My thanks to Davis and Kuyler for coming out from Vancouver to hang out and cheer me on at the Subaru Victoria Half. Good times were had.
Here’s some of the pics they snapped. As you can see, I experimented with wearing socks for this race. At Rev 3, I will likely ditch the socks and run in Saucony Kinvaras instead of my Nikes.
I placed second overall at the Subaru Victoria Half-Iron Triathlon. My total time was 4:04:21.
Here’s the break down:
Full results here.
This race was my second half-ironman race as a pro. Summary: swim was off, bike was hard and I really killed the second loop, run was better than my Shawnigan experience, but still hurting and sorta lame.
I finished 6 minutes back from the winner, Adam O’Meara (sponsor alert: this guy is the real deal). In a race with a deeper field, I would not have placed second. Adam laid down a killer run that was 8min faster than me. Clearly, I’ve got some work to do. Of course, I’ll take the placing and the prize money and milk this experience for all the learning that I can. Since Adam and I have the same coach, I might just have to train with him more frequently to get my run down to a more competitive time.
On the swim, I made some tactical errors in choosing whether to pass or draft some of the swimmer’s infront of me. I opted for the latter, although the pace was slightly dialed down from what I was ready for. Unfortunately, I got blocked in and then a lead group took off before I had time to respond. Also, I missed a few swim sessions over the past weeks, so I’m certain that those skipped sessions didn’t help me along at all.
The bike was a really challenging course for me. Lots of hills, false flats, sketchy pavement, some really tight, fast turns. Couple that with my brakes being too loose, you have the recipe for a good time.
I got a great deal of encouragement at this race. Friends from Vancouver and locally came out for the express purpose of cheering me on. During the run, I crossed paths with Brent McMahon, who not only told me too keep it up, but also gave me some in-race tips on form. His comments helped me to refocus and relax.
Also, before the race, I was chatting with Jasper Blake and he said something like: “Go suffer. This is not about fun.” I reflected on this quote a bit as I rode (and suffered). As my energy would wane, I’d use it to refocus.
The advice and support from friends and athletes alike really helped me have a much more positive race this go around. Thank you all for your support and interest. It means so much to me and it actually helps.
My next race is fast approaching. I’ll be packing my tri bike in my EVOC Bike Bag and heading down to Portland, Oregon for the Rev 3 on July 10th. Laura is joining me for the weekend, as the race date is also her birthday, so I’m intending to enjoy the city with her once the race is completed.
The Rev 3 is going to be a flat, fast course, so I’m looking forward to seeing how I’ll perform at that venue. Adam is also coming down to race, so I’ll have yet another chance to try to best him! If anyone has a disc wheel to sell/lend me, do drop me an email.
Two days from now, I’ll be hammering out a half-iron at the Subaru Victoria Triathlon. My last race—my first attempt at the half iron distance—provided the opportunity for many painful lessons. I am looking forward to finding out what sort of student-of-triathlon I am on Sunday.
I’m really looking forward to this race. The run course around Elk Lake is familiar terriritory and there is something about the vibrant vegetation that I find calming. My hope is that this sense of connectedness will help me as I suffer through and make a worthy effort at racing.
I’ve not seen the full list of competitors yet, but I know that many of Victoria’s experiences pros will be racing this weekend. I look forward to racing against familiar faces, although I’m not expecting to receive or give any sort of mercy on the course. Adam O’Meara—friend and training mate—placed first at this race last year, so I’ll be looking to challenge him more seriously than I did a few weeks back. I do know that this race will require some real suffering, and I think I am more mentally prepared for this weekend than I was at Shawnigan Lake.
So, stay tuned for results.
Thank you to Dynamic Footworks, Oak Bay Bikes, SOLE, Pen Run, EVOC, and Vega for helping me be competitive at the pro level. Special thanks to the abundantly talented and utterly committed Noa Deutsch of PT Performance Training for her coaching and nutritional help. Without Noa, I wouldn’t be as far ahead as I am (although there is still a long, long road ahead).
Good safety, suffering, and fun to all those racing this weekend!
