Note
Winterlude Triathlon, Ottawa - fitness test and a good excuse to visit home and friends and do some skiing in Gatineau Park - I'll presumably be in better shape than last year if I improve on 10th place.
Speed skating 16:09 [4] 8.0 km (2:01 / km)
Skating leg of Winterlude Triathlon - the field had jumped to about 450 from about 300 the previous year so the lead pack was much larger and much more chaotic than usual. Much like a short cycling road race in terms of drafting and tactics except in cycling you can apply power without worrying about your skate blade hitting that of people on either side of you and causing a fall. Two of which occurred right in front of me, one being a great teetering on the edge of balance thing that I had time to get out from behind before the conclusion. Officially 5th in the skate but that includes the transition to skiing and is pretty meaningless anyway since the top 10 or 15 must have, as usual, finished within about the same number of seconds.
Cross Country Skiing (Skating) 15:23 [4] 4.5 km (3:25 / km)
Very well groomed ski course, slightly shortened from other years. Fast condtions helped minimise the impact of my continuously deteriorating skating technique but I still got passed by around 10 people, including the female winner of the last several years. 22nd overall on this leg.
Running 18:52 [4] 5.0 km (3:46 / km)
5K, approximately 3 of it on ice with a bit of compacted snow on top of it. 2nd overall on this leg, overhauling enough runners to wind up 4th overall. It's very helpful being the only person wearing O shoes under these conditions, though I'm sure many others had jury-rigged metal studs. Satisfyingly 1:36 faster than last year, partly explicable by the far less Bataan Death March-like ski leg but John Westdal only improved his time by 0:46 over last year so I'm inclined to read meaning into it.
Cross Country Skiing (Classic) 1:00:00 [1]
Very easy afternoon ski with friends on Ridge Road in Gatineau Park - the outing was longer than one hour but one person was out for the first time in years so it was very stop and go and pretty slow even when it was going. Lovely day if a trifle too warm.