2026 Updates (UBC Sprint, Longest Day 10k, VictoriaHalf Standard)

I am usually pretty good about updating my entries close to the race dates, but work and life have been busy. I am 2 days away from a much needed vacation and I finally find myself with enough downtime to sit and write out some race reports.

This report will cover the first half of 2026 and includes the UBC Sprint Triathlon, The Longest Day 10k, and the VictoriaHalf Standard Distance Triathlon.

 

UBC Sprint Triathlon

As I stated in my last entry, 2026 is a continuation of short course racing. And on March 7, 2026 I raced the UBC Sprint Triathlon. Those who have read any of race reports know I usually race the duathlon due to my mixed feelings about the swim. But my coaches wanted me swimming. 

I arrived at UBC early despite my later start time. I wanted to get a prime transition spot and cheer on people I knew doing the other distances. 

After setting up my transition area, I checked in and dropped off my wet bag. Since UBC is a pool swim with a long transition from Swim to Bike, we are given a wet bag to use as a little mini transition before transition. 

Once my start group was called, we lined up according to our self seed time. I had made a mistake and given my time based 750m and the swim was only 700m. One swimmer was way faster than the rest of us and she lined up first. The next 3 swimmers (including me) all had the same estimated time. We decided we would work together. This is not something I would usually do in the swim, but seeing as it was not open water, I was going to allow it. 

The Swim

I dropped into the water and was off. After about 150 meters, I felt a tap on my toe. This is the signal to wait at the wall and let the swimmer behind pass. A rule that, in the past, was not followed very well by first time swimmers. This is the frustrating reason I started doing the Duathlon instead. 

I let the 2 swimmers pass me and took my spot in the back of our 3 swimmer pace line. 

The start of the race had been delayed due to an issue on the bike course. In an attempt to get the schedule back on track, the race officials shortened the breaks between wave starts. So about halfway through the swim, we caught up with the tail end of the wave that started before us. Surprisingly, every single swimmer we came upon waited at the wall for use to pass. I was shocked. 

Our triplet moved at a good pace and soon I was getting out of the water. 

 

I got out of the water feeling pretty good. I grabbed my wet bag from the volunteer and headed to the change tent. The change tent was in a different area than in years past but it was also alot bigger. 

I had everything in my bag stacked in the order I needed it. Once I had on warmer clothes, I decide to put on my gloves while on the move. I dropped my wet back in the bin and made my way to transition.

The Bike

I got to my bike, put on my helmet and shoes, and I was off. But not before waving to my biggest little fans. 

The start of the bike was an uphill so I was sure to take it nice and easy. I took some hydration and nutrition while my heart rate was still down. 

I made up time on the downhill and took the first turn around under control. Then it was a speedy net downhill to the second turn around. It was during this section of the course that I realized that I had lost enough weight, I could now drink from my aero bottle while in the aero position.  

After the turn around it was a false flat back to the hill on 16th. I kept the climb under control to save energy for lap 2 and the run. 

My heart rate was climbing on the second lap. I wanted to be fast but also be in control. I was getting a bit worried I was pushing too hard, but it all still felt manageable. 

I gained some speed on the second lap and soon I was at the dismount line. 

The ground was wet so I took my time running with the bike in my cleats. 

The Run

After T2, I started the run. I once again saw my family and got some high fives.

The start of the run was up a hill so I opted to walk up to give myself some time to shake out the legs. Once at the top, I started to run. 

I was pushing hard and felt my pacing was off. But every time I tried to reign it in, I ended up settling back in the faster speed. I guess this was the pace my body wanted to go. 

Both laps of the run went about the same. I was gaining speed, pushing hard, and feeling good. I got the last turn around and started to push (more) to the finish.  

I made the left turn and finished strong

I felt really good at this race. With the weight lose and other health improvements, my running has gotten faster. I was happy the swim was not as frustrating as it had been in the past. 

Swim:  0:15:51
T1:       0:07:08
Bike:    0:44:15
T2:       0:04:22
Run:     0:38:09
Total:   1:49:43

Longest Day 10k

On Friday, May 29th I ran the Longest Day 10k running race (once again) at UBC. 

This was a strange one as it was at night, so all day I had to watch what I ate. 

Not really much to go over here. I was once again able to push pretty hard on this one. As stated before, my running has gotten faster and stronger.

I started off pretty easy and in the back of the pack. I knew full well that by lap 2 I would be passing everyone who went out to hard. 

Sure enough, by lap 2 I was passing people as they fell off their pace. I crossed the finish line feeling spent, but was happy I was able to push as hard as I did. 

Time: 1:17:54

Not many pictures of me, but here are a few of my family who are always out supporting me.

  

Victoria Half (Standard Distance) Triathlon

The next race I did was the Victoria Half (Standard Distance) Triathlon on July 12th.

This course is very similar to the Ironman 70.3 Victoria and was therefore familiar territory. When we arrived for bike check in, I was shocked at how small transition was. I had always seen this race advertised and knew several athletes who have race it, so I just assumed it was bigger. 

On race day, the family and I took the shuttle to the race start. I setup my transition while the boys played at the local park. We watched the half distance start and then it was time to suit up. 

I was happy to once again be able to squeeze into my old wetsuit from years ago. And I received several comments on wetsuit secret weapon: Gardening Gloves. They help you get a good grip on the suit material and pull/tug for that perfect fit, They also help protect your suit from those pesky, tiny finger nail tears. 

The Swim

The swim line up was supposed to be self seeded, but everyone just kind of clumped together randomly. I decided to start in the back. Always better to be the swimmer swimming over people, than having people swimming over you. 

I started out nice and slow, taking my time and sighting the sailing club that lined up perfectly with the buoys. The water was warm and there was no current (lake swim). 

I began to pass people almost immediately, but the pack was still relatively spread out. Even at the first turn buoy, the normal race congestion was very minimal. I took the turn and had a clear line of sight to the second turn buoy.  

For some reason, the race pack was veering way to the left. I kept my line and soon I was at the second turn. 

The sun was now on my right and I had to close my eyes when breathing to keep from being blinding. I can hear my swim coach now as he reads this, "Well learn to breathe on the left!" For the record I can, I just choose not to. 

As we made our way back to shore, I was catching even more swimmers. I had to keep my focus (and composure) as swimmers constantly zig-zagged in front of me. 

By now the sun was behind the tree line and it was much easier to navigate. I swam all the way up to shore, popped up, and was on my way. 

For some reason, I could not find my zipper cord. So yet again, here are videos/photos of me looking confused with my am behind my head. 

You do not want to take your cap and goggles off right away, because now they occupy one of your much needed 2 hands. Both of which you need to take off your wetsuit. So when taking off my wetsuit, I take one arm out, then grab my cap and goggles then release them as I pull them through the other sleeve. Both hands are free and I know where my cap and goggle are. 

Unfortunately I found out later that only may cap got caught in my sleeve and I lost my open water goggles. I either need to make sure my goggles are inside my cap or abandon this technique. 

I also tried something new this race. I had my cycling gloves in a ziplock bag in my back pocket.  The idea was to put on my cycling gloves on the move to save time during transition. 

When putting in my wetsuit, Jen asked me if I was afraid the bag would fall out. At the time I said no.

But they did. 

Luckily, when I looked behind me, there on the ground only about 5 feet away. And with wet hands, they were very hard to put on. The amount of time I would have saved was lost in the seconds it look to go back and retrieve them. Not a strategy I will use again. In fact, for olympic and sprint distances, I may forgo gloves all together. I still have not decided on that. I will have to practice some longer rides in training sans gloves. 

I finished my transition and headed to the mount line 

The Bike

I started the bike nice and easy. I had driven the course the day before and new the start was a series of rolling hills. I used the descents to gain speed for the climbs.   

I geared down and made the right turn onto West Saanich. I knew there was a hill right after the turn and did not want to drop a chain. Others were not so lucky or observant. 

The course had good road conditions overall and although it was not a closed course, the majority the roads included a bike lane. 

I navigated some more rolling hills before hitting a big hill the 10k mark. I took this very easy. I knew there were more hills (and we had to do them all twice). Oh and I still had to run 10k after. What is wrong with me? 

After a right turn on Wallace, we had a nice flat section. We hit the second big hill and then came back down. I was happy I drove the course the day before, because halfway down this hill was a sharp right turn. It would be tricky to navigate if you didn't know it was there. 

I got stuck behind a flatbed truck for a bit, but he soon turned off. A few more rolling hills then onto Lap 2. 

Lap 2 went about the same as Lap 1, although I felt more comfortable on a few of the more technical sections. 

At the end of the lap, we turned left to head back to transition. After even more rollers and some fun twisties, we were back at the dismount line. 

I ran my bike in, racked it, then prepped for the run. 

But not before a high five and a hug from my 2 biggest little fans.

It took a bit of time for me to find my legs. The bike was considerably more hilly than I anticipated and the run was primarily a trail run. I do much better on flat, hard surfaces. Odd for someone my size.  

I soon settled into a rhythm and was making good time. 

About 7k into the run, the effort of the day was beginning to catch up with me. At this point, the trees opened up and I could see the finish line. I pointed across the lake like a baseball player calling his shot. 

At 9.1k, I told myself I was going to push and run it all the way in. 

And push I did. 

I saw my family and kept pushing to the finish. The announcer called my name and my time. I was a bit upset about my time when I heard it. But, I needed to take time to properly evaluate the day before I would worry about that. 

Even though triathlons have their set distances (Ironman, 70.3, Standard, Sprint, etc), there is no Apples-to-Apples comparison.  Every course is so different and the transitions are always different distances/setups. I needed to take all this into account before decided if it was a bad time or not. 

Overall, I am happy with my result. It was a very hilly bike, a run that involved some technical trail running, and a unique transition. 

Swim: 0:35:01
T1:      0:03:11
Bike:   1:49:09
T2:      0:02:37  
Run:   1:26:06
Total:  3:56:04

Some things to consider: Was the gloves-on-the-run into T1 worth it? How do I keep with my hydration on the bike when a hilly course offers little opportunity to do so safely? I need to up my brick workouts to better train my legs off the bike.

All in all, a good day. And a race I'd definitely do again. But the standard or sprint, not 4 laps of that bike course at the half iron distance.  

2025 Vancouver Standard Triathlon

Here we are again with my return to racing. This time it's the 2025 Vancouver Triathlon standard distance. It's been a few years since I've done this race at this distance, but I'm really excited to be back at it.

The original plan for this year was to do 70.3 Victoria in May and then Washington Tri-Cities in September. However, this year turned out to be busier than expected with family and life. I ended up backing out of both. 

It wasn't a decision that was made lightly, but I think in the end it was definitely the right one. With life being as busy as it has been, I ended up putting too much pressure on trying to get the proper training. Additionally, I found that I wasn't enjoying my training sessions or even the sport in general. It was becoming a chore rather than an experience.

After talking with my coaches, we decided that we're going to take the next year or two to focus on Sprint and Olympic distance races. My fitness level is such that an Olympic distance race was achievable and with extra training, I could begin to excel at those distances again. 

Think of it as taking a step back and falling in love with the sport again. So I'll be focusing on distances that are feasible that allow me to push and challenge myself, but still allow the training and the racing to be a bit more fun with less pressure. 

Onto the race!

As always, the day before the race we did our Swim Smart clinics. These are always great and this year we had over 100 people show up. After our clinics, we set up the train smart tent.

After a quick up and down the parking lot, I lined up for bike drop. This race is first-come-first-serve (within your respective distance) for transition. I ended up getting a good spot near the Bike In/Out.

After an afternoon helping at the Swim Smart tent, I went home and finished packing up all of my stuff.

The next morning I got up super early and headed down to the race. My race start wasn't until 7:30, but this race is notorious for not starting on time. But getting there at 6:00am when transition opened allowed plenty of time to take care of anything that might need to be done. I got my transition set up and then walked transition to make sure I knew my landmarks. Then I went and hung out at the Swim Smart tent. 

Soon it was time to put on the wetsuit and head down to the swim. I made my way down to the beach to watch the previous starts and get a better idea of tides and current. The tide was super low which meant the course was probably going to be a bit short. That didn't bother me at all. The low tide also meant all the rocks that this beach are notorious for, would be very visible. So there wouldn't be as big of a risk of cutting feet or hands. 

I watch the women's standard distance start and I made note of the current (which I kind of already knew because Stewart set up the course). There was a strong left to right current, so I would try to aim more left. Then ride the current from turn one to turn two. Then once you get past turn two, try to aim more right as you come into shore. 

The Swim

When my wave was called, we walked through the gate and then lined up in about knee deep water. 

As usual with these mass starts races, I usually stay back at the start. I let everyone who is going to podium or everyone that starts off too fast, get ahead of me. That way I have nice clean, clear, calm water to swim in. 

The only problem was that because the tide was so low, everyone just kept walking! No one started swimming!  So here I was in the back, wasting time waiting for people to start swimming. So finally, I just dropped and started swimming, dodging people that were still standing. 

Before I knew it, I was at the first turn buoy. My recon paid off. My line was nice and straight. As I made the turn from turn one to turn two I noticed that people were getting swept out to the left. So I adjusting my sighting and had a very straight line all the way to turn 2. Every time I sighted, I could see the turn buoy right in front of me and everyone else off to my left. 

From turn two to turn three it was a bit of a slog, but I kept my line nice and straight. The water at the third turn was very shallow, and lots of people during the women's race were standing up and walking. 

I always tell my swim clients that swimming through water is faster and more efficient than walking through water. So I made it a point that I was going to swim the third turn. 

Which I did. 

Based on the people around me, I seemed to be the only one that did this. It was very shallow but still enough to swim in. I felt very accomplished knowing that I didn't waste time or energy trudging through knee deep water. 

Lap 2 went pretty much the same as lap one, except for the fact that I was starting to feel very tired. I was a bit worried about feeling this tired so close to the beginning of the race. I wasn't sure if this was mental fatigue or physical fatigue. So I did what I tell my clients, just start counting. 

We give a good five/six breathe/sighting pattern to our clients. This also serves a second purpose of just getting you to count to six over and over. If you do this, you tend to get into a good rhythm. So that's what I did for most of lap 2. I just counted to six. 

Soon I was in the groove again. A few times between turn one and turn two, I was even able to catch a bit of a draft off of a swimmer in front of me.

Before I knew it lap 2 was done and I was swimming towards shore. As always, people were standing up way too soon and trying to trudge through water. I swam in as far as I could to save energy and keep momentum. Then I popped up and made my way up onto shore. 

I made my way up the beach and saw lots of friends cheering me on, including my strength and conditioning coach. She always talked about wanting to come and see me race so I was very glad she was able to support me on the day. 

The Bike

I made my way into transition, found my bike and had a very calm and controlled transition. My family saw me and my son was yelling to me as I was getting out on the bike. 

At the mount line I saw even more friends and teammates cheering me on. I even got heckled by Stu. Which at this point is a race standard. 

I started on the bike nice and easy. I made sure to get some hydration and a gel. It was then that I realized that my drink and eat alerts were not set. 

Earlier in the summer, I had left my watch out in the sun and fried the motherboard. I was lucky enough to find the same watch on marketplace for a reasonable price. I had taken the time to set everything up the way I like it, but I had forgotten to set my drink and eat alerts for the bike. I've been using my bike computer for all my bike training and it just slipped my mind. No matter, I knew from my ride the week before that it took me about 23 minutes to do one lap. So as long as I was getting one gel and half a bottle every lap, I knew I would be on track. 

The first section of the bike course was nice and easy with some rollers and good areas to get in the aero position. Once I got to the hill I implemented the gearing strategy that I had tested out the week before.

This past year I updated my bike to have better gearing to help on hills. The Stanley Park Hill is not very steep, but it is very long. So I put myself in the second easiest gear and started to climb. This gave me an easy enough to gear to climb comfortably, but the mental and physical benefit of knowing I had one more gear for when the hill got punchy at the top. 

Once up and over the hill, there was a small descent that I used to get some fluid before starting a very small climb again. 

After the short climb, it's nice sweeping downhill pretty much all the way to the end of the first lap. Based on my ride the week before, I knew what speed was comfortable and how to take the turn at the bottom of the hill. There's a red fire hydrant just as you come into the turn. If you wait to apex the turn until you are even with it, you don't have to sacrifice speed. And of course there was the speed bump that you would hit right after you make it. From there it was some nice curves and a fun downhill until the end of the lap. 

I took the turn to the start of the second lap faster than I think I ever have on this race before. I was feeling very confident on my bike and very fast. 

The second lap was much like the first. I was able to gain a little bit more speed grab some aero advantages. I climbed conservatively and descended with speed.

On the third lap, the course was getting crowded and I was dealing with a lot of people blocking. For those who don't know, when you do a triathlon you have to keep to a draft zone. If you enter that draft zone, you have a certain amount of time to make the pass. Once you make the pass you have to move to the right to make room for other people who might be passing. If you do not, it is called blocking. 

There was way too many people on the course making the pass and staying in the left hand side. This wouldn't have been a huge issue except for the fact that the second half of this course is a very fast downhill. A lot of people were not leaving very much room for a pass. Which is dangerous when you're descending at 50 to 60 km an hour. 

I got a bit frustrated, but ended up letting that group get ahead of me and just let them ride on. 

The fourth lap was nice and easy and I was ready to get on to the run. 

I came down the hill and exited to the right and found the dismount line. I got off my bike and made my way to transition. The only problem was, they changed transition from when I ran out. I thought I just had to run straight into my bike in the corner. But I ended up having to run around the whole of transition to get back. Not a huge deal just something I wasn't expecting. 

Once in transition, a rider (with whom I'd been playing leapfrog with all race) asked if my name was Joseph. Turns out, his name was Joseph too. Apparently he'd gotten really confused when everyone was cheering for him and he had no clue who they were. 

The Run

At the start of the run I was sure to grab some water and a gel. It was a two lap, out-and-back of course totaling 10k. The first 3K I went a bit too fast I was feeling good and thought I could maintain the speed. Once I got to the turnaround I had to start walking to try to reel things in. It was all pretty much downhill from there. 

Friday night, I had come down with a really bad stomach bug. I woke up on Saturday with absolutely nothing in my system. I was very worried about how this was going to affect my race. So Sunday I made sure to try to get foods in my system that would help fuel me but also not make me feel sick on race day.

I knew that at some point today I was going to bonk. I was hoping it wouldn't be on the bike and kind of glad it was on the run. I did what I could and took way more walk breaks than I wanted to, but certain things you just can't control. I was happy to have showed up and do as well on the swim and bike as I did, and I was just going to let the run be what it was.

One of the great things about this race is that it's a local race and it's sponsored by Swim Smart. Which means the amount of people out on the course were either clients, teammates, or new people I met the day before at the clinic. So the amount of encouragement I was getting was great. I decided it would be a good idea to return the favor.

I took this opportunity to cheer on everyone else on the course. As they were running by me I would call them out by their race number and encourage them as they went along. If I wasn't going to have a good race it doesn't mean I couldn't help someone else have a good race.

As I got closer to the finish line, I made myself a deal. Once I got up the small hill onto the overlook, I would run the rest of the way to finish line.

I kept my end of the deal and after giving my family a wave, I ran into the finish line.

All in all I'm very happy with my performance. It's been awhile since I've done this distance. I was really feeling good the week before during my training. It wasn't until I got the stomach bug on Friday that I really started to get worried. But I had battled through things before and had great results.



Some things you just can't control. Getting sick is one of those things. I did my best to make sure I fueled so that I could get to the start line. I got to the start line, I had a great swim, and I had a great bike. I suffered through the run but I finished and was happy with my time.

This race in particular has a great sense of community. It's a local race so lots of people come out and support. I saw coworkers, friends, family, teammates, clients, and my coaches and trainers as well.

A thought occurred to me on the run. That even though I might not be good at this sport, I show up and I finish. And what I give back to the sport through my coaching and clinics and encouragement, I feel more than makes up for my lack of speed.

Results:
Swim: 0:25:44
Bike: 1:32:29
Run: 1:27:33
Total: 3:35:35

I'm looking forward to next year where I can really focus on having good results on the Sprint and Olympic distance.  I am most definitely falling back in love with the sport. |

And one day, when the time is right.. I will be an Ironman.

But for now, there is no rush.

North Shore Sprint 2025

I was originally scheduled to race Victoria 70.3 but ended up withdrawing. Life was getting very busy and we decided as a family it would best for me to focus on just one big race this year. This would allow for a longer, safer, healthier, and less stressful build to Washington 70.3 in September. This also meant I had a free May to slot in a smaller, local race. So I entered the North Shore Triathlon.


I had done this race once before, but it was during COVID protocols. This time around it was the May long weekend and a full field of over 600 athletes. The swim was shortened to 300m and transition was in a different spot, but other than that, it was the same race.

Oh. And the weather. The weather was definitely different.

But let's back up to the Sunday before the race. The weather that week had been a mix of overcast and raining, but Sunday was a perfect day. I had been riding my TT bike more often and took it out for a short ride to test out the latest setup and my new aero helmet. After UBC I was done racing on my gravel bike.

After my ride I put my race stickers on the TT bike. I was being optimistic that the nce weather would spill over into race day on Monday. I was being VERY optimistic. It did not even dawn on me to wait to put the stickers on until I saw the weather. I could have opted for my road bike.

As I was packing my gear, I thought about bringing both my road and aero helmet and making a decision on race morning. I decided that for a sprint, the aero gains would not be enough to warrant the fancy helmet and just packed my road helmet

I did pack both clear and sunglasses. Again being overly optimistic. I also packed my cycling gloves. The plan being to only use them if it was raining. Again the under 18k bike was short enough that (weather permitting) the gloves would serve no added benefit and be a time waste in transition.

I also bought a new hand-held bottle for the run. Again, most of the gear I owned lent itself to longer courses and seemed overkill.

I woke up early on race day knowing parking would the biggest challenge of the morning. I loaded the car and stopped for some coffee. After the coffee I returned home to grab my long sleeve thermal. This was a great call.
It poured rain the entire drive to North Vancouver. And just like at UBC, I had to mentally prepare myself for some good mental training. At least it was warmer and less windy than UBC. A silver lining... I guess.
I managed to park almost exactly where I parked in 2021. I made my way to transition but was too early for the adults to check in and had to wait. I was able to catch a bit of the kids/youth race. They seemed about as enthused about the rain as I was.

At 7:30am, the officials let us in. I found my spot and setup my transition. I was less concerned about keeping things dry, but did want my socks and shoes to be someone dry. I put those into large freezer bags. I saw people covering their handlebars and saddles with large plastic bags. I found no point in covering my bike. I knew we would be soaked from the swim and if the rain continued it would not matter.

I met and chatted with several people; My transition neighbors, Swim Smart clients, Train Smart clients, and even some old teammates from my Coach Powell days.

By the time I was finished setting my transition area, Jen and the boys had arrived. After helping Jen navigate the stroller over some mud, we hung out at the playground area.

Soon after, Thomas informed me that he had to use the bathroom. So we waited in the long line for our turn. If you know anything about 4 year olds you know that if you want them to do something quickly, it will take FOREVER. It did not help that Thomas had to go poop.

I tried to stay calm. This was just parenthood. If it meant I needed to start in a slower swim wave, then so be it. I stayed focused on the fact that my family was here to support me and I stayed positive.

Once Thomas was done, we went back outside. I asked several people if they knew what swim wave was called and no one could give me an answer. So I said goodbye to my family and went inside.

I dropped off my dry bag and went up the line of athletes asking for their swim times so I could line up accordingly.

My original plan was to start in the front of the 7:30 swim wave. While I know I am faster than this, it would at least give me open water to swim in. But it turns out, all the other athletes got antsy and just started lining up themselves. I guess the race organizers saw this and just abandoned the wave starts. Now we were in self-seeded, rolling start. Not ideal for my race plan, but out of my control.

I lined up right where 7:30 met 8:00 and we waited for the line to move. I chatted with a few people who nervous about their first triathlon. I gave them some pointers, but mostly told them just to enjoy the day.

The Swim

Soon we were in the pool area. The race official told me to go, but I waited a bit. I knew if I went right away I'd be swimming over the person in front of me. I got in nice and slow. I remembered from last time how shallow the water was.

Normally, I would use the wall at the turns to get a strong push off, but for this race I had to take them nice and slow. If I did my normal push off, I'd run right into the swimmer ahead of me.

My love-hate relationship with pool swim tris has been stated before. I love that it attracts new people to the sport, but hate how most of them do not read/know the rules. Luckily, the 3 swimmer ahead of me did, and when I tapped their toes, they all let me pass. But for the last 100 meters, the swimmer in front would not let me pass. So I just stayed on their feet and finished the swim.

I walked up the steps and along the pool deck to the outside. It was cold. I was really happy I had a long sleeve waiting for me at my bike. I got a good cheer from my family as I made my way to my bike.

I took my time in transition. The weather was lousy and I knew this was not the day for a fast transition.

The bike start was different than in 2021. It started with a hill out of the parking lot. My bike was already in an easy gear so no worries there.

The Bike

I took the hill nice and easy, took a left hand turn at the top, then a right hand turn before hitting the main portion of the bike course.

The bike course was four laps, out and back. The way out was pretty much uphill or a false flat. I did my best to keep my power and effort in a good spot.

The rain had lightened up, but the roads were very wet and the course was crowded. Given these factors, I never felt comfortable enough to get down into my aero bars. I was still getting used to being back on my TT bike and these conditions did not help. I felt good being up on the basebars and felt in control.

 

At one point I thought I has a flat, but had to remind myself that I was running wider tires now (28s up from 23s) and that I was using my race wheels (which are stiffer than my plain box rims).

All in all, I made the right choice choosing my TT bike.
I took the first lap nice and easy. More of a 'reconnaissance' lap. On the second lap I made sure to hydrate and fuel. I was able to push a bit harder on the downhills, but still conserved energy on the uphills.

On lap 3 I was pushing too hard on the uphills and dialed back. However I was able to push harder on the way back with the downhills.

On the back half of lap 4, I pushed hard on the initial downhill and was able to ride that momentum all the way to the turn around spot. I stayed left to avoid the turn around and take the exit back to transition.

It got a bit sketchy as I was still carrying alot of speed, the roads were wet, and my TT bike has rim brakes. Luckily I was able to keep it all under control.

I dismounted and made my way to my transition spot to pre for the run.

The Run

I once again took transition nice and slow. The rain had stopped but I was still soaked. I had all my run gear (sans shoes) in a bag. Normally, I would just grab that bag and pull stuff out on the go. Today I opted to just take my time and fully prep in transition.

The run started with the same hill the bike did. I walked that hill and started my run at the top. I knew this course was hilly and wanted to conserve energy.

The run has always been the weakest of the disciplines for me. And getting back into training/racing after some time off for family and more time off due to injury (bike crash in 2024), meant it was going to be a long road ahead for my running.

Currently I am dealing with 3 issues with my run. First, back in November, I got pretty bad plantar fasciitis in my right foot. With some physio, new shoes, and foot strengthening exercises, that is almost entirely healed.

Second, there is a slight imbalance of strength in my left leg. This does not sound like much, but it is causing my right leg to not push off the toe as strong which (at the end of a long chain of muscle correcting) causes my ankle to seize up. This usually loosens up after about 30-40 minutes. But if I am running a 5k, it just means I have to deal with that ankle pain for the whole run.

Third, I am much heavier than I was in 2022. Life, work, 2 kids, it tends to happen.

What am I doing about all this? Well Issue #1 is pretty much solved. Issue #2, I am continuing to see my physio and am working with my strength coach on more single leg work/stability. I am also seeing a Exercise Physiologist for a run/stride assessment in June. Issue #3, I have received a referral from my family doctor to work with another doctor who specializes in weight lose.

I will update my readers on all 3 as updates are available.

We ran past a school before there was another uphill back to the main road of the bike course. I had to walk up this hill due to my ankle. Once on the main road, I started to encourage the athletes still on the bike course to distract myself.

It was a long run up to the turn around. On the way back down, I started to encourage those on the run course behind me.

The course then took a left turn and a downhill into the a residential area. It was here that I realized the rain had completely stopped and the roads were starting to dry. There was even some (very brief) pockets of sunlight.

Soon the course took a climb back out of the residential area and back on the main road. After a short section on the road, it was back down towards the school.

After a short section on the track, there was a steep climb before the home stretch. This was on a trail so I was sure to watch my footing in the wet conditions.

I ran past the playground area where Thomas ran out to give me a high five. At the last second he pulled away to be funny.

Later that night, he could not sleep. He kept crying saying, "I'm sorry I missed your high five." After about 20 minutes of consoling, he finally feel asleep.

All things considered, it was a good day. Several things happened with the swim that were outside my control, I could not control the weather on the bike, and I did what I was capable of on the run.

I will continue to progress in my training, I'll keep riding the TT bike to get my old comfortability back, and I'll what resources I have available to help my run progress.

Swim: 7:24 (for 300 meters and a 50m walk on deck)
Bike: 0:51:30 (included both T1 and T2)
Run: 0:46:06

Later that day my dad texted me and asked if I had a race. After I said yes he asked, "Did you do well? Did you have fun?"

I just replied, "I had fun. That means I did well."

Thanks for taking the time to read my latest update. Keep an eye out for the next race: Ironman 70.3 Washington. No, not that one... A new one.