Ten Things I Learned Doing a Triathlon



My Medal

It's been a month since I completed the Ackley Lake Invitational Triathlon. Friends are still congratulating me and asking about it. It feels really good although I'm inclined to make sure they know it wasn't an Ironman type thing. I don't want them to think I did something that dangerously crazy!

The whole experience was wonderful and surprising. I find myself reflecting on it quite a bit. Being a reflective sort of person I also did some thinking during those long training sessions, especially the boring walks. I've come to some conclusions about the experience and thought it would be fun to do a Letterman-type top ten list. So here goes:

 

Number Ten: Don't wear your favorite bathing suit to swim in a lake.
 
I had a premonition about this one. The first time I tried the lake swim to see if I might be able to do it I put on my backup swimsuit. Last summer I bought two when they were on sale for 50% off. One fit better and looked better on me than the other so I've been using it as my number one suit. Sure enough, it is hard to get the smell of lake water out of a suit. I don't know about you but both of my suits say to hand wash only. I religiously washed it out in the shower after every swim. Somehow it always had that earthy, organic, decaying plant smell. After the triathlon was completed I did put it in the washing machine and, luckily, the smell washed out and the suit didn't fall apart. So I guess I could modify this learning to say "only wear a swimsuit that can be machine washed to swim in a lake".

Ready for the Start



Number Nine: Lake swimming can be fun.

Despite all my fears about the oogieness of lake swimming, I found myself rather enjoying it. Seeing beauty all around me as I swim is really wonderful. I've always liked the feel of water and the sense of freedom that comes with buoyancy. Its fortunate that the water temperatures were comfortable the whole time I trained. Since the triathlon we've had more rain and cooler air temperatures. The one time I went into the lake for a swim since the triathlon was a shock. I started walking out into the water and stopped short. When I looked at the thermometer it said 72 degrees. I got out and went for a walk instead! Joe has been wearing his wetsuit to swim the last week or so. I do plan to swim more next year (or this year if we have a warm spell). If I do the triathlon again, the swim is one area where I can definitely improve my time.

 

Number Eight: There is a least one advantage to a tri-suit.

As much as I mocked tri-suits earlier in my training, there were times when I wished that I had one. I had a problem with chaffing along the bottom edges of the swimsuit when wearing biking shorts on top of my suit. Another advantage of a tri-suit would be reduced transition time between the swim and the bike. It took awhile to dry off my legs and get the bike shorts on over a wet swimsuit. Next year I might look into one of the less expensive tri-suits. As Joe has been saying lately, I'm getting "hard core"!

Number Seven: I can quit worrying about how I look.

 



Swim-Bike Transition

Here's breaking news: thirty-somethings don't look their best doing a triathlon either. At first I felt embarrassed about being seen on the local roads in my tight fitting triathlon outfit. There's no way to hide your bulges in Lycra. Gradually, as I began to feel proud of myself, I started thinking that folks who saw me working out should be impressed that I was serious about my fitness as demonstrated by my authentic fitness clothing! I still felt a bit uncomfortable about my whole family seeing all my bulges. When everyone showed up on the day of the event, I took a look around and realized that nobody cared how I looked. They, too, were dressed to maximize their performance rather than win a beauty contest. It dawned on me that if no one else cared, why should I! This was very freeing.   

Number Six: Dividing a big goal into small achievable objectives does work.

When I first thought of doing the whole triathlon it seemed overwhelming. I thought that the most I could do is one leg of a relay team. As I worked on swimming, the weakest of my sports, I began to approach my preparation by thinking of the next step I needed to take. I had never really swum in Ackley Lake before because I didn't want to get into places where the water was too deep or the bottom too gooshy for me to be able to put my feet down if needed. The first step I took was to swim away from the dock a short distance and then swim back. From there I worked out a plan to increase to the triathlon distance. When I worked as a consultant we called this the "Swiss cheese method". By poking small holes in a large task, it gradually seems less daunting.
 

Number Five: Outdoor exercise gets me closer to the earth.



33rd Street

I can't tell you how many times I drove, biked and walked the stretch of 33rd Street that was part of the triathlon route. At one point, as I was driving it, I thought "I own this street!" I realized that I knew so much about it - every hole in the pavement to avoid on the bike, where to shift gears, where there was a shoulder that I could walk on, where there were shady stretches to cool off. But ever more significant, I knew how much the corn had grown each day, where there were nice wildflowers and how they changed over time, the hangouts of various birds, landscaping ideas in people's yards that I might try. And the swimming helped me know our lake more deeply. I think you get the idea. When you are outside and move slowly you see a lot more than when you drive by. This is one of the reasons that I'm more interested in exercise when it's done outdoors. I have never done well in a gym because I can't stand the enclosed environment. I treasure this area in which I live even more now that I have become more intimately acquainted with it.

Our Lake

Number Four: I know myself well.

Living in this body for 66 years has taught me a heck of a lot about myself. I can use that self-knowledge to accomplish lots of things.

As I've already mentioned, I know I'm more committed to exercise when it's outside. I also know that I can feel overwhelmed by a big effort but am able to accomplish it if I think of it in incremental steps. One thing about my triathlon preparation that really impressed me was my ability to put together a concrete plan that got me from the first inkling that I might just do it all to actually completing the event. As I put together that written plan, I knew what would work for me and what would not. I planned for success and that helped me believe I could succeed. 

I also know that I am more committed to regular exercise when I have a goal in mind. I'm not the only one to discover that special events are a way to convince myself to get out and workout even when I don't want to.

 

Number Three: I can be more successful at sports than I thought I could.

Relaxing after the Race

I've probably already shared in this blog that in school I was usually the last one picked for teams in PE. I had family models and, I think, a genetic inheritance that tend toward inertia and enjoyment of sedentary activities. The last things I would include on a "what I'm good at" list are sports and physical activities. This triathlon blew a big hole in that part of my self-concept. I know I'm unlikely to compete in the Olympics but the folks who do are a mighty small proportion of the population. In between the top athletic echelon and doing no athletics at all there's a lot of room for us ordinary folks to find pleasure and be successful. Somewhere along the way I decided that it's better not to try something unless you're certain you can win.  Doing this triathlon has taught me that I can still be proud of myself if I don't win. That there are different ways to win in a competition with myself. How I stack up against other people or whether other people perceive me as a winner are not the most important factors in deciding what I'll do. In fact, I have gotten more praise and encouragement from other people for doing this triathlon than any other sports event in which I participated and I came in dead last!

Number Two: I get by with a little help from my friends.


Support Crew

I would also add from my family. Throughout this whole process of preparing for and completing the triathlon I have had a wonderful cheering squad. Knowing that I stick to my exercise goals more if I tell people about them, I shared my goal to do the whole triathlon with lots of people. I figure that way I don't feel like I can back out. The other thing that accomplishes is getting the help and support of all the people who know what I'm doing.

Joe was a huge help with ever positive comments and much quiet joy about my enthusiasm. I consulted with him frequently about my training plan and expectations. My sister and I walked together and mutually encouraged each other reinforcing the belief that we could actually do this. Writing this blog was a way that I went public and also tried to help others feel encouraged to participate. Our nephew told me that reading the blog let him know it was safe to go out on a limb and give this a try. Throughout the event everyone encouraged each other and provided lots of positive feedback. Even the women who sold us the t-shirts kept saying what a great idea this was and expressed interest in how it was going. Over and over in my life I have found that most people want the best for others. When I open up to them about my new endeavors, I have found support.

Number One: Never say never.
Sometimes I think one of the reasons I married Joe (and continue to be glad I did) is that he is so different from me that he stretches me in surprising ways. With him at my side I have taken on backpacking even down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and, more impressively, back up. I have tried sailing which didn't turn out to be something I want to do again but now I know that. I've experienced the beauty of Corsica and done a walking trip in the English Lake District. The list goes on, but you get the idea. Many of the things we've done together were things I said I would never do or, more accurately, never thought I'd be able to do. Whenever I catch myself saying "Oh, I'll never do that in my lifetime" I wonder if I really know what lies ahead. This makes my life more fun and more adventurous.


Pre-race Orientation on the Dock

The triathlon is another one of those things. I remember thinking that a triathlon was something I would never do, never want to do and never be able to do. Lo and behold, I have now done one.  I find myself wondering what my next challenge will be. The whole family is wanting to do the triathlon again next year so that's a possibility. I'm also thinking about longer biking events. At a minimum, I find myself actually wanting to keep up the exercise habit I've developed. Here's to the future and whatever surprises it holds!
 

I Did It!!

Triathlete Wearing Official Tee

All went well on Sunday, August 8 when I completed my first official triathlon. I can now say I am an experienced triathlete. My overall time of 1 hour and 11 minutes was a new personal record shaving 2 minutes and 20 seconds off my previous best. I felt good throughout the race and really appreciated the training I had done. Other participants were experiencing the difficulty of combining sports for the first time. I won a medal for best in my age group (women over 65). As you may recall from previous posts, Joe defined age ranges so that everyone was an age group winner. Still it's the first medal I've ever won for a sports event.

Finishers and Hazel

The whole experience was a huge success. Nine triathletes and one relay team completed the race. Everyone felt proud of themselves and did well. The only person among the 12 who had ever done a triathlon before was Joe. We had several out-of-towners. My nephew Evan and his fiance Erika came from Lansing, MI. They were part of the relay team "Beauty and the Beasts". The other beast was my brother-in-law Ken, Ev's father. Joe's brother Bob came from Chicago to help stage the event. His son Tom from Illinois competed.

Official Starting Pistol

In addition to Bob, my nephew Jody and sister Sherry were volunteers. Sher was timekeeper and got to start us of with the official starting "pistol" sent by my son Mike. She also had charge of granddaughter Hazel as both parents were competitors. Ken and Erika helped out when it wasn't their leg of the relay. Ken and Bob were out on the lake in boats marking the turnaround points and monitoring safety. Jody directed traffic at the end of our driveway so that everyone could safely enter and exit to 33rd Street. After her swim, Erika drove to the bike turnaround point to make sure everyone knew where to turn and to verify that everyone made it past that point.

Orientation on the Dock

 

It was an "in water" start so after hearing the orientation talk from Joe we all got into the lake and got ourselves wet. I hesitated about a second after the "pistol" was fired so that I didn't get caught up in the thrashing. There were only 10 people swimming so it wasn't bad. As I suspected, by hanging behind I never had to worry about bumping into other people. The only challenge I had with the back stroke was making sure I didn't bump into the boats. I ended up alternating between breast and back stroke more frequently than in my training so that I could monitor my position better. Also, I got a foot cramp just after I started so switched to back stroke to work that out. I felt a bit frustrated about being in the water twice as long as most of the others. I am considering working on my freestyle if I do it again.

As I exited the water I asked Sherry what my time had been and she told me 13 minutes. That was good news as it was a minute faster than any of my multi-sport training sessions. I guess the adrenaline compensated for the additional time to keep track of where I was in the water. It seemed like the distance was a bit longer than my practice swims as Joe decided to do a triangle around the 2 boats rather than just out and back. That did help with the flow of traffic even if it made it a bit longer. The boat positions also got us farther from shore than I had been swimming which helped avoid some of the worst weed beds.

 

When I got out of the water, Randy was still in the lake transition area so we had a  brief chat. My transition took just about 5 minutes so that was on target. Unfortunately, I forgot to zero out my bike trip odometer so I didn't have as much feedback about speed and time during the bike portion as I have been used to. According to the timing sheet, I finished the bike portion 43 minutes and 7 seconds from the start. That means that my bike segment took me about 25 minutes which is comparable to my training sessions. During the biking I really enjoyed seeing other participants as they passed me going the other way. We all exchanged encouraging words. I even got the thrill of passing Randy on the return of the bike leg.

This Way to the Finish Line

The bike to walk transition seemed easier than it has been in the past. My legs didn't feel as wobbley. So I was able to speed up my walking pace sooner. Being so far behind most everyone else inspired me to up my pace even more than usual. Randy was able to pass me about half way through the walk as she was alternating walk and jog. Being the last one over the finish line meant that I had a large cheering section. People were grouped along the last stretch of 33rd and in the driveway.



We held the awards ceremony and many donned their new t-shirts including Hazel in her onesie with the same design. After a break during which folks took showers, Joe got the charcoal going for a bbq lunch. This gave us a chance to compare our experiences and enjoy each others company. Tom brought his wife Nancy and 3 kids back for the lunch after he showered at their hotel. The kids really enjoyed the lake and even convinced Great Uncle Joe to take them for a paddle boat ride.


There is much talk about what we'd do the same and different next time. We'll have to decide if this is going to be an annual event. My thoughts are percolating about how to up my time if I do it again. Meanwhile, I'm motivating myself to keep up my exercise regime by planning for some longer bike rides with Joe.  



Over the Finish Line

Super Sizing

Looking toward the Point West of our Dock

My strategy in this last week of training has been single sport workouts with extended distances - super sizing my workouts so to speak. I hope that will make the triathlon distances seem easy and short when I do them on Sunday. Yes, the event is just a few days away!

I swam for about twice as long as I have been. I didn't cover twice the distance because I needed some rest periods. But it felt great to almost get to the next point over on the lake shore. That point has been where I aim during my swims to the west. I got close enough with the longer distance that I could almost stand and walk to the shore. The only reason I didn't do that were the weeds.

Weeds are a concern for me during the swim. They keep growing! There are more patches and larger patches since I started my training. It also seems that their texture has gotten stiffer and more wiry. Or it may be that there's a different plant growing now. My problem with weeds is that my feet get tangled in them when I breast stroke. Watching the Olympic swimmers I realize that my breast stroke has little resemblance to theirs. But, hey, there aren't very many people on the planet who can do what they do. When I do the stroke my legs hang down quite a ways in the water. Hence the problem with weed entanglement.

Because of weeds Joe is considering going back to the other swim route heading east from our dock past 3 neighboring docks. He swam that way recently and said the weeds were less of a problem than when he swam to the west. I think it makes a big difference what line you take away from the dock in either direction so the trick will be placing the boats to define lines that avoid the weeds. Good luck with that! Position on the water is rather hard to perceive accurately. Another factor that may affect which direct we swim will be the presence of fishing boats in the water. West of our dock is a favorite fishing area and sometimes on early weekend mornings fisherfolk are parked there in their boats.

Riding across the Finish Line in our Driveway

For my longer bike workout I went back to a previous loop that I used and then added part of another. My loop starts out the same as for the triathlon but returns a different way. Then I went into a subdivision on the other side of 33rd Street that I call the wine streets. You can imagine the street names. In the wine streets you can do a loop that's about 1.3 miles and there's hardly any traffic. There are several subloops that allow for a number of variations. I ended up doing a total of 7.43 miles almost 50% bigger for the same price!

It felt like I was doing a significantly slower pace. In fact, I tried to slow it down a bit since I knew I was going a longer distance. My handy dandy bike computer tells me that I actually maintained about the same pace as for my triathlon distances. Amazing!

Joe Returning on 33rd Street Run Route

For my final day of training I did a super-sized walk. Sister Randy came with me and that always ups my speed. She simply operates at a faster pace in everything than I do! We also increased the distance. I haven't measured how far it was but we went quite a ways further on 33rd Street. It wasn't double but was at least 50% more. I was too busy chatting to remember to time myself. Since I stopped at Randy's house (next door) both coming and going the timing wouldn't have a direct relationship to the triathlon route anyway. We walked for something like 45 minutes. We got out fairly early and it was a beautiful cool morning with lots of blue sky, deep summer green (thank goodness for some recent rain!) and bird song. After our walk I stopped in the family co-op garden at Randy's house and did some picking and weeding. Heading back to my house with a full basket of produce and a sense of readiness for the triathlon, life seemed really good.

Hosting a Triathlon

Volunteer T-shirt from Monterey Bay Triathlon

In addition to training for the upcoming triathlon, Joe and I are preparing to host it at our place. Joe is acting as race director so is doing the bulk of the work. The primary responsibility I've assumed is getting the t-shirts (and, of course, serving as advisor to the director).

From the Historic T-shirt Collection
(It lasted this long since it has long sleeves and
doesn't get worn very often.)

Joe is an experienced triathlon director. In the early '80's he founded and directed the Monterey Bay Triathlon, a swim/bike/run event with half Ironman distances. It was a fundraiser for Friends Outside for whom he worked. After he got it started other volunteers took over the director responsibilities. Joe continued to help until we moved from the area in '89.

Joe has also competed in 7 different triathlons including the Monterey Bay. Four of these were swim/bike/run triathlons. Three times he completed Eppie's Great Race in Sacramento. This is a unique river triathlon which is run/bike/paddle on and along the American River. Eppie's claims to be the world's oldest triathlon with the first one in 1974. Joe was on a relay team twice and did the event as a triathlete once.

As wife of the director, I could hardly avoid getting recruited as a volunteer. My speciality was timing.  Being in the computer business this was a natural fit for me. I worked timing for both the Monterey Bay and Wildflower (in southern Monterey County) triathlons over a span of about 8 years.



A More Recent Addition to the Collection

Preparations for our Ackley Lake Triathlon are going well. The registration deadline was this past Wednesday. We have 9 triathletes and 1 relay team who have registered. So far we have 2.5 volunteers who've signed up. (My youngest sister will be caring for her granddaughter while her parents do the triathlon so can only give about 50% of her attention to volunteer responsibilities.) Time to recruit a few more volunteers!! We need volunteers to be out in boats during the swim, monitor the turnaround points for bike and run, and document order of completion and total time at the finish line. It would also be nice to have a race photographer and someone at the end of our driveway to watch for traffic. They do get a t-shirt which is going to be awesome so I'm surprised we don't have more response. 

Some of the items we have to borrow, purchase or make are orange cones to mark start, finish and turnarounds; flag for the post on our dock to make it more visible from the water; and medals for the winners. (Joe has guaranteed that everyone will win their age group!) He just ordered some spray chalk. We'll be going out early the morning of the event spraying the directions and encouraging messages on the pavement. Since we've been watching the Tour de France this week I'm tempted to write "Allez, allez" on the most challenging uphill of the bike segment.

Tri-sport Week



Driveway Home Stretch
 We Go to the Right of the Teardrop for the Finish Line

This is the week when I put it all together. Even though the event is two and a half weeks away, I've got to plan my training around some significant interruptions. Members of Joe's family are coming to visit this coming weekend to celebrate his birthday and we are going to a conference for 4 days the following week. During those times I plan to do 30 - 40 minutes a day of a least one sport but there won't be enough time to do all three or a lake to swim in at the conference. When I put together my training plan I knew to schedule around these 7 days of interruption.

Lawn Transition Setup for Me and Joe

This past Monday I did the three sports in sequence for the very first time. Big day! I officially became a triathlete. I was smart enough to do only a short distance of each one and it went very well. My transitions are down to 5 minutes swim to  bike and 1 minute bike to walk which is acceptable to me.

Fortunately, Joe was doing the whole triathlon in his morning workout. That gave me the opportunity to see how it goes when others are on the same routes. Even though I didn't see him a lot, his presence triggered thoughts about where I would be likely to encounter others when we have more participants. 

Joe Starting the Swim on the New Route

As I discussed before, during the swim I expect to be the slowest so will have to watch for others in the first half but not much after that. There will be boats (canoe and paddleboat) to go around so I will need to be watching more. During the breast stroke that's easy but when I back stroke it's a challenge. Update on the swim: Joe has decided to change the route and have us swim to the east of our dock rather than west. The weeds to the west are really nasty and getting increasingly worse, so the new route is better. It does make it harder to judge distances without the three docks for reference.

Last Hill Coming back up the Driveway
Tough on the Bike due to Gravel

During my bike segment, I don't expect much traffic early on although some speedsters could be coming back up the driveway when I am just leaving. Once on 33rd Street, I'll be the only one going my direction except maybe for my sister. (New development: in addition to being a triathlete, I will also be the relay team swimmer for my sister who plans to do the bike and walk but not the swim.) The final part of my bike segment could be quite congested as the runners/walkers will be on the same side of 33rd as I am going the opposite direction.

Yesterday I did longer segments of each sport and had a rough time. It was in the upper 90s and windy. The wind set up quite a bit of chop on the lake which made the swim tougher. The wind also made the biking harder in some sections. By the time I did the walk it was really hot and the walk took me about twice as long as I have done it in other workouts. I did take my water bottle with me which helped but in the heat I really struggled to keep going.

Joe Passing Me on the Run/Walk Segment



My plan is to work my way up to the full triathlon distances by the end of this week. The temperatures are predicted to be in the 80s which will help a lot. Today is an extra rest day for me as we have a Byrne siblings meeting all day. I think that's a good thing after my fatigue of yesterday. Also, my knee is hurting so it could use a rest. 

Dual Sport Success

Dock Transition Area

A quick report today, my last day of "dual sport week". I am very jazzed by my progress. Yesterday I did the complete bike portion of the triathlon followed by the complete run/walk. Today I did the complete swim and complete bike. Both days were tiring but went better than I expected and I'm a day ahead of my original training plan.

Path up from Dock to Lawn

Bike/walk combination - My times were comparable to the time it has been taking me to do each segment individually. The transition time was only about a minute. It was really hard to get my legs to start the walk. Joe says that's because biking and walking use your leg muscles very differently. The good news is that once I settled into the walk it felt good. I even tried doing stretches of elongating my stride to pick up a little speed.

Swim/bike combination - Again my times were comparable to the individual sport workouts. I mostly use my upper body swimming so the start of the bike seems relatively easy. My transition time is down to about 5 minutes and I'm satisfied with that.

Bottom line is my performance so far is exceeding my expectations! I started out thinking that the whole event would take me about an hour and a half. Now I'm beginning to think that it will be less than that. Next week is tri-sport week so that will let me know more clearly how I'm doing overall. Stay tuned!

To Eat or Not to Eat...

Pasta, pasta....

I got all excited when I began to believe that I could do the whole triathlon. I've heard so much about carbo-load dinners the night before a big race. How perfect, permission to eat all the pasta I want! When I mentioned it to Joe he immediately laughed and said something about glycogen levels and our short race. Drat, carbo-load dinner is definitely in the "not to eat" category.

Then I had an the experience of digestive discomfort while biking. It may not have been a coincidence that I had a larger breakfast than usual that morning. I'm sure there are numerous graduate theses in sports medicine that address the relationship of the food we put in our bodies and sports performance. Since I don't have time to look for them I went to my local expert. "Joe," says I, "what do you recommend that I eat or not eat the morning of the triatlon?" After all, he reads about this stuff all the time and has actually done triathlons before so knows more than I do.

According to the aforementioned expert, there are lots of different opinions but the advice boils down to eat lightly and avoid fatty foods. Aha, maybe it was the bacon that bothered me the other day. My current plan is some whole grain cereal, skim milk and banana. Joe approves; definitely in the "to eat" category.

Triathlete's Breakfast

Just for kicks I googled "exercise and eating". Bingo! Mayo Clinic offers 5 tips about eating to maximize your workout. Number one is eat a healthy breakfast. Guess what they recommend. Yup, whole grain cereal, skim milk and banana. They also add juice to the list but I generally like to chew my calories so don't drink juice. Maybe I should add some citrus to the meal though. And, thank God, they say coffee is okay if its what you normally have in the morning.

Number two tip, in case you are wondering, is to adjust the amount of food to the amount of time between your eating and your exercising. For triathlon day with 2 to 3 hours between breakfast and start time, I should eat a small meal. Sounds good.

The other tips are all in line with what I'm doing: snack well, eat after you exercise, drink lots of water. They list suggested foods and more detail about quantities. If your interested check out http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ00594_D/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Okay, now I'm feeling good about my approach to food and exercise. If Joe and the Mayo Clinic support what I'm doing it must be right.

Hydration

A funny thing has happened for me on the way to this triathlon. I seem to be more in touch with and happier about my eating and my body. I keep finding myself enjoying the healthy food and, perhaps, craving the unhealthy stuff a bit less.

There may be several reasons for that. I started the triathlon training just after I got back from Europe. Like many folks after a vacation, I reminded myself that I couldn't continue to eat and drink at home like I did on the trip. Somehow this is especially true for me after being in Italy. How many piattis does a person really need after all?

The other influence on my appetite and attitudes toward food is acupuncture. My niece, the Chinese doctor, is treating me for several things so I told her to poke a few places to help me lose weight while she was at it.

Never the less, I'm sure the exercise has contributed to the benefits I'm feeling. I have lost a few pounds. I'm more satisfied when I eat healthy food and I think my posture has even improved a bit. I seem to be more in tune with what's happening in my body. This exercise stuff is really good for you!

Dual Sport Week - Bike/Walk



Lawn Transition between Bike and Walk



Today I worked the bike to walk transition and it went well. As with the swim/bike combination I worked yesterday I started out with shorter distances - about half the length of the bike route and a third of the walk. I set up the lawn transition area as it would be at the end of the biking - pretty simple; just my hat and water bottle. After I thought through what I would be wearing when the bike portion starts, I realized that it would be a wet bathing suit. So I got my bathing suit wet in the lake; put on my biking shorts, shoes and socks; and set out to do part of the bike route.

I wasn't sure how important the hat would be and thought I might forget about it in order to spend up  my transition. Turns out that won't be necessary. I was able to put my hat on as I started the walk. This Tilley Hat is one that has gone on several trips with me including one to Ireland and Italy last month. It carries many great memories and feels right on my head when I'm walking. I often decorate it with feathers I find along the way. I'm glad I'll be wearing it for the triathlon.

The other discovery I made is that I can drink water with one hand and take off my helmet with the other. Two hands, what a wonderful body we have! I was even able to unfasten my gloves while drinking water (I was very thirsty). The end result was a transition that took somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes. Not bad, I can live with that.

My biggest challenge was my wobbley legs after the biking. Both my knees and my ankles felt like rubber. And that was after only half of the bike distance. This is of considerable concern as I have a history of turning my ankle and falling in the most benign of situations. A couple of years ago I even broke an ankle bone that way. Conclusion - I need to pay close attention to my footing when I start out on my walk.

As I started the walk I was also feeling a bit winded. I immediately started using the double breathing technique I've learned for high altitude hiking. You inhale twice and exhale once. It forces you to fill up your lungs which gets more oxygen into your body. It seemed to help. Just a few months ago my doctor tested my lung function and informed me that it is a bit below normal. This indicates that I have some mild asthma or severe allergies or both. When following up with an allergist I was given an inhaler to use when I do extensive exercise. Well, duh! I guess I should be using it now. Another item for my pre-race checklist.

My "Tri-suit"

When I first decided to give this triathlon a try (hee hee), Joe teasingly said maybe I needed a tri-suit. You will probably not be surprised that such things are available. My reaaction was scornful amusement. I find it disturbing that our culture seems to think you need a different outfit for each sport and/or combination of sports. Just for kicks, I googled women's tri-suits and found that I could get a nice one from Speedo for $325!  The dirt cheapest one I found was $60. I suspose if you are a professional triathlete they make sense. I'm perfectly happy to assemble my own thank you very much.

What I have assembled is a swim suit for the swim (really!). Adding bike shorts (okay, I do own specialized biking shorts but that is to make it possible to sit on those teeny seats without getting sore) prepares me for the bike portion. My bike pedals don't require special shoes so I am wearing my walking shoes for both the bike and walk segments. I have inserts I need to wear in my walking shoes and those feel weird without socks. For safety I, of course, wear a bike helmet. Lastly the padded biking gloves keep my hands from hurting. Makes for a long swim/bike transition but I think I'm willing to give up some time to be comfortable.

The walking stage requires very little change as I simply ditch the helmet and gloves and don my walking hat. The swimsuit with biking shorts works just fine for walking. Oh yeah, I forgot about the knee brace. It really helps avoid pain when I'm walking and sometimes I get twinges when I'm biking. So I decided to wear it for the whole race. That way I don't use up any transition time putting it on.

Accessories are, of course, my watch and sunglasses. I have no idea if I'll even look at my watch but it might be useful for checking progress. I'm fortunate to have a bike computer that gives me mileage, speed and elapsed time so that may suffice. I suspect during the walk I will have time to look at the watch occasionally. The sunglasses help protect my eyes and, of course, make me look cool.

The outfit and related transition times would be a whole lot easier if I had a younger body. But it is what it is. As I said in a previous post, I'm working with this body and not letting it stop me from participating. All you young folks, give thanks for what you've got!    

Dual Sport Week - Swim/Bike

Dock Transition Area at Start

I'm psyched! Today was the first time every that I exercised in two different sports on the same day. My training plan for this whole week is to work the two sport combinations and transitions. I'm starting out with shorter distances for each sport and will work my way up to the full distances. By week end I expect to be able to do the swim/bike combo and the bike/walk combo with full distances.

Today I began with the swim/bike combination because it's first in the race order. I like to practice things in the order I expect to do them. That way I develop a sense of timing and my brain and body get the feel for the sequences I want to perform. The swim to bike is also the most complex of my transitions so I wanted to try that first. I thought I might need to refine my approach and starting with it at the beginning of the week gives me time for tweeking.



Lawn Transition Area at Start

I did about 5 minutes of the swim (out to the first dock and back) which is about 1/3 of the full distance. I executed my transition to biking clothes and equipment. Then I biked about 2 miles which is 2/5ths of the full distance. It went really well and I didn't feel particularly tired.

The only glitch I had in the process was ending up with only one of my biking gloves. I even read through my checklist twice to make sure I had everything. Guess I need to change my list to say 2 gloves, 2 socks and 2 shoes! The transition did take me longer than I hoped. I wasn't able to time it precisely but from my overall time I estimate it took me more than 5 minutes. I may look at ways to trim that down a bit.

 

Here are some of the transition plans which worked well today:

Wear knee brace at start -  I wasn't sure if I'd like having a wet knee elastic. It didn't bother me at all and trying to put it on when my legs are wet might be a lot tougher.

Dry off with a towel - I decided to do this in order to put on biking shorts, socks and shoes. My assumption is that I need the padded shorts and socks to be comfortable on the bike ride. One way I could cut down on transition time is to ride without shorts. Then I'd only have to dry my feet and put on my socks and shoes. I may try that tomorrow.

Poised to Head out the Driveway

 

Drink water at each transition - Today I didn't take a bottle of water on my bike. Instead I took a big drink of water before I got on the bike. There will be an aid station with water in the transition area so I plan to drink from there at each transition. If it's a really hot day I may take a water bottle with me in addition.

Take the transitions at a normal pace - My plan is to be cautious about racing through the transitions. I can just see myself tripping and falling over an untied shoelace or something silly like that. I hope that I can pace myself to be efficient in my transitions without feeling rushed.

One problem I had was some abdominal pain toward the end of the bike ride. That led me to think about what to eat for breakfast on the morning of the triathlon. I plan to look into that.

In addition to trying out my transition approach, I also had a chance to swim with another swimmer in the water. Joe's workout for the day was doing the full triathlon. We timed it so we would start the swim together. As I expected he quickly passed me and I had plenty of empty water around me for the swim. As I turned around I could see that he was heading back as well. This gave me a heads up that he would pass me as we both headed back to our dock. I was able to manage my stroke alternations so that I was doing breast stroke each time he passed me and it worked well.

Today's swim got Joe thinking about changing the swim route. The current route goes through a thick bed of weeds. By August 5th they are likely to be even higher and thicker. You have to swim quite a ways out into the lake to get around them. When we swam toward the west instead of the east a couple of weeks ago there weren't any noticeable weeds. So he may change the route to go in that direction. This will make it harder to practice as there aren't convenient docks to mark the distance. But I'll be happy to do it if we can avoid weeds. They're oogie! 

Resting

The Sunday Paper in my Favorite Chair

I am a genius and I know myself pretty well after living in this body for 66 years. When I put together my training plan I scheduled Sundays as a day off each week. I mean if God needed a day off from creating the cosmos who am I to argue with that philosophy!

Partly I knew that planning to exercise every day was a big change and invited a rebellious response. I have a history of not wanting to be told what to do even if its me telling myself. Also, Sundays are busy days for us because we spend the morning at our Quaker Meeting attending an adult class and then worship. I typically exercise in the late morning which conflicts with our usual Sunday schedule.

Today is one of those rest days and I am really appreciating it after the really hot week we just had. I'm proud that I didn't give up on my workout schedule when the heat offered a perfect excuse. I figured out how to work around the high temperatures as much as possible, mostly by exercising earlier in the day. That's a struggle for me; morning is not my most together time. I also combined any outdoor chores I had with my workout time. I figured one shower a day is enough so I'd do all the hot and sweaty stuff in sequence.

For example, yesterday was a walking day so I scheduled a walk with my sister at 8 am. After that I checked on the currants in the garden. They were ready for picking so I did that and then came inside for the rest of the day. The day before that was my bike workout which I did a bit earlier than usual. Even with the wind generated by biking the heat was brutal and enervating. Afterward I watered (no built in sprinklers in Michigan like we had in California). While watering I occasionally doused myself with cold water from the hose to cool down. The day before that I worked in the yard and vegetable garden in the afternoon and then hopped into the lake for my swim. Unfortunately, the lake temperature has risen so it wasn't as refreshing as I had imagined. The thermometer we have by the dock showed that the water is now 90 degrees. Still it did cool me off, especially getting out of the water and sitting on the dock.

Taking today off feels like a reward for good behavior! Yesterday the thought struck me that I wouldn't have to get myself up early or get hot and sweaty today. It was a great thought which I've been savoring. You might think that after a day off it will be harder for me to get going tomorrow. I don't think so for two reasons. This coming week is dual sports week in my training plan. I'm feeling excited about trying a transition for the first time tomorrow. I plan to ease into it by doing shorter distances of the two sports at first and working up to full triathlon lengths.  Tomorrow I start with the swim to bike transition. The second reason I am looking forward to my next workout is that the heat wave broke today and temperatures are back in the 80s. Believe me that feels cool after the 100s of the last few days.

Joe has advised me that the last couple of days before the triathlon should be rest days. I've worked that into my schedule. I can see the wisdom of that as I am feeling refreshed today and more rested. Those two days won't be completely restful as I will be helping Joe set up for the event. Also, we may have some out-of-town family members staying with us. It's getting exciting as more people are saying yes to the invitation.  

Single Sport Training - Run/Walk

Sister Randy Walking North on 33rd Street

Today is a walk day in my training schedule. Since there's an excessive heat advisory posted for the day, I opted to get out early for my workout. I was delighted that my sister joined me. She's training for the triathlon too. I love having someone to chat with while walking. Plus, she tends to go faster than me so she pushes me a bit which is good.

I've opted to walk the run segment as my history with running is mixed to say the least. In high school I remember the newly initiated President's Fitness campaign which included a test to assess fitness levels. My results were mediocre as I expected (I really sucked at situps!) except for the longest run of the set. In the '60s "long" runs were a lot shorter than today. I don't remember the exact distance but it was more than once around the track. I was really surprised to learn that I scored well on that. I concluded that I wasn't a skilled runner just stubborn enough to keep at it. I don't think I was giving myself enough credit but by then I had a pretty poor body image.

Me Walking South on 33rd

In later years when I tried running as a fitness activity I always had problems with side cramps. As I watched friends and family tally up their running injuries I decided that my choice to stick to walking was a wise one. Walking the run segment seems wise also as this is not the time in my life to introduce a new physical challenge that might damage my joints.

I walk fairly frequently especially if I can find someone to go with me. On our property here in Paw Paw we are blessed with a set of paths through the woods that make for wonderful walking. The only down side is the pull to stop and look at birds and plants when I need to keep my heart rate up.

Run/Walk goes Out our Driveway

The triathlon run route is out our driveway and north on 33rd Street with a turnaround at .8 miles. The whole loop is about 1.6 miles which is a little less than my usual walk. I probably go about 2 miles as I go farther up 33rd before turning back. It is gently rolling terrain through farmland. I can currently walk the triathon distance in just under 30 minutes.

The only concern I have about the triathlon walk is my right knee. It has almost recovered from the abusive Glendale hills of last winter. However, I still get occasional twinges so plan to wear a knee brace. I'm still debating whether I will wear the brace for the whole event or put it on for the bike and/or walk segments. I'll be testing that out when I get to multi-sport workouts.

Overall, I'm feeling confident about the walk segment. Since it comes last in the sequence I'm expecting to be slower than usual. It helps me to have some expectations of how it will all go. I am cautioning myself, however, to be ready for surprises. Expectations can sometimes color the experience and keep me from being present and enjoying what unfolds. I don't want to set myself up for negative feelings if what I thought were realistic expectations turn out differently than I imagined. After all these years I'm still working on the "be here now" philosophy!

Single Sport Training - Bike

Bike/Run Start and Finish is our Driveway Going to the Right of Teardrop

Today was a biking day. I rode the triathlon route clocking the 5 miles in 29 minutes and 20 seconds. The route differs from my usual resulting in a longer upgrade than I've been doing. I actually got into my lowest gear coming up the final hill. Also forgot to wear my gloves which convinced me that I do want to wear them in the triathlon; hands got a bit sore. All in all the bike training is going very well even though I consider myself somewhat of a novice at the sport.

When we bought our current home from my sister we were the third family member to own it. Mom and Dad built it in the mid-'80s then sold it to my sister in '92. Meanwhile my sister moved next door into the house Mom and Dad built in '92 - keeping it all in the family. As she and I sorted out all the various bicycles in the two garages, I discovered my English racer, the three-speed bike I had as a teenager. Mom and Dad had kept it all these years.

This inspired me to think about taking up biking again which I really haven't done since I left home for college a goodly number of years ago. As with many sports, I felt that my abilities were so far behind other folks (like Joe) I knew I could never catch up. So I avoided failure by avoiding the activity entirely. Looking at the flat land around us in Michigan and not wanting to waste what might be a perfectly good bike, the time seemed right to give it a try.  

Joe cleaned up the bike and determined that a) it worked and b) it was safe to ride. So during the month of August 2011 I did a few rides around the neighborhood. Ah yes, I remembered the feeling I loved as a child of freedom and speed! It has always reminded me of flying.

My New Specialized Dolce Bike

It didn't take long for me to decide I wanted to continue biking which led to wanting a better bike with more gears. After all, if Joe and I were ever going to do rides together I needed to have a bike that could keep up with his fancy-shmancy road racer.  So he helped me shop for a lovely Specialized Dolce bike which is configured for women. (The old English racer was passed on to my soon-ro-be niece-in-law who will probably ride it in the First Ever Triathlon. Good to know it is still in service.) 

I can't say that I've done a lot of biking since then. One challenge was finding a saddle that was comfortable enough for me to last more than about 20 minutes. I'm on my third one now and have finally found one (The Seat) that doesn't hurt certain delicate areas. I also discovered that our winter home in Glendale is in a neighborhood that's just too dang hilly for me to succeed in biking very far. While there this past year, I only managed a few rides, mostly along the river trails in the area.

Bike Route on Quiet Rural Roads

How some ever, I currently am poised to do well on the biking portion of triathlon. The five mile route is on roads where I regularly ride so I feel very confident. I usually bike at least 5 miles (which takes me about a half hour) when I go for a ride and that's the distance for the First Ever. I feel that this is my strongest sport of the three. I even had a brief vision of passing other competitors on my bike (if I don't get too far behind on the swim that is).

When trying out the triathlon route recently I decided to push myself faster than usual. This was accomplished mostly by pedaling on the downhill stretches where I'm used to resting a bit. I ended up with a cramp in my thigh muscle. This reinforced Joe's advise to me to stay within my current speeds on the different sports. After my workouts to date I can see the wisdom in that. It will be enough of a challenge for me to do more than one sport in a day and to be at it for a longer period of time. If I try to push too hard I could injure myself. In fact, I'm beginning to realize that the bike portion and, certainly, the walk could well be slower than usual because of the fatigue factor. I'll be able to judge that better after I start combining sports in my workouts (stay tuned for that next week).