#triyas

Days: Feb 22-27

Feb 26, 2016 – The Olympic distance triathlon at TriYas, Yas Marina F1 circuit in Abu Dhabi 

The week leading up to Feb 26 was a bit of a taper week since I was set to attempt my first Olympic distance triathlon at the TriYas, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. Both stressed and excited at the same time, as I felt confident going into it. It was also a late afternoon start which I absolutely loved!

The RACE: 1.5kms swim, 45 kms bike, 10 kms run.

What. A. Race!

The venue was spectacular, cool winds, cloudy skies, a bit of drizzle here and there, made the massive, perfect venue, just a little bit more beautiful.

The swim was a deep water start in the Yas marina. 2 winding loops in the cold waters made for a challenging, and as it turned out, quite tiring, swim. But the swim comfort levels were definitely up from my last couple of races. This time it was a more powerful, and non-stop swim. Got the job done, felt a little woozy coming out of the water. Time: 33mins.

The bike was a 7 lap circuit on the F1 track at Yas. Felt amazing to ride there, lots of elevated segments, some headwinds, loud cheering crowds and music made this the segment a lot of fun. Stayed comfortable and in my zone, didn’t try and push to hard (in case I’d needed it for the swim), and completed at an average of well above 30kmph (around 34 kmph) in a time of 1hour, 19 minutes.

By the time the run started I knew I had this under my belt. The last few weeks’ training really felt like it was starting to pay some dividend. It was a simple, controlled and strong run. I didn’t try any heroics or push myself too much. Got it done in a time of 59 minutes.

The race felt like it did fly by a little even though my total time was a pinch over 3 hours. My aim was 3 hours 30 minutes or under, and if I pushed a bit more I could have definitely been sub 3 hours, but I was happy with the way I performed. Definitely very pleased with my abilities and how my body handled the stress. Met a few people along the way and a few friends who I didn’t know were even competing. The last 5 kms of the run or so were literally spent chatting with a buddy of mine who ran along with me, while we ran at a pace of 5:45 mins/km.

In the end, we picked up our medals, our items from transition, and couldn’t shake off the massive grin I had on my face the entire time I spent stretching. Said my goodbyes, got into my car, drove 60 minutes to home and along the way picked up a massive double scoop sundae as a victory gift to myself. I felt it was well deserved