{"id":449,"date":"2015-04-21T20:20:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T00:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/?p=449"},"modified":"2015-06-08T10:01:26","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T14:01:26","slug":"race-report-ironman-703-new-orleans-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/2015\/04\/race-report-ironman-703-new-orleans-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Race Report: IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans, 4th, 3:43"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s hard to say how much of my progress in triathlon is due to getting fitter and how much is due to suffering more deeply. More than once last season, I crossed the finish line after what felt like an honest, hard effort only to find the athlete in front of me in rougher shape. More than once, I felt as if I was out-suffered rather than outclassed in fitness.<\/p>\n

My ability to dig really deep, to “go to the well”, was underdeveloped. If I’m honest with myself, it was only at my pro debut last season, Texas 70.3<\/a>, that I truly left it all out on the course. I think I was scared to do it again. Beyond the obvious physical pain of racing at your limit, the emotional investment makes you vulnerable. What if your very best isn’t good enough?<\/p>\n

Developing the ability to push myself to failure was a theme during my “extended off-season”<\/a>. After seven solid months invested in training, I was eager for another opportunity to put myself on the line at IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans<\/a> against my strongest competition yet. I fell just short of my podium goal, but beyond the result, it was satisfying to venture to the ragged edge of my abilities once again.<\/p>\n

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Wow, I felt starstruck at #IM703NOLA<\/a> mixing it up with some big names! Thrilled to race again after 7 months invested in training.
\n\u2014 Cody Beals (@CFBeals) April 19, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Here are the top 10 (full results<\/a>).\u00a0Read on to find out how my race played out.<\/p>\n

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Lead up<\/b><\/h2>\n

After a long winter on my\u00a0CompuTrainer<\/a>\u00a0and treadmill, I flew down to The Woodlands, Texas at the end of March to put the finishing touches on my race prep. I came down with some lingering bug that sapped my energy for a couple weeks, but forced me to take some much-needed rest.<\/p>\n

I drove to New Orleans two days before the race with English pro Joe Skipper<\/a>. His running commentary and colourful dialect kept the drive entertaining, even when our “well dodgy” GPS led us on a wrong turn that dead-ended on a flooded road…<\/p>\n

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Swim<\/b><\/h2>\n

My swimming has been on a roll since attending the Magnolia Masters Pro Swim Camp<\/a> in January. I hadn’t swum open water since last September, but my swim coach, Tim Floyd<\/a>, was confident that all my work in the pool would show on race day. I also had confidence in my tried-and-true\u00a0Nineteen Rogue<\/a>\u00a0wetsuit and Vorgee Missile<\/a> goggles.<\/p>\n

The swim is too fast and frantic to ever really feel good, but I could tell that it was unfolding differently than past swims. I was able to close gaps and respond to a few decisive surges that would have dropped me last year. I’m finally developing some “gears” in the water.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Magnolia Masters Pro Camp: Lessons from a “Triathlon Swim Coach”<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

I exited the water in good company with a pack including\u00a0Ben Hoffman<\/a>\u00a0and fellow Canadian\u00a0Trevor Wurtele<\/a>, limiting my losses to less than two minutes to Andy Potts (the most dominant swimmer in long course triathlon).<\/p>\n

Bike\u00a0– 90 km, 2:01:59, 44.3 km\/h!<\/b><\/h2>\n

I continued to feel lackluster out on the bike, but I remembered a continual reminder from my coaches: you don’t have to feel good to race well<\/b>. In fact, just that week, Coach David had sent me a good article<\/a> by Joanna Zeiger on that very topic. I did my best to ignore how I felt and just execute.<\/p>\n

Trevor and I bridged up to a pack that included Tim Reed<\/a>\u00a0and Drew Scott<\/a>. This was my first experience in a pro bike pack and the drafting advantage behind several other athletes was astounding, even with the legal 12 meter separation under the watchful eye of an official. I was alternately soft-pedaling, even coasting, then hammering. This was quite unlike the relatively steady state efforts from my races last year, where I was often riding solo. Passing several athletes without illegally slotting in would have required a very costly surge, so I decided to bide my time and wait for the right opportunity.<\/p>\n

After about 40 km, we turned into a headwind and I decided to attack. Trevor Wurtele was on the same page and we dropped the others. After a quick word as I passed him, we traded leads for the remainder of the ride, working to close the gap to Andy Potts and Matt Chrabot<\/a>\u00a0up the road.<\/p>\n