Race Report: Bracebridge Olympic Triathlon

What a weekend in Bracebridge! On Saturday I got to watch the racers complete the Try-a-Tri and the Sprint distance events as a volunteer. I had a few athletes I coach race in both events, saw some familiar faces and got caught up with athletes I hadn't seen in awhile. That's why these events are so great. Local races really bring ALL Ontario triathletes together and help to keep our triathlon community strong. Let's keep the participation high!

On the Sunday, I got to take part in the Olympic distance event in Bracebridge. I have always loved this race. I competed in this race back when it was a half-ironman, and anytime it fits my race schedule I aim to participate. Last year I competed in the swim-bike (knee still recovering), so this year it was great to be able to complete the full race.

1. The highlights of the day included:

- My swim. I think I finally am back on track with my swimming!! In looking at the results, I won this race based on my swim time!
- Seeing my sister (Sara) finish 1st in her age group (F25-29). Sara has been training consistently and very steadily building her fitness, while balancing her role as a mum and teacher. It was great to see her patience and dedication pay off!
- Running pain-free! My long run in the past month was at the half-ironman 2 weeks ago. I have only run every other day in the past 4 weeks. So, putting together a half-decent run that was relatively pain free (still had some tightness in my hamstrings) was HUGE! I hope this means I can run consistently until Barrelman.
- The venue and course itself. What a beautiful place to host a race. The swim course was easy to navigate, the bike course was varied and challenging, but not too hard, the run course was along the river and mostly on paved roads (not gravel - I am not a fan of gravel!)

2. Learning points:

- I need to work on my mental state on the bike. In training, I have been able to consistently perform at the level I want to be at. On race day, however, I seem to lose confidence in my ability and I can't hold my power at the same level as I should. This only causes me to lose about 5W, but still, I want to be able to tolerate pain a little more so I can bike stronger on race day.

3. Pictures:

Swim: While the rest of the athletes got a TT start, the 12 Elite-Age Group/Pro athletes all started together. Of course, I got kicked in my left fibula (the one that's been an issue) right away so that was worrisome. However, it proved to be a non-issue. I swam with two other guys and felt this was my best swim yet this year. On Tuesday I did a set of 15x100 on 1:25 to get ready and this seemed to help my swim confidence.

Bike: The bike started off really well, I was in my power target range of 190-200W and having fun. On the 20km return I seemed to lose some of my motivation and my power dropped off significantly. I basically rode alone - which had me questioning at times whether I was even on the course! I pushed strong at the end of the race and my power recovered a bit, but I'm still somewhat disappointed with my result. If I can hold 191W in training, I should be able to hold it in a race situation!

Run: The run today was mostly focused on getting 10km in without injury. I hadn't planned on "racing" the run. I ran in tempo pace to keep my niggles at bay and this was a success! A Zone 3 tempo heart rate of 168bpm got me a decent run in and I was more than pleased!

Happy to break the tape!

4. Interview with another participant: SARA

Q. Name, Age, One word to describe yourself?
A. Sara, 28, Outgoing

Q. How long have you been doing triathlons?
A. 5 years

Q. What was one highlight of today's event?
A. Winning First Place in my age group as well as taking about 7 minutes off my time from last year.

Q. What did you eat for breakfast?
A. Blueberry Muffin from McDonalds, thats what I eat before every race.

Q. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a triathlon?
A. It was my second triathlon (Bracebridge Sprint Triathlon), I was coming out of the water, after the swim, and saw my family cheering, but didn’t see my husband. So i yelled really loud, “Where’s Kevin?” He was running late because he was up late the night before and didn’t set his alarm. I can laugh about it now.

Q. What did you think about on the bike today?
A. Winning & that these hills are killer

Q. What is one thing you are proud of about yourself, either in triathlon or in the rest of life?
A. I am proud to have finished all the Triathlon races I have competed in: Sprint, Olympic and especially Ironman 70.3. I am proud of making podium in two of my three races this year. I am proud that my sister is able to coach me and be there at all my races, either cheering me on or racing with me. She is my inspiration! I am proud that my husband, Kevin and daughter, Maddy are there to support me through my training and for all my races. Especially when I keep saying, “Just want to do one more race.” I am proud of Family and everything that they do!

Q. What/when is your next event?
A. I am thinking about Barrelman, but will be competing in the Scotiabank Half-Marathon.

Q. What do you like best about the MultiSport Canada race series?
A. The organization, all the great people who put it together, the volunteers, these races wouldn’t be possible without them. And the chocolate milk at the end ;)

5. Course Information

6. TrainingPeaks/Quantitative Race information for those interested

WARMUP: 30 minute bike, practicing getting my feet in and out of shoes while they were in the pedals, 5 minute run, 400m swim warmup with 3x40 strokes fast

SWIM: 1500m, 20:33 (~1:20/100m)*I actually managed to stay on course!*

BIKE: Speed - 35.85kph, NP - 185W (3.4W/kg, 90% of FTP), Avg Power - 176W, Avg HR - 164bpm, Avg Cadence - 83rpm

RUN: 10.35km (according to my watch), 43:59 (4:15/km), Avg HR - 168bpm

7. Thank-you:

- My parents for their continued love and support throughout this crazy adventure of mine. Yes, they drive 5 hours to be at Bracebridge for the race
- Wheels of Bloor for coming to my rescue the Friday before the race. I had a broken elbow rest (not the pad, the actual rest) and they came up with a solution that worked wonders!
- My health care team of David Lamy (RMT), Bill Wells (Chiro) and Michael Hong (Acupuncture). I wouldn't have been able to race this one without you.
- Adam, my coach and partner, and just a great guy in general. He keeps me calm when I get anxious and so it helps so much to have him there on race day.
- All my readers for their support and for following me in my triathlon endeavours
- MultiSport Canada and all the volunteers!
- Fellow athletes at the race and training partners, especially those at WattsUp!
- My other coaches: Kim and Nigel from NRG
- My sponsors: High Rock Capital Management, WattsUp Cycling, MultiSport Canada, The Urban Athlete, Fitt1st Bike Fitting