3 Weeks before race

It’s three weeks before the T100 Vancouver race, and this will be the longest triathlon distance I have ever done. It’s been quite a journey getting here. Four years ago, I remember relearning how to swim and just dragging myself across a 25-metre length.

That feeling of pushing my limits little by little is really what got me here. Triathlon is one of those things I wish I had started doing when I was younger, but the next best time to do it is now, so I’m trying to live by that philosophy.

I had just finished a 100KM charity bike ride a few weeks ago, so I was excited to have that experience in my pocket heading into this race. But I hadn’t really put much attention into bringing the three sports together.

I had pretty much ignored swimming up to this point, doing maybe one swim session a week. I did do a 2KM swim race about a month ago, which was a good indicator of where I was. But it wasn’t an exact apple to apple comparison because that swim was in a lake, and this upcoming one will be in the ocean. 

So today was about getting a gauge of where I actually am and, with only a few weeks left, giving myself clarity on what to focus on. This weekend, we went out to Locarno Beach in Vancouver. This is where the race will be taking place. While I had ridden my bike a lot around this area, I hadn’t done much swimming or running here.

Starting with the swim, I had forgotten what it was like to jump into cold water. That shock came pretty suddenly, and I started to panic. Part of me was worried that I was going to completely freak out right there, and the other part was wondering what in God’s name I was going to do on race day when I have to swim 2KM.

I have swam in the ocean before, but I did not feel great, and I knew that getting my swim together over the next couple of weeks was going to have to be one of my top priorities.

Then I went for a bike ride. Having done my 100KM a few weeks ago, and getting a flat tire along the way, I was a little concerned that lightning could strike twice and I could end up on the side of the road again.

I wanted to rebuild some confidence in my bike, make sure everything was still in good condition, which it was, and remind myself that if something does happen, it’s mostly going to come down to luck and be outside of my control. What I can control is how I approach the ride, and especially my fueling. That’s something I’ll need to focus on and the best way to do that is to keep practicing.

Lastly, there was the run. I had looked at the course a few times, and even though my brain was able to process the map, once you drop me into the real-world space, I have a tendency to get lost pretty quickly. See my 100KM ride for evidence of that.

According to the map, there was supposed to be some pond that I was supposed to run around, but I never saw it. I ended up getting pretty confused, so I just did my 5KM and returned. Overall, there was a lot to dissect from this test run of the course.

My swim is going to need a lot more practice between now and the race. I want to come back next week and do another open-water swim, and I think a proper warm-up before the race is going to be a must.

For the bike, I looked at the course and noticed that because of construction, there’s a detour right away that takes us off the main route and up a different hill to get onto the course, where I’ll then do four laps. I’m going to need to ride that hill before the race.

And for the run, I’d like to take another crack at running the actual course. So, that being said, I’ll need to come back next week. Having this knowledge and doing this planning is really going to help prevent my race from falling apart on the day. So I’m glad I’m doing this. 

Usually, I would try to get in around eight open-water swims during a season, but open-water swimming isn’t really something I want to do alone, so I would always have Sharon with me. She would meet me at the beach after doing her long run. Which means leaving my dog, Petey at home. He’s a rescue dog, and he’s getting better at being alone, but like myself, we still have some stuff to work on.

2 Weeks before race

On Saturday, I came back and did another swim in the ocean. I had done a lot of practice this week, spending more time in the pool than I probably had in an entire month previously. And I think all that effort had paid off. I felt much better about my swim this week than I did the previous time.

It’s actually amazing how, when you do something for the first time in a while, you can feel like you may never figure it out and that everything you had learned before is somehow gone. But gradually, the experiences you had in the past start to come back to you, and that was what happened today.

Once I felt like I had things under control, I could finally start enjoying the swim itself. It felt nice to be out here in nature, taking it all in and enjoying the beautiful day.

I decided not to bring the bike along today, because Sharon was meeting up with me again after her long run. So after the swim, instead of going for a bike ride immediately after, I wanted to take another crack at figuring out the run route. I think I have a better idea of it now, but there was still this pond on the map that just didn’t really exist in the real world. It turns out the pond was probably drained, which would explain why I never saw it.

I left today with a lot more confidence about both my swim and my run, but there was still one more element that I hadn’t rehearsed yet. As I had mentioned earlier, because of some construction along the original bike course, there was a slight detour to get onto the course. I wanted to ride it at least once before the race. 

On Sunday, the weather had other plans for us. It was only supposed to be a 30% chance of rain. I was meeting up with some high school friends. This time we were also joined by Gianluca. It had been almost twenty years since I last saw him, so it was really nice to catch up and get out for a ride together. And of course, you know the legend that is Racman.

The great thing about riding in the rain is that fewer people are out, so we took a casual ride along the seawall and made our way back towards UBC and the hill I wanted to ride up.

We finally made it to the hill, and while it was certainly steep, it wasn’t nearly as painful as the one I did in Chilliwack. Anything after that feels easy. But don’t get me wrong, this is still going to be hard coming out of the swim and going straight into this. I’m glad I came out to ride it just to get a feel for what it’s going to be like on race day.

With the job done for the day, we had some time to ourselves, so we decided to take our time, do a lap of Stanley Park, and just enjoy the ride. And that was the perfect way to end an awesome weekend of training.

Taper Week – 1 Week before race

I woke up Friday morning this week with a kink in my neck. It wasn’t ideal, since I wanted to feel as fresh as possible, but it was also probably a good reminder that it was time to take a step back and recover.

So on Saturday, I spent some time babying my neck with my heating pad and then went for a nice long walk with the other baby, my dog Petey. Long walks with Petey are definitely my favorite way to do any kind of active recovery. We strolled around the neighbourhood and just enjoyed some new sniffs. It was a beautiful day for it.

Later that day, we sat down and reviewed the race briefing video they had shared with us. I tried to take in as much information as I could. I’m a kinesthetic learner, so no matter how many times I read or hear something, eventually I’m going to have to actually do it to properly learn it. So one could only imagine what mistakes I’m going to make on race day.

On Sunday, we went out for my final long, easy ride of the entire training block. Once again, Racman and Gianluca came out to join me, and the weather was much better this time.

We made our way southbound along the Arbutus Greenway and around the easier side of UBC. The goal was to keep things easy. I was trying my best not to overexert myself, stick to my taper pace, and finish the ride feeling like I still had more to give. In the end, I did break a sweat, but nothing too damaging. 

We took a quick break along Spanish Bank and then made our way around the seawall. Weekends like this are really what triathlon training is all about for me. We talk a lot about training in terms of getting better and getting stronger, but a lot of the time, it’s really just about getting outside, trying to feel normal again, and feeling happy. It’s a strange drug when it works.

Eventually, we made our way to the old waterhole for a beer and a much-deserved burger. A pretty perfect way to end a solid ride.

When I got home, though, the work wasn’t completely done. With my last training ride behind me, it was time to get my bike race-ready. So, a little bath was necessary.

Race Week 

It’s here. It’s officially race weekend, and I’m trying to get everything organized for race day. There was a lot of scheduling involved. I had to plan where I needed to be at certain times, as well as what I needed to eat and when, both before and during the race.

Even though this was my seventh triathlon, this one felt like the most complicated, and it probably was. There was a shuttle involved, along with a clean transition, which was a new experience for me. I would be given bags to put all my stuff in during the transition, rather than having everything laid out like I was used to.

Day Before Race Day

Then Saturday came. For a while, I was trying to figure out the best way to get down to the course, drop off my bike, and do my package pickup. We had thought about driving, but with the complications around parking, we decided it would be easier for me to ride my bike down, meet Sharon there, and have her take the bus. We would check out the Pro race for a bit and then head home in an Uber.

It was a stressful day, and I was feeling a bit guilty about making everyone do all of this for me. I was having a hard time getting excited about the race. At that point, I mostly just felt committed to doing it, but I was hoping that once I arrived, I would start feeling better.

I made my way to Jericho Beach, still worried about my bike and something going wrong. I decided not to ride over the gravel and instead walked my bike over to the event site.

I dropped my bike off at the valet and then went to pick up my race package.

Being at the T100 really felt like being at a convention for people like me. Whenever I talk to my friends or anyone in my life about triathlon, I usually have to start by explaining what the three sports are or which one comes first. It’s a pretty obscure sport, but here, I felt like I belonged. I was surrounded by other crazy passionate people who did the same sport.

And the greatest thing about triathlon is that when the Pros race in your city, you can just go and see them. You don’t need to buy a ticket or line up outside a stadium. They’re just there, right in front of you. Real Olympians and medalists were rolling past while people on the beach were just going about their day, completely oblivious. I managed to get to the Pro race just as the women were leaving T1. It was pretty cool. 

Then I found a spot and went through everything I had received in my brand new T100 bag. First off, this bag is great. It’s so big that it can fit all my triathlon stuff, and I’ll definitely be using it for everything going forward. There was a new shirt, a new swim cap in a colour I hadn’t had before, and a package with all my race numbers. I was all set.

I made my way over to transition and got my bike ready to be dropped off for the night. The feeling of racking my bike never gets old. This is the moment when everything starts to feel real, and there’s always that feeling that I’m missing or forgetting something.

And apparently, I was. I was supposed to have all my race stuff with me so I could fill my transition bags and leave them there overnight. I hadn’t brought any of my run stuff with me.

That made me a bit nervous about what to do, but eventually I decided I’d just leave what I had and bring the rest in the morning. It really wasn’t a big deal, but when you’re already overwhelmed in the moment, something small like that can suddenly feel pretty stressful. It really does feel like forgetting your passport while at the airplane terminal.

On the brightside, not having to bring my helmet and bike shoes home with me was actually a big space saver, since those are two of the bulkier items. For the run, I’d just bring the rest of my stuff in the morning.

Setting up the bags was actually a really fun new experience. Once I understood how everything worked, I liked how organized it was. I never loved having all my things spread out on the floor during transition anyway.

Once that was done, I took a quick stroll around transition to get the lay of the land as best I could, knowing that none of this information was going to stick.

From there, Sharon and I went to enjoy some of the festivities. We took some pictures of my name and then went to watch the Pro women return to T2 and start the run.

Sharon is a big Taylor Knibb fan, so she was disappointed that she wasn’t racing. But it was still pretty amazing to see so many of the other Pros we watch on TV live in front of us. We didn’t stick around for the rest of the race. It was time for me to head home, get the rest of my stuff packed and get some rest.

By this point, I was feeling much better. Now that everything was happening around me, the race finally started to feel real.

Race Day

Race day was finally here, and it was an early start. I have an incredible anxiety about being late, so I woke up at 3 a.m. so we could get out the door by 4 and catch the earliest shuttle possible to the race site. I wanted as much time as possible to get everything ready and prepare myself. 

Parking and catching the shuttle were both pretty straightforward, which was a huge relief and made me glad we had gotten there so early.

Once we got to transition, I took some time to get everything sorted. I pumped up my tires, got oriented with the space, and filled up my T1 and T2 bags with the rest of my bike and run gear.

It was actually pretty exciting being in the tent and around the race site that morning, feeling all that nervous energy in the air. It’s not often that I get to be in an environment like this. 

Once everything was ready, we made our way over to the beach and caught a glimpse of the finish line. It was hard to believe that at some point I would be crossing it. We then moseyed over to the edge of the start area and found a spot for me to get physically and mentally prepared.

As I had practiced, I took a quick 200-metre warm-up swim, and everything felt great. By then, the sun had risen, and it was turning into a perfect day for a triathlon. 

When I signed up for this race about nine months ago, I had seeded myself in the 60-plus-minute swim group, which was the slowest group. I was actually relieved to be starting at the back. There was no pressure on me to keep up with anyone else.

The goal was simply to finish the swim within the one-hour-and-ten-minute cutoff, but also to finish feeling strong, with plenty left in the tank.

So my plan was pretty simple: take my own line, not get caught up with everyone else, and swim at my own pace. If that meant swimming a little farther, so be it. I didn’t need any additional pressure on myself.

The race was supposed to start at 6:30, but because I was starting so far back, I didn’t actually get onto the course until around 7. I was literally one of the last four people to get into the water.

—

The race had started. And I have to say, this was the smoothest and most relaxing swim I’ve ever done. I wasn’t focused on my time. I was just going at the right pace to get me through, and I was really enjoying it.

However, the one thing that completely disoriented me was the Aussie exit at the end of the first of the two laps. Since I had been all the way at the back of the line when they were explaining what to do, I couldn’t actually see the demonstration. So when I came out of the water, I was just following the person in front of me. When I saw them heading toward transition, I knew I wasn’t supposed to follow them, so I tried to reorient myself and started turning around.

Almost immediately, one of the race officials was in front of me redirecting me. Apparently, I was supposed to go around these big white inflatable buoys, which I hadn’t even noticed until that moment.

I figured it out, got back into the water, and headed out for the second lap. The rest of the swim was nice and slow. Honestly, it might have been a little too slow, and I probably could have picked up the pace. But that was something I was actively fighting against because I had a plan, and that plan was to stay casual.

When I finally came out of the water, I finished the swim in 59:30. That was quite a bit slower than I wanted, but I felt great. I had made it out before the cutoff, and I still felt like I had plenty left in me. Now it was time for the bike.

If I was really trying to make up time, I wasn’t doing it during T1. When it comes to racing, T1 is often where I burn precious minutes, and this race was no different.

It was a long run to transition and then into the transition bag room. I took a seat to get my bike stuff on, and while I was there, I got into a conversation with another racer who apparently hadn’t finished the swim. I felt bad for him, but I also had to refocus on what I was about to do.

Eventually, I got out of there, grabbed my bike, hoped I had everything I needed, and headed out onto the bike course.

The bike portion of a race often makes me nervous because there are so many things that can go wrong. My strategy was to ride at a consistent pace, using just my rate of perceived exertion.

There were five big climbs on this course, with the first one coming almost immediately. I approached them with caution, trying to avoid any chance of blowing up. It was on the downhills and flats where I tried to pick up the pace.

Overall, I was just trying to chip away at the distance one kilometre at a time. I found a spot on the gradual climb after a hairpin turn where I could consume one of my energy gels each lap, and I felt like I was in a good place.

On the second lap, I saw that my support team had made it out to the lower turnaround to cheer me on, and that gave me an extra boost of energy.

The bike course was a real challenge, but it was also really enjoyable at various points. As boring as an out-and-back course sounds, it actually had a good mix.

The downhill sections were intense, usually with someone flying past me in the fast lane. I also saw a few accidents, with people pretty banged up, and that was a good reminder that as much as I wanted to go fast and push myself, there had to be a balance with the risk.

There was a lot of thinking and a lot of learning during this 80-kilometre ride. I learned a lot about myself as a cyclist. I learned a lot about whether or not I wanted to continue doing this sport. And I learned that there was still so much more to learn, which honestly just got me excited.

At the end of the bike course, I felt like I was almost there. Except now, I had to run 18 kilometres.

It’s always a huge relief to come off the bike. I quickly racked my bike and hurried over to the bag tent, where I swapped my gear, got into my running shoes, and put on my hat. It felt so good to not be on a bike anymore.

I took a quick minute in the porta-potty, and then I hit the road. It was amazing having my friends there cheering me on. I really needed it. I knew I couldn’t walk. Not in front of them, at least.

But after the first 600 metres, away from the crowd, I hit a slight hill leading into the trails, and that was when my legs started cramping up. I had gone out a little faster than I should have, and I was paying for it.

I had to come to a complete stop for a few moments and stretch it out. From that point on, there was a bit of a strain around my upper knee and quad area. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but it was good enough that I could still run, so I did.

One of the great things about the longer distance was the variety of stuff available at the aid stations, including ice. I would grab a handful and tuck it into my back or the front of my trisuit. Eventually, I was even tucking an ice cube just under my shorts so it could sit against the part of my leg that was hurting. It helped dull the pain enough that I could keep going.

The run course was three laps, but because the course crossed the finish line from both sides, I wasn’t exactly sure how many loops of each end I had to do. At least, my brain wasn’t capable of processing it in the moment. The first 10 kilometres were overall pretty solid. The last eight were where it got really hard.

At that point, I was suffering, but I was also looking at my watch and saw something that didn’t seem possible when I had gotten out of the water. I was on pace to finish under six hours.

But the only way I was going to do that was to keep running. I could slow down, but I couldn’t stop. That became my mantra for the last five or so kilometres: “Keep going. You can slow down, but you cannot stop.” That little bit of grace, while still giving myself a sense of urgency, was the perfect amount of motivation. So I kept going. And suddenly, I was making the turn toward the finish line.

I came down the stretch, high-fived my friends, sent a little thank you to the triathlon gods that I had made it through in one piece, and crossed the finish line. My official time was 5 hours, 52 minutes, and 54 seconds. Plenty of time to spare.

This year, I had been fighting a battle within myself. I had spent a lot of time questioning my value and struggling with my mental health. I had lost a lot of confidence in myself, and so much of what I was doing felt unfinished.

But here I was, having just done this. There was something really satisfying about being able to close the book on this particular challenge and move on to the next thing.

That’s one of the things I like about triathlon. It might look like multitasking from the outside, but you’re really just completing one thing at a time, in a proper order. There are a lot of steps and a lot of things to deal with, but you always know what comes next. You lost some time on the swim? Make it up on the run. Don’t dread it. Keep moving. 

You can slow down, but you cannot stop.

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