May 6: BMO Vancouver Marathon: a full home run in 2:59:24. I ran the perfect race for my state of fitness on that day. I was hoping for sub-3 but thought it might be tight or wishful thinking. I ran with a "whatever the outcome - it's all good" attitude. I was totally relaxed from the start and even the days before. That was and is my secret to successful racing. I nailed my pace and had an almost even split. With 5K to go, I sensed, I had it because I was passing people on the seawall, only one fellow runner passed me. That's a good sign. My second fastest marathon time ever, and that early in the season with hardly any long runs.
May 12: Bare Bones Duathlon (BC Duathlon Championships): I had signed up because I was in the Okanagan with a few friends anyway and thought it would be a good race to do. I did not factor in that I was a little tired after the marathon 6 days prior. Nonetheless, I had a great race and finished 10th overall. I did not take any splits but must have run my 5Ks in 19ish and 20ish respectively. Another solid race on tired legs!
May 19th & 20th: Kamloops Masters Cycling: 4 races in 2 days - another WOW! I thought it was gonna be good training for Oliver Half Ironman in June, and it was.
Won the 14K TT in my age group and "podiumed" in the hill climb, the road race and the crit.
June 3: Oliver Half Ironman: I felt extremely tired given the racing in the previous weeks. Except for a few lake swims at Alice Lake and 2 running interval sessions, I had not done any significant or targeted workouts. I knew I was fit, but was I going to be rested enough? I raced again without expectations, totally relaxed with the "whatever the outcome - it's all good" attitude. It worked again. I had a great swim and a fabulous bike despite taking it easy on the final 10K. I wanted to conserve some leg power for the run since I had blown up on the run last year after a mad bike ride. My legs felt tired half way through the bike, I was not surprised. I was ready for a tough run. I was able to deliver a solid run performance that got me to the finish in 4:49, my fastest time in Oliver. Fellow racers claim that the swim was long, and possibly the run, too. I felt the swim times seemed to be slower overall, but I did not care. I had delivered a great race!
If you are looking for a funny race report, check out this one:
What do I learn from that? I am generally fit and can perform well a variety of races without a strict workout schedule or "must do workouts". This is a nice position to be in. Substituting long runs for long bike rides or whatever it may be that makes your body work for along time. Speed work seems to be important, and a brick workout once in a while might help in triathlons... I might have to do the odd one.
Now, I will recover and go on a week long kayak trip. I am sure it will be great preparation for the coming races that I have not even signed up for yet. Vancouver Half Ironman might be something to do...
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