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Last time I checked into a Bexters blog, I was more or less lamenting at the state of competitive sport under new COVID lockdowns, but I was also at ease with the lack of training structure that the uncertainty provided. A lot has changed since then as the waves of the pandemic have eased or worsened, and we might definitely be in a ‘new normal’, but here I am in race week for only the 2nd full distance Ironman to take place in 2020, and first Ironman race post-global lockdowns.

I honestly thought this week would never come, racing seemed so removed from what has become the new day-to-day socially-distant normal that I was certain the event would be cancelled, but it’s happening, and thankfully in a safe and controlled environment thanks to the Ironman Oceania team.

Photo by Korupt Vision

If I’m being honest, this race should be the easiest event to prepare for, but it hasn’t been. Normally I’m jet-setting to and from events and training camps all over the world. This time I’ve been in the one place, undistracted from routine with ample chance to get the training done. Normally I’m balancing fatigue or injury from one race to another, but I’ve had almost limitless chance to recover on a daily basis. I feel as if I’ve had longer to train for this event than any other event in my career, but somehow I still feel unprepared. I think the waxing and waning of motivation during the period is at the core of this paradox. It’s just been a difficult period for everybody, and dome days you can’t be bothered, or you wonder what the point of the training and suffering is. But I know my mind is just playing tricks on me, because I am ready.

Photo by Korupt Vision

I know I’m ready, because I want to race. The mind has to be willing to be able push your body to the limit. They are one in the same, and I can feel that they are in step. It’s not possible to go the distance in Ironman if you’re only partially invested in mind and body. Somehow I’ve ended up on the right balance the last month leading into the event, because as I mentioned, it hasn’t always been easy to get out the door and get the training done. There’s things I would like to of done better with in this preparation, but there’s also things that I know I’ve done really well. Ultimately, with the help of my coach Philipp Seipp and some other technical partners, I’ve continued to develop as athlete rather than just attempting to maximise what I have, which is sometimes what I’ve gotten stuck with in the past. I’ve done the work on the heart and lungs, but also gotten stuck into technical aspects of the swim/bike/run that I’ve never ventured before, nor previously understood. So I’m looking forward to seeing how this different approach manifests on raceday.

Photo by Korupt Vision

I also reflect back to 2017, when I won this event and became and Ironman champion for the first time. It was a period of great joy and discovery, watching my potential uncurl and living a day of total sporting satisfaction. I will draw on this success from just a few years ago and recapture some of this stoke as I get deeper into the juju closer to race start at 6:30am on Sunday. I’m excited to have my fiancé Ashleigh and my parents there to support me, and I really look forward to tackling once more all of those momentous challenges a full distance triathlon throws at you. Anything can happen.