1. We slept in our super van at a super lake. A very convenient unnamed lake. Look how excited I am to race my very first sprint!
2. Start of the Sprint Swim. This picture is awesome because one guy is actually going the wrong way. I wonder how his day turned out. I realized minutes before the start of the race that this swim had 200-ish people going 150m and then turning right. Ha! At one point I found myself launched up onto a very nice man who thought it was as funny as I thought it was that he was going to piggy back me around the first bouy. Thanks nice guy! Sprint swim = awesome!
3. The swim exit. Usually I try to swim all the way up until my nose hits the sand (or close) but these girls were playing a pretty awesome underwater Battlestar Galatica - so I pulled up early and did some awkward water running. I should really try to smile for the camera one of these times because this really was one of the more fun, chaotic, swim survival manoeuvres I have ever pulled off!
4. I love this photo. For anyone who knows anything about my T1 times, they'll know I like to take about 4-6 minutes getting my butt in gear. So in an attempt to get competitive, I've upped my game. I think I got out in under 2 minutes and I'm pretty darn proud. This photo should be in the National Geographic feature on triathletes, wild, in their habitat.
But instead of David Attenborough announcing, it was the lovely Steve King.
5. The bike course was lovely and I really enjoyed blasting through it with little consequence. I only had to run 5km! So, pedal power! My hands were almost warm enough to shift gears (what a treat!) and I even felt somewhat yearning to continue on to the 1/2 Ironman course and not turn off for the sprint (but that would be silly) so off I went to the finish. This photo is two fold. Firstly, it is public shaming of myself for being too chicken to take my feet out of my shoes while nearing the dismount line. I feel like if I put it out there, I better not do it again. It makes running so awkward. Secondly, and more humourously, what I want to know is what is this guy looking at? Perhaps my decoy German tri shorts has him all befuddled.
6. Triathletes in the wild Part II. The native triathlete returns to their habitat, a cold and unlikely place to store their valuable trinkets they have acquired over the winter months. They shed their protective shells and don new toys with stretchy laces. Look, as the spectators do, in amazement of the rare triathlete at home.
This show, narrated by the lovely Steve King, told me & many others that I was in 2nd place - wow - a surprise to me! Shawn also gave me the information that I was at least 2 minutes back of the first place woman, and, as I was running down out to the trail, he told me the 3rd place woman had just come into transition. So, a little more stuff to think about rather than just get my legs moving, so, that was a nice little challenge. Knowing who was in 1st place was a bit of a kicker because I was sure she wasn't a slow runner, and I'd just have to figure out the damage at the turnaround point. The gap was sizeable, albeit shrinking, and I just told myself to keep working hard and not to let up as this was only a 5km and I had better do it in under 20 minutes. I did.
7. Now, the fun part was on. Before this race started, there was conversation between me and my friend Joerg. We were both doing the sprint. We both have our talents and they are both in different arenas. So, the challenge was obviously on, and it was a challenge to Joerg to get a big of a gap as possible so I couldn't catch him on the run. Too bad Joerg. At about 150m to go, I hit the sprint button (fitting, because this is a sprint) and ran him down. I won by 2 seconds. Now, just wait for the sequel, which will be coming in the Vancouver 1/2 Ironman. Joerg is back & I'm sure looking for revenge.
8. My last post was entitled, "4th race, 5th place". Now I could title this "5th race, 2nd place" but then the next post I'd be in the minuses and that is neither possible nor encouraging, but I can say I did finish in 2nd place, and won my age group. Not bad for my first Sprint distance triathlon! Coming in under 70 minutes was the goal, and that was definitely accomplished. I really paid no attention to the running clock until I crossed the finish line, so that was a nice surprise. And within 10 minutes of rest, I felt like I could do it all over again - what a difference from what you feel like after a 1/2 or full Ironman. No wonder so many people like short course triathlon!
And that's that. A story in pictures. This was a great race and a really fun way for me to try a sprint triathlon. Now it's back to the long stuff - and that is exciting too - doing a shorter race faster makes you want to do the longer race faster too. How do you know how fast you'll go until you try it?
In my ever evolving thoughts on triathlon, two new features have seemingly become paramount. First, you need to be good at getting your body to adapt and change to the newest demand put upon it, whether that is in training or in racing. Second, you also need to have some type of short term amnesia, to trick your body into doing a whole new sport all over again, and this applies to training and racing also. "What, no, I didn't just swim in a thrashing pirhana tank.....I'm just going for a bike ride......What, no, I'm just going for a run, but I have no idea why my legs feel like the Pokey and Gumby figurines".
It's been pointed out to me on several occasions by the people I love that at times, I'm called "unobservant". Like when I didn't notice we had a new somewhat large flat screen TV. Or, perhaps the time I didn't notice we had a new car (granted, it was the same colour as the old one....).
So, perhaps it has always been in my DNA to be a triathlete. Time will tell.
Next stop. Vancouver 1/2 Ironman.
Let's go Vancouver girls & boys. It's our turf (and surf). And anyone who rides in Vancouver owns the UBC hill.
Crush it kids :) Happy training everyone!
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