Last year I was the photographer for Tom, Adina and Peter as they competed in the Aluminum Man Sprint Triathlon in The Dalles. They were amazing and I remember watching them thinking that there was no way I could do it. Well, this year something possessed me to try. I did a sprint triathlon at Blue Lake in June and it was tough but doable. So for extra challenge we decided to sign up for the Olympic Distance in the Dalles. I really tried to train amid all the chaos of summer. I got up really early to fit in a 22 mile bike ride every week, my friend and I went to the river to swim every Wednesday, I kept on my running... but I’m not sure it was enough to really prepare for an Olympic Triathlon. It’s kind of like running 26 miles over the coarse of a week and thinking that makes you ready for a marathon.... it doesn’t. But we worked hard, we persisted and in the end we succeeded. Although we felt like it was way too hard we did okay. Tom ended up 4th in his age division and I was second. It was a small race so that’s not saying much but it’s something. The three hours it took to complete the event gave me plenty of time to talk to myself...here are some of things going through my head during each event: (Tom says this is way too long and will be painful for others to read so read at your own risk...I wrote it mostly so I could remember it!)
The Swim:
Well I was hoping to do it under 30 minutes so I at least met that goal, finishing in 25 minutes which is the speed (or lack of speed) I was finishing in during my training swims. I went in telling myself it would be okay that I would be last because I knew I would be but it was still hard to handle when it was happening! I had an anxiety attack around the first buoy thinking I wouldn't be able to do it and my heart started racing and I couldn’t breath but I did the back stroke for a bit and calmed down and managed to find a rhythm and caught up quite a bit finishing just a few minutes behind everyone else. Not dead last but close... but I did finish...through out the swim I tried to distract myself from the fact that I was out there all alone, with nothing to look at but grey water and nothing to listen to except my breathing so I was trying to think of what color to paint the kitchen. Not exactly the kind of thinking to motivate me to go faster but it did keep my heart from racing. I was so happy to be done but dismayed by how far behind I was! I tried to hurry through my transition but I was all out of sorts from the swim and I can see my transition time online and it wasn’t great. Oh well, I managed to get out on my bike determined to do my best and hopefully catch up to the other women!
The Bike:
As I had come up from the swim I saw my friend Chelsea leaving on her bike and wished her well. I saw one other lady in the transition area but as I mounted my bike I was all alone and stayed alone most of the ride. I tried to tell myself to just enjoy it and not stress but I couldn’t help it. I was pushing it as hard as I could with every pedal telling myself that I could rest all I wanted when I got home that night but right then I had to give it my all! It felt like a really long ride and there were plenty of hills but I did enjoy the ride, I liked the scenery, talked to the few people I saw and got chased by a dog. I passed a couple people and finally at 22 miles I caught up with my friend and was excited to ride with her for a bit after being so lonely. I thought it would be finished at 24 miles so I pushed it hard. I finished with a decent pace around 17 mph, that's pretty good considering I usually average closer to 15. I just kept telling myself to give it my all instead of saving something for the run. I figured I would worry about that part when I got to the run! I was dismayed when the course just kept going and going and we didn’t actually finish until closer to 29 miles!! But I hopped off the bike, exhausted and still so far behind but determined to do what I do best: run.
The Run:
It was very hot and there was no shade but I kept telling myself "you're a runner, you can do this!" Every step took a lot of effort because my legs were so tired from the bike but I managed to convince them to keep going. My Garmin wouldn't turn on so I didn't know my pace or distance but that was probably a blessing since I was just focused on not stopping. I powered past the 1.5 mile water station and turn around for the sprint runners really wishing I was turning around too! But I had been looking for Tom so I was I was motivated to keep going. Not long after that I saw him and I threw my arms in the air in excitement! Here we were, we were actually doing it! He was on his way back and I was terribly jealous wishing I could turn around and run with him. But instead I was happily surprised when he stopped just long enough to give me a fantastic sweaty hug! We wished each other well and pushed ahead in our separate directions.
The next 1.5 miles was the longest of my life. At one point I rounded a corner sure I would see the turn around and when I could see far off in the distance and there was no turn around I let out an audible cry of dismay! Honestly it was one of the hardest things I've done, I wanted to quit so badly. But I made it to the turn around and got some water. Then I headed back... I was so hot, so tired and my wet shorts were really uncomfortable but I just kept telling myself that if I would just get to the end I would be done. I kept making little deals with myself like “just run to the end of this song and then you can walk for the time in between songs.” But the song would end and I would somehow manage to keep going without stopping to walk and I would make a new deal with myself which I would inevitably not keep...I did stop for water at that 4.5 mark and then just kept making deals with myself to convince myself to run all the way back. I was more tired than I was after the marathon I ran. I didn’t know my pace at the time, but it turns out I averaged 7:27. Not bad considering my speed has gone down since my knee injury. Definitely not bad considering how exhausted I was. I'm happy I finished it. Glad I challenged myself and now I know I need to train harder in the future if I ever plan to do it again.
Speaking of doing it again...I decided I definitely won’t do it again until I take some formal swimming training so I can use less energy and hopefully go faster. I would also really like a bike that fits me better so I’m not as uncomfortable but that is a long way down the road so I’ll probably just have to put up with what I have. For now, I’ll stick to being a runner... I’ve got a marathon in a month so I better get training! Here are the results: http://www.racecenter.com/results/2012/res_am12.htm#25
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