when you are in the thick of it.  I was counting on guys going too hard on the bike and coming back to me on the run- with the exception of 4 guys that’s basically what happened and I finished 5th.

I was reminded how tough Ironman is, it is a real test of human spirit.  I was reminded how much I love being in that position, how much I love the challenge and the hurt locker- always believed that it’s a choice- you either shy away from the effort or stare it in the face- it’s fun to stare it in the face and punch it a few times- anyone who does this sport or anything that requires extreme human effort knows that there is a sense of calm, focused peace in those tough moments you just have to see it that way and chose to go deeper into it- we are the lucky ones to have such an experience.

I’d love to write that on a different day I would have won but the reality is Jordan showed that he’s a step up- solid all round with a massive weapon on the bike so my hats off to that performance and a remarkable comeback after near tragedy in 2010.  Mary Beth Ellis on the womens side was nothing short of jaw dropping- 3rd ironman in 8 weeks, wins all 3 and basically competed with the men-bloody awesome.   Male pride would tell me to not even mention it but my human admiration for such incredible athleticism has to tip my hat and applaud her effort- broke an age old course record by 2 minutes that nobody thought would ever go down and simply crushed the womens field.

As usual with Ironman there are some other really great stories and moments that come from it- stories that don’t always make the headlines but are incredibly inspiring and should be shared- here are a few from last weekend:

Mike Neill- has raced as a pro for almost 20 years, this is his last year and he wanted to finish in Kona- He placed 13th- his 3rd ironman in 12 weeks and secured the last guaranteed spot to the World Championships for pros- true grit!

Milos Kostic- Beat the 70-75 age group record by 1 hour and 54 minutes going 11:14 (he rode 5:33)….he’s in his 70′s!!!!

Scott Curry- Finished the race only to learn he had a torn soleus muscle that was bleeding internally so bad he ended up in hospital for 3 days post race and had to be operated on- tough as nails to get through that- crazy outcome

Sarah Gross- 9 months after having her first baby she is back racing and competing

Sister Madonna Buder always the most gracious presence and inspiring woman- didn’t make the bike cut off this time around but who cares, she’s 81 years old and still showing up- Bravo!

David Lee- First ever paraplegic wheelchair athlete to complete IM Canada- can you imagine doing that entire race with basically just your arms?  The human spirit is truly remarkable!

The last picture sums up Ironman to me- we are all out there to do our best and as a pro the goal is ultimately to win but when you are in the thick of it sometimes it’s just nice to have some company for the sufferfest.

Raced Oceanside 70.3 this weekend down in San Diego.  This was my first real test on North American soil since being out with mono last year.  It was also the most competitive race I’ve done in a long time so a good chance to see where I was at fitness wise.  Mentally I felt more relaxed than I have in ages, great to be back in Oceanside after a few years.  It’s an incredible spot, great race, great crowds, great energy.

It was a mixed bag and ended with a DNF which is never that good but the surface result is a bit deceiving.  I actually came away from the event very positive.  It was the first time in ages I actually felt like I was in the race and not somewhere out in left field hanging out by myself looking at the daisies.

I swam well, got myself into a good position on the bike and was in the right place to do something productive.  I ended up in one of the smaller main groups on the bike and fought tooth and nail to stay there.  The pace on the bike was a bit too rich for me at the moment.  I lasted 45 miles of 56 and proceeded to blow myself to smithereens trying to do it.  When I popped I really popped and lost 6 minutes in the last 11 miles of the bike- to be honest I’m surprised it was only 6 minutes- the legs were jelly-fied.  A few miles into the run it was apparent I wasn’t going to be doing much running and that was that.

It’s a good sign things are on track- sometimes to stay in there you have to take a risk.  I took a risk and I paid the price but I would do the same thing again to be in the hunt.

Huge respect for the guys up front- they are moving so darn fast these days- it’s a punishing pace and incredible to witness.  I’m at a loss for their capacity on the bike.  I was in a small group with strong cyclists and spent all my time at the back of the group.  70.3 racing has become almost like a draft legal event.  This does not mean that people were not racing clean- on the contrary- people actually were racing very clean but there is no question that even when you are legal distance back there is a massive benefit.  For weaker cyclists like myself this is a huge benefit if you can hang in there.  I would love to say I did some work to help our group but I did not, I hung on and off the back fighting just to stay with them.  Anytime there was a terrain change or a surge in effort it was everything I could do to hang on.  Forty-five miles of that and I was totally cooked.

These days if you want to be in the mix at the end you have to be there from the beginning unless you can bike like Lieto, Rapp, Weiss and get yourself into contention no matter where you come out of the water.  The bike is too long and too significant a portion to steadily lose time on and if you lose too much time there’s not enough pavement on the run to make it up.  It’s also too short to exploit the massive physical explosions people get on the run like in Ironman.  I think this makes half ironman so interesting and such a great balance between short course racing and Ironman.  You have to have a perfect balance between speed and endurance and you have to also nail things like nutrition which ads another factor of preparation, planning and smarts into the mix.

Andy Potts and Mirinda Carfree are incredible athletes.  Potts was so strong across the board closing with a 1:12 run split.  I consider myself a great runner in this sport and I would struggle to do that on a good day.  Add to it the fact that he can swim and bike with anyone and I’m in awe.  Mirinda is incredible too- tactically she has the kind of race I need to have to win she just doesn’t dig such a big hole on the bike.  She is awesome to watch running, like a little pocket rocket.  Not to be overlooked however are the rest of the field near the top- it was a close race on both the men’s and women’s side and not really dominated by anyone.  Potts and Mirinda had enough to make it work but it was close.

And so now onto South Africa to support one of the athletes I coach.  Crazy trip really, flew out of Oceanside the day of the race, home at 1am and flew out that same day for South Africa- 24 hours of flying time and I’m about 20 hours in as I write this.