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 Swim
Comments: The swim was not too bad. I was hoping to be closer to 8 minutes, but what can you expect with the little amount of swimming I've been doing lately :) Overall, I'm really happy with this. I shared a lane with the most obnoxious woman though. She was swimming half breast stroke and half freestyle, but she would switch halfway through a length. One second, I'd be trying to touch her toes to pass as she kicked regularly, and the next she was almost kicking me in the face! And the worst part was, she wouldn't let you pass her - if you could even manage to touch her feet while she was breaststroking! It made for a pretty frustrating swim because all 5 of us in the lane were getting pretty crammed up and she was not courteous at all. I was so glad when it was all over! Another interesting thing about the swim was that the pool not chlorinated. Its treated with saline or something because it was salty as all get out! Yuck! It was like swimming in the ocean! There was salt on me when I got out of the pool and it made me really thirsty on the bike. But at least I didn't smell all chemically! Overall, regardless of the obnoxious woman and the salt, I had a good swim and I was happy with my time :) What would you do differently?: Swim more, and practice getting faster. I'd also be a little more assertive when passing people.  Transition 1
Comments: I was quick out of the pool and into my transition area. I had stuff laid out in the order I needed, so that was a good plan. There wasn't a lot of room though - I guess thats what happens when you're out of the pool before some people! I towelled off quickly, got socks and bike shoes on, then my shirt and bike gloves. I had a sec to spray on my sunscreen, then threw on the helmet and shades, and ran for the exit. Kirk's bike was racked beside mine and he was in T1 the same time I was leaving. He gave me a kiss for luck and off I went! What would you do differently?: I might look at putting my shoes on the bike and learning to get into them while riding, but we'll see :) Otherwise, the spray on sunscreen worked well, as did having my towel and shirt draped on my bike. I think I might look at getting a race belt as well so I don't have to bother with the shirt. The bike leg was warm enough to go without one. Wearing my sports bra into the pool cut down on transition time, and worked perfectly. (Thanks for the advice on that one after UBC, BT-ladies!) I think I should start practicing more transition stuff to streamline the process in the future.  Bike
Comments: The bike course on this race is great. It is well marked, not super hilly, and is always swept of rocks and debris. Even though it had rained a bit on Saturday night, it was pretty dry. My bike went really well. I felt strong and I pushed it as much as I could. I stayed aero as often as I could, and I am really happy with this ride. Especially considering I am riding a hybrid! Kirklan passed me just before the 1/2 way point of the first lap, and I passed Amanda (who was in a later heat) as she was on her second lap (and I was heading into transition). She looked like she was sufferring a bit at that point (her bike is ancient, and until the day before when she took it in for a tune up, did not actually shift gears) but she had a great ride regardless. I think in the end her bike time was almost identical to mine. Her run and swim were a bit better though, putting her about 2 minutes faster overall than me. Congrats on an awesome first race, Amanda! What would you do differently?: Like I said in the Transition section, I might try to learn how to put my shoes on as I start to ride. I would also practice cornering and turning a bit more. There are 2 sharp turns on this course and I felt a little hesitant taking them quickly. But more than anything, I think I'm ready for a new bike. I'm pretty confident I want to keep racing, so upgrading at least to a road bike, and maybe even a tri bike might be a good step. I am getting consistently faster on the bike portion every time I race, and my TITS is getting better too. I think this will be my next big investment. How exciting! Transition 2
Comments: For the first time, I had to change my shoes! It was actually good for me I think - gave my legs a brief break before heading on the run. My running-with-bike-into-transition wasn't great though. It was sloped a bit downhill and I'm slidey in my shoes. So I jogged a bit and walked a bit. Overall, not too bad. What would you do differently?: Learn to get out of my shoes on the bike, and have my shoe laces untied! Duh Meg :)  Run
Comments: The day became overcast around the time I headed onto to run. Luckily all I felt was a few drops of rain before I was done. I needed some walk breaks (since my ride was good, I was a bit tired) but I kept them to 20-30 seconds and kept pushing through. I was hoping to finish in about 30 minutes, so I did not too badly, but my run needs the most work this year. What would you do differently?: I knew the run was going to be my biggest limiter today, and it definetly was. My best 5k time right now is 29 minutes or so. Considering this, 32 minutes off the bike isn't too bad. But it isn't good enough for me to be competitive. So, I am going to work hard at it this year. And then I can bring it on next summer! I think I should also work on running on chip trails more than just strictly roads. I constantly felt unbalanced and like my ankles were tired from the rough terrain. I know I said this last year as well, so I just need to find some good trails this time and actually do it! I think it would help a lot. Post race
Warm down: Not a whole heck of a lot! I had to work at noon, so the BF and I grabbed our stuff from transition and put it in the van. We had some gatorade and muffins/bananas, then hit the road. I feel OK today but I wish I had had some more time to stretch and hang out at the race. As soon as we got into town, I had to start training the volunteer staff I am in charge of this summer (about 100 of them), so I did that right away (literally - I had to start the presentation in my race outfit). I presented 4 sessions and that was great, but then at about 3pm I started to feel really sick. The other leaders who were helping me (Kirklan and his brother) helped me out so much over the last 2 hours. As soon as I got home, I threw up and went to bed. I'm not sure if I was dehydrated or if I just got some kind of a bug, but oh man. I felt AWFUL. I will never plan to work right after a race again, but there was nothing I could do about it this year. Live and learn I guess. Today (Monday) I am feeling 100% better and I have the day off work. Woo Hoo! As for Kirk, this time he was able to finish and he did so in 1:18:37, putting him in at 89th overall, and first in his Age Group! (He was also the only one in his age group. But who cares!) He did awesome, and I want to say CONGRATS on officially BECOMING A TRIATHLETE! What limited your ability to perform faster: Swim - not enough training to be speedier, and an obnoxious woman in my lane Bike - probably a combonation of the bike itself, and simple lack of leg power Run - not enough endurance or speed training Event comments: I wish there had been a rest station or aid station on the bike loop this year. I forgot my water bottle (my own fault) but the salty water from the pool made my mouth feel gross and a water station would have been useful. Other than that, though, I love this course and I had a great time again this year. Woo Hoo! Profile Album Last updated: 2007-06-25 12:00 AM
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Tri-Athletics Society
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Overall Rank = 145/170
Age Group = F 20-24
Age Group Rank = 5/5
All day Saturday - 8:30am to 3:30pm I was training my volunteer staff. Kirk and I had to get from Nanaimo to Qualicum pretty quickly to get our package and bikes checked before 5pm. I was tired, but ready to enjoy the race experience. As you will read later, the whole working-and-racing-all-weekend combonation was not a great one for me, but it worked out in the end. Note to self, though. Do not schedule too much around a race!
As for the actual pre-race stuff, Kirk and I camped in the van the night before, which was great, but we were expecting rain. So we got up and to our surprise, it was sunny and beautiful outside! We got up, packed our stuff, had some breakfast (banannas and apples for me, cereal for him) and headed to the pool. We lucked out with a parking spot, and found our friend Amanda right away. We got our bikes and gear somewhat organized in the parking lot, then headed to transition. Once we were all checked in and set up, Amanda, Kirk and I headed to get changed. I had been feeling a little frantic up to that point because we were running a bit behind, but once I was suited up I felt way better. Headed to body marking, Amanda took some pictures, then went to the pool deck for the meeting!
(As an aside, the night before we were getting ready to eat at the campsite, and the people beside us were like "Are you racing tomorrow?" And I was like "we sure are - are you?" and he told me his daughters were. (They were about 12 and 8 years old) So we were chatting about the course and what other races we'd done, when the 12 year old comes over. She looks at my bike, then at me and goes "Your tri bars are at the wrong angle." So serious, then walks away! She was totally bratty about it! The dad just smiled this smile like "isn't she cute." I was like oh man, a 12 year old just tried to intimidate me! Hahahaha! It was pretty funny, Kirk and I joked about it all night. What is it with me vs kids at triathlons! There is always something!)
So Qualicum seeds swimmers in each lane by coloured swim caps. Last year, I was yellow - slowest swimmer! This year, I was seeded #1 - so I got a purple cap and got to go first! Yahoo! I swam one slow and steady 50m to loosen up the shoulders and get into the water. I felt pretty good, but a little nervous. Kirk was seeded #2 in my lane, so he gave my neck and shoulders a quick rub, and then it was time to start!