Ironman (Rob Watson at Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells)
I had been tri-curious for years before finally taking the plunge and competing in my first 70.3 in 2023. I had been a fairly successful runner in my prime, winning multiple national championships, and I had also become a reasonably proficient cyclist after enthusiastically picking up the sport during my “retirement” from competitive running.
I was, and still am, far from great at swimming, but I could get from A to B relatively unscathed. I had two of the three sports locked down, so needless to say, I thought I was going to crush my first 70.3.
Fast forward to race day, as I dragged my cramping, depleted, humbled body across the finish line in Indian Wells, California. I would say the triathlon gave a bit more than it got on that day.
Since then I have competed in several more 70.3 races. I have dialled in my training, learned from my mistakes, and have been a bit more successful with each attempt. In my most recent race I managed to secure a spot at the Age Group World Championships in Nice, France this upcoming September.
The mistakes I made and the lessons I learned during that first race have proven pivotal in my development and preparation for every race since. Failure is an opportunity to learn – and here are three key lessons I took away from my first 70.3.
1. Practise Transitions
I did not put much emphasis on practising transitions while preparing for my first 70.3. I assumed that taking an extra minute or two in transition would not be a big deal over the course of a four-to-five-hour event.
Come race day, I surprised myself with a faster swim than anticipated…and then immediately threw away any time I had gained with an atrocious transition.
I struggled mightily to get my wetsuit off, spending what felt like forever trying to wiggle out of that suddenly impossibly tight neoprene nightmare. I fumbled with socks, shoes, and everything else. It wasn’t just time I was losing – I felt stressed and frantic the entire time.
I ended up spending over seven minutes in transition.
And then, when I finally got on my bike, I immediately had a mechanical. At that point I was about ready to call it a day right there.
Before my next few races, I practised my transitions, established a routine, and had a clear plan. This led to much calmer and smoother transitions, allowing me to get on the bike composed and ready to ride hard.
2. Focus on Bike Position
After the transition debacle, things settled down early in the bike leg as I got myself centred and sorted.
My bike leg at Indian Wells 70.3 was going really well. I was jamming around the course and passing countless riders. But after about 50km my shoulders, back, forearms, and neck started tightening up more and more with every kilometre.
I was unable to push the power I knew I could sustain, and I had to constantly shift my position and readjust. It was frustrating because every time I came out of the aero position I was giving away time and wasting watts.
The problem was simple: I had not spent enough time training in the aero position.
Being aero on the bike is one of the easiest ways to gain free speed while saving energy. Staying relaxed and comfortable on the bike also allows the body to transition more smoothly into the run.
I, on the other hand, was far from relaxed. I spent the final 10km on the bike cramping and suffering.
The experience on the TT bike was so bad that for my next four triathlons I opted to race on my road bike instead, simply because it was more comfortable.
I only returned to the TT bike for my most recent 70.3 after dedicating significant time to training in the aero position. I was rewarded with one of the fastest bike splits of the race, despite producing my lowest average power of any race to date.
I gained free speed by staying aero, which allowed me to conserve energy for the run. As a result, I clocked my fastest run off the bike yet.
3. Run by Feel
As a runner, I always entered races with a goal time and a race plan built around hitting that mark. I usually had a pretty good understanding of my fitness and was rarely far off my predicted result.
But what became glaringly obvious early in the run at Indian Wells was that running after a swim and bike is very different from running fresh!
As mentioned, I had already cooked myself on the bike – both in terms of energy expenditure and structural fatigue (the bike position had torn me up). Despite feeling terrible, I thought at worst I would run around 1:24.
So I stubbornly hung on to that pace, assuming my legs would eventually come around.
They never did. Not even close.
The run slowly degraded from naive optimism to panic, and finally to acceptance as I struggled through what proved to be the hardest and most uncomfortable half marathon of my life.
That sufferfest nearly retired me from triathlon altogether.
I have still yet to run 1:24 in a 70.3, but I have had much better run experiences in subsequent races by not even thinking about pace or time. I run purely by feel. I set out easy and don’t even try to jam unless the legs have some snap off the back end.
Going by feel and being patient is the only way I can have a successful run during a 70.3. Experience helps a lot, bricks are invaluable, and practice makes perfect.
I still have a long way to go in triathlon, but I am proud of how far I have come. Failure is learning, mistakes help you grow, and the experiences along the way are what it’s all about. I can’t wait to get out there and put it on the line again!
Rob Watson is a former professional runner and a current triathlete focused on the 70.3 distance. He is also the Head Coach of Mile2Marathon Vancouver: visit https://mile2marathon.com for more information.