My training leading up to this race had been very up-and-down, lacking the positive attitude, motivation and consistency that I strive for. Stuff like issues at home, travel, minor illness, and nagging injuries, those things that we all have to deal with everyday, all seemed to conspire against my training and trash my motivation over the Winter and Spring. As race day approached, anxiety started to creep in as I did not feel adequately prepared.
I told my coach, Fiona, what I was feeling. As usual, she helped. A LOT. Fiona told me that 1) my motivational ups and downs were absolutely normal, especially after coming off some big races the previous year and that everybody goes through this eventually, 2) my training was actually progressing okay, 3) that workouts should be tough but FUN, and 4) that Monica and I should go away on our vacation, have a good time, not worry at all about training, and hopefully come back refreshed and motivated (and not too overweight).
Well, Fiona has an uncanny knack for saying the right thing at the right time. Her job as a Coach really is as much mental preparation as it is physical. A break from training was what I needed. I came back from Europe motivated, positive, and with a ton of support from my wife, Monica. Workouts were tough after 3 weeks off, but I was having fun again. Moreover, my attitude towards Welland was now just to go and have a fun day. No more anxiety, no more self-inflicted pressure. Monica and I decided to make a weekend of it and we even found a B and B in NOTL that took our dogs.
Race morning was just about perfect, overcast, not too hot and very little wind. Lots of friends were also racing and the vibe was good. My conditioning wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be so I concentrated on perfect pacing and nutrition and a positive attitude.
Swim: The swim is my weakest and least favourite discipline but I was wearing my brand-new Blue Seventy Helix and the water was calm. The start was a little physical, but not too bad, as we all funnelled down from a 50m wide start to a 10m wide course. I settled in and concentrated on good technique and looked for some good feet to draft off. At about the 1200m point I got kicked in the face and my goggles got knocked off. But, my swim cap was on top of my goggles and I just had to re-adjust and keep swimming. My goggles then started to fill-up with water and I had to stop again to fix that. Despite these minor problems, the swim felt good. There were even some nice volunteers to help us out of the water. Swim time 36:29.
They gave us a split on the 425m run-up from the water, which included my (careful) wetsuit removal on a little stretch of grass and a BIG smile as I saw Monica (and the girls). 2:29
Bike. The race description said a ‘Flat and Fast’ bike course, and they were right.
It took a while, almost 30 min. to get my heart rate down from the swim. But Brian Spargo at Endurosport had beautifully tuned my ride and I settled in and enjoyed the course. Fiona said not to go over a 200W avg. for the first 20 minutes, then settle in and try to average 185-200. I felt good, my nutrition was going down well and Sally (yes, I nick-named my bike Sally) felt like she was flying. Thanks again, Brian. At about the 60K mark, I had to slow as I was approaching an ambulance on the course. Not a good sign. I couldn’t see who was down or what had happened but I saw Nigel off his bike, walking around at the scene. He looked fine and, as usual, offered a very loud, “Way to go, Paul” as I rode by. My power avg. kept rising slowly and I continued to feel strong and look after my nutrition all the way to T2. I knew that everyone on the course would have a fast bike split on the day. Power avg. 197W. Bike time: 2:30:48
Run. T2 went smoothly. I saw my support crew (Monica and the girls) on the way in and again on the way out. Another BIG smile. Just as I was l starting my run, I heard the PA announcer say that “Nigel Gray has just come in”. I was very glad that he was okay and waited to soon hear his footsteps behind me. He overhauled me within the first 4-5K and told me that Richard Pady had been hit by a car and had gone down hard. Nigel showed the kind of guy he is by stopping his race and staying with Richard until medical help had arrived. He then got back on his bike and continued, easily passing me and a lot of others, eventually finishing 14th overall. I think Wolf summed it up the best by saying that though he had the fastest time, Nigel had the performance of the day. Fiona told me not to go faster than 4:45/k, but I found I couldn’t match that pace. The first 10K felt good, no cramping at all as I had nailed my carbs, fluids and electrolytes on the bike. But the second half of the run got very hard, very quickly. I kept up with my nutrition but my fast bike pace, the heat and less-than-my-best conditioning was finally catching up with me. As Wolf would say, I was definitely ‘feeling the love’. But again I saw Monica (and Sylvie) out on the course and their cheers and encouragement helped me to the finish line. Run time: 1:43:34.
Total time: 4:55:28.
Overall, it was a great day. Thanks to Nigel, for being a great guy and for setting an example of what it really means to be an Elite athlete and coach. Thanks to Fiona, for being the best Coach for me. You too, are a true Pro. And the biggest THANK-YOU to Monica, for all her love and encouragement.
Paul.