This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way, and can cope with it pretty well. I know that when I feel tired, there’s generally a good reason for it and I should rest. But today was a little different. I haven’t done many run sessions of any type in my build up and was really keen to move my training along. I wrestled with myself mentally, walked some more, and tried to convince myself I would eventually warm into it and feel better. But at the same time I’m already writing tweets in my head which I’ll never send (as I often do and find it motivating sometimes) such as “felt so unco today, can’t believe on days like today I can be one of the best in the world”, or “felt so weak, 40min w/up, got back to the car, had a Shotz caffeinated gel & then felt awesome”.

The later is closer to what motivated me, and what actually happened, even though I wrote this tweet in my head 30mins before it actually happened. As I got within the last 6mins, which had felt like eternity on the way out along the trail, I tried again to pick up the pace (after another little walk) and this time it felt a little better. I ran a few minutes more solid back to the car, and grabbed a caffeinated Shotz gel before I had time to reconsider. Once I knocked that back I thought ‘why did I do that, I guess I have to run efforts now, I can’t finish now’. After nearly an hour since I started jogging, I was feeling a little better, not worse, so I knew that today was not a day to rest. I walked about for 10mins while I hoped the caffeine would kick in and provide me with the mental strength and control over my body to hold form and run some efforts.

A few things contributed. The gel for sure, my last few minutes of 40min warm up that showed a little promise, my desire to try until I cracked to get some efforts done, and that what I was asking of myself was nothing compared to what I asked of myself in Hawaii last October..“I had also watched several Kona inspired videos (http://buzz.mw/_tuPJi ) before my run and it helped me find motivation. I wouldn’t say it was so much the people and their stories in the videos that inspired me, but more that they new what they wanted, they know what they love and what they are passionate about. Don’t get me wrong, the stories are inspirational and motivating, and there are some amazing people doing so many selfless acts on their path to (hopefully) Kona. But as I stood there staring at the path before me, I thought of those videos, and what it is that I love doing, and why am I here trying to run when my mind and body are hinting that today is not a good day to run and I’m going to make it hard for you. I love to run. I love speed. I love running fast. I am one of the best in the world and today I’m going to start that journey to being the best in 2012.” I counted myself down to start, and away I went.

While running that first of only two 4min efforts I thought about John Maclean, and what running would mean to him, and what it does mean to me. I was grateful for my ability, and just the ability to run. John is so often in my mind, and not because he has accomplished what he has without the use of his legs, but that he has accomplished more than most athletes, and is more dedicated and driven than any athlete I’ve ever met. We are not the same, not even close, but I try to take what I can from his approach and use it as it suits me. This year, I want to take from him that I am only going to Kona to win. And anything but winning will be a disappointment. I’m not in that state of mind yet, but it is just one of many things I will work on.

My riding has been going great – hence my run taking a toll – which is great as that’s all I need to improve, the rest I can tick the boxes in training and I’ll get to where I need to be come Kona. I’m hardly swimming since it seems that all my foot/hip/glute/back problems have stemmed from my right shoulder being hunched forward and twisting everything else out of alignment (ART physio found it), and swimming seems to aggravate it. No worries there. Stoked I can run freely and evenly, happy to have an excuse not to swim. Luckily I can get away with that for a while J

All the best.

Go check out the videos and vote for who gets to go to Hawaii.

Cheers

PJ

p.s. I’m very lucky I have the time to take my time on days like today, because this is my job. And I’m very grateful that emotional experiences like the one above are part of my job.

p.p.s. Jaimie and I have moved to Noosa for 6 weeks. This picture was taken at Byron Bay on our drive north.

30mins after I crossed the line I started to limp, caused by what I guessed correctly was a nerve pinching in my right hip/glute. My limp looked, and was, horrible, unless I pulled my glutes in and switched on every other muscle to keep me upright which worked enough for me to be able to get on the podium without looking like I had a broken leg.

 My physiotherapist (http://studio-align.com/physiotherapy/) (same place I go to Pilates) agreed it was tight muscles pinching a nerve. Some deep tissue massage and I was hoping it would be fixed soon. I’d ridden 3 x 5+ hr rides in the week following the race, but when I couldn’t even take one step of a jog a week after the race, I knew Melbourne was in serious doubt. I had a feeling this was no quick fix, and relaxed my mind and training off Melbourne and focused and getting my problem sorted.

An osteopath (Chris Mullen in Avalon) I’ve now seen 3 times has since found countless other problems. Imbalances caused over years of having other imbalances have finally caught up with me and it’s proving difficult to get me even again. I’ve got very limited external rotation in my right leg, and my inside thigh muscles such as abductor and gracilus are so incredibly tight they require a lot of work.

My right obliques are tight too, causing me to be shorter on my right side and lean to my right. And while my left leg appears longer, my left hip appears higher when I’m standing. My left glute is also weaker than my right, so I’ve been working on using it a lot more and am feeling better for it already.

MY physio also helped me get somewhere with the problem of my left foot which has been troubling me for some time. I haven’t been able to bend my left ankle in a calf stretch as far as my right, but she applied pressure to the front of my ankle joint and amazingly it helped me bend more – so more work required on that too!

I’ve also seen http://www.thefootlab.com.au/ to look at my biomechnics while walking and jogging (very briefly jogging!) with some amazing technology. Their sensor plate built into the special treadmill is incredibly accurate and very interesting from my point of view. I’ll definitely be going back to check my progress and see the podiatrist, Quinton, again.

They also made up some Solestar cycling shoe inserts to help stabilise and add strength to my feet and legs while riding. I haven’t ridden much yet but they feel good so far.

In short, my rehabilitation is not over and will be ongoing. I’m seeing 3 different people every week for different types of massage and treatment, as well as doing my own extra exercises, and swimming most day. I’ve just started back spinning easy on the Computrainer this week.

I’m counting the days and weeks until my spposed next race – Hawaii 70.3 against Lance Armstrong -  but I’m not going to go if I’m not happy with my strength as I could end up putting my body back where it was/is. I’m taking my time, but also doing all I can to get right and carry better strength than ever into Hawaii Ironman World Championship this year.

My physio and osteo have both given me exercises and highlighted different problem areas to work on. These include squatting – heels on floor, bum down on my calves and sittig in that position – I can’t do it! Also sitting cross legged, or sitting with my feet underneath my butt and my knees in front of me. And simple strength exercises like trying to stand one legged with the correct muscles working and others intentionally not working, then bending my knee for small one legged squats. These simple things are not easy for me and are why I’m taking my time to get my body back to a natural even stake before doing too much training again.

Look after yourselves and spend some money on your body J

Cheers

PJ

January Blog

I’ve been doing a few presentations lately, ever since Hawaii 2011, and I’ve really been enjoying these opportunities to pass on what has taken me several years to learn, in a matter of hours. In January, in the space of 9 days I was involved in 4 presentations, and after each one it became clearer to me what it is that drives me and makes me able to challenge for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

Melbourne was the first stop, and with the help from the Urban Hotel at St Kilda ( a very strong supporter of triathlon in Australia), Shotz (my nutrition sponsor and advisor) and Leon Griffin (world duathlon Champion and pro triathlete), I held a training day with all proceeds going to the John Maclean Foundation. The day included a swim, a ride, and a run, and all the theory to race at your best.

The theory all starts with the Hawaii Ironman 2011 footage. Anyone I show this to, and talk over, understands instantly what this race is about, and that it takes an incredible mindset and commitment to achieve a solid day on Kona. What they don’t understand immediately, and go on to ask about, is how do I cope with it all. The pain, the internal negative voices, the heat, the pressure, the dehydration, the fatigue, the preparation and the sacrifices. How?

The day was a huge success, as stated by the participants who learnt in a few light bulb moments during the run or swim technique sessions how to go faster with less energy. What some people are being taught about how to swim or run astounds me, and I’m so happy I am able to help some people reach their goals with more ease, so they can reset their goals higher as they realise they can do more with a different approach.

A couple of days later I was in Adelaide, and through a friend, Henk Vogels (ex pro cyclist and now coach/director of Rusvelo pro team) I was asked last minute to be a guest at a presentation on sports psychology. It was a semi formal chat with a few people in the clinical field, along with Henk and myself and 120 in the audience. A few things that resounded strongly throughout the night.

-  Confidence needs to be built up in training and racing.

-      A persons personality and the environment they grew up in can make the path longer or shorter for learning how to cope with difficulties.

-      Having the strength mentally to push oneself to it’s absolute limit physically takes practice.

Two days later I was showing my Hawaii 2011 video, talking through the race, and explaining to people how I cut myself off at the neck and leave the negative thoughts going around in my head. How I don’t let the negative thoughts affect my body, no matter how strong they are I don’t let them from my head down to my body.

Two days later again I was coaching swimming and running technique to Adelaide triathletes, and once again seeing the improvements instantly in a very receptive group of athletes was another inspiring day as they showed persistence and desire to improve.

Even better than the results on the day, was the feedback afterward that one lady who attended the day passed on some swim tips to her husband, and he’s swimming faster now too. The fact that she understood what I was trying to explain, and could pass it on is another rewarding experience, and hopefully everyone can continue passing on tips that have helped them to others, and so on and so on.

Reflecting on my own successes, of which I’m still surprised of how I’ve been able to accomplish what I have, I’ve realised my ability to be aware of my body and what it’s doing, what muscles are working and relaxed or overworking (tensed), is something that helps me work very finely on my technique and become more efficient than some other athletes. It is something that I guess has been born out of necessity due to my inability to do long hard miles in training that many others are able to do day after day after day.

Whatever your approach, good luck, and enjoy.

Cheers

PJ

12/7/11 – So I did my research and Computrainer is the only stationary trainer that does it all.

13/7/11 – Ride, swim, run. All in a good days work. 6hrs total.

14/7/11  – Change is better than a holiday. Swimming for first session of the day felt great.

18/7/11 – I predict an all Aussie & German top 5.

– 1hr 50min long run with Jaim this AM. Stoked I ran that long. Good training session for us both for Philippines.

23/7/11 – Running in the rain and dark (it was neither when I left home) was just the adrenaline fuelled, fun, relaxed run I needed to get my stride back.

25/7/11 – hardest computrainer session yet. 4 x 30mins. I should have had a 3^rd @shotzglobal gel, last 15mins was in another world. Loved it!

- good long run with @johntmarsh talking about improving my diet – more protein + fats on rest day, more omega fish oil everyday.

-  My rest week totals; 9k swim, 10hrs bike – all on computrainer, 3hrs run, 1hr pilates.

27/7/11 – found some speed & Kona rhythm in the pool today. #happyboy

28/7/11 – Good run, ordinary swim, good bike. U can’t win them all so choose your battles.

30/7/11 – “time to get off he coach & go swimming.” “Yes boss.” – a conversation with myself.

1/8/11 – Sweet, got my Kona qualification letter.

4/8/11 – I’ve had a phlegmy cough for a few days, I took and extra rest day, but testing it & some new zero drop shoes today.

7/8/11 – Flying to Philippines with Philippines Air & I’m in the inflight mag J

13/8/11- Registered for KONA! Feet up today b4 Ironman 70.3 Philippines tomorrow.

14/8/11 – Stoked to defend my Iroman 70.3 title in the Philippines today. A solid ride set up the win.

14/8/11 – Done; Press conference, photos, bikes packed. Now quick cable wakeboarding, then presentation. And 2 winners in our room today.

14/8/11 – Jaim took out her age group, but Kona slot was passed in. Maybe better to work up to that with more experience J

22/8/11 – A very exciting day. After months of searching & worrying, today I finally found it….My run form.

24/8/11 – Solid solo six hour ride, & I smashed it. Very fulfilling day at the office. A huge thanks to all my sponsors making a huge difference.

27/8/11 – 2 x 6km tempo run felt surprisingly brilliant. Amazed how quick form, pace & fitness has kicked in.

– I’ve been grinding away for months feeling terrible, & suddenly I’m running with ease. How good it feels, the next 6 weeks will be fun.

– World Champs in Hawaii – 6 weeks today.

29/8/11 – Long run today was ordinary, but after the awesome week I’ve had I don’t care. Big ride/run week & quality #happytiredboy

1/9/11 – 4hrs on computrainer & it wasn’t even raining. Felt easy. Riding better than ever…?

1/9/11 Ran awesome. 3k, 2k, 1.5k, 800m. A great day today. 2 weeks ago I thought Kona was too soon…but now…heaps of time J

5/9/11  – Chicken legs you did it! After disappointing long run last week you really brought it on today. I owe you lots of massage.

- Had an amazing training week because I delayed starting by an EXTRA rest day.

19/9/11 – Biggest run week for this Kona prep done. 95km. Also 15hrs bike & 18km swim. A good week.

21/9/11 – I’m in the best shape of my life, so today I didn’t train, I went back to bed.

27/9/11 – 18km swum in 4 days. Last year I swam thatfar in 3 weeks. Everything is going accordingly to plan.. J

29/9/11 – Everything is ticking along like clockwork. Thanks to my awesome sponsors for making IT happen.

1/10/11 – I’m here in Kona. And #I’mheretowin J

2/10/11 – Heading out to ride the queen K highway for my first kona session/appearance. Perfect weather!

- Great to catch up with Hawaii Hall of Famer John Maclean & chat about inspiring moments in his 2^nd book “Full Circle” & our current pursuits.

3/10/11  – A good massage goes a long way. Every other day from now till race day.

5/10/11 – Sorry I didn’t make the athlete parade today. Slept all day & had to ride late this afternoon.

7/10/11 – Last training done. A very light roll. Bike is ready.

- 1^st time I’ve skipped Ironman Banquet in Kona. Very relaxed dinner by the pool & resting on the coach instead. Much better than in the rain.

8/10/11 – I felt like a faster runner last year, but I feel like a faster triathlete this year.

– Thanks everyone for all the tweets & messages of support. I feel ready to race hard & prove u right J

– Heading to bed @ 7pm. So relaxed & prepared I feel I’ve forgotten something. Just a simple time trial training session tomorrow…

Pete Jacobs - Kona 2011

As you may have noticed in Part 1, I enjoy trying to teach people how to get the most from yourself, whether through improving technique, changing your mental approach, or any other tips I can share. But I am far from perfect. As much as I tell people “this is how I do it, just do it like this”, everyone is different. But for those who are like me, but get told they are wrong and try to be like the others, now is your time to say to yourself “relax, be happy, this is the right way for me, this is who I am”. I am who I am. And I’m not perfect. Constructive criticism is my favourite term. I love to hear it, and I love to give it.

So where am I going with this? Ummm….that’s right I was going to talk about my result in Kona and what it means to me. Firstly it means Jaimie can take a day off work once in a while and the mortgage is ok J. Secondly it means I have to lift my work off the course up to the level of my on course results. I’m an athlete for 2 reasons. One – my ability for organising and data entry is a fail so an office job is out of the question. Two – my ability to know where my body is and what the muscles are doing is top of the class. I was asked today why I can run the fastest off the bike, and that was my answer (and yes, everything else you can think of helps too).

But my lack of organising skills is now becoming a problem. With success comes responsibility (“with great power, comes great responsibility” from Spiderman the Movie), and I’m not good at it. I think it might be time to employ a PR firm. Any offers? I need to be able to run competitions, mail prizes, make videos, write blogs, contact magazines, and everything else this technological age requires while incorporating my sponsors and fans and give everyone something. That is a big part of the job for a professional athlete, and although I love parts of it, I can’t do it all. I’m not perfect.

I owe part of my success to a good friend who was previously someone that advised me and then became my manager last year. He is incredibly handsome and wise (he also seems to have access to edit my website). He’s not a yes man and we disagree on plenty of things but I believe more and more we come out with the best outcome. He has single-handedly got together my sponsors for this year – he doesn’t just manage me, he manages the entire Formula 1 team that is team Pete Jacobs. It is this formation of people and companies that got me to the Kona podium. Being able to concentrate on training and the race, knowing he had the team of supporters/sponsors organised was an unprecedented experience. It took a huge weight off my mind, so I was happy. That’s when I race best. But now the pressure has risen again. I basically just got a huge promotion at work, more money, but more pressure, both external and internal. We’ve spoken about it and how I need to handle that moving forward. It is something that is part of “the business” and as he reminds me, I need to be aware of that along with train, eat, sleep, race, repeat.

But back to Kona and the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship. My mind was more at ease in Kona than ever before because I had full confident in my gear and I had the full confidence of those who supplied the gear. A big difference this year was I had a solid nutrition plan, tried and tested and more planned and thought out than ever before thanks to the brains behind Shotz Nutrition. Here is a guy that will ring and speak to an age grouper who has questions just the same as he rings and speaks to me about my plan for Kona. The same guy, Darryl, had Chris McCormack, fresh off his win in Kona last year listening intently to every word and asking questions at the BPM-Sport training camp in Sydney.

My plan was a few gels every hour, along with bottles of Shotz Salt tabs with an extra gel in each. We had planned for the inevitable – missing special needs on the bike – sorry but the volunteers out there must not get much training and direction because I rarely get my bag at Hawi. So when the inevitable happened, I was prepared with a concentrated bottle of Salt tablets, and plenty of gels. They were packed like sardines into the XLAB stem bag, into my back pocket and even my tri short legs.  Being prepared was the difference this year. Both in the weeks and days leading up to and during the race I was ready early.

And as we enter 2012, with my sights set on winning the World Championships, my sponsors are raising the bar with me. Boardman, the bike brand by legendary cyclist Chris Boardman will get us together for some wind tunnel testing in 2012, It will be my first time in a wind tunnel, my first time focusing on my bike with a world record setting cyclist guiding me. And as I climb the triathlon global ladder, there will be plenty more firsts in 2012 I’m sure. And I do hope in the race results too.

I’m currently up in Byron Bay, after just a day at home between a holiday/race with Jaimie on Hamilton Island for the sprint tri and ocean swim. It was one of the best places we have ever been or raced and didn’t want to leave (as you can see by photos on my facebook page). So now I’m in Byron and Jaimie arrives tonight, and for bout 36hours we get to relive our Honeymoon at the incredible Byron at Byron Resort as guests of the Movember celebrity luncheon (no I haven’t grown a moustache, my excuse is I had a November photo shoot). And a few days after we get home, I head to Busselton to work with the video/commentary/VIP crew at Ironman Western Australia. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

So the “job promotion” of being more in demand and wanted is actually very nice. It does mean more travel, but I’m not complaining about the destinations! Now please excuse me, I have to get back to editing a video of some amazing Hawaii footage for the Movember at Byron at Byron appearance.

Thank you everyone for your support, kind words and encouragement, and I look forward to seeing you at a race soon.

Have some fun over Christmas.
PJ

Second at Kona 2011

In winning Ironman Australia on 5 May I sustained a stress fracture in my second metatarsal. This meant zero exercise for 2 weeks and very little exercise for another 3. Swimming started in late May, cycling started mid June, and running began very tentatively in late June, after 7 weeks off!

My sole focus was Hawaii, and I was buoyed by my quick improvement in my swimming and cycling without serious run training happening. Swimming was at my equal best ever, and I was happy and motivated to be stronger than ever on the bike for Kona. Running wasn’t going so well though, and when I raced on August 14 at Ironman Philippines my run felt average, and the weeks were counting down to the big show. I had been doing the sessions but not feeling like the runner I was before the injury. Running wasn’t feeling natural and easy, possibly because of muscles that grew in from swimming and riding first, and that my foot and lower leg muscles were feeling tight and causing me to be cautious and concerned.

On August 18 I had my first run which felt natural. I knew I was cutting it fine to get in the quality miles before the race, but I felt I had just scraped in under the cut off point for my own peace of mind. From that point I was in lock down, and focused entirely on Hawaii. This meant very minimal social outings, and almost none during daylight when if I had spare time I was sleeping, training, massaging, or eating. I was doing roughly 5hrs more per week than the previous year (3 more on the bike and 2 more swimming). I knew I was getting in the best shape of my life as a triathlete. The three disciplines and my body were finding their own equilibrium as I got closer to the race – my swimming lost some speed, my running improved, and I was spending more time on the bike than I had consistently done before and feeling great for it. But I was still conscious and slightly worried of my foot’s phantom pains and muscle tightness right up to race week.

As I’ve written about before, I have a stomach parasite (blostocystis hominus) which so far I have been unsuccessful in killing despite some serious measures earlier this year. In the months before Hawaii this had flared up and was causing me some inconvenience. Sometimes it took 3 attempts before I could leave comfortably for my run, and then I still had to stop again during. I was thinking it would settle as it usually does, but as I entered race week and race day it hadn’t. I was apprehensive about my food each day, and what I might feel like race morning and while racing.

I had arrived in Kona on Friday September 30^th, 9 days before the race. On Saturday I rode 3 hrs and had never felt stronger on the bike. I was able to push a high heart rate and power through the big undulations on the Queen K highway out to Kuwaihai and back. On Sunday I was a bit tired from the ride, and I swam 40mins pretty solid, before driving out near the energy lab and running 75mins, during which I had to have an emergency toilet stop. I didn’t feel great on that run but I was happy to get my last training run done and my foot survived. Just 40mins easy on Wednesday is the only other running I did race week.

I was a little worried about my taper, and my body/health as race day drew near. On Thursday I only rode, Friday complete rest, and all my race gear was ready earlier than any other year, mostly thanks to awesome support from my sponsors, especially all the work the Zipp and Sram guys did getting my bike ready.

I ate lightly the day before the race because of my concern about my guts, but I still had to go the bathroom 6 times before leaving home in the morning, and once again before the race. Despite this I was relaxed, and happy to be about to race Hawaii again. I had my amazing wife Jaimie there since Sunday, my awesome parents Jenny and Geoff since Wednesday, and 5 other very good friends there to hang with before the race. No doubt having such a close group there is very calming. Seeing them so excited about what I am about to do is very humbling, and it is a once in a lifetime moment. Nothing else comes close and it is a memorable moment of calm and clarity.

With 15minutes to go I head to the beach and stand there while I focus on the task ahead, do some warm up stretches, and pass the time with the other professionals. As the start drew near I swam out to no particular point along the deepwater start line – just wherever there was some space. I soon found myself feeling a little crowded. It’s likely a few people were looking out to start near me as they know I’m a strong swimmer and have possibly read/heard that Chris MacCormack had his best swim ever thanks to starting next to me last year. Some of the other pros were definitely looking for the drafting advantage at the swim start. With a minute before the start I quickly swam 20 meters to my left to where the line was more spread out and I had extra space. The cannon went and I sprinted almost as hard as I could, quickly separating myself from those next to me. After a few hundred meters I could see only one other swimmer a few meters to my left, I figured it was Andy Potts and I made my way onto his feet. For a minute the race was one connected group, until Andy and I opened a gap on everyone else. My race plan was to sit on his feet for the whole swim, but after seven hundred meters he was slipping away and I settled into my own pace very happy and relaxed to be on my own between the leader and the big group following. I swam easy, and the group caught me at 2.5km. I stayed at the front of the group, still swimming very easy, drafting off a swimmer next to me until the last 400m when I picked up the pace so I could be second out of the water and make transition a little easier for myself.

I hadn’t felt awesome in the swim, and didn’t feel awesome as I ran through transition and onto the bike, but I didn’t think about it too much, it’s a long day and there’s plenty of time to come good. I rode hard near the front of the pack for a while after hitting the Queen K highway, ready to be in an early break if it happened, still trusting my ability based on how I’d felt the previous Saturday and hoping I would start to warm into the ride. It became clear no breaks where going and slowly I slipped back to about 15^th in a pack of about 25. I was easily staying with the pack, although gaps would open up as we crested hills and they powered down the other side, I seem to be more comfortable on the uphills and was closing the gaps easily. On one particular uphill at about 70km, I slowed down with the guys in front, not seeing a gap had opened up 3 people in front of me. By the time I saw the gap the group was powering down the other side. The other cyclists around me were all feeling tired and only 1 other guy went after the group just ahead of me. I powered solo trying to bridge back up. I rode well, and gained on them up towards Hawi, uphill, into a strong headwind, but it wasn’t enough. Once they turned ahead of me I had no chance to catch them on the downhill tailwind section of the course, that’s not my strength.

I started wavering then, admitting to myself I wasn’t feeling great today and it just isn’t my day. I would have liked to stop and make the mental and physical discomfort end. But I followed Rasmus Henning and Frederick Van Lierde as they came past me, and we swapped turns all the way back to T2. I felt like I must have lost 10minutes to everyone. I felt so slow. Into transition I went through the motions, but relatively quickly as I was happy to be finished the bike and that lifted me. As the volunteers put a cold wet towel on my head, one of them said “5 minutes to Craig Alexander”. Wow, only 5 minutes, that sounds good relative to how slow I thought I’d ridden. I sped out of transition and  focused on setting a good pace.

I decided this year to run without a watch not be distracted by calculating how far to the guys at turn arounds, or how fast I was running. I just ran. The first 5km felt very hot, and the muscles tight, but after settling into a comfortable pace, and getting into a routine of ice, water, and sponges at the aid stations the heat became bearable and I started to enjoy the run as I loosened up. Before I’d got to the top of Palani rd and the Queen K highway (20km) I found myself in 4^th, at 21km I couldn’t believe I was in 3^rd. MacCormack and Nick Gates were out on bikes and yelling at me to win it. They said (as many others also had) I was running better than the guys in front and I could catch them. I didn’t really believe them but I kept running all the same.

As I reached the Energy Lab road I could see Andreas Raelert, I couldn’t believe it. I was going to get second! I passed him after the turn around at the bottom of the Energy Lab and just as I passed him he stepped into the portaloo. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was feeling a million dollars and the nearest competitor to me just stopped for the toilet! Too easy! Or so I thought.

I had some bad memories of running up the hill from the Energy Lab last year and how I’d had to walk the aid station at the top. In my training run a week earlier I’d also found the hill tough. And now, in second place, I went from feeling a million dollars, to feeling like 2 cents at the same place. As I crested onto the Queen K highway my quadracepts exploded and from every race I’ve ever had this happen there has been nothing but a continual deterioration of speed, and increase in pain. I was in trouble, and not about holding onto second place, but just to get to the finish. I went into immediate damage control. I tried to relax, run more on my toes so the calves took more impact than the quads, and I had to walk about 3 aid stations to give the body a moment to relax, cool it down with lots of water, ice, cold sponges, and mentally relax too. The mental strain of trying to keep running while in such pain and discomfort and holding a slither of technique is incredibly challenging and stressful elevates the heart rate beyond an efficient level.

Andreas Raelert caught me with about 5km to go. I was now thinking if I can just keep moving I can hold onto third. But as Andreas ran past me I knew I had to try to stay with him. I had to at least try. And this is where experience and confidence matters. I’ve been here before, I’ve been in agony when someone has run past me and I’ve tried to go with them and I know there is always something there to dig deep into, even if only for a minute, it all depends on confidence and controlling the body. So I stood tall, leant forward, worked my arms to pick up my stride rate and closed the 4 meter gap quickly. Then a funny thing happened, it was easier to go hard than it was to go slow, and I kept up that pace and went right past Andreas. It was like a sprint for the finish in slow motion with 5km to go. I never looked back until I got to the top of Palani Rd hill, because I knew the way my quads were that downhills were going to shatter them even more so than before, and running the last 1.5km were going to be very tough and almost impossible.

I think I let out a few smiles between the grimaces as I ran down that hill, as I knew I was getting close to the finish, and I was in 2^nd place, no matter where third was, I was there, guaranteed a podium finish at the world champs. I looked behind me plenty of times in that last mile, and I was getting slower and more useless, but I was getting closer and with only a few hundred meters left to run I grabbed an Aussie flag as I knew I had 2^nd place for sure. It was an incredible feeling, and never lasts long enough. Shortly after crossing the line, I was getting interviewed by Aussie legend Greg Welch and got told I had the fastest run split for the second year in a row. That was awesome news. This year I didn’t wear a watch. I didn’t want the distractions, or care how fast I was running. I just want to run.

I was obviously very happy to finish 2^nd, there’s only one person on planet earth better than me at long distance triathlon in 2011. I saw Jaimie on the other side of the fence with my friends and family and as I hugged her I just couldn’t believe it. The pain was over, and it was worth it! It was worth it for me, and it was worth the sacrifices Jaimie has given for me and this race over the last few months. It is a strange ritual getting ready for this race, all the changes that take place, but for now that is all forgotten. I’ve taken the rest of the year as casual training and fitting in as much socialising as I can. Surfing, golf, dinners & drinks, ice creams, and everything else I give up for most of the year.

Thanks so much to Jaimie for being so supportive and caring, and my parents who also come to Kona every year, and my good friends that were there this year and believed me when I said it was worth the trip (a lot more have already booked for next year! Haha).

And this year was extra special because every single sponsor was new this year, and all came on board purely on their belief and confidence in my ability at Hawaii. To have their support emotionally and physically was a huge benefit this year, especially since I only approached and aligned with products I believed completely in. This made for the formula 1 team I have been waiting my career for, and it showed.

Huge thankyou’s to Boardman Bikes, Urban Hotels, F2P Sport, BPM, Rudy Project, ISM, TYR, Shotz, Lazer, Alaska Milk, Healthwise Active Travel, Gaerne, Computrainer, and X-LAB.

Stay tuned. Thanks for watching and especially those who cheered!

PJ

P.S. I’ll write part 2 soon with insights into the future and what getting 2^nd place at Hawaii means and does for a 29 year old from Sydney with a goal of winning next year. Cheers.

I’ll find time to get a more detailed update on my race but for now I wanted to say a very big thank you to all of my supporters. My wife, family and fans.

Of course it wouldn’t be possible without my sponsors: Boardman Bikes; Urban Hotel Group; BPM-Sport.com; TYR Sport; F2P; Shotz Nutrition; Lazer Helmets; Rudy Project Eyewear; Xlab; Gaerne; ISM Saddles; Healthwise Active Travel, Computrainer and Alaska Milk.

Thanks everyone, PJ

Pete Jacobs 2nd Ironman World Championship

e.

Have a look at the video I took over the last couple of days training. Also a bit of a talk about my race plan.

The new custom “PJ Kona Kit” will be unveiled on race day with Pete wearing it under his TYR Torque suit for the swim and then showing it off as he pushes the pace on the bike and run. Pete told us from Hawaii “Everyone told me how much my kit stood out in the races this year with the light and bright colours which is great so I wanted the look to remain similar. I’ve been suggesting minor cut adjustments after each race and the F2P guys have been excellent in accommodating my needs. For me it was about a lightweight material that has a rear pocket for nutrition and a streamlined cut, especially around the shoulders. We tried different materials, stitching and cuts which I feel confident will have me comfortable and helping me to not over heat on race day.”

The specially designed kit for Pete by F2P will ultimately develop into a line available for everyone but for now it is a one off design. BUT, we’ve managed to get several extras made for some lucky people to win. Stay tuned throughout the build up and race day to find out how you can win one!

Make sure you follow the following on twitter and facebook:

Pete Jacobs – @petejjacobs

BPM-Sport.com @BPMSport

Trizone.com.au @TriathlonZone