tomorrow i'll be racing the HSBC toronto islands duathlon, a race that i've been looking forward to for a long time. this stop has been a part of the HSBC's roster for a couple of years but, for whatever reason, last year the duathlon was not on the card. this year, however, duathlon is returning to the islands and i've practically been counting down the days all year. this is my hometown race. i live about a 10 minute drive from the ferry terminal, i'm going to have family and friends there to cheer me on, and my wife and i have planned on making a day out of the race because we both love going over to the islands. after the event wraps up we'll meander along the rec paths, stop in at centreville, probably have an ice cream cone, maybe rent a bike or a paddle boat for a couple of hours, and maybe go for a swim.
this will be a flat and fast course and i'm hoping to do well. there are a couple of elite male athletes entered in the race but i don't recognize their names so i don't know what to expect. there's a good chance they could both beat me and i expect the rest of the field to be tough, too. but if i can get the time that i'm hoping for i should be able to finish on the podium. my injury is doing better these days but it will definitely play the most vital role in how well i do tomorrow. since it's a race i will be pushing myself, but if my body is telling me to slow down and take it easy i will. my injury is definitely affecting my performance, but the last time i ran intervals i forgot my watch so i couldn't see just how much it's slowing me down. the good news is that my riding doesn't seem to be affected so i should have a strong performance on the bike. learning from my mistakes in gravenhurst i'm going to fuel up better for this race and hope to cross the finish line feeling like i've actually pushed myself.
regardless of how i place tomorrow, if i can get the time i want i'll be very pleased. i always head to races competing against myself and the clock, pushing to get my target time. this race will be the same and if i can get through the injury and cross the line feeling strong i'll be even more pleased. if you're looking for something to do tomorrow morning and have never been to the toronto islands, come check out the race for sure. it'll be an amazing venue, the weather looks fantastic, and you can spend the whole day on the islands exploring, having fun and relaxing.
