Great job seeing the race through, Simon! Hopefully you get your bike position sorted as I think that was likely the prevailing cascade of the breakdowns you saw. I would love to see you have the confidence to be more aggressive. While there may not have been an incentive monetarily to get first out of the swim, you probably could have gone off solo early and led the race. Getting into transition solo and getting out on the bike first would give you at least a few minutes cushion to settle in and maybe let a motivated group come to you when you are already warmed up and can trade turns. If nothing else, TV time and commentator highlights for the race leader can lead to additional sponsor eyeballs and critical notoriety in the sport. Josh Amberger comes to mind as a swim specialist that may not finish on the podium in deep fields, but he is highly respected and has leveraged that strategy at pro races to stamp his ticket to World Championships. I suspect you may be struggling with feeling that you need to maintain humility or having a little imposter syndrome letting other people set the stage because you don't "belong" off the front or will be embarrassed when you lose the lead. Take big swings and if you blow up, you learned something! Mika Noodt comes to mind. He has taken big risks and has failed, and others have paid off - all of those risks have earned him tremendous respect, and right now he's sitting 5th in the PTO rankings! You work so hard and are doing the right things in training, show people watching the broadcast why Simon Shi is special!
Fantastic comment and very true, leverage your strengths while you work on your weaknesses, get your sponsors that visibility and don't forget to continue to believe in yourself and do the hard work!
True inspiration!! U a true hero, everything surprises me about u, the commitment you have is huge, u even reply to all comments, that consumes tons of time.
I think you did everything right Simon. A class act. It’s just that one weakness of the lower back you need to overcome. Possible core strength exercises. Also, when I’m away sleeping in some bed I’m not used to and being cramped on a plane can make little things become big! Great job persevering through adversity!
Great work all around Simon! Always enjoy your videos and admire your dedication to the grind. I have a lot of respect for what it takes to become a strong endurance athlete, many years of experience there in my past. One day at a time all those workouts add up. I was decent at cycling with FTP 4.8 at my best, it took some majorly big weeks on the bike over many years to get there. Since you guys are pushing bigger watts I can only imagine.
I had a disaster racing with cramps since mile 80. It was not the day that I wanted. Watching your video is very inspiring, encouraging us to pursue our dreams. Let's move on!!!
Well done, Simon. I competed at the Woodlands, too, and man that wind on the bike was no joke! Glad you came away healthy and safe, good luck the rest of the season!
@@SimonShi Sounds very similar to yours! Overall fine, but the wind and heat definitely got the better of me at times. Finished a cool 2 hours after you :)
Good job, not quitting, despite the problems! Now get that much needed bikefit. A small tip: I set an alarm on my watch on the first half of the run, that beeps if I'm running too fast.
Hi Simon I met you the day before the race briefly in the grocery store parking lot. I am sorry the race was tough. Basically sounded like my day, just add four hours!! Wishing you the best on the next one.
Great job gutting it out Simon. I'm sure you will get it figured out. Get the bike fit done and continue to work and I'm sure the better results will come. I kind of feel that the back pain could come from just that little bit extra everybody puts in on race day. You really get fixed into an aero position and are pushing the pedals just that little bit more and it's different than training. You will get it figured out. If paced correctly there is a big difference you can make on the back half of the run. Keep it up and nothing to be embarrassed about.
Way to finish Simon! It was good meeting you Friday morning at bag drop! Jorge at the FreeSpeedLab at MobilityChiro in The Woodlands is one of the nest bike fitters there is. He deals with many Pros and trains and fits age group champs as well. See you at Lake Placid!
Love Bike Box Alan, it's so convenient to use and the hard shell box gives you peace of mind. We also just registered for IRONMAN Texas 2025. Cannot wait for redemption as one of us got a DNF in Lake Placid 2024.
Congratulations, it is very important to finish the race. You did great. IM Texas is not an easy one, many Pros just skip it. Take care of the fitting and I hope to see your next race getting better and keeping inspiring people.
Congratulations on finishing….. But just curious about your mind set when the finisher is 2 hours less your time . By no means am I cutting you down but wonder what drives you because I want some of your thinking strategy
Good question! They were passing me when I was on my first loop of 3 loops haha I knew I had a bad race so it's just about moving forward. It sucks, yeah. I knew I had a sub 8:30 in me. That's why I cried on the bike but I let it go. I knew when I had 20 more miles on the bike, they were just getting off to go run.
@SimonShi - I have the EXACT same lower back problem (11:22) you're talking about. Happened to me at Texas 70.3 a few weeks ago and it happened at Ironman Texas too. Is anything working for you to fight against that?
Oh man! Explaining more in my next video. But a bike fit soon. And mobility exercises. I’ll work on those 2 and see if that fixes the lower back issues
You should really use Stryd for run pacing, absolute game changer. Makes it very simple to account for wind and temp as well. Studies basically show performance drops about 0.5% per degree Celsius above ideal temp, for me that's 17 Celsius, will be different for you but not by much. Trust the algorithm! Adjust accordingly and be amazed at how good Stryd is for pacing!
Hey Simon well done on your race and especially the swim 👏 Please can you do an in-depth video on your finances and salary as a pro-athlete? Curious to learn how it works - eg do you make money from your team, from sponsorship, etc. it would be really interesting. Good luck in your next race 😊
Someday, I'd be an IRONMAN. I've been doing triathlon for 2 years now and I'm so glad I did. I used to do be a swimming varsity athlete until I went on the wrong path. Addicted to meth for 5 years, only stopped because I was on the drugs watchlist. After that I was a drunk. Got sick in my liver and nothing to do. Started running and joined a local sprint race. Got my first podium in my 3rd race. I plan on racing until my son grows up and races with me.
Oh wow!! Thanks for being a long time viewer of this channel. I've seen lots of your comments and never knew this story from you. Thank you for sharing and I hope you will do great in life!!
Congrats Simon on a great swim and for your perseverance throughout the day. You definitely need a professional bike fit. I think there is a pretty well known guy based in the states - maybe even on the west coast - but I can’t think of his name. mark matthews was talking about him possibly doing Taylor Knibb’s bike fit on a recent edition of pro tri news. Of course, if you were based in Australia I could recommend two of the very best bike fitters in the world (depending on whether you were based near Melbourne or sydney) but alas. The run is all about the back end. Yes - and as I’ve said before - you ARE taking it out way too fast, but your fade in the back half is probably due to the accumulation of all things that have happened on that day, not just the first ten miles of the run. So getting a proper bike fit is probably essential. You might also have nutrition issues - based around salt sweat rates and electrolyte absorption levels - something to get tested as well.
Have you considered running a practice marathon race maybe at 3hr pace? Might be good to practice the pacing in a race format, i.e. not getting too excited with pace
Hey Simon, I just got the Rebel Pro swim skin and when I tried it out this past weekend and I kept hitting the long pull cord on my follow through, it was pretty annoying. Do you do anything to combat this (like tuck it or cut it shorter) or does it not affect you (maybe cause you're going so fast)?
Congratulations. however I have one observation. Because it has a higher fat and protein content than poultry, red meat takes a lot longer to digest, which could cause stomach distress on race day. So it’s probably best to skip that big, juicy sirloin steak. Just my opinion my friend
~80 place in age group field. Don't you think it is better first to become competitive at least in your age group and only then to try your luck in PRO division? What's the point is of competing for the last places?
3 years ago he won his age group in Ironman Arizona. If Simon has set his goals to be competitive in the PRO division that is his choice and his motivation. Just my thoughts.
I've had incredible opportunities since entering pro. The connections I made, the relationships established with race directors and other pros. My dream is World champs as a pro, not as an age group, so that's why I turned pro.
You need to remember that pro cards are a binary, you are either a pro traithlete or you are not, irrespective of distance. Simon may not be competitive at the iron distance *yet,* but his middle distance is more consistent with pro men early in development, hovering around 4 hours. His swim strength can be leveraged as he builds his strategy and confidence to really excel at that distance while continuing to develop at the iron distance. Many young pros really should be capitalizing on their higher potential VO2 Max and recoverability at the shorter distance before specializing in long course anyway. It helps build racecraft, race strategy, and confidence making big moves. I also suspect in the next 10 years you will see people who broke into full IM in their early 20s get spit out of the sport much earlier because the body will break down faster than those who matriculated through the distances.
It's better to be realistic than over optimistic. And Worlds champs will always be only a dream, not reality (unless IM with PRO division will do the same as with age groupers. It is very easy for AG to qualify for worlds champs... And it's sad, then slots roll down to 40-50 place of ag)
Great job seeing the race through, Simon! Hopefully you get your bike position sorted as I think that was likely the prevailing cascade of the breakdowns you saw. I would love to see you have the confidence to be more aggressive. While there may not have been an incentive monetarily to get first out of the swim, you probably could have gone off solo early and led the race. Getting into transition solo and getting out on the bike first would give you at least a few minutes cushion to settle in and maybe let a motivated group come to you when you are already warmed up and can trade turns. If nothing else, TV time and commentator highlights for the race leader can lead to additional sponsor eyeballs and critical notoriety in the sport. Josh Amberger comes to mind as a swim specialist that may not finish on the podium in deep fields, but he is highly respected and has leveraged that strategy at pro races to stamp his ticket to World Championships.
I suspect you may be struggling with feeling that you need to maintain humility or having a little imposter syndrome letting other people set the stage because you don't "belong" off the front or will be embarrassed when you lose the lead. Take big swings and if you blow up, you learned something! Mika Noodt comes to mind. He has taken big risks and has failed, and others have paid off - all of those risks have earned him tremendous respect, and right now he's sitting 5th in the PTO rankings! You work so hard and are doing the right things in training, show people watching the broadcast why Simon Shi is special!
Wow!! Thanks a lot!! This truly touched my heart! Thank you for your comments and I really appreciate that!! :))
Fantastic comment and very true, leverage your strengths while you work on your weaknesses, get your sponsors that visibility and don't forget to continue to believe in yourself and do the hard work!
Man, your grace when you are not at your best is truly an inspiration. I love how you gratitude to volunteers and give out your medals! Amazing! ❤
Thanks 🙏
Yeah always trying to keep a positive attitude!!
Lets go! Finishing is a huge accomplishment, so many DNF'd but you stayed strong which is more than many can say
Thanks!!!
Great recap. Very impressive you saw it through to finish the race given the difficulties you encountered. Rooting for you in the rest of the season!
Thanks a lot!!!
True inspiration!! U a true hero, everything surprises me about u, the commitment you have is huge, u even reply to all comments, that consumes tons of time.
Thanks a lot!!! 🙏
Let’s go! You did awesome and getting stronger. Easy to finish in good conditions harder to do with all the stuff you dealt with. Kona here you come!
Thanks Nghia!! 😃
I was so excited when i saw u 5th in the swim! Will always be cheering for u Simin 🎉 Keep going!
also what’s ur next 70.3?
Thank you so much!! I don't know my next 70.3 since I want to focus on Ironman's. Will keep you guys updated!
I think you did everything right Simon. A class act. It’s just that one weakness of the lower back you need to overcome. Possible core strength exercises. Also, when I’m away sleeping in some bed I’m not used to and being cramped on a plane can make little things become big!
Great job persevering through adversity!
Thank you!! Yes, need to get that fixed for the lower back. Thanks for the tip! :)
That's true, I was on a 4 hour flight going there haha
Great work all around Simon! Always enjoy your videos and admire your dedication to the grind. I have a lot of respect for what it takes to become a strong endurance athlete, many years of experience there in my past. One day at a time all those workouts add up. I was decent at cycling with FTP 4.8 at my best, it took some majorly big weeks on the bike over many years to get there. Since you guys are pushing bigger watts I can only imagine.
Much appreciated!! Yes, one day at a time. Thank you and I will keep on pushing :)
I had a disaster racing with cramps since mile 80. It was not the day that I wanted. Watching your video is very inspiring, encouraging us to pursue our dreams. Let's move on!!!
Thanks so much!! Good job to you too!!!
It’s a brutal sport Simon but the rewards come to those that persevere. Love your attitude brother- never give up 💪💪💪
Thanks 🙏
Well done, Simon. I competed at the Woodlands, too, and man that wind on the bike was no joke! Glad you came away healthy and safe, good luck the rest of the season!
Thank you!! Hope you had a great day out there!
@@SimonShi Sounds very similar to yours! Overall fine, but the wind and heat definitely got the better of me at times. Finished a cool 2 hours after you :)
Great vid! Thanks for the nice content. You are an inspiration for Asian athletes in this as well as other sports.
I appreciate that!!!
Good job, not quitting, despite the problems! Now get that much needed bikefit. A small tip: I set an alarm on my watch on the first half of the run, that beeps if I'm running too fast.
That's a great idea! Thanks 😊
Really appreciate the content. You are inspiring to many and myself. Keep up the good work!!!!
Thank you! Will do!! 😊
Hi Simon I met you the day before the race briefly in the grocery store parking lot. I am sorry the race was tough. Basically sounded like my day, just add four hours!! Wishing you the best on the next one.
Ayyy. Glad you got through it! Tough day but we are Ironmans! 💪
Great job gutting it out Simon. I'm sure you will get it figured out. Get the bike fit done and continue to work and I'm sure the better results will come. I kind of feel that the back pain could come from just that little bit extra everybody puts in on race day. You really get fixed into an aero position and are pushing the pedals just that little bit more and it's different than training. You will get it figured out. If paced correctly there is a big difference you can make on the back half of the run. Keep it up and nothing to be embarrassed about.
Thanks a lot!! This means a lot to me! Will continue to keep working! :)
I just want to say keep at it. Follow your dreams all the way, for that IS the purpose of life. Good luck!
Thank you so much!!
Way to finish Simon! It was good meeting you Friday morning at bag drop! Jorge at the FreeSpeedLab at MobilityChiro in The Woodlands is one of the nest bike fitters there is. He deals with many Pros and trains and fits age group champs as well. See you at Lake Placid!
Thank you! Great to meet you to! See you there! Thanks for the fitter, looking into it
Love Bike Box Alan, it's so convenient to use and the hard shell box gives you peace of mind. We also just registered for IRONMAN Texas 2025. Cannot wait for redemption as one of us got a DNF in Lake Placid 2024.
Let’s go!!! Sorry one of you DNF
I hope to be at Ironman Texas 2025!
Well done from 🇧🇼. I will continue following your journey young man. Keep going I see a winner here.
Awesome! Thank you!!!
Way to finish!!! It was a brutal day out there so way to hang in there! Things will come together!
Thank you 🙏
That’s what counts 👍
Heart of a champion Simon. Great effort.
Thank you 😊
Kudos for fighting through the lows and finishing. Sweet finisher hoodie!
Thank you! Yes, I love the finisher hoodie from Ironman!
I believe you will get sub 9 soon.keep grinding Simon! 🔥
Thank you!! 1 step at a time :)
The way he swims is just great! I wished I could be as smooth as him in the water
Thank you!! My swim is my strength!
Nice to meet you this past weekend after your pro briefing. Definitely a tough day out there, but they always are 😅
Best of luck in LP
Yes it was! Thanks 😊
So sick Seeing you up there man! Great performance man!
Thanks a ton!!!
Congratulations, it is very important to finish the race. You did great. IM Texas is not an easy one, many Pros just skip it. Take care of the fitting and I hope to see your next race getting better and keeping inspiring people.
Thank you!! :)
I live in Cypress, Tx. I wish I could have been there to watch!
Let’s go! I plan to do it next year 👍
Amazing!!! Great job!!!
Thank you!!
Proud of you Simon way to grind out the finish!!
Thank you so much!!
Thanks it was an interesting update. Good luck in Lake Placid.
Thank you!!!
Kuddos for continuing on in-spite of having a bad race! Thank you for the race recap
Thank you!! Had fun though seeing everyone out there 😀
Congratulations on finishing…..
But just curious about your mind set when the finisher is 2 hours less your time . By no means am I cutting you down but wonder what drives you because I want some of your thinking strategy
Good question! They were passing me when I was on my first loop of 3 loops haha
I knew I had a bad race so it's just about moving forward. It sucks, yeah. I knew I had a sub 8:30 in me.
That's why I cried on the bike but I let it go. I knew when I had 20 more miles on the bike, they were just getting off to go run.
Keep it up good work, brother. It's a journey.
Thank you, I will!!
Brutal race! Good to see you moving up! 👊🏼💥
Thanks!!!!
@SimonShi - I have the EXACT same lower back problem (11:22) you're talking about. Happened to me at Texas 70.3 a few weeks ago and it happened at Ironman Texas too. Is anything working for you to fight against that?
Oh man! Explaining more in my next video. But a bike fit soon. And mobility exercises. I’ll work on those 2 and see if that fixes the lower back issues
Great job 👏
Much appreciated!!
Well done Simon 👊🏼
Thank you!!
You should really use Stryd for run pacing, absolute game changer. Makes it very simple to account for wind and temp as well. Studies basically show performance drops about 0.5% per degree Celsius above ideal temp, for me that's 17 Celsius, will be different for you but not by much. Trust the algorithm! Adjust accordingly and be amazed at how good Stryd is for pacing!
Oh wow!! Noted about that. I've looked into Stryd but it's a bit too expensive for me at the moment.
Hey Simon well done on your race and especially the swim 👏
Please can you do an in-depth video on your finances and salary as a pro-athlete? Curious to learn how it works - eg do you make money from your team, from sponsorship, etc. it would be really interesting.
Good luck in your next race 😊
Thank you 😊
There’s some things I cannot show due to my contracts so I can’t really do that video. Sorry 😞
Dude I have the same issue with low back only during races!!! I swear it’s weak hip flexors, I’ve tried everything else to fix it!
Omg. Yes. Only during races. I’m going to find an answer!
Someday, I'd be an IRONMAN. I've been doing triathlon for 2 years now and I'm so glad I did. I used to do be a swimming varsity athlete until I went on the wrong path. Addicted to meth for 5 years, only stopped because I was on the drugs watchlist. After that I was a drunk. Got sick in my liver and nothing to do. Started running and joined a local sprint race. Got my first podium in my 3rd race.
I plan on racing until my son grows up and races with me.
Oh wow!! Thanks for being a long time viewer of this channel. I've seen lots of your comments and never knew this story from you. Thank you for sharing and I hope you will do great in life!!
@@SimonShithank you simon! Hoping you'd race here in 🇵🇭 one day!
Really interesting the bike box had a limit of 50 lbs. Usually they give you up to 70 lbs on United.
Thanks! Yeah I’m not a business class United or a credit card holder. That would have a 70 pound limit.
Beat your number man, great work out there!
Appreciate it! Yes I did
Congrats Simon on a great swim and for your perseverance throughout the day. You definitely need a professional bike fit. I think there is a pretty well known guy based in the states - maybe even on the west coast - but I can’t think of his name. mark matthews was talking about him possibly doing Taylor Knibb’s bike fit on a recent edition of pro tri news. Of course, if you were based in Australia I could recommend two of the very best bike fitters in the world (depending on whether you were based near Melbourne or sydney) but alas.
The run is all about the back end. Yes - and as I’ve said before - you ARE taking it out way too fast, but your fade in the back half is probably due to the accumulation of all things that have happened on that day, not just the first ten miles of the run. So getting a proper bike fit is probably essential. You might also have nutrition issues - based around salt sweat rates and electrolyte absorption levels - something to get tested as well.
Thanks! Yes 👍
Tough day at the office Simon!
Do you think the kit down with the swim skin helps keep you a little cooler too in warm conditions like this?
Yes it does! I couldn't imagine wearing a wetsuit in this water temp for almost an hour.
Thanks!!
Have you considered running a practice marathon race maybe at 3hr pace? Might be good to practice the pacing in a race format, i.e. not getting too excited with pace
I've considered running a half marathon at pace. A full marathon for me might be a little bit much during training.
💪💪💪 looking forward to the next block for Lake Placid 🚀🚀
Thanks!! Looking forward to a big block!
Hey Simon, I just got the Rebel Pro swim skin and when I tried it out this past weekend and I kept hitting the long pull cord on my follow through, it was pretty annoying. Do you do anything to combat this (like tuck it or cut it shorter) or does it not affect you (maybe cause you're going so fast)?
Oh man. I actually haven’t had that problem before so I wouldn’t know. Sorry 🤷♂️
@@SimonShi ah, lucky you! I appreciate it. This probably means that the answer is to swim faster 😅
Your back problem if it’s race only related maybe due to a lack of pushing race or above power in TT position?
Yes. That could have been a reason. Because I tried to hold onto Patrick Lange’s wheel when he passed me
See you at LP!💪
Yessir!!
What's that light thing just heard for the first time?
Race ranger
Good luck at lake placid NY
Thank you 😊
If you want a good bike fit and aero testing, look up Brian Stover in Tucson. Best in the business
Thanks for the tip!
I’ve never heard of anyone who negative split their IM run and was disappointed. Just sayin’ :). Keep up the hard work.
That's very true!!!!! Went out way too hard. Thanks!
Keep grinding, pro and UA-cam channel way better!!!! Pay no mind to much else.
Thanks! Will do!!!
Dude, bike fit must do it. ++ Watts & less muscle imbalances
Yes. Bike fit coming soon!
Do you have an email I can send a picture and a video from the race?
ua-cam.com/users/shortsVHnjB82R4o0?si=HfmCdebIFANYS9hv
ua-cam.com/users/shortsVHnjB82R4o0?si=HfmCdebIFANYS9hv
Yes! thanks!
simonshi1997@gmail.com
@@SimonShi ua-cam.com/users/shortsVHnjB82R4o0?si=HfmCdebIFANYS9hv
Congratulations. however I have one observation. Because it has a higher fat and protein content than poultry, red meat takes a lot longer to digest, which could cause stomach distress on race day. So it’s probably best to skip that big, juicy sirloin steak. Just my opinion my friend
Thanks for that! I do have red meat always before race day so just sticking to things that works best for me.
its dedinitly a process, work on those recurring weaknesses. less focus on the swim, you ve got inroads to make on the bike and run.
Thanks!! Yep: bike and run! :)
🇲🇽 1st
He had an awesome performance!!
~80 place in age group field. Don't you think it is better first to become competitive at least in your age group and only then to try your luck in PRO division? What's the point is of competing for the last places?
3 years ago he won his age group in Ironman Arizona. If Simon has set his goals to be competitive in the PRO division that is his choice and his motivation. Just my thoughts.
I've had incredible opportunities since entering pro. The connections I made, the relationships established with race directors and other pros. My dream is World champs as a pro, not as an age group, so that's why I turned pro.
You need to remember that pro cards are a binary, you are either a pro traithlete or you are not, irrespective of distance. Simon may not be competitive at the iron distance *yet,* but his middle distance is more consistent with pro men early in development, hovering around 4 hours. His swim strength can be leveraged as he builds his strategy and confidence to really excel at that distance while continuing to develop at the iron distance. Many young pros really should be capitalizing on their higher potential VO2 Max and recoverability at the shorter distance before specializing in long course anyway. It helps build racecraft, race strategy, and confidence making big moves. I also suspect in the next 10 years you will see people who broke into full IM in their early 20s get spit out of the sport much earlier because the body will break down faster than those who matriculated through the distances.
Mediocre mindset
It's better to be realistic than over optimistic. And Worlds champs will always be only a dream, not reality (unless IM with PRO division will do the same as with age groupers. It is very easy for AG to qualify for worlds champs... And it's sad, then slots roll down to 40-50 place of ag)