Tri-ing to stay young!

Well, I was right about the education (I had mentioned in my last blog) that I believed I was about to receive on Sunday. Before I give you my feelings on the race and my performance, I have to make a comment on the quality of Victoria and area athletes. Not withstanding the fact that there were a number of elite triathletes entered in the race, I have to say that the average caliber of all of the athletes entered in this race was head and shoulders higher than what I expected or had experienced at the ½ Ironman Races I had participated in Alberta. Obviously the ability to train outside in winter has a lot to do with this. However, I also think having elite level athletes training in Victoria just gives everyone a higher benchmark from which to gauge themselves and a much higher expectation for their own results. Two glaring race stats that I believe prove this out: 1) 91 athletes started and 91 athletes finished; 2) The final athlete’s time was 7:21. Cut off is 8 hours. Having said all of this, I will be better physically and mentally trained for my next west coast event so I can compete at the level I believe most local athletes expect themselves to perform at.
As for the venue, It was spectacular! No wind and a calm glistening lake AND no motorboats. There wasn’t a ripple on the water so the buoys were easily sighted. The bike course had enough elevation changes to be challenging without being a killer and the motorists were so considerate.  The locals had obviously left the lake and the bike course to the athletes in the morning because it wasn’t until the final 15 or 20 minutes of my ride that I even noticed any significant traffic on the roads. Thank you Shawnigan Lake for being so considerate on a rare sunny Sunday morning. I will definitely put this race on my schedule for next year and for as many years to come that my body will allow.
As for my race - It started with the worst swim in my short tri career! Based on my training times I was counting on a 40 to 45 minute swim. My time: 1h5m. I can only thank the good people who created the rules, which allowed swimmers to hang on to canoes for a rest when in distress. I hung on close to a dozen times in the first 900 metres and probably nearly as many times in the second 900-metre loop. In fact, my swim was so slow that I was lapped by the elite swimmers at about the 600-metre mark and by about half of the 91 competitors by the end of the 900 metre first lap. I had just rounded the last buoy with approx. 400 metres to the swim finish when the last of the other swimmers were leaving the water. I haven’t looked up times but I’m sure that I was probably 15 minutes or more behind the field when I exited the swim. My bike was much better. I averaged approx. 27kph, which for me was very good, especially when you factor in the hills and rollers on the course. (The winner set a new bike record of 44.5 kph – Wow, it’s a good thing that the RCMP were out controlling race traffic because he would could have be cited for speeding if they would have had the radar out!!!) My ride was not fast enough to catch anyone on the course so I was 91 out of 91 going into the run. The run course was along the local section of the Trans Canada Trail System. It was quiet, scenic and very relaxing. My only complaint is that a 2 to 3 km section of the course was not well graveled. I bruised the bottom of my right foot on sharp stones and had to walk for most of that section to avoid more bruises. (Vibram 5 fingers are great to run in but they don’t offer much protection from larger irregularities.)   I did manage to pass a couple of competitors near the end of the run and finished 89 out of the 91 entrants. My time: 7:09. I would have been happy with a 6:45 so if I ever get my swim distress problem under control, I will reach my goals. I had intended this be my last race before Ironman but after the swim fiasco, I know that I have to race at least a couple of more times to cure my anxiety attacks. Please e-mail me if you have any suggestions.
By the way, there is a silver lining to being a “more mature” triathlete, I placed 3rd in my age group and received both a medal and a prize. (Don’t ask me how many people were entered in my age group.)
In closing, many thanks to the wonderful lady in the canoe who talked me through my 65-minute swim ordeal. I’m sure that I would not have made the time cut-off without your help. I wish you had been around at the end of my run so I could have given you the huge hug that you deserved. I will be watching for you next year and you can be assured you will receive that hug if I see you!