Tri-Factor 1.5k Swim Race Report

Urgh, I've not been very good at updating my race reports, so this is about 2 weeks late.

Before the Race

Anyway, the Tri-Factor Swim Race took place the Sunday before last and I signed up to swim 1.5km. I've basically spent the better part of the last month and a half training for that (and the Bintan triathlon). I actually was pretty diligent, heading to swim training 3 times a week. I gave up my Friday nights because swim training started was at 8am on Saturday and essentially didn't have much of a life. Well, I'm exaggerating. I did manage a trip to Bangkok and Phuket in May...and I did watch a ton of plays, musicals, concerts and even managed to squeeze in a comedic ballet.

Race Day

G had signed up for the 500m so her wave started earlier than mine. So while I was warming up and trying to look out for her (and somehow managed to miss her wave start), I was also freaking myself out with how darn long the 750m course looked. And I had to do 2 laps of that! Somehow doing 30 lengths in a 25m pool seems fine. Putting those 30 lengths into one long course is a whole other ball game.

Warm-up

Nothing to shout about. I didn't get bitten by sea bugs, but it could well be that the sea bugs had stuffed their faces on the 3k swimmers and the 500m swimmers nice sweet blood and were just flat-out full when I got in the water.

I did a few lame strokes. Kicked for a while. I'm not sure why I can never figure out the whole warm-up drill. Coach Alain told me before that I should do a 300m warm-up before the race. Which is all fine and good in the pool, but I had absolutely no idea how to measure 300m in the sea.

Race

What a nightmare it was. I started off fine. The usual everyone swimming over everyone else and all. Then the huge pack broke. I broke away from some people and then I became the swimmer everyone hates. I was the swimming equivalent of the annoying driver that weaves in and out of traffic. No matter how much I tried swimming straight, I kept swimming like a snake. So I was either so dang near to the ropes I crashed into it and knocked my googles off or I was swimming away from the ropes to oblivion. I knocked my goggles off a grand total of 3 times and hit the ropes God only knows how many times. If there was a way to swim inefficiently, I was acing it. In hindsight, I probably should have sighted more often.

Needless to say I was pretty much over all the swimming at the last 200m or so. I struggled to kick hard and push past this one breast-stroker (who might I add I am thoroughly impressed by!) but each time I slowed she caught up again. I was going to put down that she was where the adage 'slow and steady wins the race' came from, but then I remembered she was anything but slow. Hats off to her, whoever she is. I am happy to have been beaten by someone so worthy. Well played, breast-stroker.

Last note, the race once again ended with a 30m (I really am plucking arbitrary distances here...it seemed like 30m to me, but it could easily have been 5m) dash on my much dreaded sand. By this time I was biting breast-stroker's dust, so I just gave up and strolled the remaining stretch of the beach.

Results

Coach Alain had targeted a 40min finish. I targeted a more realistic 45min finish. In the end, I finished in 40:44mins. And I should be happy and all that I beat my target, but I'm just a little bit annoyed that I couldn't break the 40min target set for me. Dang snake swim.

15th of 33 - 40:44mins (breast-stroker made 40:17mins, I think)

First lap (750m) - 19:27mins

Second lap (750m)- 21:16mins

So much for negative splits.

All in all, I’ve never had anything bad to say about Tri-Factor’s races. They’ve all been well organized and good fun!

Bintan race report tomorrow!