Progress Report - Bevan Docherty
17 August 2010
Where is the limit? I just found out.
To be honest, I have delayed writing a race report for the last 3 races in the hope of being able to report back with some positive news, but unfortunately they have all ended in the same, DNF
So what happened? How can I go from winning the first race in Sydney to not even being able to finish a race?
The World Cup Series nowadays is so competitive, that in order to win a race, you need to push the limits. Unfortunately for me, I pushed too far.
As crazy as this sounds, everything has been going a little too well. The training in Cali has been great; my motivation has been at an all time high; and I have remained injury free. I just wanted to go harder, faster and further.
You think being such a seasoned athlete I would have everything figured out! The sport of Triathlon is a relatively new sport and is constantly evolving, from drafting to non‐drafting, 30min 10km to sub 30 or a “one‐off” World Champs to World Championship Series, I am certainly having to evolve with the sport. I’m constantly trying new things and testing myself.
I’ve been in holes before, in fact most years in pre‐season training I’ll find myself in a “hole”; however, pre‐season you can afford a break or the time to climb your way out of it. It’s a terrible feeling, when there’s just no “spark” to any of the sessions you do. You are just going through the motions at half throttle. The mental aspect to it is also just as draining ‐ your mind plays games with you, “how can I go from running an 8:30 3k without breaking a sweat, to grinding through the same 3km and not cracking 9min only a week later…”
My wife, turned psychologist, would bare the brunt of most of these frustrations, as I tried to rationalize what was happening. Hindsight is a bitch! I can almost tell you the very day it all turned to
custard ‐ the pivotal point in the season I should have done things differently…
I was in some of my best form in Des Moines, and coming away frustrated from the penalty I wanted to keep the momentum going. I entered the Philly Tri not knowing I was in‐fact entering a trap that other athletes have entered in the past. After the win in Philly, I never recovered.
Once in the hole, I was faced with all these uncertainties: how long am I going to be flat for, do I rest now, will I be alright for Hamburg in 2 weeks, can I afford to skip Hamburg, am I still in contention for the series…
Like I said, hindsight!
Trust me, these last 3 races haven’t been enjoyable one bit ‐ hoping for some small miracle, just being a puppet in the race, being dictated and not being able to control the race in anyway.
After each race the glimmer and possibility of winning the WCS grew smaller and smaller, up until this point where it became obvious that I could go on like this again and again!
The positives… Like everything, good comes out of bad, I now know my limits, so will have a better idea of when I’m pushing too hard and when I’m near the edge. I’m still very frustrated and disappointed;
however, its still just under 2 years to the Olympics and this will make me better prepared.
It’s still not over for me this year, just the WCS. I’m just going to have a two week break to recharge the batteries and then get into some training for the last few races of the US season. So expect to see a revived Docherty lining up for the LA tri and Dallas.
Thanks for all your words of encouragement and support, it really means a lot to me. It’s awesome to have a great family, friends and sponsors who understand. Emotionally I’m still in a very good place, I guess after being down for so long, this decision is more relieving than shocking.
Bevan
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