Guelph Lake Olympic Triathlon 2012 Race Report
Prelude
I was very concerned about the heat this year because a) the run course at Guelph can feel like running through a brush fire, depending on how keen the campers are with their BBQ activities and that there's very little shade on the course and b) the last time I checked the weather, it was supposed to be 30C before humidex. The lesson here is to actually check the weather the day before the race, because they were predicting thunderstorms, not heat. Luckily, we dodged that lightning bolt and were into the water on time.
Swim
The swim course was a one-loop affair this year, which I prefer (I think it's mentally easier than knowing you have to go back out once you get to shore). I started near the front of our wave, but way left (which was where the buoys were going anyways), and had clean water for most of the way out, unlike last year where I got trapped in the washing machine for the first 500 meters. I swam on some good feet for large chunks of the race, but had to start sighting more often as we were catching up to the wave in front of us and swim around more people. I swam with clear water in front of me (no drafting, boo) for the last leg in, coming out around 26 minutes (there's a long run up the hill before you hit a timing mat).
Bike
I decided that I was going to put on my bike shoes in transition this time, the run to the mount line was mostly over grass/carpet. I got yelled at by some guy behind me to keep moving as we were coming up to the line, I pulled over to get clipped in, he did a fancy flying mount, but then I passed him 400 meters down the road as he was still struggling to get his feet into his shoes. After allowing myself a small moment of smugness, I started to pick up the pace. My plan had been to try and hold an average of 230 watts (~93% of my FTP), but staying on target was much more difficult than I anticipated. The course certainly isn't mountainous, but is always going up or down, and there was a fierce wind from the SW, which meant that we had a very strong crosswind for most of the home-bound leg (the course is an out and back). The wind and hills make it tricky to ride consistently by feel, so I was trying to check my power meter more frequently, but was often under my target. In the last 10k, I was passed by someone in my AG, so I felt like that was good motivation to push a little harder, and ended up passing him, and then we were back in transition.
Run
I really like to have fresh socks on for the run, which costs me another 10 seconds in transition, but it feels so nice, especially at about 7km in (BTW, that guy I just passed on the bike caught up with and passed me about 500 meters into the run). My legs were feeling pretty good, so I went out a little faster than I would normally, especially as the first little bit of the run is net downhill (the rest of the run is a long uphill to the turnaround(s)). The run course is shaped a bit like a fondue fork, with two tines being mini out and backs, so you get a good idea of who's chasing you (or vice-versa) and where they are by the time you've gone through the second turnaround. I felt like I struggled on the hills on those sections, but once I got back onto the homeward-bound portion of the course, I managed to pick it up. I was really pushing the last 1.5k, and saw Lisa Bentley cheering on her athletes, I tried to say "hey, big fan!", but probably just blurted out "mrhy, bla lmm". My conversational skills are not at their peak at 180BPM. At the turn into the last 200 meters to the finish, a friend told me "three guys about 10 seconds back", so I really pushed (I had been passed by two other guys in my AG already), and luckily the last bit to the line is all downhill, so I managed to make it without any further damage.
Conclusion
It turned out to be an awesome day, maybe a little windy on the bike, but the temperature was perfect on the run. The thing I really like about the local triathlon scene is there's a tradition of supporting the other athletes, getting or giving a "good work" as you go by someone, or saying hi to your friends on the run is not unusual. South-west Ontario has a very active triathlon community, you can race just about every weekend during the summer.
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