Race: Muskoka Long Course Triathlon
Date: Sunday June 15th, 2008
Location: Huntsville, Ontario
Description: 2000m swim/55km bike/15km run
You may think by the title of this that this would be my 3rd time racing in Muskoka, however, it’s not. The Muskoka Long Course race would represent the 3rd race I had signed up for this season. The first 2 being Victoria’s DU and the Lakeside Sprint. Due to freak injuries before both of those races, I was unable to participate in either of them. So, I was REALLY hoping that nothing would happen before Muskoka as I was itching to race on this course again. This race was my very first triathlon in 2004 so I was curious to see how I’d do this time around.
I had an epic training day on the Saturday before as we are on our final push for IM Switzerland. I rode 150km in the Muskoka hills and added some more really bad tan lines to my already spectacular collection. We were instructed to take it easy on the ride which I did for the most part. I was tired but I had hoped to at least get a short swim in after the ride so I could try out my new wetsuit (didn’t happen).
Saturday night was low key. We prepped our race gear, packed our bags and headed off to bed early. I had no problem getting to sleep despite the fact I was nervous. I did wake up about an hour before the alarm went off and just lay there, tossing and turning. I was very anxious. Mainly about the swim. I had only done one open water swim this year and that didn’t go very well. I am not a big fan of open water swimming, I find it very daunting, even though I know full well I am capable of swimming. The alarm finally went off and I got up and made breakfast. I was so nervous I could barely finish my breakfast.
Once we got to the race site, got body marked & set up our bikes, I started to calm down a bit. Gary and I walked down to the water together, and he gave me a little pep talk along the way. We got our wetsuits on and got in. I swam around to get used to the suit (it felt GREAT). I started to feel a bit better about getting through the swim. It was getting close to “GO” time so I said goodbye to Gary and looked for my friend Sue who was also in my wave. I found her and we hugged each other for luck and found our places towards the back of the pack.
The gun went off and I waited (as usual). I don’t like being caught up in all the thrashing about in the swim start so I usually hang back a bit. I didn’t wait too long to go though as I really just wanted to get the swim over with. As usual I found it hard to get into a rhythm but surprisingly I wasn’t gasping for air. I actually felt pretty relaxed! Yeehaa! I concentrated on my stroke and how my wetsuit felt in the water. I practiced sighting (not very well, I still swam off course) and generally tried to keep my cool. I felt like I was moving well through the water until I hit the turn into the channel. I thought it was just me getting tired but apprently there was a pretty bad current in the water that day. I didn’t know that when I got out of the water, looked at my watch and saw 44:00 minutes. WHAT?!? 2 minutes slower than the first year I did this race! And I’m a better swimmer now! I was very annoyed. I hobbled into transition, a little woozy as I didn’t kick my legs enough before I got out of the water. I managed to get out of my wetsuit quickly (vs the last time, I think I had a 4 minute transition) and get myself sorted and on my bike in just over 2 minutes. I was curious to see how my legs would handle the ride after the previous days workout.
Swim: 45:19
I was actually kind of hungry when I got on the bike so I immediately had a gel and a bunch of water. I had water in both my ears so I was having trouble hearing so I tried to stay as close to the right as possible so I wouldn’t have to worry too much about listening for people yelling “on your left”. I heard that they had changed the course so I wasn’t sure what was in store for me. I thought the old course was pretty challenging but at least the way back was fast. I was hoping that they didn’t change that. I motored along trying to get into a rhythm, which can be a tough thing to do on this course. I spied a few other fellow TRF folks, which was great. I turned on to the out and back that I remembered from the old course. Ah, the climbs. So much FUN! I saw Gary and my friend Sue at that point. Not surprising that both of them were ahead of me after my horrid swim. Seeing Sue spurred me on to push a bit harder. We’re about the same pace so I hoped that if I pushed hard, I could close the gap a bit. I made it back on to Brunel road and down to the new section of the course. The road went from being mediocre to horrible. The new section of the course was largely chip seal which is not the most pleasant surface to ride on in your aero bars. There were many potholes as well as areas of the road that had succumbed to frost heave over the winter. With the shadows from the trees on the road, it was very difficult to judge where these “speed bumps” were and I found that very disconcerting. Not only was this new section nasty in terms of road surface but it also had 3 incredibly steep climbs. Granny gear and out of the saddle climbs. I can’t ever remember feeling that much pain in my legs. I was almost at the point of fatigue. I thought that if I saw another hill, I’d have a meltdown. Needless to say, I did not enjoy the remainder of the bike course and I usually don’t mind climbing. It was the road conditions that put me off the most. There were areas of the course where people had launched water bottles, spare tires, CO2 cartridges, you name it, because of the speed they hit the bumps in the road. I saw many people with flats as well. I was not impressed. Needless to say, I was very happy to get off the bike.
Bike time: 1:57:14
The run is where I am most comfortable so I was looking forward to this part of the race. I knew the run course had a few steep hills and could be pretty gross if it was hot out (which it was) but I was ready. I pushed hard the first few k and then had to slow myself down because I didn’t think I’d make it the full 15km. Once I got over the hills out of town, I settled into a good rhythm. I managed to pass a few ladies in my age group. I saw Gary and a couple of our other friends. I saw lots of other Team RF folks as well and cheered them on. Team RF was very well represented at Muskoka that’s for sure! I passed my friend Sue at about the 10km mark. I chugged along nicely until about the 12km mark when I got back on to the blacktop. It was if I was hit with a wall of heat. I could feel my face getting redder and redder. Wow. I had to slow down and walk through the next aid station. I dumped 2 cups of water over my head and took a gel. I walked for a bit until I felt a bit better and then started running again. Only 3km left. No prob. Another 15 mintues, maybe less. I plugged along thinking about the finish line when I realized that not one woman in my age group had passed me. I crested the hill and could see the finish line. I heard Kevin Mackinnon announcing a friend of mine as she crossed the line and then I saw Gary and all our friends. I hi-fived all of them as I ran into the finishing chute. WOOHOO! I looked at my watch as I crossed the finish line. 4:04:23. Not what I had hoped for but not bad considering what I put my legs throught the day before. The best part of all of this is that I feel ready to race. Switzerland here I come!
Great race Phaedra. Good luck in Switzerland.
Good race. Don’t worry about your swim times. The course was long. The third buoy (first turn) was about 75m past were it normally was. So we swam roughly an extra 150m. Everyones times were slow. The pros were approx. 2min. slower than normal as well.
thanks guys! I heard the water level was higher than normal and that there was a current in the canal as well. Gary had a slower than normal swim so I figured something was up.