My first triathlon was the Lake Samish Triathlon in Bellingham, WA. It was a sprint distance and I have no idea why I wanted to do it, really...
http://www.lakesamishtriathlon.com/index.html
.5m swim
14.7m bike
3.1m run
The results are here:
http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=15413&relist_record_type=result&lower_bound=0&upper_bound=186&use_previous_sql=1&group_by=default#racetop
129/186
As you can see, I am not an amazing athlete by any stretch of the word...But that is not why I do it. I do it to cross the finish line.
I prepared for this race for about 3 months. As it was my first triathlon, I did the race in a pair of swim shorts and goggles, I threw on a tanktop and running shoes for my bike ride (which was a mountain bike with street tires), and ran in the same outfit.
I had only swam in open water 3 times before the event (the full swim once), I had only ridden the entire distance once, and I had only run the entire distance twice. I did a small training run of all 3 events twice.
...looking back on it, Im surprised I even finished.
A week before the race, my knee started to "Click" and feel unstable every time I would walk or try to run. I tried to nurse it as much as I could, but even the day before the race, it was still clicking. I didn't know if I would be able to actually do the run.
The morning of the event, I woke up, and it was fine. Really wierd.
...Mother nature was not too kind to us as it started to rain. I got to experience one of those moments that I will never forget...Standing in a pair of shorts in waist-deep in water in the rain unable to stop shivering...and looking around and seeing all of the spectators huddled up in rain coats and umbrellas. All of that topped with I am about to run a long race... "What am I doing right now?!"
The buoys looked as though they were twice as far apart as they should be...My wife reminded me, "the bike and running course probably look twice as long right now, also."
I ate my goo, gave my last thoughts to the porta-potty, applied some body lubrication, and walked down to the water in the rain. (note...make sure you get your nipples...they tend to ache)
The swim:
I tried to stay to the outside...but more people kept getting farther to the outside. I ended up in thein the middle, I guess. The start was hard. People hitting me, me hitting people, and there not being any free space to swim. It may have been easier to climb on top of people and run along their backs... I finally worked my way as far to the outside as I could. I figured I would rather make the swim longer than use all my energy trying to stay afloat.
There isn't much to describe about the swim. It is wierd watching the bottom of the lake drop away. It is wierd to swim in the rain. Its wierd how natural it is for my body to swim off course. I think I swam 30% more than anybody else.
For the most part it was quiet. other than my body cutting through the water, I was able to just enjoy the silence. I was able to think about whatever I wanted to and pay real close attention to my muscles with zero interruptions. It was quite enjoyable, other than the occassional slap on the leg from the swimmer behind me.
It was relieving to look up and see the shore approaching. I dug in and muscled through the rest of the way.
The person behind me decided to dig in even more as the tried climbing over my back and the person next to me. His effort was futile as he still had to remove his wetsuit...and he wasn't anywhere near the head of the pack.
Once I pushed my body up out of the water, it was like entering another world. I could suddenly hear everything around me, people were yelling, and I was warm. I was dizzy, but I followed somebody's advice. "Just follow the person right in front of you...don't race getting to the transition area..." Im glad I listened, as I felt very tipsy and my vision was not fully working.
The Bike:
I got to the transition area and used my towel to quickly dry off. In my training I had a hard time running in wet shoes/socks, so I brought a towel to get myself as dry as possible....This was futile, as it was raining. I got my shirt on, got my socks and shoes on. At this point my wife and kids caught up to me and I was able to say 'hi' to them really quickly. I wish I had something neat to give to them. I should have given them my goggles and swim cap.
I grabbed my bike and off and headed to the mounting line.
I thought I was really cool for about 7 seconds. There were 3 riders at the mounting line trying to get their clipless pedals on. I just hopped on my bike and started riding. I felt really cool that I passed somebody. They passed me immediately after that thought went through my head.
The ride itself was fairly depressing. It felt like every single person passed me. When the women passed me (who started 10 minutes later), I felt like I was in last place. I passed somebody who got a flat tire and were getting assistance...then they passed me again. A lot of people say the bike is the easiest leg...But when you are my size and have 1/2 the weight and muscle in your leg, you have to push twice as hard to turn that crank.
The other really depressing thing was that I still had to run. When training, if I got water in my shoes, my feet would get irritated and painful. During this ride (as it was raining), I would look down at my soaking wet socks and watch water pour out the top of my shoe as I pushed down on the pedals....But I was committed.
It was a pretty ride. It was 2 laps around a lake. A lot of residents came out and were cheering us on. I was grateful to be making the last turn towards the transition area. I wanted to push my muscles harder, but it felt like I just couldn't push the cranks hard enough.
Finally, the dismount area! Freedom!
The Run:
I need to say first that if I have ANYTHING in my stomach when I run, it will come out. I have learned that my body is very sensitive when running and if I have any food in my stomach, or even a sip of water, it is going to cause problems.
I dropped my bike at the transition area. I didn't expect to see my family, as it is silly to expect them to wait an hour and anticipate when I'll arrive. I didn't have anything else to do, since I had my shoes on so I just took a moment to take it in. People yelling over a PA, athletes coming and going, spectators cheering...It was an amazing moment.
As I started to leave, there was a gatorade stand. I figured "I need to put SOMETHING in my body", so I grabbed a cup and took a few sips of it.
I waddled off (Yes, I was sore from the ride) towards the course. I figured I would probably be doing quite a bit of waddling..."as long as my hips are moving, I am moving". My knee didn't bother me.
There isn't much to say about running. I was focused on my breathing, my steps, and the fact that I was 2/3 done. I wanted to walk. I really wanted to walk. I reallllly wanted to walk. I started to walk. I needed to run. I really needed to run...I started to run again.
On my way back, I could hear them yelling over the PA and see the location where the finish was. It was exciting. I didn't increase my pace, as I had never done anything like this before and didn't want to DNF 1/2 mile from the finish...but it was just really exciting.
There is nothing that says "WELCOME HOME" like a Finish tunnel and a big timer. I didn't even matter what the timer said, but just seeing big glowing letters was so relieving.
I saw the wife and kids briefly before the finish line. It was probably pretty emotional. Seeing the kids' faces light up as they were yelling...Knowing at that moment that I was their hero...it was really emotional.
As I crossed the finish, I went to the person removing the timing chips. They asked me to lift my foot, and I almost fell down. Luckily it was removed quickly and I was able to fall over in the grass.
We stuck around, ate and took in the sites. I changed my clothes, cleaned up and started to leave. Unfortunately, as we were leaving, we had to drive down the same road that runners were coming down. I didn't know how to encourage them. You can't really yell "Good Job!" or "Keep up the good work!"...wouldn't that be more discouraging to be yelled from the line of cars driving past you?
Note for future: After a triathlon, don't go to a street fair and walk around for another hour before going to eat lunch. Sit down. Eat a big old burger, and then do something fun.
http://www.lakesamishtriathlon.com/index.html
.5m swim
14.7m bike
3.1m run
The results are here:
http://onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=15413&relist_record_type=result&lower_bound=0&upper_bound=186&use_previous_sql=1&group_by=default#racetop
129/186
As you can see, I am not an amazing athlete by any stretch of the word...But that is not why I do it. I do it to cross the finish line.
I prepared for this race for about 3 months. As it was my first triathlon, I did the race in a pair of swim shorts and goggles, I threw on a tanktop and running shoes for my bike ride (which was a mountain bike with street tires), and ran in the same outfit.
I had only swam in open water 3 times before the event (the full swim once), I had only ridden the entire distance once, and I had only run the entire distance twice. I did a small training run of all 3 events twice.
...looking back on it, Im surprised I even finished.
A week before the race, my knee started to "Click" and feel unstable every time I would walk or try to run. I tried to nurse it as much as I could, but even the day before the race, it was still clicking. I didn't know if I would be able to actually do the run.
The morning of the event, I woke up, and it was fine. Really wierd.
...Mother nature was not too kind to us as it started to rain. I got to experience one of those moments that I will never forget...Standing in a pair of shorts in waist-deep in water in the rain unable to stop shivering...and looking around and seeing all of the spectators huddled up in rain coats and umbrellas. All of that topped with I am about to run a long race... "What am I doing right now?!"
The buoys looked as though they were twice as far apart as they should be...My wife reminded me, "the bike and running course probably look twice as long right now, also."
I ate my goo, gave my last thoughts to the porta-potty, applied some body lubrication, and walked down to the water in the rain. (note...make sure you get your nipples...they tend to ache)
The swim:
I tried to stay to the outside...but more people kept getting farther to the outside. I ended up in thein the middle, I guess. The start was hard. People hitting me, me hitting people, and there not being any free space to swim. It may have been easier to climb on top of people and run along their backs... I finally worked my way as far to the outside as I could. I figured I would rather make the swim longer than use all my energy trying to stay afloat.
There isn't much to describe about the swim. It is wierd watching the bottom of the lake drop away. It is wierd to swim in the rain. Its wierd how natural it is for my body to swim off course. I think I swam 30% more than anybody else.
For the most part it was quiet. other than my body cutting through the water, I was able to just enjoy the silence. I was able to think about whatever I wanted to and pay real close attention to my muscles with zero interruptions. It was quite enjoyable, other than the occassional slap on the leg from the swimmer behind me.
It was relieving to look up and see the shore approaching. I dug in and muscled through the rest of the way.
The person behind me decided to dig in even more as the tried climbing over my back and the person next to me. His effort was futile as he still had to remove his wetsuit...and he wasn't anywhere near the head of the pack.
Once I pushed my body up out of the water, it was like entering another world. I could suddenly hear everything around me, people were yelling, and I was warm. I was dizzy, but I followed somebody's advice. "Just follow the person right in front of you...don't race getting to the transition area..." Im glad I listened, as I felt very tipsy and my vision was not fully working.
The Bike:
I got to the transition area and used my towel to quickly dry off. In my training I had a hard time running in wet shoes/socks, so I brought a towel to get myself as dry as possible....This was futile, as it was raining. I got my shirt on, got my socks and shoes on. At this point my wife and kids caught up to me and I was able to say 'hi' to them really quickly. I wish I had something neat to give to them. I should have given them my goggles and swim cap.
I grabbed my bike and off and headed to the mounting line.
I thought I was really cool for about 7 seconds. There were 3 riders at the mounting line trying to get their clipless pedals on. I just hopped on my bike and started riding. I felt really cool that I passed somebody. They passed me immediately after that thought went through my head.
The ride itself was fairly depressing. It felt like every single person passed me. When the women passed me (who started 10 minutes later), I felt like I was in last place. I passed somebody who got a flat tire and were getting assistance...then they passed me again. A lot of people say the bike is the easiest leg...But when you are my size and have 1/2 the weight and muscle in your leg, you have to push twice as hard to turn that crank.
The other really depressing thing was that I still had to run. When training, if I got water in my shoes, my feet would get irritated and painful. During this ride (as it was raining), I would look down at my soaking wet socks and watch water pour out the top of my shoe as I pushed down on the pedals....But I was committed.
It was a pretty ride. It was 2 laps around a lake. A lot of residents came out and were cheering us on. I was grateful to be making the last turn towards the transition area. I wanted to push my muscles harder, but it felt like I just couldn't push the cranks hard enough.
Finally, the dismount area! Freedom!
The Run:
I need to say first that if I have ANYTHING in my stomach when I run, it will come out. I have learned that my body is very sensitive when running and if I have any food in my stomach, or even a sip of water, it is going to cause problems.
I dropped my bike at the transition area. I didn't expect to see my family, as it is silly to expect them to wait an hour and anticipate when I'll arrive. I didn't have anything else to do, since I had my shoes on so I just took a moment to take it in. People yelling over a PA, athletes coming and going, spectators cheering...It was an amazing moment.
As I started to leave, there was a gatorade stand. I figured "I need to put SOMETHING in my body", so I grabbed a cup and took a few sips of it.
I waddled off (Yes, I was sore from the ride) towards the course. I figured I would probably be doing quite a bit of waddling..."as long as my hips are moving, I am moving". My knee didn't bother me.
There isn't much to say about running. I was focused on my breathing, my steps, and the fact that I was 2/3 done. I wanted to walk. I really wanted to walk. I reallllly wanted to walk. I started to walk. I needed to run. I really needed to run...I started to run again.
On my way back, I could hear them yelling over the PA and see the location where the finish was. It was exciting. I didn't increase my pace, as I had never done anything like this before and didn't want to DNF 1/2 mile from the finish...but it was just really exciting.
There is nothing that says "WELCOME HOME" like a Finish tunnel and a big timer. I didn't even matter what the timer said, but just seeing big glowing letters was so relieving.
I saw the wife and kids briefly before the finish line. It was probably pretty emotional. Seeing the kids' faces light up as they were yelling...Knowing at that moment that I was their hero...it was really emotional.
As I crossed the finish, I went to the person removing the timing chips. They asked me to lift my foot, and I almost fell down. Luckily it was removed quickly and I was able to fall over in the grass.
We stuck around, ate and took in the sites. I changed my clothes, cleaned up and started to leave. Unfortunately, as we were leaving, we had to drive down the same road that runners were coming down. I didn't know how to encourage them. You can't really yell "Good Job!" or "Keep up the good work!"...wouldn't that be more discouraging to be yelled from the line of cars driving past you?
Note for future: After a triathlon, don't go to a street fair and walk around for another hour before going to eat lunch. Sit down. Eat a big old burger, and then do something fun.
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