Miyazaki World Cup

Coming off the high of a World Championships atmosphere and back into a "home" environment is always an odd feeling.

For most elite athletes the World Championships weekend is a rare opportunity to let your hair down and go a bit wild for a night (post race of course). If you’re selected it is generally your biggest event for the year. Like-minded people surround you and you’ve all been stringent for months on end. So, naturally, you’re ready to let loose. Though the biggest race isn’t always the last race. With no imaginable doubt, did I not enjoy this occasion.
For most Aussies it’s a couple of months overseas capped off with worlds, so coming back home is most certainly nice, but it’s also extremely difficult if you are getting back into the swing of things for one last race or two. For me, it’s not home, home time either. I had to stay in Melbourne and subsequently away from my family for another month and a half, almost rounding out a whole year of not being there. So I found it a lot harder to keep upbeat about the hard yards to come before the final World Cup on the ITU circuit.
The weeks leading into Miyazaki were off to a good start, unfortunately a few weeks in I had developed a slight plantar fascia issue. So I was unable to run for about a week and couldn’t risk any work at pace in case I over did it and tore something. Our physio advised not to run at all. After consulting with Danielle, our strength and conditioning coach and the physio we decided I could run as long as I was doing isometric exercises 3× a day every day, and the pain wasn’t worsening. Fortunately this did help me keep up a minimal amount of mileage.

Getting into Miyazaki I was feeling relatively confident. I managed myself on the flights quite well and I felt good. The training days leading in left my foot feeling quite sore, I wasn’t able to travel with a Smith machine and 70kg of plates so I relied on gravity and used my own mass, for the first time ever I wished I was heavier. Most mornings and most jogs my foot felt stiff and sore but it was what it were. I was going to get through the run and I knew that.
Marcel and I had spent many hours together leading into this race. We worked really well and got in some great quality work in the pool and on the bike. I was confident in my swim-bike and I knew that I just had to pace it and build through the run to try not aggravate my foot too early on.
Like I have been throughout the year, I swam, ran and rode to the race site the morning of. I’m still modifying the formula but I feel like I’m getting close to what primes my body the best.

I got down to the race site with plenty of time to spare, it’s always interesting riding around trying to figure out the maze of areas we’re granted access to, and of course how we actually get into the athlete lounge.

Eventually we made our way in and I got through all the check in procedures quite quickly. I spent a few minutes sitting down and planning out my next moves.
I grabbed my water bottles and put them in my bag to keep them out of the sun, threw on my joggers and went out for a 10-minute trot to get things moving freely again. Did a few strides to just below race pace and headed back into the athlete lounge.
I didn’t want to go for another swim because it’s not what I had usually done but I decided to jump in the water and did about 100m or so just to roll the arms over.

Once I got back into the lounge it was about time to head over to the athlete introduction area.
Before long everyone was in line and headed down to the water.
This was a strange start, I’m unsure as to why but there was no pontoon. It was a deep-water start.
Everyone had chosen a number on a line and eventually we were ushered into the water.
I was wearing number 15 and somehow managed to sneak into 14th on the line up. The inside line was more direct so the closer to number 1 I could get, the better.

It was a long and chilly wait in the water but before long the music suddenly cut and turned to the infamous heartbeat thudding which resonated through my body. Anxious as ever, the entire crowd silent, the air horn sounds.

Generally I make my way to the nearest to outside as possible. 14 in proved to be a relatively daunting position, it’s always rough as hell for at least the first half of the swim so the clearer of waters I can get - the better it is.

The better it is, is purely out of fear of being absolutely pumped in the water. I’m not sure what made me change my mind but about 100m in I just thought to myself, "fuck it, sit in" and I did my best to use my elbows as make shift bumpers. Fortunately there weren’t too many people drifting left and right and I didn’t get receive too many feet grabs within the first 200m. As the pack began to narrow and line up for the battle of the first buoy I began to be knocked around a bit. I did my best to stand my ground and do mini surges to keep my elbows at other athletes’ eye levels rather than the other way around but I soon lost a fight for a position. I copped an elbow to the eye, stuck my head up and got the returning windmill of an arm straight to the cheekbone. This rattled me a bit and I fell back a body length, in a panicked rush I swam across 2-3 athletes and got to the inside and clear of the mayhem.

Rounding out lap one was far more settled than the initial 300m. It was, however, relatively chaotic nonetheless. I held my position and found myself running out of the water after lap one, at about mid-pack. After I rounded the turning buoy on land I darted to the left and changed sides as I ran back into the water to dive in.
Of course this was a great tactical move for the one buoy we turned left at. The rest of them were right-hand turns so it was an error that did not help me for the rest of lap 2. Fortunately, I swam well and moved up a tiny bit.

Running into transition was not treated with as much haste as I usually would because I knew I was close to the main pack. I did not know there was a small breakaway group of 8, but the run to transition would not have seen me gain 25 odd seconds.

I jumped on the bike and railed myself for the first 5 or so minutes so that the weaker riders could not get an easy tow. Eventually a large pack formed and we weren’t working well at all. It was quite windy so nobody wanted to pull turns into the wind. There were long and solid turns made and short bomb-like attacks happening quite frequently and it was not helping our group gain any time on the break.

I was trying to be conservative all the while throwing in a few turns to keep the pace even and rich but it wasn’t fruitful. Halfway through lap 3 I found myself leading into the U-turn into the headwind. My roll wasn’t far from the U-turn so I hit it pretty hard and accelerated solidly out. A Japanese athlete stayed with me but we opened up a 2-3m gap just from the turn. Initially I didn’t think much of it but shortly after it opened up to about 10m and nobody was doing anything about it. The Japanese athlete came around me to pull a turn and I turned to see what was going on, we had opened a small gap and nobody looked to be doing anything about it. As I rolled back through to take another turn I found myself dropping lower and lower on the cassette and ramping up the pace.

350...380...420...480...550... All of a sudden I was pushing almost 600 watts. No one was on my wheel and I could tell I was closing the 20 seconds or so gap to the front group. It was into a tailwind so I knew that they would be hooking, but I had an opportunity and the way the pack was working; I knew I might regret not taking it.
After a couple of minutes it levelled out to about 500 watts and I was grinding in as low a gear as I could without dropping below 90rpm.
As I was nearing the exit of the highway I knew as soon as I took the left hand bend the crosswind would make me pop something ridiculous. So I dropped another gear and buried myself again.

I came into the left hand bend way to hot and as I exited I came within centimetres of the median strip. It gave me a slight rush of adrenaline and I hopped out of the saddle and sprinted. It was a short 300-400m stretch of road until another left hand bend and subsequent block headwind.

It took some serious grit to close the final 15-20m but I got on just after I hit the head wind.

It took a fair bit out of me so I spent the next half lap trying to recover. I could tell the group was working well so I wanted to start rolling as soon as I could.
I did a turn or two on the 4th lap, was gearing up to begin rolling and tried to take a gel but unfortunately I dropped it. Nonetheless I jumped in and did what I could to keep the group motivated.

We rolled really well for the next lap and a bit but into the headwind we began to fall apart.
Not long after that the main pack must have gotten into a rhythm and they caught up.
As they did a lot of athletes began to roll around our group. I was fairly cooked but I knew I had to stay near the front at least. So I picked it up and went around on the nearest wheel that came past.

The next few laps were pretty up and down. Same thing, nobody wanted to work into the headwind but through the technical sections there were intentional attacks to panic the athletes at the back. However, it would soon bunch up again.

It was quite manic coming down the long tailwind assisted straight for the final time. Everybody wanted a good position and it wasn’t going to change much after we exited the highway.
I did my best to stay near the front but some dodgy moves were made and I found myself about mid pack. I knew I might have a chance on the narrower roads, the crosswind meant people would be putting it in the gutter on the left. So if I attacked up the right I could make a few positions, and so I did.
I still didn’t enter transition very high up which was detrimental but there wasn’t much more I could have done.

Staying composed is something I’ve finally picked up so my T2 was smooth and fast. I headed out onto the run at a quick but build-able pace.

It was tough watching athletes gradually move away from me throughout the first 2km. I knew that I had to let it go if I were to run well. I could feel the strain on my left plantar fascia as I went in any direction other than straight so I had to be carful around the corners and bends. I would lose a bit of time at each bend but it was crucial to take it easier in order to actually finish without doing some damage.
Before long they began to pop and over the next 3km I was beginning to pick up places. I found myself running with and taking turns into the headwind with an athlete from the Czech Republic, we were both running a smart race and made a lot of ground over the 2nd half of the run.

With about 1.5km to go he attacked and it was just after I had taken a turn. It was also into a head wind so he timed it perfectly and put a gap into me that was enough for me to lose contact. I knew I could keep pushing as it was into the headwind so I back off and built toward another Japanese athlete just ahead.

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I sat on him for about 5 seconds and realised I couldn’t do this for long and went around. He jumped on me despite my best efforts and sat there the whole way in the headwind until the final U-turn. I tried peeling off but he wouldn’t come through, I didn’t want to slow down too much to force him to take a turn so I just pushed at the highest sustainable pace as possible.

As we turned and began the final 600-800m stretch to the finish he came around and kept pushing and building until eventually he managed a to open a small gap. With about 200m to go I kicked again and tried going around but he had another gear as well. We were gaining on the Czech Republic athlete too but unfortunately I narrowly missed edging in front of the both of them.

I ended up in a solid 15th to round out a successful year. A lot has been learned and I’ve had some great results and some great educational experiences concerning racing. I’m looking forward to doing it all again next year on an even bigger stage.

Huge thanks to the network of people and companies that allow me to represent them on a world class level.

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2016 Chengdu World Cup

The months preceding Chengdu had left me feeling slightly down on myself. However, shimmers of good form had begun to arise.
After pulling out, basically due to fatigue, on my 5th race in 5 weeks - I wasn't feeling very confident. However, at the very same race a glimmer of hope had shone through. 
Over the past few years my run has been a weakness and it's something I've been working tirelessly on with our strength and conditioning coach, Harry Brennan, and coach, Danielle.
Each week since the beginning of base training in November I have been feeling stronger and more confident with my run, all the while getting stronger on the swim and bike too.
Chengdu was a breakthrough performance and I finally ran how I do in training. I know I shouldn't be hung up on the run but seeing as it is a weakness I'm stoked to be reassured that it's definitely coming along.
I only had 3 weeks between the 5th race weekend and Chengdu. So basically, just enough time to recover, get a two week block in and taper.
Things were looking really good in training, Danielle set a plan in motion slightly different to normal. It's something she had been planning for a while, and we executed it perfectly with the help of Harry and the Victorian Institute of Sports, Sports Scientists - Rod Siegel and Alex Bauer.
Once we arrived in Chengdu I was feeling slightly sore from a sharpen-up-session on the track, more than likely amplified from the long haul flights, but I did my best to relax and not let it affect my prep, mentally.
I had been completing the sessions target paces, watts and times etc. so that at least helped me stay calm with the tightness I was feeling.
Race morning crept up quite quickly which I was both really happy with and really annoyed with. I was unsure whether my preparation was going to be enough but I kept reminding myself that I had more than just 2 weeks behind me.
Of recent times I have been leaving the warm up procedures till later so I have less time to sit around and waste nervous energy. This enables me to focus on visualising the start-line-to-first-buoy, and focus getting what I need done during the warm ups.
Not sparing a second to think about scenarios and outcomes of the race has proven to be beneficial for me. 
After the swim warm up I went and took my wetsuit off and jogged back over the the athletes line up. At this time all the nerves and anxiousness begin to creep up on me. I did my best to stay composed and remain focused on that first buoy.
The names begun being called out and before long I was jogging along the pontoon to the start line.
I had all of about 3 seconds to assess the start and who was where. I could see that the better swimmers were off to the right. Although, there were less athletes on the left and a huge gap in the middle - which is pretty standard.
I chose the left side because I knew it would be an absolute shit fight trying to get out quick enough to then move over and get the inside line around the buoy(s). Being on the outside of the buoys is a sure fire way to lose many places in the swim.
I feel that this tactic worked really well for me, throughout the swim I could tell I was closing gaps to athletes by being on the inside.
Another thing I noticed is that I was accelerating more at different times, when necessary, which shows that I'm handling the change of pace work we are doing.
Coming out of the water I knew I wasn't near the front, so I ran through quite hard to try and gain time. I made up a few places and would have shaved off a few seconds to the group I was to eventually be with.

Running out of transition with my bike, as always I checked in front of me and set myself up for the most free line and went absolutely nuts once I jumped on the Basso.
For those number crunching frothers - straight out of 1500m of swimming pretty damn hard my peak power for roughly the first 3 minutes was ~400 watts. At 67 kegs. Painful, but definitely one thing I pride myself on being able to do. Urgency is always key. 
After that, things cooled down and I managed to remain in a mind-numbing position for most of the ride. With exceptions, moments after gel intake. I did roll a few turns here and there but I knew if I were to run well and in turn do everything I could to help myself with World Championship selection - I had to keep a lid on it.
Where it mattered I was either near or on the front and I remember saying to myself a few times that I wouldn't be surprised if there's an accident around that corner.
Lo and behold on two occasions there was, so I was happy with my positioning to say the least.
Rolling around on the final lap things always get a lot more sketchy so positioning was important and I made sure I was never getting boxed in and shelled to the back. I managed to dismount in 4th or 5th, I think. That meant running through transition was less about haste and more about nailing the process. I got to my rack and slotted the wheel in well, took off my helmet and threw it toward the box. Unfortunately I missed but I carried on with the process and once I had my shoes on I quickly ducked to the other side of my bike and put my helmet in the box.
Despite the minor error I was still out onto the run in about 5th, 3rd or so from our pack. Two athletes had broken away roughly halfway through the bike.
I quickly went to the front and was setting the pace. I wanted to be as comfortable as I could be and I find that comfort by setting my pace. I was holding back slightly and I kept telling myself to be conservative - especially because it was like kilometre 1 of 10. I was feeling really good but I knew I still had a way to go.
I basically lead for the first 2km until Wian Sullwald came up beside me. We ran shoulder to shoulder until basically 4km.

Running down the straight to complete lap 2 of 4 is when I found myself a few positions back, in about 4th in my group. We had caught one of the two athletes that broke away so essentially I was 5th at the time.
After lap two I was still feeling quite comfortable. I had to keep telling myself to relax, stay composed and hold my technique together. This definitely helped me get through the 3rd lap.
As we rounded the u-turn to head out onto the 4th and final lap a few of the athletes from behind crept to the front and upped the pace slightly. This is when a gap began to open up. Pevtsov of Azerbaijan had broken from our group and was 10 or so meters up the road. Followed by Wian, Ron Darmon and Martin Van Reil. Then another 2 meters I was doing my best to remain composed and hang on. I was tense and that was having an impact on my technique so I relaxed and let my legs move more freely and before I knew it I had bridged back up and we were meters from the final u-turn.

As we neared it I accelerated, not by choice. It just happened. I went around and remember thinking f*** that was way too soon, what have I done!
However a further 400-500m later I was still on the front driving the pace. This made me realise that everyone else was hurting as much as I was.
I lead through the chicane section and onto the final straight, this is when I knew the attacks would start. First Martin Van Riel went and nobody else came through. Halfway down the straight Ron Darmon and Luke Wilian came around me too as well as another athlete - I can't remember who.
Once Luke and Ron came around I said to myself that I can hang on to them - I accelerated slightly and got in contact with them. After about 100m sitting on Luke's shoulder I glanced to the left and saw Danielle and made out the words "come on matty hold on".
At that moment all I can remember is thinking that this already hurts, immensely, but I'm not just holding on. So I sprinted around Luke and Ron, and was gaining on the third guy very quickly. I didn't give the u-turn into the finish straight a single thought and I hit it at full speed, I went super wide and lost a meter or so on 4th place.
As soon as I was able to straighten up I went straight back into full gas and didn't stop until I was face down on the ground over the finish line. It was by far the best I had ever felt running in a race and I left absolutely everything out there.

I only found out the next day that I was only 1 second off getting on the podium, but I had no idea in the moment. I was just going as hard as I could, and my best on the day was 4th. 
I'm already looking forward to the next training block and the races to come. But for now my body needs a tiny bit of down time. Back to the illustrious Central Coast for a week or so 
I want send a thank you to our support at the Victorian Institute of Sport. The staff and facilities are undoubtably unparalleled and they've most certainly helped me improve. We may have a tight knit group within the triathlon program but we're pushing each other everyday and it's a dream come true to be a part of it all.
Also a huge thanks to my family. I know they're always proud of me but it's nice to get a result that I can be as proud of as they always are.