Toronto Island Sprint Triathlon
The Toronto Island Triathlon came surprisingly quick. I knew that I had not spent enough time on the bike or in the pool to really improve in either of these disciplines but I felt that the time I had dedicated to them helped me feel comfortable enough to race well.
Going into the race I expected my times to be roughly:
750m Swim- 16-16:30
20km Bike- 35-36
5km Run- 17
Overall - 1:08:00 ish
The weather was perfect and the water was smooth. Since the swim was so short it felt like an all out sprint for the whole thing. It felt really.... frantic. I was surprised to find myself among the first to get out of the water and through the transition zone from my wave. As soon as I got on the bike I just started cranking the wheel as hard and fast as I could. In my mind everyone would be faster than me on the bike and I needed to make as much distance as I could, while I could. I was shocked to see that I was biking between 37km/hr-40km/hr for most of the bike! I assumed it was the result of adrenaline and I was worried that it wouldn't last and that my pace would drop. I passed the 5km mark and no one had caught me. Then 10km... still no one. Once I passed the 15km mark I knew that even if anyone caught me, there wasn't enough distance left on the bike course for them to make up enough of time on me before we got to the run.
Once I got to the run, I took off. There were several other races going on at the same time, so there was a lot of people on the course. It felt like I was running the last 5km of a 15km race. There wasn't a single moment that I felt comfortable on that run.
When It was all said and done, my overall time was 1:03:44! I came 7th overall and 1st in my age group.
750m Swim- 13:24
20km Bike- 31:38
5km Run- 16:49
I swam and biked much faster than I had expected and placed way higher than I ever imagined
Wasaga Beach Olympic Triathlon
Although I had done very well in the sprint, I was still very anxious about the olympic distance. I was mostly worried about being able to hold my pace on the bike for double the distance.
The swim was insane! The waves at Wasaga beach were really coming in. I felt like I was in a washing machine. It was very hard to spot. I had to spot other swimmers because the waves often blocked the buoys. I kept telling myself to just get through the swim and assess where I was at in the race, so that I could figure out what I would have to do to catch up to everyone else.
When I got to the transition zone there were several bikes already gone. At about 5km there was a turn around point, so as I approached this point I was able to count the people who were already coming back. I was about 15th place with 35km to go. I had my work cut out for me but I had a fair bit of distance to do it. I caught up to people fairly quickly. I did a good job on staying on top of hydration and replenishing electrolytes with nuun. By the end of the bike, I was about 8th place.
The run felt a lot easier than last weeks run. I was running strong and feeling good. I was coming to the 2.5km turn around, when someone told me I had missed a turn. I had to turn around and run back. This mistake cost me an extra kilometre. In the moment I was frustrated, but I knew that there was nothing else I could do other than push harder and keep running. The detour added about 3:30min to my overall time and cost me at least 2 places. Frustrating... but I accepted the responsibility for not studying the route more carefully. On the upside, I managed to hold a 3:26/km for the 11km and am happy with the fitness I demonstrated.
I finished with an overall time of 2:13:14.
8th overall and 1st in my age group.
1500m Swim - 28:10 6
40km Bike - 1:05:47 3
10km (11km) Run- 37:29 1
It would've been nice to have an over all time closer to 2:10:00.... Next time.
Both of these races were very positive experiences. I would love to try again another season when I am not in the middle of training for a marathon. Since STWM is my main goal, I didn't taper at all for these races. I went into them with around 130km of training already done for the week. I am happy with the fitness these races have demonstrated. I am looking forward to getting in a few solid weeks of quality running and preparing for Scotiabank.
Thank you to everyone who provided me with guidance and advice going into these races. Nina, Alan, Jackie, Christina and to Avery for loaning me his wet suit.
Also a huge thank you to Laura. Thank you so much for letting me use your old bike for the summer. You gave me the opportunity to try something that I have always wanted to do. I love racing and I love being competitive, thank you so much for giving me a fantastic tool to do so.
- ebang