Yesterday we spent the day down in Osooyoos as Junior was racing the Desert Half Iron - his second big race of the season. A tough and brutal course in many ways especially on the bike. We headed down SUPER early in the morning to check in as it was a bit of a drive from here in Penticton. The weather was supposed to be hot as usual and of course it didn't disappoint.
The swim start was pretty great - we were able to watch right from the beach and it was a double loop swim. Junior was right up in front with the best of them and was out of the water quickly. It was nice to see some familiar faces racing yesterday and we got a mix of some Calgary friends (Scott Curry and Jen) and some of our new Tri friends from here in Penticton (Kevin, Olly, Aide and Jenny). Everyone working SUPER hard!
So right out of the lake the course heads up Richter Pass, over The Rollers, down the Out-and-Back Road and then ALL THE WAY BACK AGAIN. A ridiculously tough bike course. We were able to get set up with some great spots for cheering and Mark K drove us around the bike course so we could cheer on Junior and Jen. Once they were through the rollers a pretty discouraging head wind picked up and that's never really a good situation. Of course that head wind turned into a GREAT tail wind and the race leaders were FLYING on the way home. It was so AWESOME to see how fast they were going!
We saw parts of the run and were able to concentrate our cheering to a section where we would see them all run by a few times and then be able to see the final finish as well. It was a great day. Junior was disappointed in the results of the day as he had lots of gastro issues throughout and was unable to take in enough liquids. Something that hasn't bothered him for a while now. Of course the heat and the challenging bike course were troublesome but we kind of knew that would be tough. I know he was really bummed out about the final time and results of the race but I hope he can put it in perspective over the next few days and learn a lot about what can be done over the next few weeks leading up to IMC. He has worked EXTREMELY hard this year (especially on the bike) spending a lot of time and energy doing the things he loves. Things that make him happy. There are a few weeks left here before the big race and lots of key workouts left. Lots of time to put in the remaining weeks of work as well as fine tune some little bugging injuries. I am not worried even though I know he is. I have seen him work hard and do a ton more training this year then I have ever seen him do since I've known him. Even though he is not happy about what happened at the race yesterday I am SUPER proud of him for being so dedicated and focused.
