Shonan Aquathlon Series: Disaster

This summer once again I took part in the Shonan Aquathlon Series.
Previous years it was composed of 4 races, however this year it increased to 5 with the addition of Ota ward aquathlon. Ending in the following race order:
Nihon Gakuen, Meguro, Shibuya, Setagaya and Ota.

2 years ago I managed to finish 2nd in the general results, last year I ended champion winning two races and coming 2nd in another. This year the goal was to of course defend my title ... which did not happen. Ended 4th in the general results.

It seems the tournament is gaining popularity. It is cheap, prices are good and until last year the level of competition was very low. Plus the race itself is short so an athlete can always do his regular training after racing without any risk of injury or overworking.

Nihon Gakuen
Came in 2nd. The prize for this race is jogging shoes, which I wanted, which I thought were to be mine...but lost. Lost against a university triathlete (which ended up winning the entire tournament).
It was very dumb though. Went with a hangover, took the lead and instead of opening a gap took it easy until I got passed and well it was too late to react...over confidence defeated me.

Meguro
Did not show up haha.

Shibuya
Went drunk. Literally, directly from the club to the race.
It just happened to be that way. Had an event the day before the race and well aquathlons aren't really THAT important. Ended 5th

Setagaya
Good race. Good performance. Setagaya is the most competitive event with many university athletes showing up every year. Came in 4th, with 3rd right in front.
Now, I don't want to say I let the 3rd place beat me, but I tripped him during the race and he had a really bad fall ... so I kind of waited until he recovered and caught with me again ... oh well.

Ota
I thought I would win this one. Was really sure about it and even now still do not understand what happened. In my heat - aka the fast heat - I finished 4th with only seconds of difference with the 1st. Some how everyone in the 2nd heat - the old men - had a fantastic race. Perfect swim, great run. Flawless. Even the 4th place of that heat beat my time leaving me 9th in the general result. Still only seconds away from the 1st place. I think there were only 10 seconds between the 1st and 10th place. Insane.

Disaster. Performance wise I had a lot of course personal bests, but mentally I had many flaws.
Will very likely give it a try next year again. Hopefully I can recover my title as champion.

Upcoming races: Come cheer if you are around lol

These are my upcoming races:

October 12th: Ota Ward Aquathlon
Nearest Station: 大鳥居

October: 18th: Takashimadaira 20km
Nearest Station: Takashimadaira

October 24th: 10km at Nationa Stadium
Nearest Station: Sendagaya or the stadium one

November 8th: Hikarigaoka Half Marathon:
Nearest place: Hikarigaoka Park in Nerima

November 14th: 5km (and maybe 1500) at Komazawa track
Nearest place: Komazawa park
(tentative)

November 23rd: Saitama half marathon
Nearest Station: Urawa

December 6th: Okutama Ekiden
Nearest Station: Okutama (?)

December 13th: Narita 10 km
Nearest Station: somewhere near the airport

January 17th: Yokota half
(tentative)

January 24th: Shibuya Ekiden

February 7th: 10km somewhere in Chiba maybe
(tentative)

February 28th: Tokyo marathon if I get in

March - April: Track

May - September: Triathlons and Aquathlons (and some road and track in between)

And the cycle begins again