After last week’s Muskoka Long Course race, and with the Peterborough half-Ironman looming on the horizon, the Guelph Lake Olympic-distance triathlon on Sunday, June 25th was almost something of a glorified training day. However, still being relatively new to the sport, I am after all the race experience I can get!!

With disastarous swims in the past two races, I really wanted to use this one to get comfortable in the water before the half-Ironman. The race organizers decided to send us all off in a single wave, which would be great practice for the half-Ironman. I also do a lot of open water swimming at Guelph Lake, so I was hoping that a familiar setting would help me to get more comfortable!

I was also hoping that I could get through the race without the cramping in the legs. I had drank Gatorade on the bike for the first time in Muskoka, and decided to change my strategy and stick to water and Power Gels for this one.

SWIM: 1.5km – 29:56 (2:00/100m)
14/22 M25-29, 126/346 Overall

Finally – a respectable swim split!! So far this year, I hadn’t been able to get under my goal of 2:00/100m swim pace. For this race, I threw out all the things I had been trying to change with my stroke, and just swam naturally, how I have been all my life. I got into a good rhythm, and kept it going for the whole thing. With the mass start, I also had people to draft the entire way, which was a first for me and I’m sure it helped. I got out of the water and headed onto the bike feeling good about my swim for the first time ever!!

BIKE: 42km – 1:18:00 (32.3 km/h)
6/22 M25-29, 84/346 Overall

With a good swim behind me, I was hoping to follow it up with a good ride. I had continued playing with my setup, and had brought my seat back down a little after Muskoka. However, my knee still felt sore. The ride was windy, and also seemed longer than 42km. I eased up in the last few minutes, in an effort to save the legs for the run.

RUN: 10km – 42:20 (4:14/km)
4/22 M25-29, 39/346 Overall

What a difference from the week before! Despite a little soreness in my knee, I felt strong coming off the bike and into the run. It felt great to be passing people, and I knew that I was moving up. I ran consistenly the whole way through, without any sign of cramping. The run course offered some shade, and with the heat was nowhere near as bad as Muskoka, I was able to finish strong! I was very happy to see the results and have the 39th best overall run split!

Total: 2:33:17, 7/22 M25-29, 60/346 Overall (Full results )

Overall, this was by far my best triathlon race yet!! It started with a good swim, followed by a decent bike ride, and I managed to save enough to have a strong run. Despite Blair beating me for the fourth race in a row (he finished just ahead in 2:31:01 and was 4th in the age group), I was very happy with the results, and am feeling good heading into the half-Ironman!!

The Muskoka Triathlon on June 18th was my first really big race of the 2006 season. This race, which offers $20,000 in elite prize money and a number of qualifying spots for Ironmans Canada, USA, Florida and Wisconsin, attracts an all-star field, including Olympic champion Simon Whitfield and many other top pros.

Blair and I headed up to Muskoka on Saturday afternoon. Arriving late, and with a stop at the Dairy Queen located next to our hotel (can’t you tell we are the serious triathletes?), we settled in for a few hours sleep before our early 5am wake up call!!!

This race, with a 2km swim, 55km bike, and 15km run, was my first triathlon longer than a sprint. Heading into it, I wasn’t too intimidated by the bike and run, however, I was worried about the swim – especially after my performance in Milton. Race day was sunny and hot – gruelling conditions for my first taste of long course racing!

SWIM: 2km – 42:37 (2:08/100m)
49/57 M25-29, 542/745 Overall

What a demoralizing feeling to come out of the water and see the rack that was jammed packed with bikes mostly empty. The water conditions were great, but I still struggled to find my rhythm on the swim. My stroke changes still aren’t feeling natural, and I felt off the whole way through this long, long swim. Seeing the empty bike rack, I knew that I would have some work to do on the bike and run if I wanted to have a good showing in the age group!

BIKE: 55km – 1:42:33 (32.2 km/h)
38/57 M25-29, 343/745 Overall

Leading up to this race, I had been tinkering with my bike setup, trying to find a good aero position. I had moved my seat higher, trying to get a more aggressive position over the aerobars. However, I hadn’t tried this position out on a long ride, and I paid the price. The extra leg extension felt uncomfortable, to the point that by the time I got off the bike, I could feel tightness in my IT band along the side of my left knee.

The heat, combined with the challenging, hilly course, took it’s toll during the ride. I pushed early on the bike, but by the last 10km, I could feel my legs starting to burn. However, coming out of T2, I was still looking to have a good run.

RUN: 15km – 1:16:10 (5:05/km)
26/57 M25-29, 242/745 Overall

It was on the run that I realized how much more challenging long course racing really was. Excited to get off the bike and onto my strength, the run, I pushed through the first kilometre in just over 4 minutes. However, the swim, bike and heat soon caught up with me, and at the first aid station, I could feel cramps setting into my quads. I stopped to walk for the first time at about the 3km mark, and for the next 7km, I struggled along, alternating between running, shuffling and walking, taking in as much fluid as I could along the way.

Around the 10km mark, I was passed by a woman in her 40’s who was trucking along as if she didn’t even feel the heat!! I tagged along with her, and learned that she had done 17 Ironman’s!! No wonder this seemed so easy for her!! I managed to drag myself through the last 5km with her – thanks for the motivation!!! Looking at the overall run results, I wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of the heat and distance!

Total: 3:44:36, 33/57 M25-29, 312/745 Overall (Full Results)

My first taste of long course racing certainly was eye-opening. I have never struggled on the run like that before, or felt cramps in my legs that forced me to stop. The heat and poor hydration probably played a part in my demise. I managed to finish in the middle of the pack, however, after this, I knew the upcoming half-Ironman would be quite the challenge!!

PS – Blair kicked my butt on this race, finishing in a very respectable 3:31:47, 24/57 in our age group and 215th overall!!

The first triathlon of the 2006 Trisport series was held on June 4, 2006. Before the race, I was looking forward to this one, as I had worked hard in the pool revamping my swimming stroke based on the Total Immersion principles. While the weather in June can be cool, race day arrived with a bright, warm sunny day. The water was a little chilly, but I had borrowed a wetsuit and was excited to go!!

My arch-rival (and good friend) Blair was also racing, and I was looking to avenge the close defeat at Victoria’s Duathlon three weeks earlier. Blair and I had met up in Milton the weekend before the race to cycle the bike course and get a preview of the famed Sixth Line Hill, and were ready to go!!

SWIM: 750m – 16:33 (2:13/100m)
39/47 M25-29, 403/600 Overall

What can I say? Many, many things went wrong on the swim. Right from the start, nothing felt right. I got bumped around in the pack, thrown off my rhythm and it only got worse from there. I tried sticking to what I had practiced in the pool, but I kept wanting to revert to my natural stroke. I tried to stay relaxed, stick with it, but I ended up doing breaststroke, and even backstroke for 100m or so (in the wrong direction). What should have been a relatively easy swim turned into a devasting race-killer.

BIKE: 30km – 54:26 (33.1 km/h)
28/47 M25-29, 215/600 Overall

After the dismal swim, I struggled through my first ever transition with a wetsuit in almost two minutes. Why didn’t I ask Blair before the race how the heck to get it off quickly? I knew that if I wanted to have any chance of catching him that I would have to have an awesome ride. However, I struggled up the Sixth Line hill, and despite trying to push the ride, I still entered T2 almost six minutes back of my friendly competition.

RUN: 7.5km – 31:55 (4:16/km)
12/47 M25-29, 80/600 Overall

Finally, something I can do reasonably well!! With a brutal swim and average bike ride, I really wanted to push the run. It was a tough run course with a couple good hills and about two kilometres of trail running. It felt good to be passing people, despite the fact that most had started a couple waves behind me! However, six minutes was too much for me to try to make up on Blair. I didn’t have a chance and finished 3:09 behind.

Total: 1:45:49, 26/47 M25-29, 175/600 Overall (Full Results)

With all the work I had done on my swimming, I was pretty disappointed with this race. The swim killed me. My time was horrible, I was demoralized getting on the bike, and worst of all, I used way too much energy. I had also never swam in a wetsuit before, so I’m sure that didn’t help. On the bright side, my run was good and I felt strong right to the end.

Next up is Muskoka, which attracts an all-star field and should be a good one!!