Congratulations to Zoë Crouch for smashing her first 70.3 – the 2019 Sunshine Coast event. Find out why the race, she rated as 9/10, went so well.
How was your first 70.3 race at the Sunny Coast?
It was my first 70.3 and I did so much better than expected, I felt pretty strong and absolutely loved it.
How did you feel crossing the finish line?
Very emotional – I cried my eyes out!
Why did you choose this goal?
I had done two sprint triathlons and wanted something hard to train for so it seemed like the perfect goal.
How did your preparation training go?
I had 10 weeks to train which was intense through winter, but by the end I felt like I couldn’t have done anything else so I was just really excited to do the race.
How were the celebrations afterwards?
I had half a beer and had a nap, ha ha. I was exhausted!
Why triathlon?
I’d never done it before moving to Australia but so many people do it here I thought I’d give it a go. And the conditions are great for it!
What was your first tri? And how did your performance compare to now?
I did Wollongong Sprint tri in April – my swim was slow, bike average and I felt awful on the run.
What was your best race?
Sunny Coast 70.3 (see race report below)
What do you put this significant improvement down to?
Lots of training and nutrition.
Lessons learnt?:
I have to keep eating and drinking.
What’s your favourite meal pre-race?
Pasta
What are your nutrition tips during a race?
Six gels in a water bottle on the bike and coca cola during the run.
How do you keep motivated to get up at 5am or finish a gruelling set?
Early starts – knowing that it was only for eight weeks and seeing the improvement in my fitness/changes in my body keeps me motivated.
What is your favourite ride/run or swim?
Running… when you feel strong there’s nothing better!
Have you had to overcome any injuries and how did you do it?:
I had Plantar Fasciitis in both feet in May but I iced it a lot and I got insoles for my cleats, and haven’t had any problems since.
Memorable quote/catchphrase to keep you going when you find it tough:
Training isn’t meant to be easy.
Why do you like training with Danny / Moore Performance (MP) squad?
MP keeps you accountable to train, you can see so much improvement from when I started, it’s a great bunch of people that make it really enjoyable.
What was your favourite MP moment?
Completing my first 90k+ ride.
What did you do before triathlon?
A bit of gym classes and a bit of running but not much else.
What’s your ideal weekend?
A nice meal on Friday up early Saturday to ride, coffee/brunch, afternoon nap, beach, beers, a long run on Sunday followed by breakie, afternoon swim, early afternoon beers and dinner.
What’s something we didn’t know about you?
I am a Crystal Palace fan.
Zoe’s 2019 Sunny Coast 70.3 race report
On a scale of 1-10 how did the swim leg go? (1-10):
9
What were you happy with?:
I was actually quite surprised with my swim time as was aiming for 40 mins. So to do 37 mins I’m very happy.
What could you have improved on?:
I just need a bit more open water swimming practice and of course now just to keep swimming so I can get a bit faster.
On a scale of 1-10 how did the Bike leg go? (1-10):
8
What were you happy with?:
I was happy given the conditions with my time as I don’t have a lot of bike fitness and am not a quick rider. I wanted to cycle between 26-27 km/h and was on the money.
What could you have improved on?:
Just need to do more cycling and get stronger so I can keep up power even when cycling into the wind. My head went as well 60-75km and I felt a bit sick too, but it passed.
On a scale of 1-10 how did the Run leg go? (1-10):
9
What were you happy with?:
I was very pleased with this run – I felt strong. It was a comfortable plod and a bit of a sprint finish, so definitely had stuff left in the tank. I feel like I got the nutrition spot on too – a gel every 5km and cola at the aid stations. I didn’t walk either, so I was happy about that.
What could you have improved on?:
I probably could have pushed myself a bit more but then I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it!
On a scale of 1-10 how did Transition go? (1-10):
8
What were you happy with?:
That it went smoothly.
What could you have improved on?:
I probably could have sped up as well. I was right at the exit so I had a long way to run from the swim exit (which I did jog) and from the bike entrance (which I walked with my bike).
On a scale of 1-10 how happy are you with the race as a whole? (1-10):
9
What were you happy with?:
Everything – I really enjoyed it. It’s been a big 10 weeks and knowing it paid off was just the best, best feeling.
What could you have improved on?:
I just need to get fitter and stronger so I can improve my time 🙂
How did your nutrition go during the race?:
Yea really well. 1.5 Clif bars, 6 gels in water on the bike. 3 gels + cola on the run.
Is there anything in particular you feel you need to focus on in your training to improve for next time?:
Nothing in particular just more time to get better at swimming cycling and running.
What’s your next goal?
The full Ironman next year.
What is your next race?
I might do a standard distance tri with some mates.
