{"id":537,"date":"2011-06-27T18:46:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-27T22:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/?p=537"},"modified":"2015-05-18T17:09:36","modified_gmt":"2015-05-18T21:09:36","slug":"race-report-muskoka-sprint-tri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/2011\/06\/race-report-muskoka-sprint-tri\/","title":{"rendered":"Race Report: Muskoka Sprint Tri"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nIt should not come as a surprise that the demanding training schedule of a sub-sub-elite triathlete affords one little time for social pursuits. However, I had the pleasure of spending last weekend among friends at a cottage owned by the notorious Speedgoggles<\/a>. Located on a private island deep in the Muskoka wilderness, the cabin is an ideal training camp. Almost makes me want to pull a Quenton Cassidy and become a triathlon\/running hermit.<\/div>\n

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\nThe swim course for the Muskoka Triathlon winds its way up the Muskoka River. Last year I swam too close to shore and a metre long weed snagged on my timing chip. I couldn\u2019t kick it off so I dragged it through the rest of the swim and onto the bike where I finally succeeded in removing the scummy thing. Like many pool-trained swimmers, I\u2019m a little phobic about weeds (and fish).<\/div>\n
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\nNeedless to say, this year I gave the swampy shoreline a wide berth. Things went swimmingly. Four guys and I broke away from the field and formed a tight pack. I relaxed at the back and let the stronger swimmers do the work. I felt great, so I\u2019m hoping that the slow swim split (1:35s\/100m) was a result of the current or an inaccurate course.<\/div>\n
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\nT1 was a minor fiasco. Some tri-noob racked his hybrid dork-cycle on top of my bike. When I grabbed my bike, his dork-cycle came crashing down across my path. I sincerely apologize to any children and tender souls that may have heard my outburst. I reserve some special language for race day mishaps.<\/div>\n
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\nMuskoka is my kind of bike course; it is exceptionally hilly for a triathlon. I waited for a long grinding climb that I remembered from last year to make my move on the leaders. I almost hit 70km\/h on the decent and I had to brake to avoid rear-ending the pace car! I posted the fastest bike split for the first time.<\/div>\n
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Looking extra cool doing a flying dismount.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nI came into T2 in the lead and put in a comfortably hard effort on the run. I\u2019m pleased with my 16:41 5k given the hilly course and no fewer than 4 180\u00b0 turnarounds. I wish I had someone to chase down! Results<\/a><\/div>\n
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\nIt looks like my next race will be a 5k in Guelph next Wednesday. I\u2019m hoping that Scott<\/a>, my run training partner, will push (or more likely pull) me to a new PB. He\u2019s been ripping it up lately in workouts! I promise I won\u2019t subject you to any more race reports for a while.<\/div>\n
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