Hi,
On the 9th of June I took part in the Birkirkara St. Joseph sprint Triathlon Series Race 1 of 4. Contrary to the previous 2 races I have done this year, this was one of my 'A Races' for this year; meaning that my training since last December was geared for this race.
This race was a very particular one for all the Triathlon community as a sudden change in venue was announced two weeks before from Salina Coast Road to Kalkara close to Rinella bay. On one hand I was worried as I did not know anything about the new place and wanted to train there (Kalkara) as much as I could to familiarise myself. On the other hand I saw an opportunity as being a beginner I would always be at a disadvantage when it came to confidence on the route. Adding to that were different opinions from fellow triathletes about the actual transition place, swimming buoys and turnaround points; together with colder than usual weather and sea temperature. These doubts were not helping me at all.
On the day I was a bit later than usual so I had to manage my time much more to allow myself time for registration, setting up of transition area and warm up. I managed everything just in time to hear the race briefing so that any doubts about the course would be cleared. It was a bit more confusing than I had anticipated but I could notice that it was a common feeling as the number of questions were endless so we did not start at 7 as planned. I went in the cold water trying to clear out the initial shivers and also clear my mind to concentrate. I was telling myself that I was prepared no matter what.
I had a good start in the water. I had plenty of space to move although I could not find anyone to draft behind. Close to first buoy I had some trouble with goggle and had to switch to breaststroke for a couple of seconds to adjust and help to lower a bit my heart rate as it was skyrocketing due to the excitement and cold. However, after the fist buoy I lost my orientation and could not see the next buoy. Thankfully a friend of mine called my attention to adjust my course. At that point I decided to make up for all that lost time so I pushed on. I knew I could do it as swimming is my strongest area. I finished my swim in 14:40 - a Personal Best by 19sec.
Transition was much longer compared to Salina Coast Road. I was a bit slow as I feared slipping but when I took the bike I managed to insert my feet in the shoes pretty fast. Now the biggest hurdle of the race was a slope which separated the bay from the bike and run courses.
Once I went up the slope I tried to settle in the bike by taking a gel but for the first kilometre the course was slightly uphill and I struggled. At the first turn, however, I settled and began finding opportunities to push as much as I could. I was particularly effective especially in the turns. I felt quite good as I practiced the route and knew what needed to be taken care of especially gearing choices. Speed and cadence were exactly as anticipated although heart rate was high. I finished the bike course in 38:02.
I had to descend the hard slope to get back to transition. I slowed down as I had already managed to take out my feet from the shoes before descending. T2 was much faster. My feet were aching a bit from pushing so much on the bike. I kept telling myself that I had to push on. It was really hard getting up the slope again and settling at the pace of 4:40min/km and for the first kilometre (being all uphill) I was close to 5:00min/km. However, the last 4 kilometres were pretty good and I finished the run in 23:14 - a Personal Best by a whooping 2:20 over last year's Sprint Races.
Run Course
I finished the total race in 1hr 17mins 36sec (Full Results here) with a good placing and an improvement of almost 2mins over last year's best time of 1:19:20 in Race 4 of the Sprint Series. I am also very happy that I got a Personal Best in both the Swim and Run. Considering the course is new and less fast than last year, I noticed that everyone slowed their time by an average of 4minutes; thus making my improvements much more meaningful. I am determined to get better and improve on my time for this course - now it's just 5 weeks for the next race.
I wish to thank my wife Maria and baby Elena for coming to support me :)
Thanks
Anatoly
I had a good start in the water. I had plenty of space to move although I could not find anyone to draft behind. Close to first buoy I had some trouble with goggle and had to switch to breaststroke for a couple of seconds to adjust and help to lower a bit my heart rate as it was skyrocketing due to the excitement and cold. However, after the fist buoy I lost my orientation and could not see the next buoy. Thankfully a friend of mine called my attention to adjust my course. At that point I decided to make up for all that lost time so I pushed on. I knew I could do it as swimming is my strongest area. I finished my swim in 14:40 - a Personal Best by 19sec.
Transition was much longer compared to Salina Coast Road. I was a bit slow as I feared slipping but when I took the bike I managed to insert my feet in the shoes pretty fast. Now the biggest hurdle of the race was a slope which separated the bay from the bike and run courses.
Once I went up the slope I tried to settle in the bike by taking a gel but for the first kilometre the course was slightly uphill and I struggled. At the first turn, however, I settled and began finding opportunities to push as much as I could. I was particularly effective especially in the turns. I felt quite good as I practiced the route and knew what needed to be taken care of especially gearing choices. Speed and cadence were exactly as anticipated although heart rate was high. I finished the bike course in 38:02.
I had to descend the hard slope to get back to transition. I slowed down as I had already managed to take out my feet from the shoes before descending. T2 was much faster. My feet were aching a bit from pushing so much on the bike. I kept telling myself that I had to push on. It was really hard getting up the slope again and settling at the pace of 4:40min/km and for the first kilometre (being all uphill) I was close to 5:00min/km. However, the last 4 kilometres were pretty good and I finished the run in 23:14 - a Personal Best by a whooping 2:20 over last year's Sprint Races.
Run Course
I finished the total race in 1hr 17mins 36sec (Full Results here) with a good placing and an improvement of almost 2mins over last year's best time of 1:19:20 in Race 4 of the Sprint Series. I am also very happy that I got a Personal Best in both the Swim and Run. Considering the course is new and less fast than last year, I noticed that everyone slowed their time by an average of 4minutes; thus making my improvements much more meaningful. I am determined to get better and improve on my time for this course - now it's just 5 weeks for the next race.
Thanks
Anatoly
Hi My Friend,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all well done for the race. A pb on that course is simply great. That means training is working.
I suggest to be there 90mins before race starts. This will give you plenty of time to do warm up. I noticed that you did nt do a good swimming warm up. Try to swim at least 10mins before race
Try not to think about the negative aspects like the hill and slippry parts and so on before the race. Take one challenge at a time, tackle them with easy and you will go faster
TAKE CARE MATE AND WELL DONE
KEITH