The Subaru Western Triathlon Series held its Vancouver half ironman on Sunday. It was the fourth year in a row in which I competed. It remains my favourite race. There's enough competitive athletes and yet not too many athletes overall. I highly recommend you check it out for next season. Here's my assessment of the day.
2012 - 32nd overall, 7th in AG 4:45:33 31:15 2:41:48 1:29:37
2011 - 47th overall, 4th in AG 4:53:59 32:49 2:43:14 1:34:37
2010 - 30th overall, 3rd in AG 4:50:22 32:35 2:41:28 1:32:35
2009 - 24th overall, 2nd in AG 4:42:01 33:37 2:35:15 1:29:53
For the first time in several years, I was calm through race week and on race morning. I think it reflects a conscious effort to focus on being consistent and to getting into the zone - and remaining in it. That’s where I think Bikram Yoga Sea to Sky has helped.
Confidence also comes from training and I’ve been slowly building for the last six months. Three half marathons, three club 5ks, a 10k, two club 20k bike TTs and last month’s half ironman in Oliver.
And in the last four weeks a real push to train including going to Bikram at least once a week and tacking it onto either a bike or a long run. Thanks to ultrarunner Jason Loutitt for his advice. It’s still early days for Bikram and me but it has helped with my ability to focus - and maintain it - as well as cope with both the cold and heat of the day. Yesterday's heat - low 30s C - wasn't an issue for me.
2012 - 32nd overall, 7th in AG 4:45:33 31:15 2:41:48 1:29:37
2011 - 47th overall, 4th in AG 4:53:59 32:49 2:43:14 1:34:37
2010 - 30th overall, 3rd in AG 4:50:22 32:35 2:41:28 1:32:35
2009 - 24th overall, 2nd in AG 4:42:01 33:37 2:35:15 1:29:53
For the first time in several years, I was calm through race week and on race morning. I think it reflects a conscious effort to focus on being consistent and to getting into the zone - and remaining in it. That’s where I think Bikram Yoga Sea to Sky has helped.
Confidence also comes from training and I’ve been slowly building for the last six months. Three half marathons, three club 5ks, a 10k, two club 20k bike TTs and last month’s half ironman in Oliver.
And in the last four weeks a real push to train including going to Bikram at least once a week and tacking it onto either a bike or a long run. Thanks to ultrarunner Jason Loutitt for his advice. It’s still early days for Bikram and me but it has helped with my ability to focus - and maintain it - as well as cope with both the cold and heat of the day. Yesterday's heat - low 30s C - wasn't an issue for me.
My swimming and running are both at near their highest levels ever. I have leapt forward in the pool with some simple advice from Coach Roseline Grimm. The key changes have been about putting my energy into the catch and pull - and using my length to glide more. It’s paying huge dividends. We did a race simulation session two weeks ago that cemented my strategy for yesterday. (Thanks also to Yi-khy Saw, my Olympic 1500m training partner!)
In yesterday’s swim I found a good starting position and I swam with effort to the first buoy, about 400m, before turning left and getting into my power rhythm, taking advantage of the current and then turning left after about 200m, sighting back to shore on the shortest line. Then repeat. I think it was the most complete swim I’ve done in a race in a long time - perhaps since Ironman New Zealand in 2005.
I’ve too often held back in the swim, not keen to get hammered and reluctant to expend too much energy, and once that time is lost, it’s gone. There was a bit of banging around yesterday but it was relatively mild in comparison to even a month ago in Oliver, and that's where positioning is critical.
Both my transitions yesterday were fast - I was second in my age group in T1 and first in T2. That goes back to training in Sydney with John Hill and his no nonsense approach to keeping these super simple. And practicing them too. It also helped that the weather was perfect yesterday - so there was no need for a dry jersey or arm warmers or gloves or socks.
I have been very focused on cadence the last year when it comes to cycling, a tip from Coach Scott Jones at IMJ Coaching. It’s cost me some time on the bike - both in Oliver and yesterday, but it’s kept my legs fresher for the run. As much as I’d like to hammer the bike - and I enjoy grinding my gears - it’s not strategically smart for me.
I also know from running over the past two years and working with Coach Kristian Manietta at TriSpecific that changing cadence requires patience and time. It took me almost a year to accelerate my foot speed - with repeated intervals of 30 seconds fast and 30 seconds slow at the start of most brick runs - and lots of time on the treadmill too. Now I can hit a higher cadence as if it's second nature.
My top speed is there for the bike as the recent 20k TTs have shown me. Now I need a bit more time in the saddle to find some fresh power at a higher cadence.
As I prepare to do some training over the next few months, I’ll look to do some longer higher paced tempo bike rides in a slightly lower cadence than I plan to race, so that at my next race I will have an extra gear to tap. Advice from good friend Pete McLean, who's heading to Kona for the Big Dance for a second time this October after a stellar 9:21 half hour PB at Ironman Melbourne earlier this year.
Heading onto the run yesterday I was determined to go sub 1:30 - because, well - just because.
I was taking km splits through 8k but they were all over the map. Granted the first 4km isn’t flat but it was annoying me as it appeared I wasn’t going to hit the pace I wanted: 4:20s. So I stopped looking at my watch and taking splits. Instead I focused on - as you might have bet - my cadence.
Cadence is my key word this summer. Timothy John 'Cadence' Moore. Ha!
It’s something that local run Coach John Hill - yes, there are two of them and there are some similarities - has instilled in me. Find my cadence and run on feel. It’s the key reason for the weekly tempo and interval sessions he’s had me running. These have been 'work' at times but high quality work: running 13k at 4:15-4:20 pace, running 400m track laps in the 70s, all out 200s, hard 600s etc and lots of 1-mile (6:06-6:10 pace), 1.5-mile and 2-mile road repeats.
The Vancouver half ironman run course is really two courses: the first 4k has one steady 1km climb and then another 1km of twisting, sharp downhill trails. And the second 6k is almost dead flat out and back along the shore. I decided ahead of time that I’d be running hard on both the 6k sections.
Margreet repeatedly reminded me to keep my focus - a theme for me for the last few years. It's something that she’s developed as a real skill herself. In addition, all of the running success that she’s had so far this year - PBs for the 10k, half marathon and marathon - has really helped renew my training discipline.
I was super focused on my run at Oliver at month ago when I ran 1:37:00 for 21km - a 4:36 pace. Yesterday I ran 1:29:37 for 20km - a 4:29 pace. There’s definitely more speed to be tapped here - I know it.
As the morning progressed, I sort of lost track of time and didn’t really know it until a few metres from crossing the finish what my final time would be. It wasn’t until a bit later that I saw the detailed splits. A PB on the swim and one on the run. Luka was just happy to see me stopped.
One of the keys to this race for me was deliberately taking it easy last week. I did a minimum of training and slept in most days - that is getting up at 7am or 8am instead of six. I had all my ‘gear’ ready early. I held back on doing things around the house too (lots of good recovery chores in the next few days!). And I was very careful what I ate and didn't.
It takes effort to do nothing both physically and also mentally. I know that I need that inner peace so I have that energy for racing as new agey as that sounds.
I reviewed the course maps several days in advance and took some time to think about where I’d position myself, visualizing how I would be racing.
And I knew in advance what my race day nutrition would be.
Breakfast was 320 cals of Hammer Sustained, a few sips of tea and then a caf gel 15 mins from the swim start. On the bike, I had 3 hours of Sustained and one caf gel in a super mix, plus a can and a bit of Red Bull. I downed a caf gel in T2 and then carried one gel flask with two caf gels mixed with water and one gel flask filled with Red Bull. After polishing off both flasks, I reached for coke at the aid stations. I felt my energy level was consistent.
There’s no doubt it helps knowing the course and also having a record of good performances at this event too. Yesterday’s race was a reminder why I love being a triathlete.
Thanks to Margreet for rising at 4am, driving back and forth to the city and for her encouragement, and photographic efforts too.
