5150 Muskoka

I competed in Huntsville, Ontario yesterday for the 5150 Muskoka Triathlon. This area of Canada reminded me quite a bit of being up north in Michigan. My family vacations in Cheboygan, MI on Mullet Lake every summer so I love that woodsy up north feel where there are small towns along the way. Muskoka had a lot of water around it too. It was a neat area. However, it was hilly! So the course had its own natural challenge built in. The swim was in quiet waters where we swam in Fairy Lake and then went up the Muskoka River. I do like those calm swims! :) It was a wetsuit swim so I wore my full-sleeve XTERRA vendetta, which worked great. I was comfortable in it and had no issues getting it off...yessss! I was 3rd out of the water for the pro women. The first 2 had amazing swims and took off right away. It had been awhile since I raced an olympic distance swim because the swim in the Kansas 5150 was cancelled ...so I had to find my groove again. Oh well, you go with what you got! As I did get into a groove-I felt solid and was able to keep adding in surges. I ended up swimming by myself as the field was pretty split up.
The bike was just up and down, up and down. I had to find the groove of shifting and once I did, I felt pretty solid on the bike! I tried to be as aerodynamic as possible on the down hills to utilize them wisely as I worked the up hills. I used my Torhans aero bottle for the first time. I felt like I had the best set up for being as aero as possible since I was on my Specialized Shiv (very aero frame), had my Rudy wingspan helmet, and then the new Torhans aero bottle. Oh, I also used the built in water system on my Shiv (there is a "bladder" built right into the frame!). So I was set! It was neat to have my hydration all set up where I could stay aero the entire time while drinking. I never had that before. Very efficient!
I passed one of the girls ahead of me on the second half of the bike. I was excited to find her out there! This put me in 2nd place off the bike. The 2 loop run course started right up a hill, but I felt pretty peppy and went for it. The run had some interesting components to it as it went down a gravel hill in the woods (it was steep and you had to turn! I just had to think of safety on that one). There wasn't much of a groove to get into on this run, I just tried to stay ahead and in the moment. My legs were getting pretty tired by the end--expected right? ;) So those last hills were a bit of a challenge, but I kept thinking of staying springy and light. I came in 2nd, which was exciting! I would recommend this course if you like those natural challenges...it sure keeps things interesting! You almost have to be looking just ahead to anticipate your effort changes...all while staying in the moment :).
Also, it was fun to have a couple other Michigan friends up there racing too! A.D., Kattie, Donna, Bev, and Jamie...fun times in Canada!