Tag Archives: challenge

Triathlon, the continuing result

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Yup, that’s me, the ugly fat boy, but I made it through again. This was my 53rd triathlon, Clay’s Park in North Lawrence, Oh. They put on a good race, I did OK. Feel free to check this link  definitely nothing to be impressed with.

http://www.champracing.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/cp_results.143150855.htm#%202%201

Up at 4:30, we had to stay in a hotel because it was about 2 hours from where my son and daughter live and that would have meant leaving at about 4 in the morning to be there in time. This way we were only about 45 minutes and didn’t have to get up until 4:30 to make sure I was all set to start by 7:45, Yippee. Now I’ve heard other people do this staying at a hotel, they set their phone, their watch, the radio and have the desk call. Didn’t matter, I was awake, but I did hear all things go off, which doesn’t often happen, all usually fail to go off.

My son and grandson were with me, usually I go alone, no one else wants to have to get up this early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. It was really great to have them with me, especially at the beginning, so much to get organized, having someone just hold your bike while you register, PRICELESS.

We (we being just me) squeeze into the wetsuit, which as you can see is a challenge. This was a small race and for whatever reason the old guys were put up in the second wave. There were only four waves, but still, the waiting around to start is not fun. There is the kibbutzing, not really trash talking, if anything, in triathlon, it’s the other way around. “Oh, my swim stinks, I’m never going to get through it.” Yeah, right this is the guy who strokes right by you. Just trying to get you to let down your guard, kinda of take your edge off. The temperature at the start was around 49 degrees, but the sun was bright, so it didn’t really feel cold, but it is strange when you’re standing in water and you can see your breath, and others. The horn finally goes off, you run until you have to swim, you start swimming way faster then you should, you get your breathing up, your heart beat up and then wonder why you’re flapping around like a lame duck. You have to keep looking up, especially in this race, everyone seemed to be getting pushed to the left of the buoys. I only got shoved around a couple of times and kind of smacked from the side, so pretty tame start.

So you finally get through, for me took about 11 minutes to go 500 yards, not at all anything resembling wonderful, but it will do. Look down at the GPS watch, find it’s not doing what it’s supposed to??? It is keeping splits, so you just hit the split for the transition. My swim to bike transition is always abysmal and it was again today, being too fussy, need to just throw on shoes, helmet, glasses and go. But I have to putz around. Finally get going and am doing pretty well.

One thing about the hills around where I live, is that it’s great training. There were hills in this race, but nothing that couldn’t be handled, and eleven miles later, decent bike split. Throw off my shoes, my helmet, throw on running shoes and I’m out the gate. The run too, was pretty uneventful, and it should be because everyone else has finished. All right, not everyone, but there was sure no crowd left. The run was pretty flat and I maintained a decent pace and finished. My son was taking pictures, which is nice, it’s a really small race, so there wasn’t anyone taking pictures for money and you like to have something to remember, other than a t-shirt, because I sure wasn’t going home with any awards, I don’t know, maybe fastest pastor, being the only one I knew of. It was a nice overall day, I got to spend time with my kids, we literally drove right by the Football Hall of Fame, so we had to check that out. The William McKinley presidential museum Image It was fun, quick stop at McDonalds, two hours back to pick up my wife and our luggage and then a three mile drive from there. Reality smacked me right in the face, when we were about twenty minutes from home, got a call that the mother of one of the church’s elders was dying, stopped to pick up the police chaplain van as the police chaplain because I’m on call until Tuesday, got home, put on more appropriate clothes, rushed to the hospital and spent a couple of hours there. Next morning woke up early, conducted Matins worship at 8:30, Bible study, worship at 10:30, prayer meeting at 1:30 and then finally home and flopped.

Great weekend, it started on Wednesday when we attended my son’s graduation, very proud of the Timothy and great quality time with our daughter Erica, and grandson Nicholas.

Triathlon race day, frankly anticlimatic to the rest of the preparation.

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Well tomorrow is my first of the season. I try to do two triathlons in a season, one as early as possible and then others as the opportunity comes up during the season. The season being, kind of, from April until October. The Hawaiian Ironman kind of signals the end of the season which is in October.

My goal is to do as many races in as many states as possible. This of course requires travel. When I first started most of my races were on Cape Cod, so just get up earlier (that said, I and most others I read always have trouble sleeping the night before so getting up early, not that big of a deal if you really didn’t sleep to begin with.) The way I’m doing it now is to rely on technology to get me to a new place as quickly as possible, needless to say, one glitch there and there will be problems.

Another consideration is race gear. Triathlon is probably second only to NASCAR in the amount of gear. Two years ago I had already reached the Virginia line before I realized I forgot my helmet and bike shoes. Stopped bought new ones, I needed new shoes anyway. But most have special watches, wetsuit, special shorts and shirts, bicycle, running shoes. Forget one thing and kind of a pain, there are horror stories of a racer forgetting a bike, or having it smashed in travel and having to borrow, beg, haven’t heard of anyone stealing, a new bike. Of course, since I’m going somewhere new have to get a hotel nearby, found one thirty dollars less then my first choice. All I’m doing is sleeping there the night before, really don’t need much in amenities.

I’m at the point now where I’m thinking all this stuff I have to do, getting up early (4:30 am), finding the place, getting there, getting set up, being a little cold, (air temp should be about 48 degrees when I jump in the lake, another reason for a wet suit. But hey I jumped in Cheasapeake Bay in May in Annapolis, no wet suit, I’ll live either way and being in cold water definitely makes you swim harder). But of course nerves kick in, which are nothing when you’re standing there in a mob scene, waiting for the call for your wave, wondering why on earth and what on earth you are doing there and then the one minute countdown until you jump in the water, get whacked in the head, kicked in the face, elbowed in the ribs, swum over. I’m probably forgetting something. Yea the swim is definitely a uniquely challenging part of the race. Then there are the transitions, trying to get your wet suit off, somewhat dry off and get bike shoes on and out the gate. It’s easier then it sounds, although sometimes I seem to make it more complicated then it has to be. Got a little thing going with the sciatic, so that is another thing to camp on, whether I will be hobbling through the run portion. (Oh come on, it’s 5k, you can do that on your head, he says still not really confident.)

So this is where I’m at, the day before. In no way am I writing this to discourage anyone, this will be my 52nd triathlon, so I must like it/get something out of it. Another choice would just be sick masochist, but let’s put the best face possible on this. But the end is exhilarating, you may be coming in around the same time I am, probably back of the pack. May get passed by quite a few people, may not exactly feel distinguished, but it really is about you. Heck I doubt that I will ever see any of the people I see tomorrow again for the rest of my life and if I do, hey who remembers. But as the sign says, pain is temporary, race results on the web are forever. So, to quote Bill Murray, “I got that going for me.” So I will do my best to not get caught up in the nerves before hand, say a prayer to my Lord Jesus Christ thanking Him that I got there intact and actually ready, that He has given me the strength, stamina and brains or just too stupid to realize, that He will keep me safe and whatever I do, it will be to His glory. Hey say a quick prayer, think of me between about 8am and 10am tomorrow, smile a little bit and hopefully I will have an inspiring story to tell on the other side. Thanks for your interest.