It’s Wattie Ink. Snizzle Time! After an impressive 4th place finish at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, NV yesterday, I sat down with Heather Jackson and reflected on her day.
Wattie: Congrats! 4th place yesterday at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships! It was a super exciting race. You had a career-best swim, the second-fastest run, and moved a step up on the podium compared to your 5th place last year at Clearwater. Are you stoked with your performance? Is there anything you would have done differently now that the race is over?
HJ: Thanks Wattie:)! I am sooooo stoked with yesterday’s race. Still just letting it sink in. I am really, really happy right now. We prepped all year for this and in the few days before it I was getting so nervous about all of the little things. But then, yesterday came and went…and went awesome! So I am so, so happy:) Picture a big grin:) Looking back, yeah I probably would have changed a few things…nothing major though. Probably would have gone with the disc wheel instead, and possibly a bigger chain ring on the front. The wind wasn’t as bad out there as it could have been so I think those changes could have helped a tad. I think you can always look back afterwards and say you would have done this or that differently. That’s what makes this sport so addicting! We can always do better!
Wattie: You’re known as an “uber-biker” in this sport. Looks like you had your hands full with Dibs and Thurig out there, as well as Rollison and Corbin, who all had great rides. You were able to catch sight of them at the turn-around to see where everyone was….What was your game plan out there? Were you riding conservatively? How’d the bike play out?
HJ: Yesterday was definitely an interesting day for me out on the bike. Definitely a lot of ups and downs mentally. My legs felt pretty heavy most of the ride and thinking back, I think the swim took a lot more out of me then I realized. But I came out of the water probably a minute or two faster than I normally do! So that’s this tricky sport called triathlon- the gives and takes of your effort over the 3 sports. Anyways, we had a game plan going into the bike, and that was to be really conservative. I had that driven into me all week by you, and PJ and others. Be patient. It’s a tough bike course but an even tougher run after, so if people blow on the bike, it’s going to be a long day out there on the run. So I was trying to be super patient. I was keeping my effort level as low as I could (while still going for it obviously) all the way to the turn-around where I could see where everyone else was at. I saw Dibs probably a mile (not sure?) from the turn-around going the other way, just way off the front of everyone. Then Leanda a bit back and then Rollison and a few smaller packs after that, and then it was another minute or two until I made the turn-around. So I knew I was way back from Dibs, but then only a few minutes from a group so I thought it was time to turn it on and try to bridge up to them but all the while still be conservative, knowing about the huge climb out of the park, and then the final 6 miles of the ride into T2 being a steady hill, and then the hard run coming up after T2….
So yeah, after the turn-around I tried to pick it up a bit but there ended up being no huge speed change even though I was definitely exerting more effort all the way back to T2. So then I started getting really worried, thinking that I had made a big mistake. I really hadn’t made much progress in terms of the women’s field on the bike, and had no idea what position I was in, just that there were at least about 10 girls ahead, which wasn’t good! haha. I rode most of the bike with Linsey Corbin, who rode amazing yesterday! We got out of the water together and it was a bit of back-and-forth all the way out, as I would go by her on the uphills and she would zoom past on the downhills. We got out of the park area pretty close but she just pulled away on the long downhill 5 mile section before the turn up Gibson and the final 5 miles into T2. That’s where I think the disc/bigger chain ring would have helped. She got a few minutes on me there. Anyways, I passed a few girls in the last few miles and came into T2 feeling pretty down, knowing I really hadn’t made the gains back in field position that I usually do on the bike. But I just threw on my K-Swiss blades and started running!
Wattie: Yes you did! You had the second fastest run of the day! Pretty impressive! And you and Corbin had an exciting battle out there for 3rd place. So you were down coming into T2, what happened next? What was going on in your head once off the bike? How did the run play out?
HJ: Haha thanks Wattie! Yeah, I definitely left T2 worried, knowing I was in about 10th place (not sure exactly) and down in time but I started running and my legs felt amazing from the start. So the plan had worked! haha. I actually pulled ahead of 2 girls straight out of T2, so that was encouraging. Then I came straight out onto the main road the run was on, merging perfectly with the one and only Joe “the Honey Badger” Gambles. haha! And I pulled in behind Joe and was actually running with him for probably a quarter mile, feeling AWESOME (he was on his second lap already)! And then I went back to the game plan- Don’t be an idiot! You are going to blow up! Patience…3 laps to reel girls in! Haha so I backed the pace down pretty quick before I blew up only a mile into the run. So yeah, I just went about the run the same as the bike, building into it and I just felt better and better. I passed Leanda after a couple of miles, and then I was able to catch up to Heather (Wurtele) on the upper hill section and ran with her for a bit. Then there were 2 laps left and I was still feeling good. Then people were yelling that Dibs had dropped, so I knew I was somewhere in the mix!
Wattie: You had a huge support crew with you yesterday, cheering for you on-course. I saw your Mom, Dad, and Sister…You had coaches PJ and RV screaming….your old coach Muddy Waters down at the bottom corner screaming for you…Mark Andrews on the upper corner….Chance Regina screaming on the upper hill…the K-Swiss crew all over….you looked solid all day on the run. How did all of your support help on the run? And how was it at the end, crossing the line 4th in the World against such a deep field? What was going on in your head?
HJ: So glad you brought that up! haha. My support on the run couldn’t have been spaced more perfectly, and that really wasn’t planned out but next year I’m going to make it a point to have it like that again! Haha. My support was so amazing all day and I can’t thank you guys enough. I merged out on the run and straight away saw my parents and Mikey Rouse of K-Swiss screaming “Go FISH!” at me…and Wattie Ink.’s own KB screaming. Then just half a mile later I saw you and PJ and RV. Then at the bottom of the hill was Muddy. Then I’d come back up the hill by all of you and onto the upper section where I’d see the K-Swizzle team yelling. When I’d make the left turn onto the upper hill section I’d see Trek’s one and only Mark Andrews yelling for me. And then on the upper hill I had Chance Regina screaming for me on the uphill and when I’d make the upper section turn-around. He’d yell, lean it forward! Use the downhill! And on the last lap, the final two miles, he was just screaming all out that I had 2 miles to make up a minute on Corbin for 3rd place. There was a gap to the next girl behind, and he started yelling, “You got no one behind! You could pass out and still get up and get fourth place, so you need to go NOW for 3rd!” He wasn’t letting me settle so I pushed it all the way to the line. I didn’t get Corbs, but I knew I had given it everything I had when I got to the line….so I was so happy! 4th! I’m so, so happy right now. And those were only some of the people screaming- I know I’m forgetting others- Les Paterson’s husband Si was also screaming so loud every lap! Snuggle Cub of K-Swiss! There are just so many, so a huge, huge thank you to everyone. I could hear you even if I didn’t acknowledge it. I was just staring at the ground in front of me counting:) haha!
Wattie: Final question…What’s next on your agenda? Another race? Off-season? Little relaxation? Wattie time:) ?
HJ: Ummm, well, let’s face it, this isn’t exactly the NFL or golf. I made $3,150 for my 4th place finish yesterday. So, I’m going to head to Augusta in 2 weekends to try to make a little bit more money before going into the off-season, as my first race next season won’t be until the end of March- Oceanside 70.3. My favorite race! So I’ll go to the Augusta 70.3 to see what I can do off of the fitness I gained from yesterday’s race and then I will shut it down for about 5 weeks (I think that’s the plan). The final week of September and thru the month of October. Lot’s of relaxation and Wattie time:) I get to go to Kona with you and just relax and have a blast cheering on everyone over there! Then some trips to Mammoth for snowboarding, a trip home to New Hampshire at some point, and then looking forward to a great off-season training block. I know what needs to happen to make the next step in this sport, and I’ve got a great team around me who want to help me do that. I know I can just keep improving- minutes on the swim, even more chunks of the bike and run….I’m just so happy right now with where I am and am just enjoying every step of the journey!
For more information on Heather Jackson visit: http://wattieink.com/heather-jackson/
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