Schull 2019

Tri season starts when I make my 6am trip to Schull. This was my 5th trip to Schull and as usual I got my traditional car space. This race is always a good test to see where I am so far this year. As per usual Schull brings the sun and the sea was looking calm. I got registered and got my transition area set up. Had a catch up with Blackwater Tri and Cobh Tri members before listening to the briefing. Due to a local funeral the race had to start early, which was good because I wanted to get the race under way. I hadn’t much swimming done this year due to early year shoulder issues so I knew it was going to be a testing time. I also had a last minute goggles malfuction but luckily I had packed a 2nd pair.

Swim 13:22 (Overall position 38 out of 211)

I was trying to position myself close to the front on the swim and I in the middle. As soon as the countdown started it was mayhem. Legs and arms everywhere and googles got knock off a bit very early on. That meant water was streaming in from the go but since it is a sprint I decided to just accept it and keep going. I took the 1st buoy a bit wider than I’d have liked but it avoided some of the crowds. Next it was to time to sight the end of the pier and aim for the next buoy. I was able to get into a good rhythm and felt comfortable. I got tight to the 2nd buoy when around it and headed for home. I felt I kept a good line and push a bit as I got close to the line. It was my 2nd slowest swim in Schull but overall I was happy and can build on that.

T1 2:30 (30 out of 211)

After getting out of the water in 38 place I managed to pick up 8 places by the time I got out of T1. Even though I felt I was very slow as I took my time getting my socks and shoes on. Its a nice climb from the water to the mount line but I was just 1 second slower than last year.

Bike 44:05 (51 out of 211)

So now on to the bike My least favourite part of the day. After a short flat to get you set you turn left and straight into one of many hills you face on this 21km course. I wasn’t even thinking about pace or speed here due to the type of course it is. It is up and down the whole way. There was a stiff breeze we were cycling into on the way out so I was looking forward to getting help from that on the way back. That never happened and it seemed the wind was in my face the whole time. I struggled on through the bike to finish in a time that was slower than my last two attempts. I will tell myself it was due to the wind 🙂 I moved back to 51st overall.

T2 2:03 (48 out of 211)

As I was on the flat towards the mount line I thought about taking my feet out while on the bike because I knew the downhill to T2 is tough with the bike shoes on. I chickened out in the end and just unclipped. My transition time was almost the exact same as last year as well. I managed to gain 3 places in T2.

Run 20:06 (37 out of 211)

So now the part i don’t mind. Schulls tough run means you have to work hard. My aim was to keep as close as possible to 4 min per km. So I pushed up the hills and enjoyed the downhills. It was getting hot now so grabbed water at the water stations to poor over myself. After the turnaround I did start to find things tough but kept going. I slowed up down going up the small hills and knew I would miss my target on the run but managed to take 25 seconds off last years time so I was happy with that. Jumping 11 places on the run meant I moved into 37th place.

Overall 1:21:48 (37 out of 211)

I have mixed feelings about race day. It was good to be back swimming and pushing it. My mileage is well down so the time is close to what I expected. I had hoped for a much better bike time so I was a little disappointed there but I know I need to continue to put the work in and hope things get better. I felt great on the run so it finished off on a high note. Hopefully it is the start of a good season where my plan is to complete 2 sprint, 2 Olympic and 1 middle distance race. Next stop Kilkee

Year on year comparison

*Swim was 500m