The venue for Lakeside Tri is spectacular. At the site there is lots of parking, the transition area is right at the edge of the lake where we swim, the registration and race expo is just beside transition. On top of that, there is even a park for kids to play at while their parents race! The course at Lakeside it great for a beginner and a seasoned athlete who likes a challenge. The swim is usually calm, the water is warm (but still wetsuit legal!) and it's two loops for the Olympic (so you are never far form shore). The bike is a rectangle so you make mostly only right turns, the terrain is rolling and the roads are mostly well paved. There is a short 5km section near the end that has some steeper pitches, but, for the beginners - you are nearly done by then and for the faster athletes - this is a good chance to make some gains on your competitors. The run is on a half dirt/cement/gravel road, with a bit of a hill at the 2.5km turnaround. The packed dirt is a nice change from the hard gravel roads we usually run on. All in all, you get an enjoyable and fairly fast day at Lakeside Triathlon.
How was my race at Lakeside? It was great! I have to admit that I get cold very easily, so I was a bit chilled to start the swim (even with a good warmup). When the gun went off to signal the start of the race I just tried to move my arms and legs as fast as I could to get the blood circulating to those muscles. I felt a bit like a flailing fish! I used male Pro Dan Clarke as my carrot and just tried to keep up with him. We swam together for most of the race, but I really fell behind on the last 200-300m of the swim. I think that when the water gets shallow the tall people can just run through it, but I have to either swim or dolphin dive as I'm too short to run through that depth of water! I was also experiencing some really bad left calf and hamstring tightness after my 25km run on Friday, so I didn't want to chance running more than I needed to. So, after a slow swim exit, I cautiously ran to my bike, then I put on my windbreaker vest (yes, I did!) and was off on the ride. I didn't know how my legs would feel. I had done a 200km ride on Wednesday, so I knew I wouldn't be fresh. To my surprise, I actually did feel really good. I focused on holding right around my threshold power (210-215W) and pushing a bit harder than I normally do up the hills. I could see a few guys who passed me early on in the ride up ahead and I tried to keep them within my sight. Eventually, I caught up to and passed one near the end of the ride. For the first race this year, I held the same power in the first 5km as I did in the last 5km. Success! Then it was on to the run. I had no idea what to expect. I had not slept much the night prior because I was so worried about my left calf and hamstring! It was hard to descend stairs on Saturday, so I was thinking "how will I get through a race on Sunday?" Somehow, my body knew what to do. I took the first 1km a bit tentatively, but then I realized that I was going to be OK. I pushed hard for the next 6.5km and then realized that I had a good lead, was getting tired and wanted to save my legs a bit for Barrelman this weekend, so I backed off the pace a tiny bit. I crossed the finish line and was ecstatic to take my 4th win of 4 races in the series :)
Stats:
Swim - Garmin says: 1664m, 22:52 (1:23/100m) - and that I swam on course, SportsStats: 22:51
Bike - Garmin says: 206W (210W NP), 87rpm, 167bpm, SportStats: 1:07:44, 35.4kph *this is my highest power for an Oly*
Run - Garmin says: 42:21, 4:13/km, 174bpm, SportStats: 42:21
Overall - 2:14:53
Thank you:
- The Multisport crew, volunteers and Tri Ontario officials
- High Rock Capital Management, my title sponsor. Check out the video about what they do
- My parents for their continued love and support throughout this crazy adventure of mine.
- My sisters for being my inspiration to work hard and never give up.
- Adam for doing A LOT of driving, for keeping me calm when I get anxious and for making me want to be the best version of myself. It helps so much to have him there on race day.
- My health care team of Dr. Mark Schofield, David Lamy (RMT), Bill Wells (Chiro) and Michael Hong (Acupuncture). A high stress life makes you more prone to injuries. I am so fortunate to have these guys!
- All my readers for their support and for following me in my triathlon endeavours
- Fellow athletes at the race and training partners, especially Sara and everyone at WattsUp and TTC!
- Endurosport for building me the perfect bike and all your mechanical help
- My sponsors: Title Sponsor:High Rock Capital Management, WattsUp Cycling, MultiSport Canada, Blade Wheels, The Urban Athlete, Fitt1st Bike Fitting
No comments:
Post a Comment