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Monday, June 4, 2012

Milton Triathlon Race Report

My first race of the 2012 season is officially in the bank, and I am quite pleased with how it went! After a less than ideal end to the 2011 season, I thought that I might be nervous or perhaps lack the confidence to get back out there, but I was actually really excited to race and very calm according to my standards.

The conditions were a bit tough today, but at least we didn't have to deal with the steady down pour that they were predicting yesterday. I found myself really cold in the water today, and was so happy to be wearing my brand new Blueseventy Helix fullsleeve wetsuit! It took the help of 3 people to pack me in the suit, but once I was in, I was ready to go! Despite not really being able to feel my hands and feet, I thought that the swim went ok. I didn't have too much trouble sighting, and I managed to swim on some feet for a large portion of the race (sorry Paul Bregin for slapping your feet more than a few times!) The Helix felt awesome in the water, and I love the thin neoprene arms! They weren't restrictive in the least! I exited the water 1st female, and 9th overall.


My T1 wasn't too bad for a change! I had to wrestle very briefly with getting the wetsuit off from my right ankle, but I think I was outta there in ~55s this time around.

Despite having impaired motor function in my numb hands and feet, I managed to do a flying mount without running into a barricade or another athlete, so that's progress I'd say;) It was chilly out there on the bike and a bit wet, but I had a great time riding my P3 again (3rd ride on it since the crash). I felt like I put in a good effort and remained in control for most of the ride...that is, until I had to descend the 6th Line hill. Everything was going so well up until that point! I had a bit of a panic attack at the top of the hill, and had flashbacks to my crash, and just felt like I was going too fast and couldn't control my speed, so what did I do? I sat straight up and braked the whole way down and maybe said a little prayer..., ugggghhhh...wanted to kick myself, but boy oh boy, is fear ever a powerful thing! I've gotten a lot more confident descending on my road bike, but obviously this particular tri bike is going to haunt me for a little while longer it seems...that's ok, I'll keep working on that! Anyway, even though the bike leg wasn't perfect, it was pretty decent and faster than last year in I think tougher conditions, so I'm still walking away a happy girl:)


I had a bit of trouble getting my feet into my running shoes in T2, only because they were still numb and weren't cooperating as well as they could, but it wasn't a  huge problem or anything! I was off to tackle the run in 42s.

I always forget about the hills and the trails that really define the Milton run course, or rather, the effect that those hills and trails have on my quads! I think there was one hill in particular, just after the 3km mark that really did my quads in today. I think there isn't much time to recover from the previous hills, and then you get hit with a really steep one in the trails, and I certainly felt like I had slowed down to a crawl trying to get to the top. My lungs felt it too though, not just the quads! By the 5km mark, I was literally willing my quads to cooperate with me for another 2.5km, because a face plant on the home stretch of the run course was not something I wanted to contend with. It was great to have my bike leader pop back onto the course, because it made me feel like I had to stay upright if he were to do his job right:) Plus, the spectators AND athletes were amazing at cheering me on throughout the last 1.5km, so I made it to the finish line without completely cramping up and I got to break the banner!! That was certainly a highlight for me, because I was 2nd last year, and missed breaking the banner by ~20s or so. I made some good improvements on my run split, and I'm thrilled to kick start the season with a victory!

Thank you so much to my family and to my friends who made such a big effort to come and see me race today! Your support means the world to me, and having you there undoubtedly contributed to my success.

3 comments:

  1. Nice job on the win! I saw you coming back on the run, around the 6k mark for you, and you were looking great. The name on the suit helped me recognize you as the woman from the blog I've been reading. :)

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  2. Hi Geo! Thank you so much for the comment! Please feel free to introduce yourself to me at the next race, because I'd love to return the favour and cheer for you when you're out there too! I hope your race went well. Cheers!

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