I raced the Gatton Duathlon last year and was keen to head out to the Lockyer again in 2012 to test my fitness before Ironman 70.3 Yeppoon. It was an early start as we drove from Brisbane leaving around 4.45am with Clifford the Big Red Dog (Kristen).
I like the venue out at Gatton. It is spectator friendly as it is a multi-lap run course. The temperature was perfect. Last year it was colder and I couldn't feel my feet until the end of the race.
We started with a four lap 10km part x-country part path run that traversed hills and flats. I used my Brooks x-country shoes, which hadn't had a workout for a while because they handle the bumpy terrain well.
My plan was to do a strong 5km run and then hold back until the bike where I would go hard again for the first lap of the two lap course. I established a lead into T1 but my opponents were quality athletes so I needed to work hard on the bike to ensure I stayed away. It was tough on the bike with a very strong head wind. I only used one gel on the bike. As it was a shorter race I did not bother with my race bottle that sits in the bars of my TT bike. I returned from the bike and lead out of T2. I backed it off for the second run as Yeppoon was only seven days away.
Photo: Amanda McIntosh
I ended up winning the race, it was solid. I needed to ensure my recovery was right so I immediately took advantage of a serve of Endura Optimiser, compression, a cool down run, some stretching, some ice, and an epsom salt bath. I was booked for a massage at No More Knots on the Wednesday, recovery was going to be key if I was to pull up well for Yeppoon.
Thanks to Triathlon Queensland for a great course, well done Kym and Bri for a great race and thanks to RedDog Triathlon Training, Avanti Plus the Valley, Endura and Brooks for getting me over the line. Oh and thanks to Kristen for a lend of the wheels.
Photo: Amanda McIntosh
No comments:
Post a Comment