Welland Half Iron Distance - Pre-Race Report

This weekend will mark my triathlon debut at the Half Iron Distance. I am feeling pretty good thinking about it today but I am sure the nerves will kick up as the date gets a little closer.

This will mainly be a training race to get use to the distance in prep for Timberman 70.3. I am going to take the swim very easy and make sure I get to the bike with enough energy to put in a respectable bike and run combo.

There are a bunch of the area's top triathletes making an appearance in this event so I will have to be satisfied looking down the results page a touch to find my name. It is something I need to be ready for as I have been lucky enough to be competitive in the local duathlon scene over the past few years. The fields were not as big in those races but it was still a nice feeling to be successful.

I knew jumping into the triathlon that I would have to be ready to take a back seat for a few years but it is tough somedays to give up so much time in the starting portion of the race. In the duathlon, the first run was one of my strong sections and I was getting very comfortable reaching the bike in an exhausted state of mind only to find my next wind shortly after the mount line.

With the dangers of the water thrown into the mix, I am not ready to push as hard before making it into transition. This will take some practice so for now it is slow and steady in the swim and then make up time on the bike and run.

In Welland, I will not attempt to burn up the bike and run but I have set some tough goals for these two stages of the event. I know that I could push for faster splits but I think my lack of experience (and the current training distance) at this point of the season would lead to failure so I figure it is best to pace the day and see what is in the tank for the final 8 to 5 km of the run. If I am still feeling energized than maybe I will turn up the pace a little and bring it home in strong fashion.


Wish me luck!
Larry