Kevin's lucky number 13

Lucky number thirteen

It’s been a busy season with a schwack of races so far. The big one (IMC) is still on the horizon and I am hopeful of a good day.

Thus far I have done the Hamilton around the bay 30k, Wildflower training camp and half Ironman, Oliver half, Banff Bikefest, Great White North and cheered Lisa on at IMCd (did a few stellar rides there as well). Not too sure where I found the time to work but it all seems to get done with only a few rough spots along the way.

My goal for Hamilton was to finish in 2:15 or better and get a silver medal. A gold medal and a sub 2:00 time seemed beyond my reach. My brother lives in Hammer Town and it was a great reason to make the trip east. Hanging with family was definitely the highlight of the trip. Had been very diligent with training coming into the race. Race day was great – big crowds, cool conditions and feeling good coming into it. The race was great for the first 22 km, on pace and feeling fine. What happened from km 22 to 30 was not as much fun… Legs cramped up and saw my goal time vaporize at about km 29. Actually watched the clock roll past 2:15 and felt very disappointed. Post race I was SORE! Legs and feet were killing me.

After licking my wounds and getting over being slow…It was back to training! Had a rocking camp with Todd and the No Limits crew in Cali! Even better, Lisa and I got to spend a few days in Santa Barbara before the camp – It was a great time. Wildflower was an amazing event! Super huge race with the youngest/cutest/drunkest fans ever – unreal. The race was great with an average swim, a great ride on the Kevelo and a trail run that was to die for. Felt strong throughout and happy to be racing in such a great place.

Next on the list was Oliver. Treated myself with a flight to Kelowna as Mike (Deluca) took my stuff out. Got to hang out for a day before the race which was fantastic. Race day was (again) great. It was the first ride on my new bike, an Argon 18 E-114. Interestingly, my swim/T1/bike time was almost the same to the previous year – 30 seconds slower… But I had a great run for the first 15 km then had some hamstring issues and had to stop for the occasional stretch. Even still it was a good run... Just have to dial the bike position a bit.

After Oliver it was up to Banff for the second annual Banff Bikefest! I did the ITT and new Road Race. Skipped the crit this year which turned out to be a crash fest. Felt like I left it out on the road for the 21 km TT but was almost a minute thirty slower than last year… The road race was 6 loops around Tunnel Mountain with almost 1000m of elevation gain. It was a combo of Cat 4/3/2 riders. The 2’s hammered from the gun forcing a break. Managed to reconnect with the leaders on lap 3 only to get popped again. Managed to not get swept from the course and had a BLAST – doing 80 kph ripping it down Tunnel Mtn. Dr., rotating pace lines on Banff Ave. It was everything I love about road racing!

Went to Coeur d’Alene to watch Lisa do IMCd. She had a great day and finished strong. I got some great rides in. Did the IM course and the Oly course along with a stellar loop around Hayden Lake. Got some new Newton shoes – the gal there said they’d make me fast (and sore at first…).

Last race was GWN. Missed racing with Todd as in years past but got to cheer on my sister-in-law in her first tri experience, she did the team thing with Lisa and Viv. Had an OK swim (same as previous attempts…). Had a good bike, feeling more settled with the position now and had a great run. Maybe the Gal in CDa was right. I was faster than before and my calves are still sore.

So here’s the funny thing. In Wildflower, Oliver and Stony I have been 13th in my age group each time. As they are progressively flatter courses – my times have fallen accordingly 5:20:07, 5:01:15 and 4:39:42. Similarly, my times from previous years has fallen 10:30 for Oliver and almost 21 minutes for GWN! Almost all of the changes come from the run. It makes me think that Hamilton maybe wasn’t such a bad thing.

I wonder if 13th at IMC is possible…