*Do not panic, my photo was taken while we were stopped for construction. While I was driving my eyes were more focused on the road than a marmoset on a banana.
Now Kelowna is home to many amazing things anyways, such as:
WINE!
LAKE!
SAILBOATS!
FRUIT!
So at first it may be hard to single out exactly which amazing thing I am referring to. However, as I am a triathlete writing a blog, you have probably already guessed that the said amazing thing just so happens to be a swikeru*.
*See previous post for an explanation of that word.
This swikeru happens to be the Kelowna Apple Triathlon, which is the only triathlon I have done with such an amazing fruit spread at the finish line that they have to actually guard the entrance to the athletes village to prevent people from sneaking in and getting at the apples. These apples are amazing! I swear 29.786% of all personal bests occurring at this race can be directly attributed to the alluring apples waiting at the finish line. Its like putting a carrot in front of a zebra. Or a zebra in front of a lion.
I like lion king. Such a good classic Disney movie. The opening sequence song gets me every time. Speaking of songs and sunrises, listening to Lorde's 'Bravado' while watching scenic photos is also amazing. I should probably do laundry tonight. And buy pickles. I wonder why my foot is itching...
Whoops! Went off on a bit of a tangent there.
My mind is a strange place. Currently I am trying to write an update on a race and I can barely contain my laughter because an image of beer can chicken just popped into my head.
I mean its a naked chicken sitting on a can! Bahahahahahahaha! Comedy gold right there!
Anywhodiddlies, back to the race (even though the beer can chicken in my head has now donned a French maid outfit and is dancing the Can Can to the theme song from SpongeBob SquarePants...must...contain...laughter).
Soooooooooooo, back to Kelowna.
Now this has been a very unusual racing season for me as the Apple triathlon was only my second Olympic distance race of the season. Normally, I stick to racing just Olympic distance and until this past June I had never touched something as short as a Sprint. However, this summer, due in part to directions from my coach, recovering from injuries sustained in my bike crash last fall, and simply managing a workable race schedule, I found myself at the start line of the Kelowna Apple in mid-August with only one prior Olympic distance race under my 2013 belt. I felt oddly unprepared and the distance that in prior years seemed like a piece of cake suddenly seemed quite daunting - especially the swim for some odd reason. I have no idea why, but on race day 1500m suddenly seemed like an insane distance to swim. Which is downright silly, given daily 5km work-outs are not unheard of during my winter swim racing season. My apprehension defied logic and caused me to appear as if I had rammed a pole up my back and was preparing to salute a commanding officer while waiting for the start commands.
I was nervous. Fortunately it was the Kelowna Apple, I had driven all this way for the sole purpose of this beautiful race, and I told myself that no matter what happened during the race - I was going to have a fun time.
The count down in any race is nerve wracking. You're on a start line, your heart rate is beginning to increase from nerves and excitement, the only thing on your mind is simple thoughts such as "sand feels nice on my feet","I like sun","breathing feels good and is necessary for survival", or "I wonder how badly my junk is showing through this suit", then suddenly words slice through your clearing mind like a samurai sword through warm butter.
"5 minutes to race start."
You breath again, collect your thoughts, jump up and down a bit to keep your limbs loose, and do some arm circles and wallop a competitor by accident and immediately apologize profusely. All that exists in the world right now is this start line at this race. You aren't even sure if you even have a name anymore, your body has become a finely tuned machine designed to go into beast mode against whatever lies before it.
"4 minutes to race start."
The count down continues but you oddly don't notice, suddenly something unnerving happens.
"30 seconds to race start."
HOLY MOTHER OF HAMBURGER HELPER WALNUT PATTIES WHERE THE HELL DID THE TIME GO?
Calm down, breath, and lean in for the start.
Horn blast.
And into the water you go, jumping, splashing, sprinting, and diving like an entire horde of ravenous vampire polar bears was released behind you. (The following photo is from the girls race but it accurately pictures what I am talking about).
Those moments on the start line are always the clearest in my memory for me. Honestly adrenaline takes over the rest of the race. I remember bits and pieces, but its all always a bit of a blur compared to the start of the race and making the final turn in the run when you see the finish chute. Oddly I never seem to remember crossing the finish line as well as I remember that final kick towards it.
*Thanks to Denise Becker for that great finishing chute photo!
Such was the case with this race. I know I swam, biked, and ran the course given that I finished the race and wasn't tackled to the ground by a marshal for some sort of violation, but I don't remember much of the race with clarity.
I do remember that I loved every minute of it. This course is amazing and the whole town seems to get into it. The entire course is lined with cheering people which is incredibly exhilarating. They all seem to know the points when you need encouragement most, such as making the bike climb up Mt. Knox. I love this race and will always return to Kelowna for it as long as I do triathlons.
It was a good thing I had fun, because performance wise I did not do very well with the exception of a small personal best on the bike. There isn't really any particular reason why I didn't race that fast, more like a myriad of minor ones. I'm worn out from the summer, I normally slow down as a season progresses due to loss of base, working full-time and training and racing full-time is becoming very draining, I haven't done very many Olympic races this year, and I was doing this race more for fun after several serious ones earlier in the season. Some may say these are excuses for a poor performance, which may very well be true, but for me I finished the race in 10th position in my age group while having fun and don't even remember my exact finishing time because I barely glanced at the results.
I went to have a fun race before the major experience of Worlds in September and that's what I did. So I accomplished what I drove to Kelowna to do and was happy, albeit tired post-race, as a result.
After the race, we ate a ton of delicious fruit, took some post race exhaustion photos, and hung out watching the awards ceremonies while hiding from the pleasantly hot sun in the shade.
Of course no race is complete without a team shot.
And no team shot is complete without being total goofs for at least one picture.
Surrounded by good friends and team-mates at a well-run race in beautiful and sunny Kelowna, I was quite content to frolic in the water all afternoon.
It was awesome!
But not quite as awesome as this motivational meme:
Cheers!
Bry-Bry
