I took a few weeks off training after Geelong with the exception of the Hillary's sprint distance race (TriEvents Race 3). I went in to this race with the intention of having fun. I had a great swim coming out in 3rd and then put some pressure on in the bike. I lead the bike race (having the fast split) and had a 23 second lead coming into T2. The run leg was slow and my legs didn't feel like running. I battled through finishing in 2nd 31 seconds behind Karl Reindler, with Mark Luckin rounding the podium off.
My next race was the Albany Olympic Distance Race. I raced in the open category being on of the smaller races to get some experience racing against the likes of Sean O'Neill and James Lewin. The swim was a 2.5 lap course and was ROUGH. I exited the water in 21.41.
The bike course was 2 laps and had a 10km undulating section on each lap. The wind was up and made a few of the downhill sections a bit sketchy but overall it was an awesome bike course. I was given a drafting penalty going up a hill which I though was an incorrect call. Not much can be done once you have given a yellow card. So at the end of the 40km I sat in the penalty box for 2mins. I was really disappointing i was given a penalty as I believe I race honestly. The run was also 2 laps and along a beach foot path. It was slightly undulating and I felt strong on the run. I didn't have the fastest run but I felt in control and focused which is a good sign. I finished 7th overall (last in the open category). I would have placed first in my age group so that gives me confidence things are going in the right direction.
Race 4 of the TriEvents series was next up at Champion Lakes and I was very motivated for this race. A few of the big guns in my age group were not racing (Johan Borg, Karl Reindler and Mark Luckin) and I was very confident that I had a strong chance of getting a win (my first for the season) which would put me in the leaders jersey going into the final race of the series. I had a solid swim coming out in 11.40, in 3rd place. The conditions were perfect for the ride with not a breath of wind in sight. I powered around the course posting a solid bike time and i entered T2 2.55min lead. I run confidently across the line 2.25 ahead of second place. I finally got my first win of the season and have put myself in the lead of the TriEvents series. The last race is Hillary's Race 2 on April 11.
Yesterday I was asked by Karl to compete in the Corporate Triathlon in Freo for a bit of fun. We entered in the Pairs category (where they add our finishing times together, with the lowest paired time being the winning team). We had a great time and flew around the very short course, consisting of a 250m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km run. We were basically going to be racing each other and see how fast we could go. I came out the water in 3rd with Karl hot on my heels in 4th. We flew through transition and onto the crowded 3 lap bike course. We pulled each other around the course ducking around everyone (legally) and before we new it our feet were out and we were off on to the run. I got a few meters on Karl through transition and basically maintained that distance throughout most of the run. Towards the end Karl pick it up and came level with me but we decided to cross together. We won our category and posted the fastest overall times (both finished in 32.12). Nice little hit out, but I forgot how much those small races hurt!
So that the low down on whats been happening on the racing front. Training is coming along nicely with 6 weeks left until Busselton Half. I will be working really hard for the next 4-5 weeks to get my fitness up ready to knock over a PB at busso.
Cheers,
Andy
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