Last month, I posted about the often overlooked challenges and rewards of short course racing. I put my money where my mouth is and raced my first sprint triathlon since 2011 at MultiSport Canada Woodstock. A solid field turned up for this outstanding event, featuring the better part of Ontario’s non-drafting triathlon talent on the men’s side. Here’s a brief race report with guaranteed laughs.

Top 5 (full results)

1. Lionel Sanders, 57:33
2. Cody Beals, 58:02
3. Jeff Scull, 1:00:02
4. Alex VanderLinden, 1:00:48
5. Garrick Loewen, 1:01:18
Honorable mention to Jack Laundry (59:19) who appears to have been DQ’d.

Since my pro debut at Texas 70.3 last month, my training has seen some major changes, most notably a much more polarized intensity distribution. Although that race went well, it took a serious toll on my body and provided some hard learned lessons on periodization and recovery. I finally rebounded in May with a revamped approach and renewed focus.

With some high priority races on the horizon, I didn’t really let up for Woodstock. The week’s training went well, but I woke up on the wrong side of the bed (and the sunrise) on race morning, sort of like this:

Swim

~8th out of the water

Despite the polar vortex-chilled water and caffeinating rather prodigiously, I couldn’t get amped up before the start. I was really mellow, and dude, the front pack was harshing on my mellow. So off they went and I paddled along behind, sort of like this:

Except my technique was much better than that, thanks to the tireless efforts of my swim coach, Tim of Magnolia Masters.

One thing I’m not mellow about is goggles. Too often they leak, fog up or fall off during races. I stress more about my goggles than the swim itself. I can’t wait to leave my goggle anxiety behind by welcoming Vorgee as a sponsor. Australian goggles are like Italian leather or Swiss watches: primo!

Bike

2nd fastest split, 1st off the bike

Feeling invigorated from my 15°C ice bath swim, I was ready to get to work. My improvement in cycling over the winter has given me newfound confidence and aggressiveness on the bike. I quickly hammered my way into the lead, sort of like this:

Power geeks can find my power file on Strava. Following the success of my winter bike training program, I’ve continued to do 90%+ of my cycling on the CompuTrainer.

Run

2nd fastest split, 2nd overall

I held a 30 second lead heading out on the run. But 30 seconds is the blink of an eye with the likes of Lionel Sanders in hot pursuit! I clung to my lead until the turnaround when Lionel made the pass. I tried to hang with him, but it went down sort of like this:

After that beat down, I cruised it home with 2nd place locked up. I crossed the line with not enough burn in my legs, but a burning desire to get after it at Mont Tremblant 5150 and Syracuse 70.3 in June.

Thank you to my sponsors, to which I’m excited to welcome Vorgee and Altra Zero Drop Footwear. Thank you also to MultiSport Canada for supporting the up-and-coming athletes on the Recharge With Milk Ambassador Team and for another top notch event.