I didn’t forget how hard and intense these ITU races were but man it is a kick in the pants! That said I prepared mentally as best as I could for that and I was fairly happy with how I got back in touch with that feeling of pain after 1o months off from it.
My swim was solid to start but as ITU goes I got pulled under 3/4 of the way to the first turn and had the “oh my gosh I am underneath 2 guys and I can’t get up” panic moment but once surfacing and getting my breath back I worked my way up as best I could and focused on a fast transition and bridging to the front group just 20sec up the road. That took about half a lap and then I settled in and regrouped, ate some PowerGels, drank my Base Water and Salts and road conservative strong the rest of the ride. I had a good transition and headed out near the front of the massive pack and focused on the high turnover and intense speed of the ITU first km. I had strong and weak moments on the run but overall felt solid and challenged myself the whole way with a hard sprint at the finish to try and pick up one last spot to no avail.
I have been struggling to find my power on my Blue Comp Cycle RC8 ITU bike after having such great riding on my Blue Comp Cycle Triad TT bike. I have spent the last three weeks trying to adjust my position similar to my TT but haven’t quite found the sweet spot yet. I still road strong but didn’t feel comfortable and smooth doing. The fitness is in the legs I just need to tap into the power. I have been struggling with tight soas and back muscles as a result of the fidgeting with the bike which doesn’t allow for good power transfer and tight breathing on the run. These are things that were hindering me a bit but things I can definately fix going forward.
It is good to be back at ITU but man I have to get used to bleeding from the ears again!
Back home through Seoul tomorrow where the whole Canadian team is going to do a tour on our 7hr layover before heading back to Victoria to log some higher intensity training.
Thanks Trican for having a great support team here, (Rob Hasegawa Chiro, Kurt Innes New HP Director and Phillipe Bertrand NT Coach) and the great funding for the event.
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My name is Justin and I host a podcast named Triathletes Coffee Shop. About twice a month there is a group of 5 of us, all triathletes, who talk about the sport. Our most recent podcast was a debate on who makes the best triathlete: swimmers, cyclists or runners. We would love to have you on the show to discuss your pro career, how you got started and also racing road triathlons and Xterra\’s. If you would like you can visit our webpage at http://www.TriathletesCoffeeShop.com or can just email me directly at MangoRunner@gmail.com . Thank you for your time and effort.