Friday, 11/13/09 at 5:47 PM
by Kelli Poindexter
by Kelli Poindexter
Pushed to the Limit
My goal was to finish an Olympic distance triathlon this year, so I’m trying not to get down about my time (an hour slower than the winner). I was going for experience and I gained a bunch! The day was an adventure.
We got to the race early and got our transition spots set up in enough time to see some of the pros start their bike time trial. As each wave before me started on the swim, I got more nervous about my race. I focused on my new swim strategy – stay out of the wash. When my wave was up, I was already in the water to get use to the temperature. I positioned my self to the far right and in the back. I wanted to avoid the panic I’d experienced in previous triathlons when all swimmers converge together for prime positioning. In the chaos, elbows are thrown, faces are kicked and for me panic ensues. All training gets thrown out the window and survival mode kicks in. Not a fun time when you’re new to triathlon! So, to avoid my panic, I let them all go first and started to the far side. It made my swim a bit longer, but so much more enjoyable. The only time I ran into anyone else was around the buoys when swimmers converge to get around the buoy and get a line of sight to the next one. No panic! Most enjoyable swim I’ve had yet during a triathlon. Now, I wasn’t going for the win, so I could afford the comfort. Of course, that didn’t help my overall time, but nonetheless, I was feeling good as I exited the water and ran for my transition spot.
I got my gear and bike and headed out on the bike segment of the race. My legs felt good and I was feeling confident. About half way through the course, I was passed by another woman (not in my age group, 50 years old) on a straight away after the turn around point. I was impressed with her fitness level and thought, “I want to be that fit when I’m 50”. I had her in my sights and then caught up and passed her on the climb. I swear I could hear her breathing right behind me as I pushed up the hill. I think I had a slight advantage on the climb since she was on a time trial bike and I was on my road bike. I descended half expecting her to catch me, but she didn't, until later on another straight away. Something clicked in me and I decided to try to catch her and put it all out on the bike. I figured I could make good time on the bike segment in my age group and I could walk the run segment if I had to. I'm not a strong runner anyway. My goal was just to complete the Olympic distance tri. I couldn't catch her. We were going the same speed and she remained the same distance in front of me for the last 10 miles or so. She was always in my sight, but I just could gain anything on her. It was the first time I wished I had a time trial bike to have that aerodynamic advantage. When I dismounted at transition my legs fully cramped up. I have never had pain like that in all the years I've been cycling. I don't think I hydrated well enough in the race or in my training (which I half suspected). I hobbled back to my spot in transition, quickly took in fluids, ate a GU and some Clif Bloks as I put on my running shoes. I took too long in transition, four minutes. I could barely run out. The first mile was touch and go. I tried to walk it out but the pain was so intense. I took in more water at the water station and continued walking with intermittent running to test out my legs. At one point, I had to stop altogether and stretched my legs hoping to ease the pain. Putting it all out on the bike, I never considered the possibility that I wouldn't even be able to walk! I made a new plan while stretching for a moment. I would continue. Quitting was not an option. I’d walked for a bit and would then try to run again. I walked through every water stop, took two cups of water and drank them and also grabbed a GU if they were handing them out. After the first mile, I was able to run again, but the cramps in my legs continued, although they were less intense. As I passed each mile marker, running got easier. What I was not counting on was that they marked the course incorrectly so everyone ran 7.4 miles instead of 6.2. I had never run that far before. The longest run in my training plan was 6 miles. It would have been better had I not learned that the course was miss marked during my run. The last mile to the finish I was able to pick up a bit of speed still with some pain in my quads. As I came upon the last 100 yards, I saw my friends on the side line and they were cheering me on. I kicked it into a faster gear and sprinted to the finish. What really surprised me was that my legs felt better at that sprint pace. I need to practice just running faster during my training. I'm always afraid of pushing too hard on the run because I've got it in my head that I'm not a runner and that I won’t be able to finish the race.
We stayed to watch the Pro Challenge portion of the event. Wow, it’s quite amazing watching the pros race. I think it was good for me to just continue to walk around and stretch a bit. When I got home, I was wiped out! My legs were still sore two days later. I felt weak for a week. I pushed my body farther than I had ever pushed it before and got a lot of insight into what I’m capable of and what I need to change to accomplish more and go farther. I feel great about completing my first Olympic distance triathlon and I’m training for the next one.
Here’s what I learned. Train harder, go faster but don’t put it all out there on the bike, and nutrition (especially hydration!) is vital. In my current training plan, I’m doing more interval training to improve my speed in all three sports. I will do another Olympic distance triathlon soon, but my next tri on the calendar is the Mermaid Santa Cruz Tri. My goal is to finish in an hour and take 12 seconds off my last sprint triathlon time.
Still striving,
Kelli
We got to the race early and got our transition spots set up in enough time to see some of the pros start their bike time trial. As each wave before me started on the swim, I got more nervous about my race. I focused on my new swim strategy – stay out of the wash. When my wave was up, I was already in the water to get use to the temperature. I positioned my self to the far right and in the back. I wanted to avoid the panic I’d experienced in previous triathlons when all swimmers converge together for prime positioning. In the chaos, elbows are thrown, faces are kicked and for me panic ensues. All training gets thrown out the window and survival mode kicks in. Not a fun time when you’re new to triathlon! So, to avoid my panic, I let them all go first and started to the far side. It made my swim a bit longer, but so much more enjoyable. The only time I ran into anyone else was around the buoys when swimmers converge to get around the buoy and get a line of sight to the next one. No panic! Most enjoyable swim I’ve had yet during a triathlon. Now, I wasn’t going for the win, so I could afford the comfort. Of course, that didn’t help my overall time, but nonetheless, I was feeling good as I exited the water and ran for my transition spot.
I got my gear and bike and headed out on the bike segment of the race. My legs felt good and I was feeling confident. About half way through the course, I was passed by another woman (not in my age group, 50 years old) on a straight away after the turn around point. I was impressed with her fitness level and thought, “I want to be that fit when I’m 50”. I had her in my sights and then caught up and passed her on the climb. I swear I could hear her breathing right behind me as I pushed up the hill. I think I had a slight advantage on the climb since she was on a time trial bike and I was on my road bike. I descended half expecting her to catch me, but she didn't, until later on another straight away. Something clicked in me and I decided to try to catch her and put it all out on the bike. I figured I could make good time on the bike segment in my age group and I could walk the run segment if I had to. I'm not a strong runner anyway. My goal was just to complete the Olympic distance tri. I couldn't catch her. We were going the same speed and she remained the same distance in front of me for the last 10 miles or so. She was always in my sight, but I just could gain anything on her. It was the first time I wished I had a time trial bike to have that aerodynamic advantage. When I dismounted at transition my legs fully cramped up. I have never had pain like that in all the years I've been cycling. I don't think I hydrated well enough in the race or in my training (which I half suspected). I hobbled back to my spot in transition, quickly took in fluids, ate a GU and some Clif Bloks as I put on my running shoes. I took too long in transition, four minutes. I could barely run out. The first mile was touch and go. I tried to walk it out but the pain was so intense. I took in more water at the water station and continued walking with intermittent running to test out my legs. At one point, I had to stop altogether and stretched my legs hoping to ease the pain. Putting it all out on the bike, I never considered the possibility that I wouldn't even be able to walk! I made a new plan while stretching for a moment. I would continue. Quitting was not an option. I’d walked for a bit and would then try to run again. I walked through every water stop, took two cups of water and drank them and also grabbed a GU if they were handing them out. After the first mile, I was able to run again, but the cramps in my legs continued, although they were less intense. As I passed each mile marker, running got easier. What I was not counting on was that they marked the course incorrectly so everyone ran 7.4 miles instead of 6.2. I had never run that far before. The longest run in my training plan was 6 miles. It would have been better had I not learned that the course was miss marked during my run. The last mile to the finish I was able to pick up a bit of speed still with some pain in my quads. As I came upon the last 100 yards, I saw my friends on the side line and they were cheering me on. I kicked it into a faster gear and sprinted to the finish. What really surprised me was that my legs felt better at that sprint pace. I need to practice just running faster during my training. I'm always afraid of pushing too hard on the run because I've got it in my head that I'm not a runner and that I won’t be able to finish the race.
We stayed to watch the Pro Challenge portion of the event. Wow, it’s quite amazing watching the pros race. I think it was good for me to just continue to walk around and stretch a bit. When I got home, I was wiped out! My legs were still sore two days later. I felt weak for a week. I pushed my body farther than I had ever pushed it before and got a lot of insight into what I’m capable of and what I need to change to accomplish more and go farther. I feel great about completing my first Olympic distance triathlon and I’m training for the next one.
Here’s what I learned. Train harder, go faster but don’t put it all out there on the bike, and nutrition (especially hydration!) is vital. In my current training plan, I’m doing more interval training to improve my speed in all three sports. I will do another Olympic distance triathlon soon, but my next tri on the calendar is the Mermaid Santa Cruz Tri. My goal is to finish in an hour and take 12 seconds off my last sprint triathlon time.
Still striving,
Kelli
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