I got good news! My triathlon teammate's back didn't protest too much on his last run, and he thinks he'll be able to do it! I was really glad when he told me, although I hope he's not pushing it, and I've stressed many times that it was ok if he didn't feel up to it.
So tomorrow is the day (arggg)...and I know I'm not ready. I don't feel in great shape right now. I didn't for the entire week. And I didn't train as much as I should have.
I know I'll be able to finish, I can cover these distances without a problem. But it'll be slow. Also, I don't know the bike course. I will find out tomorrow morning. They say fast, rolling...The last (and only) triathlon I rode, it was totally flat. No need to change gears except 2 or 3 spots on the course. The problem is that I can't change gears when I'm in the aero position (that's going to be the next upgrade I get on my bike). I'll see how it goes.
As for the swim, I've had a good swim this week, where I averaged 2:01/100m, and I'm hoping to be around that or better this time. Hopefully I can go under 2:00/100m for long distance, for the first time since the high school swimming club! I'm not so worried about the swim...Last time the swim was canceled due to the water being too cold (56F). This time we should be good.
Here's the forecast: 9:00am 13C (55.5f) sunny, wind 10km/h. I don't know about the water temperature, but I think it's going to be pretty good, we've had a good weather and no rain lately, and other lakes around are good.
I'm not nervous, in fact probably not enough. I'm not ready, but I'll go for it, it's going to be another experience. I think the best thing that's going to come out of it is that I'll get a better idea of how to train and be ready and plan for the next season.
Showing posts with label Race Prep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race Prep. Show all posts
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
DNF?
I realize I didn't update my blog to let you guys know I'm going to do my second sprint this coming Saturday.
750m Swim (hopefully!)
30km Bike
7km Run
For those of you who know me, you already know that I'm doing it in relay with a teammate, because I can't do the running part. I do the swimming and biking, he runs.
I think I might DNF on my next race this coming Saturday. Unfortunately my partner fell and hurt his back last weekend...The good thing is there's nothing broken, but he has had back problem in the past and this made it just worse. He's not sure if he'll be able to run.
I was not too disappointed. Of course I wanted to do it and finish, but accidents happen, and his back is much more important than a little race. I really hope he gets better soon! He told me he would see how he feels later this week, but so far it doesn't look good.
I can't get a refund, so I'll take it as a good practice and another feel of the triathlon vibe. Just please, please, pretty please, I want my swim this time! Cause if it's turned into a DU, than it's all for nothing, and a $100 down the drain is also pretty annoying...
I'm ok with a DNF, but at least, let me do what I can do!!!
750m Swim (hopefully!)
30km Bike
7km Run
For those of you who know me, you already know that I'm doing it in relay with a teammate, because I can't do the running part. I do the swimming and biking, he runs.
I think I might DNF on my next race this coming Saturday. Unfortunately my partner fell and hurt his back last weekend...The good thing is there's nothing broken, but he has had back problem in the past and this made it just worse. He's not sure if he'll be able to run.
I was not too disappointed. Of course I wanted to do it and finish, but accidents happen, and his back is much more important than a little race. I really hope he gets better soon! He told me he would see how he feels later this week, but so far it doesn't look good.
I can't get a refund, so I'll take it as a good practice and another feel of the triathlon vibe. Just please, please, pretty please, I want my swim this time! Cause if it's turned into a DU, than it's all for nothing, and a $100 down the drain is also pretty annoying...
I'm ok with a DNF, but at least, let me do what I can do!!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Registration Scare
OK, Maybe I'm paranoid because it's my first race ever. Or maybe I didn't trust the organization 100% because they charged me the registration fee twice, and then refunded me one when I asked to, but didn't receive any confirmation from them afterwards.
When I checked the website this morning, this very scary message was posted:
When I checked the website this morning, this very scary message was posted:
*THE TORONTO ISLAND RACES - VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
If any spots become availalble, we will contact people on the waiting list. We are no longer taking new names for the waiting list. Below are the participants lists. If you are NOT ON THESE LISTS then YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED.*
If any spots become availalble, we will contact people on the waiting list. We are no longer taking new names for the waiting list. Below are the participants lists. If you are NOT ON THESE LISTS then YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED.*
And they posted 4 lists:
Maybe I expected everything to be clearer, especially because it's my first one and I need some direction. Also, they didn't know exactly in which of the waves the relay would be when I talked to them this morning...
Maybe it's just that I'm a paranoid newbie! :oP
- Junior Championship
- Try-a-Tri
- Duathlon
- Triathlon
Maybe I expected everything to be clearer, especially because it's my first one and I need some direction. Also, they didn't know exactly in which of the waves the relay would be when I talked to them this morning...
Maybe it's just that I'm a paranoid newbie! :oP
Monday, August 13, 2007
5 Days Until my first race
I'm not really nervous, I would say I'm more excited. It's probably because I know I'm not going to be competitive, so there's no pressure.
The Toronto Islands Triathlon sold out earlier last week. That means 400 athletes for the main event, the triathlon (750m swim, 30km bike, 7.5km run). I'm doing the swim and bike in relay with a friend, who will do the running. It's going to be great to finally have an idea of what happens during this event. The only competitions I've been participating to before, were swimming (pool only), so it's going to be quite different!
Yesterday, we went to the islands to have a look at the course. Flat and Fast! I was able to average 30km per hour on my tri bike (when I didn't have to slow down for people walking around), which is pretty good for me, considering I haven't trained as much as I should have.
Also, it was raining and windy. It was my first training ride in the rain! I know, I'm a chicken, and I prefer to be comfortable! But at least I'll know how it is if we don't have a nice day on the 18th. I had a look at the beach where the swimming will be. Because of the wind, it was really choppy. Kinda ocean-like, with waves crashing noisily on the beach. Oh well, if it's like that, it's going to be like that for everybody else! :)
So far the forecast for next weekend is good, but we can't rely on that too much...
The islands are a huge park, where there are no cars, except for the maintenance crew. I suppose that there will be race officials clearing the path from people on race day. In that case I'm pretty sure I will have a good avg speed.
I'm a bit nervous about the drafting rules, but I think I'll be fine. Also, I'm more comfortable with the clipless pedals, I don't think it's going to be an issue. I might just look a bit weird mounting my bike after T1, because I still have difficulty to clip-in quickly, but at least I've got platforms to be able to pedal even if I'm not clipped in yet. :)
As for the position on the bike, I've done many adjustments to bring my weight back to center. It was too much forward and most of my weight was resting on my hands. That caused some trouble in my right index...you can read about it here. So I raised my handlebars, tilted my seat upwards a bit, and there's a huge difference. I still feel that my finger is not totally happy with that though (really not bad compared to the last time), so I think I'm going to tilt the handlebars to bring them horizontal (right now they're pointing slightly downwards).
Yesterday ended up being my first ride where I really enjoyed the tri bike. I still have to get into aero position, but I think I'll be confident enough to use them during the race. I was almost there, having my left arm resting on the aero bars, but I was a bit uncertain because of the people walking/biking around. I don't have brakes on aero position, so I'm being extra careful. It's something I might want to upgrade on my bike in the future.
Today is rest day. I did yoga, and the rest of the day is work, work work! tomorrow I have a swim planned, but I might cancel it to get to an open water swim on Wednesday. So maybe it's going to be bike tomorrow. I'll see.
I can't wait for next Saturday, it's going to be awesome! I will probably update my blog again before the race.
The Toronto Islands Triathlon sold out earlier last week. That means 400 athletes for the main event, the triathlon (750m swim, 30km bike, 7.5km run). I'm doing the swim and bike in relay with a friend, who will do the running. It's going to be great to finally have an idea of what happens during this event. The only competitions I've been participating to before, were swimming (pool only), so it's going to be quite different!
Yesterday, we went to the islands to have a look at the course. Flat and Fast! I was able to average 30km per hour on my tri bike (when I didn't have to slow down for people walking around), which is pretty good for me, considering I haven't trained as much as I should have.
Also, it was raining and windy. It was my first training ride in the rain! I know, I'm a chicken, and I prefer to be comfortable! But at least I'll know how it is if we don't have a nice day on the 18th. I had a look at the beach where the swimming will be. Because of the wind, it was really choppy. Kinda ocean-like, with waves crashing noisily on the beach. Oh well, if it's like that, it's going to be like that for everybody else! :)
So far the forecast for next weekend is good, but we can't rely on that too much...
The islands are a huge park, where there are no cars, except for the maintenance crew. I suppose that there will be race officials clearing the path from people on race day. In that case I'm pretty sure I will have a good avg speed.
I'm a bit nervous about the drafting rules, but I think I'll be fine. Also, I'm more comfortable with the clipless pedals, I don't think it's going to be an issue. I might just look a bit weird mounting my bike after T1, because I still have difficulty to clip-in quickly, but at least I've got platforms to be able to pedal even if I'm not clipped in yet. :)
As for the position on the bike, I've done many adjustments to bring my weight back to center. It was too much forward and most of my weight was resting on my hands. That caused some trouble in my right index...you can read about it here. So I raised my handlebars, tilted my seat upwards a bit, and there's a huge difference. I still feel that my finger is not totally happy with that though (really not bad compared to the last time), so I think I'm going to tilt the handlebars to bring them horizontal (right now they're pointing slightly downwards).
Yesterday ended up being my first ride where I really enjoyed the tri bike. I still have to get into aero position, but I think I'll be confident enough to use them during the race. I was almost there, having my left arm resting on the aero bars, but I was a bit uncertain because of the people walking/biking around. I don't have brakes on aero position, so I'm being extra careful. It's something I might want to upgrade on my bike in the future.
Today is rest day. I did yoga, and the rest of the day is work, work work! tomorrow I have a swim planned, but I might cancel it to get to an open water swim on Wednesday. So maybe it's going to be bike tomorrow. I'll see.
I can't wait for next Saturday, it's going to be awesome! I will probably update my blog again before the race.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
A race around the corner
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!
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!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Rest Day
Last week was great! I followed most of my training schedule, except for my 2nd strength training session. Not that I didn't want to, but that nerve in my hand was pretty bad after my bike ride on Friday so I decided to let it recover.
For the first time since a couple of months I did all my planned swimming workouts! After my 5000m charity swim, I lost some interest in the pool (by lack of goals, or by boredom...probably a bit of both). But since I got my wet suit, it gave me some sort of boost to be consistent with the swimming part of my training. Being consistent with biking is not so hard, as I'm really enjoying it (especially outside!). New straight-swimming pace: 2:03/100m for a 2500m swim. I can't wait to go under 2:00/100m.
Yesterday was the long bike ride, and it was the nicest long ride ever for me. The Becel Ride for Heart is a charity bike ride (my husband and myself chose the 50km route). They close down the highway in Toronto, and it's all bikes! Great landscape, no cars around, lots of people (around 10,000 every year) and an acceptable weather!
It was also my first time doing a mass start on the bike. It wasn't so bad, surely because people were rather relax...it's a ride, not a race! There were just a couple of road racers who were cutting in way too close, flying at high speed through the mob within 1 foot or so from other bikers. This was not really nice and rather frustrating...
Anyway, including yoga, bike, strength and swimming, it's a total of 8 hours and 40 minutes of training for the past week. And that was a recovery week.
Next week: 9 hours and 45 minutes planned. But, I don't think I'll do strength training, as my nerve in my right hand isn't back to normal. I'm starting to think I might need to have it checked...It's not numb anymore, but when I move in certain ways or apply pressure on certain spots, I can feel jolts of electricity in my index finger. It's not painful, but really annoying.
At least riding my mountain bike doesn't affect it, so that's my mountain bike I took for the ride yesterday. Even with my hand being OK, I don't think I would have taken my tri bike. I'm certainly not ready for a mob ride with clipless pedals! He He
For the first time since a couple of months I did all my planned swimming workouts! After my 5000m charity swim, I lost some interest in the pool (by lack of goals, or by boredom...probably a bit of both). But since I got my wet suit, it gave me some sort of boost to be consistent with the swimming part of my training. Being consistent with biking is not so hard, as I'm really enjoying it (especially outside!). New straight-swimming pace: 2:03/100m for a 2500m swim. I can't wait to go under 2:00/100m.
Yesterday was the long bike ride, and it was the nicest long ride ever for me. The Becel Ride for Heart is a charity bike ride (my husband and myself chose the 50km route). They close down the highway in Toronto, and it's all bikes! Great landscape, no cars around, lots of people (around 10,000 every year) and an acceptable weather!
It was also my first time doing a mass start on the bike. It wasn't so bad, surely because people were rather relax...it's a ride, not a race! There were just a couple of road racers who were cutting in way too close, flying at high speed through the mob within 1 foot or so from other bikers. This was not really nice and rather frustrating...
Anyway, including yoga, bike, strength and swimming, it's a total of 8 hours and 40 minutes of training for the past week. And that was a recovery week.
Next week: 9 hours and 45 minutes planned. But, I don't think I'll do strength training, as my nerve in my right hand isn't back to normal. I'm starting to think I might need to have it checked...It's not numb anymore, but when I move in certain ways or apply pressure on certain spots, I can feel jolts of electricity in my index finger. It's not painful, but really annoying.
At least riding my mountain bike doesn't affect it, so that's my mountain bike I took for the ride yesterday. Even with my hand being OK, I don't think I would have taken my tri bike. I'm certainly not ready for a mob ride with clipless pedals! He He
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