I always look forward to the Gravenhurst Sprint triathlon. This was the third time I’ve raced it and even though I’ve moved up to Olympic distances now, there is something about this course and race that I enjoy so much and I always seem to do well here. Sunday was no different. I finished 12th overall and first in my age group.
The day started off with the steamboat cruise out to the drop off point. If you are not familiar with this race, the entries are limited to 300 because they bring you out to the starting point in the middle of the lake in one of the two old steamboats. It was a hot day, temperatures were already reaching 30 and I was concerned about how hot the run was going to be. I don’t do well in the heat and the run has traditionally been my weakest leg. When the seeds of doubt begin to plant themselves before a race, I was always remind myself to trust my training and no matter what I know I will always leave everything out on the course, no matter what shape I’m in.
We jumped off the boat and in to the water, treading until the sound of the boat horn. The water was warm but not too warm, just perfect. The atmosphere was pleasant. Everyone wishing each other a good safe race. I found a spot near the outside. This is a straight line into the dock so no need to worry about turns or perfect lines. The horn went off and I got away clean, I noticed one of the young kids flying through the water ahead. I felt like I had a good pace going, as far as I could tell there was the fast kid about 100m in front and then a pack of 3 to my left and in front about 15 m. No one else was around me, I haven’t mastered drafting off someone in the swim yet so I was happy to be on my own in clean water. Feeling good I made my way to the dock ladder. From what I could tell I thought I was 5th out of the water. Pretty much where I had hoped to be. I haven’t improved much in the swim due to a lack of consistent training but I’ve been able to maintain my level of fitness.
Running down the dock towards transition at this race is one of the reasons I love this race. On either side of the dock and parking lot there are what seems to be tons of people, 3 or 4 deep, all cheering you on. I guess it helps being one of the leaders to get that kind of reception but I really feed off that energy and I feel like a pro for about 10 seconds.
In T1 I had a little problem getting the wetsuit off my ankles but overall pretty clean. The bike mount was clean and I was able to pass a competitor who didn’t have a clean mount. I got into my shoes cleanly and continued on my way. The bike course is rolling hills and there was no wind so I it was a pretty ideal conditions to go fast. It started to get hot and when you notice it on the bike, then you know it’s really going to get hot later.
Usually this is where the really good cyclist make up some ground on me and catch me. I hate hearing that sound of a disk wheel coming up behind me. Today was different, I didn’t hear that. I kept waiting for the stream of guys to pass me but only a couple of guys did. I noticed that one of the guys was in my age group and I wanted, if I could to keep him in my sights. I was able to stay with him on the flats, lose some ground on the climbs but pass him on the descents. We passed each other maybe 5-6 times.
Coming in to T2, I felt good but I was worried I may have given too much on the bike. I know I had a good time but I hoped, especially with the plus 30 degree heat and humidity that I didn’t get too carried away on the bike. I made an effort to stay hydrated more than usual, so it was now time to see if it paid off.
The transition again went well, no problems. I started running and as per usual, felt like I was running in quicksand. I felt like I was moving at a snail’s pace but I kept telling myself that all of my hard work with the run club this spring will pay off. Just tried to focus on keeping my cadence up and trust that I was going faster than it seemed and not get discouraged.
It was hot! Especially running over the newly paved dark asphalt. You could feel the heat coming from below like an oven. The run course has a few long climbs and all I kept focusing on was the guy from the bike that was in my age group who was ahead of me. I didn’t want to let this guy beat me and come later to find out I didn’t finish in the top 5 of my age group because of this one guy. He was laboring and he didn’t look too good on the climbs. I knew if I could be patient I could over take him. Even though it was only a 5 km, it felt a lot long than that but around the 2km mark I passed my new nemesis and at the turnaround point I felt confident that I could stay ahead of him.
The usual stampede of fast runners didn’t pass me. There were only a few guys that did. I was feeling confident that I could get a podium finish in my age group and although that was a nice thought, I was beginning to hurt, hurt real bad. I started to feel nauseous and with only about 1.5 km to go my attention went to trying not to hurl. I knew that after this last climb it was pretty much downhill or flat to the finish line so all I had to do was hold on. I felt like my body was on fire, not in a could way. As I got closer all I could do was hope that no one would have a final kick and pass me at the finish line and break my heart. No one did. The race organizers planted the bbq right next to the finish line so that when you ran through the shoot you got to breath in the smoke from the grill. Nothing like giving everything you have in a race and then get a lung full of smoke at the finish.
My new favourite thing, sponges full of water. Nothing ever felt so good after a race!
Another great experience at Gravenhurst. I shaved over 6 minutes off my time from last year and finished in 1:16:04 and pushed myself to another new level. All of the hard work, especially the tempo runs and interval training has really paid off. It’s so satisfying and rewarding to see your times reflect the work that you have been putting in. Can’t wait for the next race!
