Wow...a much different feeling than the one following the UBC Tri. First, the results (just so I have some place too look them up when I have to):
Swim: 14:45 (2 minutes faster than I expected)
Bike: 51:06 (ugh)
Run: 22:27 (Great as far as I'm concerned)
The swim was great. The whole experience of changing, waiting for them to call you and lining up felt very much like an epic movie soundtrack. Think Gladiator, the first scene where the Romans are fighting the Germanic barbarians. The music starts off soft, slowly ramps up, and reaches a fever pitch just as the cavalry smash into the barbarian army. Then, silence. Nothing but the sounds of war for 5 minutes as men attempt to kill men in the most basic of ways.
This is what the start of a triathlon feels like. I could hear the soundtrack playing as I donned my swim cap and goggles, and jumped into the pool. Waiting for the counter person to say "go," time seems to stretch on into infinity. Then you hear the word and everything stops: the race becomes your life. You leap into the fray. 7 or so other competitors, already in the water racing before you, clamoring over eachother, trying to finish their 28 laps (or 14, depending on your counting style) in as short a time as possible. All you can hear is water and yelling and cheering, but in alternating ears as one side of you head exits the water, then the other, in time with your stroke. It would be beautiful, if it weren't so chaotic.
Now, I swear I was on lap 10 of 14, when suddenly I see the yellow board in front of me signalling that I have one lap left. That was a shock, but I welcome one. I was feeling great in the swim. I was going fast, my stroke was perfect as far as I was concerned. I didn't feel like I had to gun it for that last lap, so I just kept on my pace. I hopped out of the water feeling great and ran to my bike.
The cycle portion was flat, except for a bridge where you had to cross over the highway (hwy 17 I believe). There isn't much to say about this portion expect that my mountain bike is in no way suited to road racing. I was pushing as hard as I could, and was still being passed by people. It is truly frustrating to know that you are being held from your true potential by something you have no control over (in the race situation anyway). So, my bike time was terrible. 240 of 296 competitors. Not good. I don't think I'll do another tri before getting a different bike. I think I could have easily shaved 10 minutes off my time with an actually road bike.
The run was great. I hopped off my bike, tightened my shoelaces, and ran like hell. I increased my cadence near the end of the bike portion (as a book told me to do: thank you Triathlon Training!) so my legs felt good (not wobbly). I reached a good pace and finished in a better time than the UBC Tri, so that was good. Oh, note to self: no black shirts, sleeveless or no. Too damn hot with the sun shining.
Today, the next day, I feel different. Last time it was the sense of completion, that I had reached the goal I had set for myself. Now I feel like I have been properly inaugurated into this incredible sport/discipline. I know how to improve my times, how to improve my performance, how to improve my technique.
I needed to sign up for a second Tri to get myself motivated to train again after March 13. Not anymore. I'm in this sport for the long haul now. I will train for the sake of training, knowing that every minute I put in will make me that much better at my next tri. I wanted originally to do one at each distance class, but now I'm content staying with Sprint dist. for a while and working on my times there. The best racer did it in 59 minutes... I can do that too.
Then again, he had a $2000+ bike.
Definately need a new bike...
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Inaugural Post
Ok, a friend of mine at work (you know who you are) suggested the idea of starting a blog at myspace.com. I didn't like the idea of having a blog address at www.myspace.com/3865638238467593856300021223857590210 so I'm going for the more straightforward approach. I figure this place will become a diary/journal of sorts, something I've been wanting to make for a while since I need to keep track of shit.
I chose the name Atropos as a callsign of sorts for online gaming (In Greek Mythology, Atropos cuts the thread of life when you die; it seemed to be appropriate when killing people in Desert Combat and Jedi Knight II). Anyways, that's why I use the name. It stuck, and I like it. Maybe I'll name my dog Atropos one day.
Now, lets see if I actually use this space for something useful...
The Triathlon
In case you're wondering, this is where the "Aero Tires" part of my strange title comes in...
I was a lazy kid. I was also overweight...well, that's a bit of a misnomer. I had the spare tire and jiggly stuff all over, but no muscle. At all. So, technically, I was underweight. In 1998, after a few months of being yelled at by my stepmother to do something that didn't involve watching TV, I started working out at Gold's Gym with High School friends. This was back in grade 11, the end of March to be exact.
5 years later I was still working out at gyms, but liking it less and less. Over the course of a few years my workout intensity grew, in that I was constantly trying to kill myself physically. I wanted to work out to the point where I couldn't move if I wanted to. That was the sign of a successful workout, to me anyway. My feeling of satisfaction slowly declined however, and by the time I was done University, I had pretty much given up gym workouts.
Fast forward to August 2004 (one year after my last real gym workout). I saw the recap of the Pentiction Ironman Triathlon and the look of absolute fatigue on those peoples' faces, and decided instantly that I had to try it.
The only problem was, I wasn't in great shape...
Rollerblading to work during the summer had built up my cardio strength to a respectable amount, but I've never been able to run for very long due to a bad (read: totally fucked) leg. I decided to give it a shot though. One summer day I decided to take a quick run around a highschool field near my house. It sucked, but it was the beginning of a ridiculously painful, long journey to my first tri.
The Triathlon is in interesting event. Anyone can do one. All you need is a bike, some shoes, and a pair of shorts.
I had shoes.
I had never swam. I went to the beach and pools and stuff, but I had never done a length or lap of any sort before September. If there is such thing as a perfect swimming technique, I was doing the exact opposite. I flailed, I sank, I drowned. I thought I was going to die after doing 25 meters. It was shitty, but I was determined to learn, so I simply toughed it out and built up muscles that I hadn't used before.
I had no bike, but with the decision to try a Tri, I commandeered my mom's bike. It creaks and groans for some reason, but it works. I could definitely use something better, but I'm sure as hell not going to complain. If nothing else, it was free.
My initial goal was to simply compete in and finish the UBC Triathlon, which was March 13th. That gave me about 6 months from the real start of my training to get into good Tri shape. Only, I didn't know how to guage my progress, having never done a Tri before. So, I assumed I would never be in good enough shape and proceeded to put my body through the rigours of daily runs, rides, and swims. However, as my skills in the 3 disciplines improved, my goals changed. I went from simply competing, to wanting to finish, to wanting to finish with a good time, to wanting to get first place in my division. Little did I know that by the time March 13 came around, I would be physically prepared to do a much longer Tri.
As a result, my first Tri was too easy. I placed in the middle of the standings, which was fine. I competed in a Triathlon, and I finished, which was what a I wanted from the start. However, something was missing. It was a lot of fun, but not hard enough.
I got into this discipline hoping that it would fulfill the need I had for intense physical exhaustion. Seeing those people finish the Ironman, barely standing, I wanted to have that feeling, for looking and feeling like that would mean that I had given it my all, with nothing left to spare. I did not come out of my first Tri with that feeling.
So, here I am again. April 23. Delta Triathlon. Same distance run, but twice as long swim and bike than my first Tri. Lets see how this one goes...
I was a lazy kid. I was also overweight...well, that's a bit of a misnomer. I had the spare tire and jiggly stuff all over, but no muscle. At all. So, technically, I was underweight. In 1998, after a few months of being yelled at by my stepmother to do something that didn't involve watching TV, I started working out at Gold's Gym with High School friends. This was back in grade 11, the end of March to be exact.
5 years later I was still working out at gyms, but liking it less and less. Over the course of a few years my workout intensity grew, in that I was constantly trying to kill myself physically. I wanted to work out to the point where I couldn't move if I wanted to. That was the sign of a successful workout, to me anyway. My feeling of satisfaction slowly declined however, and by the time I was done University, I had pretty much given up gym workouts.
Fast forward to August 2004 (one year after my last real gym workout). I saw the recap of the Pentiction Ironman Triathlon and the look of absolute fatigue on those peoples' faces, and decided instantly that I had to try it.
The only problem was, I wasn't in great shape...
Rollerblading to work during the summer had built up my cardio strength to a respectable amount, but I've never been able to run for very long due to a bad (read: totally fucked) leg. I decided to give it a shot though. One summer day I decided to take a quick run around a highschool field near my house. It sucked, but it was the beginning of a ridiculously painful, long journey to my first tri.
The Triathlon is in interesting event. Anyone can do one. All you need is a bike, some shoes, and a pair of shorts.
I had shoes.
I had never swam. I went to the beach and pools and stuff, but I had never done a length or lap of any sort before September. If there is such thing as a perfect swimming technique, I was doing the exact opposite. I flailed, I sank, I drowned. I thought I was going to die after doing 25 meters. It was shitty, but I was determined to learn, so I simply toughed it out and built up muscles that I hadn't used before.
I had no bike, but with the decision to try a Tri, I commandeered my mom's bike. It creaks and groans for some reason, but it works. I could definitely use something better, but I'm sure as hell not going to complain. If nothing else, it was free.
My initial goal was to simply compete in and finish the UBC Triathlon, which was March 13th. That gave me about 6 months from the real start of my training to get into good Tri shape. Only, I didn't know how to guage my progress, having never done a Tri before. So, I assumed I would never be in good enough shape and proceeded to put my body through the rigours of daily runs, rides, and swims. However, as my skills in the 3 disciplines improved, my goals changed. I went from simply competing, to wanting to finish, to wanting to finish with a good time, to wanting to get first place in my division. Little did I know that by the time March 13 came around, I would be physically prepared to do a much longer Tri.
As a result, my first Tri was too easy. I placed in the middle of the standings, which was fine. I competed in a Triathlon, and I finished, which was what a I wanted from the start. However, something was missing. It was a lot of fun, but not hard enough.
I got into this discipline hoping that it would fulfill the need I had for intense physical exhaustion. Seeing those people finish the Ironman, barely standing, I wanted to have that feeling, for looking and feeling like that would mean that I had given it my all, with nothing left to spare. I did not come out of my first Tri with that feeling.
So, here I am again. April 23. Delta Triathlon. Same distance run, but twice as long swim and bike than my first Tri. Lets see how this one goes...
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