MediCard Sprint 2018 - 3rd Place
When I joined my first Sprint Triathlon in June 2017, I set a high bar for myself. I thought with my background in Sports (running, varsity basketball, regularly hit the gym, plyometrics etc.) and my competitive nature, I can finish in the top 3 of that event. The swim leg was in an Olympic sized pool and I remember passing a good number of people in my wave. I also remember being very winded around the 500m mark and was not able to keep my pace the rest of the way. When I got to T1 there were still many bikes racked and my confidence went a little bit higher. On to the bike leg, slowly but surely other racers started passing me. I was trying my best to find the right gearing to keep up with the other participants. Going on the big chain rings my legs were burning. The constant spinning on the small chain rings wasn't working as well. It was a struggle going up the famous "Wall" of Clark Free Port. I knew I fell behind as there were more bikes racked. I racked my bike, put on my running shoes and headed out to the Run course. That's what I fully realized how hard this sport was. I was trying to go faster but my legs and my lungs just won't let me. More people passed me as I continue to struggle and stopped at each hydration station. Towards the last 1.5kms I found myself doing a run-walk just to get through. As I got into the finisher's chute I put all of what's left of my energy to sprint and cross the finish line. When the results were released I finished 10th from the 26 participants in my age group.
I was telling myself that this is just my first race and a 10th place finish is a good starting point. There is a lot of room to improve on from my form and endurance across all three legs to efficiency during transitions.
I signed up for more races after that ranging from Sprints to the Standard Distance. My self expectations were still the same, I have a chance to get on that podium. But at the same time, the realist in me recognizes that I am a middle-of-the-pack age grouper. That this age group (40 to 45) always has a strong field no matter what race and distance.
The MediCard Sprint Triathlon 2018 was our last race of the year. This is the second time we are joining this race so the entire course is pretty familiar. Olympic sized pool, up and down bike leg and a rolling run course inside Fontana Leisure Park. The night before the race, I noticed one big difference in myself. For the first time, I wasn't expecting anything. I wasn't conditioning my mind to be a top three finisher. I clearly remember I was more calm and was more focused on how I can enjoy the race more than the usual. I had a good sleep. I wasn't anticipating waking up at a certain time to make sure that I have enough time for my pre-race preparation. In short no self-pressure just pure "race the race and enjoy".
We got to the venue and went through our usual pre-race routine. Placed all our gears in the transition area, racked our bikes laid out my bike and running shoes, clipped my bike computer and readied my helmet. My wife's gun start was around 6:40am and I was starting 40 mins after. As she proceeded to the pool I lingered in the transition area making sure that my power meter connects to my bike comp and the bike gears were in place. Again, really taking my time before the start of the race.
The Swim
As I went down the pool area it was an all too familiar vibe. A lot of people anticipating their start times engaging in small chit chats and commenting about the first group of females now traversing the pool course. Some were stretching it out and some were waiting in the hot/cold tub near the pool. 7:15am, I took in my pre-race nutrition before going into the pool for my own gun start. It was a rolling start of 5 participants per group. Fortunately we were only 3 in our group (2 were a DNS) so it made the lane not too cramped. As the horn sounded, I kicked off the wall harder than I usually do during training. Shortly after that I was stroking away from my wave mates. As I make the first turn after 50m I felt my pace was too fast and was worried I might ran out of gas towards the end. I held back a bit with the pace just to ensure that I have that finishing kick in the last 100m-200m. The main challenge during the swim was the 2 laps where the lane was completely blocked by other swimmers. I had no way to overtake them without really muscling my way through. Since a lot of the participants were beginners I didn't want to do that. So I'd stop just to give myself some space and wait just a little bit for a free piece of the lane that I can pass by. By the last 100 meters the lanes were cleaner, no more maneuvering to overtake. It was a stright shot from wall to wall. After 15 mins of swimming I was out of the water and was making my way to T1.
T1
I knew I had a good swim so I wasn't really rushing through T1. I noticed that all of the bikes from my age group were still racked. Again I knew I had some time on my hands so I even dried my foot, took my energy gel and has a sip of water before putting on my race belt and helmet. A couple of minutes after I was headed out the transition area. This is also the time I noticed a Caucasian from my age group completing his transition and was headed out.
The Bike
Heading out to the bike course I knew that the first half would be the easier task. It is mostly going down hill from the Aqua Park to the first u-turn along Creekside Road. Coach Don V's race day plan was to use the downhills as a recovery but try to maintain an average power of 190 - 200 watts. I was able to keep within the power goals and maintained to stay in front of the other leader from my age group.
As we made the toll gate turn I knew that this is where the race really starts. the rest of the way will be mostly uphill and the participant with the legs and lungs will most likely have a nice cushion entering T2.
I was able to keep my lead up until the start of the infamous "Wall" when the eventual winner of our age group, Brett Petrillo, made his move and overtook me. I tried to match his cadence and gearing for the next 2-3 kilometers staying just a few meters behind his wheel. I knew I'll be spending a lot of energy just trying to keep up with him and that will definitely impact my run. I was already exerting more effort than I wanted to maintain my wattage goal so I wasn't going to let pride and ego derail me. I held back but tried to keep him insight throughout the climb along the wall. I was able to eat into his lead as we made the final ascent heading back to Fontana for T2.
T2
Going into transition I saw Brett making his way through the carpeted path and rack his bike. I did the same thing but just like T1 I wasn't in a hurry or rushing to get out of transition as soon as possible. I kept reminding my self to "race my race" and do not put additional pressure of wanting to finish in the top three. Upon reaching my transition area I followed my routine: helmet off, shoes off, sit down and put your socks and shoes on. And just before heading out to the run course another sip of water and I finished by half eaten energy gel. After two and a half minutes in T2 I was off to the run course.
The Run
I visited my coach the day before the race to get my numbers updated. We measured by blood sugar while on the bike and treadmill. This gives us an idea on my energy expenditure and how to replenish during the race. We also did some VO2 testing to determine more accurate effort levels during training and actual races. Our game plan for the race was maintain a run pace between 5:40 to 6 minutes per kilometer. I was telling myself that it was an absurd goal as I've never ran below 6 mins/km in a Running event let alone a Triathlon race.
No matter how hard it may seem, I said to myself that I'd try to stick to the game plan. I started slowly with the run trying to ease into it and build a faster pace in the next 5-10 mins. My first glance at my watch I was pacing 8 mins/km and knew I needed to exert more effort. Just a little under 1km in, I get my first and last look at Brett. He's about to make the right hand turn into the heart of Fontana while I was headed to the first u-turn slot 300m away. At this point I knew I won't be able to catch him as his pace and form looked really strong. I needed to focus on my own pace and form! Make sure that I hit the pace and leave enough to make that sprint in the end.
I started the day telling my self to enjoy the race and not think about getting a podium finish. But I was aware, as I traverse the first half of the run, that I had a good chance of getting it in this race. I know Brett will be taking the top spot and there are two more spots in that podium up for grabs. It was all about grinding through the run and maintain my position (which was second at this point).
As I went through the tree covered back roads of the run course I can hear a heavy panting and footsteps behind me. I took a quick glance and it was another participant who was running an incredibly fast pace. I remember him after I made my u-turn and he was in the same area where I was when I saw Brett. He was really pushing his run and was overtaking participant one after the other. I took note of his bib number (190) and was trying to remember if he was my age group or from the younger group (35-39). Same age group or not, with the pace he's running I knew he'll catch me in the next few minutes. Just before hitting the main road he passed me and I was thinking to myself "He just claimed the second spot".
I went through my ritual in the first hydration station. Grabbed a couple of cups to pour on my nape and core. Got another couple for my head and face. The last one was a quick sip and rest goes to my legs. Two more participants overtakes me but I knew they were from a younger age group. I wasn't going to try to match them or catch them. After a number of turns I was back on the main road where official photographers were seated in the middle of the road waiting for runners. It is funny how triathletes forget how tired they are when faced by a photographer and are able to manage smile and strike a pose for the camera. I was no different from most triathletes. Upon seeing the official photographer I out on a smiled, gave a thumbs up and made sure I get a good picture to look at after the race (they should really see the faces of the triathletes after passing the photographer, I bet there would be some awesome candid and telling shots there, mine included 😂)
Approaching the last 1.5kms I can hear another participant fast approaching from behind (by this time I was really watching out for each participant that passes me). I took a quick look at his bib and the good thing was I can clearly see the number, 212! This guy was definitely in my age group because Brett was Bib # 213. I was running 6 mins/km but his pace was much faster (probably 5:30/km) and again I knew it will be hard for me to go after him and try to match his pace. I was too afraid of pushing all out with more than 1 kilometer away and end up walking in the last few meters. At the same time I knew that there goes my chance of finishing in the podium. 213, 190 and 212 (I was 197) all passed me at different stages of the race and they will be taking 1,2 and 3.
There was a feeling of disappointment and regret as I made the last right hand turn of the run course. I could have exerted more effort, I could have built a bigger lead in the bike leg, I could have overtaken swimmers instead of stopping....all of these thought and some more were racing at the back of my mind. But above everything, I knew I had to complete this race the only way I know how...Sprint and Finish Strong! 6 mins became 5:41, 4:44 4:23 and finally 3:53 as I crossed the finish line.
My wife greeted me after I crossed the finish line and exchanged stories how our own races went. She (like many of the races she joined) finished first in her age group. She broke our hour-thirty goal and finished her race in 1:29:51. After getting our medals and refreshments we decided to clean up while we wait for the officials to clean up the results and make the announcements. A few moments after my wife was called for her 1st place finish in her AG. The organizer's announcements moved on and reached the male participants n my age group. The feeling of disappointment was still there but as well as hope than one of the participants is not from my age group. They announced the time of the 3rd place finisher and to my surprise they called my name. One of the participants was from another age group (35-39) and that left me with that window to claim 3rd.
It was a feeling of relief (getting that podium finish monkey off my back), happiness (finally winning) and thanks (to my wife, kids and coaches who helped me).
It was definitely a great gift to cap off the year and I am more excited to go back to training and build on this. I may not finish in the podium again so I will cherish that moment. But I will ensure that I will aim to get better in every race that I join.
2019 season will be awesome!!!
I was telling myself that this is just my first race and a 10th place finish is a good starting point. There is a lot of room to improve on from my form and endurance across all three legs to efficiency during transitions.
I signed up for more races after that ranging from Sprints to the Standard Distance. My self expectations were still the same, I have a chance to get on that podium. But at the same time, the realist in me recognizes that I am a middle-of-the-pack age grouper. That this age group (40 to 45) always has a strong field no matter what race and distance.
The MediCard Sprint Triathlon 2018 was our last race of the year. This is the second time we are joining this race so the entire course is pretty familiar. Olympic sized pool, up and down bike leg and a rolling run course inside Fontana Leisure Park. The night before the race, I noticed one big difference in myself. For the first time, I wasn't expecting anything. I wasn't conditioning my mind to be a top three finisher. I clearly remember I was more calm and was more focused on how I can enjoy the race more than the usual. I had a good sleep. I wasn't anticipating waking up at a certain time to make sure that I have enough time for my pre-race preparation. In short no self-pressure just pure "race the race and enjoy".
We got to the venue and went through our usual pre-race routine. Placed all our gears in the transition area, racked our bikes laid out my bike and running shoes, clipped my bike computer and readied my helmet. My wife's gun start was around 6:40am and I was starting 40 mins after. As she proceeded to the pool I lingered in the transition area making sure that my power meter connects to my bike comp and the bike gears were in place. Again, really taking my time before the start of the race.
The Swim
As I went down the pool area it was an all too familiar vibe. A lot of people anticipating their start times engaging in small chit chats and commenting about the first group of females now traversing the pool course. Some were stretching it out and some were waiting in the hot/cold tub near the pool. 7:15am, I took in my pre-race nutrition before going into the pool for my own gun start. It was a rolling start of 5 participants per group. Fortunately we were only 3 in our group (2 were a DNS) so it made the lane not too cramped. As the horn sounded, I kicked off the wall harder than I usually do during training. Shortly after that I was stroking away from my wave mates. As I make the first turn after 50m I felt my pace was too fast and was worried I might ran out of gas towards the end. I held back a bit with the pace just to ensure that I have that finishing kick in the last 100m-200m. The main challenge during the swim was the 2 laps where the lane was completely blocked by other swimmers. I had no way to overtake them without really muscling my way through. Since a lot of the participants were beginners I didn't want to do that. So I'd stop just to give myself some space and wait just a little bit for a free piece of the lane that I can pass by. By the last 100 meters the lanes were cleaner, no more maneuvering to overtake. It was a stright shot from wall to wall. After 15 mins of swimming I was out of the water and was making my way to T1.
T1
I knew I had a good swim so I wasn't really rushing through T1. I noticed that all of the bikes from my age group were still racked. Again I knew I had some time on my hands so I even dried my foot, took my energy gel and has a sip of water before putting on my race belt and helmet. A couple of minutes after I was headed out the transition area. This is also the time I noticed a Caucasian from my age group completing his transition and was headed out.
The Bike
Heading out to the bike course I knew that the first half would be the easier task. It is mostly going down hill from the Aqua Park to the first u-turn along Creekside Road. Coach Don V's race day plan was to use the downhills as a recovery but try to maintain an average power of 190 - 200 watts. I was able to keep within the power goals and maintained to stay in front of the other leader from my age group.As we made the toll gate turn I knew that this is where the race really starts. the rest of the way will be mostly uphill and the participant with the legs and lungs will most likely have a nice cushion entering T2.
I was able to keep my lead up until the start of the infamous "Wall" when the eventual winner of our age group, Brett Petrillo, made his move and overtook me. I tried to match his cadence and gearing for the next 2-3 kilometers staying just a few meters behind his wheel. I knew I'll be spending a lot of energy just trying to keep up with him and that will definitely impact my run. I was already exerting more effort than I wanted to maintain my wattage goal so I wasn't going to let pride and ego derail me. I held back but tried to keep him insight throughout the climb along the wall. I was able to eat into his lead as we made the final ascent heading back to Fontana for T2. T2
Going into transition I saw Brett making his way through the carpeted path and rack his bike. I did the same thing but just like T1 I wasn't in a hurry or rushing to get out of transition as soon as possible. I kept reminding my self to "race my race" and do not put additional pressure of wanting to finish in the top three. Upon reaching my transition area I followed my routine: helmet off, shoes off, sit down and put your socks and shoes on. And just before heading out to the run course another sip of water and I finished by half eaten energy gel. After two and a half minutes in T2 I was off to the run course.
The Run
I visited my coach the day before the race to get my numbers updated. We measured by blood sugar while on the bike and treadmill. This gives us an idea on my energy expenditure and how to replenish during the race. We also did some VO2 testing to determine more accurate effort levels during training and actual races. Our game plan for the race was maintain a run pace between 5:40 to 6 minutes per kilometer. I was telling myself that it was an absurd goal as I've never ran below 6 mins/km in a Running event let alone a Triathlon race.
No matter how hard it may seem, I said to myself that I'd try to stick to the game plan. I started slowly with the run trying to ease into it and build a faster pace in the next 5-10 mins. My first glance at my watch I was pacing 8 mins/km and knew I needed to exert more effort. Just a little under 1km in, I get my first and last look at Brett. He's about to make the right hand turn into the heart of Fontana while I was headed to the first u-turn slot 300m away. At this point I knew I won't be able to catch him as his pace and form looked really strong. I needed to focus on my own pace and form! Make sure that I hit the pace and leave enough to make that sprint in the end.
I started the day telling my self to enjoy the race and not think about getting a podium finish. But I was aware, as I traverse the first half of the run, that I had a good chance of getting it in this race. I know Brett will be taking the top spot and there are two more spots in that podium up for grabs. It was all about grinding through the run and maintain my position (which was second at this point).
As I went through the tree covered back roads of the run course I can hear a heavy panting and footsteps behind me. I took a quick glance and it was another participant who was running an incredibly fast pace. I remember him after I made my u-turn and he was in the same area where I was when I saw Brett. He was really pushing his run and was overtaking participant one after the other. I took note of his bib number (190) and was trying to remember if he was my age group or from the younger group (35-39). Same age group or not, with the pace he's running I knew he'll catch me in the next few minutes. Just before hitting the main road he passed me and I was thinking to myself "He just claimed the second spot".
I went through my ritual in the first hydration station. Grabbed a couple of cups to pour on my nape and core. Got another couple for my head and face. The last one was a quick sip and rest goes to my legs. Two more participants overtakes me but I knew they were from a younger age group. I wasn't going to try to match them or catch them. After a number of turns I was back on the main road where official photographers were seated in the middle of the road waiting for runners. It is funny how triathletes forget how tired they are when faced by a photographer and are able to manage smile and strike a pose for the camera. I was no different from most triathletes. Upon seeing the official photographer I out on a smiled, gave a thumbs up and made sure I get a good picture to look at after the race (they should really see the faces of the triathletes after passing the photographer, I bet there would be some awesome candid and telling shots there, mine included 😂)
Approaching the last 1.5kms I can hear another participant fast approaching from behind (by this time I was really watching out for each participant that passes me). I took a quick look at his bib and the good thing was I can clearly see the number, 212! This guy was definitely in my age group because Brett was Bib # 213. I was running 6 mins/km but his pace was much faster (probably 5:30/km) and again I knew it will be hard for me to go after him and try to match his pace. I was too afraid of pushing all out with more than 1 kilometer away and end up walking in the last few meters. At the same time I knew that there goes my chance of finishing in the podium. 213, 190 and 212 (I was 197) all passed me at different stages of the race and they will be taking 1,2 and 3.
There was a feeling of disappointment and regret as I made the last right hand turn of the run course. I could have exerted more effort, I could have built a bigger lead in the bike leg, I could have overtaken swimmers instead of stopping....all of these thought and some more were racing at the back of my mind. But above everything, I knew I had to complete this race the only way I know how...Sprint and Finish Strong! 6 mins became 5:41, 4:44 4:23 and finally 3:53 as I crossed the finish line.
My wife greeted me after I crossed the finish line and exchanged stories how our own races went. She (like many of the races she joined) finished first in her age group. She broke our hour-thirty goal and finished her race in 1:29:51. After getting our medals and refreshments we decided to clean up while we wait for the officials to clean up the results and make the announcements. A few moments after my wife was called for her 1st place finish in her AG. The organizer's announcements moved on and reached the male participants n my age group. The feeling of disappointment was still there but as well as hope than one of the participants is not from my age group. They announced the time of the 3rd place finisher and to my surprise they called my name. One of the participants was from another age group (35-39) and that left me with that window to claim 3rd.
It was a feeling of relief (getting that podium finish monkey off my back), happiness (finally winning) and thanks (to my wife, kids and coaches who helped me).
It was definitely a great gift to cap off the year and I am more excited to go back to training and build on this. I may not finish in the podium again so I will cherish that moment. But I will ensure that I will aim to get better in every race that I join.
2019 season will be awesome!!!
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