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 Swim
Comments: Swim time includes T1 Felt strange being the first one into the pool and leading the swim, but felt that I quickly got into a rhythm. Arms felt a bit heavy, but maintained a good enough pace and didn't get caught by the swimmer behind, so that was good. Got to the end and took a fast walk to exit the pool building and then ran the short distance to T1. Got the fastest swim time of the day by 1 second, so that was good. What would you do differently?: Seemed to go well, don't think there is much to say here.  Transition 1
Comments: Got a good couple of sips of Gatorade in an effort to avoid the normal cramps appearing on the bike and killing my run. Everything else went smoothly, good running mount and got the feet in the shoes and tightened quickly. What would you do differently?: Went well, so nothing.  Bike
Comments: Got the 2nd fastest bike time overall by 1 second, so that was good. Didn't get any calf cramps which was great, but my hip was really quite painful at times - really looking forward to getting that issue resolved ! Needed to do a lot of passing as there were already a lot of cyclists out on the course from the previous race on the first lap and it just got busier on each lap. There wasn't a lot of room as we were in a sectioned off area on open roads, but generally I got good passes other than having to pause on the corners. I promised my wife I'd let her know which lap I was on if I saw her as she didn't want to miss the opportunity to move nearer to the transition etc. I saw her as I was finishing lap 1...I apparently made her jump as she was facing the other way and was only just getting set up and shocked her as I was round so quickly. A few other spectators thought it was quite amusing apparently as I shot past shouting out ! What would you do differently?: Generally a good bike. Maintained a good pace, ok passing, good cornering and kept the speed up on the slight incline in the 3rd quarter of the lap. Also tried to make sure I took on more water to avoid any cramping on the bike or run. Transition 2
Comments: T2 time included in run time. Got a good dismount. Legs didn't feel too bad running into T2. Other than a minor few seconds of panic where I though one of my running socks had disappeared, T2 was efficient. I had actually ended up with my socks getting caught on the Velcro of my bike shoes as I racked it and didn't notice straight away ! Took a few more swigs of Gatorade and a dextrose tablet as I headed out on the run. What would you do differently?: Nothing really  Run
Comments: T2 time included in run time Really enjoyed this run route - was through trails in a forest, much like I did a lot of my pre-season training on. Not a flat smooth surface or anything, but as long as you avoided treading on any pine cones it was fine. Really tried to push my run as my legs were feeling ok and I didn't have any major signs of tightness in either calf. Kept the cadence high and tried to avoid easing off at any time. Good turnaround time - not easy to tell exactly where I was pace wise as it wasn't a halfway point, but still felt good, so tried to up the pace a little more for the remainder. What would you do differently?: Run felt pretty good. My only thought is that I could have pushed a bit harder maybe ? I seem to either have nothing left on the runs, or feel I still had something left at the end of the race. This was the closest I had felt to a good balance, but was still leaning towards being able to put a bit more in. I guess finding that balance will come as I do more races. Post race
Warm down: A bit of walking around with the family whilst sharing bananas and bagels, but otherwise not a lot. Wandered around and sat down for a while waiting for the presentations at the end of the races. What limited your ability to perform faster: Hip was definitely a factor on the bike and a little on the run. Other than that, all good. Event comments: Was really pleased to find out I had won the race overall by 1m20 from 2nd and almost 4 minutes from the 3rd place person. Felt good to see results of all the training and effort I'd put in to my weight over the past 14 months. Hard to think I'd gone from 251lbs and not too healthy to 165lbs and winning a triathlon before the end of the following summer. I really enjoyed this race for a pool swim. The bike course although on busier open roads was good and the run was great. After the Canadian race the previous month it seemed better organised and the improved transition security was a welcome addition. Last updated: 2013-10-03 12:00 AM
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Canada
Somersault Promotions
18C / 64F
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1/78
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 1/8
This being my last tri of the year I wanted to finish well for the season. I had worked hard; put in a lot of training hours and tried to really push to increase my speeds over the sprint distance. I had got my weight down to where I wanted as well, so generally things were looking good in the lead up to race day.
I was still getting a lot of trouble with hip pain, but decided to continue through it to get through the final race and then try to get it fixed afterwards.
Had tried some different things in the nutrition the night before and for the race. Had a little extra salt in the meal the night before and used Gatorade in one of my bottles, rather than just water for the race itself.
Up a little later than normal as the sprint race was the last to start. Helped with dragging the family out of bed ! Had the usual oats/syrup breakfast, put the final things together and drove the short journey to the Sportsplex. It was a fantastic morning - cool, but dry and late summer/early fall sun slowly rising on the horizon.
As it was late in the season it was a pool swim for this race.
Picked up the timing chip and numbered up my bike (a welcome new security feature implemented by Somersault!) It wasn't a big race so transition was a lot smaller. I tried to find a place where I thought I may not get another person setting up on top of me !! Got the setup finished and headed over to the pool with my family.
Did some jogging around the back of one of the arenas at the complex. Stretched whilst watching some of the previous race swimmers finishing. Went in and swam a few lengths of the pool to loosen up and warm up just before the start.
I expected to be near the front of the swim start, but was a little concerned and apprehensive when I ended up beside one other person at the front, based on our expected swim times. She was another masters swimmer, so was swimming regularly and was likely accurate on her time, so we discussed it and she said she really thought I should lead ....yikes, leading out the swim was not what I was expecting and I just had fears of her catching me within a couple of lengths ! Anyway, was happy with not having to worry about passing anyone, got mentally focused and ready to go !