Bala Falls Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

This was a 'B' race for me, so i didn't really know how to strategize for it. I hadn't swam at all this week since my 1st tri last Sunday so i was a little worried. The plan was to take it easy - during my last tri the swim was a little dicey. After a couple minutes i felt great - i was swimming slowly but breathing nicely and not at all tired. I felt like a tourist out there just plugging away at my own slow pace. I just wanted to complete the swim without killing myself and go from there. I sped up a little over the 2nd half but didn't take any split times so i cant be sure. I got to the beach feeling great. A little disappointing looking at my watch as i left the water but i didn't dwell on it. Awesome run to T1 as there were tons of people lining the course cheering you on.

I could have definetly pushed it harder but no regrets.

This seems like a really long time to spend in the transition area. It was however very far from the beach to the bike mount line. I took my time in T1 getting my shoes on. I have a mtn bike so i put my socks and running shoes on for the bike section. Wanted to be comfy for the bike and run so i made sure my feet were dry and clean. I was slow but so what. Again - really far from the swim to bike mount.

Nothing

I really liked the rolling course, it was mostly closed to traffic so there was lots of room to manouver. A lot of people on the bike course - that was cool. I passed a pretty good number of people, mostly on the 1st half and i got passed quite a bit too, mostly on the 2nd half. I was 25:28 going out and 29:21 coming back - yikes! My HR was 167 / 162 so i guess that makes sense. I must have been tired and just let up on the way back. I didnt realize it at the time though - i thought i was working just as hard but i did seem slower.

Maybe suck it up and pick up the pace on the return leg?

I love T2 because all i have to do is lose the helmet - no shoe change for me.

Not run the wrong way towards the wrong end of the transition area as i was leaving - someone watching was like "Hey buddy - you're going the wrong way"
Good thing too.

As i left the transition and hit the highway there was an uphill right away. I was breathing hard and not sounding good but i really felt well. I smoked a bunch of people up that hill. I looked at my HRM and saw i was in the mid 170s which was just were i wanted to be. No side stitches though i could kind of feel them beneath the surface waiting to emerge if i pushed myself too hard.

I love having the HRM during the run segement. I don't look at it at all durning the rest of the race but i like having it here to make sure i am not slacking off on the run. I look at it pretty often and it tells me that yes i am working hard enough. Today each time i looked i was golden.

I felt awesome and was really pushing myself. I have never run this fast before, even over shorter distances. WHen i looked at my watch as i crossed the finish line i thought something was wrong. Maybe the course was short? No matter, i did smoke the run - i was eating up fools like pacman. I ran it at around 4:13/km (last weeks tri was only 5k at 4:54!)

Throughout the run portion i passed many, many people and was passed by maybe 4 or so. As we neared the transition area there were two guys ahead of me i had been wanting to pass so i turned on the jets and absoluteley BLEW PAST them. I then turn the corner expecting to run through the finish but its not there!!! I am thinking "OH SHIT" where the hell is it - i am dying now because i am still sprinting with no finish in sight. I turn another corner and am running through some trees and i STILL can't see the finish - what the hell?? Now I am starting to hallucinate - finally i spot the finish and the clock says 1:49:51 - holy crap! my goal was 2:00 and i know i have a sub 1:50 in the bag. There is a guy in front and as we cross the line i avoid him by going to his left at the finish. I am dead now, i go to my knees for a bit, give up my chip and find some water. I find my family, hang with them for a bit then go jump in the river too cool off. As i am heading to the water it dawns on me that i don't remember the chip beeping as i finished. Then i remember going left at the finish and i have this sinking feeling my time didn't get recorded. Sure enough, i was right as the results are posted i am near the bottom with a handful of people with no run times. (Edit - happy to report that the next day my times were up - apparently there was a glitch with some of the timing) Really the finish was a terrible setup. Why not make the run turnaround another 50 meters up the road and have the finish in an open area where it is easy to see the finish and you can run through it instead of having to stop or veer left right at the finish. By the time you hit the finish you were more or less in a forest.





Run across the stupid timing mat.

Couple cups of water, eventual dip in the river.


My brain. I could have went harder on the swim and a little on the bike but then i may not have had such an awesome run.


Low expectations but the stellar run made me feel really great about this effort.