Shawnigan Lake RR

Being back into the swing of things, I thought that I should put together a small race report of Shawnigan Lake triathlon from this past weekend. This was my first olympic distance race of the year, and of course my nerves were sky high. Having not properly practiced transitions or the flying mount with shoes already clipped onto the bike, I was just hoping for a solid race overall. And I think that is what I got. Also, a plus- Sunday was my 21st birthday... so a little bit of birthday luck helped me out!

Swim 1500m: 23:32

The water was not nearly as cold as I had anticipated! A nice and comfortable 17 degrees C. The course was a clockwise two loop layout. All of the olympic participants started out together, but I found that this start was not nearly as crazy as some of my previous races. I felt strong on the swim and I think that in the future I can definitely push it harder out there. Overall I am super pleased with my swim time, as it is 40s off of my fastest from my last year of racing.

T1:

I couldn't get my wetsuit off quicky....

Bike 44km: 1hr20

The bike course was a 2 loop course around Shawnigan Lake. It was hilly, but nothing too difficult as most hills ended up as rollers. I felt strong on the bike, even though the cold was making me feel a bit sluggish near the end. My only complaint was the lack of control for the motor vehicle traffic let on course... with the sprint racers out on the course it became very congested and cars were stuck behind cyclists while impeding faster riders wanting to pass the car and slower riders. Maybe next year one lane of traffic could be closed to help alleviate this problem.

T2:

Faster than T1 luckily!

Run 10km: 47:11

I had been a bit nervous for the run, as I now have two neuroma's in my R. and L. feet... and they are aggravated by running off of pavement. The course was a flat-ish out and back along the Trans Canada Trail. Luckily the trail was flat and solid enough that I had zero foot pain! The run felt alright, but I know I was dragging my butt somewhere between 5-8km. In the end my time is a faster time that was I usually run at the end of a triathlon, so I am happy seeing some improvement there!

Post race: Celebrate birthday with my wonderful friends and family!!

Overall I am happy with this as my first race of the season. I know that there is a great deal of room for improvement throughout this season and I am looking forward to seeing how the summer months unfold.

 Nina, Danyel and I

 Last stretch 

 Mum and I

21st celebrations