Weekly News Number 17

Between sickness and race shape

This week was all about juggling performance while trying to fully recover from the sickness I had at the beginning of the week. I heard a sentence this week that probably applies to everyone who trains a lot and something I’ll definitely keep in mind for my coaching as well:You are always only ten days away from disaster or peak shape.

Looking back, I somehow managed to turn the disaster into pretty good race shape. But it definitely wasn’t ideal or according to the textbook. Especially in the swim, I paid the price for it but more on that later.

Monday and Tuesday I completely rested. I didn’t even want to think too much about the race because I didn’t want to create unnecessary pressure for myself. Even though I still didn’t feel 100% on Wednesday, I went for an easy ride and swam 2 km in the pool. Right now, I feel like my swim form is actually very good. But to maintain that level, I need to stay consistent in the water. The mix of two sessions with JR and the easier sessions from Kurt is working really well for me at the moment and is definitely something I want to continue for the next races.

Apart from that, there wasn’t much going on besides studying the course, checking my equipment and preparing everything. I didn’t change anything. Of course, I sometimes dream about a new cockpit setup or a new race suit. But in the end, I know I can still gain the most from my current setup simply through training. Sunday showed me exactly that: between the two races, I improved by almost 20 minutes just through training.

At the moment, I also really enjoy investing time into coaching. I can give something back from what I’ve learned in triathlon while also becoming a bit more independent if I can earn something from it.

Holly said something this week that is very true: triathlon has become more and more of a self-optimization sport. Nowadays, if you can’t invest in everything, it becomes difficult to reach the absolute top level. Right now, I simply don’t have the resources for all those optimizations. But I still believe I can compete well at local races like this one in Western Sydney. That’s exactly what I’m focused on at the moment: making the most out of the opportunities and environment I have.

Race week mode

Friday was travel day to Sydney. As always with Emma and me, everything was pretty relaxed until we suddenly saw spiders inside and around the car. That definitely raised our heart rates for a moment and I’ll probably still dream about those animals tonight.

On top of that, I had accidentally booked the rental car at the international airport instead of the domestic one. Luckily, we solved it pretty easily and rented another car directly there. Then we drove towards Penrith in western Sydney. Perfect for triathlon, but apart from that, probably not a place you absolutely need to visit.

Saturday was completely focused on keeping stress as low as possible. I planned everything the evening before so race morning would stay calm and smooth. In the morning, I rode one lap of the course. Since everything was flat, I immediately knew it would be a fast race.

On the bike, I only did 4x15 seconds hard efforts while the rest was just easy spinning. Afterwards, I ran for 20 minutes with a few short strides. That finished my race prep session. Usually, I don’t swim anymore the day before a race. Often the effort feels bigger than the actual benefit. I’d rather eat properly, relax and stay calm.

In the afternoon, we had briefing, bike check-in and race registration. Since everything went smoothly, I could spend the evening completely stress-free. And honestly, I think that’s extremely important before a race.

Problems will always come up what matters is simply how you deal with them.

A really good race day

Then finally Sunday arrived. And honestly, this race put a huge smile on my face. I was almost happier about finishing 25th than I would have been about winning.

The alarm went off at 3:45 am. Even though I know I never really enjoy the hours before the start, I’m always excited to get up on race morning. Usually, I’m only nervous until I leave the hotel. After that, the process begins and you just move step by step through the morning.

Sunrise at the race venue in Penrith

We arrived early at transition so I could prepare everything calmly. That’s exactly how I like it — no stress and enough time to go through everything properly. Afterwards, I did my usual short run with drills and a few strides before putting on the wetsuit and heading to the start.

In the water, I actually felt really good and during the warm-up I already thought: today could be a really good day. My plan was to get onto the feet of Cameron Wurf as quickly as possible because I knew he was swimming incredibly well at the moment. But my arms tightened up very quickly and it felt like the lactate just wasn’t clearing properly. So I came out of the water with a slightly slower group.

Still, I knew I had gotten the absolute maximum out of the swim under those circumstances. Without being sick, I definitely would have spent more time in the water and probably had the speed to stay with them. But that wasn’t the case this time. So I just focused on staying calm and riding my own race on the bike.

And that’s exactly where I had a really good feeling. I came off the bike knowing the run could turn into something special as well. It took me a few kilometers to find my rhythm, but after that the stride really opened up. For the first time in a long time, I was overtaking people again and having an amazing experience out on the run course.

On a good day, you can stay right on that edge for a surprisingly long time before things start to fall apart. As long as energy keeps coming in, you can hold the effort for a very long time. But even for me, the last kilometers become brutally hard. I can still say today that I truly gave everything. I’m completely tired and my legs are heavy. But exactly with that feeling, it becomes much easier to start the next training block.

What comes next

A lot of people are currently asking if I’ll be back racing in Europe soon. Because of the visa situation here, the plans keep changing and a lot depends on how things develop.

What I do know is that a long training block never hurts if the goal is to raise the level again and be ready for September. There’s still the possibility of racing in Airlie Beach at the end of July. But right now, I’m not sure if I want to spend the money for it because it’s peak season there and everything becomes pretty expensive.

Otherwise, the 70.3 Sunshine Coast in mid-September would be a really cool option. Until then, after a short break, I’ll start another big training block — more motivated than I’ve been in a long time. Right now, I’m really hungry to race and show what I’m capable of.

And that’s exactly why we’ll head into the next few weeks together and see where the journey goes. Of course, that also means the blogs will continue and I’ll keep sharing what I’m doing here. At the same time, I’m slowly trying to continue growing my coaching as well.

Have a great rest of the week everyone.

I’ll enjoy autumn — while you enjoy spring.

Cyrill