The "A" race that didn't happen

Race report is up for Nationals. Long story short - it didn't go well. They cancelled the swim and replaced it with another run. Not only did this put me at a significant disadvantage since I'm a much better swimmer than runner, but it totally threw off my bike leg, as it resulted in challenges I hadn't anticipated. I had lost my confidence and motivation before the race even began, and what followed was a comedy of errors and an underwhelming result. It's tough to have the race I've been planning for since the winter not happen, so now I've go to shift my focus to something else.

My goal was to go sub 2:20 for the Olympic Distance, and this will remain my goal this season. Looks like I'll only have one chance to do it though (Thousand Islands). Two positives I'll take out of Nationals are that I managed to run relatively well (43 minutes) and if I take my overall time less the first run (54 minutes) that means I have 26 minutes to complete the swim.

The look of anguish on my face pretty much sums up the whole race

I felt that going sub-26 in the swim was totally reasonable for Nationals, based on a no-wetsuit assumption. With wetsuits, some adjustments to my bike pacing, and a flatter run course, I'm optimistic that breaking 2:20 in Brockville is well within my grasp. If I can do that, then I'll call this a successful season. With the cancellation of Perth and running Nationals as a Duathlon, things haven't been going according to plan so far.

First one down, less than a month until Nationals

My race report is up for Smiths Falls. All in all a decent start to the season.

Positives:
- Improved my time overall and in each discipline
- The achilles was not an issue during the race or afterwards
- Surprised myself on the swim
- Had fun reconnecting with some old rivals

Negatives:
- The heat was oppressive - reminded me I don't do well when it's really hot
- Didn't quite see the gains I had been hoping for on the bike and run
- Failed to win my AG for the first time

Overheated at the end of the race! 

 

The race definitely gave me some food for thought heading into the big race at the end of the month. I'm feeling good about where my fitness is at, and looking forward to being properly tapered and fully prepared for Nationals. But first, two big weeks with some pretty heavy training.