Race 2 of the Victorian Gatorade series was showcased at Catani Gardens in st Kilda. A great location for a triathlon.

My preparation for this race wasn’t perfect. But then again none of the 3 races I have had this season have been well prepared. My return to running, or I should say consistent running, had only began in the previous 2 weeks before this race. My speed hasn’t returned but I have been getting through the distance without the foot problems that plagued me throughout the last 9 months.

And then there was the bike accident during our famous Hell week. The result of this accident was an inflamed right shoulder. Which apart from physio treatment, all I could do was rest and stay out of the pool.

Leading into this race, my A race for the season, I was concerned with both my ability to get through 1500 meters of swimming without my shoulder falling off, or the 10k run within an acceptable time.

The St Kilda pier surrounds the swim course which provides great shelter and a relatively flat swim. This was fantastic to allow me to get myself into a comfortable rhythm and concentrate on my technique through the swim leg. My shoulder was a little sore but soon warmed up and the pain disappeared. Half way through the swim leg I started to pass swimmers from earlier wave starts, which is always a confidence booster. Not long after this I then noticed the faster swimmers from later waves passing me. There goes that feeling of achievement and back to thinking about my technique. With 500 meters to go the swim hits a sandbar and we find ourselves running through the shallow water. This raises my heart rate and makes plunging back into the deeper water difficult. With my raised heart rate I try to swim harder and hold the rate high until the swim exit.

Transition 1 for me was good. Everything worked to plan and before I knew it I was at speed on my bike and getting into the groove.

This race had 3 laps of the bike course. Each lap I found myself getting faster than the previous one. I held an average 33k and was one of the first OD race’s I didn’t allow myself to drift off in a day dream and loose power. I was very happy with my consistency all day and held my concentration on each peddle stroke. Since this was a 3 lap circuit the fantastic support by those Tri-Alliance athletes not racing was noticed and always gave me a boost when needed. I will also note that seeing my family on the side lines also helped me keep my focus to do them proud.

My T2 for the Olympic distance is always a little slow as I get blisters from my orthotics, so I take a little extra time to put socks on. I’m sure divulging this here in my report will leave me open to no end of ribbing from my fellow TA athletes, but I am honest.

The run. Part of my race I seem to dread these days. I left Transition feeling tired and heavy after a solid bike leg. But it didn’t take long to find my rhythm and get moving. All of my Olympic distance races to date have been a one lap course but St Kilda was 2 x 5k laps, something I hadn’t done before. I thought this might make things difficult, running towards the finish line, only to have to turn back and do it again. The second lap however was just as consistent as the first and I felt like everything was coming together perfectly. As I passed the 9km marker I felt my pace quicken and realized I was on track for a small PB. Within the last 400m I then had a pleasant surprise and saw my Son Xander 150m in front of me finishing off his Jelly Belly race. With the thought of sharing this special moment of crossing the line together I gave it everything to catch him. Even though I pushed a 4:30 pace (quick for me) I couldn’t real him in, the kid is too fast for his old man.

We didn’t cross the line together but I was pleased to share the course with him. That is something I will remember for a very long time. Until he is old enough to beat me around the sprint course in a few years.

So my day went well and I took a minute off both my overall OD time and my run time in an OD. With the poor preseason I have had, this made my day/ season. This boost of confidence is exactly what I needed to get me through this season feeling motivated again.

Now back to consistent training and keeping my body healthy.

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