Leif Baradoy

Earlier today, I raced the Self-Transcendence Triathlon & Duathlon, Canada’s oldest triathlon! What an honour.

The last few weeks I’ve felt fatigued with the training I’ve been doing. Noa, my excellent coach, has been pushing me just hard enough—enough that I hurt bad but not enough to break me and my spirit (that angle/demon who lives inside my body/mind). Today’s race functioned as a important laboratory to test out how I race under less than optimal conditions. At least that is how I approached it. No race is perfect, but testing my performance and mental focus coming out of a few challenging training weeks added extra complications and excitements.

I learned a few valuable lessons from this race and built some additional confidence for my next race: Canadian National Championships in Kelowna August 22. I placed fourth overall. Here’s the details:

I awoke early, ate a small breakfast, and headed to race site, imagining that transition was first-come-first-to-select-the-most-awesome-spot-on-the-racks. Ahh. The well organized race crew had designated spots! I took a little nap in the car once getting marked and setup. Then all the normal pre-race stuff: warm-up run, bartering with gods and demons to favour me, sudden atheistic moments of doubt in gods and demons (and self), warm up swim, chatting with other racers . . . the usual.

This was a no-wetsuit swim. The water was warm but the air was cool. Luke, an athlete from Oz, stood shivering, wanting the race to begin. I had a solid swim in what I believe to be a full 1500m course; my time was 22:04, which is a PB by over a minute since last race. Looks like swimming 6-7 days per week has some payoff, although I still have many minutes to shave off. Good thing this won’t be my last race or my last season!

I felt comfortable on the swim, not nearly as panicked as other races. I didn’t have the energy to flail wildly. I just swam the best I could with the energy that I had. I want to give a shoutout to Sable Water Optics, an amazing supporter who provided me with a few sets of goggles for this season (thank you). They make the best goggles on the market. As usual, the goggles didn’t fog and helped me sight buoys without difficulty. I felt that I kept on course and didn’t swim too much extra distance due to poor sighting.

I came tenth out of the water and almost four minutes back from the leaders. Well, better than coming out 5 minutes back, I figured, as I hopped on my bike.

I felt like utter crap on the bike the whole time. I felt like a slug. My legs hurt. I couldn’t climb. I was sure that I was going to be passed by half the field. I even wore my fancy aero helmet, which they tell me is uber-aero (but might just be a joke to make suckers look like sperm). Sadly, no magic jets in the helmet. I just suffered on and tried to do my best.

There were a lot of duathletes on the course, so I wasn’t really sure if I was actually making progress when passing people. Nevertheless, by 20km in I caught a couple of the faster swimmers. The last 20km was a series of different attacks (while always repsecting the draftzone rules!) between me and three other guys. I am sure that I was sending off vibes of weakness. My legs were saying “no more! leave us alone.”

Anyway, I took my feet out of my shoes way too early, which cost me the lead I gained off a final attack about 2km from T2 with still a few hills to go. My poor decision. I accept the resultant consequence. Nevertheless, I managed to have the fastest bike split of the day, which is pretty cool, given that I still am riding a entry level, too-large-for-me, aluminum bike. Looks like training is paying off. Bad races still can yield reasonable results!

I had a solid dismount, but my T2 wasn’t great as I had trouble slipping my shoes on. Three guys went out about 10-15 seconds ahead of me. My legs didn’t want to run. My mind knew that I should be able to outrun the guys infront of me, but the body needed some convincing.

We ran around Elk Lake, which has a few winding forest trails, so it is easy to lose sight of people infront. I first committed to getting my legs under me and holding pace. Pretty much the entire time I wanted to stop/slow down/walk/give up. I managed to close a gap within the first 3km, but I was hurting and the other guys knew it. Damn heavy breathing! By 7km, two of the three guys who went out infront of me managed to pull ahead by about 12 and 20 seconds. However, I kept pushing and became motivated to just finish the race. I think I actually picked up my pace just to get the pain finished with! Anyway, I managed to close a 12 second gap and pass one athlete with about 1km left.

Then I finished in unchallenged glory. But nothing comes easy. With about 300m to go, the guy I passed followed his coach’s direction and just started sprinting to the finish. I looked back and thought that he wouldn’t catch me in time. I picked up the pace, but not to a sprint. I looked back again. Whoah, he’s fast. I picked up the pace more. Looked back. Fu fu fu fu, I better get moving! Check out the photos.

Scotty had a good run and an impressive sprint finish. I just managed to cross the line before him, although our timing chips register the same time. My lesson: sprint like hell and don’t give people the chance or thought that they can catch you in that last stretch of the race. If you give people hope, they will create an opportunity, and that might come to fruition!

I was not happy when I finished. I feel capable of more, especially on the bike and run. This race was a struggle for me. Staying on my feet was an accomplishment.

When I finished, I told my coach that I didn’t feel worthy of wearing my ITU race suit today, but reflecting on the race I take that comment back. Because I didn’t stop running, because I had a solid bike split despite feeling horrible, because I had a solid run split when my mind was making a strong legal/moral/ethical/religious/ case for walking, because I could sprint to the finish, I feel that I can hold my head high as someone who races at the ITU Continental Cup level. I have earned my way to racing at that level because of commitment and attitude. Given the context, I don’t need to be ashamed of not meeting my potential at this race. I toughed it out and I managed to finish fourth overall. I am looking forward to seeing how I perform (no matter how I feel) for my “A” races at Kelowna and Budapest.

I should mention here that Matt Sharpe won the race handily today! This was his first time racing an Olympic distance race. He had an amazing swim and run (I don’t know his bike time). My congratulations go out to him. It is so cool to race with such strong, young, “development” athletes (development means that he’s only going to get faster!). Matt finished 4 minutes ahead of me. He also swam almost 4 min. faster than me. Oh yeah, he also ran a 33:41 for the 10km. Well done and inspiring, Matt!

Full results for the 31st Annual Self Transcendence Triathlon/Duathlon can be found here.

After travelling from Victoria to Calgary to Montreal to Calgary to Vernon to Vancouver, I raced at the Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon as part of a relay team in the half iron distance. Tyler Duncan took care of the swim and the bike (clocking the 6th fastest bike time). After that, I had the pleasure of running 20km to finish off the race.

I am very pleased with my run time: 1:11:12. I wish that the race was a proper 21.1km so that I could have officially set a new personal record at the half marathon distance, but given my pace and the way I was feeling I imagine I would have come in around 1:14:45, which would have been nearly 8 minutes off my Royal Victoria Half marathon time (1:22:27). Not too bad. Clearly training has been paying off.

I felt strong throughout the run and found myself wishing I had signed up for the entire race. I am eager to try my hand at the half iron distance, but I’m not rushing anything. The opportunity to race ITU is amazing—I count myself lucky to race at the international level. ITU racing helps me get my speed up and prepares me to eventually face off against super-fast guys like Jeff Symonds, Steven Kilshaw, Trevor Wurtele (to name only a few who were at the Van. race).

My pace for the run was solid. I had good mental focus, listened to my body, and fueled/hydrated properly. This race reminded me that I love what I do and that I have a capacity for racing. I am in my element. I was also encouraged to see my commitment to training continue to pay off in the race setting.

Shout out and thanks to SOLE, whose lightweight custom moldable footbeds and sports socks keep my feet healthy in training and racing.

Overall results for the Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon are here: individual and relay.

My first ITU race was completed. Despite a small technical problem, I felt that the race reflects honestly my current fitness and abilities. I have some areas that clearly need significant improvement, but I also have confidence that I am in the right place in my triathlon experience.

First, I want to thank the race organizers for not only providing me a place to sleep (along with a bunch of other athletes), but also for feeding (and overfeeding) us. Travelling to races has many costs and complimentary lodging and meals was a major help. Shout out to Jon Bird, my roommate from Calgary, who had a strong race. I really enjoyed geeking out with him about triathlon (training, mental approach to racing, “balance,” and commitment to our choice to compete at this level).

Okay, the race. First, the startline for elite men was very large—nearly 80 men—violence on the swim was anticipated simply because there were so many bodies swimming in the fairly narrow, very weedy canal. Also, the men raced late in the day: 3:45pm, so that added an additional challenge to the pre-race routine, fuelling, and mental preparation.

It was a cool and windy when we lined up. I definitely should have warmed up in my wetsuit and kept it on until the last minute. I was shivering cold, which is a lousy way to start the race.

I had some trouble hearing the starter, but not so much that didn’t dive in when the race began.

I had an okay swim for where I am at—a PB in fact—but by no means is where I am at competitive. I am weak on the swim and I need to put more focus on that element of the sport. My 23:33 swim is not acceptable for ITU style racing. The lead pack comes out of the water nearly 5 minutes ahead of me, so I am pretty much out of race contention (getting with a draft pack) as soon as the race starts. I will be working closely with Noa to do what it takes to get my swim together.

So, I came out of the water second to last. My thought: I am going to do whatever I can to make up time on the bike in 40km (6 laps). Yep. Insane thought. Not sensical. Especially when I tried to shift into my big ring and my chain dropped.

I tried to spin and shift to get it to catch on the teeth, but no go. I had to stop, get off my bike, and tug at the chain to get it into place. The last guy out of the water passed me. I cursed and swore that I would not be lapped by the lead pack (in ITU rules, if you get lapped on the bike, you get pulled from the race). I also swore to catch the guy who passed me.

Put simply: I worked hard on the bike, passed a few people, and caught up to a group of 3 guys, which permitted me to draft a bit (theoretically, maintain same speed with less work). I would say that only one other guy in the group was a strong cyclists, one was okay, and one was struggling to stay in the draft (he pulled once and slowed us down when he did). So, the last two guys out of the water did a fair amount of pulling. Looking back, I wonder of I should have done more.

Importantly, I felt really comfortable navigating on the bike, taking corners fast, and riding close to other riders. This was my first race where I felt like I was in a draft pack that was working well enough to stick with.

I felt a little lack-luster beginning the run, but the fact that I survived the bike course (no lapping, no crashes) should be counted as an achievement. I definitely toughed it out on the bike and pushed myself.

Despite my work on the bike, I felt that I could PB the run. This didn’t happen, even though I felt strong on the run—chasing a few guys down. I am particularly happy with how motivated I was to push myself and reel in 3 guys on the final km of the race, including one mere meters from the finishline. Still, no PB for me on the run. Maybe too much work on the bike. Maybe too much or too little fuel/hydration. Maybe too much complacency and “pussification” to push myself to Hirt more and run faster. I think had a mix of all three.

It felt great to finish. It was an accomplishment, despite being way back in the field. I am so glad that I showed up and took advantage of the learning opportunity of this race experience.

I make no excuses for my performance. This is where I am at right now. I don’t plan to stay in this spot—it is just a weighstation on the way to the next destination.

I want to close by thanking all the people who cheered me on while I was suffering through the race. There were so many people from the Victoria tri community who provided real encouragement to me, even though I was far behind.

Lastly, my congratulations goes out to all the Canadian junior and senior elites (men and women!) who totally owned the podium at this race: Andrew Yorke, Jeffrey Phillips, Paula Findlay, Chantel Widley, Kyla Coates. (not to mention the Juniors, who I’ll add later!)

You can find full results for the elite men’s division of the 2010 Coteau-du-Lac ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup right here. The long and the short of it is that I came 47th overall, with 55 men finishing the race and 10 men DNFing or DQed.

So, I’ve a long way to go. Up next: 1/2 marathon in Vancouver as part of a relay team at the Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon.

I raced in the sprint distance at the 2010 Shawnigan Lake Triathlon this weekend. I enjoyed attending this local race because there were so many familiar faces. It seems like the a good chunk of Victoria’s triathlon community was out at this race. This was my first time competing on this course, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The race location was gorgeous though!

Tyler picked me up at 5:20am the morning of the race, while Laura silently cursed being woken up at such an ungodly hour (this latter information may or may not be true). While I loaded tri stuff into his car, my dog spied a deer, escaped out the open door, and disappeared, which can be somewhat frustrating whether you are due on an excursion to the local poker club, or you’re avidly waiting to ascend the stairs to bed at night. Thankfully, I was awake enough to deal with the wayward creature.. I managed to lure the rambunctious canine back a few minutes later using the left-overs of my (likely too large) breakfast and Tyler and I headed out on time.

I felt calm before the race. It was a chilly, overcast day on the island, spitting rain. I came prepared with many layers (and coffee) and managed to stay fairly warm until race start. The water was frigid so my extremities quickly went numb on the warm-up swim. When the race started, I went out fairly strong in an attempt to draft off of some of the faster swimmers. I felt that my sighting was fairly good (improved from a few weeks back), so I didn’t lose anyone’s feet or get off course and swim extra distance. The fast swimmers in my group (many from the NTC Development Squad) confirmed that I need to put some more work into my swim technique. I was eleventh out of the water.

Transitions were a challenge for me. I struggled to pull off my likely-too small wetsuit, despite applying vast amounts of water-proof lubricant to my legs and arms before the race. The cold hands didn’t help, of course, but that’s something each racer dealt with. I had no trouble with my helmet this time, so I count that improvement.

The bike course was fairly busy since the half iron and Olympic racers were already on the course. I made sure to give people a wide berth as I passed them, as this was a non-draft legal race. Moreover, the road wasn’t closed to traffic and there were a couple of impatient (dangerous) drivers who were making risky decisions. Thankfully, no accidents occurred. I took in a gel and some fluid on the bike, but mostly focused on riding. The roads were wet and bumpy in spots, so mindfulness was critical. I worked fairly hard on the bike while still trying to save a bit of energy for the run. I passed a few of the people who came out of the water before me, but my 4th fastest bike split wasn’t epic. One lesson I take away from this race is to push far harder throughout each leg of sprint races. I am disappointed to say that I felt like I had energy to spare when I finished this race.

My second transition was horrid. I had a couple people pass me in transition. Cold hands from the bike combined with some poorly placed body glide (on the tongue of my shoe) made it very difficult for me to get my shoes on. I certainly should have thought through the bodyglide, especially since I broke the cardinal rule of not trying ANYTHING new on race day. I paid for that mistake. I saw other racers, including some former NTC athletes, using gloves and arm warmers for the bike. I think that, given the temperature, that was a really wise move, even though it added some seconds to their T1.

I started the run feeling like someone had swapped the insoles of my shoes around. I couldn’t feel my feet and felt really weird running. Perhaps I need to practice running with numb feet (dip them in the ocean for 10 min and then go for a run). I’m amazed how much my form relies on the physical feedback I get from the ground, rather than from my hips. Proper cadence helps me get into better form (thanks coach!), but I still found that my footstrike was off for most of this run. I had sore heels later in the day, which is a sign that I was not running properly.

The run went by really fast but I certainly didn’t go out at race pace. I sat back too much. I felt like I was racing on the swim and working on the bike, but on the run I was flat and went at a pace far below what I’m capable of. I think this was all mental. I’ve put the training in and I’m capable of more. While I wasn’t worked up about this race, it was nevertheless a race and I should have treated it as such.

I’m happy to report that many of my teammates who raced at Shawnigan earned times and results that they are proud of. In particular, Adam O’Meara earned third place overall in the half iron distance and set down a course record on the 21km run. Well done.

Anyway, I have lots of room to improve and some clear take-aways from this event. Of course, I really enjoyed being out competing this weekend. I look forward to doing this race next year. Up next: Wasa Lake.

Full results for the Sprint distance race at 2010 Subaru Shawnigan Lake International Triathlon can be found here.