Season Wrap
On Sunday i wrapped up my season for 2017. I had a couple of simple goals for the Busselton IM, to go after the 7:40 IM world record and in the process completely empty what was left in my racing tank for the year. In the end it was a complete non event. A shark sighting meant a cancelled swim so therefore no crack at the record, and then my body finally gave me everything it had a few hrs into the ride. When it was announced that the race was modified i tried to rally for the revised ride run format but from the gun I simply wasn't in it. Still i maintained the 45kmph average i needed for the sub 4hr bike split for the first 130km but then like a light switch the body said no more and i was stopped on the side of the road spewing my guts up.
No idea what brought it on and there was certainly no warning. The only thing i knew was after a few minutes of uncontrollable vomiting i was flat out throwing my leg black over the bike let alone contemplating running a marathon. The body was simply done. I'd caught a little bug after arriving in Australia last week and perhaps the 4 Time Zones and 30hrs of travel over the past few weeks finally caught up with me. That and the fact that i was asking the body to operate as if i was in the form of my life and that simply wasn't the case. Since Kona my schedule has been an absolute dogs breakfast travelling here there and everywhere while cramming in a few key sessions where possible. Busso was simply one trip to many but like I've done all year I've turned the screw until it breaks so we know going forward how far we can turn it!
The truth is after Kona i was so confident in my ability as an athlete i forgot about the sacrifices and how hard I'd worked in every aspect in the months leading into the biggest race of my life. Ive never been an athlete that can turn it on at will i need to work my ass off to be the best i can be. Busselton was a much needed reality check to never ever take this sport or the effort of which i expect of my body these days. I'm not racing anymore to make it to the finish, event time i go out there i want to find out how fast i can go. I was outspoken of my goals for busselton and that in many ways leaves a fair amount of egg on my face but ill deal with that. This year my closest friend Ethan Penner told me to never stop being Peter Pan. He said ultimately you'll fly and reach your goals as Ive proven but your going to crash and burn a lot along the way, comes with the territory of always aiming so high. Well Ethan, this was certainly one of those falls but it was no more than a split second after it happened that i was already planning how ill learn and bounce back from this ASAP.
All in all its been the best year of my sporting life. There have been some incredible highs coupled with some spectacular failures built none of which ever made me contemplate giving up. At the start of the year our goals where simple, qualify for kona and learn as much as possible from that experience in making it to the start line and the race itself. This information was going to be crucial in implementing the next stage of the plan in 2018 and beyond. The highlights for me where running a 3:00 marathon, something at the start of the year i never thought was within me so to do it in cairns and Sweden was just the biggest thrill I've ever felt athletically. The other was a swimming in the front group along side Harry Wiltshire in Wales, i never ever thought in my first full year I'd be exiting the water in the front group, and off course that set me up to lead from go to wo in wales and my first IM win.
The thing that topped everything however was crossing the finish line in 2nd in Sweden knowing I'd got myself I tot the top 50 in the world rankings, 49th in fact, and would be on that start line in kona. That for me was the most incredible feeling I've ever had in all my years off sport and while so many people helped me and gave me the tools to achieve this objective it was me and me alone who had to stand up on the day. That was a huge step forward in the sporting life of Cameron James Wurf. To my "team wurf" of Kerro, Denis, Shaun Stephens, and James Morton, I'm just blown away every single day that your all in my corner. 4 of the absolute smartest minds in the world of sport and certainly none of this would have happened without your guidance. Another man who was always by my side was my childhood hero Greg welsh. I grew up watching this guy take it to Mark and Dave in kona and his inspiring performances certainly planted the seed for me to one day be there open lava guilds doing the same. To all this brands that let me try all your stuff without strings attached was crucial in building the best package. Will make some announcements soon regarding all going forward. For now it's time for me to have a rest, I'm finally home in Hobart Tasmania and looking forward to finally unpacking my suitcase for the first time since March. Yep its been absolute doozy of a year and all indications are that 2018 will be full of a few more surprises.
CJW
Sent from my iPad