Guelph Sprint - June 23, 2007

I had so much fun doing Muskoka that I decide to attempt to repeat the experience this weekend in Guelph. I drive up to Guelph early Saturday morning. No traffic so I get there in time to cheer on the Try-a-Tri'ers including Michelle's friend Sasha and her husband. Michelle and her boyfriend Richard are camping at Guelph for the weekend as she is doing the Olympic distance Tri on Sunday. It is great to have some "athletic supporters" there to cheer me on.

I find myself in the elder stateswoman role for the first time at this race. I am answering one first-timer’s questions when another begins peppering me with questions of her own. I help them out as much as I can. Richard comments that if they looked fitter than me I should have led them astray with my answers but Michelle decides that helping others will give me better karma for the race.

I try to replicate the warm-up of my successful Tri in Muskoka as much as possible. I go for a 1K run scoping out the finish area and deciding on the point from which I will sprint to the finish. I bike 4K, going through my gears to make sure everything is working properly. I have to adjust the bag that carries my spare tubes as it is catching my shorts. The water is cool to get into for my warm-up swim but I feel good in my decision to go without my wetsuit given my great swim in Muskoka doing the same.

I line up at the start feeling calm and confident. As the whistle blows I am off running into the water, doing dolphin dives to get through the shallows. Dolphin dives are fun but I do get some water up my nose. I stay with the majority of my wave most of the way out to the farthest buoy. There is some unusual swimming going on around me – I count a sidestroke, breast stroke, and even a backstroke. The breast stroker is quite strong so I follow her for a bit to keep me in a straight line. I kept listing to the right so I concentrate on feeling like I am going left in order to go straight. I actually rub up against the first buoy as I go by so I can't have gotten any closer. At the furthest buoy the fastest swimmers from the next wave catch me so there is a bit of jostling but I keep my cool. Before I know it I am back at shore, running up the LONG grassy hill to transition. Swim: 23:34.

In transition one of the newbies is still asking questions. I'm kind of busy but I try to be polite and answer as I pull on my bike shoes. T1:2:45

Out on the bike I am not feeling as breathless as Muskoka and try to push myself harder. The hills aren't as bad as Muskoka and I am able to get a run at the uphills from the downhills. I pass a number of people including several women from my age group. I even manage to pass a couple of people on uphills. Yay! I know the course well and the hills aren't as bad as I remember. I am able to stay aero in the flats and push at over 30 KPH knowing that I will lose substantial time on the two steepest hills. On the way back I concentrate on getting and keeping my average speed at over 25 KPH knowing the one last big hill will bring it down. As I swing into transition I see that I was successful in keeping my average speed at exactly 25 KPH. Bike: 45:38 PB

Back into transition. More questions from a newbie. I really have to stop being polite. T2: 2:23

A time check confirms that I have 41 minutes for the run to make my goal and a new PB of 1:55. Cramping on right side. Tell myself I can massage it during a one minute walk break after running for 10 minutes. Stick to it and get rid of the cramp after 11 minutes. Take only 30 seconds of my next walk break and then decide to nix them as I'm feeling good. With 2K to go, realize that not only will I attain my goal of 1:55 but that if I really push myself I could potentially make it in 1:50. Decide to go for it. Pick up the speed. With 1K to go, I have 6 1/2 minutes left to make 1:50. I'm glad I practiced this km in warm-up as I know what to expect. I run up the last hill knowing I have conquered worse in training and that the rest of the way in will be downhill. When I get to the spot I picked out in the morning I pour my last effort into going hard into the finish. Run: 35:53 PB.

Not only do I make it in at 1:50:11, seven minutes faster than I have done this course before but I also score PB's in the bike and run and almost match my PB on the swim. Another fantastic race! Stay tuned for Peterborough on July 8!

Arriving at Muskoka

Muskoka Sprint - Photos!

By popular demand, I have added photos to my blog. The first was taken while exiting the swim. It's good to see that I'm already running as I step out of the water! No comments on the swim cap please! In the second I'm heading out on the bike while the third was taken as I crossed the finish line. Big thanks to Michelle, my very fast Muskoka photographer!

Muskoka Sprint - June 16, 2007

Setting the stage: My fifth time competing in the Muskoka Sprint. I have completed three out of four of these races with a time of 2:17-2:19. My Personal Best (PB) is 2:07. I have swam all of four times since my last Tri in August and biked six times so far this year. The one area I'm feeling good about is my run as I have now been running regularly for seven weeks. I've also been eating fairly well over the past six weeks.

My friend Michelle and I drive up to Huntsville Friday night. After checking in at the Hidden Valley Inn we head to our pre-race pasta dinner at East Side Mario's. What can I say? It's tradition. We then drive down to the race site for an evening walk of the run course that includes scoping out the swim course.

I am particularly nervous about the swim. I haven't swum in a wetsuit for a couple of years. I have verified that I can wiggle into mine so that's a start. On Saturday morning I take my wetsuit down to the lake to test it out. I'm not liking it. It feels like it is cutting off my breath. Even though I know I'll lose buoyancy I make the call to race without it. I'd rather be comfortable.

Once at the race site I begin my warm-up. I run a quarter of the race course. I'm feeling pretty good but the weather feels warmer than I expected. I then go for a 4K bike ride. I find I have to adjust my cadence computer but all else is working fine. It's time to warm up the swim. I make my way into the river. Brrr...it's colder than the lake, especially without the wetsuit.

I then make my way to the start. I'm happy to be in the second of fourth waves. Hopefully this means I can beat some people out of the water! I position myself behind everyone else in my wave and when the siren goes off I begin swimming. I am calmer than I would have thought. I'm hoping I can keep my breathing under control and keep up the swimming until the end of the course. I concentrate on blowing lots of bubbles as it forces me to fully exhale and keep my breathing under control. I feel good. I stick to my plan and head straight for the point, knowing this will keep me on the left side of the river. I feel comfortable as I slip past the shoreline. I can see and hear Michelle cheering me on. I even see her slip on a rock and almost come into the river herself. I keep up the pace thinking of nothing other than blowing bubbles and staying to the left. Before I know it I am coming into shore with a group of other participants. The swim felt really fast. I get out of the water quickly and pass six people on the way up to transition. I check my watch and am shocked/elated to see that I may just have achieved a personal best time. Swim: 25:42 PB

I fly into transition. I see there is at least one other bike on my rack so I have beat someone in my age group on the swim. I do have one delay as I have to change my sunglasses lens as it has gotten bright outside. I also take a couple puffs on my inhaler. T1: 2:03

I fly out on the bike. I am feeling really strong. There are lots of competitors around me and I am more determined than ever to keep up the swim's momentum. The bike course has some really tough hills where my quads are burning but I stay on the bike trying not to lose too much speed. It takes me a while to get my breathing under control but I concentrate on how I do it with my trainer and feel confident knowing I have my inhaler with me in case of emergency. I do witness one horrific crash as a police officer does not get a mini-van out of an intersection quickly enough and to avoid it, a cyclist coming from the other way flies across the road and careens into the gravel shoulder and a road sign on our side of the ditch. Judging by how much he was swearing I am sure he was okay. Though he may need a new front fork and helmet! I continue to push on, trying not to lose too much time on the uphills and getting as much speed as I can on the downhills. When I get to the halfway point I see my speed is 28:30. As I am going for :56 minutes on the bike and I know the second half is much easier, this is a great time. It gives me incentive to really push on the way back and as I come into the bike finish I know I have another personal best. Bike: 53:12 PB

The second transition takes more time than it should because someone has totally disrupted my stuff and I cannot find one of my running socks. I take the time to locate it knowing it is not worth it to go without and blister up before the end of the run. T2: 1:51

As I run out of transition I note that my total elapsed time is just over 1:20. I know I can do 5K in 40 minutes so I am thrilled to know that if I can just not blow up I am going to demolish my previous PB. I decide that I will do 10 + 1's to keep my legs fresh and work out the cramps that are starting on my left side. I run the riverfront loop past the first water station and begin my first walk break while massaging out the cramp. When I begin running up each hill, I push myself refusing to walk. I feel so strong and grateful for all the running I have been doing. Michelle chears me on as I pass, telling me to smile if I love hills. I can't help myself but I'm smiling. I'm actually enjoying the race! People are cheering me on. I'm even encouraging people that are having more trouble than me. At the 3K and 4K markers I check my time and see that a two hour time is still possible. My second loop flies by and I am climbing the last hill to the finish. I push forward as hard as I can and stop the clock at 2:00:21, a new PB! I am soooo happy, excited, surprised. It is an awesome feeling.

After the race two separate women congratulate me on my run. One thought I did it as part of a relay because I looked so fresh. The other told me that I was her inspiration on the run and that she just tried to keep me in sight to keep going. A nice feeling. What a fantastic day! Now I may just have to consider doing Guelph next week....