mikes last triathlon for the season

COACHES REVIEW

such a great effort coming off the back end of the main event trail run a few weeks prior but managed a great first time to set the benchmark for next season after a deserved break from continuous events, I know you will still be committed to training and we will see mike return early next year with more experience and hunger for being the best version possible until then enjoy your downtime.

First Sprint Distance Event so excited to be there and looking forward to seeing how well the training and commitment will pay off.  It’s a great feeling to physically be in a place that you have only been visualizing.  Now it’s real.

Weather and conditions were perfect. Slight chill in the air at 16 Deg, very light breeze if any and water glassed out at 21 deg. Doesn’t get much better than this. Welcome to the tropics.

Initial race briefing done at transition area then down to beach and into water for quick splash and warm up.  Have lost a heap of weight so feeling good about myself and confidence was high. Final water safety briefing then off we go.  There were approx. 30-40 competitors and a good swim course laid out, so crowding was not an issue.  Just kept it easy with an increased pace and hip rotations but no real power as to not blow out shoulder which has been causing me some grief over the last couple of months.  The tide was very low, so the actual swim leg ended up considerably short which worked in my favor and used the long run to transition to get ahead a couple of places.

Into transition which I had been practicing staying on my feet and not sit down like I did in previous enticer event but still felt clumsy.  Lost balance and leaned against bike rack and nearly knocked the whole thing over.  Let’s not do that again.

Another first was racing with cleats, so the comedy continued until I got all this sorted and clipped in. Now back to racing.  The bike leg started on a gentle uphill, so cadence was high and easy to keep moving, get the feel and settle into some sort of rhythm. Then onto a long decline, so this is where I pushed approx. 80%. A few more hills so kept this strategy and gave 100% on declines during return leg.  A few attempts for hydration but not effective, more just a rinse and cool. Having a couple of competitors ahead gave me incentive to catch them and keep up the pace.  Doesn’t feel fair when you pass someone trying hard on a mountain bike, but hey I’ve been there so “Hasta La Vista Baby”. Stayed in control and not worrying about the run as confident legs would get me there so stay focused on the now.  Was a new bike with not a lot of miles on it so need to keep working on some adjustments for gears, posture, and comfort etc.

Legs were extremely heavy and wobbly off bike. Transition was challenging with shoe change and using stretchy elastic laces which helped. Started run easy to get the feeling back in legs then maintained a good race pace, mid 5’s.  Water station at 2k and was feeling good, grabbed a cup with intent to rinse and cool off but ended up choking which threw me off until I could get rhythm and breath back.  No audio assistance so focused on keeping a high tempo and managing breathing. This worked for most of the course and pushed where I could and managed a few sub 5 sections, however there is a steep hill approx. 3.5k mark. I have trained on this hill and knew what to expect but it did cost me some time and zapped any reserves I had.  Worked on recovery during downhill and finished strong.

Planned Time – Swim 20, Ride 40, and Run 25 = 1:25 (This was a best guess)

Actual Time – Swim 13, Ride 44, and Run 28 = 1:28

Official event times and placing are not avail yet so I’ll keep you posted when they are released.

Overall was a great race and extremely happy with result and looking forward to getting stronger and faster.