Peachland Sprint 2011

[kiwichris]

We had a beautiful day for the 2011 Peachland Sprint (un-official Okanagan World Champs) this year. Super calm and warm waters, an amazing course and some good competition raised expectations for all while setting up our transition areas. As my first race of the year, with minimal training truth be told, I did not set the bar too high.

Swim - organizers had made some course changes, with a short swim (40-50m) out to a boat, and then along the shore. When we got in the water the course looked long -and it ended up being that way. The start was furious with major congestion at the first turn, then we settled in for the downward stretch. I was a little isolated, with no good feet to follow and got separated from the lead pack. At bouy#2 I finally found some feet and was pulled all the way home - YEAH!! Came out of the water about 13/14th I think. Stroke felt great, breathing in control - good swim all round.

T1 - struggled with my helmet clip so lost a few seconds fumbling with that - otherwise smooth and focused on getting outta there ASAP.

Bike - Got quickly settled, and focused on bringing breathing back into control. Was passed at the outset by Jesse VanOene (no big surprise there), but started picking people off. With some punchy climbs and some super tight 180 degree turns it made for an interesting ride. Continued to pass people and was making ground on everyone except Jesse and the leader. Cadence got bogged down and times, and breathing focus got a little wayward too - definitely something that I need to address over the winter. Came off the bike in 8th.

T2 - super smooth here - quick change, grabbed a gel and off I went hunting.

Run - had some rabbits in sight which really helped keep my mind in the game. Focused on cadence initially, then slowly lengthened stride as the legs loosened up. Made up ground quickly and started passing people - felt great, but breathing starting to get out of control. With about 2k to go I could see 3rd place about 500m ahead - I upped the anti but ran out of room - BUMMER!!! Breathing continued to decline and was breathing probably 50-60bpm near the end.

SO - ended 4th overall - felt good in all disciplines but definitely felt that breathing was my limiter today. Struggled with moving volume when I wanted/needed to. This has definitely left me in the last 4 months - will make that a priority over the coming month leading into the Apple.

Congrats to Jeff C, Emma C, Dee R, Mark R, Jesse VO, Val M and my clinic crew who made the day super fun by seeing so many smiles out there.

[GinnySellars]

Thanks for the race report Chris! Sounds like you had an all-round really solid race.

The breathing is a tough one. If your training volume is low anyway, it's hard to get in much hard training, and consequently hard breathing practice. I think this is a major downfall for so many of us. You have to be bomb-proof for injury to train that hard, and be doing enough volume for the race distance that it's a small enough percentage of training to still build endurance.

I am super impressed that you pulled out such a strong performance with a brand new baby, working at the Grand Fondo, coaching your clinics, testing/coaching. You must be pretty stoked.

[Andrew]

Impressive focus throughout the race Chris. The breathing is an interesting challenge, and it is one of those things that our entire team knows how to address, but sometimes has trouble finding the time to do. I have been carrying my Spiro with me to work in hopes of setting aside 15-20 minutes each day. Some long work days have made it difficult, but I have squeezed in a few sessions lately, and can already feel some functional changes. Your report should serve as a good reminder to the rest of the crew to be sure to make the time to do the little extras to help make the races left in the season a complete success.

Congrats on a successful event to Chris and the rest of his athletes who competed last week-end.

[Mark Roberts]

While not an official member of BPR, I have enjoyed reading the various race reports and have applied many of the techniques recommended by the coaches to my own training and racing.

As such, I thought that I would jot down a quick race report from Peachland on the weekend. Heading into the race I was running on about 3 hours of sleep as my son decided that that night, of all nights, would be a good one for him to celebrate life and not to sleep. Needless to say I was running on empty.

After a chaotic start which made everyone frantic and even a little panicky, I gradually settled into my swim. I was feeling weak and wasn’t happy with the pull developed in my stroke, but strong focus on my cadence and reach helped me find the finish line.

T1 was ok. I fuelled up with water and HEED, and had a decent transition, though I almost feel down a few times from dizziness. Thank to Ingrid Willet for the constant cheering which helped me focus and stay upright.

Jeff C and I headed out onto the bike at the same time, and managed to ride together for the first few km’s, but he ended up powering away from me in the long run. I settled into a comfortable spin and worked on controlled breathing. This helped me reel in a few of the fast swimmers that finished ahead of me and set me up nicely for the run. My biggest success on the bike was controlled breathing which helped me manage my output and heart rate. No matter how hard I try, being in the aerobars doesn’t not let me take on fluids as much as I probably should. Thanks to Chris W for helping me out with preparation for T2 a couple weeks ago in Oliver. Fuelling up and properly thinking about my exit strategy off the bike made things smooth, and I felt like a seasoned pro. 
T2 was great. Smooth and fast.

Running has always been my weak point, and right off the start my legs were reluctant to start moving. It wasn’t until the first turn around that they warmed up and I could settle into a comfortable stride. I attribute this comfortable feeling to a burning desire not to get passed and a strong focus on my stride relative to my breathing.

In the end I was happy with my effort and finish, all things considered. Over the next month I intend on focusing more on my running, and while nutrition in a sprint isn’t as imperative as longer races, I think I can still improve with my planning and intake.

Mark Roberts

[Matt]

Nice work you tri geeks!!  I'm jealous that I can't do a sport as hard as triathlon:) 
Good luck to everyone at the Apple.
Cheers!
M

[Andrew]

Mark, that was an impressive display of understanding regarding your personal performance, and exactly what we like to see form athletes involved with BPR. I am glad you have taken to joining the forum, and look forward to reading more of your posts. Don't be afraid to ask for some help with the run training from Chris. Although you may not be an "official" BPR athlete, you certainly have the heart and mind of the athletes we enjoy working with.