Race Report: Rockingham Sprint - December 20th 2009

It is only when preparing your gear the day prior to a sprint triathlon do you realise how much of a pain in the arse it can be racing the long course version of our sport.

Some of the luxuries of racing a sprint include:

Bikes can be racked on race morning
No checking in of transition bags
Tyres can be pumped up prior to leaving home
No spare tyre needs to be attached to bike
No extended thought needs to be given to race day nutrition
No real danger of being burnt to a crisp out on course
No real danger of chafe in the wrong places
Possibility of urine fouling shoes is nil
Home before lunch

The biggest luxury of all though, is the atmosphere of the sprint relative to the long course. It is much more relaxed - there is far less likelihood of the presence of “WTC disciples” and there is the chance to actually enjoy the experience.

I was walking around pre-race looking forward to the day, which is a feeling I haven’t had prior to a race in a very long time.

I don’t know whether this race should have been a triathlon or a quadrathlon, with “wade” being the fourth discipline.

The wade in this event, 80m at the start, and, close to that far at the finish of the swim, had a very big impact on the final outcome as far as my performance was concerned.

If wading or high intensity running and drill work had been omitted from training in the lead up to this event, then the wade was always going to be a significant hurdle to overcome.

As my running training in the 3 months prior to this event had been exclusively in the 4.00 minute per kilometre pace region, I was always going to be in trouble. Not that I am complaining, that is just the way it was. I still had fun out there.

I was looking at butts from as early as 3 seconds after the start. I couldn’t believe how hopelessly inept I was at wading relative to my fellow competitors. My small stature can hardly be used as an excuse here, because a great number of my similar sized opponents seemed to cope relatively well.

When I reached deeper water and started the swim leg, I was close to 20 metres from the lead and had some work to do. I swam as fast as I could, and was able to slot into around fourth position by the time the second turn around buoy was reached. I was starting to get tired at this point, and sat on some feet for the journey back to shore.

The original plan was to swim until my hands were touching the sand, but that went out the window when everyone stood up to dolphin dive. I got sucked in and did the same.

I was under extreme physiological stress at this point after killing myself to bridge the gap formed in the initial wade, and I had nothing for the final wade out of the water. I stood up in fourth, and exited, a mess, in what seemed like about 14th.

The comedy was about to continue, as, when I removed my bike from the rack, my cycling shoe caught on something and was twisted out of the pedal, falling onto the ground. I reattached it and commenced the cycle leg, but, by this time, the group was gone, never to be seen (close up from the rear anyway) again.

I went very hard in the initial stages of the cycle leg – too hard – and my already high heart rate was now sky high. I never felt strong and in control at any stage during the cycle leg: I had pushed too hard and my system couldn’t repay the accumulated oxygen debt at a fast enough rate. In the last portion of the cycle, I felt like I was starting to get on top of things, but the damage was done.

The next act of the comedy was about to begin on entering T2. I was looking for my racing flats and saw what I thought were mine. After racking my bike, I realised they weren’t my shoes at all, and had to re-rack my bike in the correct position.

Strangely enough, I don’t seem to make very good decisions while under physiological stress.

I think my run leg was the most pleasing aspect of this race from my perspective. I actually ran really well.

Although I was under significant stress, I felt like I was strong and in control pretty much from the start. I am not sure if I was running as fast as the result sheet said, it certainly didn’t feel like it, but I was happy enough with my performance relative to my competitors.

There were some very good performances on the day and all credit to Sean for a hard earned victory. It was probably a little more comfortable for him than it looked on paper.

Lajos Varga and Brynt McSwain put in typically solid performances and some of the younger lads, Kenji Nener and James Lewin displayed their obvious talent.

With continued support and encouragement, these young guys certainly have the ability to make the step up to the senior professional level at some point in the future.

Paul Mackay didn’t have one of his better outings, but he will bounce back at the next event in the best possible way I am certain.

Thanks to my wife and Ogden Academy members for their support.

Maybe they should be thanking me for providing the entertainment - I know they gleaned much amusement out of watching me clanger my way around the course. 

I will race the City of Perth event and endeavour to make more of a nuisance of myself than I did in Rockingham yesterday.

Have a safe and enjoyable festive season.