Woke up at the crack of dawn and was pleased to see a blood sugar of 6.2. Ate my usual breakfast and was off. Got to transition around 6:15am to set my stuff up. There were mosquitoes everywhere! My swim heat was not due to take off until 9:10am so I had lots of time to relax. I watched my friends start their race, had a small snack and stretched out. My blood sugar starting the race was 8.4 with a 50% basal decrease for 1.5 hours. I was ready to roll.
The Swim - 750m - 14:58
I had decided to seed myself into the 15 minute heat wave, faster than the other heats I have done. In my last couple of races I have had to pass people which takes up energy so my thinking was I would rather be passed than do the passing. I ended up in a lane with only two other people and it worked out well. Swimming with faster people than me gave me the push I needed and I came in under the 15 minute mark. I felt relaxed and controlled the entire time. I know I had a huge grin on my face coming out of the pool! I ran out of the pool area and to my bike. Quick blood sugar checked showed a 6.1. Wolfed back some Nuun and a shot bloc and got ready to ride.
The Bike - 20km - 43:07
I really did enjoy the bike, it is a 10km out and back. You start off on a flat and then about 2.5km's in there is a huge hill you get to fly down. I loved it! From the bottom of the hill there are some rolling climbs and small downhills. Very scenic as well. I passed a few people and was passed by some of the crazy fast people. The hardest part was climbing back up the hill, I know I lost time there. I have made a mental note to do more hill repeats on my bike. The bike felt like it was done before I knew it. I dismounted, ran a ways to transition and got ready for the run. Blood sugar was at 9.3, climbing a bit which is not unusual due to my adrenaline. Swallowed my Nuun and some water and was off.
The Run - 5km - 27:01
This run is hilly. It is a 2.5km out and back and there are hills the entire time. The climbs are steep and the downhills are steep. I did enjoy the run, but again I need to incorporate more hills into my training. The final 1km was my fastest and I felt great sprinting over the finish line!
I am very happy with my race. I came in 5th out of 30 in my age group which makes me very happy indeed! I know that with more training I can shave more time off for sure. The weather was great and the event was just fantastic! This is definitely one that I will do each and every year. I finished with a blood sugar of 10.8 which climbed up to 15.4 within the hour. It did come back down nicely however. I was overall happy with my diabetes management throughout.
Next up is the Banff triathlon in September which is an open water swim. I cannot wait for that! Oh....and on September 1 I shall be registering for a half ironman taking place next summer. It may be a bit ambitious, but hell, what do I have to lose?
