SPORTS
In my first installment of this blog, I wrote about how I became interested in competing in a sprint triathlon and what I did to prepare for the race. How I got started, equipment that I had to buy, tips for your workouts and finally my fear of the swimming portion of the race.
I’m happy to report that I survived the race. I ended up choosing to compete in the Tri Lincoln Sprint Triathlon which was held at Lincoln Woods State Park at the end of August. The race was made up of a 1/4 mile swim, 9.5 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run around the park.
For this second installment I’ll go over the following topics:
1. How I prepared for the race
2. What to bring on race day
3. Additional advice
4. Overall Impression
How I Prepared for the Race
It all started the night before, I went through my checklists of things that I wanted to bring and made sure I had everything so I wouldn’t be scrambling the next morning. If I did forget something at least I would be able to go out and get it when the stores are open. I woke up early that the morning and made sure I had a good breakfast and got some fluids in me after the morning cup of coffee.
Even though I knew where Lincoln Woods was located, I wanted to get there early since I was unfamiliar with how triathlons were set up. I wanted to be able to check in, get my packet and get set with plenty of time to look around and observe. I started observing things the second I parked the car. I stayed in the car for at least 5 minutes just looking at my fellow competitors. Looking at their bikes, at their attire and what items they were bringing with them. I was happy to find out that reading, Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel that I recommended in my fist blog really helped and I felt ready to go.
Upon arriving I went to the registration table, found my name on their board to get my number and then went to the desk to get my packet. The packet contained my bib number, swim cap and some free stuff as well. At that point I was ready to enter the corral where all the competitors get set up and the same place where all the transitions take place. This was the second time where I stood around and just observed the way the other competitors set up their designated area. Once I felt comfortable with my set up, it was go time.
What to Bring on Race Day
First and foremost make sure to bring a form of identification or you won’t be able to compete. I also brought a
bucket with me for a couple of reasons:
1. To put everything I needed to race
2. To use as a seat after the swim portion
In my bucket I had:
1. Sneakers
2. Socks (I wouldn’t be able to ride my bike or run without them)
3. Towel (to wipe my feet, couldn’t run with wet feet. Also a good way to find your area after the swim and bike ride)
4. Bottle of water to wash the sand off my feet
5. Helmet (can’t race without one)
6. Goggles
And it goes without saying, don’t forget your bike. I thought about bringing extra cloths with me to change into but they did give each participant a free t-shirt and since I don’t live far away from Lincoln Woods I didn’t think it would be necessary. Overall I was happy with what I brought and thought I was prepared for the race.
Additional Advice
The following paragraph is comprised of things that I may have read or advice that was given to me prior to the race, but are things that I noticed quickly when the race started.
1. Start in the back
I knew that the beginning of the race was going to be crazy when people were running into the water to begin the swim portion of the race but you can’t train for the amount of people around you, the water splashing and how much contact there is during the swim. So my advice is, if you are new to this, start in the back where you will still hit someone’s legs and get hit yourself but it will at least be limited.
2. Trust your training
It will be very easy to get caught up at the start of the race trying to keep up with everyone else but it’s a long race and trust your training. If you overexert yourself early it will crush you later on in the race.
3. Stay to the right
It was brought to my attention really early in the bike portion of the race that the slower competitors should stay to the right so people can pass you on the left. Similar to a highway, if you are a slower driver, stay in the right lane. In my case I was going slow enough to be cruising in the break down lane.
Overall Impression
Overall, I think things went pretty well. Even though I finished close to the bottom of my age group, I did run in a
time I was happy with. At the beginning of this I was looking for something new to try, a different way to train and to experience something new. For those reasons competing in this sprint triathlon was a success. I do not think I would compete in another one. I enjoyed it more than running a half marathon but I just enjoy and have more fun training and competing in events that have more of a strength component to it. Not that I don’t enjoy running or doing cardio, I just need something else to break it up.
So I took about a week off from the gym and now it’s on to the next goal. Stay tuned for my next blog to find out what it is and how we are going to get there.
#OldmanStrong
#1000lbs
