Ironman 70.3 in South Africa - mission accomplished!

Happy New Year everyone!

What a great start for me at the Spec Savers IM70.3 race in South Africa. I was fourth and have qualified for the World 70.3 Champs in November, so mission accomplished. The press conference was a good laugh and other than the swim recce being cancelled because sharks were spotted in the bay, I was relaxed going into it. It was a tough race, hotter than the sun, and of course, a brand new distance for me. I learnt a lot about myself and about racing the distance. Things didn’t go all my way but overall I really enjoyed it and the crowds/support was fantastic. My Mum and Dad were here watching as well because they are here on holiday for a month. Great result for Flavour Frase who was second and showed he will be a force on the 70.3 circuit again this year, and well done to the 10+ Brits who were racing.

It is mid January and I’m really pleased with where I’m at training wise. The long break at the end of last year did me a world of good, and I think having to prepare for my first ever 70.3 race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) was a good motivator. When I was back in the UK for Christmas, I began to work out a race plan with Ben, and now this weekend is out the way, we will be firming it up. I had three weeks back in Loughborough which was great fun but oh so cold. The treadmill in the heat chamber got lots of use from me! I also picked up my new Giant TT bike from Bruce at Prologue (thanks for staying so late) and the extra time spent tweaking my position was well worth it because I was super comfortable.

Here’s to a good ‘09
Tim