Elite ITU-Sprint Triathlon / 31st place / Quebec, Canada
This event was a very good experience, I trained about 4 weeks with a bit more specific for draft legal triathlons (750 Meters swim/20 KM Bike/5K Run), a few Canadian Friends invited me to stay in the same hotel, and we trained and shared nice moments together. We also spent some time with the Dominican athletes that were there.
Event day was challenging, it was raining and the swim was hard. There were about 60 Elite women and the swim turned into a boxing, pushing, pulling suits endeavor. My goggles were torn off, I was swallowing water about 4 times, trying to gasp for air, and it was one of the most difficult experiences I had endured. In other occasions, a situation like this would have caused me to lose concentration, but I have been able to have better control and work on my weaknesses. No one likes these situations, as it is not “fun” but its part of the challenge. I have been able to overcome, small steps at the time. I always play fair and abide by the rules and in races like this one, where rankings and prize money is involved, you will find more aggressive behavior but I was able to do well and come out in the middle of the pack.
The bike portion of the race was also challenging as it had many hills and it was raining making the bike a bit more technical in nature. The run was flat and with the good weather, it was not requiring much in terms of hydration. I know I could have done better as in the bike I was leading much of the way, in the run I was not as aggressive. This is the part that we have to do better and evidence if you do the sport for passion or as a tool for other things. I cleared my mind, started to enjoy what I had to do, my plans, Chantal, coaching, lo live now and here.
