This was the end of the road, the last triathlon of the year. I wanted to end the season on a good note, so I set out planning on turning in my best possible race. I was a little nervous on the beach because I really wanted to do well, and a little sad that the year was coming to a close. Once things got going, it seems like the summer flew by. I got a good warm-up in the water, slightly delayed because I had misplaced my timing chip. With that sorted, I could get a feel for the water (warm and calm). Once we were called to the start, I looked for my usual competition, and focused on how I wanted to start.
Swim:
I started in the second row, to try to follow some faster swimmers. There was a little bit of bumping in the early going, I took a shot to the head, but that's all part of the sport. I felt really relaxed, with nice long strokes. I was able to maneuver around to a variety of feet, whoever was moving pretty well. At no point, though, was I doing much work. Once we made the turn to home, I pulled out from behind the swimmer, and moved up even faster. This took a bit more effort, but not much. I was moving well and saving energy. I stood up a bit too early at the beach and had to slog out of the water. I need to remember not to stand up until I can touch the bottom. Waist-deep water is too soon. Again, Guelph Lake had the long run to transition, up the hill and behind the whole transition area. This makes my swim time look long, but I was actually out of the water around 13:30, which is really good for me (given that I wasn't working).
T1:
Shoes on race belt on sunglasses on helmet on ... and go!
Bike:
Today was just kind of a "head down, thumbs up, give 'er" day. I pushed really well, but I had some shifting issues. There was some hesitation, so I had to fiddle to find the gear, which cost me some speed, some energy, and some inefficient pedaling. In part because of this, I never really found my groove. My heart rate was in the right zone, but I just never felt like I was on top of the gears like I usually am. I was passed once by a M25-29, but beyond that was just cruising through the field. There are some really fast sections on this course, which makes for a fun day of riding. I made of point of getting my hydration, with the sunny day I knew I'd need it. As I was coming back to the park, there was some traffic at the entrance, and the police officer controlling the turn was standing with arms crossed. Since he wasn't signalling, I missed the turn and only got back when he yelled as I passed him. There were a few seconds gone, but that's part of racing. I did better than usual popping my feet out of shoes, setting up a fast T2.
T2:
Three or four bikes in the rack, so I have some work to do. Shoes and hat and on the road.
Run:
I really wanted to finish the year with a good run, somewhere around 28:00. I was moving pretty well for most of run, knocking out kilometres between 3:55 and 4:05, maybe a bit over desired pace, but still strong. I had two kilometres where things went a little south, the first being kilometre 4, when focus started to fade and after I saw the leaders fly by in the other direction. I was able to gather myself and run two more km's at the right speed, defending my position, before struggling a bit to the end. I dug out everything I could to make the line, but since no one was close to me, no sprint was required. Exhausted I hit the line, then wandered aimlessly before collapsing on a bench to recover.
Official results:
Swim: 14:34 (1:57/100m), 8/60 AG
T1: 1:16
Bike: 49:38 (36.3 km/h), 6/60 AG
T2: 1:00
Run: 28:43 (4:07/km), 5/60 AG
Total: 1:35:09, 23/588 overall, 4/60 AG
OTS Points: 60, Series points: 287.5
OSS Points: 60, Series points: 472.5
All in all, I'm pretty happy with the day. I think this might have been my best swim of the year, at least it felt like it. My bike was off, I don't think I've been out of the top 5 AG on the bike yet this year. I don't know exactly what happened there. My run still isn't where I'd like it, and I need to spend some time figuring out the problem. I'm racing a 10k on Monday, so I'll find out then if I actually have the speed I seem to think I do. It could be that I'm overestimating what I'm capable of. It could be that I'm overcooking the bike and not leaving enough for the run. Or it could be that I'm not doing enough long tempo sets to really feel that suffering that comes at the end of these short fast races. I think those are the only three possibilities, and I hope to have at least some answers soon. At the very least, the next run block in the fall can only help in the long-term.
Today was a lesson on levels. By any conventional standard, I'm pretty fast. Humility dictates an "aw shucks" reaction from me, but I have to admit 5 AG podiums in seven races, top 10 every time, and regularly in the top 5% overall translates into being pretty good. But the gap to the real competition is still big (even if it is shrinking). I was fourth, but second and third were five minutes ahead. So there's a tier above me. Amazingly, first in the age-group was another five minutes up on second, so that's another tier up. And somehow, the overall winner was a further four minutes up the road. So in a race lasting about an hour and half, the top of the pyramid was fourteen minutes clear. There's work left do, and about nine months to do it. Will I pick up those fourteen minutes, or the ten, or even the five? There's only one way to find out: do the work then roll the dice.
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