Golden State 2003
What not to do
Months of meticulous procrastination and the urge to avoid this years chicken fried cow award (given to the Mad Cow member with the poorest attendance of the triathlon season) resulted in me competing in my first ever tri - the Golden State Triathlon in Sacramento. This insight from my own personal Kona will hopefully give many of you some ideas of what not to do in a triathlon.
I arrived in Davis (from New Zealand) in April 2003 and began my triathlon training a week after my arrival. Actually, triathlon training a bit of a misnomer, I have been cycling all over the Davis bike trails in town and further into the countryside as my fitness has improved. This is following an absence from serious cycling for about seven years. I have been swimming for long enough to wear down my first ever pair of speedos (warning to all newcomers - those things actually can become transparent over time). Running- my Achilles heel - comprises jogging around UC Davis running track with the local Special Olympians (if you ever feel tired at the end of a Sunday, get out on the track with these kids - they have more energy to share than you can imagine).
Having reached Discovery Park with minutes to spare to get registered painted up and park my bike I had to hoof it to get to the swim start line. Lucky for me I found a loo near the start line (I was a nervous wreck at this stage I hope you'll appreciate) and went inside after leaving my swim gear outside. Upon exiting, the loo, my goggles, swim cap and ear plugs had been stolen. A quick frantic search found a city park worker who had decided my swim gear was trash and should be disposed of accordingly.
I was one of the handful of competitors standing at the startline without a wetsuit. No worries, the way I figured it, my superior (read higher) BMI should give me all the protection I need. Wrong. My first couple of minutes in the swim were spent hyperventilating as I fought to get whatever oxygen I could back in my lungs after the cold shock had knocked the wind out of me. Given the shallowness of the river, I joined the walking swimmers for a few paces until I realized Beth and Alison would admonish my wicked ways if I did not get back in the water - so I did.
I ran up and down the bike transition a couple of times looking for my bike. Initially I figured someone had stolen my bike (and cursing how this place is teeming with tri gear thieves). Once I had calmed down enough, I walked over to where I left the bike in the first place. The bike leg is where I intended to make huge gains - and I did manage to pass about ten other cyclists. I tried to get aero like all the flash triathletes, but alas you can only go so low on a hybrid bike and I was at my lowest point already. On the photo above you can see how my aero positioning allowed me to easily overtake these two ladies out walking their dog.
Off the bike I was delighted to see my fellow Mad Cow Marianne Hernandez at T2, in truth she had already finished the run - but at least I knew I was no more than four miles behind her. I kept up and even pace with good stride length and a nice comfortable rhythm for the first 400-500 yards - then I hit the wall. From here to the finish line it was simply a game of willpower over leg power as I guzzled Gu and Gatoraded my way to the finish. Halfway through run a big burly fellow wearing a bright purple bike shirt and shorts huffed past me and said how great it was to see a "fellow sufferer" Thanks for the encouragement Barney. However, I never broke down and walked, instead I crossed the finish line somewhere in the 1:54 region, proud of the fact this cow had finally earned his spots.
Lessons to be learned:
If your tri gear looks like trash make sure its not left in the same vicinity as trash collectors
You can walk the run and sometimes even walk the swim, but its best not to
Gu shots make tasty snacks but you should always eat them in one go, never never ever save half a Gu packet in your bike jersey for later
Save just enough energy to enjoy the post-race party with the rest of the herd
The whole world is not out to steal your swim and bike gear, it is just forgetfulness that has caused you to misplace these things