Race Report

Race Information

What? Yeppoon Triathlon Festival
When? 22/08/2021
How Far? 26.25km
Where? Yeppoon, QLD, Australia
Website The Annual Yeppoon Triathlon Festival
Finish time: 1:34:56

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed
A	Have FUN	Yes
B	Finish the swim without drowning (in 15 min)	No - but didn't drown!
C	Complete the run without walking (under 30 min)	No - but I HAD to walk up Wreck Point!
D	Finish in sub 01:30:00	No

Splits

Split	Sport	Distance	Time
1	Swim	750m	00:18:42
2	Transition 1	N/A	00:02:21
3	Ride	20km	00:38:17
4	Transition 2	N/A	00:00:39
5	Run	5.5km	00:34:55

Training

I didn't follow a structured triathlon sprint training program for this race. Instead I decided to split my week into 2 activities of each sport (i.e. 2x cycling, 2x swimming, 2x running). I didn't follow this structure precisely, as some weeks I under-trained, and other weeks did extra of one sport and less of the other.

Swimming was the most interesting to train for. I followed Ruth Kazez's ZERO to 1650 in SIX weeks program. By the time the triathlon came around I was swimming 1600m at the pool twice per week average. My swimming has drastically improved in endurance and distance since starting triathlons. This is roughly the distance for an Olympic triathlon, even though I was training for a Sprint distance.

I didn't do anything special for the cycle leg. Continued to ride Wednesday mornings - 37km approximately at 30kph. Then again a ride of 40-70km on Saturdays at 28-30kph. Nothing special here.

For the running component, my training consisted of touch football once to twice per week. I also additionally did one to two runs which were following the Couch to 5km program. The goal for my running was to consistently run 5km, and start aiming towards training for a 10km run.

My training was significantly reduced in the 4 weeks prior to the triathlon. This was a mistake, as I felt quite unfit on the day.

Pre-race

I awoke at 05:45, got up, ate two bananas and had a drink of water. I took my gear to transition at 06:15 and was ready for briefing by 06:50. The weather was cool, about 16 Celcius, water temperature wasn't much better but warm enough to not require a wetsuit. Post-briefing I jumped in the water to acclimatise myself. The tide was low, but ocean flat without waves. Barely a breeze and sun rising over Keppell Island.
I was ready.

Race

The swim started quite nicely. A quick run from the shore into the water, wading out until waist deep, then the swim began. The water was cool but I didn't mind. The first 50-100m was intense, a tried to swim to the left outer edge of the group. I suspect I exerted too much effort during this time, as by the time I rounded the first bouy I was exhausted.

The swim up parrallel along the beach was equally as exhaustive. Used to pool swimming, I wasn't accustomed to the murky water. Not much was visible. There also felt like a current. During this stretch to the next bouy I alternated breast stroke and freestyle. Eventually I rounded the second and third bouys, swimming once again parrallel to the beach to the final bouy before leaving the water. The swim felt like forever, and I suspected I was the last male age-grouper to exit the water. Some of the fastest women (who had started after the men), had caught up and passed me. Kudos to their fitness!

A short walk out of the water, up the beach and to the steps which lead to transition. It was enough to catch my breath. Typical amateur me, pulled on the bike bibs, shirt and slapped on the helmet and glasses. Joggers without socks because I felt I was running wasting time in transition.

The cycle - north-bound, 5km out of Yeppoon along the esplanade. I averaged 29-30 kph out, and once turned, felt a slight headwind, and a slight incline in the road. I averaged 25-26 kph back into town. By the time I turned for the second lap I was exhausted and drank most of my water. In the second lap I finished my water bottle and slowed a little in the last 5km to try and recover from the last headwind.

T2, no good. Pulled off the joggers and threw on socks, then shoes again. Off I went, for the run!

The run wasn't too bad. The flats I was able to maintain a 5:30/km pace. Howver, the steep hills around Wreck Point, I walked. Reaching the peaks of each hill, I ran down the other side. Ultimately, this run-walk-run effort got me comfortably through the run, with a final run time of approx. 34mins for 5.5km. I wasn't displeased with this result given the amount of walking I did.

Post-race

After finishing the race, I was neither pleased nor displeased with my result. I believe I could have put in more training the preceeding weeks to the race and yielded a better result. However, I can comfortably say, after 3 sprint distance races, that with my current fitness, I can complete a sprint race in about 1hr 30min. From here, I would like to both increase my pace for the sprint distance, and begin training for an olympic distance (1.5/40/10km). The only concern I have is I think i am not managing my nutrition well. Perhaps some advice from a coach would be useful.

Next up, is more training, and booking in for the Olympic Distance race at Mooloolaba in March 2022! Keen! And maybe some local races.

--Fin--