Byron Bay & a few cheeky Beers

Who can resist an opportunity for a weekend away in Byron Bay? Well up until 2015 I had and the triathlon that year was the first time I'd ever visited. I missed the race last year but didn't need to be asked twice if I would be keen to venture back this time around. The race has a pretty rich history and an honour board to match and is probably one of the few remaining races that is run on a Saturday afternoon.

I managed to escape the office desk a little earlier than usual on the Friday afternoon and made my way straight there to spend as much of my weekend as possible there. It's not often I race in the afternoon and it took a bit of adjusting the schedule to work out what to do but after checking out some of Byron Bay's restaurants and not having to set an alarm for the morning it was off to bed.

I find I go into most races now really relaxed, in fact if anything I'd say a little too relaxed sometimes. As everyone else in my apartment was ready to go rack their bikes and set up transition I was frantically searching my bags, room and car to try and find everything I needed. I eventually ticked everything off my mental checklist and was setting my cycling and running gear up in transition.

Byron didn't exactly turn on the greatest weather for us and after finally building up the courage to dive into the chilly waters for my warm up swim I got to experience the pretty significant sweep we would be battling during the swim. I was standing on the start line with athletes such as Josh Amberger and Pete Jacobs so I knew it would be a tough race and in particular a fast swim. I was ready for this and attacked the start on the way out to the first can with a plan to use that sweep to my advantage.

I was sitting pretty for the majority of the swim and even managed to sneak a pretty good wave and body surf into the beach right at the end. Any advantage evaporated as soon as I went to stand up because I was hit with the worst calf cramp I have experienced. I actually had to sit down in the water to work out what was going on. I felt a bit silly having made it 1450m and almost having to call it a day right there and then. Thankfully after a quick stretch I was able to do something that vaguely resembled a run until the cramp subsided and make my way to transition.

I knew I'd lost time and had work to do so set off on the bike trying to get going as quickly as I could. I caught up to Pete Jacobs and Travis Coleman who were sitting 2nd and 3rd but shortly after could only watch as Matt Slee rode straight past us in pursuit of Josh Amberger. These positions remained unchanged for the rest of the ride. The rain and wind picked up during the bike leg and I remember a point after 25km where I actually felt cold.

I was a bit disappointed with the way I rode as we came into transition. I don't know how to best explain it but I just felt like I had no real 'get up and go.' I know how hard I ride and can push myself in training but this ride didn't produce anything near that. I've only just started riding with a power meter and the numbers that were on my screen and that I've analyzed over and over again since then suggest that I was dawdling along. Regardless of that, coming into transition with only two athletes ahead of our group of three, the podium was still in sight. I've finished one spot off the podium in a lot of races and as I set off for the 10km run I was determined that this race wasn't going to be another one of those.

Travis Coleman and myself set off together and left Pete Jacobs behind on the four lap course. We ran side by side for the first 5km but didn't once get a look at what the gaps were to first and second. I knew we'd given up way too much time to Josh on the swim and bike but didn't know how much. I had faint hopes of being able to catch Matt and after 6km I started to put a bit of time between myself and Travis.

I didn't open up a significant gap but enough to get a sniff of the podium and I set about keeping it that way for the rest of the race. I crossed the line in third place and pleased to get a podium finish but definitely know there is a lot of work to do to produce a more all round performance next time.

Even though the colder weather and rain made for tough conditions, it really allows the stronger athletes to shine and Josh and Matt certainly did that during this race and deserved the top spots.

A big thanks must go to Colin from TLR Wheels for setting me up with the super fast wheels I've been using in all of my races lately. Not only that but he was cheering evewryone on and manning some of the pedestrian crossings on course all day in the rain! And also to the Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy crew for adopting me for the weekend and celebrating all of our performances long into the evening and indulging in some sight seeing the next day :)

I'm actually yet to swim, bike or run since this race and the shock of some 10-12 hour work days has really knocked me about this week. I'd always planned an easier week after this race and I guess I'm making the most of that. I see this as a bit of a mid-season break and from here will be setting my sights on a few big races from September onwards with some local running, cycling and duathlon events between now and then to fine tune things. I'm actually excited to kick off the preparation for those next week with a few changes being made to my training structure that I think I'll really benefit from once these races are upon us.