The month of May is here, bringing with it the start of the 2006 Subaru Triathlon Series . Looking through my summer race schedule, and with the buildup to the Peterborough Half-Ironman, I am planning a lot of races. Trisport offers a great deal with their Express Card, which gives you entry into all of their events. With the number of races I am looking at, it only made sense for me to sign up for them all.
May in Canada is not a great month for open water swimming!! So the season kicks off with Victoria’s Duathlon, held very close to home, in Waterloo, ON. After my good run in the half-marathon a few weeks earlier (full story), I was ready to tackle the 4km run, 25km bike ride, and 4km run.
Sunday, May 14th brought us a cold, windy, cloudy day. WIND – my nemesis!! I hate riding into wind!! I’ll take hills – at least you get to go back down! With the wind blowing, I knew I was in for a challenging ride! My good friend Blair showed up with his beautiful (and fast) new bike, and the friendly competition was on.
RUN 1: 4 km – 14:39 (3:39/km)
11/24 M25-29, 65/457 Overall
The pace set in the first run was blistering. My goal coming into this race was to break 15 minutes on the first run, and keep under 16 on the second. Just trying to keep up with the pack provided me with the motivation for a fast first run!! I rolled into the transition area about a minute ahead of Blair, and after a quick change of shoes, I headed out on the bike.
BIKE: 25km – 46:35 (32.2km/h)
15/24 M25-29, 160/457 Overall
With the race site close to home, I have had a few training rides on the bike course before the race. I knew what to expect with the hills, but I wasn’t prepared for the wind. After flying through the first 15km, with what I now realize was a very generous tailwind, I turned for home still ahead of Blair. After making the turn, it felt like I was riding into a wall! The wind was relentless, and I watched helplessly as my average speed fell. I’m sure it didn’t seem that bad to a lot of others, but after five minutes, I was spent! When Blair sped past me, I tried to turn it up again, but didn’t have the power left in the legs. I struggled into T2 30 seconds behind.
RUN 2: 4km – 16:05 (4:02/km)
10/24 M25-29, 83/457 Overall
The second run covered the same course as the first. Blair was only a few hundred metres ahead of me coming out of T2, and I knew I had the advantage on the run. My main goal was to track him down. I slowly gained on him, and by the 3km mark I was approximately 100 metres back. However, the bike had taken it’s toll, and despite trying to will myself into a sprint, I couldn’t find that finishing kick, and Blair crossed the line all of nine seconds ahead of me!! One more kilometre and I would have had him!!!
Total: 1:19:36, 14/24 M25-29, 112/457 Overall (Full Results)
Victoria’s Duathlon brings out some tough competition, so I didn’t feel too bad about the race. I was satisfied with my first run, but I was expecting a good one after all the running I had done in April. After getting killed by the wind, I know I’ll have to work on my biking if I want to do well the rest of the season!!
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