Post triathlon thoughts

A few thoughts after finishing yesterday's Grind in the Pines Sprint Triathlon:

What went well:

• Parking and registration.  I have a habit of showing up to races late and rushing registration and getting ready.  Since this was my first tri, I wanted to get there super early not just to register and set up, but to mentally prepare.
• Transition set up.  This wasn't too hard as I just looked at how others set up and copied them.
• Running.  Obviously.  This is my comfort zone.

What I will change for next time:

• Fix my damn bike.  Or borrow a better one.
• Remember my damn goggles.
• Fueling.  I didn't bring any fuel with me.  I figured it would take me no more than an hour and a half to finish and I probably wouldn't need it.  I felt ok without any fuel, but next time I will probably bring at least one gel to take in the bike portion.
• Hydration.  My bike doesn't have a water bottle holder, so I just did without.  As a result, I was getting dangerously parched during the bike section.  In my next tri, I hope to have either a better bike, or just jury rig some sort of setup with my current bike.
• Transition: bring a small container with water to wash off my feet, a second towel to stand on, and a bucket to sit on.

So did I enjoy the triathlon yesterday?  Absolutely.  I enjoyed trying something new and pushing myself hard, and the sense of accomplishment upon completing it.

Will I do another one?  Absolutely.  I really want to make improvements in swimming and biking, make small changes to my gear and slowly improve my time.

So how do I improve my time?  Instead of joining a triathlon group (like I almost did last spring), instead of reading lots of tips online, instead of even training that hard for it, my plan was to establish a baseline for future races.  I knew my level of fitness would allow me to finish it, albeit rather slowly, so I just wanted to get through it so that I would have something to compare to.  Now that I know what a sprint tri is like, I can make small adjustments as I go and figure out what works for me and what doesn't.

This is pretty much the same technique that allowed me to knock off an hour and 26 minutes from my original marathon time and run a BQ last fall.  It's a slow process, and involves a fair bit of trial and error, but I believe that my own experience will count for a lot more.  Mentally understanding an event and drawing from personal experience will mean more than something a coach or training plan is simply telling me to do.

This is not to say that I wouldn't love to join a training group, at least for the camaraderie. Unfortunately, it's always going to come down to money.  I try to be as frugal as possible, and even I sometimes have a hard time justifying the amount of races I do.  It's no secret just how expensive triathlons are.  Race registration alone is astronomical compared to plain foot races. For reference: yesterday's sprint tri, the shortest tri distance offered, cost me $85, whereas entry into next summer's Ironman Lake Placid, the closest one to where I live, is $725.

Obviously I proved that you can do a tri without breaking the bank.  My only expenses yesterday were gas money to get to and from, and registration.  But if I want to get better and get into longer distances, it's going to start costing me.  I might need to join a gym to have someplace to swim.  I would need annual membership in USA Triathlon to compete in sanctioned events.  Depending on the weather, I might need a wetsuit for a given race.  I would love a sweet road bike and a tri suit and and and... But it adds up.  If I were truly passionate about the triathlon, maybe I could justify it.  But it's just not where my passion lies.

In the end, I will definitely return to the triathlon, but let's just say this blog will remain a running blog for the time being.

Grind in the Pines Sprint Triathlon: Race Recap

Finally managed to knock out my first triathlon this morning.  Grind in the Pines is a race sponsored by DQ Events and actually offers several different races in one day: sprint tri, olympic tri, olympic duathlon, and olympic aquabike.  10 years ago I might have considered signing up for just the sprint to be wimping out, but luckily I've grown sensible in my old age and realize there's nothing wrong with starting small when you're a rookie like me.  Sprint tri it is.

.25 mile swim.
11 mile bike.
3.1 mile run.

Left the house this morning at 5:30am and drove 45 minutes out to Pemberton in the Pine Barrens.  It was a gorgeous morning for a race - blue skies, cool temps and a water temperature of 75 degrees.

I can't believe how out of my element I felt watching so many fit triathletes unload their bikes in the transition area.  I had a regular bathing suit, no goggles, a pair of running shoes, a shirt, and a clunky old mountain bike from my town's bike share that I soon learned doesn't shift gears anymore.  Meanwhile, men and women were walking around me with bikes that probably cost more than my car, spandex suits, wet suits and all manner of accoutrements stacked neatly by their bikes.

A man rolled his bike up next to mine and asked me if I knew where bike out was.  I wanted to respond, "do I look like I know what I'm doing here?"  But instead I guessed it was somewhere behind me.

I teach high school German, and I spend a lot of time talking with my students about strategies for speaking and understanding a foreign language.  Having spent two and a half years living in Germany, as well as plenty of time in countries where I don't speak the language, I'm used to not knowing what's going on.  One of the strategies I tell my students is to simply look around and see what others are doing.  So I set up my transition area as best I could after watching everyone else around me.

Saw a lot of athletes spraying themselves down with cooking spray.  Maybe to make it easier to put on/take off clothing?  Seems I left my cooking spray at home, so I couldn't copy this.

I now have a better appreciation for what some runners go through with their first race.  It was one thing to feel so out of my element, but I was genuinely feeling nervous about the race itself.  I'm not a strong swimmer, and it's one thing to train in a clear pool, but it's quite another to be in a dark lake with a hundred other competitors.  I didn't know how my body would handle the unknown.  I was just itching to get to the run portion where I would feel more in my element.

The olympic tri set off in three waves, and we had to wait until 8am for the sprint tri to start.  We all had to wear red swimcaps.

I breaststroked nearly the entirety of the swim, trying to keep up with an elderly couple and a handicapped man swimming with a guide.  I genuinely wondered if I might come in last in the swim.  After nearly 12 minutes of swimming I finally hauled myself out of the lake, covered in lake muck, and into transition.  Spent an eternity in T1 (4:58) before heading out onto the bike.

As mentioned, I quickly discovered that my bike was stuck in one gear and would not shift at all.  As a result, I looked like some weird cartoon character as I pedaled like mad but made little forward progress.  It was a little frustrating.  We ended up on the same bike course as the olympic triathletes, and the constant drone of "on your left" as others passed me got old real quick.  I think I only passed one other person the entire time.

And after 43 minutes on the bike, it was finally time for my specialty: running.  Finally released from the constraints of my own physical limitations and shit equipment, I charged out of transition like I meant business, ready to take out as many runners as I could.  For some comparison: out of 85 total finishers, I came in 69th in the swim, 73rd in the bike, and 7th in the run.  The run was great.  Just a nice out and back, partly on a lonely dirt road deep in the woods.  It took me a minute or so to readjust to the mechanics of running after swimming and biking, but I was very quickly back in my element.

I finished strong and immediately helped myself to hoagies and donuts and fruit, then washed the lake muck off of me at the fire truck they'd brought in.

Some final stats:

Overall time: 1:23:10
Overall place: 52nd (out of 85)
Age group place: 6th (out of 6)
Swim: 11:43
Swim place: 69th
T1: 4:58
Bike: 43:37
Bike place: 73rd
T2: 0:54
Run: 22:00
Run place: 7th

I have a strong desire to improve my time, so I would love to do another someday, but that probably won't be for awhile.

I've been meaning to do a tri for years now, and so glad I finally took the plunge.  It really was a great event and a great morning of exerting myself in the outdoors, something I truly love. 

T3

Out on the town and trying to make new athlete friends...

My friend Tahsin is an old hat at triathlons, and together with his tri club (T3), he's coaching a program aimed at rookie triathletes.  He invited me out to their meet-and-greet at a bar in Philly tonight, so Stevie and I took the train in to meet everyone and get to know the club a little.

Stevie and Tahsin at T3's meet-and-greet

T3's welcome letter

The goal of the program is to get everyone ready for a triathlon in Philly on June 21st.  The bad news is the swimming portion is held in the Schuylkill River.  The good news is the club is sponsored by the bar where we met tonight.

Now I have to decide if I want to spend the money on all the crap associated with triathlons, or if I want to just keep being cheap and running the odd race every so often.

Decisions decisions...