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Toronto Waterfront Triathlon - Try-A-Tri - TriathlonMini Sprint


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Toronto, Ontario
Canada
HSBC Triathlon Series
42C / 108F
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 06m 11s
Overall Rank = 82/138
Age Group = GM 35-39
Age Group Rank = 9/11
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 6:15 AM because I decided to head down early and watch the other races and hang out with my fellow Toronto Triathlon Club members. My race wasn't scheduled to start untill 10:45 AM)

Breakfast consisted of:
-bowl of oatmeal with some honey
-peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread
-banana
-couple of glasses of water

About 45 minutes before the race I ate a Clif bar and started sipping on a 1.5L bottle of Gatorade to get my fluids and carbs topped up.
Event warmup:

About 20 minutes before the event start I took a light run for 1.5 km to get the blood pumping and legs moving followed by a light stretch. I wish I would have started a bit earlier so that I could have followed this up with a short swim. Nevertheless it was good to get a small warmup in there and remember how the body feels when active, especially in the heat.
Swim
  • 15m 40s
  • 400 meters
  • 03m 55s / 100 meters
Comments:

To say that I was nervous about the swim is an understatement. I peed 3 times within the span of 45 minutes before I left the house and at the course, I peed another 4 times before the event start. Yes, some of it was due to the amount of fluid I was ingesting (it was a very hot and humid day) but mostly it was nerves.

Standing there with my wetsuit on, waiting for the start I took a look at my HR monitor and noticed that my heart was beating at 110 bmp. A full 40 beats over my normal standing around HR. Tried as much as I could to relax but I couldn't get it to come down at all.

This race was held in time trial format with racers lined up by bib number and sent out in 10 second intervals. It was different from the mass swim start that I had experienced in my first race and I liked it. Once the swim started it took about 50m to get settled in. Up until that point I was gasping for air almost every stroke. Once I relaxed I swam freestyle the whole time and only turned on my back 3 times to catch a short little rest (< 15 sec). Breathing was still not normal. I took a breath every second stroke instead of every third like my normal routine.

Nevertheless this was a huge improvement over my first tri swim where I was saying "oh my God, get me out of here" every couple of seconds. Unlike that first race, I did not feel tired and winded when I got out of the water, instead I felt invigorated and ready for the bike.

Though time wise, this was not a great swim, for me this was a fantastic breakthrough swim because it boosted my swim confidence and left me feeling great!
What would you do differently?:

I wondered off course a couple of times due to current. Next time, I will note the current pattern ahead of time and take it into count while swimming and sight more often.
Transition 1
  • 02m 2s
Comments:

After rinsing the sand off my feet I stepped right back on the sand instead of the towel. What was I thinking?
What would you do differently?:

Take wetsuit off first and use the wetsuit as a mat to stand on while rinsing feet.
Bike
  • 30m 52s
  • 13 kms
  • 25.27 km/hr
Comments:

The bike portion of the race went relatively well considering. My heart rate was averaging around 172 bmp which is very high for me considering the effort level. Adrenaline? Excitement? I don't know. I didn't feel tired though and my breathing was good so I wasn't worried about it at all.

My below average speed and slow time was as a result of a crash. As I was coming up to the final right-hander before starting my second loop, I pulled over to the left-hand side of the road in preparation for the turn. Just as I was doing this, the rider in front of me does the same without shoulder checking and comes to a dead stop right on the racing line. Why did he do this? To ask the course marshal a question. The timing was such that I had no choice but to crash right into him. Needless to say, both of us went down.

I was frustrated by this rider's lack of judgment but frankly was relieved to have no cuts or bruises. I picked up my bike, dusted myself off and spent some time trying to get the chain back on to the main chainring. After swearing a couple of times I picked up where I left off, putting the lost time behind me, and focused on the next loop.
What would you do differently?:

I wish I would have had more to drink but I really didn't want to get off the aerobars, sit up and take a drink. As a result I only drank a bit during some bumpy stretches where I was going slower to begin with. In retrospect, these bumpy sections of road is where there was some headwind so sitting up during a headwind was perhaps not a smart idea. This is the part that I should have been in aero and pushing instead. I'm going to install an aero bottle for next time.
Transition 2
  • 01m 47s
Comments:

After dismounting I decided to walk back to the transition area and use this as short recovery in preparation for the run. The switchover from bike shoes to running shoes was not as smooth as I would have hoped. It was over 30 seconds slower than my previous T2 time. I need to practice this more.
What would you do differently?:

Run with the bike to the transition area.
Run
  • 15m 51s
  • 2.5 kms
  • 06m 20s  min/km
Comments:

I expected to do much better on the run portion. My normal run pacing is faster by a noticeable margin and 2.5 km is quite below my average running distance. Still, I had to resort to walking for a bit during the run portion.

Due to the high temperatures and humidity I felt a bit dehydrated. I was expecting at least two water stations during the run but there was only one at the halfway point. I wish I would have had something to drink before heading out on the run.
What would you do differently?:

Run outdoors more to get used to running in the heat. For very hot days consider carrying a small water bottle with me during the run.
Post race
Warm down:

Hugs and kisses from my daughter, wife and mom as well as a surprise visit from friends who came out to see me race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swimming and running are my weakest sports and so I need to work on these more. I feel positive about this. What a great challenge!

Event comments:

This race was absolutely fantastic. I had the wonderful support of family and newly made friends in the Toronto Triathlon Club as well as online support from newbies and veterans alike at beginnertriathlete.com. Passing my 20 month old daughter every time I was coming out of or going into transition and hearing her yell "Daddy!" was icing on top of the icing on cake.

The swimming breakthrough made the race for me. Unlike my first race, where I felt completely drained at the end, I had lots of energy left at and wanted to do it all over again. Is this how I should feel when I finish or should I have pushed harder? I don’t know the answer to that but I do know that I felt fantastic, elated and as my wife could attest, I couldn’t stop jumping up and down in excitement even hours after the event.

Swimming and running are my weakest sports and so I need to work on these more. I feel positive about this. What a great challenge!





Last updated: 2006-05-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:15:40 | 400 meters | 03m 55s / 100meters
Age Group: 9/11
Overall: 107/138
Performance: Average
Suit: Nineteen full westuit
Course: Triangle shaped out and back with a small current.
Start type: Run Plus: Waves
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Good
Breathing: Below average Drafting:
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 02:02
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:30:52 | 13 kms | 25.27 km/hr
Age Group: 7/11
Overall: 47/138
Performance:
Wind: Headwind
Course: Looped flat course with some very bumpy stretches. Thankfully my fillings did not come loose. Not kidding, it was that rough in some spots.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
T2
Time: 01:47
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Below average
Racking bike Below average
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:15:51 | 02.5 kms | 06m 20s  min/km
Age Group: 9/11
Overall: 102/138
Performance: Below average
Course: Out and back flat course on a paved trail.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2006-07-18 10:49 AM

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Expert
634
50010025
Toronto
Subject: Toronto Waterfront Triathlon - Try-A-Tri


2006-07-18 11:15 AM
in reply to: #485972

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Expert
620
500100
Guelph, Ontario
Subject: RE: Toronto Waterfront Triathlon - Try-A-Tri
ahh you crashed?? I had no idea!  You managed to get a nice time anyway.  Good work.  Thanks for comming up and introducing yourself, that was kinda cool, and made it nice to see a friend out on the run.
2006-07-18 12:48 PM
in reply to: #485998

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Expert
634
50010025
Toronto
Subject: RE: Toronto Waterfront Triathlon - Try-A-Tri
My times improved on all segments (except for the bike obviously0 from my first event so I'm very happy with that. It was great meeting someone from BT. Hope you don't mind me coming up to you like that. Hope I didn't freak you out or anything but I was just excited.

Great finish for you, second in your age group. Awesome!

Congratulations triathlete!
2006-07-22 7:37 AM
in reply to: #485972

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Extreme Veteran
359
1001001002525
Guelph
Subject: RE: Toronto Waterfront Triathlon - Try-A-Tri

Great race chief. Your going to love the sprint distance at wasaga, I've heard good things about it.

 

...timmy

2006-07-26 8:12 PM
in reply to: #485972

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Extreme Veteran
321
100100100
Guelph
Subject: RE: Toronto Waterfront Triathlon - Try-A-Tri
Sounds like a great race and it feels good to improve on times and technique, having your wife and Kids cheering at each transition must have been a rush. Great work. I was thinking of doing the sprint at Wassaga too.
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