Yesterday, September 3, I did the Vancouver Triathlon - the sprint distance. I did the race with my niece, who lives in Vancouver, and my brother, who drove up from Seattle to do it with us. For me, it was a 14 hour drive to get to Vancouver, which I really enjoyed and which was absolutely worth it for this race! It was an awesome day and a great event!
We did the race together in 2009 as well. That year, I was still doing triathlons with very little training so I was not at all fit for a good race. My time then was 1:59, which is horribly slow for a sprint. So, I figured that with the Ironman training under my belt, I'd probably be able to pull off a better time this year. I estimated that, realistically, I could probably do 1:45 and I secretly thought I'd be pretty thrilled with sub-1:40.
We had perfect conditions for our race. It was sunny and 20 degrees with no wind. The ocean was calm. We arrived in transition at 6:15 a.m. I set up my spot and then pumped up my tires. When I pulled the pump hose off the back tire, I broke the valve stem, which I am always so careful not to do! It held the air but I debated with myself about whether to change the tube and finally I decided to be on the safe side and change it. Once that was done, I found Steph and Paul and we went to put our wetsuits on.
I got into the water for a warm-up swim. It felt warm on my feet but when I put my face in, it was pretty chilly. I floated face down a bit and swam about 100m and then got out and took my spot on the beach. My wave had 110 women in it. The swim went well. There were people all around me but we were well-spaced. I like that feeling of swimming side by side with others in the open water. Turning back toward the beach, the sun was blinding and sighting was impossible. I just trusted that the pack was headed in the right direction and followed them. When the sun went behind the trees, I realized that I was right there at the beach so I stood up and ran out of the water!
Swim (750m) = 16:59
T1 = 2:51 (a little longer than I had wanted but actually shorter than a lot of people who placed near where I did in the results)
The bike course is a hilly and winding loop through Stanley Park, which you do twice. I thought it would be hard to get much speed up on this technical course but I was surprised that I was able to get going pretty quickly in some spots. I am faster this year but also more confident on my bike so I could manage the ride a little better than before. It twists and rolls through the park with one decent climb and an awesome downhill on the other side. The course is magnificently beautiful with huge cedars and ferns and flowers and a view of the ocean most of the way. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride!
Bike (19K) = 41:24
T2 = 1:39 (I dropped my running shoe 3 times before I finally got it on! Again, this was longer than I wanted but about mid-range of what others did)
The run cuts across the park and then loops back around the Lost Lagoon on the way to the finish. It goes gently uphill for most of the first half but then you get a little of the downhill coming back before you run the flat section around the lagoon. I had my watch on and I could see when I left T2 that things were lookin' pretty good. I was surprising myself a little and started to have visions of a better time than I had imagined was possible. The second half was a little easier so I picked up some speed and figured I had better run like I was being watched because, really, with results on the internet, people are watching! I felt good the whole time and enjoyed this run. When I looked at my watch near the end, I poured it on for the last 200m to finish before the clock turned over to the next minute.
Run (5K) = 29:01
Total time = 1:31:51
I was a bit amazed at my time. This is a 28 minute PB on this course. I finished exactly in the middle of the 110 women in the race. I am used to being nearly last in every race, with just a couple of people finishing behind me. I can't believe I am mid-pack now. Training works, go figure!
After the race, we went downtown to have a Japadog, a hot dog with teriyaki mayo, onions, and seaweed. It was one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten!
I enjoyed this race so much. I love triathlon.
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