Belinda Granger talks post Roth
Wednesday, 23 July 2008 23:46
Belinda Granger is a giant in the world of Ironman racing and after over twenty of them, she is still learning. Belinda is one of the most popular athletes in the sport and always has a an interesting spin on her races. She pulls no punches and offers few excuses as she continues to compete at the highest level. Belinda checks in from Roth and tells us how she got ready for one of her favorite races.
I prepared for this year's race at my training base in the mountains in Switzerland. This is really my favourite place place in the world to train and I knew that it would make me nice and strong for race day. I also find that training with my Team (Team TBB) and my coach, really does get me fitter and stronger than I could ever get on my own.
I headed to Roth very late this year- opting to get there on the wednesday before the race. I have found that the later I arrive at a race venue, the better I race.
The weather had been great in Germany- sunny skies and warm. Perfect race conditions really. Unfortunately, by saturday things had started to change and by sunday morning we awoke to the sound of rain. It was freezing and the rain just seemed to get stronger and stronger.
I headed to the race start with Justin and Macca. The three of us were in the car looking out at the rain and you could just see by the look on our faces that we were all thinking the same thing- 'this is going to be a long and cold day of racing'. But everyone was in the same boat and I had experienced a few very 'foul' days here in the Swiss Alpes so I knew I could handle it.
Race start was at 6.20am- my wave included pro men and women, all 'sub 9ers' and all age-group women. I had a great start and found myself perfectly positioned in a huge pack. It just felt so easy and I proceeded to make my way through the pack and up to the front. I am very glad I did as this pack eventually split into two and I found myself swimming with people who I normally do not see until after the race has long finished. I exited the water in 48 minutes- a record for me. I must admit I had just been sent a brand new custom Orca 3.8 wetsuit. It is by far the best wetsuit I have ever worn. That, coupled with the extra swimming I had been doing, resulted in my best swim ever.
I sat down in the change tent and looked up to see I was sitting between Steffen Liebatrau and Stephan Vuckovic(silver medallist Sydney Olympics). In all of my excitment of having such a great swim, I totally forgot to put my arm-warmers and vest on- biiiigggg mistake. The really crazy thing was that my clothing sponsor, Jaggad, had made me the coolest- coloured arm-warmers to match my racekit. Even after 27 Ironman distance events I am still making amateur mistakes.
I quickly mounted my bike and set off in the worst conditions I have ever had to race in. It was an icy 11 degress and raining 'cats and dogs'. By the 40km mark I knew I had made a very big mistake leaving my Jaggad arm-warmers and vest behind. I found myself constantly thinking about them back in my kit bag- nice and dry (note to self- remember not to leave brain in bed next time I race).
I continued to push hard and found myself passing many male athletes who were starting to turn blue. I discovered that the harder I pushed the hills, the better I actually felt. So I really worked the flats and the hills and then suffered on the descents as my body temperature dropped. I completed the first lap and all I could think about was 'how am I going to get through that again??'. I really did feel like crying- how could I get through this without freezing? But the mind is a very powerful tool and I just gritted my teeth and fought the cold off. I knew I was actually riding a good time and I had a sizable lead on the other girls. I pushed through and my new bike- BMC TT02 was amazing. I had never used a time-trial bike on this course. I had always opted for their road frame. I am now totally hooked and will definitely be riding it in Kona this year. I also used my new Zipp wheels which included the new 1080 rear. It is a super deep rim and it is amazing. I was really worried about how I would cope with all of the corners and descents in the wet, but it was never an issue and I actually made a lot of time up on the other girls.
I dismounted the bike with an 8 minute lead and a ride time of 4hrs50- another new record for me and it would also be the fasest time of the day.
My running legs took quite a while to appear- like a whole 12kms! I think the combination of the extreme conditions and the simple fact that I just had to ride so hard to stay warm, really took it out of my legs and they were not willing to come to the party when it came to running 42kms.
I was caught by Yvonne and Erika (my training partner) at about 14kms- they were flying and I knew that the winner was definitely going to be one of them. I just had to put my head down and get on with the job at hand- running the fastest run time I could. I had strict instructions from my coach before I left camp- 'I do not want you giving up, whether you are in 1st place or 15th place, you have to run as hard as you can for the entire 42.2kms'. The aim was to run at least a 3hr15 marathon, preferably a 3hr10. I had a brief look at my watch at the halfway point- 1hr39- all I could say to myself was 'this is just not good enough'. I really just gave it everything for the next 21kms- I took in more powergels and coke and I started to come good at about the 30km mark- now normally this is when I begin to fade but today it was the exact opposite. I began to pick it up and I could see I was making up time and I knew I was back on my target time of a 3.15.
Unfortunately, with about 2kms to go, I was passed by Gina Fergeson. I tried to pick it up but I was honestly on my limit. I could do nothing but watch her pass. I entered the finish stadium to the incredible roar of the crowds- this finish chute is simply the most amazing in the world. Even with the weather the way it was the spectators were out in force and again made it one of the most memorable finishes ever.
I crossed the line in 4th place in a time of 8hr58- my fastest time by 9 minutes! I was very happy to finally break the 9hr barrier but of course, very disappointed to finish off the podium for the first time in 8 years (outside of Hawaii).
It was an amazing day of racing with four of us braking the 9hr barrier and of course, the World Record being broken not by one, but by two girls- simply amazing!
This was my 5th time to Roth and of course I will be back again next year- this is simply one of the most amazing events in the world and I honestly could not ever imagine missing it. My homestay family were wonderful once again and looked after Justin and I and my parents like we were part of their family. The Challenge Team were also brilliant- you guys put on the greatest race in the world, even in wettest and coldest of conditions ever!
To all of my sponsors- THANKYOU- you always make sure I have the best of everything and it really does make all the difference.
Next up for me is Antwerp 70.3 in Belgium in less than two weeks. I am back in camp and back in training once again.
Oh, and by the way, I did end up running a 3hr15 marathon- my coach was happy but now of course the next marathon has to be a 3.10 or better!!
Until next time
