I signed up for my first triathlon! Because I can't run (you can read here for more information about that), and there are no aquabiking competitions in my area, the plan was to get into a relay with my husband. Unfortunately, he was just starting to run, and didn't feel ready for it. I can't blame him, we've had an hectic month of July, and we both didn't have much time for training. I would have loved for my hubby to do it, but I'm sure he'll go for it next year. For now, he'll be part of the cheering squad! :)
It turns out I have a friend who's into running, and he accepted to do the running portion of the relay, so I could do the swim and bike without a DNF. The nice thing is that my friend doing the relay with me is also totally new in the triathlon world!
So we registered for the Toronto Island Triathlon relay, on August 18th. 750m Swim, 30km bike, 7.5km run. I know I can cover the distances. I just don't know how fast. I'm very excited and a bit nervous, but with less than two weeks from the event, there's not much more I can do to get ready. I practice open water swimming every week (I finally got my practice with waves and I loved it), I bike regularly, but I don't feel I've been training seriously enough with my tri bike. I've been doing more mountain biking this summer. However, I've had a good base training in the winter and spring, and the mountain biking was keeping me in higher HR zones, so I think it shouldn't be that bad.
I've been averaging about 27km/h on the trainer in HR Zone 2, so it might be around that speed on the actual course, considering that I'm going to push harder, but taking wind resistance into account. It's a flat course. I'm going to test it next weekend, and will have a better idea of what to expect.
I think I'm more worried about the transition. I really don't have any clue how it's going to be. I've read a lot about it in books, in forums, but I've never been a spectator to a triathlon, so it's all in my head right now...Oh well, I guess I'll find out, and learn!
My goal is really to just finish, have fun, and get to learn some more, so I can get ready for the next one. But, I think it's also good to set some time goals, because I'm the kind who needs numbers to keep moving.
So, here is what I would be happy with during the race. I think I'm being very conservative, but it all depends on the conditions (weather, other people around, and how my body feels) and I'm not attached to these numbers. They will change if I realize it doesn't make sense.
Swim: 750m 0:17:00
T1 : 0:05:00 (I just have to take off my wetsuit, to put my socks (no I can't bike
without socks), shoes, helmet on and I'm good to go, I have a tri suit)
Bike: 30km 1:10:00 (This is if I'm using the tri bike. I will ride the MTB if it's raining,
because I'm not confident enough with the tri bike)
Passing of
Timing Chip: 0:01:00 (I really have no clue...)
Run: 7.5km dunno (Not my call, and I don't want to put any pressure on my partner.
Even though I'm setting goals for myself, I'm not competing against
anybody, and a non painful finish is all I'm wishing for)
Total time: We'll find out!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
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2 comments:
Congrats on signing up for your first tri. It's fun to do a relay. I liked having the support of my team members when I did one last year.
You'll be fine in the transitions, just have a plan in your head and go over it a few times. It's okay if you forget something. My first tri, I forgot to take my gloves off for the run and almost put my helmet back on instead of my running hat! It's a good laugh now. :)
Thanks for the encouragements! I will try to keep the transition as simple as possible. :)
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