Queensland All Schools Triathlon Championships - Race Report

Race - Queensland All Schools Triathlon - Lake KAwana
Date - 28/10/18
Distance - 750m swim  -  20km bike  -  5km run
Results - 9th Senior Girls / 2nd in Darling Downs / Qualified for Qld Schools Tri Champs

My first race for the season! I woke up excited to finally race after months of training and preparation for this season. After setting up my gear in transition I made my way to the club tent to hydrate and rest my legs before the race. Toby and I looked at the plan for the race and what I needed to implement in. We went through getting a good start in the swim to stay close to the leaders and have a good transition to the bike. I had to make sure I watched the corners and powered around them quickly to reduce losing time. For the run, I just needed to settle in to a rhythm and tap it out best I could to try and peg a few girls back and have a strong finish to the race.

After this it was time to warm up. I went for my usual ten minute run with run drills and a swim to fire me up before briefing. To give me the extra fuel for the race I ate CLIF BLOK Energy Chews. Before I knew it I was lining up on the start line, looking at the orange buoy ahead.

The swim consisted of the usual chaos to the first buoy, but I managed to escape the carnage and settle in beside two girls. I was happy with my swim, coming out in tenth position, making it a huge improvement to my previous triathlons. I felt relaxed after the swim and headed into transition for the bike.

My first transition was successful with a reasonable mount, as I quickly made my way out onto the course and settled in for the five laps. I shot down a CLIF Shot Energy Gel to refuel me after the swim. My first lap was high intensity, however by the third lap I was lacking the aggression I spoke about with Toby before the race. After five laps I dismounted my bike and ran into transition.

 I grabbed my hat and race belt and tried to settle in for the five kilometres ahead. There was no doubt that it was warming up and I knew I could pick up a few places if I concentrated. My first lap was uncomfortable and not as fast as I would have liked, with my breathing not being the best. As I moved into the second lap I knew I could push it home. The second lap I started to implement in what Toby had spoken about and picked up my cadence, enabling me to pass a few girls and finish in ninth position.

Overall, I was extremely happy with my end result. I am stoked to have made the Darling Downs team and secure a spot for the State Championships next March. For the first race of the season, I am excited to see that I have more base fitness than previous years, which will come in handy for eight weeks of school holidays, where I will be training with Toby and the SCTA squad. Hopefully, with the extra fitness under my belt, I can build on it more than I have in previous years and gain some more skills to help with my racing.

In terms of improvement, I am looking at improving my bike skills and gearing. I also need to control my breathing more so that I am getting enough oxygen into the body and can settle into the run earlier. If I can work on implementing these into my race, I will be able to improve my racing results.
It was an exciting start to the season!
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Next race is back at Lake Kawana with the Qld Aquathlon Champs - 17th November and Race # 3 of the Queensland Triathlon Series - 18th November. Two races in one weekend, let’s see what we can do!