Time to DU it again - Esprit Duathlon Race Report

I added the Esprit Duathlon to my race calendar after the Worlds here in Ottawa as I felt I needed to redeem myself. Sonia and I had talked about Spain for next year's Worlds and decided that we'd put that chat off until we saw IF I could qualify in Montreal, as it turns out, we won't need to have that chat.

Going into the race, I was unsure if my back would hold-up after the spasms I had in the Olympic last week so I decided the plan would be to race at perceived effort and rarely looked at my Garmin save to make sure I was on the right lap on the bike.

The stats:
Run 1: 55:29.9
Bike: 1:17:37 (includes both transitions I think as my Garmin showed the bike as 1:11 and some change)
Run 2: 32:42.8
Race total: 2:45:48.9 (PB of just under 5 minutes over Worlds in August)
21/25 M 45-49 (only the top 10 qualify for Worlds)
116/153 Men

Run 1 (10k):
Felt pretty good, my back was not causing any problems and thanks to the fact that there was a mix of age groupers and folks trying to qualify, I was not left in everyone's dust this time.

T1:
Went pretty well, it's a longish transition, but well marked and there were lots of volunteers to guide you.

Bike (40k):
A relatively flat course with some nice tight corners and thankfully DRY when I was out there. Since it is the Gilles Villeneuve race course, I couldn't help but make some F1 noises as I "opened it up" on the straight aways...in my head anyway.  My goal on the bike was to go hard for the first half and then ease up a bit so that I still had some legs left for the second run (learning from my mistake at Worlds). I managed this pretty well and spent the last couple of laps spinning things out. PB for this distance on the bike, and the good news, I didn't feel like I was going to puke.

T2:
Things did not go so smoothly here, it was a long transition off the bike to where the duathletes rack and maybe I pushed harder than I thought because when I got to the rack, I almost knocked the bike next to mine off the rack...a wee bit off balance. Transition took longer than normal for me, almost double, but again maybe that was due to the bike.

Run 2 (5k):
Overall a good run, not quite as fast as at Worlds, but at least I didn't feel like I was going to puke! No back issues which was surprising and a relief. Experienced some stomach issues that may be due to the new sports drink and chews that I am testing out before Chicago or maybe due to having Greek as the pre-race supper the night before (not my regular pre-race supper).

After the race I was feeling a little defeated when I saw that I hadn't qualified, not that I honestly expected to as I knew the calibre of the racers at the world level, but in the back of my mind I still thought I MIGHT have a chance. Two things helped give me perspective and “reset the brain"

1. Seeing other OTC peeps out there enjoying their fitness, racing with a smile (thanks for that hug Annick, you probably didn't realise how much it helped at the time).

2. Meeting up with my friend Isabelle after the race and hearing about her battle with a rare, incurable form of cancer. Isabelle is a runner and has been unable to run due to the effects of her multiple treatments over the last 8 months. She's about to get a break from chemo and IF she's given the green light and has any energy at all, she plans to race, she misses the positivity of the race environment so much that she just HAS to get back out there if she can. We've decided we'll run together and celebrate every step!

Lessons learned:
Perception is not reality, reviewing the stats when I got home was when I realised I had a PB, even though I didn't feel like I went as hard as I had at Worlds.
Slow is relative and I can do something about it.
Nutrition needs work and maybe more thought and planning.

One last Tri - Canadian Triathlon Race Report

Race Dedication:

Race morning I received news that my good friend Jane’s father had passed away, just shy of his 91st birthday.  He inspired so many people, competing in races well into his 80's and always with a smile on his face and kind words for his fellow competitors and advice and encouragement for those of us who were new to the sport.  He was a war hero (though he would never have accepted that title and was very private about his experiences during the war) flying as part of many secret and dangerous missions.

I decided that I would race in the name of a hero, a man who never claimed that title, but lived his life that way and who after a valiant battle, sadly left us early Saturday morning and so I raced (with a smile) for Mr. (Smiling) Jack Galbraith.  R.I.P. you will be missed!


The short report:

Swim +t1: 41:57
Bike: 1:27:12
T2: 2:09
Run: 1:07:19
Overall: 3:18:35.7, 85 overall, 57/74 men, 9/13 m 45-49

The long report:

The Canadian was my first Olympic distance Triathlon as well and it was FANTASTIC to have the support of the OTC, it made all the difference.

I had not planned on doing an Olympic distance event until next year, but with the confidence gained from doing Bring on the Bay and the encouragement of fellow OTC members (the good peer pressure), I decided to give this distance a Tri.

Last year at the Canadian, I did my first open water event at the super-sprint distance and my plan then was SURVIVE the swim, hammer the bike and leave nothing in the tank on the run, this year with all of the excellent instruction and tips gained from Coaches Geordie, Holly and Sean, I adjusted the goal, ENJOY the swim, hammer the bike and empty the tank on the run, but above all HAVE FUN and finish with a smile.

For the first time leading up to a tri (or any event involving a swim) I didn't feel nervous, instead I was feeling excited and really looking forward to the race and hanging out with other OTC folks after the race, that's BIGGER than I can explain in words, to feel that calm about the swim portion was so different for me, it was weird and wonderful at the same time, so weird that I started to question if maybe I was feeling too calm and maybe too confident...decided to shake that thought off and go with calm and confident based on a summer filled with LOTS of swimming.


I got to the race site WAY early which is just part of my race day routine, was able to pick up my race kit, get myself setup in the t-zone and had plenty of time to hangout at the OTC tent, and head down to the beach to see and cheer on a few OTC folks coming out of the water including Garry who was serving as a swim angel for Erin as she did the swim leg for her relay team, (we need to get you some wings buddy, and not water wings!), it was truly inspirational to see not only how people are facing and overcoming their own challenges but how the people like Garry and Geordie continue to strengthen and grow our triathlon community by helping others along their journey.

After that is was time to go do my walkthrough, final checks of all equipment in the T-zone and the last trip to the washroom before slipping into the wetsuit. Down to the beach for Geordie's orientation talk, a few last minute chats with OTC and other folks I knew who were also racing this and then the warm-up swim. Still feeling relatively calm up to this point.

Swim:
It was a beach start, another first for me and I was doing my best to get to the back of the crowd, self-seeding as a “patient” swimmer, but I stopped about halfway back, not sure that it was a conscious decision, but that’s where I was when we started, ran (or at least it felt like I was running) into the water and “jostled” with others for a bit of open water. In the first 100m, I was kicked, elbowed, swam over, grabbed, none of which I am sure was intentional, but in the melee, my goggles got knocked loose and one side was filling with water, switched to a modified breast stroke, fixed my goggles and got back into my swim groove.

The rest of the swim was pretty uneventful, stuck to my rhythm, miscounted and realized that what I thought was the last buoy was actually second last (couldn’t see the green beach buoys) but didn’t let that bother me, just kept swimming. I have to chalk this up as one of my best ever swims, and the best part of the race for me, not necessarily from a time perspective, but because I didn’t panic, I didn’t let the bumping around at the start throw me off and I kept a simple mantra throughout “think happy thoughts” , I event tried to smile while breathing...or imagined that I was.

T1:
Jogged up the hill, and got an extra boost as I ran by the OTC tent and heard the cheers, Ya’ gotta’ love being part of this club!!

Bike:
I LOVE the bike course on the Canadian, FLAT & FAST, I managed to keep a fairly steady pace and was able to catch some of the folks who beat me out of the water, stayed in aero for all but the turnarounds and felt pretty good about the bike portion overall. I was grinning from ear to ear and doing my best to give a shoutout to all the OTC athletes out there, managed to pickout Andrew, Christina , Claude, Bryan and Bart and tried to give them a specific shoutout as we crossed paths.

T2:
This is where the wheels came off my race plan, I had tweaked my back the week before while on vacation and as soon as I stepped off the bike, and my back began to spasm. Transition was almost double my normal time as I had trouble bending over to get shoes changed and had to try to massage my lower back a bit. Decided that I would just start moving and see what happened. Crossing in front of the OTC tent I heard Ian (and maybe others) yelling to “go get the bacon”, brought the smile back to my face and maybe added a little extra oomph to my step.

Run:
With the back acting up I was not able to go as hard as I had hoped and struggled with the spasms, but ran as much as I could, taking walk breaks to massage the back from time to time and kept trying to keep the smile there. Spotted a few OTC folks out there and gave them shoutouts as we crossed paths and yes Christina was smiling every time I saw her...beaming actually, it got to where I could spot her smile before I knew it was her. Having the OTC tent just before the turnaround was a big help, re-energized me and helped me to be able to re-focus on the fun in spite of the back issues, I was still healthy enough to be out here and to be surrounded by so many supportive people! Sadly I never found the bacon on the run, I’m convinced Ian may have been pulling my leg on that one, though it may have been that the aid stations ran out by the time I got there due to the walk breaks.

I was very fortunate that there so many Ottawa Triathlon Club members at the events.  I received many a high five, low five and shout out from OTC peeps along the whole course.

Most importantly, I managed to cross that finish line with a smile on my face and pay tribute to Mr. Galbraith with a salute !

 I am so thankful for all of the support I have received this season from my family, friends fellow athletes and new friends at the OTC, I honestly could not keep doing what I love so much without all of your support, encouragement and advice!

THANK YOU and I hope to see you all at many more events.