This morning was my first ever crack at the Kurnell triathlon... and I have to say, I like! At the beginning of the season I fully intended to race in all 4 events of the series, but somehow one thing after another managed to keep me away until I finally gave it a crack in race 4 today, the last one of the series.
Race preparation wasn't ideal I guess as I ran 37km yesterday morning, then went for a 2km swim in the late arvo, went out for a big, greasy and oiley (although utterly delicious) Lebanese meal in Enmore for a friend's birthday, got to bed at midnight feeling like I might be coming down with something and woke up before 5am to the sound of one of our cats tearing up some newspaper. But enough with the excuses.
It turns out the newspaper was merely an appetiser. When I got up and went to put my goggles in my race bag (I'd only left them out to dry after yesterday arvo's swim) I noticed that Guillermo had chewed right through one of the straps leaving me with a useless pair of goggles. My two spares were at work so I was pretty much goggleless, luckily I texted Mark and Andrew and they both brought spares for me.
Then Andrew showed up to give me a lift and we sent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to fit all 4 bikes onto his new bike rack. In the end we just slung mine in the back of the car as it was looking like it was never going to happen and time was marching on.
As we pulled away Andrew notice the tailgate wasn't properly closed so jumped out of the car... which promptly started rolling backwards at speed down the steep hill of Blues Point Road. We were all strapped in and unable to help much in that split second and I pictured us slamming into ether a parked car or the cabbie who had pulled us behind us as the only car on the road at 6.10am! God only knows how Andrew managed to run backwards with the car, get the door open and one leg in enough to stomp on the brake, but it was a heroic effort!
Off we went again, but it seemed like we may be arriving a little late... According to the website transition closed at 6.40am and the race itself started at 7am. We found a parking spot about 6.55am (thankfully it was behind a foot high concrete drain that normal cars couldn't drive onto, which was the only reason it was still available. Andrew's giant 4WD - which can be raised even higher hydraulically - took it with ease), then got the bikes out and rode manically to the start.
As the last 4 people to arrive (by a long shot), we threaded our way between the wetsuited triathletes listening to the race briefing and pleaded with the cranky woman on registration to be given our caps and chips. Racing into transition with our heart rates through the roof we set up our gear as rapidly as we ever had and hobbled to the start trying to pull on our wetsuits at the same time. Of course then we waited as the start was delayed, the pros had a false start and had to swim 50m back to line up again and we could finally get going. Thank god for that as we would have never made it if the races started spot on time!
The race itself
The morning was glorious -a clear dawn sky, crystal clear warm water for the swim and a completely windless and still morning for the ride and run.
I tried my sleeveless IM wetsuit for the first time and it felt great, easier to get off too than my full sleever. The start of the swim sucked with me getting stuck behind a pod of close swimming strugglers. I just couldn't get around them as the pack was too broad, so eventually managed to thread my way through them, with two swimmers converging in the middle right in front of me. I held them off and busted through, but by this stage the pack was at least 20m in front and seemed uncatchable. I was glad for the swim last night as I felt easy in the water. I swam an unconventional (read 'completely off-course') line coming back in , as the sun was square in our eyes and it was impossible to sight anything, but that was the same for all.
The run from the water to transition wasn't nearly as steep or long as I'd imagined, T1 went smoothly and I hit the road for the cycle. I nearly went straight through the roundabout instead of turning left because I didn't know the course and saw a little pack of cyclists going straight ahead (must have been just out on a morning ride), but I righted and then put my head down and just went. I tried to keep the cadence around 90 and tried to keep the speed over 35, but it certainly wasn't my strongest bike leg ever and I fel below both markers for much of he course. It still felt great though, it's such a flat smooth beautiful bike course.
Andrew and Mark came out of the water almost together and spent the entire bike course passing each other back and forth, pushing each other as hard as they could go! I can only imagine the tussle, it would have been hilarious with each of the boys thinking "I am definitely faster than him, I better pass him again" for the entire 20km.
Andrew on the bike
Coming in to T2 Andrew was in the lead, but then couldn't get his foot out of his shoe, and then managed to get it out but at the same time the shoe unclipped so he caught it one hand while still riding one-legged as the officials screamed at him to dismount! In the melee Mark squeezed past him and then it was all on again for the run!
Mark
Apparently after passing each other a couple of times Mark let Andrew go and he steamed away, but Mark was still very much in his head and Andrew said that for the entire run he thought he heard Mark's footsteps right behind him and was convinced it was him, even calling out "Mark? Mark???" a couple of times, but didn't dare risk looking around.
Then on the second lap Andrew ran to close to the metal barriers and heard a loud DING! as his HRM/watch clanged off them and everyone around went "Whoah!" He carried on, but another lap round as he neared the same spot he thought "I wonder if my watch is alright...?" so looked down at his wrist to see it wasn't there. "I must have dropped it right near here" he thought and looked down at the very instant he passed his watch! So he scooped it up and kept running.
Me
Meanwhile I found the run interesting. It felt ok, but I couldn't get my legs to go nearly as fast as I wanted them to go, there was too much fatigue from the day before. And even pushing hard as I could, I couldn't for the life of me raise my HR about 160! I managed to get it to 165 on the hills, but I just couldn't get my legs going fast enough to get it up there. So I trudged along and only managed a lift near the end of the final lap as I passed Spot Anderson and he ran along with me, saying he'd pace me. So I put it all on (everything I had left) and Spot let me go after a while to take some photos of people while I clanged in for the last few hundred metres.
I was happy with the race and with my finish, but I know both Mark and Andrew would have thrashed me, all thanks to the bike leg which they smashed. They averaged something like 37km/hr, that's insane! With the rivalry going on they would have given it absolutely everything they've got.
So I've just napped and am about to go to Dans for a barbie and I guess another post mortem of the race. A very fun and highly eventful morning!
Race preparation wasn't ideal I guess as I ran 37km yesterday morning, then went for a 2km swim in the late arvo, went out for a big, greasy and oiley (although utterly delicious) Lebanese meal in Enmore for a friend's birthday, got to bed at midnight feeling like I might be coming down with something and woke up before 5am to the sound of one of our cats tearing up some newspaper. But enough with the excuses.
It turns out the newspaper was merely an appetiser. When I got up and went to put my goggles in my race bag (I'd only left them out to dry after yesterday arvo's swim) I noticed that Guillermo had chewed right through one of the straps leaving me with a useless pair of goggles. My two spares were at work so I was pretty much goggleless, luckily I texted Mark and Andrew and they both brought spares for me.
Then Andrew showed up to give me a lift and we sent a frustrating 10 minutes trying to fit all 4 bikes onto his new bike rack. In the end we just slung mine in the back of the car as it was looking like it was never going to happen and time was marching on.
As we pulled away Andrew notice the tailgate wasn't properly closed so jumped out of the car... which promptly started rolling backwards at speed down the steep hill of Blues Point Road. We were all strapped in and unable to help much in that split second and I pictured us slamming into ether a parked car or the cabbie who had pulled us behind us as the only car on the road at 6.10am! God only knows how Andrew managed to run backwards with the car, get the door open and one leg in enough to stomp on the brake, but it was a heroic effort!
Off we went again, but it seemed like we may be arriving a little late... According to the website transition closed at 6.40am and the race itself started at 7am. We found a parking spot about 6.55am (thankfully it was behind a foot high concrete drain that normal cars couldn't drive onto, which was the only reason it was still available. Andrew's giant 4WD - which can be raised even higher hydraulically - took it with ease), then got the bikes out and rode manically to the start.
As the last 4 people to arrive (by a long shot), we threaded our way between the wetsuited triathletes listening to the race briefing and pleaded with the cranky woman on registration to be given our caps and chips. Racing into transition with our heart rates through the roof we set up our gear as rapidly as we ever had and hobbled to the start trying to pull on our wetsuits at the same time. Of course then we waited as the start was delayed, the pros had a false start and had to swim 50m back to line up again and we could finally get going. Thank god for that as we would have never made it if the races started spot on time!
The race itself
The morning was glorious -a clear dawn sky, crystal clear warm water for the swim and a completely windless and still morning for the ride and run.
I tried my sleeveless IM wetsuit for the first time and it felt great, easier to get off too than my full sleever. The start of the swim sucked with me getting stuck behind a pod of close swimming strugglers. I just couldn't get around them as the pack was too broad, so eventually managed to thread my way through them, with two swimmers converging in the middle right in front of me. I held them off and busted through, but by this stage the pack was at least 20m in front and seemed uncatchable. I was glad for the swim last night as I felt easy in the water. I swam an unconventional (read 'completely off-course') line coming back in , as the sun was square in our eyes and it was impossible to sight anything, but that was the same for all.
The run from the water to transition wasn't nearly as steep or long as I'd imagined, T1 went smoothly and I hit the road for the cycle. I nearly went straight through the roundabout instead of turning left because I didn't know the course and saw a little pack of cyclists going straight ahead (must have been just out on a morning ride), but I righted and then put my head down and just went. I tried to keep the cadence around 90 and tried to keep the speed over 35, but it certainly wasn't my strongest bike leg ever and I fel below both markers for much of he course. It still felt great though, it's such a flat smooth beautiful bike course.
Andrew and Mark came out of the water almost together and spent the entire bike course passing each other back and forth, pushing each other as hard as they could go! I can only imagine the tussle, it would have been hilarious with each of the boys thinking "I am definitely faster than him, I better pass him again" for the entire 20km.
Andrew on the bikeComing in to T2 Andrew was in the lead, but then couldn't get his foot out of his shoe, and then managed to get it out but at the same time the shoe unclipped so he caught it one hand while still riding one-legged as the officials screamed at him to dismount! In the melee Mark squeezed past him and then it was all on again for the run!
MarkApparently after passing each other a couple of times Mark let Andrew go and he steamed away, but Mark was still very much in his head and Andrew said that for the entire run he thought he heard Mark's footsteps right behind him and was convinced it was him, even calling out "Mark? Mark???" a couple of times, but didn't dare risk looking around.
Then on the second lap Andrew ran to close to the metal barriers and heard a loud DING! as his HRM/watch clanged off them and everyone around went "Whoah!" He carried on, but another lap round as he neared the same spot he thought "I wonder if my watch is alright...?" so looked down at his wrist to see it wasn't there. "I must have dropped it right near here" he thought and looked down at the very instant he passed his watch! So he scooped it up and kept running.
MeMeanwhile I found the run interesting. It felt ok, but I couldn't get my legs to go nearly as fast as I wanted them to go, there was too much fatigue from the day before. And even pushing hard as I could, I couldn't for the life of me raise my HR about 160! I managed to get it to 165 on the hills, but I just couldn't get my legs going fast enough to get it up there. So I trudged along and only managed a lift near the end of the final lap as I passed Spot Anderson and he ran along with me, saying he'd pace me. So I put it all on (everything I had left) and Spot let me go after a while to take some photos of people while I clanged in for the last few hundred metres.
I was happy with the race and with my finish, but I know both Mark and Andrew would have thrashed me, all thanks to the bike leg which they smashed. They averaged something like 37km/hr, that's insane! With the rivalry going on they would have given it absolutely everything they've got.
So I've just napped and am about to go to Dans for a barbie and I guess another post mortem of the race. A very fun and highly eventful morning!
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