A few race reports...
Hey guys,
Well its been a while, and so much has happened! I've done 4 races since my last blog, so i thought it was time to give everyone a bit of a catch up on whats been happening.
Geelong 70.3 (08/02/09)
I still don't know what to say about my race in Geelong. I really have mixed feeling about how it went. This was my first race as a professional, and it was such an awesome experience to be lining up against some of the worlds best triathletes, many of whom I have looked up to for years. And to be called a 'professional' at just 18 years was a great feeling, and something I have dreamed of since I started triathlon as a 6 year old. There was 22 pro females, which is a pretty large field, and there were so many big names there, it was crazy!! My swim was pretty average, I came out mid pack. I felt awesome on the bike and quickly began picking up places. Unfortunately it was looking like a draft legal race. I don't really want to get into it.. but yep.. the drafting was really really bad. This is really frustrating for me, as I rely on my cycling, and need every second I can get on the other girls. Oh well, it was definitely an experience, and I learnt a lot from it. Long distance racing is DEFINITELY just as tactical as draft legal!!!! I still managed to have a pretty good ride and came out of T2 in 6th place. I'm happy with that. I rode a 2.30, and that was in pretty bad rain & wind and also a slow 5k through the park on each lap (technical bit..). I ran a 1.30 to finish 11th female. From memory, my time was about 4 hours 30, which is still a big pb on not an incredibly fast course, so in that regard I'm happy.. had there not been as much drafting, would my placing of been better? Who knows. But at least I learnt from the experience & had a great day racing against some of the worlds best athletes. Sam Warriner won (she's amazing! have a read of her blog, she goes into detail about the drafting ;) ), Yvonne Van Vlerken was 2nd and Rebekah Keat was 3rd.
Australian Long Distance Championships, Huskisson (22/02/09)
3k/82k/20k
This was just 2 weeks after Geelong, and I was a bit worried about how I pulled up, however a couple of the other athletes were in the same position.. My swim was TERRIBLE. A really poor effort. I was already 7 mins down on Pip Taylor just after the swim. And what do I say about my ride? I worked incredibly hard on the bike. I saw so many LARGE age group men packs pass me (many of them have their bloody names on their suit so its quite obvious who they are, a lot of respect lost for the first few age group men across the line!) and of course I was worried about what would happen to the women up in front. I caught 4 on the cycle, but I definitely needed that extra 8k I usually have to hold them off! I came off the bike STUFFED. I really put a lot in. Usually I have one of the fastest rides.... and I gotta say, compared to some of the other women, my time looked sh*t. And I definitely didn't ride that sh*t. Drafting much? It was pretty ridiculous and there are plenty of pictures to prove it. I'd like to note though that many of the pro women did ride fairly, but unfortunately there are a few that like to jump onto the age group guys wheels and ruin it for everyone. Once again, I learnt the importance of tactics that I didn't think were needed in long distance. Also - the women that finished 6th, recieved a drafting penalty (I saw her get one) 4k's from T2.. She didn't go into the penalty box, and wasn't DQ'd. Draftbusters and TA officials really need to start being a bit more harsh because it's really ruining the sport.
Anyway, as I said.. I was STUFFED going into the run. I went into T2 in 4th place. I killed myself on the bike. I rode 2 hours 20 on a tough course which I think was a fair effort. The first 10k hurt a lot - I just wanted it to be over and I kept getting caught - its a horrible feeling!! However on the 2nd lap I started to feel much better, and I was actually 6 mins faster on my 2nd 10 k!! but trust me, that wasn't because I was running fast, it was because my first one was so SLOW! I ended up finishing as 7th Australian. Not too bad I guess. Just frustrating! Pip Taylor was 1st, Lisa Marangon 2nd.
Victorian Olympic Distance Championships, Bairnsdale (08/03/09)
With this race being in my home town, I was pretty excited! I have been 4th and 2nd here before so I really wanted the win. Unfortunately i felt like I was going at Half Ironman pace the whole way, but I still managed to win and break the course record, which was held by Sam Beenie. I won in 2 hours 13 mins (its a really slow course!! very hilly). I have already writted up a report on the race which can be viewed on the tri vic website and is definitely worth a read! http://trivic.org.au/newsItem.php?page=TriVic%20News&ID=777
South Australian Long Course Championships, Murray Man Triathlon, Murray Bridge (22/02/09)
2k/60k/15k
I got invited to this race by the Adelaide Vales club, and I am so glad I went!! It was such an awesome race and the club were just so nice and welcoming. I stayed with Cristian Izzini & his fionce, Leah, who live in Adelaide and they were so nice! It was also the first time I had been to Adelaide,and I have to say, it is definitely one of my fave cities. Anyway, the race was in a small town called Murray Bridge, approx 1 hour from Adelaide. I stayed on a house boat, right across from the race start which was pretty awesome. I was staying with some of the other triathletes and some members of Adelaide Vales. The females started off 17 mins 30 secs in front of the male pros and there was an extra $1000 prize for who ever crossed the line first. This was such a great format, and made it a much more fair race for the females (ie - there was no drafting off the males!). It was also great to be leading the race overall! Unfortunately though it didn't last that long - Matt White caught me on the run. He is a pretty amazing athlete though so I wasn't too disappointed! I was first female, and had my first long distance win! The race itself was fantastic and so well organised. I will definitely be back next year and recommend it to anyone! I will write a full race report soon. Check out the Adelaide Vales website.
Anyway, at the moment I'm training in Wollongong..... but I'll give you an update on how thats going in about a week or so!
Thanks for reading :)
Char
