My sister-in-law, one Cathy Connor, is bravely sharing her heart warming and inspiring story about regaining her health after divorce. I love her storytelling style. Her voice is funny and honest and one I believe many can relate to. I think many of people, including me, have lost track of there health and the moment where you realize you want something diffferent is so positive, so cathartic! AND intimidating. She asks and answers questions like, "How do you gain traction with fitness when you recognize you are going through a tough time?", "Where do you start?", and "How do I stay motivated?".
It is just a gentle opinion, but I believe on the internet there is a trend to present a perfect online persona, I know I do this sometimes! I bullet point life highlights, rarely posting, "Folding laundry tonight!" with a picture of me matching up socks.
Cathy has already started her routine, and we will post a few updates this week so you can come up to speed with her current state of affairs.
ONTO THE PACIFIC CREST TRIATHLON!
WOW! wow. WOW (serious face). WOW! Kicking-legs-behind-me-fist-in-air wow! I finished, HEALTHY! And my two compadres in fitness, also first timers, finished before me! You go, girls! No one got a flat tire, and everyone was smiling.
Typical race format:
- Packet pick-up day before race: in your packet there is a timing chip, swim cap, and maybe a number for your bike and helmet, and a racing bib for the run portion. This is also when you pick up your T-shirt!
DAY OF:
- Set up things in transition area, or in this case, transition areas.
- Get gear on for swim. (Cap provided in registration packet), goggles, and maybe wetsuit.
- Swim goes off in wave starts (each wave has it's own cap color), elite first, then by age/gender.
- After the swim, you take of your wetsuit if you are wearing one, and put on shoes, helmet, grab nutrition if needed, sunglasses, whatever you want to have on that bike ride. Your water bottle is something that is in place prior to the bike. In regards to footwear, you may be donning bike shoes if you have clipless pedals (pedals where the shoe locks into place), but running shoes work just fine.
- Head out of T-1 to the bike course, volunteers so kindly direct you. The constant tips are so required and nice, just because your are really exerting yourself.
- Bike it up!
- After the bike, you rack your bike either in the same spot or in this case, a different spot. And you get rid of your helmet, and bike shoes if needed.
- Running shoes go on and on to the finish! You may be grabbing nutrition here as well.
- After the race, you can eventually find your goods and pack up. There is always food and water, and sometimes music, beer, raffles.
Pre-race Beth:
We got to the race start right on time. I had a little phone dysfunction, darn! I didn't get a chance to photograph my tri-nest (How I set up at transitions). I was nervous, despite doing this many times before, this distance was a first and I had the inside wiggles! I did not take as many pics as I wanted but I do have some pictorial goodies. I didn't get a good lake shot! And with all the swimming talk I really wanted to illustrate the swim course.
This was a great example of a triathlon with 2 separate transition areas. The swim to bike transition was down by the water. A transition bag (clear garbage bag) was provided at registration for our swim gear and any other things we needed to tote to the beginning of the race. I brought a backpack with nutrition, bike shoes, helmet, wetsuit, and put my sweat pants and fleece (it was chilly first thing in the day!) in there too. I wore a 2 piece tri-suit which has a little bottom padding for the bike. My bag was packed once I got organized, and just threw my cap, goggles, and wetsuit on top after. After the swim, each competitor quickly places the last components into their bag. Volunteers go through and take all the bags to the second transition for pick up after the race. The bags are marked with your number. Here is a shot inside T-1 or transition number one. Beyond the bike racks and people gearing up is the reservoir where the swim took place.
MOST triathlons have only one transition area.
In the transition area, gear racks (basically bike racks) can be very specific, with each number having a specific spot, or general first come, first serve. This one was arranged by bib number.
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| Racks in transition area one hold bikes and gear below. |
The swim was a 2 loop counterclockwise course in a reservoir that had just a bit of chop. This was a 1.5 K swim, just less than a mile, typical Olympic distance. I completed the swim in 38 minutes which is a massive victory for me. I did not stop once, had one glocklesnort where I drank a bit of lake water, and stayed pretty straight. I was only minorly traumatized by the swim too!
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| There is Emily looking like a pro walking through T-1, the swim to bike transition. This is where folks emerge after the swim with bike in hand. |
After the swim, I stripped out of my wetsuit. One of my goals was to be out and transitioned in 3 minutes, it took me four minutes and 30 seconds, I REALLY struggled getting that puppy off! That is totally an area to potentially improve for me. I also gathered all my swim stuff and gear I had brought so volunteers could take it to the second transition area for pick-up after the race. Then I suited up for the bike! Helmet, shoes, gloves (my handle bar grip is a little tore up but the gloves probably slowed down my transition a bit, I appreciated the padding), sunglasses, and I used CLIF blocks for my food-like intake and had earlier that morning addded electrolyte powder to my water bottle on my bike.
The bike was a 28 mile course. That is just a little longer than usual (usually 40K, about 25 miles) but often the course is determined by geography and logistics. That's how the race organizers got us from the lake to a nice transition area close to the run. Usually the course in a loop or an out and back, this was a one way trip from the reservoir!
The bike was an open course, meaning cars allowed, but the first 20 miles had very little traffic, only the last 5-6 miles of the bike had heavier traffic. The asphalt on the first 18-20 miles was a little rough with a few potholes but not crumbly. The end of the bike had deliciously smooth road and there was a generous shoulder.
The bike was uphill the first 15-16 miles, NO LIE. Knowing that I am not the best heat shunter, I took it a bit easy, and put it in low gear on the front end of that bike. It was beautiful and sunny day with little breaks in the shade. I had biked 30 miles Wednesday, and did the sprint triathlon last Sunday. I felt a bit flat in the legs from the previous weekend and that last big bike. I tried to pick it up on the downhill which was such a reward after all the up and up and up.
I hope to continue to build my base of biking, and develop more strength to crank up inclines. And I will be sure to scale back week of if I am a feeling fatigued. Another area to improve.
After the bike, athletes bring there bike and body into T-2, transition area 2.
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| Transition area two, this is the entrance where you run or walk to the entrance and then scoot out between those white flags in the back. By the end of the race, this area will be packed with bikes! |
The bike to run transition is pictured here before the race. This is every Olympic triathlete's running gear arranged in racks by number. This is the area where you stash your bike, and running gear goes on then you exit this second transition area.
I came into this area thinking, SO HOT, Mr. SUN what is your PROBLEM! And how am I going to run? This run was the standard Olympic run , a 10K (6.2 mile) beautiful closed course through the Sunriver resort area. I would liken this area to ski resorts/condo resorts with trails and 2 golf courses and an amazing fitness/water park/spa center. I have similar things in Michigan, Colorado, etc. Just a crazy ideal place for a triathlon where the whole family can enjoy.
Back to the runner!
It was 90 darn degrees by this time. I sloppily jogged/walked/whimpered and then thought "Let's walk for four minutes". I breathed. I gathered scruples. I mentally leaned on my highlight reel from training, remembered the great run I had a couple weeks ago, the fact I made it through a big swim, and that I was probably an hour or so from being done. I rallied, and I recommend tucking your training successes in your heart to be used at a later date. They are touch stones to help you along on the big day, and one mile later I was running alright! It also helped immensely to see my husband cheering me on, and old and new friends clapping and yelling! That was like a giant shot in the arm. I walk/ran 6.2 miles in 1:15:55. This is about a 12 minute 13 second pace for me. And I am grateful for it! I was jamming ice down my shirt, holding it to my head, already over 2 hours of exertion in the heat, it just was everything I could to keep on keeping on! Usually I can kick it at a 9:20 to 10:20 minute mile, but I am so thankful for this time!
One of my goals was to really use good form on the run, and I tried but I just wanted my legs to move forward, here and there I would try to brighten my stride. Mostly, I jut kept saying, "Runner, runner, make the running, don't stop running, legs, legs, legs, go!",
I like to set a loose time goal for tri's. I would encourage others to set a few different goals, because there are lots of variables on the swim and bike that could alter your time. I really like to set quality goals, and analyze how I did.
For this race, reflections include:
- be more careful with the taper and pre-race week
- practice my wetsuit transition
- work on building more leg strength in the bike
- add more speed work to my running plan
- ice after the event, I sat under the cold shower at the end of the course for a bit, but ice aids recovery
It took me just a second to absorb the full joy of this Olympic triathlon completion because it was in the 90's the day of this Olympic Triathlon, and I got a little burnt and heat exhausted and was in a little bit of "woah!" cloud. I sat on the couch and just read and cooled down in the glorious AC surrounded by nice people. And spoke in short phrases. I do not cope with heat well, and that was all there was energetically. Today I can see and appreciate the event and I am so enjoying recapping the day here! I am not sore at all! Just sun kissed, in a kinda reddish way.
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| I am so close to the finish here! |
Thank you for reading and please share ANY "first"stories (any first story! Kickboxing, Barre class, I want to hear it and share it!) via email at beth@gotrainingwithbeth.com or on GO Training's facebook page which also has monthly contests. July contest announced soon, smoothie contest wraps up July 5th!
My times for yesterday's tri!
Beth Trimark-Connor
232 (bib number) 36 (age) F (gender) 3:58:35 (overall time) 35 (my rank in the swim for my age group, can't remember how many peeps" 0:38:03 (my swim time) 348 (overall rank for swim) 4:30 (transition 1 time, stuck in wetsuit) 1:56:41 (bike time for 28 miles) 442 (overall bike rank) 3:26 (second transition time) 414 (overall rank after bike and transition) 1:15:55 (run time, about 12:13 mile) 371 (run time rank) I came in 383 out 477 peoples, I was 35th out of 41 competitors in my age group. My goal is to get into the top 15 in my age group.
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