Antwerp 70.3 Preview

Last year 70.3 Antwerp served as my entry into the international level competitions and it opened my eyes to the excitement and incredible feeling you get competing in major events like the Ironman series. One year later I feel like a totally different athlete and have been looking forward to Antwerp to demonstrate my current level of fitness.

In the 2007 edition I suffered dearly through the swim as I was still very new to swimming and had never swam with that many people before. Now with one more years experience and many many kms in the pool, I am much more confident going into the swim.

The bike course is not necessarily the best for me because it is very flat but it will still be an area where I can put time into the majority of the other competitors. Last year I had an average ride because of a knee problem giving me large amounts of pain. This year my injury situation is under control and my fitness is at a very high level. I expect to be pushing very hard during the bike in an attempt to start the run with the leaders or very close.

Running is how triathlons are won and I believe I am capable of a top 10 run time in Antwerp. The course is very flat and fast, which provides me a good opportunity to get into a rhythm that can bring me to the finish in around 1:15 (assuming the course is roughly 21.1kms).

In setting goals for any event I find it is helpful to have best case, average day, and salvage performance set out in advance. For Antwerp I am setting a lofty 'best case' goal of finishing on the podium. Based on last years times, and this years fitness, that seems achievable on a good day. Of course this is impossible to predict, but starting with that in mind helps give motivation. 'Average day' goal will be a top ten placing with a run under 1:20. This is achievable even if I am not at my best on race day. And finally the worst case scenario or salvage performance goal will be a top 20 placing if all goes wrong. Example of this would be a flat tire or cramps or something similarly destructive to my performance. I believe just trying to finish strong, no matter what happens during the race, has an important motivational impact for later races.

Last year I had something in between an average day and salvage performance with the knee problems slowing me down drastically during the race, and I still managed to finish around 20th place. This year I am very optimistic about my chances of having a good day where everything comes together. This whole season has been very positive in the sense that every event has had strong improvements in some of the disciplines, but so far I have not put together a complete performance. Now it feels like everything is coming together to allow a day where I really show my potential. With the added motivation Emilia and my daughter have given me during the past month, I am ready to give a top performance.

Stay tuned...

- darby