Terrain: woods, fairly flat
Weather: beautiful day, warm
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| Route Link |
2012-09-16
2012-09-15
Lakeside Sprint Triathlon
The final triathlon in the MSC series, and my first time trial, as I actually did this one last year on my heavy-ass commuter bike. That was also back when I could run, so the times for this year's race would prove to look like someone else had impersonated me by comparison.
It was a super-carpool edition to this race, as I got KB to grab one of the few final spots in this race in the hopes that she could finally do a proper triathlon on her third attempt - so we stuffed ourselves and our bikes into ML's car and took the endless ride to Lakeside, a needle-in-a-haystack somewhere out between Woodstock and London.
Eine kleine rant:
We did arrive a bit late for comfort, and since the race was over-sold and they had rearranged the TA to fit as many bikes as possible, it was quite tight. ML was in his primo fast gentlemen's area near the exit, and KB was pretty close too in the overflow late registrants' area. As usual, the rest of the ladies were stuck in the back. But behold! I see a perfect 4' piece of space at the near end of my AG rack, so I go for it. Well that didn't sit too well with a fast-looking girl to my opposite right. Her towel was taking up most of that space, and she complained that now it would be hard for her to get to her stuff with my front wheel "in the way." Firstly, the amount of space available was exactly per MSC photo instructions. Secondly, this TA was extra-tight, and every piece of space needed to be used. Thirdly, our rack still managed to look exactly the same as at every other tri I'd done this season. All I could think was, "take a look around, princess!" After a polite argument, she let me stay. Geez. I was fairly sure this was the girl whom I expected to win this race, which made this confrontation doubly ridiculous. I had meant to readjust my brakes, which were rubbing as we walked from the car, but she totally made me forget, gah.
I used my wetsuit this time, which probably did as much harm as good - but it was chilly in that little lake. The swim went by as normal for me - slowly. But pretty good sighting. Still a pathetic 10th place out of the water. Taking off the wetsuit wasn't a total tragedy. But my break pads were definitely squealing on the way out of T1, so I had to stop and fiddle with them. Crap.
The nice thing about starting way back out of the swim is you get to pass everybody. It's extremely satisfying. But the not-so-nice thing about it is that you have to pass everybody. I ended up wishing for a pre-recorded sound effect of "on your left," as I got tired of yelling it out. I'm sure the constant passing was eating into my time. Nevertheless, we were flying out to the turnaround with a crazy tailwind. Of course I didn't realize that until we actually did turn around. I just thought I was having a great race! Then BAM. On the way back, it was like we were tethered. It felt worse than climbing a steep hill. I finally got passed by a couple of guys, although they went past me with the familiar whoosh-whoosh of their disc wheels, so can't feel too bad about that! Turned out I had passed 6 women in my AG somewhere in that mass of riders.
I had no idea where I was in my placing heading out for the run, and I knew that provided Princess would win the race, I'd need at least a 6th place finish to overtake her on points and get my 3rd place in the series. One girl my age tried to overtake me right out of T2. Nuh-uh. I put on some speed and left her behind. I started seeing some female racers returning somewhere at 1.5km / 3.5km, Princess included, but it was hard to tell who else was in my AG. I finally caught one girl about 3km in, and we jostled back and forth for a few hundred metres, neither able to drop the other. When we caught up to a few slower people running abreast, I took the outside to pass, and she was left stuck behind them. She couldn't catch me after that. I sprinted in and shook RD John Salt's hand one last time with abundant thank-yous for a wonderful series.
This was to be a truly awesome end to a year for both me and my season-long race buddy ML. He finally battled past the super-talented guys in his AG and grabbed a 3rd place podium spot - so well deserved, as that is a seriously competitive group! And then it was my turn - also 3rd! Thank goodness I was able to hold off that one girl and then pass the other one.
To speed up the awards ahead of the kids' races, they would cram both the men and women in each group onto the same podium, so ML and I have an award photo together, yay! Also felt so good to get up there in our club gear, so proud.
On top of that, I got catapulted up to 2nd place in the series, and ML safely locked up 3rd, so we'll be getting even more awards later in the fall. So awesome.
As we were clearing out of the TA, I showed ML the space I had picked for a second opinion - and his second opinion was that this was the perfect place to put another bike. So there.
Swim - 16:41 / 2:14
T1 - 1:57
Bike - 42:05 / 28.5
T2 - 1:01
Run - 24:46 / 4:58
A comparison to last year's times on the exact same course reveals that... hold on, let me get the data...
It was a super-carpool edition to this race, as I got KB to grab one of the few final spots in this race in the hopes that she could finally do a proper triathlon on her third attempt - so we stuffed ourselves and our bikes into ML's car and took the endless ride to Lakeside, a needle-in-a-haystack somewhere out between Woodstock and London.
Eine kleine rant:
We did arrive a bit late for comfort, and since the race was over-sold and they had rearranged the TA to fit as many bikes as possible, it was quite tight. ML was in his primo fast gentlemen's area near the exit, and KB was pretty close too in the overflow late registrants' area. As usual, the rest of the ladies were stuck in the back. But behold! I see a perfect 4' piece of space at the near end of my AG rack, so I go for it. Well that didn't sit too well with a fast-looking girl to my opposite right. Her towel was taking up most of that space, and she complained that now it would be hard for her to get to her stuff with my front wheel "in the way." Firstly, the amount of space available was exactly per MSC photo instructions. Secondly, this TA was extra-tight, and every piece of space needed to be used. Thirdly, our rack still managed to look exactly the same as at every other tri I'd done this season. All I could think was, "take a look around, princess!" After a polite argument, she let me stay. Geez. I was fairly sure this was the girl whom I expected to win this race, which made this confrontation doubly ridiculous. I had meant to readjust my brakes, which were rubbing as we walked from the car, but she totally made me forget, gah.
I used my wetsuit this time, which probably did as much harm as good - but it was chilly in that little lake. The swim went by as normal for me - slowly. But pretty good sighting. Still a pathetic 10th place out of the water. Taking off the wetsuit wasn't a total tragedy. But my break pads were definitely squealing on the way out of T1, so I had to stop and fiddle with them. Crap.
The nice thing about starting way back out of the swim is you get to pass everybody. It's extremely satisfying. But the not-so-nice thing about it is that you have to pass everybody. I ended up wishing for a pre-recorded sound effect of "on your left," as I got tired of yelling it out. I'm sure the constant passing was eating into my time. Nevertheless, we were flying out to the turnaround with a crazy tailwind. Of course I didn't realize that until we actually did turn around. I just thought I was having a great race! Then BAM. On the way back, it was like we were tethered. It felt worse than climbing a steep hill. I finally got passed by a couple of guys, although they went past me with the familiar whoosh-whoosh of their disc wheels, so can't feel too bad about that! Turned out I had passed 6 women in my AG somewhere in that mass of riders.
I had no idea where I was in my placing heading out for the run, and I knew that provided Princess would win the race, I'd need at least a 6th place finish to overtake her on points and get my 3rd place in the series. One girl my age tried to overtake me right out of T2. Nuh-uh. I put on some speed and left her behind. I started seeing some female racers returning somewhere at 1.5km / 3.5km, Princess included, but it was hard to tell who else was in my AG. I finally caught one girl about 3km in, and we jostled back and forth for a few hundred metres, neither able to drop the other. When we caught up to a few slower people running abreast, I took the outside to pass, and she was left stuck behind them. She couldn't catch me after that. I sprinted in and shook RD John Salt's hand one last time with abundant thank-yous for a wonderful series.
 |
| Toronto Triathlon Club on the podium! |
To speed up the awards ahead of the kids' races, they would cram both the men and women in each group onto the same podium, so ML and I have an award photo together, yay! Also felt so good to get up there in our club gear, so proud.
On top of that, I got catapulted up to 2nd place in the series, and ML safely locked up 3rd, so we'll be getting even more awards later in the fall. So awesome.
As we were clearing out of the TA, I showed ML the space I had picked for a second opinion - and his second opinion was that this was the perfect place to put another bike. So there.
Swim - 16:41 / 2:14
T1 - 1:57
Bike - 42:05 / 28.5
T2 - 1:01
Run - 24:46 / 4:58
| S | T1 | B | T2 | R | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place in Discipline | 10 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 |
| Place in Real Time | 10 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
A comparison to last year's times on the exact same course reveals that... hold on, let me get the data...
Location:
Lakeside, ON
2012-09-11
XSNRG Running
Warm-up: 1km + dynamic stretches
10x 2mins, 1min rest
Joined the group on their 7th loop, so had to do my last 6 by myself while they cooled down, but I got through it. Getting progressively slower and more sluggish. Started with more than 1 loop of the flats in 2 cycles, then dropped to less, then finished with about 1 complete loop.
Cool-down: dynamic stretches, calf stretches, 1km
--Distance: 7.1km
--Duration: ~50mins
At home, finally foam-rolled the calves, ouch!
10x 2mins, 1min rest
Joined the group on their 7th loop, so had to do my last 6 by myself while they cooled down, but I got through it. Getting progressively slower and more sluggish. Started with more than 1 loop of the flats in 2 cycles, then dropped to less, then finished with about 1 complete loop.
Cool-down: dynamic stretches, calf stretches, 1km
--Distance: 7.1km
--Duration: ~50mins
At home, finally foam-rolled the calves, ouch!
2012-09-08
Wasaga Beach Duathlon
The night before the very popular Wasaga triathlon, well attended by my fellow members of the Toronto Triathlon Club, we
all started realizing that we might be starting in the middle of a rainstorm.
Having already had last week’s triathlon converted to a duathlon, I was really
hoping that we would get a normal Olympic race this time, but I was preparing
for any eventuality. The one-day event combines a sprint, an Olympic and a
try-tri in close succession, so there is little room for moving things around!
It was already raining by the time I got to my MSC series race buddy ML ‘s place to carpool together to Wasaga. The race site was considerably colder than Toronto, and chaotic with anxious sprinters, who had just found out that we all, in fact, would not be swimming in the rough white caps of Georgian Bay nor in the polluted water of the back-up river. I would have a duathlon once again. Their race and ours were both delayed, and several of us stood around in the drizzle, covered by shiny emergency blankets, waiting for even the sprint race to start, let alone to find out when we would get to go, not to mention what our course would even look like.
The transition was open-rack, so after a minute of incredulous standing and looking around in the middle of the sparsely-populated Oly space, I finally tossed my bike in a primo spot right near the run exit, feeling like I got away with murder! Once again, all that went into my TA was my bright orange towel and my bike shoes, which is so weird. I didn’t want to try any mount line heroics, being out of practice. But I would get to wear socks, neat. I did a nice slow warm-up run and dynamic stretches. I tried to look out for my sprinting friend KB, thwarted yet again in her goal to complete a true triathlon, but unfortunately must have missed her going through. Waited some more with a bunch of club friends, and finally headed to the race briefing, where we were told that we have to start with a beach run to avoid the returning sprinters. It would be a 5-28-5.
I was really reserved on the first run, banking on the fact that most of these people probably hadn’t done a du before (and I’m such an expert!) The crowd rushed past me, and since we were the last wave, it seemed like I was at the very back. Got through the sluggish run with just the faintest stitch in my side.
On the bike, I was really worried about the wet roads, but it turned out the course is essentially flat, so I picked up some confidence during the ride out. Some encouraging smiles from first-wavers ML and JC got me pedalling a bit faster, although I got worried about a persistent twinge in my calf. But I found it so easy to stay in the mid-30s on this course. After the turn-around, I got into aero more often and started catching and passing people. I still felt like I was at the back, but actually it wasn’t so bad. The rain picked up, but it was more fun than anything else on the flats, and I got even faster as the back way was a very light downhill.
Getting back on the run loop, I felt
amazing within a few hundred metres. There was a young girl ahead of me, and
she seemed to be running a confident but similar pace, and I let her pull me
along and past a bunch of other racers. While I’d been jittery on the
bike, this run was my time to shine. I told myself, “Time to start taking
people out.” Thankfully I’m very aware of my own pace and ability, so I can be
aggressive without over-doing it. This girl and I slowly but surely overtook a
number of racers. I caught her after the
turn-around, but she said nuh-uh and pulled away. At this point, we were
running through ankle-deep puddles more often than not. Towards the end, it was
a veritable torrential downpour, and felt pretty awesome! I shouted loud
thank-yous to all the soggy cold volunteers, still manning their aid stations
like pros.
Maybe 1.5km out, I caught a girl who had foolishly forgotten to turn her bib around after the bike, and I read her name. This was my current rival in MSC series point standings! She was right behind me in 7th, but I was sure she would beat me in this race and overtake me, making it nearly impossible for me to lock up 3rd place. I looked her up later, and although she’s a much faster swimmer and rider, she can’t run to save her life. Terrible luck for her having to do a duathlon! I calmly and slowly passed her so she wouldn’t feel threatened, and continued on.
In the final straightaway, my pacing bunny took off and was impossible to catch. I took one look back to make sure I’d dropped everyone behind me, realized that I’d beaten my rival, and put on my patented finishing sprint, taking out two more racers on the way, one of whom was in my AG.
It’s official: no matter what kind of race it is beforehand, I live for that final run. I felt incredible, physically and mentally. And I negative-split the du again.
By the time we were packing up to leave, the wind had picked up to gale-force, and while the only restriction on our bike course was the prohibition of disc wheels, the poor try-tri’ers, who had waited seemingly forever for their race to start, huddling under any tent they could, were to shortly discover that they would be neither swimming nor biking. What a mega-bummer! But ML and I were beyond much care, soaked to the bone and shaking, and we took off for sunny Toronto.
At this point, I'm 4th in the series, and if we get full Oly-level points for this effort, I'm all but assured 3rd by the end of next week's race, with a decent chance at 2nd. If we only get sprint points, it will be incredibly tough to make the series awards, but either way, I will be making the most of the Lakeside Sprint.
Run 1 - 26:29 / 5:18
T1 - 1:02
Bike - 57:44 / 29.1
T2 - 0:58
Run 2 - 24:53 / 4:59
--Distance: 38km
--Duration: 1:51:03
It was already raining by the time I got to my MSC series race buddy ML ‘s place to carpool together to Wasaga. The race site was considerably colder than Toronto, and chaotic with anxious sprinters, who had just found out that we all, in fact, would not be swimming in the rough white caps of Georgian Bay nor in the polluted water of the back-up river. I would have a duathlon once again. Their race and ours were both delayed, and several of us stood around in the drizzle, covered by shiny emergency blankets, waiting for even the sprint race to start, let alone to find out when we would get to go, not to mention what our course would even look like.
The transition was open-rack, so after a minute of incredulous standing and looking around in the middle of the sparsely-populated Oly space, I finally tossed my bike in a primo spot right near the run exit, feeling like I got away with murder! Once again, all that went into my TA was my bright orange towel and my bike shoes, which is so weird. I didn’t want to try any mount line heroics, being out of practice. But I would get to wear socks, neat. I did a nice slow warm-up run and dynamic stretches. I tried to look out for my sprinting friend KB, thwarted yet again in her goal to complete a true triathlon, but unfortunately must have missed her going through. Waited some more with a bunch of club friends, and finally headed to the race briefing, where we were told that we have to start with a beach run to avoid the returning sprinters. It would be a 5-28-5.
I was really reserved on the first run, banking on the fact that most of these people probably hadn’t done a du before (and I’m such an expert!) The crowd rushed past me, and since we were the last wave, it seemed like I was at the very back. Got through the sluggish run with just the faintest stitch in my side.
On the bike, I was really worried about the wet roads, but it turned out the course is essentially flat, so I picked up some confidence during the ride out. Some encouraging smiles from first-wavers ML and JC got me pedalling a bit faster, although I got worried about a persistent twinge in my calf. But I found it so easy to stay in the mid-30s on this course. After the turn-around, I got into aero more often and started catching and passing people. I still felt like I was at the back, but actually it wasn’t so bad. The rain picked up, but it was more fun than anything else on the flats, and I got even faster as the back way was a very light downhill.
 |
| Finishing in the flood |
Maybe 1.5km out, I caught a girl who had foolishly forgotten to turn her bib around after the bike, and I read her name. This was my current rival in MSC series point standings! She was right behind me in 7th, but I was sure she would beat me in this race and overtake me, making it nearly impossible for me to lock up 3rd place. I looked her up later, and although she’s a much faster swimmer and rider, she can’t run to save her life. Terrible luck for her having to do a duathlon! I calmly and slowly passed her so she wouldn’t feel threatened, and continued on.
In the final straightaway, my pacing bunny took off and was impossible to catch. I took one look back to make sure I’d dropped everyone behind me, realized that I’d beaten my rival, and put on my patented finishing sprint, taking out two more racers on the way, one of whom was in my AG.
It’s official: no matter what kind of race it is beforehand, I live for that final run. I felt incredible, physically and mentally. And I negative-split the du again.
By the time we were packing up to leave, the wind had picked up to gale-force, and while the only restriction on our bike course was the prohibition of disc wheels, the poor try-tri’ers, who had waited seemingly forever for their race to start, huddling under any tent they could, were to shortly discover that they would be neither swimming nor biking. What a mega-bummer! But ML and I were beyond much care, soaked to the bone and shaking, and we took off for sunny Toronto.
At this point, I'm 4th in the series, and if we get full Oly-level points for this effort, I'm all but assured 3rd by the end of next week's race, with a decent chance at 2nd. If we only get sprint points, it will be incredibly tough to make the series awards, but either way, I will be making the most of the Lakeside Sprint.
Run 1 - 26:29 / 5:18
T1 - 1:02
Bike - 57:44 / 29.1
T2 - 0:58
Run 2 - 24:53 / 4:59
| R | T1 | B | T2 | R | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place in Discipline | 9 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Place in Real Time | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
--Distance: 38km
--Duration: 1:51:03
Location:
Wasaga Beach, ON
2012-09-05
Open Water Swim
4x ~340m
Skilz: rolling, 80% catch-up, hand pull, relaxing.
Definitely more relaxed on the second lap!
Lake was very warm, but I was the only one without a wetsuit. So peaceful after the long weekend and late in the evening.
--Distance: ~1350m
--Duration: ~40mins
2012-09-02
Ontario Women's Sprint Duathlon
Yes, DUathlon. No, I did not sign up for that of my own free will. I found out about this TRIathlon race a few days before, as my friend KB had signed up, wanting to get back into triathlons after quite a long break. I thought it would be exciting to do it together. It was located in the daunting foothills under the Escarpment in Milton, but I was up for a mental challenge. Unfortunately we were notified the day before that Kelso Lake is infested with bacteria, and that all races were being converted to a duathlon. There's a first (and last) time for everything!
The Women's Triathlon is a small, spare race, geared towards beginners, and offers a sprint and super-sprint/try-tri. Being a ladies' race, they don't even put your age on your calf, just your wave - go figure! The concrete TA left a bit to be desired, as my pampered feet are used to the grassy parks normally used by MSC. I racked my bike on the unsteady metal beam, incredulously donned my sneakers, looked down at my orange towel with nothing but bike shoes on it, and tried to figure out how to tackle the opening 2.5km sprint.
My friend and winning duathlete PK had admonished me not to kill myself on the first run, and I'd looked up the bike course to reveal a long steady climb in the first half, so I tried to be conservative. The run loop was also quite hilly, but I managed to pass a bunch of people in my wave, especially on the downhills. But I didn't get out ahead, and it turns out I actually would run faster on the 5km.
The 20km bike course was indeed a long climb, but I can get pretty aggressive going up hills, and I managed to catch and pass some of the actual (signed-up) duathletes, who had started in the wave before mine. I think it wasn't until the turnaround that I got caught up - by a couple of people two waves behind mine... That's what happens when you're too afraid to stay in aero most of the race. I lost a few more spots towards the end as well.
I didn't think transition would be a big deal in this flippin' race, but turns out my tri shoes are pretty much only good for being put on once. When I'd pulled them off, the soles came out, so I had a dilly of a pickle of a time trying to stuff them back in followed by my feet. Lost a few more racers this way, poo.
I've said I don't like looped courses (because I'm excited by the unknown), but knowing what was ahead on the two loops of the second run made it much easier to vary my approach to each section. I knew when I could attack. And it secretly felt good to lap a few people on the second loop, tee hee.
Unlike usually, I was surprised I didn't have my finishing kick. I couldn't catch another girl in my wave, so the best I could do was 6th out of 44 in my AG, with a time of 1:20:39 - just as I'd predicted for this race, though!
KB followed some time later, a bit sidelined by a mid-run stitch, but triumphantly finishing what may be the first of many tri(du)athlons. She'd been really bummed out because she had been practising her swimming for months, but I think she took it as a great accomplishment anyhow. It's actually nice that several hundred people, many of them newbies, took the duathlon in stride and did their best.
Run 1 - 12:43 / 5:05
T1 - 1:06
Bike - 41:14 / 29.1
T2 - 1:20
Run 2 - 24:22 / 4:53
--Distance: 27.5km
--Duration: 1:20:39
The Women's Triathlon is a small, spare race, geared towards beginners, and offers a sprint and super-sprint/try-tri. Being a ladies' race, they don't even put your age on your calf, just your wave - go figure! The concrete TA left a bit to be desired, as my pampered feet are used to the grassy parks normally used by MSC. I racked my bike on the unsteady metal beam, incredulously donned my sneakers, looked down at my orange towel with nothing but bike shoes on it, and tried to figure out how to tackle the opening 2.5km sprint.
My friend and winning duathlete PK had admonished me not to kill myself on the first run, and I'd looked up the bike course to reveal a long steady climb in the first half, so I tried to be conservative. The run loop was also quite hilly, but I managed to pass a bunch of people in my wave, especially on the downhills. But I didn't get out ahead, and it turns out I actually would run faster on the 5km.
The 20km bike course was indeed a long climb, but I can get pretty aggressive going up hills, and I managed to catch and pass some of the actual (signed-up) duathletes, who had started in the wave before mine. I think it wasn't until the turnaround that I got caught up - by a couple of people two waves behind mine... That's what happens when you're too afraid to stay in aero most of the race. I lost a few more spots towards the end as well.
I didn't think transition would be a big deal in this flippin' race, but turns out my tri shoes are pretty much only good for being put on once. When I'd pulled them off, the soles came out, so I had a dilly of a pickle of a time trying to stuff them back in followed by my feet. Lost a few more racers this way, poo.
I've said I don't like looped courses (because I'm excited by the unknown), but knowing what was ahead on the two loops of the second run made it much easier to vary my approach to each section. I knew when I could attack. And it secretly felt good to lap a few people on the second loop, tee hee.
Unlike usually, I was surprised I didn't have my finishing kick. I couldn't catch another girl in my wave, so the best I could do was 6th out of 44 in my AG, with a time of 1:20:39 - just as I'd predicted for this race, though!
KB followed some time later, a bit sidelined by a mid-run stitch, but triumphantly finishing what may be the first of many tri(du)athlons. She'd been really bummed out because she had been practising her swimming for months, but I think she took it as a great accomplishment anyhow. It's actually nice that several hundred people, many of them newbies, took the duathlon in stride and did their best.
Run 1 - 12:43 / 5:05
T1 - 1:06
Bike - 41:14 / 29.1
T2 - 1:20
Run 2 - 24:22 / 4:53
| R | T1 | B | T2 | R | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place in Discipline | 8 | - | 10 | - | 5 | 6 |
| Place in Real Time | 8 | - | 6 | - | 6 | 6 |
--Distance: 27.5km
--Duration: 1:20:39
Location:
Milton, ON
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