Davide Giardini - MULTISPORT
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IRON BLUES

6/30/2017

10 Comments

 
It’s now been almost 3 weeks exactly after racing my first ever Iron-distance race at Challenge Venice on June 11 (3.8k swim, 180k ride, 42k run), and I think I have finally got a hold of my emotional and physical state to jot down a few thoughts...

First, a few words about the 9h:02’ race that saw me finishing in a less than thrilling 7th pace, after leading off the front on the the swim and the 180k ride.
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THE RACE

To recap 9 hours of racing in a few words: that was a long, mentally taxing, and strenuous day of exercising.

The 3.8k point-to-point straight swim took place along the bridge connecting Venice to Mestre. Even though the water was extremely warm & the air torrid, it was deemed wetsuit-legal. Just a few strokes in, I was ready to be done.
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I focused on "throwing the arms over" (Aussie slang I got to learn to love), and 50’ odd minutes later, I came out the other end in the lead.
Usually I'd be disappointed to have people in tow, but this time I was almost relieved to see Casadei (local favorite) on my tail to keep me company on the 180k bike.

We held a solid consistent pace throughout the ride in the flat, windy & hot countryside around Venice. Towards the final 30k or so, Casadei faltered a bit and dropped off, while I maintained the same pace and led into T2.

​TTing on the flats in the bars for 4h30’ at a consistent power output was mentally very very draining, and was happy to be off the bike. (Check out the Strava file below)
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The marathon in 100 degrees weather was certainly where the race was made.

At every station I would dunk myself in the ice buckets, which is what kept me alive throughout the marathon. I ran feeling strong (albeit slow it appears) for 30k, collecting a plethora of colorful bracelets along the 5 loops course.

At 30k I crumbled and begun walking for “a bunch of Ks” (it’s all a blur really). I was ready to be done, but mustered all the mental energy I could to get running again, just to finish my first Iron-distance race, so I could finally say I did “a real triathlon”, tell the grandkids one day, and never have to do one ever again! It ended up being a 3h30’ run, which could have been worse, but could have been much better...
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Now a few bullet-points to concisely think back to the race, and hopefully be of some help to someone out there.
​
THE GOOD
​
  • Didn’t DNF, finished my first ever Iron-distance race, and am still alive to talk about it
  • Leading the swim and off the bike
  • Didn’t have any hydration/nutritional issues, and for the most part always felt “in it”
  • Feeling strong throughout the whole race
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Photo Roberto Butti
THE BAD
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  • After being at the front of the race for 5h30’, it’s hard to go back 6 places in the last 3h30’
  • Feeling stuck in a “comfortable” cruise-control pace and no additional gears, one which is too slow to get a good placing though. This was true across all 3 disciplines, but especially on the run, where I literally went backwards from the start of the marathon
​

THE POST-RACE STRUGGLE

After the race I felt tired of course, happy with finishing the race, but feeling a bit puzzled by the fact that at the end of the day I had achieved yet another MEDIOCRE race result, which was not on par to my expectations and not reflecting of all the hard & long training months, the sacrifices, and all that this sport has required of me.

My coach Matt Dixon of Purplepatch fitness prescribed me a 2h ride the Monday following the race and on Tuesday a 2k swim and a jog, but all I could muster was a spin on the cruiser bike to the lake for 10 VERY BAD strokes. The rest of the week was all prescribed OFF, doing something active. Too bad Italy was in the middle of a heat-wave, so anything outdoor was an additional struggle: I got myself out of the house mainly to go do something on the water, be it windsurfing, some sort of swimming, and a hike up high in the crisper air. It didn’t involve any triathlon.
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Hiking on the Monte Baldo at 2000m to escape the heat-wave. Sorry Shannon & family you had to endure my grumpiness through these difficult weeks
During that week I was a very unpleasant person to be around, and honestly depressed. I was very physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, and the lack of structure training and no endorphin release added to it all. 

When it was time to get back into training after a week like that, I simply couldn't muster the energy, and have delayed my "come back" to structured training.

The mental, physical, and emotional struggles have continued now for almost 3 weeks post race. I have gotten on my bike twice since the race. I’ve flopped around in the open water almost every day because being in the water cheers me up, but haven’t gotten around to doing a set in the pool, and I’ve been feeling like running, but my legs would refuse to keep going shortly after. Just now coming close to 3 weeks later, I ran 1h with some efforts, and did a nice 45' open water swim where finally for once I wanted to go hard so I let it happen. 

MAYBE only now approaching the end of the 3rd week, I’ve begun to see the light, and some sort of motivation to get back into training has resurfaced. 

Just sharing my experience with my first Iron-distance race and how (badly) I've coped with it, hoping that it might help someone with their own road to recovery! 

More to come...

(Action pics courtesy Jose Luis Hourcade www.joseluishourcade.com)
10 Comments
Mat
6/30/2017 09:56:51 am

Thanks for sharing your experience. I think about you almost every race that I do because you do something that no one else does during a race, smile. You always enjoyed competition and not because you were the fastest but it seemed you enjoyed because you simply like swimming, riding your bike, and running (well, maybe not the running part). Please keep racing because you inspire all of us average-Joes and you also help the culture of triathlon. I'll always be a fan, I'll always remember our rides, and I'll always hold a smile on my face during races because...it's just a race :) love you bud, keep up the good work.

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Davide
7/1/2017 08:23:02 am

Thanks so much Wolf for the kind words and taking the time. Means a lot.

We had some good time training & racing together, didn't we?!

At this race I think I was smiling of pain...but funny you mention that, as my girlfriend who was there watching said the same thing: "at least you were there only one smiling!".

Haha. Maybe I just can't hurt myself that much after all?!

Keep in touch bud and keep on chasing that fitness. Looks like you're having a great time in Pagosa!

Davide

Reply
Davide
6/30/2017 01:15:48 pm

Thanks so much Wolf for the kind words and taking the time. Means a lot.

We had some good time training & racing together, didn't we?!

At this race I think I was smiling of pain...but funny you mention that, as my girlfriend who was there watching said the same thing: "at least you were there only one smiling!".

Haha. Maybe I just can't hurt myself that much after all?!

Keep in touch bud and keep on chasing that fitness. Looks like you're having a great time in Pagosa!

Davide

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Kathi White link
6/30/2017 03:41:04 pm

Aloha Davide.....
I so enjoyed your blog. It resonates to all phases of life, not just Triathalon or Iron Man. You could feel the same dismay if you were running a top notch company and the stock dropped hundreds of dollars. Or if you were a farmer and pests attacked the years work just before harvest. Or if you were in Real Estate and a big deal you worked diligently on for a year, fell apart and you are left with no financial reward, but lots of knew knowledge!!!! The good thing about the race in Venice is that you finished, you placed, and you have something to take away from it.....it was an IRON MAN that you completed, smiling! In wanting more for yourself or expecting better, let go of disappointment and uncertainties and instead hold on to freedom and imagination. These two are the fuel that help overcome! Albert Einstein was a very wise and mindful man, yet with all his knowledge, this is what he once said:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know now and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know or understand." Completely true. He also went on to become recognized in the plumbing world because he said this:
"If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber or a peddler in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances." WOW !! The wise man alludes to the treasures of freedom and imagination. And the tool that can fire those two up is the gift of enthusiasm, a God given virtue that dwells deep in each one's spirit. So take the high road my friend, and hang ten! This is just the beginning and not the end, according to Einstein intelligence and Biblical perseverance! Peddle on....we love you!

Reply
Davide
7/1/2017 08:22:26 am

Kathi,

Thanks so much for taking the time to write these amazing words.

Very inspiring quotes. I'll reflect on them and hopefully my mood will brighten!

Thank you as always!

Davide

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Wilfred Wewer link
7/2/2017 10:32:01 am

Ciao Davide,

Thanks for sharing! Beautiful and honest explained!
What was going to be a "easy" race, got complicated. Currents, head winds and heat put the "hand brake" on.
Beautiful race tho! I enjoyed the experience.

Regards,

Wilfred

Reply
Davide
7/3/2017 03:31:45 am

Ciao Wilfred,

Congrats on your race as well. That was brutal.

Live to fight another day!

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment...

Davide

Reply
Nancy
7/2/2017 07:47:56 pm

Thanks much for writing this honest and insightful post. I've been hit with a case of the "iron blues" on an amateur level after completing my first 70.3 race in June, many thanks in part to the smart and encouraging coaching of you and others through PPF. I have struggled to get back to structured training since. The contrast of spending all my time training pre-race to not being able to pull myself out on the road has caused me to get quite discouraged, but these thoughts have given validation to that struggle and hope it's possible to bounce back.

Either way, congrats on finishing what is an inspiring event despite the finish, and thanks for all your help along the way in my own journey! It's you and others that enliven us amateurs to stay the course and push ourselves harder physically and mentally.

All the best.

Reply
Davide
7/3/2017 03:36:34 am

Hi Nancy,

First off, thanks for taking the time to read & comment. It's comments like yours that in the end make this journey all the more worthwhile. So cheers for that.

It's a tough tough sport, especially hard to integrate with all other commitments of life, which we pros kind of disregard in order to achieve top performance. It's even harder at the amateur level, so you guys are more of an inspiration!

Sorry to hear about your "burn out" post 70.3. Anything beyond olympic distance are tough long distances, and other than the physical discomfort, they're taxing mentally.

The PPF training is great, but only you can know when too much is too much and when you need a break from triathlon to focus on other areas of life. This is also a work in progress for me.

Thank you again and good luck!

Davide

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Joel Tucker link
11/12/2022 10:54:56 pm

Turn myself bill peace. Another heart husband drug.
Consider prove career bar cause. Far fall artist rest father real.

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    Davide Giardini

    Waterman turned Professional Triathlete. From Lake Garda (Italy) to Colorado by way of Hawaii. Coming soon to a race near you! :)

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