Welland Sprint Triathlon

First off, I want to thank John Salt and Multisport Canada for putting on yet another excellent race. I did my first triathlon with MSC back in 2006, and I have seen it grow over the years. The race series now looks extremely professional, well organized, and has a “big event” feel to it.

Here is my race report:

I was very, very pleased with my swim. 14:12 was my actual time in the water. Ever tried wearing a garmin in the water? Doesn’t record the path quite well, haha. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/95199357

Anyway, to swim under 15 mins for 750m (2:00 per 100m) is always a goal of mine, so I was exceptionally happy, given the choppy training, the recovery from the dislocated shoulder in November, and the fall off the bike last weekend. Also did this without warming up. They didn’t give much of a chance for people to warm up, due to the time-trial start. As an aside, it’s definitely a great way for beginners to get used to swimming in a triathlon. Lots of space to maneouvre around, even if you don’t swim in a straight line!

At first, I was somewhat unhappy about my ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94784123. I wasn’t going very fast in the first half of the race due to headwinds, and the cross winds sometimes scared the crap out of me. I didn’t feel comfortable getting into the aero position, though I finally managed to from about 10k to 25k into the race. For the rest of it, I had to sit up, due to the winds and the disc wheel. Anyway, I wasn’t happy with the speed average (32.4 kph), because I actually went 35.6 kph 2 years ago, but then the winds weren’t so ferocious back then and I didn’t ride like a pansy.

Looking back at the data, however, I was very pleased with my power output. I maintained a very steady power between 180W-200W, and my heart rate shows that the physiological response to the power output was just right. I could have pushed more power in the first half, but looking back, I was wise to maintain the same power output.

I was most pleased with the run. How on earth did I run 4:14 per km for a time of 31:49 over 7.5k? I have no idea. I have been running with my fiancee (Laura Banks, another RF Athlete) the past four months, usually at her pace, which is slightly slower, and then to bring this kind of pace out of nowhere, after sustained efforts on the bike and swim? I am at a loss for words. And that is the beauty of endurance sport and racing, because you can always “train like you’re in second, and race like you’re in first!” (quoting Steve Bentley, my former coach)  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/95199364