July 2023

This was my third time racing here in Muskoka and it’s always fun and convenient to do a local event! 

However, there was no PB today. I didn’t have a good proper build up to this race from a bike crash 2 weeks prior. I got a bunch of road rash, bruised left side of body, and a broken bike frame! I was absolutely devastated. Because of this, I missed out on a handful of key training sessions, and came to this race just grateful to get the start line. 

The RACE: [Official Time: 06:03.17]

SportStats: https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=128814&bib=86

SWIM (1.9km) – 47:53mins @ 2:28/100m

For some reason my swim pace is slower by around 15 seconds per 100m compared to last year. I am not sure why. Maybe because I missed out on the feel for the water the past few weeks? Might need to go back to the drawing board for this. 

Despite this, I sorted out 3 things.

• I solved my goggle foggy issue with the Orca Killa 180
• I can sight, but still need to not legs sink
• And importantly, I did this swim for the first time, not hating the open water, I actually kind of enjoyed it too

Apparently there was a strong as well, so maybe that contributed to me being 3 minutes slower than last year. 

T1 [5:23]

They had wetsuit peelers! Yay! 

BIKE (90km) – 3:03.50 hr @ 29.41kph

I had really great memories of this bike course from last year. While it was still just as fun, my lower back seized up around 45km and I was losing power through the legs to the pedal. As my Trek speed concept Disc was being repaired, I was fortunately to still own my rim brake version. The issue is that it’s a frame size too small, and while still useable, it wasn’t the most comfortable. Additionally, because of my recent crash, my left elbow was still pretty bruised and couldn’t get into aero position. 

I dropped a chain with 5km to go, so I had to quickly stop and put it back on. This is what made me not get that 30kph avg. 

However, the BIGGEST upset on the bike segment is that I only got HALF of my nutrition. I was able to get all the liquid from my cockpit XLAB Torpedo bottle. But only 1/4 of my SpeedFil came up the straw. For some reason I wasn’t able to suck the rest up. And my the end of the bike I was really hungry and I knew I would be going to the run in a big calorie deficit. Not good! Especially when I know my numbers and had it down pack. 

If this happens again in the future, coach says it’s best for me to stop at an aid station and get it sorted to save my run. 

T2 [2:39]

RUN (21.1km) – 2:03.32 hr @ 5:51/km

This run was BRUTAL. It’s so interesting how I can do the exact same course back to back years and yet they felt so very different all because of nutrition and lack of fitness from the crash. 

I almost instantly cramped but quads on the big hill right out of the T2. I knew this was going to be a painful half-marathon. I stopped at every aid station to get as much nutrient and salt to make up for the calories and hydration lost on the bike. I didn’t really work and for the first time, I had to stop to use a porte-potty in a 70.3! After this I did feel a big better and started to feel some energy come back. It was also pretty hot which added to the suffering. I fought and fought as much as I could to try get under 2hours, but ended up running a 2:03hr half-marathon. It’s not my best by a long shot, but also could have been a lot worse. So all things considered it was “okay”. 

In Conclusion

Despite all the adversary I encountered leading up to this race, I am extremely thankful and grateful that I was even able to get to the start line and being this race. I thank all my family and friends who gave me their support and best wishes while I was injured and out. 

Congrats to my good friend Steve Upton who got 13th in our Age Group, getting closer to top 10! And congrats to Camila on completing her first 70.3! Fast swimmer too!