It was a very hot day today - around 32 degrees as I arrived to pick up my race kit, and I don't know what with the humidex. The sun was beating down mercilessly. The evening start is a nice change of pace from other races, and makes sunscreen less of a priority, but it's still real hot at that point in the day - much hotter than it would have been at 8am.
I had lots of time get set up and do a quick warmup jog - but I was drenched with sweat afterwards. Into the river for a warmup swim and I notice immediately that there didn't see to be as much of a current as last year. Water levels seemed about the same so I'm not sure about the cause of the weaker current, but everyone I talked to agreed it was much more noticeable last year. Same course all around, which was nice as I was comfortable and confident, and able to strategize a little.
When the gun went off there was a lead pack of about 8 of us that got established out front. It was by far the most contact I've ever experienced in a swim - I was boxed in on all sides with feet in front, hand slapping my feet, and guys on either side of me - lots of slapping, kicking and elbowing. The pack gradually strung out as we approached the buoy marking the halfway turnaround. I lost the feet in front of me by the buoy, but not too long after the turn someone who had been drafting me came through and I was able to stay with them until the end. This was helpful not just for drafting but also for sighting as the sun was blinding and I really couldn't see the buoy marking the last turn to the exit. My swim + T1 time was my biggest surprise here - I didn't expect to make any significant gains only swimming twice a week, but my 10:25 was over 2 minutes faster than last year, and I came out of T1 in 7th, up 6 places from last year.
On the jog to T1
Lily cheering on her Daddy
Getting out of my shoes and dismounting went a little smoother than getting in, and I was through T2 pretty smoothly as well. No knee brace this year, and I didn't bother with the sweatband either. I came out running a little hot (3:45/km) but my legs and my lungs quickly reigned that in. I was hoping to hold around 4:15/km as that was my open 5k pace from the fall, but in the end I averaged about 4:26/km. I was hurting the whole way, struggling to keep my breathing under control and really suffering in the heat. It was brutal. I didn't bother to drink at the aid station halfway through but did pour a cup of water over my head.
As an aside, on the way to the swim start I met Matt - the guy who outsprinted me in the last 100m last year. We chatted for a bit, but I made a mental note right there - not this year. No way was he going to pass me at the end again. As with last year, I passed him on the bike at about the 5km mark and as I passed I said "See you on the run". There are two out-and-back sections on the run course, one at around the 1km mark and one in the final kilometre. So you do get some opportunities to see who's coming up behind you. Sure enough I saw Matt go by after the first turnaround. We gave a little high 5, but he was only about 500m down. I was pretty worried - my lead was much bigger last year. As I entered the final kilometre I kept nervously glancing behind me, but no one was there. After that last out-and-back I knew I was free and clear. My final run + T2 split was 22:25 - only about 30s quicker than last year. I was hoping for more, but I think a few things played into that time - my lack of run volume over these past two months, coupled with a complete absence of speedwork as I rehabbed my achilles certainly limited my performance, but I also think the heat must have played a role - I just felt terrible out there.
In the end I improved upon last year's time by 3:20, and moved up to 7th overall. Not a bad result for a first race of the year and dealing with several uncertainties - namely, pacing the bike with power, and seeing how my achilles would respond to a race effort. This race also marked the first time I didn't win my age group - the guy who won the whole thing (in 58:34!) was in my AG, and, amusingly enough, lived on the same floor as me in first year university and lived across the road from us the other 3 years.
I wouldn't have predicted that most of my gains would come from the swim, but I'll try to be pleasantly surprised about that rather than disappointed in my bike split. I think that my consistency in this race is another positive: 7th out of T1, 6th off the bike, and finishing the run in 7th. Last year it was 13th/6th/11th. So it looks like I'm a more complete triathlete at this point.
Goals:
1) Keep the achilles happy
2) Improve all split times over last year
3) Make top 5 overall
Time: 1:04:29
Place: 2/7 AG, 7/90 OA
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