Mitch’s
Destination:
Los
Angeles, California
Mitch’s
Race:
Lifetime
Fitness Los Angeles Triathlon
The
Los Angeles edition of the Lifetime Fitness Series lived up to its spectacular
reputation and had everything you would expect when racing from the iconic Venice
Beach to Downtown LA! The point-to-point race seemed to be a logistical
nightmare, particularly when dealing with split transitions and road closures
on a weekend that clashed with “CARmagedon 2” (the second installment of
heavily publicised road works on the 405 freeway). However, much like the
traffic phenomenon, the race weekend flowed smoothly!
This
was the penultimate round of the Toyota Cup Series and another classy pro field had
assembled to challenge for the prize purse and valuable series points. For me,
this was the final event on my calendar and the last chance to absorb race
experience from my first overseas trip. After flattening myself in Texas a week
earlier, I had a very light week of training leading up to the race, which
allowed me to feel somewhat recovered.
Much
like the Hollywood celebrities gather for a premiere, the Kibby’s gathered for
a reunion! Dr. Dad had arranged an extended layover in LA to spend some time
with my brother and I before he returned home from his timely work conference
in Delaware. This being the case, I was lucky enough to have a cheer squad for
the first time in a while...
Although
this race was in close proximity to my adopted home in Newport Beach, I had
decided to stay closer to the race for convenience sake. The Hilton LAX gave
Dad and I a good rest and a head start on race morning. Once we navigated the
short trip to Venice Beach we joined the masses at the first transition for the
day. The Pacific looked peaceful in the moonlight, however the waves soon began
to rise in unison with the sun. During my warm up I stopped out on Venice Pier
to watch a surfer taking advantage of the perfect barrels rolling out under the
jetty. It was impressive to watch up close and exciting to look across the
beach and see the waves crashing into the shoreline.
For
the second week in a row, I failed to convince the officials my helmet was safe
and again donned the club kitty helmet. This time around I was slightly more
frustrated that I was unable to use my familiar equipment, but rules are rules
and there was nothing I could do! I quickly jumped into my blueseventy wetsuit
and headed for the start line to get the racing underway…
I
have spent the past few years standing on the start line dreading the swim leg,
fearing the inevitable shortage of oxygen that's ahead! Nowadays, I stand
more relaxed and eager to race in anticipation of the perfect swim that sees me
hooked onto the back of the lead group and following the buoy’s in cruise
control. Unfortunately, I “again” found myself separated from the split and
leading the chasers around the course. I chased with everything to bridge up to
the front group and was agonizingly close before they pulled away to the top of
my "foggy goggle" screen. It was another swim leg that I left behind disappointed
but it will only make the day I get there more rewarding. So if you having
trouble contacting me in the next few years, I’ll be in the pool!
I
moved through T1 with some other traffic about one minute down on the leaders
and set out on the bike tour through the districts of LA. I was flat on the
bike and struggled to elevate my heart rate high enough to relieve the pain
brewing in my legs. The turn around point on the bike gave me the chance to see
who was up ahead and I realized I was doing better than I had thought. I
managed to stay in contention with the top 10 and as I arrived at T2 I realized
I was going to battle it out for the money spots for the second time in as many
weeks.
Although
my bike legs were tired, my run legs felt good almost immediately! I ran
comfortably out of transition and managed to shake the company early to leave
me in 10th on the road. The two lap run course had a significant
hill that crushed your lungs on the way up, and shattered your joints on the
way down. I found it difficult to judge how fast I was running, but I felt good
so I just kept pushing. I knew I was taking time off those in front but I was not
sure if I was close enough to make a catch before the finish. The hill worked
to my advantage on the second lap and allowed me to close in and take over 9th
spot with 2.5km to go. Once I made the final descent down Grand Avenue I was
confident I could hold on to pass my cheer squad with a smile and finish the
season on a good note.
A
week is a long time in triathlon, because the feeling after the race was the
polar opposite to that in Texas. Standing in the shadows of the Staples Centre,
I was exhausted but nothing compared to the distress of the week before. My run
time was a PB 31:41, which was a fraction of the time I had been preparing for
through the week. It just goes to show that anything can happen in a race, even
when you get off to a rough start. It is so important to concentrate on the
moment when things get tough in training/racing because the pain does subside
if you can hang in there long enough. You can forgive yourself for having a bad
day, but you won’t forgive yourself if you throw away a good day in a moment of
panic when things aren’t going to plan.
This
season has shown me many lessons and has tested my physical and emotional
strength on many occasions. Although I never managed to set the world on fire,
I am pleased with what I have achieved considering the obstacles I’ve faced
along the way and the character its taken to get through hundreds of training
sessions alone. I have met some great people over the past five months who will
make it difficult to stay away from the USA in the years to come...
I must give a special thanks to the families who have put up with me since i've been away! I was very lucky to be part of the Hovius family in Florida and my experience in the sport was fast-tracked a decade or so under the wing of Coach John! It seems i'm going to need that soon, because the Hovius boys will be hunting down the competition in the years to come... Look out! It's been great staying with the Kibby's of Newport Beach over the past two months and with any luck next time i'm here it will be to help them pack up to come back home to Australia. If you never thought you'd go to a Vintage Motorcycle Cafe then think again... There could be one coming to a beach town near you!
I am
very fortunate to have the support of my sponsors who make it possible for me
to compete at my best. Bill and Annie from Fitzroy Cycles Carnegie have been
very loyal to me and it has been a pleasure to ride their Scott Plasma around
the USA. The bike is continuously praised for its good looks, but more
importantly it allows me to walk into transition on race morning knowing that
it’s not a level playing field! Dextro Energy has become man’s best friend out
on the roads and their products have been tattooed to the pouch of my cycling
jersey every time I leave the house. Its great to believe in a product and even
better to understand how to use it to your advantage during training/racing (which
I’m getting better at)! And as always, Andy Sleeman from Tribal Training has
been a terrific mentor sharing his experience and humour at all the right
times. I look forward to continuing these relationships in the future and I’m
very excited to partner up with the Barefoot Triathlon Team for the 2012/13 Summer.
I’m preparing to incorporate blue into my wardrobe and I’m even planning to
grow my hair back to ensure I look presentable in the photos. Thanks again to
my family and friends and I’ll be seeing you early in November.
Thanks for listening and have the rest of the day to yourself!
Mitch’s
Next Race:
Noosa
Triathlon- November 4th
Mitch’s
Flights Home:
Los
Angeles to Brisbane- October 31st (Halloween)
Sunshine
Coast to Melbourne- November 7th (Day after Melbourne Cup)
Venice Beach, California
Pro Men's Swim Start
Mitch's Team
Kibby Podium
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