Guelph Lake Triathlon Weekend

First of all, for clarity sake, a Sprint Triathlon is Swim 750m, Bike 20km, Run 5km. The is only one triathlon that is shorter than a Sprint and it is call Try-a-Tri (Swim 375m, Bike 10km, Run 2.5km). I have done 4 Sprint distance races now but this is the first one in open water and the first one since I started taking triathlon seriously. I have to admit, I had higher hopes for myself.

First of all, for clarity sake, a Sprint Triathlon is Swim 750m, Bike 20km, Run 5km. The is only one triathlon that is shorter than a Sprint and it is call Try-a-Tri (Swim 375m, Bike 10km, Run 2.5km). I have done 4 Sprint distance races now but this is the first one in open water and the first one since I started taking triathlon seriously. I have to admit, I had higher hopes for myself. Here’s the email I sent Coach Ben when I got home after the race:

Well… I did not do awesome. I came in 18/55 in my category and 121/336 in my gender.

My swim sucked (started off with a swift kick to the face that knocked my goggles askew and I never really got my cool back), my bike rocked (I passed EVERYONE) and my run was… ok.

I finished in 1:23:07 but I lost 4 minutes in Transition 1 from Swim to Bike. I got all tangled up in my dry shirt going on my wet torso and had some trouble with my socks too. Boo! But it was very good practice for next weekend. I will wear my shirt under my wet suit and consider running with no socks.

It was also 81°F (96 with the humidex) out there so… once I got off the bike, I pretty much was cooking.

For the Canadians in the crowd that is 27°C (35 with the humidex). So yeah, it was hot.

The thing that is causing me the most consternation is the swim. It was only 750m, compared to the 1900m I will be swimming in Syracuse, and I was struggling. I know I can do the distance – I have before (and further) many times in the pool – I just let the lake and the hoards of splashing people get the better of me. I am heading out into Lake Ontario tonight to grab another chance to calm my nerves. I know I can do this… I know I can. I just need to stay calm.

The transition issues I had at this race will not be a problem in Syracuse. Besides, losing 4 minutes in a race that takes 1 hour and 23 minutes is a big deal. I will likely take closer to 6 hours to finish the race this weekend… 4 minutes will not keep me off the podium.

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