Three-for-One Thursday!

It seems that I have to complete at least two whole races before I feel the need to blog about it.  And it's summer, so there are lots of races happening, which means, this post is as long as the 3 whole races I am reporting on.

Here I am, writing another multiple-race-report.

The Waterloo Classic 10km, The Guelph Lake 1 Subaru Sprint Triathlon, and the Downtown Classical 5km in Guelph.


I will start back in June, with the Waterloo Classic 10km…

This was my first time running the Waterloo Classic, but the race has been around for decades.  My friend Lorraine was also running the 10k, so we carpooled.  I picked her up bright and early, and we drove to Waterloo (about 30 minutes away).

Lorraine and me pre-race…it was heating up before 8am!

We met Robert, Tricia, and their son Andrew (…part of the cheering squad!) at the race.  Robert introduced me to Robin, an amazing masters runner, and she and I quickly started to talk about race-pacing and decided we might be a good match for pacing.  A race buddy is always a good thing!

*the only issue Robin and I had, was speaking in actual "paces".  She (logically) speaks in km/pace, and I (un-logically, considering my geographic location) speak in mile/pace.  It was hard to translate for each other!  Note to self: wear calculator watch next time??
I have always gone by per/mile pace.  I just find it mentally easier to count to 26.2, than 42.2.

We did our warm up run, then entered back into the stadium for some strides until it was go-time.  The race begins and finishes in the stadium at Wilfred Laurier University.
The 10k and the 5k begin together, and follow the same route for the first 2.5km, then the 5k runners turn around.  The 10k makes a big loop, then comes back to a different turn-around, then back to the stadium.  It sounds confusing, but it was fairly straightforward when we were on the course.

Robin and I started together, and it was so nice to run with someone beside me.  We stayed together until just past the halfway mark, then I pulled away a bit.  Robin is a very strong runner, and she is good at keeping her pace!  I was striving for a slightly faster finish time, so I knew I would have to speed up a bit to achieve my goal time (but I still came a bit short).

Funniest Race pic. Ever.
What on EARTH is happening here?
WHO is the guy in green?

As I was nearing the turn to the stadium, Robert came back to cheer those of us in the 10k. He had run the 5k, so he was lonnnnng done his race by this point!  It is so nice to grab some encouragement heading toward the finish line!  It was getting very hot, and we had just climbed a big incline, so I needed every bit of positive energy I could get.

I had been hoping to hit the sub 42 minute mark in this race (I guess I will just have to keep trying) but it just wasn't meant to be.  I am not good at running in the heat, and that sun was H O T.

The results:

Chip time: 43:11
Age Group: 1/39
Gender:   7/239
Overall: 55/542


Annnnnd, up next is the….

The Subaru Guelph Lake 1 Sprint Triathlon:

Triathlons are awesome in that most of the time, they take place over more than one day.  There is a "race weekend" atmosphere, that, if you go and cheer on at the other races, you really immerse yourself into the races!  I love that.

My friend Tricia was doing the try-a-tri distance on the Saturday afternoon, so the boys and I packed up and headed to Guelph Lake to cheer.  The planning and volunteers needed at triathlons is astounding.  There are people everywhere, buzzing around like worker bees, making sure everything is ready to go. Three mini-races happen within each triathlon.  That is a lot of ground (and water) to cover!

Tricia had an awesome race.  She looked strong and focused.  A job well done, Tricia! *especially in that HEAT!

Could you ask for a cooler bib number?!

I went home that night, and was eager to get everything sorted for my race the next morning.  So, so many things to pack up.  Bike, pump, helmet, bike shoes, sunglasses, wetsuit, goggles, water bottle, running shoes, visor, towel, easy button, kitchen sink, etc etc.

The next morning it was time to head back to Guelph Lake.  I love that the race venue is less than 15 minutes from home.  If I had forgotten any of the above mentioned items, I could have even rushed home to grab them (not that I would have wanted to!).

I had picked up my race kit the day before when I was cheering, so I only needed to pick up my chip and get marked.  This made it all a bit less panicky for me.  I racked my bike in a good location (although there was a tree branch sticking out directly above my head) and quickly tried to find my race buddies.  Lorraine, Sylvie and I were racing together.

So glamorous, those wetsuits!

For some reason, I always end up in the age group with the pink swim cap.  I have a collection of 3 swim caps from 3 different triathlons.

We did a warm up in the water, then headed over to the starting line on the beach.  I could not believe how much more calm I was this year, compared to last year at the Guelph Lake Try-a-Tri.  I was so nervous I thought I might throw up last year, (with good reason, trust me) but this year I was just eager to get going!

The gun went off for my age group, and off we went, into the water.  It was like swimming in a percolator.  Waves, bubbles, feet, butts, hands, and pink caps.  Everywhere.

As I swam along, trying to find a place (there were NO places without limbs flailing) I realized the woman swimming beside me was coming up for air at EXACTLY the same spot as me, inches from my face.  I have never been SO close to a complete stranger's face in my life (and hopefully I won't ever be that close again?).

By the time I hit the second buoy, I was feeling in the groove.  There was a *tiny* bit of space around me, and I was feeling that beach getting closer by the stroke!

As I ran out of the water, I started unzipping my wetsuit and running as fast as I could.  I was tired, but I promised myself that once I got up the (big) hill to transition, I could sit down for a bit (sure, the sitting would be on my bike, but whatever!).

up close and personal, coming out of the water!  Thanks for the photos, Tricia!

750m swim (plus transition): 15:50

Transition one went well.  My wetsuit came off with no issues, and I managed to run out of there without tripping on my own two feet or (worse) my bike!

Off I went on the bike.  Biking is my weakest link in triathlon, so I just tried my hardest to keep up.  I was passed by everyone a bunch of riders, but I promised myself that I would just have to catch them on the run.

The bike portion had a couple of hills, but I did manage to try out my new aero bars (for the first time) and I liked them a lot.  I know, trying something new on race day is probably a dumb idea, but they were very comfortable and I figured something new to distract me from getting passed was a very welcome thing.

19km bike (plus transition): 41:10

Finally.  Finally it was time to run.  I dismounted at the line, and dashed (ok, "hobble-ran" in bike shoes) back to transition.

I racked my bike, threw my bike shoes, and wiggled my bare feet into my runners.  I plastered the insides of my running shoes with vaseline that morning, and it was awesome for slipping them on (with speed laces).  I also didn't get ANY blisters during the run portion, and I have that vaseline to thank!

I bolted out of transition, passing a few people on the way out.  My legs were feeling all wobbly, but they were just going to have to catch up to my brain, because I was on a mission to find all of those people that had passed me on the bike.

I heard my name being cheered (thanks, McRae family, and Morgan!) and it gave me the push I needed to get out there on the run course.  Wearing a watch might be nice on the run, but my splits weren't as important to me as just going as fast as I possibly could.  I think I redeemed my race on that run course, which is hilly.  Dang it.

Finally in my element on the run!

5km run: 21:05

It was an awesome race, and, as it was my first sprint triathlon, it was an automatic PB! yay!

Final time: 1:20:44

I was 4/32 in my age group (A medal for the top 5!) and 36/235 women competitors.

Yay Fourth!

A very fun day indeed!

Lorraine, Sylvie and Me, post-race
Non-alcoholic beer…still hits the spot.  Who knew?

Moving on…

The Downtown Guelph Classical 5k!

This race is run by the Guelph Victors.  They are the amazing Track/Running group in Guelph that I used to run with quite often, and now, I only seem to run with them when I can fit it in.  There are so many talented runners in this group.  It's astounding and inspiring.

The Downtown Classical 5k is a race that begins at the Guelph Youth Music Centre, and features members of the Guelph Symphony out along the course.  How cool is that?

It is an evening race, beginning at 8:30pm.  I actually pictured this being a hot, humid summer evening. But, as luck would have it, the evening was calm and cool.

I hung out with lots of Victors while waiting for the race to begin.  I did a warm up run, then met up with Robin, who suggested we do "60-seconds-at-race-pace" about 5-10minutes out from the start.  Normally, I do strides at the end of my warm up run to get set for shorter races, but this 60 seconds thing was a good one.  It really woke my legs up into race mode.  Maybe a little too much (foreshadowing…)

With a trumpet into, the gun went off, and so did we!  As I ran through the turns of the first 800m of the race, I realized just how much easier running on the road feels compared to gruelling track work!  All of the speed sessions were starting to come together for me, in that moment.  I settled into a small pack of quick ladies (and a couple of dudes) and decided to hang on for as long as I could.  I was just too into the race to look down at my watch.  I hate looking down at my watch constantly, especially during a race.

When it beeped indicating the first mile, I looked down to see "6:03".  Ooops.  This was more than 10 seconds faster than I intended on going.  But I was still in the little pack of women, and felt fresh, so I hoped there was some sort of "classical 5km miracle" that would keep me going and not crashing and burning.

The course is just lovely.  We spent about half of the race on gravel trails, and the other half on paved road/trails.  Can't complain about this course.  The weather didn't hurt either!

Miles 2 and 3 came in at 6:23 and 6:26.  Yep.  Although I kept up with the others, we all seemed to slow a bit in the second half.  Live and learn.

The finish line was a welcome sight, as I rounded the corner.  I was so happy to see 19:43 on the clock!

Personal best!

I only took one photo, before I left my phone in the car.  Don't mind my creepy neck :/

543.  Quite a good number!

That's that.  3 race reports in one!  Phewf.  Writing about races takes almost as much time as training for them.

Happy Running, biking, and  swimming!