Lisa's Triathlon!

The big day finally arrives! Lisa's first triathlon. I was very proud of her; not only for completing he race, but for all the hard work involved in training. And, although she likely feels that she did not train enough, I remember all the 4am mornings she went to swim a mile in the gym pool, followed by a one-hour cycling class, and then sometimes a run. See my previous post on triathlon training to get the details of the race basics, if you want a refresher. In short, it's a 1/4-mile swim race, 14-mile bike race, and a 3.1-mile run to the finish line.

"Patti made this sign for me. I want to say thanks Patti, and also thanks to everyone else for your support and encouragement! A special thanks and kiss to my coach Jeff! I could not have done it without you!" - Mellissa

Race morning is NO fun. We had to get up at 4:45am (ugh) to get to the race to set up the transitions (more on that later) and get "body marked." That's where they draw your race # on your arm with a permanant marker. (You want to keep this on as long as possible after the race, especially if your're going to the gym.)



I was up until 12:30am the night before in a poker game, so I wasn't feeling too good at 5am. And I wasn't happy at having my picture taken before brushing my teeth.

It's still early-morning and dark when we drag her bike to the transition zone. This is where she will go after the swim to change for the bike race. All towels, water, gloves, helmet, banana, and T-shirts are kept in your little transition area so you can change for the next event. No flash here and blurry, but Lisa is ready!

With nearly 300 triathletes entered, swim starts are staggered. Every 10 seconds, another swimmer is given the GO! signal. I love this shot of Lisa intensely waiting for the signal. In years past, (OK, many years past), I've been in this spot myself a few times: excited, worried, tense, cold, and with a funny feeling of privilege, since so few people can complete these types of races. Regardless of the distance, all triathlons are tough.

And GO! Eight laps in this olympic-sized pool, "serpentine style" a snake pattern, so everyone can wind around until the end and then climb out.

About halfway through, Lisa stops to catch her breath....

Now, we spectators, coaches, and photographers have a difficult job too. We sit in the stands cheering on our favorite swimmer and shiver in the cold. Some of us get to have a bagel while cheering on Mom. Hey kid, how about sharing? No? Hey look! A pony!

Back to the race.....After the swim, you get out of the water grateful that you did not drown, and haul ass for 100 yards to the transition area for your bike. Lisa is smiling as usual and glad to be out of the water.

Head for your bike and dry off. Grab your helmet, gloves, and shirt. Take a bite of a PowerBar and take off for the 14 mile ride. This takes about an hour going as fast as you can. After 10 minutes, you feel like you'd rather be heading to Starbucks for a double latte and the newspaper.

Now, we spectators really have nothing to do for a good hour. I couldn't rip off that kid's bagel without the Dad catching me, so I head home to get a forgotten spare camera battery. I barely make it back in time to catch Lisa coming in from the bike race. (How can she be so happy when I want a bagel?)

OK, the bike-to run transition is a favorite: You're 2/3rds done, you didn't drown, get kicked by the lead swimmer, or crash into a car. You didn't fall off your bike or throw up from the stress, and now all you have to do is hang on for a 3.1 mile run. At an 8 minute-per-mile pace, you'll be done in, uh....let's see...3.1 times 8, ..uh... well it's a pretty hard run, let me tell you! (I can't be ciphering when I'm coaching.)

Here's a 4-part collage of Lisa coming in from the bike, tossing her helmet, grabbing some water and heading out for the final leg of the race.

OK, back to the important part of all this: the spectators. We had it tough, hanging out, bored, waiting, coloring...

...which is the perfect time to sneak into the transition area and steal stuff like smelly towels, other people's water bottles, and sweat bands.



Just as I was explaining to Security why I was looking for jewelery in the gymbags, I see Lisa coming up the fnal hill....

Lisa runs onto the track and through the finish line. Because of the staggered start, she began the race 42 minutes late, giving her a finish time of about two hours. We were jolted when we heard that she missed taking 3rd place for her age group by less than 5 minutes! So, coming in 4th for her first Tri ain't too shabby.

What motivates today's triathlete? Fame? The experience? The training? Free cookies?

All done. Whew! Time to grab some water, your race t-shirt, and all the bananas you can. Try not to look how you feel. Give a big smile for the camera and kiss your coach. Head out for Henry's House of Bagels, (buy 12 get one free.)

Triathlon Training

OK, let's get right to it: Triathlon training! Lisa has a triathlon coming up in late April and has been training (with the excellent help of her coach.) First job of the coach - get the unwilling athlete out of bed. Very difficult.

A triathlon is a 3-event race: swim/bike/run. The distances vary from short "sprint" triathlons to the "ultra" triathlons like the well-known Ironman. Lisa's race is a 1/4 mile swim, a 14 mile bike race, and a 3.1 mile run.

As her tri-coach, I decided that a helpful training aid would be to simulate the race by doing a "practice tri" at our local pool, bike trail, and running route, covering the same distances of the actual race.



For safety reasons, triathlons start with the swim race and end with the run, (although I once entered a "reverse triathlon") Better to get tired during the final event, the run, than to conk out during the swim. Here is my little fish:

Remember, clicking on each picture opens it and then click on the "back" arrow to return.

Triathlons have two transitions: the swim-to-bike, and the bike-to-run. The first one is when you come from the swim, grab your bike gear, and head out for the bike race. Placement of your equipment is critical, and making an efficient transition can shave off time of your race. Gear, like your bike, towels, water, helmet, gloves, glasses, etc., is all laid out before the race in a specified transition zone. For this practice tri, we set up the transition area in the parking lot of the gym pool. And, remember: it's a race, so every minute counts!

When the race starts, you hit the water, do the swim as fast as you can, run to your transition area, dry off, grab your helmet, and head out on the bike race. You're wet, tired, and excited. Only one thought crosses your mind: "Did I take the clothes out of the dryer?"

In case you're wondering, I waited in the parking lot during the swim, but rode with my sweetie during the 14-mile bike ride, (tougher than you think) and then waited at home while she completed the run. As coach and photographer, I had a lot on my mind. I need lots of rest.

Here is the fun transition: the bike-to-run. You're almost done, fairly dry, and ready to head out for the run. You throw off your bike helmet and gloves, and go!

And finally, the run. Just over a three mile race, but you're dead from the swim and bike race you've just completed. Your legs feel like Jello when you first leave the bike and start the run since different muscles are used. After a few minutes, you start to recover and settle into your pace.

3.1 miles later, it's over for the sprint triathlon. Hard to believe that the Ironman is a 2.1 mile swim, 112 mile bike over the hot Hawaii lava beds, followed by a marathon, a 26.2 mile run. For this practice tri, Lisa was glad to arrive safely at our house and finish. Lisa did great, but as coach, I was exhausted.
Look for the real race in late April!