Orillia Chariot Try-A-Tri

 
Tri Race #2 (picture above is the view when walking into the event)
What: Orillia Chariot Try-A-Tri
http://www.trisportcanada.com/orillia.php
Where: Orillia, Ontario
When: Sunday, July 29, 2012

Cost: Chariot Try-A-Tri: Early Registration=$46, 2 weeks out= $56, Race weekend=$61
Other Races: 

• Triathlon
• Duathlon
• Bike/Run
• Triathlon Relay

Aid stations: 1 during the Try-A-Tri at the turn around point at around the 1k mark
Swag: Medal for top 5 finishers in each age group, coupons, bread, powerade bar, t-shirt, and a lotion for recovery.

My time: 0:45:10.02
My splits: Swim=0:09:09, Bike=0:22:45, Run=0:10:58
My Result: 2nd out of 14 in my age group of 25-29, 3rd was what I medaled out of the 20-29 group, 8th in gender out of 124 females, 30th overall out of 204 participants
Winning men’s times: 0:36:40.2
Winning women’s times: 0:37:44.5

Experience:
For this race, Kevin(my husband) and I drove up the morning of since the race didn’t start till 11am. We had our breakfast of oatmeal and blueberries prior to leaving and had some banana bread in the car once we got close.

The weather in Orillia was pretty hot, with barely any wind or clouds. Water was nice and warm.
Once on site Kevin and I felt more prepped this time as to how to set up our gear. We got our bikes in the transition area and prepped all the rest of our gear out bike our bikes in a way that would allow for a quick transition.

Key Prep:

• Bringing a towel this time to step on once out of the water so that my feet can dry better
• Adding baby powder to my towel and inside my bike and run shoes again to aid in moisture absorbing and friction since I went barefoot this time
• Bike shoes were half done up and ready to go. This allowed me to only have to tighten one strap
• Quick laces on my running shoes. This resulted in me not having to tie my shoes
• Below you will see that my helmet was already on my bike and my sun glasses and bib belt were directly underneath and beside the helmet to slip on quick

Biggest change this time was that I wore a bathing suite for the whole event. Very new for me to even be in a normal suit but the result was lowering my transition time to…
T1=1:16 and T2=1:04 (my first tri transition times were T1= 1:37 and T2=1:21)
I saved a total of 21 seconds in my T1 and 17 seconds in my T2!!!! Very excited about that.
After we were all prepped Kevin and I went to the beach and got warmed up in the water by swimming a little bit and taking a look at the swim portion of the race. It was a triangle marked by buoys and for this race we were swimming clockwise, the opposite of Gravenhurst direction.

SWIM:
Prior to the swim all racers lined up just outside the water on the beach and we all took our marks. Our group included males and females under 29. Once the horn blew everyone was off into the water by means of running till it became too deep. For the swim I felt much stronger and calm compared to Gravenhurst. I did have a few swimmers crossing over me and kicking but it wasn’t such a shock to the system and stayed on my course. As soon as I could touch I started running through the water to the transition area, on the way I could see Kevin only a few people ahead and felt good about where we both were at in our race.

T1:
First transition seems like a blur now. I was there then I wasn’t. I just remember trying to jump over the swimsuits that prior racers left in the middle of the ground…Possibly trying to deter other racers?

BIKE:
Oh the bike! Before mounting we all had to run our bike to the top of the hill. Once on the bike I was off as quick as I could. In the Tri you need to stay to the right unless you are passing someone and you also cannot cross the middle of the road or you can be eliminated from the event. Keeping this mind I started climbing the first hill and I noticed my upcoming target, a male who was biking in the middle of our side of the road. When I started passing him I made sure to let him know and unfortunately while right beside him he started leaning towards me and ended up falling off his bike, taking me with him. He was very apologetic and tried to get back on his bike and fell again. Many passed by us while getting our bearings back. I also did the same thing (falling again)…Learning quickly that mounting on a hill was going to be hard. I ran my bike over to the curb and got on and was on my way again. At this point I was a little frustrated thinking my chances of medaling might be over but I got that thought out quick and started going harder.

T2:
During the 2nd transition I almost took my helmet off to early without realizing that if I was to do so before racking the bike I could be disqualified. I am very grateful for the volunteer who reminded me by shaking his finger nicely to instruct otherwise.

RUN:
I got out on the run quick and the first portion of the run was a slow incline to the turnaround. I saw Kevin at about halfway to the turnaround reminding me that it would be all downhill once I hit it. During the run I kept finding a target in front and kept my focus at chasing them down. I made sure also to focus on all the females I saw and to counted them to figure out what place I was in and strategically figure out who I had to pass next to get to the next spot. At the very end I saw Kevin for the 2nd time and he was cheering me on saying I was just around the corner and to pick it up. From that point on I was in a dead sprint/stride till the end.

After the race I went directly to the mist shower that was there and got some gatorade into my system. Kevin and I then went back to our bikes to put our post race clothing on. Food was next, gobbling down the subway sandwiches, fruit, soda and many snacks. The sun was beating down hard all the while and we both re-applied the sunscreen prior to the award ceremonies.

AWARDS:
Before they awarded the medals Kevin and I went to check out our results, I was psyched to find out I came 2nd and not surprised at all that Kevin killed it again, coming first in his age division. During the medals I was rewarded with third and was a little confused. Found out after that because our age division didn’t have many people they combined two groups together. Overall I’m super happy with even medaling, especially after the fall during the bike ride.

My favourite part of the awards was seeing the guy who won the 80+ division just hop and skip up to collect his medal. He was an inspiration in such great fitness and so happy! Proving that age is nothing but a number!!!

Here is a final picture of my amazing husband who is my biggest supporter and such an inspirational figure in my life who pushes at 100% in everything he does.


Again I can’t wait for the next one!!!

2012 Gravenhurst Give-It-A-Tri

What: Gravenhurst Triathlon Weekend (Give-It-A-Tri):
http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=138
These races are for first time racers to the sport of triathlon or a race for those who want a short race where they can go all out. An average race will be a 400m Swim, 10km Bike, 2.5km Run.
Where: Gravenhurst, Ontario
When: Sunday, July 15, 2012

Cost: Give it-a-tri: Before July 4th=$58.76, July 4th onwards=$68.76, Race Weekend=$74.00
Other Races: 

• Give-It-A-Tri Swim/Bike, Give-It-A-Tri Relay
• Spring Triathlon, Sprint Tri Relay, Sprint Duathlon, Sprint Du Relay
• International Dist Duathlon, Int.Dist Du Relay, Olympic Distance Triathlon, Olympic Distance Tri Relay

Aid stations: 1 during the Give-It-A-Tri and it had water and heed
Swag: Medal for top 3 finishers in each age group, coupons, a gel and recovery cliff bar, brooks t-shirt.

My time: 0:47:46.8
My splits: Swim=0:11:03, Bike=0:22:29, Run=0:11:20
My Result: 2nd in my age group of 20-29, 8th in gender out of 108 females, 35th overall out of 179. Medaled 3rd not 100% sure why but I’ll take it :)
Winning men’s times: 0:35:56.7
Winning women’s times: 0:40:36.7

Experience:
After spending the night before in Orillia (25mins away), Kevin and I got up at 5:45am, ate some Timmy’s then drove to the race at 6:15am. We arrived and got ourselves parked up by 7am. After parking I got really excited when seeing everyone making the short walk over to the race start. The parking area was in a great location, just across from the transition area.

The scenery at Gravenhurst was beautiful, full of trees, calm waters and sunshine.
Once at the race, I was thankful that Kevin read all the to do information from the website or else I would’ve felt overwhelmed. We first had to look up our race number then place our bikes in the transition area. We next went to the swag bag pick-up. It was at this point that we got our swimming caps, t-shirts, ankle chip, and our numbers written on our bodies (back of the right leg, and left arm).

Next I went back to my bike and prepped my equipment for the transitions. Helmet on bike handle, bib on shorts for biking and running. Shoes, socks and sunglasses ready to go. I then took off my layers till I was left in my bikini bottoms and fave lululemon sports bra, called ‘Stuff Your Bra’. I felt a little out of place since most were in proper gear. Kev and I had decided pre-race not to invest into all the proper swim stuff until we knew what we thought so I’m sure many got a good smile out of my bright green bikini bottoms! If they weren’t smiling, I knew Kevin at least was. I was also smiling to myself at his soccer undershorts he wore! We were keeping it classy.

Before walking over to the water I ran into my friend, Steve who walked over to the swim start with me and gave me some great tips before starting. #1. Wear your goggles underneath your swim cap so no one can knock them off, #2. Watch for swimmers in the previous heat doing the back-stroke. #3. Hold your ground, it gets tight.

Kevin and all the guys were the first to begin the race, with the under 29’s (that’s me) starting right after. Before starting I was wishing I would’ve swam more, then it was time to jump in the water and get ready. The horn then went and we all were away. I was most nervous about the swim but felt pretty good. Yes I got tired but I just tried to keep my breathing steady and only got kicked once. The hardest part was knowing where I was swimming. The water is pretty dark and with so many swimmers close by it’s very difficult to see where you are going.

Once out of the water I had to run on a dock to the transition area and was running very carefully since the dock was slippery. I was taking off my cap and goggles as I ran.

Transition Area #1: I quickly tried to pull on my shorts but they stuck to my legs that were wet, then I put on my helmet and sunglasses and put on my socks and bike shoes. As I was running with my bike I noticed my race number was falling off of my shorts and had to repin as I ran. The next part of the run was running in my cleats on the road with my bike, so scary.

Once on the bike I felt much better and noticed quickly that I was still breathing heavy, finding it difficult to get my breath back to normal. I passed every time I could, making sure I said “On Your Left” after the first person I passed quickly reminded me I should’ve said it. Whoops. On the bike I had no idea what the half-way point was and wished I would’ve looked at this prior. I wasn’t sure during this section when I should push or if I should reserve energy. Right after I saw Kevin pass me on his way back I hit the half-way point. It was a 180 skinny turn and all bikers were slowing down. The cyclist in front of me decided to dismount off her bike even though race volunteers were yelling for her to stay on. This meant I either had to come to a quick stop and un-click or try to go around her. I tried to swerve around her thinking there was enough room, the shoulder of the road that was sand didn’t agree with me, and I was soon on my side with my bike over me. With volunteers shouting, “Are You Okay”, I got up quickly and back on my bike ready to catch the next people. I actually didn’t feel the fall I was too high on adrenaline.

Transition Area #2: Once I got my bike back to the transition area I just switched my shoes, into my Free’s and took my helmet off and followed the rest of everyone out to the road. As I was starting my run, I saw Kevin on my first turn coming downhill and ready to do his last stretch, he was killing it! I was thinking that the run would be my best part of the race, I was very quickly corrected. My legs felt like jello and I felt as if I didn’t have much control over them. It was a new feeling. During the run I passed many people and made sure at the end to get my sprint on, especially since Kevin was yelling at me to pick up.

Post Race: After running I had a nice cold sponge bath thanks to the volunteers, and met many friendly faces ready to help me out and high-five me. When complete I couldn’t believe it was just before 9am. I was so happy to finish such a big goal, completing this tri had been on my goal sheet for over two years and it finally happened. This was a big thanks to many friends and family members who combined last year to get me a road bike for my birthday. Thank-you ALL!!!

There were many food options afterwards from, ‘Hero Burgers’, Chocolate Milk, Cliff Bars, to V8 juice but my stomach just wanted water and wasn’t quite ready to eat a burger. Kev and I quickly got some of our gear and crossed the road with our camera to watch the Spring Tri Start. What an experience. We were watching all the way till the last swimmer then went back to see how we did.

Our return came with a great surprise. We caught back up with my friend Steve who informed us that we missed our awards. Kevin had placed first in his age category and myself third. After the raffle we collected our medals took some photos and finally ate our burgers.
WHAT A GREAT MORNING!!!!

If you are planning on doing your first Give-It-A-Tri, here is my advice:

• SWIM SWIM SWIM, especially in open water if possible.
• Spend time in your area of opportunity and on transitions.
• Practice doing a trial with all 3 events at once.
• Make sure to check out the race course prior to competing so you know when to pick up or reserve your energy. 
• Consider elastic laces.
• Wear as little as possible.
• Forget about wearing socks.
• Goal: Try to limit time wasted in the transition area. 
• Practice running with your bike in cleats or figuring out a way to clip in while on bike so you can run in your socks or bare feet. 
• Invest in a proper bathing suit/wetsuit
• Buy a race belt so you can just clip it on and not worry about pins coming undone.
• Arrive early, to set up. 
• Ask lot’s of questions.
• Be familiar with your transition entry and exits. They can be different at different parts of the run. 
• Don’t be shy, if someone is in your way, tell them. 

Creemore Vertical Challenge 25k

Race: Creemore Vertical Challenge

Website: http://ouser.org/races/cree2012.pdf

Where: Creemore, Ontario

When: Saturday July 7th, 2012

Cost: 50Km - $60 by June 12. After June 12, $70. 25Km - $50 by June 12. After June 12, $60.

Time limit: 8 hours


Aid stations: Hammer Gel, Heed, chips, Advil, salt, fruit, water, drop bags at aid station 3 for the 50K runners


Swag: handmade pottery medal, organic coffee, tech shirt, finish line pizza and Creemore Springs Beer.


Post food: Gummy bears!!! Peanut M&M’s, coke-a-cola, ginger-ale, cookies, timbits, PB&Jelly sandwiches, bagels, pizza, beer.


My time: 2:42:22

Kevin’s time: 2:09:26

Winning men’s time: 1:47

Winning women’s time: 2:09

Garmin Details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/197634733

Pre Race:

This is a race I signed up for a little late in the game after a few of my co-workers (Doug and Ben) really encouraged/pressured me into doing this trail race. They enrolled me so much that after I talked about it with my husband Kevin, he signed up almost immediately. 

I didn’t know exactly how I should be training for this race so I decided that I would just continue on with my training that I was doing for my upcoming race, ‘The Sea Wheeze Half Marathon’. The only problem with my training was that it was mostly road and little hills involved. Since my last attempt at my full on May 6th I decided after so much hard core training that I would have more fun with my training this time, and not worrying so much about time or specifics. 

As the race got closer and Doug my co-worker put on the challenge of a bet to see who could place better, him or I my competitiveness crept in and with that I started mentally preparing myself for the hills that I wasn’t doing in my regular training. 

The night before the race I layed out all my gear, triple checked the weather that said 30% change of rain, and hot hot hot. I went to bed a little late only giving myself 5.5 hours of sleep. 

Morning of the race I ate my oatmeal with berries, cinnamon, brown sugar and half a banana.

While driving North to the race rain started almost immediately, then a down pour with thunder and lightening. Once we got there and parked on the side of the road Kevin and I stayed in the car and waited for the rain to lighten up before getting our swag bags. 

Race Play by Play:

At the start of the race Kevin and I lined up in the middle of the pack with about 125 runners. Everyone was just huddled in a small space, I wasn’t quite sure where the start line exactly was. In fact I wasn’t even quite sure what I was getting myself into. Despite a 10 minute lightening delay the gun sounded and we were off to the races. 

After 100 meters we veered off the dirt road to a small wooded trail. On a good day this trail would’ve been dry with grass and leaves. Today it was just mud, keep in mind that the 50k runners had already passed through this one hour previously leaving it a slippery mess. Our run was now single file with feet giving way beneath many runners in front and behind. I had to run on the sides of the trail with the tall grass just to stay on my feet. The trail opened up in a few areas at the start where I could exploit and pass. Took about 2k before merging onto the first sign of road and from there it wasn’t long before tackling our first incline. 

After hitting our first incline I saw a sign saying that hill#1 was now approaching. I thought “Are you kidding me, I just ran up a hill…What’s this one going to be like?”. It was steep…I walked several portions of it, as did many of the runners in vicinity of me. This is also where Doug almost caught me and I saw him on my tail so during the downhill I took off and followed Dean Karnazes tips of leaning forward and taking quick steps. 

The next portion was just a mud slope down and up. I was thankful for the rocks along the way that helped me maintain grip and keep moving forward. It was at this point I was amazed with the runners who just sprinted through this slippery mud and didn’t fall. I was grabbing at branches on the way up while my feet were giving way. I also told myself that my next trail race I wouldn’t wear my nike frees.

Hill #2 was probably the must difficult. It was never ending and when I thought it was done it continued. During this hill I ran when the hill was not as steep and walked quickly as I could up the rest. 

Runners during the race provided great camaraderie, they were enthusiastic, helpful and friendly. Always chatting words of encouragement while they passed you or while getting passed. 

Near the end of the race while coming downhill the ground turned back into a slippery slope of mud and I fell/slid down to the bottom. Once there it was a steep climb up, one  where I had to dig my nails into the mud to get a grip because my shoes couldn’t. When doing that I fell back down to the bottom…Finally seeing that there was a rope to help runners climb up and this time I USED IT!!! 

Many fields, and hills later I came to the last km and had to choose a direction to finish, wet or dry? I decided to stay dry because I was already wet from earlier water and went over the bouncy bridge. The wet route would’ve meant wading through knee deep mucky stream. 

After the bridge I just went around a corner and to finish again with no line in sight just a little canopy. Race volunteers noted my number and time and that was that. 

I’m now addicted and can’t wait to do another one. 

I”m thinking 50k next time! 

Advice for 2013 Runners:

• Practice running hill repeats
• I mean serious hills! 
• Don’t be afraid to walk up the hills. Walking strong is as good as jogging slow. You don’t lose too much time and can make it up on the way down.
• If your running for time, start near the front of the pack because the first kilometer is very narrow…Pretty much single file.
• Practice running on trails and mud if possible. Shoes can get wet and muddy, which means very heavy. Practicing with the extra weight.
• Run with a camelback, hydration back or belt instead of a handheld water bottle. The why is because falling is common and you will more than likely use your hands to help you through the course when climbing and going through bush.
• Pack your bag with gear for any type of weather. Rain, heat, hail, and cold. 
• Sign up early for the race! It sold out fast and they only take 200 participants.