ACT Sprint Distance Triathlon – race recap

This morning I competed in the ACT Sprint Distance Triathlon.

I have a season pass to the events in Canberra this Summer, but admittedly with the Christmas / New Years festivities,  this race kinda snuck up on me. There were, however, around 500 competitors up bright and early to make the most of the great racing conditions.

I realised this morning that this was only my second Sprint distance race, with my first being in Huskisson last February. You can check out my recap from that race here.

Pre race

I woke at 5.00am and, after a quick breakfast, I headed to the race compound to check in my bike.  My photographer, aka Mr BBB,  didnt accompany me this morning, so I have to rely on some before / after pics :)



I was actually a little nervous when I saw the swim course as the plotted 750m in the lake looked so far! And, aside from a ‘refresher’ swim yesterday, I haven’t spent a lot of time in the pool recently. And let’s not even mention my sore shoulders / arms from weights on Friday and yesterday’s gardening session … tapering fail oops ;)



Swim 750m

The swim course was a “triangle” in Lake Burley Griffin – with 50 or so metres to the first turn buoy, followed by a long straight section of 350m, and finished with a sharp left turn to swim the final 350m home.



(Our swim course)

The first two sections went smoothly, and I fell into a relaxed rhythm. I didn't find the start too congested at all, although I suspect this had more to do with the fact that I was swimming quite slowly and all the speedy swimmers were already well in front.

Rounding the final buoy, however,  my visibility to the swim exit was terrible. I kept travelling off course, and having to stop and re align myself towards the exit point. Needless to say, I was pretty happy when I finally hit land and started the long-ish run towards transition.

Bike 21.5km

Wetsuit off. Helmet on. Bike shoes on. Sunnies…check!

The bike course consisted of two 10km loops. Feeling a little disheartened after the slow swim, I was keen to make up some time and thrilled when I passed a few girls in my age group during the course.



The ride passed fairly quickly, helped by the fact it was a speedy course with few hills. Before I knew it, I arrived back at the dismount line and headed back into transition.

Run 5km

Helmet off. Bike shoes off. Runners on. Grab hat…check!



The run course was a flat 5km loop running adjacent to the lake. As is pretty typical, it took a few kms before my legs loosened up after the bike and I was able to settle into comfortable run pace.

My aim for the run course was to not get passed by any girls in my age group, which I think I succeeded at. And, with around 1km to go, I spotted a girl in my age group just up ahead and decided to try and catch her. It was neck and neck towards the end, but a great way to take my mind off what my legs were doing!



The finish

I crossed the line at 1:30:00 exactly. 30 seconds faster than Huskisson yay! I am not sure what my actual splits were, but I am pretty sure that I had a slower swim than last time, but a quicker bike leg (even though the distance was slightly longer??)

And hey, it may only be 30 seconds, but I’ll  take a PR any day!

 

(hehe yes that would the be dirt pile that currently occupies our front yard…sigh…)

The aftermath

A hot shower is exactly what I was after as soon as I arrived home! My shoulders and back were particularly stiff and sore (probably more due to the gardening / weights combo than the race…)

The rest of my day was spent setting up our study (photos to follow soon I promise), eating and watching the Tudors! A perfect day really.

Oh and it currently being made even more perfect as Mr BBB is in the kitchen cooking me goulash for dinner and I have just poured a glass of red wine.

What a wonderful Sunday indeed :)

What about you? Was your Sunday wonderful?

Happy Baking :)