Race Review - Kings Aquathon

Here is my race review from my last attempt at this race. I could dig out a couple of others but they were all on the old course so they are not really comparable. 

Preview

The Kings Aquathon (the spell checker keeps changing that to 'Equation', which is nearly as annoying as the increasingly common 'Aquathlon')  was my first ever multi-sport race. Long before I ever even thought about doing triathlons. I used to breast stroke up and down for about 10 minutes for the 400m swim and then run past people on the 5k run. Occasionally I have also done the long 750m swim /10k race. Nowadays the race is a mixed distance, with a 750m swim and a 5k run. 

I expect to swim a solid but not a spectacular time. Anything under 13 minutes will be pretty good. If I can race anywhere near the 12:28-35 marks that I was doing for summer races that will be excellent. 

I am running really well. The only other time the race has been on this course I clocked 25:10. The course is slightly long for a 5k so it wasn't as terrible a run as it looks. I still expect to hack a minute or two off that time. 

Pre-race

Briefing was pretty standard. Key factor was that they had changed which pool we were swimming in, which in turn changed the exit and the start of the run. Adding an extra 300m or so. They also announced a 3-lap run, but fortunately a quick confirmation had them move it back out to the full 5-laps.

Setting up transition I ignored my own note about socks from my previous blog. Instead I went for wearing my race shoes slightly looser and dumping a lot of baby powder in them.

The run route was changed to allow for the shift to the other swimming pool. About 300m extra around the pool building before joining the previous run course. 

Race

I started the swim pretty comfortably. I easily caught up to the girl in front but I decided to draft her for a few lengths. By 125m, it felt just a tad too slow so I passed her and within a length I got straight on to drafting the other guy in my lane. I took another few laps easy behind him before deciding I could still go faster on my own from the 250m mark. Once I was out in front I towed them for a few lengths before trying to break away. Turns out that even at full pace I didn't have enough to break their tow, so I stayed at the front doing the work for a few hundred metres before I decided to play a bit more tactically and let them past so I could draft and recover through the last 150m. It did cost me over a second a length from there but I was saving a lot of energy so I decided it was worth it. 

I barely felt the tap from the lane counter but I had been checking the watch so I knew to expect it and I knew there were only two lengths left. Unfortunately the girl in my lane didn't feel hers and carried on for an extra couple of lengths. Trying to get out of the pool with high edges is a bit of a challenge. A bit of a belly flop onto the side and then dragging myself out was all I could manage. 

Swim time 13:01, just about what I predicted.

I had an ok transition, despite dropping my phone when I tried to pick it up. I like to have the step counter with me even on a short swim/run race like this, on top of the habit of making sure I have it for any cycling race in case I ever have another crash.

27 seconds through transition.

Out on to the run and I was trying to figure out where I was overall. The 6 people from the faster lanes were definitely all out in front. The guy from my lane that got out ahead was faffing about in transition and I had shot past him. And one guy from the final lane was out with me and had a slightly better transition so maybe 8th? About 100m in to the run it became partly clear why as he had to stop and tie his shoelaces. So I think I am up to 7th at this point. I could see a few people in front and I started working my way after them one at a time. This was going really well for the first couple of laps as I made at least a couple more places. There was only one other girl in the race so I knew when I passed her. 

As I continued passing people, I couldn't tell if I was lapping back markers or making places. I picked off another 4, who were generally really struggling with the run. Turned out they were all back markers as I still finished 5th overall. I was definitely closing on another couple of places but I maybe took the run a little bit easy in the middle. 

Run time 23:36. 

I would have been happy with that on the old course, so on the new longer course I am really pleased. On my slowest of 5 laps this time I was still seconds faster than my fastest lap last time out. 

My no-sock decision has bitten me, as expected, and I have now skinned the same part of my foot as I did the last time I did this race.  I have also blistered the big toe on my other foot. Both of those are going to bug me for a couple of weeks but I think I will be able to run over them.