I did a couple duathlons, which I really enjoyed, and I followed that up with a couple of triathlons. Yes, you read that right. I have entered that realm - a realm I would not have foreseen me joining... for numerous reasons.
After my back surgery in 2010, I never thought running would be something I would be able to do, so I was excited when I began running last November. I was able to run for 10 minutes, which was a major triumph for me. Over the coming weeks, I gradually increased my running time, until I was doing 6 or 7 miles. In February, I decided to commit to doing the Portland Marathon in October with Ted and Rusty, though I still was (am!) unsure of how my back would handle it. While I was at it, I signed up for a couple of triathlons, and I began swimming 2x/week.
I did well in the duathlons I raced, winning both of them. Considering I had no real running training, I was pretty content with that. Swimming, however, added another element.
My first triathlon was the Onion Man Triathlon in Walla Walla. This one was an Olympic distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run). It was windy for the swim start, making the water too choppy for this newbie's liking. I struggled in the swim, having to stop to catch my breath numerous times. The course ended up being short, which was disappointing for my first triathlon, even though I am not a good swimmer. Coming out of the water, I was very far back - my swim time was only 211th out of 241! My first transition did not help, but I had not practiced transitions, so what could I expect?
The bike leg of Onion Man was a big improvement over the swim. I had the fastest female bike split. The funny thing was that I think I held back way too much on the bike portion. My average heart rate was very low, as I was being conservative for the run to follow. In retrospect, I wish I would have pushed on the bike considerably more. I never really drink when I do time trials, but with the run to come, I could have used that bottle I dropped during the bike. Oops.
My 2nd transition was really not much better than my first, so I lost time there. Looking at my pacing for the run, I was not happy. I was sure that my run split was going to put me well back. Imagine my surprise when I had the 3rd fastest female run split! Who knew? I honestly thought my pace was slow. I ended up finishing 5th overall and 3rd in my age group. I had lost it all in the swim and transitions. The good news is, I think anyone can learn to swim, at least decently. I do not think anyone can become a good runner and cyclist. So, I think I have potential, especially considering that I am self-taught for swimming and haven't done any structured running.
Lesson learned in Walla Walla - check your shoes carefully before beginning the run. Yes, I did the entire run with a gel inside my shoe, which explains the foot pain I had! Thankfully, the gel didn't completely rupture.
Last weekend, I did my second triathlon, the Boise 70.3. The course in Boise was to be a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. I was unsure of how this would play out for me, as this would be my longest swim, and I had only run 10+ miles twice before the race (actually, I had only run 10+ miles twice EVER in my life). I was kind of surprised to have someone tell me, "I know I will put at least 10 minutes into you in the swim." Trash talking already? This was only my 2nd triathlon!
Saturday morning was rainy, windy, and cold, which had been predicted for several days before the race. Seeing the forecast, I had made sure to bring a variety of clothing and bike equipment options. From my background in bike racing, races are typically held rain, shine, or wind, and it is necessary to have clothing and equipment for all types of weather. I had brought three types of gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers, a base layer, wool socks, a long-sleeved jersey, spare socks, low-profile wheels, etc. It was 43 degrees and raining at Lucky Peak Reservoir, and yes, it was chilly. The wind was blowing, but it was nothing I considered severe at all, so I was shocked when it was announced that the bike portion of the course had been shortened to 12 miles. The promoters were concerned that racers would suffer from hypothermia on the course. Really? I did not think the conditions seemed that severe. I honestly considered not starting when I heard that the bike had been shortened, but I decided to stick it out and do the race anyway.
The swim was the coldest swim I had ever done. My hands and feet were numb, but I put on my warm gloves, wool socks, and arm warmers, and I was absolutely fine. Yes, I wore arm warmers with a sleeveless top. God help me! A warming tent was set up near the swim exit, but I saw very few people using it. Personally, I did not need the tent, as my bike clothing was sufficient for the conditions. My transition was terribly slow! The bike portion was frustrating. I was so far back from the swim that I was stuck with slow cyclists. I passed hundreds of people, but there were "no passing" zones where I was stuck behind a slow stream of people. This greatly slowed my bike portion, but that's what I get for swimming so slowly! I rode the bike relatively hard, but conserved for the run. Perhaps I conserved too much again, but I am learning. I ended up having the fastest female bike split of the day, which shocked me since I had so much left in the tank. I'm used to time trials where I go all-out, so I was surprised to have the fastest time when I felt I had really held myself back.
My 2nd transition was even worse than the first! Remember that lesson I supposedly learned in Walla Walla? Yeah, well, apparently I didn't learn very well. I had both my running shoes on and double knotted when I realized I was missing my gel. I had to untie my right shoe and take it completely off to get the gel out of the shoe. And, this is something I should probably not confess! Oh well.
I began the run slowly, and felt okay for the first couple of miles. Around mile three, I started to have the worst abdominal pain to the right of my belly button, and I began to feel very sick. I kept running, but had to slow considerably, and I ended up having to stop to throw up at mile 4. The next few miles were very slow, as I struggled with severe pain. I felt a bit better around mile 8 and was able to pick up the pace slightly, though I still was below the pace I wanted to do. Around mile 11, I was again hit with crippling abdominal pain that had me hunched forward at the waist. I ended up walking, unable to run. People were asking me if I was okay. I was so frustrated, as my legs felt fine, but I could not keep going. I watched women in my age group pass me, yet I couldn't run. I jogged the last couple miles, feeling horrible.
I was happy to finish, but was very disappointed in my run, as it was much slower than it should have been. My abdomen is still sore today, so I think I have some sort of muscle strain. I'm not sure how or why my abdomen felt so terrible, but hopefully it is something I can resolve.
I am not currently registered for any other triathlons. I may do some more, but I'm unsure at this point. I was extremely disappointed to have the bike course cut short. Though I am a bad swimmer, I also would have been unhappy if the swim had been cut short, as I came to Boise wanting to do the race I signed up for. I personally feel that it is the individual's responsibility to come to an event prepared, and to make the decision for him/herself as to whether he/she can handle the conditions. The problem is that many people do not come prepared, and do not make the appropriate decisions for what they can handle, which does lead to injuries and problems... and therefore puts race promoters in a tough spot.
The good news is that I was able to run Saturday's half-marathon with no real back pain to speak of! So, it's looking like I can maybe start to do a bit more running.
