I am really nervous. I am wondering why I felt compelled to do a longer distance than the nice half-Olympic sprint I am used to. I know I can complete the race but I also know it is going to hurt!
I stay overnight at Michelle’s before the race so we will be closer to the start. She prepares an awesome carb-loading pasta dinner that we top off with a trip to DQ.
Sunday morning arrives too early and we make our way to Belwood Conservation Area by Fergus, Ontario. We arrive closer to the start time than we like yet because it is a smaller race there are still plenty of primo parking and racking positions. I even have time to warm up my run, bike, and swim. It makes me feel more comfortable to fit my warm-up in and also to remember the course.
We line up on the boat launch area for the entrance to the swim. I position myself at the back of the group as I don’t want a repeat of Peterborough with other swimmers pushing down my feet. Michelle and I are both in the fourth of five waves. When the siren goes off we pick our way down the ramp into the water as there are even rocks on the boat ramp. The water is nice and warm and other than a couple of pushing matches near the beginning of the swim I am left alone. The water is clearer than I remember and the lake is weedless. Things to be thankful for as I swim the LONG 1K loop. The buoys for this race almost reach the shore on the other side of the lake which is quite intimidating. I go at my own pace and feel fine throughout the swim though at the halfway point I have to wonder when it will ever end! On the way back I use the dam for sighting and don’t have to look up as often. By the last 100-150m I am back to my typical zig zag swimming. I must be tired but I pour on an additional effort as I know it almost over. Swim: 32:48
I’m very dizzy as I exit the water. With the longer effort and rocks on the bottom I drunkenly spill out of the water and run up the hill to transition. Why is transition always at the top of a hill? T1: 2:01
I start out on the bike feeling really good. I am not hyperventilating as I did at the last three races. The route is quite flat to start and it is very windy. I spend as much time as possible in aero, dropping to my drops when my shoulders can’t take the aero effort. In my drops my back is just as low as in aero though I lose some aerodynamics with my shoulders being more open. At the 10K mark I am ready to head back in as I would in a usual spring but alas with this race I am not yet 1/3 finished. The course is a loop which I love for training rides and hate for races. There are few other riders around me and I am not motivated. I start to enjoy the scenery too much and have to remind myself that I am still in a race. The 33K mark eventually comes and I am ready to hop of the bike and begin the run. Bike: 1:19:09
There are some finishers already in transition. The cruelty of it all. I hasten to get out on the course. T2: 1:30
The run is almost completely flat and on a trail that is easy on the legs. Unfortunately it does not offer much for shade and it is now approaching noon. I make the decision to stick to 10 + 1’s as I want to pace myself for the longer than usual effort and I have already given up on my goal time as it would require a 50 minute run that I do not feel capable of. I decide to think of it as simply a training run and to pace myself accordingly. There are lots of water and Gatorade stations and I am pleased to note at the two turnaround points that I am actually ahead of a few people. I even pass a couple of people in the run. I take my last walk break right before my last km and try to sustain a tougher effort. I am shocked to discover at the end of the run that it is a PB for me on the course by 3 minutes. It enables me to sneak in a new overall personal best by 15 seconds! Run: 50:42 PB
Triathlon: 2:46:09 PB.
I decided during this race that doing a triathlon could be likened to what I have heard about childbirth. While you are going through it you are wondering why you are doing it and vow never to do it (or at least this length) ever again. When you cross the finish line the pain is instantly forgotten and all you feel is the thrill of having completed the race. Which brings me to my next question of myself: I am currently registered in the Riding Mountain Olympic distance triathlon in two weeks. I could still drop down to the sprint distance. I know I can complete the Olympic and probably even get a PB but I also know it is likely that I will be last in the field and that it is going to be very painful. If I do the sprint I will have a fun, stress-free race but will I feel I didn’t deliver to my potential? The dilemma unfolds…Stay tuned for my decision…
No comments:
Post a Comment