Milton Sprint - I know what you're thinking... it didn't rain in Milton. You're right, it didn't. But the temp climbed all the way up to a non-balmy 6C (that's ~43F for you U.S. folks). I like it cold - I run in the snow every winter - but I couldn't feel my toes after the bike. When I put my running shoes on it felt like something was jammed in there... but nothing was. My feet were just f--ked up from being so cold.
Then we had Guelph Sprint - rain. Sarnia Olympic - rain. Barrie Sprint - rain.
Feel a pattern? In fact, if we include the final race of last year - Muskoka 70.3 - rain. The all day, never let up, single-digit temp, throw some hail in there for emphasis type of rain. Bad times. There's just something really, really shitty about getting to your running shoes in T2 and having to pour the water out before you can put them on. And that's when they're inside a plastic bag. I know I sound like a spoiled princess, here. But hey, this is the sport I chose, right? We just grin and bear it, and hope the blisters aren't too painful from running on wet, soft, mushy feet. There, that feels better.
Now then... Barrie race report. The rain didn't actually start until early on the bike. Not that it would have made a difference during the swim, but at least it held off for a little bit... my wife was still totally soaked by the time I finished. I guess that's the thing... whether it rains for 10 minutes or 2 hours, when you're wet, you're wet. At least it was somewhat warm out. Moving on...
Pre-race: I managed to cut my finger during swim warm-ups. I was on my way back to shore because the first wave was almost ready to go, and as I got to shore my hand brushed the bottom and I got a bit of a slice on the tip of my middle finger. Don't know if it was a rock, or a piece of glass, or what. It was the smallest cut ever, but it would not stop bleeding. So I stood there on the shore waiting for my wave in fear that some blood-phobic person would see my finger and throw a fit about me competing with a bloody hand. Sometimes I get a little worked up over nothing, apparently (my wife would happily confirm this, I'm sure).
Swim - 700m:
The course angled out to the left to the first buoy, hung a sharp right, and then had a long out and back parallel to shore. I lost some time at the end of the "out" and the start of the "back" portion. I've never had to make a 180 degree turn like that during a race before, and I ended up taking it very wide. Big mental error - I definitely didn't swim the shortest distance possible. During the swim I tried to sight as little as possible - I noticed in Sarnia that I would swim behind someone, and when I sighted a couple of times they would pull away. I'm a slow swimmer to begin with, but my sighting technique must really take my head and shoulders out of the water to slow me down as much as it does. In the past, I've sighted waaay too often for fear of getting a kick to the face if I was too close to someone else. More work to do, but this race was a definite improvement. I must have been running damn fast out of the water... the guy couldn't even get the camera focused! It's hard to see with it out of focus, but my wetsuit is really too big for me. When I picked it up a couple years back, I was 20-25lbs heavier... so there's a few more folds and wrinkles in it these days. Total time, including run to T1 = 14:22, pace = 2:04/100m (just off my PR of 2:03/100m).
Bike - 20km:
The course was 4 loops of a 5k out and back. That's two 180 degree turns per lap, times four laps. Having to slow down that much that often, I knew there would be no PR on this course. The roads were quite slick from the rain, and the volunteers did a great job at each end with the warnings. I didn't see it, but I guess someone from an earlier wave went down pretty hard at one of the turn-arounds. As for me... I'll give up 5 or 10 seconds a lap if it means keeping it tire-side down. With the wave starts and the loop course there were lots of people to pass all over the place. Also, after the first loop it was easy to remember where all the cracks and bumps were in the road... and it was basically flat, with just a slight incline (and decline) as we approached (and rode away from) an intersection. I noticed on the first loop that my cadence dropped ever so slightly at that point. So for the remaining laps I would knock it back a gear as I approached and spin hard, which gave me momentum as I would hit the other side and click it down a couple on the rear to take advantage of the very slight "downhill." I passed a lot of people in that section, which always feels good! Total time, including T1 & T2 = 39:05, avg 30.7 km/h (~19.1 mph). With both transitions in there and so many turnaround points to slow down for (plus the rain!), I'm happy with that average. 
Run - 5km:
The run was mostly along paved pathways inside a park - basically an out and back with a little loop at the far end that went into a wooded area and circled around a residential street before hooking back up with the path. They had no markers along the course (and I don't own a GPS unit) so I really had no idea what my pace was. No problem - I just ran at a pace I felt was just beyond comfortable, but nowhere near painful. At some point just after the turnaround (maybe 2km to go?) I was passed by a guy in my age group. I thought as a little "self-test" I would see if I could match his pace the rest of the way in. I didn't want to stick right on his shoulder, because I didn't want it to turn into some kind of macho pissing contest. So I let him pass, and picked it up when he was 5 steps in front of me. I was able to match him the rest of the way, and my legs felt good all the way in. I decided to just finish where I was (after a quick glance over the shoulder) and resisted the urge to smoke him at the end... just thought, hey - not exactly going for a Kona spot (or even a podium spot, for that matter) - just testing the body a little. The course felt short, so after I got home I went on Map My Run and did a little GPSing... it looks to measure ~4.8k, not the full 5. Oh well - still a good result for me. Total time = 22:39, pace on Sportstats = 4:32/km (7:18/mile)... pace as a 4.8k race = 4:43/km (7:36/mile). Regardless which is the accurate distance, a big PR for me... first time under 5:00/km in a tri, so I'm quite happy about that. I know this picture looks like I'm pissed off, but I think I'm concentrating on not getting too close to the dude in front of me. I'm also reminded how unflattering it can look when you wear a loose-fitting shirt and have it get soaked by the rain... ugh. 
Overall: 1:16:05; OA: 79/244; AG: 20/50
The AG placing is weird, because on Sportstats under my individual results they have me as 10th place for the swim, bike, and run, but 20th at the end. The AG used was 35-44, not my usual 35-39. I also noticed that there was another 10th place swimmer, biker, and runner in my AG. Something isn't right - I'm thinking maybe I was 10th for 35-39, and 20th for 35-44... not sure.
Oh, well... still a great result for me. Now, I think it will be a half marathon on September 6, and maybe a short tri to finish the season on the 19th.
As usual, time will tell.
