Race report - Smiths Falls Classic sprint triathlon

June 25, 2016
Swim 500m, bike 20.5km, run 5km

Finish time: 1:16:58 -- 4/7 AG, 6/40 OA woman, 35/90 men and women

Hangin' with my best girls at the end of a long, hot day

The Smiths Falls Classic, in its 37th year, is the oldest triathlon in Canada. It's a late afternoon race, which I found challenging. I've had difficulty with pre-race nutrition and mental focus when I don't just wake up, eat, set up, and race (as evidenced by my tough race in Magog last season). The heat was also extreme, up into the 30s by the time I got into Smiths Falls. As this was my first time participating, I had some extra race nerves due to my unfamiliarity with the town and the course -- it's always easier when you know exactly what to expect. A few days before the race, I dreamed that I was running late to the swim start, didn't have my wetsuit, and didn't know where to go. So to be extra sure I had everything in order, I arrived more than 2 hours early (hey, at least I snagged a prime parking spot). The only downside to arriving so early was having to hang out in the heat of the afternoon until the race started. Once everything was squared away -- including finding a good rack spot and practicing a bike mount/dismount -- I found some shade, filled a 40 oz bottle with nuun, and made sure to take frequent swigs from it.

Swim + run to transition: 13:38
After a brief warmup swim to the starting area, I had quite awhile to tread water and float on my back before the women's start. I had planned my line to the buoys, and through the channel markers. Unfortunately, in my desperate attempts to catch a draft I strayed from the straightest path. On the return portion, the sun was in our eyes and it was next to impossible to sight. Again, I followed the wrong train instead of confirming my own line. Oddly, I started to feel some cramping in my quads toward the second half of the swim. As usual, I made my best effort to hightail it to transition.

Bike: 37:46 (32.6 km/h -- PB)

Based on the stated course distance of 20.5 km, I managed to eke out a personal best average speed by a slim 0.2 km/h over my Early Bird ride a month ago. The heat was oppressive, and it was definitely not comfortable. But I wanted to push myself hard on this course, imagining myself on the Sprint Nationals course trying to catch up to the leaders after the swim. I didn't bother trying to save anything in my legs for the run. I carried hydration on the bike, which I almost never do at the sprint distance (in fact, I generally remove the bottle cage from my frame for that few seconds of aero advantage). That turned out to be a good decision, as the handful of swigs I took made the heat a little more bearable.

Still not totally at ease with this move, but I make myself suck it up and do it anyway

Run + T2: 25:34
My effort on the bike, the heat, the late hour, and my unfamiliarity with the course all contributed to a pretty unpleasant run. At one point I heard Todd over the PA system, and figured the finish must be right around the corner. Nope! At the end of the course, there's a little out and back that is tough mentally, as you turn away from the finish before running back toward it. I kept Clare, who would ultimately finish 4th OA and 3rd in our age group, in my sights -- but she was able to stay that little bit stronger on this leg.

Best finish chute company ever

Didn't quite make the podium this time out. But I put in my best effort, and I managed to keep improving my bike split. Now for a final push of bigger training volume before Sydenham, and then a taper toward the Nationals.

My husband's first outing as a spectator -- and of course I don't podium. Argh!

Training update

First off, going to go find a huge chunk of wood to knock on... there we go.

Overall, I've been pleased with how my training's been going so far this season. I feel like I should be doing more, but I do need to work, eat, and sleep... and keep a general balance that doesn't revolve around swimming, biking, and running all the time. Not to mention, I'm pretty keen on staying injury-free this year, and so far so good. I race on a J-24 sailing crew every Monday, which I love. There are dance recitals to prep for and attend, school events to volunteer for, garden veggies to tend, laundry that won't wash itself, delicious meals to cook and eat. Additionally, at the end of a long day I have a comfy sofa and a Netflix subscription that beckons. And it will not be ignored. I've made my peace with that.

Where you can find me on a Monday night

I made a brief attempt earlier this month to swim every day. It's my weakest leg, and I thought it would be a good way to make some gains. Unfortunately, after 5 days in a row, I had a sore throat and sinuses, swollen glands, and general fatigue -- which I attributed to the river water going where it doesn't belong. Also, my shoulders were starting to give me trouble... which I promptly took care of by going to my trusted massage therapist. It was just too steep a ramp-up in volume. So I'm splitting the difference, trying to get in the water a few times a week and working on speed rather than just plodding along like I've done in previous years when it was more about getting the distance done. I was super happy at our final swim class, where I swam a personal best 11:07 500m, 1:55 100m and 49sec 50m. Granted they were all-out single shots at it rather than a typical "average of 5" time trial set (for the 100s), but if you've been following my swim updates you know I've been trying to break a 2:00 100m for... well, since I started.

Our last Monday morning OTC swim at Richcraft

I haven't been putting in as much bike volume as I'd like, but the workouts I do are good quality -- mostly thanks to the OTC High Performance Squad. I work a 90% week, and have been trying to time my every other Friday off to have a good long ride. However, things come up and deliverables need to get done. So I find myself on a day off today, but skipping the long ride since I've got a race tomorrow.

At the Champlain Lookout in Gatineau Park

I'm feeling good about my running, coming off a personal best 5k time from my last race (23:52), almost a full minute faster than my previous best. This is where I'm making the biggest effort to keep up the consistency in training, not just for fitness gains but also injury prevention. Around 30k per week is what I'm going for, provided I feel good.

Brick run with Kelsey and the HPS

I've got 3 races (2 triathlons) under my belt so far this season, and another one on the schedule for tomorrow. I love racing not just for its own sake, but I also find it's a great way to push my speed work and ultimately help prepare me for the Canadian Sprint Championships next month. Eep... not so far away now!

Race report -- Ottawa River Super Sprint Tri

June 11, 2016
Swim 200m, bike 13.7km (10.4 km timed), run 5 km
1/2 AG, 4/19 OA women, 4/24 men and women

"Really?" I thought, as I sat in the car clutching my Starbucks. Overnight, the 25% chance of rain had turned into 100% chance of cold and wet. Of course, I didn't bother to check for updates before I left the house, at which point it was just mild and overcast... so I found myself without any rain gear whatsoever. Lesson learned. I had arrived at the race and parked, but was having trouble working up the will to actually leave the car. Because transitions aren't timed at this race, I didn't feel the usual urgency to beeline it for the T zone to secure a good rack spot. Ah well -- as a wise person once said, suck it up buttercup.

Swim + run to the transition entrance: 5:03
This was the most pleasant part of the race. The water was flat and a very comfortable wetsuit temperature. Our small group spread out quickly, and I lost track of where I was in the pack. But I swam a straight course, and felt fine about my effort.

Bike: 20:27 (30.4 km/h)
By the time I hit the bike course, it was really pouring. I held back a bit for the first few km, wary of water-covered potholes and potentially slick road surface. My bike was solid as ever, and I managed to keep the rubber side down. Bonus points for not unclipping like a weenie around the u-turns. Unfortunately, by the time I got back to the transition area my back brake was rubbing badly and something in my freewheel clutch was making an odd noise.

Run: 23:52 (PB!)
Because the transition wasn't timed, I was able to confirm the first couple of twists and turns on the run course with volunteer and fellow OTCer Andrew before crossing the timing mat. Within the first 700m of running on wet grass and through a huge puddle, I realized my wet shoes were going to do a number on my sockless feet. Oh well. This was my first time at the Ottawa River Tri, and I definitely needed all the direction given by the great volunteers along a course that twisted on and off the paths, around trees, and onto the road. This is the first time I've broken 24 minutes for 5k -- at least officially, as my 24:07 at the Early Bird a few weeks ago included T2.

The best part of the whole race was being surprised at the finish line by my Mum, who brought me dry clothes and hot tea. Since it was 9 degrees out and I was soaked to the skin, this was like winning the lottery.

Since there are a couple of untimed zones on the course, it's tricky to tell exactly where you finished until everyone's in. I was initially surprised to see that 3 girls came in ahead of me, as Andrew had told me I was the first woman as I exited transition for the run. These young ladies were seriously fast. I left before awards were given out, but I was able to congratulate them on Monday -- as I discovered they're part of the Bytown Storm junior development program that swims at Richcraft when I'm there with my OTC group. I introduced myself as the first runner-up old lady. ;)

Race report -- Early Bird Long Triathlon

May 21, 2016
500m swim, 33km bike, 5km run

Breakfast: oatmeal w/brown sugar, tall skim chai
Other nutrition/hydration: 1/4 of a Honey Stinger waffle on the bike, Nuun Boost

Finish time: 1:43:11.7 (13/44 OA, 3/11 AG 40-44, 63/115 men and women)

We had a great day for the first tri of the season, nice and warm with no wind. This event, like all my racing between now and July 24th, is geared toward preparing for my biggest race of 2016, the national Sprint Championships. I try to do something new every year, and this event is going to require a number of new skills. It's the first draft-legal race for age-groupers in Canada, which means there'll be a whole lot of us racing in a pack for the first time. No way that'll end badly... right? Well, since luck favours the prepared, so far this year I've taken a drafting clinic, spent all my riding time on my road bike (as tri bikes aren't allowed in draft-legal racing), and finally forced myself to learn a flying mount and dismount. On that latter point, don't wait till 3 days before a race to practice... or you could be sporting scrapes and bruises with the rest of your race kit. I know that of which I speak.

Decked out with OTC tat on left shoulder, road rash on right shoulder

Swim - 13:48.7
Frack. What a gong show. This event features a pool swim -- which I don't love (I prefer open water). Racers start around 10 seconds apart, and seed themselves in order of expected swim time. Having swum an 11:27 time trial the week before, I seeded myself as usual, figuring I'd get passed by a couple of folks and maybe pass one or two who were overambitious with their estimate (which is how it has played out the past two years). This time, the first 150m were unencumbered. Then a guy who was a little confused came swimming down the wrong side of the lane at me. No problem, keep going. I felt a tap on my foot, and I dutifully made plenty of room to let a woman come past me. Unfortunately, once she was out of my draft and having to work harder, she suddenly started side-stroking and then stood up in the lane. OK, it happens. Except then she did it another two or three times. Sprint past, run out of gas, stop. I let myself get caught up in the stopping and starting, and trying to keep a steady rhythm was hopeless. At this point, there's a bottleneck of people behind, who are getting pretty miffed. Mercifully, the swim only lasted 500m. Regardless of what everyone else was doing, I should have been focused and confident enough to do my own thing and push through. Lesson learned. I took 13 seconds off my previous best T1 time for this race -- it's a long run up to the T zone from the pool -- but it wasn't enough to offset my crappy swim split. Oh well... onward to the bike.

Shoes ready for a flying mount. Cue Jaws theme.

Bike - 1:01:04.7 (average 32.4 km/h) PB
This is a personal best average bike speed for me, over any race distance. My past average speed (which I use rather than total split time, since the course was 2k shorter this year) for the Long Tri was 28.1 km/h -- on my tri bike. To practice riding the same setup I'll need in July, I used my road bike today, without aerobars. Disregarding my flying mount wipeout a few days prior, I decided to stick to my plan of leaving my shoes on the bike. I had never done this in a race, but figured the way to learn is to just do it. My goal was to mount and dismount with this setup, and not fall off my bike. Mission accomplished! One shoe did pop off the pedal after my flying dismount, but a volunteer grabbed it and handed it to me right away so I lost minimal time.

Concentration... next step, take feet out and place on top of shoes while pedaling. Omg...

Run - 24:07

This was a personal best 5k run time, which I was extra happy with since it was off a longer bike course. At this race, the run split also includes T2 -- looks like the flying dismount saved me some precious seconds. As expected on this course, my legs felt heavy... I felt slow, and like I might run out of steam. Also as usual, I didn't wear a watch and just tried to run as fast as I could. At the finish line, people asked me how it went. I honestly didn't know.

Definitely ready for a chocolate milk

In total, I took 16 minutes off my previous Long Tri time -- the bike was 2k shorter, but still a good improvement with that considered. Didn't fall off my bike during the mount/dismount. Had personal best run and bike splits. I ended up 3rd in my age group, so managed a podium finish. Now it's time to swim -- a lot -- before my next race.

Spring is here -- sort of!

My HPS buddy Simon said on his own blog that if someone goes silent for awhile, it usually means one of two things. Either things are going badly, or things are ticking along great and they're just super busy training. In my case, I have to claim a little of the former. I'm not sure if I was trying to ramp up too quickly, or if it was just a case of stress or bad luck, but I spent a good portion of last month feeling... well, generally crappy. Fatigue, sore neck, sudden inability to hit my heart rate targets on the trainer, general cruddiness. Tack on a little impostor syndrome, doubting that I actually belong on the OTC high-performance squad. Thankfully, I also had a family vacation to Florida last month. I bagged my initial plans to swim like a freak and put down killer run volume while on holiday. Instead, I ran an easy 5k every 2 or 3 days. Went for a leisurely rollerblade a couple of times. Did quite a bit of walking. No biking or swimming at all. For the first week, the fatigue was joined by swollen glands, night time cough, sore throat, and sinus pressure, in sequence. Nothing horrible, just general un-wellness. Then by day 8 or 9, I felt better. Just in time to go home! Still, I was thankful for the perfectly-timed dose of warm weather, sunshine, and rest.

Gettin' er done on semi-frozen sidewalks

The spring weather at home has been slow to materialize, with only a few warm days teasing us before Mother Nature laughed "just kidding!" and dumped another solid helping of snow. I'd also say "warm" is a little relative... the roads were dry and clean enough to take my bike out for the first outdoor ride of the season. But my apparel included chemical hand and foot warmers, and Saran Wrap over my feet to keep the wind out where the toe covers didn't reach.

April 6th -- Canada geese wondering whose idiot decision it was to lead the flock back north

My pace cyclist with her game face on

I think we may have finally turned the corner, though -- here is a shot from yesterday's lunchtime ride. A leisurely exploration of the surrounding area, without my Garmin, was the perfect way to welcome spring for real. On the race front, my first of the season is coming up on Mother's Day -- the Sporting Life 10k. My goals are to chase my PB, enjoy my first race with my husband, and get tuned up for the upcoming tri season.

April 14th -- This is more like it

One more fun thing of late, is that nuun has the 2016 'team nuun' athletes up on their site. Including me -- whoa! Check it out...

Crazy, right? My oldest daughter thinks I'm cool!

Welcome, 2016!

It's hard to believe the first month of 2016 has passed. My extra several pounds of built-in winter insulation have been successfully installed (see how I'm making lemonade here?). For me, January was focused on absorbing some life changes, a move, some schedule shuffling, and starting up High Performance Squad training with the OTC. Somehow I managed to sneak in a few outings on my snowshoes and skate skis as well. I'm aiming to start upping the training load again, gradually, while focusing on enjoying the outdoors and keeping it fun so I'm still hungry for it come July. 

Well hello there, 2016!

Warning -- dorky tri data blabber follows

A couple of weeks ago was our first LT (lactate threshold) test of the season -- otherwise known as "pedal till you barf up a lung". The insult to injury here is that in our TTP class, the hour on the bike is followed by an hour (minus time taken to wring out your shirt, mop the lakes of sweat off the floor, and get downstairs) of strength training. Followed in turn that evening by a series of plank exercises. I wondered out loud if it counts as impaired driving if your legs feel like overcooked calamari.

Getting that data was worth it, though. In the past, I've relied mostly on perceived exertion to determine how hard I've gone on workouts. As a bit of an experiment, having received a Tickr X heart rate monitor for Christmas (thanks, husband!), I'm using heart rate zones to train, ultimately comparing the data with how I feel. So far, using the zones defined by the LT test has been great -- as it turns out, a Z3 climb on the bike shouldn't spike my heart rate to 173! Who knew. I'm focusing on keeping most of my weekly effort in Z2 to rebuild my aerobic fitness after the off-season, and monitoring how much time I spend in Z3-Z5 tempo/speed work (for example, TTP spin class). I'm also trying out Training Peaks, which calculates fitness, accumulated fatigue, and race-readiness based on heart rate data across workouts. Yes, I am truly tapping my inner nerd this season.

Remembering how to skate ski after a 10+ year hiatus

On the sponsorship front, I'm very thankful to Dr. Patrick Kirkham at Britannia Chiropractic for his continued support this season. I'm also excited to have been chosen to join Team nuun 2016! I try hard to avoid using the word "just" -- such as "I'm just an age-group athlete" or "I mostly just do short-course" -- because that word sucks the joy out of any statement you add it to. But I'm humbled that these folks are willing to support me as an athlete. Seriously, if you're reading this and have known me longer than 5 years or so, you're probably wondering what quadrant of the Twilight Zone you've fallen into. Yep, I'm running without being chased. Believe it.

Taking some time to have fun with friends has also been great lately. A bunch of us gathered on a whim to deliver a crushing (well, if you count demolishing plates of bar food) at the Nepean Sailing Club trivia night. Kids included! 

Catching up with friends

I highly recommend injecting a healthy dose of get-togethers and laughter into your training regime. It really does make the winter a little warmer.

News, and The List

A bit of exciting news! I've been invited to join OTC's High Performance Squad for 2016. I'm honoured to have this opportunity to train with some seriously fast athletes. Judging by the current/former members of the squad that I had dinner with in Magog, they are great folks to be around too. Oh, those nice dinner companions? All (except one who was nursing a bad stress fracture) qualified for Worlds at that race. Time to up my game!

I've finally shaken off the post-season burnout feeling, and I'm enjoying being busy with things other than training... like keeping a new puppy out of trouble, knitting a sweater for my daughter, taking my other daughter to riding lessons, trying to keep the house neat enough that I can find my keys, and of course thinking about what I'd like to do this coming year in triathlon and otherwise. I figure I might as well start with a bigger list, and go from there -- inspired by Kelsey, the Happy Triathlete (and, I might add, one of my new coaches on the HPS next season!).

Say hi to Tinley! She says "Are those running shoes expensive? They look delicious..."

List of things I'd like to do at some point:

• Sing Handel's Messiah at the National Arts Center in Ottawa
• So excited to be crossing this off the list this year!!! Everyone come see it, December 15 and 16th. I promise I won't wear lycra. Though I am open to bribes/dares to yell "on your left!" during the Alleluia.
• Do the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon
• With the crappy Canadian dollar and the entry fee going up to $750 US, I've adjusted this "want to do" to be simply... swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. I mean, if I want to race a steep bike or run course, I'll just go to Tremblant or Muskoka and save some coin. 
• Complete an Ironman
• Because who needs sleep, a life, or body parts that aren't broken... right?
• Qualify for and race at Age Group World Championships
• Want to take another crack at this one.
• Do a multi-day bike tour
• Ideally something with really good food and wine at the end. 
• Live on a boat
• Don't know where I'll put the bikes, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Anyone have other suggestions? Must-do races or other events? What's looking good in 2016? So many possibilities!

Race report -- The Canadian Sprint Triathlon

September 5, 2015
750m swim, 30k bike, 5k run
Finish time: 1:47:51 (4/66 OA, 2/11 AG 40-44, 50/165 men and women)

Sharing the podium with Julie Piché and Clare Gallant

After a number of teeth-gritting, push-through-it races this summer, I had two goals going into my final race of the season. First, to leave my feet clipped in for the entirety of the bike. After a near-miss in my first race where I just about wiped out on a 180-degree turn, I've been tentative on those tight turns and kept unclipping my inside foot "just in case". Stupid waste of speed, and a head game that I had to put an end to. My second goal was to find the joy of the race again. Feel the wind on the bike, enjoy the rhythm of my run steps, appreciate the camaraderie of the participants, and thank every volunteer I encountered. I'm happy to report that I achieved both goals today.

Beautiful morning for a race

Swim + T1 -- 20:40 (750m... actual swim about 17:03)

The swim start was the most rambunctious I've experienced this year. The right side of my goggles got knocked a little loose and I didn't want to waste time fixing them, so I breathed left for the first 400m or so to keep water from getting in my eye. After going out fairly hard, I felt like I couldn't sustain the pace and tried to settle in. I'd say this swim felt about the same as Cornwall... I could have been straighter, and missed catching a draft from the front pack. I heard Christine call a couple of times around the time I exited at the beach, and it seems I was maybe a few seconds faster than Cornwall. I went out onto the bike course 18th out of 66 women, and 2nd in my age group.

One down, two to go

Bike -- 1:00:30 (30k, 29.75 km/h)

The bike course at the Canadian is a familiar one, following the Rideau Canal from Hog's Back locks past Carleton University and back. Originally the course was to be a 7.5k loop, but construction necessitated a shortened 5k loop. I succeeded in staying clipped in at the narrow north-end turnaround, which turned out to be easily manageable. Amazing what sorts of things needlessly psych us out. I knew from driving it recently that the road wasn't in great shape, and there were many athletes on the course at once. This required sharp attention, especially where you had those doing 40 km/h and those doing 18 km/h in close proximity, with the latter sometimes forgetting to yield the left side.

Around 23k, I started feeling some discomfort in my right hamstring and adductor. I backed off a bit, dropping down a gear to raise my cadence and try to spin it out. I had to do this a couple of times over the final 7k -- I've gotten used to not saving anything in my legs at the sprint distance, but a) this bike course was 50% longer than a regular sprint (halfway between a sprint and an Olympic), and b) I didn't want to risk something seizing and tearing. 'Cause that's not fast. In the end, my bike split moved me up 10 places to 8th overall. 

Little jog around the park, anyone?

T2 -- 1:51

Run -- 24:50 (5k, 4:58 pace)

Personal best on the run! I'm so happy about this, and not just because of the pace. Also because (see goal #2 for this race) I really enjoyed this run. Because the bike course was longer than usual, I carried Skratch and almonds for fuel. I felt really good when I headed out onto the run course. I approached it with the notion that I would run my own race, push to the edge of my comfort, and be genuinely happy for the chance to enjoy the day and the race. Let the cards fall where they may. As it turned out, I managed to gain another 4 positions on this leg, moving me into 4th overall. As I turned the last corner and headed down the track toward the finish, I heard Todd comment on the big smile on my face. This is exactly how I wanted to finish the race, and the season.

Helping out at Lisa's aid station after my event

After the sprint awards presentation, in keeping with the feel-good vibe, I went back out onto the course to dole out necessities to the runners still competing. I yelled "Gel! Salt! Chews!" so many times, I think at one point my words got muddled and I offered someone shoes. As I held out what I had and asked "What do you need?" I got some good answers -- including "a ride" and "beer". Unfortunately I couldn't deliver on either. Seeing athletes trudge again and again up the hill I'd climbed hours before, I wished I could offer more than a sugar jolt and an encouraging word. I remember the all-consuming effort of my 1/2 Iron race, and empathized completely with those who looked like they were near the end of their capacity as the day got later and the crowd got thinner.

River looking lonely in transition at the end of the day

With my third season of triathlon officially done, I would like to thank Louis Garneau and Dr. Patrick Kirkham at Britannia Chiropractic for their support in 2015. I put a lot of myself into racing, and I so appreciate their belief in me as an athlete. If anyone has questions about Garneau products, I own lots of them -- get in touch with me, and I can tell you about what's worked well for me. For questions about chiro treatment, use the above link to get in touch with Dr. Kirkham directly. Of course, I'd be very happy to share my personal experiences with it as well. I would also like to thank my OTC coach, Mark Manners, for all his help this year.

And now, to celebrate the start of the off-season, I'm going to have a cider in my Cornwall Tri mug and bust out some Pop Tarts! Yeah! :)

Race report -- Cornwall Sprint Triathlon

August 23, 2015
750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run
1:25:39 (1/19 AG, 11/65 OA, 54/136 men and women)

"Stripping?" I asked the young man as I approached. "Yes, right over here," he motioned.

I'll get back to that in a second. Now that I have your attention, let's get to the race report. This was my first time at the Cornwall Tri. I put it on my list of "firsts" this year, after hearing glowing reviews from numerous athletes. It did not disappoint.

The OTC gang at Cornwall

Swim (750m) -- 17:09

Thanks to a helpful volunteer who told me my time as I came out of the water, I don't have to guesstimate how much of my swim split was the transition time. I didn't feel as strong on this swim as I did last week in Brockville. The crowd at the start line was very spread out, and I didn't manage to catch a draft off the leaders. I did have a couple of people following my feet, and a small group of us came out of the water at the same time. There were plastic mats fixed underwater at the swim entrance/exit, which provided really good footing. Here's where the stripping inquiry came in. I decided to avail myself of the wetsuit peelers (no, I am not making this up). I quickly pulled my suit down to my hips and laid down on the grass. In one motion, the fellow helping me had the rest of the suit off (gotta love those stretchy Roka quick-release ankles, and liberal application of Body Glide). The whole process didn't take more than a few seconds... well worth it, as it saved me having to stomp my way out of my suit while getting my bike helmet on. I exited T1 in 15th position overall, and 2nd in my age group.

Set up in our numbered rack spaces

Bike (20k) -- 38:50

My goal this season was to hit 30km/h average on my bike legs (with the exception of Magog, where the course rides slower). I've done that a few times this season, and today I hit a personal best average speed of 30.9 km/h. The course was very engaging, starting with a false flat that had you thinking "why do I feel so slow??" until you came back down the other direction. It swung into a research park, introducing a fun set of curves and little rolling spots. A section down the main street ended in another fun "up, down and around" to take us into the second loop. The course was closed along its entirety, so we had plenty of room to negotiate the turns. The little jog toward the transition area included a (very well-marked) speed bump and some zigzagging, keeping us on our toes to the dismount line. I managed to move up a few spots on the bike overall, and into the age group lead.


Run (5k) + T2 -- 27:34

How, oh how can 5k seem so long. It's like some strange space/time warp. I did not feel good on the run today. I can't believe I actually ran faster at the Tremblant 5150, 3 days off an injury, where I just jogged it in and let people pass me, smiling the whole way -- mind you, I also took the bike really easy at that race. (Edit -- just realized Cornwall includes T2, Tremblant doesn't)

About 2k in today, I started feeling a bit of a stitch under my rib, but it was mild enough to ignore. I threw down Gatorade at each aid station (sort of, I actually kind of tossed it in the direction of my face and swallowed what I could). By 3k, I had a stitch on the other side, right under my right ribs. This one was more uncomfortable. Whatever... run through it. Look, a seagull! Hey, someone's selling that car. What do they want for it? $15,000 -- hmm, seems steep. I heard footsteps behind me, and couldn't help turning around. "Oh good, you're not a girl" I remarked to the tri relay fellow who ultimately passed me. At 4k, I pressed a fist into my ribs in case that might somehow help. I managed to pass a woman in that last km, unsure if she was even in my event. Mercifully, the finish line was closer to the road that I anticipated. I gulped down the bottle of cold water I was handed as I crossed. I felt pretty rotten, but I had given it everything I could. Others I talked to seemed to feel the same way, that the run took a lot out of them. I had felt a bit of sensation yesterday in the spot that was injured a couple of months ago, so I made my way over to the physio table so they could take a look. I'm glad I did, as he worked at it a bit, it started to spasm. He very nicely helped me stretch it out.

At the awards, I wasn't sure how I had ended up until I heard my name called. I excitedly received my "podium 2015" beer mug, but still wasn't sure where on the podium I had landed. Only when I checked online did I see that I won my age group.

Yay, new glassware!

Race Report -- Sydenham Triathlon, Super Sprint

July 12, 2015 

200m swim, 20k bike, 5k run
Breakfast: Sbucks bagel and cream cheese, tall 1% chai, water, some of my Skratch bottle

Finish time: 1:13:36 (1/23 OA, 1/4 AG, 1/30 men and women)

Wooooooooooyeahhh!!! Today, I had my first OA win -- and also came in ahead of all the men, which was a nice bonus. I've been close before, but I was really pleased to finally pull it off.

Smiles and swag (and sweat... lots of sweat)

I decided against driving down to Sydenham (near Kingston, about 1.75 hrs from Ottawa) the day before. My car's been giving me issues, so I figured I'd throw the extra $100 at that rather than at a Motel 6. Besides, my event didn't start till 10:00, so as long as I made it there before kit pickup closed at 8:30, it was all good. I'd get up at 6:00, throw on my suit, top up my tires, hit Starbucks for drive through breakfast, and be on my way before 6:30. Except that's not exactly what happened... let me start by saying:

Never touch your bike before you've burned off the early-morning stupids.

I discovered that the fastest way to empty your tires of every last drop of air within 1.5 seconds is to push the schrader end of your pump against the presta valve on your tube. Now you know -- in case you ever want to do that.

No problem, still got out of the house in time to keep to the schedule. Except when I got to Starbucks, it turned out they didn't open till 6:30. So I kind of did that hovering by the door thing, watching the baristas move around inside till they opened the doors. OK, still recoverable. Munching my bagel, I hit the highway with a little extra getup-and-go -- and proceeded to miss the exit to highway 7. Really? Anyway, I did eventually make it to Sydenham, find the venue, get my race kit, rack my bike, and settle in.

Bright start to a hot day in Sydenham

It didn't take long for the sun to get uncomfortably hot. I'm currently sitting here at 7:30 pm, and the humidex is still at 37. It was stinking hot out today. There, that's out of the way. I was the first super sprinter in the water to warm up, mainly because the lake was so beautifully cool. This is the first race I've ever done without a wetsuit -- yes, even the 200m swims. Don't judge... I love me some free buoyancy, alright? There were dozens of small fish cruising around, and when I stopped in the shallows and stood still they started to gather around my legs. Some looked intrigued by my shiny blue nail polish. Before a feeding frenzy could ensue, I meandered over to the start line.


Swim split + T1: 7:46

You'd think that 200m would be a piece of cake, given that yesterday I swam 3k. However, despite positioning myself well at the line and feeling good during my short warmup bursts, I was soon getting passed and feeling thrashy instead of strong and smooth. This is not new for me, but it's frustrating that while I can swim at a leisurely pace for ages, things go to hell as soon as I pick up the pace. On the plus side, I don't have to flip over on my back anymore to keep breathing.

Mercifully, the swim was over quickly and I started running as soon as my feet found land. I passed a number of folks on the run to transition. Unfortunately, at least 3 of them passed me back when a lens popped out of my sunglasses and I had to pause to get it back in. This was not the day to be biking and running with no shades. With everything finally sorted, I headed out on the bike in 5th place.


Bike split: 39:41

Personal best on the bike! I finally broke a 30km/h average speed, which I'm really happy about. Though the course was open to traffic, vehicles were mostly very respectful and gave a safe amount of space. I took the lead near the end of the outbound leg -- which I wasn't sure of at the time, as I didn't know how many people had beat me out of transition. The turnaround was slightly confusing, as I had interpreted from the course map that it went all the way to Perth Rd. so I had the flashing light at the intersection in my sights as I initially blew by the actual turnaround. Heading home, I tucked down small on the downhills to try to ease off the legs without giving up too much speed. I kept pushing to the end of the course, knowing I would need some breathing room to hold off faster runners.


Run split + T2: 26:09

I hustled through transition, cramming half a waffle into my mouth and chasing it with a couple of gulps of Skratch. I don't carry anything on the bike for the 20k distance, and I normally don't take in any food for this race distance. But with the heat, and the fact that my two previous days had contained a 2 hr ride and 3k swim respectively, I didn't want to push my luck. The run course along the Cataraqui trail would have been lovely, had it not been for the oppressive heat. I kept reminding myself that everyone was running in the same conditions. I passed a bunch of people, but until I reached the turnaround I still wasn't sure of my position. Honestly, I didn't fully trust it even then, as there's always the possibility someone's wearing the wrong colour bib. I got passed only once, by a woman in the Oly group. That sounds pretty good on paper, but I felt pretty wretched and would have preferred to be doing something other than running at that point. Everybody on the course, and even after the finish, looked like I felt. With a seemingly endless 500m to go, I glanced over my shoulder to see if there was any sign of someone catching up. There wasn't. I kept going as best I could all the way across the finish line. I wanted to run the best time I could, but also frankly... the sooner I got there the sooner I could stop.

Somebody get Todd a snowcone, stat!

Accepting my award from Christine and one of the awesome volunteers

Celebratory dinner, even got most of my body marking washed off first

Race report -- Bring on the Bay

July 11, 2015

3k swim

1:14:39 (38/56 AG)

Beautiful morning for a swim

Another first crossed off the list! This was my first time tackling the Bring on the Bay open water swim, spanning 3 km between Nepean Sailing Club and Britannia Yacht Club. A day after a 2+ hr bike ride, and a day before racing at Sydenham, my main goal was to get in a solid long swim training session and have a good time. I seeded myself around 70 minutes, which scored me a nifty green swim cap and a comfortable spot in the rolling start off the dinghy dock. As soon as we hit the channel leaving the harbour, it became immediately apparent that it might be a better day for sailing than for swimming. Most attempts to sight ahead ended in getting slapped in the face with a wave. Trying to breathe to the left on the northward leg yielded a similar result. 

Thankfully, the choppy water conditions were more than made up for by a) my wetsuit enabling me to bob like a cork, b) large sailboats anchored every 100m that were pretty hard to miss, and c) 650 other people heading the same direction. You figure most of them probably know where they're going. There was also a fellow on a stand-up paddleboard corralling us into a pretty narrow lane on the outbound leg. 

Once we turned eastward it was easier going, and a straight shot to the ladders at BYC. Because of the rough water, it was tricky to draft without making contact. Consequently, I ended up swimming more of the course solo than I intended. I felt good throughout though, and while I kicked it up a notch over a few short stretches, I kept most of the effort at a steady simmer to keep something in reserve for my tri race tomorrow.

The most fun of the morning was post-race breakfast at Cora's with a gaggle of folks from the OTC. Yeah, food! Only triathletes would discuss the best remedy for ingested river water over a big plate of eggs and toast. If you're interested, yogurt, probiotics, and Coca-Cola were at the top of the list. Hey, if it takes rust off a nail, I'm sure those bacteria don't stand a chance, right?

Post-event breakfast with OTCers

...where shenanigans inevitably ensue

Goofy and slightly waterlogged

Race report -- Mont Tremblant 5150

June 20, 2015

Sprint (750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run)

Goal: Finish... if possible, run the whole run split
Actual: Check, and check. 1:40:54 (68/257 women, 16/69 AG)

Goo Mama!

I love this race venue. WTC (the corporation that runs Ironman) is not without its problems, but they know how to put on a good show. And Mont Tremblant is a real treat, for a multitude of reasons including the village, accommodation a couple minutes' walk from transition, a beautiful course, and plenty of family-friendly activities. I think if I slow down my racing ambitions and pare the calendar down to just one or two events, this will still be one of them. About the only drawback is having to negotiate the sale of my firstborn child to afford the hotel. Ah well -- sacrifices must be made!

This was meant to be a dry run of sorts for my A race this season -- the national qualifier at Magog in July. However, an injury this week put a crimp in that plan. After a great, hard, Tuesday evening workout with the OTC, I had just a short run and short swim left in my week's plan before racing the Olympic 5150 on Saturday. I suited up for my 20 minute Wednesday run, and -- found I couldn't. Something weird was going on in my glute/hip. Hmmm. No problem, I'll just walk a few steps, massage it out, I'll warm up out of it. Cue massaging my own butt on the side of a busy road. Tried running again. Made it about 8 steps. This was not good. I jog/walk/hobbled my way for about 15 minutes before throwing in the towel. Walking was still fine, so I figured I'd just take the day off and try again tomorrow.

Fast forward to the next day -- it was worse rather than better. Walking was uncomfortable. I felt a strange clicking of tissue over my hip. My glute was complaining. This is now Thursday, two days before my race. I hustled over to the nearest sports injury clinic, and was able to get in right away to see a physio. Diagnosis: strained piriformis muscle, as well as a ridiculously tight IT band. In plain English, I strained my ass. Glamourous, I know. They threw everything at it but the kitchen sink... heat, ultrasound, rolling, stretching, that electric current thingy. And the manual therapy -- mother of God, that hurt. But I figured if that's what it takes, ok. They taped me up (with blue kinesio tape, naturally, to match my bike just in case this all worked out) and sent me on my way. Friday morning, back I went. More of the same, plus this hellish torture method known as cupping. I know "cupping" sounds a little 50 Shades, but it's really just garden-variety excruciating. The physio I was scheduled to see was named Mina. I envisioned a sweet, small woman. Mina is in fact a large, strong man who made the previous day's manual therapy seem like a gentle spa treatment. "Are you doing ok?" he asked as I clutched a pillow under my face. I replied honestly "Well, I haven't thrown up on your table yet. But I can't promise anything." More tape, and off I went. Grabbed the kids, the bike, the gear, and hit the road -- via Tim Horton's of course. It's a road trip, after all.

New racing stripe

Switching events to the Sprint was completely painless (pun sort of intended) at packet pickup, and once the kids and I picked out our requisite "Ironperson" souvenirs it was time for dinner. I know, I was only doing the Sprint. But I feel like my 70.3 last year gives me license to pick up M-dot gear for at least a little while. Plus, they make you go into the merchandise tent to pick up your athlete bag. It's like exiting a museum into the gift shop. Only it's slightly more tempting, and considerably more expensive.

Making signs

I wore my chip to bed, with a safety pin holding it closed. Slightly paranoid? Perhaps. But after a hotel parking garage mishap that rearranged my bumper (never rely on a grade-schooler hanging out the window to tell you if you've got room to back up), I didn't want to leave anything else to chance.

Didn't sleep very well, and woke up around 4:45 before my alarm. Was the first one in the dining room for breakfast, which I sort of staggered through. Time to get my gear down to transition. Took my first step outside, and the 5 degree air seemed to laugh "You're going swimming in this! Ha!" With my breath visible and my sandals-clad feet cold to aching, I racked my bike and headed back to the hotel to don my wetsuit. Have I mentioned how much I love staying a stone's throw from the T-zone? Was nice to run into some familiar faces from the OTC, volunteering, racing, and spectating. And that is some dedicated spectating, showing up to the swim start at 7:00 on a day you're not racing!

The Frost Fairy hitching a ride on my BTA bottle

With fellow OTCer Curtis at morning transition setup

Swim: 750 m, 18:36
T1: 6:02

I braced for what I thought might be a long line to check my swim bag -- essentially just a plastic bag with my "walk to the swim start" shoes in it, held shut by a drawstring. Nope. We were told to toss them up to a guy standing in a dump truck. Feeling hopeful that I would ever see my shoes again, I knotted the drawstring and gave it my best overhand pitch. I had a good warmup, the water feeling warm compared to the air and the wet sand on the beach. All the women started in a single wave, and I placed myself a few rows from the front at the right hand side. My goal was to simply have a good, steady effort as it would be my first activity after the previous couple of days' worth of physio. In the end I was faster than at last year's 70.3 -- which makes sense since it was less than half the distance. Any other comparisons are tough, since our local races include at least part of the transition time with the swim split. I love swimming in this lake, and the water was calm and comfortable. We were pretty bunched up though, and after taking a hard kick to the abdomen my main concern became dodging the whip-kicks of people who spontaneously started breast-stroking in the middle of the pack. This was definitely more of a problem in the sprint than in the 70.3 last year. As we turned the corner, we caught up to the back of the men's wave. Felt great as I emerged from the water, and the wetsuit conveniently doubled as lower-body compression as I tentatively jogged down the carpet toward transition. So far, so good.


Bike: 20k, 46:49
T2: 2:33

Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby

This is officially my favourite bike course ever. With my new 11-28 cassette, the steep uphills were no problem, even while trying to spare my injured area. Athletes were pretty bunched up after the swim and it took some maneuvering and lots of counting in my head to clear people's draft zones and avoid an infraction, though frankly there wasn't much drafting advantage to be had crawling uphill at 5 km/h. I've got ideas on how some of this traffic might be avoided... stay tuned for the next blog post. I got passed plenty on the uphill sections by folks who were really pushing, which was fine and expected. The nice part was doing plenty of passing on the downhill portions. Grinning ear to ear, I let out a big "Woooooooo!!!" as I started the homeward descent after the turnaround. Reaching the end of the course felt like the end of an amusement park ride. Throngs of spectators and volunteers cheered us in as we reached transition, and I was feeling good to start the run.


Run: 5k, 26:53

This is the first race I've done where I dropped all expectations, and made a conscious decision to take it as easy as I needed to. My gimpy areas felt ok heading out on the run, but I kept the pace conservative so as not to risk re-injury given the inevitable muscle fatigue off the bike. On the uphills and downhills especially, I tried to keep my steps light and my cadence high. The weather was beautiful, the volunteers were fantastic, and I really enjoyed the run. There was a woman who I had run closely with for the last half of the course, and it took all my discipline to not bust into my usual home stretch kick. I let her go... and then another, as I stopped to high-five both my daughters on the final 300 m through the pedestrian village. I finished with a smile, happy to have been able to run the whole way, and having had a great time on all parts of the course.

Post-race fun

Know the best thing about an early morning sprint race at Tremblant? Plenty of time left to shower, play mini golf, and ride the gondola before checking out of the hotel!

Back at home and ready for bed, still wearing her new visor

Big thanks to Garneau, and to Dr. Patrick Kirkham at Britannia Chiropractic, for their support this season. Another huge shout out to my aunt Debra Jamroz for watching the kids and taking some great photos of our weekend.