O
Onemarathon
Guest
2004 Ottawa Early Bird Triathlon
May 22, 2004 Ottawa, Canada
Sprint Distance Event: 500m swim / 22.2k bike / 5k run
--
The forecast was for rain, but instead, the skies were just gray, and
the clouds didn¹t look too threatening. The race went by without a
single drop of rain. Temperatures were in the teens (Celcius) and very
comfortable. A sometimes strong wind on the bike and run kept us cool
and dry.
Got there plenty early so that I could go through all of my pre-race
rituals so that good luck would be with me. I¹ve become a superstitious
sort ever since I started racing. Because the weather is not quite warm
enough for open water swimming yet, this event held the swim in an
indoor pool. Fine by me, but there was still some thrashing and bashing
in the swim lanes. It took me about half the swim to settle into a
comfortable rhythm with all of the confusion in the pool. The seeding
process was not terribly successful, as slow folk were holding up the
fast swimmers at the front, and several supposedly slower people
rocketed past me (near the back of the pack), with feet and elbows
a-flailing. I finished the swim strong, though, feeling like I could
have done another 500m easily.
Then the ridiculously long barefoot run across concrete, asphalt, and
stones to get to the transition area. No mats? It hurt a bit but I
gritted my teeth and moved quickly - I had to make up for my slow-ish
swim on the bike and run.
T1 went without trouble, and I crammed a banana in my mouth as I pulled
on my gear, then headed off. Headwinds made it a little on the slow side
on the way out (two loops) but at least the ride back was smoother. Lots
of people on the course still, so we had to watch each other to avoid
drafting penalties. On the last loop, my hamstrings started tightening
up on me. I loosened up with a few stretches near the end of the bike to
ready myself for the run, but didn¹t know what to do about the hams. So
I took plenty of sport drink, and nearing the end, I went into a lower
gear, which seemed to ease the pain.
T2 was quick and easy - I just traded helmet for hat and took off. Now I
was in my element, being a runner first and foremost. I passed many
people throughout the run, and nobody passed me. A good sign. Right from
the start of the run, I experienced a small stomach cramp on my left
side, but I was able to beat that while still moving at a good clip. I
did that old trick of belly breathing, while exhaling as my right foot
hit the ground. Works every time. I recorded my splits throughout the
race, but didn¹t really monitor the watch very closely. I was just in a
"What the hell" kind of mood today, and hey, it got me done the race
within my time goal.
Overall clock time = 1:29:07
Place overall = 195/339
500m Swim + T1 = 18:12 (swim alone was about 15:28)
22.2k Bike = 46:16
T2 + 5k Run = 24:39
I¹m pretty pleased with my results, especially on the swim, where I took
about five minutes off of my 2003 500m time. The bike was also a massive
improvement, about 10 minutes off last year¹s time. The run was a touch
slower but it simply didn't occur to me to push myself the way I
normally do for the last couple of kilometers puffing on every breath.
This time, I picked it up on the final few hundred metres, and finished
fast but comfortably. No collapsing on the ground at the end, like I
often do.
Well, that¹s itŠ the deed is done, and now I must contemplate my next
race. I celebrated with lots of junk food the rest of the day.
Thanks for reading,
Cam
May 22, 2004 Ottawa, Canada
Sprint Distance Event: 500m swim / 22.2k bike / 5k run
--
The forecast was for rain, but instead, the skies were just gray, and
the clouds didn¹t look too threatening. The race went by without a
single drop of rain. Temperatures were in the teens (Celcius) and very
comfortable. A sometimes strong wind on the bike and run kept us cool
and dry.
Got there plenty early so that I could go through all of my pre-race
rituals so that good luck would be with me. I¹ve become a superstitious
sort ever since I started racing. Because the weather is not quite warm
enough for open water swimming yet, this event held the swim in an
indoor pool. Fine by me, but there was still some thrashing and bashing
in the swim lanes. It took me about half the swim to settle into a
comfortable rhythm with all of the confusion in the pool. The seeding
process was not terribly successful, as slow folk were holding up the
fast swimmers at the front, and several supposedly slower people
rocketed past me (near the back of the pack), with feet and elbows
a-flailing. I finished the swim strong, though, feeling like I could
have done another 500m easily.
Then the ridiculously long barefoot run across concrete, asphalt, and
stones to get to the transition area. No mats? It hurt a bit but I
gritted my teeth and moved quickly - I had to make up for my slow-ish
swim on the bike and run.
T1 went without trouble, and I crammed a banana in my mouth as I pulled
on my gear, then headed off. Headwinds made it a little on the slow side
on the way out (two loops) but at least the ride back was smoother. Lots
of people on the course still, so we had to watch each other to avoid
drafting penalties. On the last loop, my hamstrings started tightening
up on me. I loosened up with a few stretches near the end of the bike to
ready myself for the run, but didn¹t know what to do about the hams. So
I took plenty of sport drink, and nearing the end, I went into a lower
gear, which seemed to ease the pain.
T2 was quick and easy - I just traded helmet for hat and took off. Now I
was in my element, being a runner first and foremost. I passed many
people throughout the run, and nobody passed me. A good sign. Right from
the start of the run, I experienced a small stomach cramp on my left
side, but I was able to beat that while still moving at a good clip. I
did that old trick of belly breathing, while exhaling as my right foot
hit the ground. Works every time. I recorded my splits throughout the
race, but didn¹t really monitor the watch very closely. I was just in a
"What the hell" kind of mood today, and hey, it got me done the race
within my time goal.
Overall clock time = 1:29:07
Place overall = 195/339
500m Swim + T1 = 18:12 (swim alone was about 15:28)
22.2k Bike = 46:16
T2 + 5k Run = 24:39
I¹m pretty pleased with my results, especially on the swim, where I took
about five minutes off of my 2003 500m time. The bike was also a massive
improvement, about 10 minutes off last year¹s time. The run was a touch
slower but it simply didn't occur to me to push myself the way I
normally do for the last couple of kilometers puffing on every breath.
This time, I picked it up on the final few hundred metres, and finished
fast but comfortably. No collapsing on the ground at the end, like I
often do.
Well, that¹s itŠ the deed is done, and now I must contemplate my next
race. I celebrated with lots of junk food the rest of the day.
Thanks for reading,
Cam
