I'm extremely bummed right now. I'm not going to hide it. Nothing went right for me yesterday. I had the shittiest race to date and I'm sure it's obvious just looking at the results. But here is what the results haven't told you:
The swim was shit. The first buoy was 50ish meters away from the start and with 57 guys that gets messy. Way too messy. But it wasn't the first buoy when my day started going wrong; it was about 500 meters in where my day went from an okay swim to a crappy race. I got kicked in the stomach. Imagine one of the strongest swimmers you know kicking you as hard as they can right in the stomach. I got the wind knocked out of me, my first thought was "Where the **** is the kayak?" But I kept going anyways, with the wind knocked out of me. I got out of the water trailing lead pack, which has happened in the past and I can normally make up those 10 seconds. After a good T1 I really thought I could turn my race around. But boy was I ever wrong.
The moment I mounted my bike I started throwing up from the forceful kick in my stomach. After throwing up for the first 30 seconds of the race, I lost a lot of energy and my goal went from a top 10 finish to finishing the race. Nothing was going my way but wait... it gets worse. I flatted about 15km into the bike. With only 5k to go and knowing that it was a slow leak I rode it out.
By the time the run came I just wanted to finish the race because I really didn't want a DNF beside my name. That's not me. I don't ever want to give up, and I still don't. So what I'm going to try and take away from this race is this: I had nothing going for me, everything that could go wrong went wrong but I still pushed through it and finished the race. In my opinion it was the best race I've ever done. It's going to take me a few days to realize it and it's going to be hard to recover from this race mentally but it's the only way I can leave this race behind. Onwards and upwards.
Monday 22 July 2013
Monday 8 July 2013
St. Andrew's, NB Junior race
Imagine that. A national series race right here in NB. There wasn't a better place to host it. St. Andrew's is one of the most breathtaking towns in the Maritimes, but it's not exactly easy to be enjoying the view at 39km/h on a bike. I was so happy to be able to represent New Brunswick in New Brunswick for the first time at the National level. Although this is only my second season racing the National Junior Series, I still thoroughly enjoyed racing at home. I loved seeing everyone in their New Brunswick uniforms, representing our province proudly and I can't wait to wear my uniform at Canada Games. With three suits to wear, I wish I could represent C3, New Brunswick and Canada all at the same time!
I was obviously a little tired going into this race considering it was my third race in a row but I tried to let the home crowd fuel me; and that's exactly what it did. Thanks to all my family and friends that were out on the course cheering me on and getting me through the race!
My race prep went really well, I wouldn't say I was feeling fresh but I still went in feeling as good as you can feel after three weeks of racing and traveling! I did my typical race prep but I actually had time to do a long swim warmup this time!
I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I might have been considering I was racing at home wearing number 3. I've never worn such a high number, and I loved the feeling. I lined up right beside number 2: Robert Bigsby. I stayed with Robert in Brazil and he's a really cool guy and has been doing the sport a little longer than I have so I thought I'd have a clear path to the first buoy. With a long held start, and surprisingly no false starts I started swimming. I didn't feel nearly as good as I normally do which was a little disheartening but I kept racing hard and knew I could make my race come together. Myles crushed the swim and gapped the whole field.
Transition consisted of a 400m hill out of the water. I'm not going to lie. It sucked. It was painful and I know everyone hated it just as much as I did! But I ran up it, with a lot of guys that ended up in the chase pack and did a fast T1. Stuck chasing I rode hard. I had to ride extremely hard in Brazil because I was chasing so this was nothing new to me. I rode hard enough to catch the leaders 3/4 of the way into the first lap of four. I wasn't feeling the greatest but it's an hour race, you're not supposed to feel good. I rode hard the whole time, but once Myles was caught the pace slowed down. Maybe a little too much, but you can't control 20 guys so I just rode slow too. Coming into T2 I was towards the front.
T2 went really well. I came out in 5th which normally doesn't happen, but I just didn't have the run legs I needed to run with those guys. It's something I still have to figure out but I know I'll figure it out soon. Props to Myles and Robert for getting onto the podium after all of the traveling and racing! You guys are amazing! I can't wait to race nationals!
I was obviously a little tired going into this race considering it was my third race in a row but I tried to let the home crowd fuel me; and that's exactly what it did. Thanks to all my family and friends that were out on the course cheering me on and getting me through the race!
My race prep went really well, I wouldn't say I was feeling fresh but I still went in feeling as good as you can feel after three weeks of racing and traveling! I did my typical race prep but I actually had time to do a long swim warmup this time!
I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I might have been considering I was racing at home wearing number 3. I've never worn such a high number, and I loved the feeling. I lined up right beside number 2: Robert Bigsby. I stayed with Robert in Brazil and he's a really cool guy and has been doing the sport a little longer than I have so I thought I'd have a clear path to the first buoy. With a long held start, and surprisingly no false starts I started swimming. I didn't feel nearly as good as I normally do which was a little disheartening but I kept racing hard and knew I could make my race come together. Myles crushed the swim and gapped the whole field.
Transition consisted of a 400m hill out of the water. I'm not going to lie. It sucked. It was painful and I know everyone hated it just as much as I did! But I ran up it, with a lot of guys that ended up in the chase pack and did a fast T1. Stuck chasing I rode hard. I had to ride extremely hard in Brazil because I was chasing so this was nothing new to me. I rode hard enough to catch the leaders 3/4 of the way into the first lap of four. I wasn't feeling the greatest but it's an hour race, you're not supposed to feel good. I rode hard the whole time, but once Myles was caught the pace slowed down. Maybe a little too much, but you can't control 20 guys so I just rode slow too. Coming into T2 I was towards the front.
T2 went really well. I came out in 5th which normally doesn't happen, but I just didn't have the run legs I needed to run with those guys. It's something I still have to figure out but I know I'll figure it out soon. Props to Myles and Robert for getting onto the podium after all of the traveling and racing! You guys are amazing! I can't wait to race nationals!
Wednesday 3 July 2013
PATCO in Vila Velha, Brazil
Well Brazil was a completely different environment than I am used to. I do not speak portuguese and it's way hotter. It was always a surprise when I ordered food because no one spoke english. The food was always good, some things were weird but always tasted good. I never ordered the same thing twice, mostly because I wasn't sure what I ordered the first time! The grocery stores were interesting but had a few items that looked normal to me, and some interesting things I bought anyway. We weren't supposed to eat anything that could have touched the tap water which made ordering food even harder.
We stayed at a small hotel along the beach about 200m from the start line. The water was beautiful and a perfect 22 degrees. It was extremely wavy but fun to swim through the big waves. I can't wait to race in the ocean again! I learned so much more about open water. There are ponds, rivers and lakes but they are nothing compared to the power of the ocean.
The riding was difficult to do in such a busy city so I only got out once, not including doing my race prep. The race course went along side the sea with a 180 turn on every side. There were no hills and no wind. Although we didn't get out on the course much I still felt ready. The run course was alongside the bike course; flat, fast and hot.
Race morning was great, I didn't have any nerve issues. It was great feeling being a part of a team with all of the guys I normally race. It felt like I was racing with them rather than against them. I did a bike warmup with all of the guys then my run solo. Like every race I've been to this year, my swim warmup had to be cut a little short but I was feeling good.
The swim start was fast and difficult with the big waves. I had a good starting spot (29), and went in knowing I'd have a good start. I got crushed at the first buoy; my tooth still hurts from getting kicked in the face! National Junior races are tough but this is a whole new game. I already want more but I still have so much more to learn. Bottom line, I didn't come out in the lead pack so I had to bike like hell.
Biking like hell isn't new to me so I rode the way I always do. With only a few Canadians, and Americans helping me pull I was going as hard as I could. I knew that was the only way to ride in such a big race, so that's what I did. I got off the bike in the chase pack, which was significantly better than were I started my bike ride and started to run.
I was running really fast, although I'm not sure if my pace was fast I was running people down. It felt good and I felt amazing. It was extremely hot and I tried to stay cooled off at the 2 water stops that you could hit twice each lap. I'm very pleased with my first big race and I can't wait to get back on the international seen soon!
Congrats to all of the Canadian Juniors and Sarah Ann for her second place finish in the Elite race. It was great getting to know you all and to represent Canada with such talented athletes. I hope to see some of you in St. Andrew's! I'm excited to go home, and race! Now one more flight until I get home. Good luck in St. Andrew's to everyone!
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