Sunday Triathlon Report
Well today was the long awaited 2008 super sprint triathlon at Rancho Seco park about 25 miles outside Sacramento California. Yes dorothy that is a nuclear power plant. The plant was decomissioned some time around 1989. The area surrounding the one time plant is now being used as a refuge for formerly domesticated yet exotic animals. Things like Emus and Ostrich are what is visible from the roadway. There is also a lake and campground facility which is where my race took place today.
The day for me actually started the day before. Being one for punishment, I was in woodland the day before for an SCA war. It was a great day and there was much slaying among friends. The only bad part was that it ended up being 100 degrees and when you are encased in layers of padded cloting covered with armor, it feels more like 140 degrees.
I got home from the war, and continued to hydrate myself all night long, and in increased my food intake as well. I wanted to make sure I had the energy for the upcoming race. I got to bed nice and early, because I new it was going to be an early start in the morning. The race location 2.5 hours from home and I was going to have to do all the driving because Megan was working late Saturday night. When Megan arrived home, the resulting activity around the house woke me up. I couldn't get back to sleep until after 2 am and I had to get up at 4 for to pack and make ready for a 5 am road trip.
We arrived on site and I was hopefully excited, I had no idea what to do or expect, this was my first race. I walked over, found my name on the list, reported to the sign in booth and was given my race materials, t-shirt, swim cap and other schwag. I was to be racer # 140 I had brought some safety pins to pin my number on, but they had race belts for sale there, and I decided to splurge a little and get one for myself. I attached my numbers to my belt and bike, then took the bike on over to the staging area. I was one of the first people there, so i got my choice of bike staging locations. I picked a spot that was just outside the swim area on the aisle that leads through the transition area. It was easy to see and I would have nobody blocking me in.
I then walked down to the start of the swim and checked out the water. It was nice and warm, but they were still allowing wetsuits. Megan and I had been joking around about the lake being nuclear heated, and that I should watch out for the 4 eyed frogs and 2 headed fish. Apparently everyone was thinking the same thing, because i heard similar jokes from the other racers and staff who were milling around the lake.
I walked back up to the transition area and put on my wetsuit. Of course no sooner than I put it on, I get the urge to use the restroom. I can hold it. It will go away when the race starts. Nope not gonna happen, so I trot on over to the bathrooms and do a little dance to get out of the wetsuit.
8:30 a.m. and they are starting the duathlon and the really short triathlon. 9:00 was our start time. My race was scheduled to be 400 yard swim, 8 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. Well when I looked out at the swim I thought the first maker looked easily doable, but the second marker sure seemed like it was probably 400 yard all by itslef. The course was layed out with 100 yards out from the shore, then it followed the shore line for 200 yards, then 100 yards back into the shore. It was a short run up the hill to the transition area with a 4 mile ride out and back to the transition area and a 2 mile run out and back on a dirt road. More of this to come later.
So I started today with 3 goals, nothing so lofty or dillusional as winning or placing in the event. My goals were simple 1) Don't drown 2) Don't walk, run the whole race no matter how slow. 3) Don't finish last
The race was broken into 3 waves those under 30, 30-39, 40 and over. There were actually age groups for every 10 years, but for starting purposes those were the 3 groups, men and women included in each group. Some how along the way, I ended up in the 40 and over group. WTF when did that sneak up on me. Somehow I was now part of the old group. 1 foot on the ground, and 1 foot in the grave it would seem 
. The first group started at 9, the second at 9:05, and the third at 9:10. When they started our race, I took off, and I had made sure to start in the back, because I had heard about people getting punched, kicked and swum over during starts. Well after a couple strokes, I had caught people, I was feeling great and I was also in the middle of the pack of swimmers. Bouy number 1 only 100 yards into the open water swim and I was starting to have doubts about goal number one. I started thinking uh-oh this is bad, that guy in the kayak is never going to get to me in time if i have a problem, which I was starting to have. My quick pace at the start of the swim had run it's course and I was now bringing up the rear of the pack. I started alternating between freestyle and back stroke or just floating to catch my breath and get some strength back. The next 200 yards were really bad, I kept thinking damn it I'm going to have to signal for the guy in the kayak, I'm not going to make it. I kept plodding along, alternating between my 2 not so efficeint forms of swimming, except now I started to add swallowing the occasional unexpected mouth full of water. I spent so much time on my back floating and kicking that they safety crew had to let me know that I was going way off course and that I needed to correct. When I finally got to the second bouy and could see the shore, I realized that I wasn't going to die, but that I had in fact already done so, and this was my punishment for a life of sins 
. I never felt so good and so bad at the same time as I did when I finally felt sand under my feet again. I picked myself up and began to stagger up the beach and into T1. The swim was so bad, that goal number 2 was in serious jeopardy, as I was the last one out of the water. I was so slow that besides my wife, 1 safety worker, and 2 other people who were watching, there was nobody left on the shore watching. Let me tell you this did wonders for my morale. The eventual winner of the race, was finishing his bike portion and heading out for the run, while I was just getting my gear on to start the ride. OMG he finished the whole race in 40 minutes. It ended up taking me almost an hour longer than it did for him.
I staggered into the bike transition T1 and started stripping things off. I at least had the head to remember to unzip the wetsuit while moving from the water to the bike, so that helped a bit with the transiton time. I have no idea what the time was, I was just happy to be breathing air instead of water. I had my riding clothes on under the wetsuit, so I just buckled on the helmet, sunglasses, and glove and was off. I could see someone ahead of me on the course and I was determined to catch them. I didn't have to worry about being passed by anyone else, because there was nobody behind me. I finally caught my first person about mile 2 into the race, and my second person about 50 yards after that. I made the 4 mile turn around and managed to catch 2 more people on the bike ride. I was thinking I stood a chance of still completing my 2nd and 3rd goals. I don't know why, but this sure seems to be true, the ride home always seems longer, and it is always uphill with a headwind. I find this to be true if I am riding to work, or out for a pleasure ride. It seems to be the case during a race as well. I guess it is just one of those universal laws of nature. When I rolled into T2, I had actually caught up with 2 people from the first wave the under 30 crowd.
2/3rds done and all I have to do is a 2 mile run. I felt o.k. I didn't have the bicycle legs that I had felt in the past. That weak feeling in the legs that effects your ability to walk. It makes the sensation of moving your legs feel alien, like you have never walked or run before. I don my race belt and number, throw on 
my Team Fast T-shirt, and head out for the run. Well about 100 yards into the run, goal number 2 was squashed. I just couldn't run, and I had to walk. I was actually pretty upset with this, I think that while the thought of drowning during the swim was scary, this part caused me more duress. I was feeling pretty much the failure at this point, and was starting to be pretty hard on myself. Nothing quite like feeling like crap then kicking yourself while you are down. I remembered once hearing that you will never make up the speed lost/gained on hills. You can't run fast enough down hill to make up for the time you lose going uphill. I decided that I would run the uphill portions and use gravity to help with the downhill parts. I actually managed to pass 2 people on the run using this strategy, and I kept 2 other people at bay who had almost caught me. Yeah the same people I had passed on the bike run. I was determined to keep those spots I had earned. Every time I would hear their footsteps I would start running again. I actually distanced myself from them by running the uphills. I managed to run the last quarter mile of the race without stopping and finished as strong as I could. I had trained solely on the treadmill at the YMCA. I was in no way prepared for running on a dirt fire trail with some minor hills. It basically kicked my ass.
With the race over, I was still feeling pretty down on myself. Megan was very supportive and tried her best to encourage me. I grabbed a little food from the pasta table, walked around a bit, put in my bib number for a prize drawing and tried to gather myself. I collected my gear and took it back to the car. I asked Megan if we could hang out to see who had won and to see if I had won a prize from the drawing. When the come around to the Clydesdale division they called my name, I had taken 3rd place. Well I consider it more of a competitors medallion, because there were only 3 people in that division, so I guess short of drowning in the swim, or not finishing, I was guaranteed a trophy.
So that was pretty much it for my first triathlon. I'm uploading pictures as I type, and I will have a link to them and the race results as soon as they post them.
Will I do this again? I don't know. I hate the fact that I did so poorly and that has me motivated to do better. I don't like getting the pitty trophy, and would rather they had only given out trophies to the top 2 competitiors. I think you should have to beat someone to get a trophy and I certainly didn't beat anyone in my division. I hate losing. Winning isn't everything in life, but it sure beats the hell out of coming in last. At least now I know what I am up against, and what I need to do for improvement. I won't let this beat me. I may never end up on the winners podium again, but I refuse to let this be my one moment, my one and only race where I managed to let myself down. Next year I am going to be a success.
Scott
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
I am like you - I have certian goals for myself, and get very down on myself when I don't make them. But I think we have to remember where we came from. I know myself, 2.5 years ago, I weighed 360 lbs. I was not living life! Now I run, I dance, and I am living life! Sounds like you are doing the same!!
Congrats on an awesome race!! I really do hope that you do it again!!
I can relate because I had a really bad triathlon earlier this summer - I just couldn't get the run down and ended up walking a lot of it. I was so mad at myself, but hey, it happens. I not only came in last in my age group, but I think that the next to the last person beat me by like 20 minutes - that was pretty disheartening. It wasn't like I even could have made that much time up if I had run instead of walking.
But I did have fun doing it and I did feel a sense of accomplishment and I'll do it again.
Your report was very reminiscent to me of my first. There wasn't much of anything I was happy with. I didn't let that get the best of me though, and by the time I did my third, I'd improved by nearly 30 minutes. The first is a hard experience anyway, but there has to be one.
Think about it this way. What are the things you learned for the next one? I'm sure your list is relatively long.
As you know, I also do all my training on the tread, but I also make it a point to do some road races as well. I promise you it will make a difference in the run for the next tri. Just a few 5k's here and there is all it'll take to make you feel more comfortable on the road (or dirt as the case may be)..
I also have a significantly more difficult time swimming in open water than in a pool. It's a lot harder to judge both direction and distance. I was very slow in my first open water swim (course, I'm very slow anyway).
Congratulations on finishing your first. I think you did a fabulous job!
Linn
What I have enjoyed the most is that setting the goals for additional races it has broken the monotony of working out.
Great job!
No matter where you placed crossing that finish line makes you a member of the club-o-triathletes. Great job man!
The first race is always a challenge because you don't really know what to expect. What happened to you in the swim happened to me for my first 6 races at least. They blow the starting horn to start my wave and I forgot how to swim. Doing your first race in open water compounds the difficultly and fear by 10. Take it all in stride because I promise you it gets better.
The main thing you gotta understand and take away from your first race is triathlon is it's NOT about winning. Race to COMPLETE not to COMPETE. For age-groupers like us, that will never win a race, it's about beating the course. Beat the course, learn a good bit about yourself and your limits and best of all, experience the thrill of the finish.
Great job on the hardware by the way. Pfffft, your first race and you pick up hardware? You just may win your next one! :)
Chad
