Long Beach Triathlon
After 13 weeks of training, we finally successfully completed the Long Beach Triathlon. For 13 consecutive weeks, we swam, ran, and biked in preparation for the race, which consisted of a .5 mile swim, 11 mile bike, and concluded with a 3 mile run. We were estimating it would take us three hours to complete. But after my brother's convincing, our goal became to finish the race in two hours or less.
The week leading up the race was nerve racking. We began to realize we had to complete all three different sports together in one day! Separately, all of these sports are fine but altogether seemed too daunting. This nervousness didn't at all subside, especially right before the start of the race.
There we were standing on the beach at 7 am, shivering because of the cold and the anxiety of facing a half mile swim in open water. We were scared! Allison's wave started before me and she was off and in the thick of the pack. My wave immediately followed her's. My strategy was to take the first turn wide, take my time, and take it easy. I was really afraid of having an asthma attack in the middle of the swim because in the past, swimming with the wetsuit I was wearing that race day, I'd experienced shortness of breath due to its tightness around the chest. I continued to be scared throughout the whole swim. In the moments I was actually swimming, instead of doggie paddling, I was actually passing people! I wish I could have kept up the effort.
Just before getting up on the beach, I saw Allison climbing out of the water. I was so happy to see her make it through the swim! I caught up with her on the beach and we walked hand-in-hand into the transition area together.
In the transition area, Allison got changed and was off on the bike before me. It took me a little longer to get changed because I was wearing a full length wetsuit. To get the suit off, I had to remove my timing chip because it was wrapped around the outside of my wetsuit down at the ankle. I set it down in front of me and I thought to myself, "Do not forget the chip. Don't forget to put it back on." I finished changing and got on the bike and I was off.
I felt good on the bike. I was moving pretty well and having a good time. Near the end of the first lap, I noticed the timing chip attached to the ankle of the biker in front of me and that's when I wondered if I reattached my own timing chip to my ankle. I looked down at my left ankle and lo and behold, no timing chip. Wonderful, just wonderful. Thankfully, I didn't go totally nuts at this point, because I remember reading in preparation for the race that mistakes were bound to happen. So I went back into the transition area for my chip. And just how I left it, there it was, sitting on my towel, waiting for me to put it back on. I strapped that little sucker on and got back into the race.
During the run, I decided I wasn't going to stop running. I just couldn't or else I may not have been able to start running again. Slow down, just don't stop! Well, about .25 mile into the run I developed a cramp in my side. I started to tell myself, "Just run through it. Maybe it'll go away." It didn't. It lasted the entire remaing 2.75 miles. The only time it didn't hurt was when I sprinted the last one hundred meters to the finish.
Immediately after crossing the finish line, I so wanted to puke. I've never understood why some people puked after incredible physical exertion until now. Fortunately, I didn't. I waited about ten minutes longer and Allison crossed the finish line. We finished the race!
Admittedly, during the race, I kept telling myself I was never going to do this again. But after recovering a little bit, I realized I accomplished quite a large feat: I completed a sprint distance triathlon in less than two hours! Now I hope to compete again in this event next year. It was a good experience and I encourage you to give it try if you've always thought about doing it. It's worth it.
The week leading up the race was nerve racking. We began to realize we had to complete all three different sports together in one day! Separately, all of these sports are fine but altogether seemed too daunting. This nervousness didn't at all subside, especially right before the start of the race.
There we were standing on the beach at 7 am, shivering because of the cold and the anxiety of facing a half mile swim in open water. We were scared! Allison's wave started before me and she was off and in the thick of the pack. My wave immediately followed her's. My strategy was to take the first turn wide, take my time, and take it easy. I was really afraid of having an asthma attack in the middle of the swim because in the past, swimming with the wetsuit I was wearing that race day, I'd experienced shortness of breath due to its tightness around the chest. I continued to be scared throughout the whole swim. In the moments I was actually swimming, instead of doggie paddling, I was actually passing people! I wish I could have kept up the effort.
Just before getting up on the beach, I saw Allison climbing out of the water. I was so happy to see her make it through the swim! I caught up with her on the beach and we walked hand-in-hand into the transition area together.
In the transition area, Allison got changed and was off on the bike before me. It took me a little longer to get changed because I was wearing a full length wetsuit. To get the suit off, I had to remove my timing chip because it was wrapped around the outside of my wetsuit down at the ankle. I set it down in front of me and I thought to myself, "Do not forget the chip. Don't forget to put it back on." I finished changing and got on the bike and I was off.
I felt good on the bike. I was moving pretty well and having a good time. Near the end of the first lap, I noticed the timing chip attached to the ankle of the biker in front of me and that's when I wondered if I reattached my own timing chip to my ankle. I looked down at my left ankle and lo and behold, no timing chip. Wonderful, just wonderful. Thankfully, I didn't go totally nuts at this point, because I remember reading in preparation for the race that mistakes were bound to happen. So I went back into the transition area for my chip. And just how I left it, there it was, sitting on my towel, waiting for me to put it back on. I strapped that little sucker on and got back into the race.
During the run, I decided I wasn't going to stop running. I just couldn't or else I may not have been able to start running again. Slow down, just don't stop! Well, about .25 mile into the run I developed a cramp in my side. I started to tell myself, "Just run through it. Maybe it'll go away." It didn't. It lasted the entire remaing 2.75 miles. The only time it didn't hurt was when I sprinted the last one hundred meters to the finish.
Immediately after crossing the finish line, I so wanted to puke. I've never understood why some people puked after incredible physical exertion until now. Fortunately, I didn't. I waited about ten minutes longer and Allison crossed the finish line. We finished the race!
Admittedly, during the race, I kept telling myself I was never going to do this again. But after recovering a little bit, I realized I accomplished quite a large feat: I completed a sprint distance triathlon in less than two hours! Now I hope to compete again in this event next year. It was a good experience and I encourage you to give it try if you've always thought about doing it. It's worth it.
posted by Brian at
10:00 AM
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