Bala Falls Triathlon – a clydesdale’s tale

Name of Race: Bala Falls Triathlon
Website for the Race: http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=48
Date of Race: Sunday, July 29th, 2007
Location of Race: Bala, Ontario
Type of Race: Triathlon
Distance or duration of Race: Swim – 750m; Bike – 30K, Run – 7.5K

Description of Race
A weekend in Bala at a friends cottage with the family coupled with a great race in Muskoka? Who could ask for anything more? The Race This race is where I quickly realized that although I am stronger this year, I am not strong enough to outpace the weight gain from IMLP last year. I am up 15lbs over last year, which I am having a brutal time trying to lose. This hasn’t really impacted my swim times or my bike times (which are up on average about 2-3kph over last year). But it has really kicked my run times around. Bala put an exclamation mark on that for sure!

Pre-race
We headed up to Bala on the Saturday morning since we have friends in town with a beautiful lakeside cottage. This was the first Ontario race that my wife and kids have come to, so it was pretty exciting for me. I always like the idea of having them there so when they were finally able to join me, it made it that more special. Saturday was spent lounging, swimming, eating, drinking…all the things needed prior to a race! J We finally hit the sheets around 9pm and endured an exciting night…two small kids, one small room, not much sleep! I was up at 6am to make sure I got to the race site early to drop off my gear – it was an open racking so I wanted to be there extra early to get a good spot. That worked out just fine and I was heading back to the room around 7:15am. Helped get the kids up and ready, packed up the car and headed back to the race site with the family at 8:30am. Got the gear on, one last check of my transition area, a good luck kiss to/from my wife and kids and off I went.

Swim
I was in the second wave which was a first this year. So I knew that I would be catching the wave in front of me and would have to deal with some of that bump and hustle, as I like to call it. I seeded myself to the inside as usual and headed out when the gun went. Quick sprint to get away from most people and the settled into a good rhythm. The swim went well considering I haven’t been in the pool in a week or so 9and not that much period this year). I did catch the wave in front of me and had to deal with the few people that decided that they would try and keep up with me (or sprint when they saw me come up along side them – why do people think that will win or lose them the race?). Exited up the beach, threw a wave and a smile at my wife and kids waiting for me on the beach and headed in to transition. Swim time – 13:20 (1:47/100m), 4/29 AG, 1/20 Clyde and 33/392 OA

T1
Something this year has clicked for me in transition. I don’t know if it’s that I am more comfortable and familiar with it but I’m able to get in and out of transition very quickly. This time around I even felt like I was taking my time and still made it through quicker than most times last year. T1 time – 1:25

Bike
The bike is becoming a lot better for me. I’m better able to get up to speed, I’m quicker on the hills and I’m not getting passed by as many people anymore! This was looking like it would be a hilly bike ride which is always the nemesis of a Clydesdale. Although I was worried about that, I settled in to a nice rhythm and just kept with it. Keep the cadence between 80-85rpm and stay in the big ring. Last year, I always had to drop to the 39 for any hills…this year, I haven’t had to yet. I had a few people pass me but I ended up passing a lot of people too so I was happy. The bike was fun, lots of rollers, some good speed sections and great road to ride on. And who can ask for better weather – it was sunny but not too hot on the bike and a bit of a breeze. Bike time – 57:36 (31.3 km/h), 6/20 Clyde<40 and 132/392 OA.

T2
Pretty fast through T2 again this week. Glad that I’m able to keep that up. T2 time – 0:50

Run
And then the struggle began! Based on where the bike went, I knew some of the run course already and knew that I’d be in for a treat. Some hills, lots of sun – basically a struggle for a Clydesdale. And so it was. The run on the road wasn’t that bad but the gradual uphills hurt. Once we hit the turnaround, we did a few extra kilometers on cottage roads, which had a few very steep pitches (well, at least one) that were short but enough to get the HR up higher. I never felt that comfortable during the run and the heat (and lack of shade) really pushed me to the edge. After all the work I’ve done this year, not being able to lose the weight has really hurt me on anything hilly. Once I hit the final downhill of the run, I felt great (surprise, surprise) so a quick surge to the finish and I was done. Run time – 44:08 (5:53/km), 13/20 Clyde and 249/392 OA. Terrible run, not happy at all.

Overall
Two thirds happy, one third disappointed. My struggles on the run continued this year. It seems that anything I gain on the swim, I maintain on the bike and then give up on the run. My final placings seem to be highly correlated to my bike placing. I need to work on the run so that I stop giving up so many places. From an overall race happiness level, I was happy. Was 2nd overall for Clydes <40 and still finished in the top third of all racers (or close to it). So solidly an MOP athlete today. I have determined that the longer the race, the worse off I am…not great heading into an Ironman! But it does provide greater evidence for next year’s focus on getting faster for short distances. Overall time – 1:57:19, 19/29 AG and 139/392 OA. My assault on the overall Clydesdale race series win continued this week with a strong second place showing. Last week I said that “I struggle with racing as a Clydesdale (both personally and even somewhat ethically)”, however, this week, I had no issues. I am a bigger guy and there’s no getting around that. Until I lose the weight, I can not compete with the smaller guys. Simply impossible, so I choose to compete where I can be competitive. Next up is the Toronto Island Tri. I’m really looking forward to this race as its close to home and will be very flat – a good gauge for how Florida will be. Thanks for taking the time to read.