Tri Day
Posted on June 23, 2008
So Saturday I completed my first olympic-distance triathlon (1500 meter swim, 24.8 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). It feels great to have completed it, but I wasn’t so sure why I even signed up for it while I was in the middle of it. These are some of my thoughts as the race went on…
The Swim
So just under 1 mile, huh? Should be pretty easy, right? My wife and I go to the local pool a few times a week and swim laps for awhile so I think I can handle it. Wrong, kind of. As I got into the water I just tried not to think about anything but getting around the buoys in the middle of the lake. We had to do 2 long laps. The shotgun went off and everyone just splashed and kicked all over everyone. I knew this would happen so I positioned myself at the back of the pack to minimize the chaos around me. I knew I wasn’t going to be a very fast swimmer so I just let the big dogs get off to the races. I tried to just get into a rhythm and ignore everything else. Just get to the first buoy. That’s it. So after what seemed like a while of swimming I looked up to make sure I was headed the right direction. Luckily I still was, but the buoy did not seem any closer. I was kind of ticked off because I realized this swim was gonna take me forever. This went on and on for awhile -swimming for a while, checking to make sure I was on the right line (I kind of drift when I swim when there isn’t a lane to guide me), and realizing the buoys were not getting any closer. Finally, after about 40 minutes, I was out of the lake and jumping on my bike.
The Bike
I was excited for the bike section. I find it the most enjoyable of the three parts and the most relaxing. I don’t have a great road bike by any means -it’s kind of like a hybrid road/mountain bike, if that makes any sense. It has the mountain bike setup, but with the road tires and the gear ratios better for road riding than a mountain bike. Maybe someday I will invest the money in a nice road bike, but for now, I just had to make do with what I had. I started off comfortable on the bike, but after about 10 minutes I realized I really had to go number one. I thought about how I tried to use the bathroom before the race started but the lines were ridiculously long (even for the men’s room!). I didn’t have the patience to wait so I thought, “I’ll just go in the lake.” Well, while I was swimming I totally forgot about it, so now here I was on the bike with a bladder that was about to explode. The bike course was a loop of around 6 miles that had to be completed 4 times. I tried not to think about my bladder issue, but after 2 laps, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I found a bush on the side of the road and relieved myself. Just as good as a restroom, right? Needless to say, the last 2 laps were a lot more enjoyable.
The Run
So by this time I was pretty tired. I had already been going for a couple of hours and now I had to run 6 miles. That’s crazy. I had a quick transition and my legs were not exactly feeling fresh. I just thought about how close I was to being done and how great it would be to finish. After the first couple of miles, my left thigh started to tense up. I was just thinking “no way, you are not cramping up now.” I just tried not to think about it and kept moving. It finally went away and I just focused on finishing. By this point, time didn’t matter. It was all about finishing. I was so glad they had water/fluid stations set up every couple of miles. It was pretty hot outside by this time of morning and the water felt great. I was so pumped as I got closer and closer to the finish. Half a mile to go. Now a quarter of a mile. The end was in sight. I crossed the line and basically fell into my wife’s arms. After going for more than 3 hours, it was a relief to be done.
Post Race
I’m not gonna lie, the tri was pretty tough. After I finished, my wife found me some oranges and bananas from a tent set up and I just devoured them. I must’ve eaten about 20 orange slices. They were so good. My legs were burning and aching, as were my shoulders from the swim. The next day, I actually felt great, with the exception of my shoulders. I guess the swim was tougher than my shoulders are used to.
Looking back, it was a great experience. There were a few times during the race I seriously thought about how ridiculous it was to have paid money to put my body through this. It was crazy, I thought, but now I know it was definitely worth it. I’ll be doing more of these.
I have to give a shout out to my wife and parents for being there to support me. I remember while I was swimming I could hear them cheering for me. They were cheering loud every time I passed them while on the bike or during the run. Every time I passed them I got a nice shot of energy. Thanks guys, couldn’t have finished without you!
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» Filed Under Exercise, Triathlon
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