Learning to Tri

You’ve just begun to see the story, but I didn’t just start training for this Ironman last week.  And although I committed to take on 140.6 miles last December when I registered, the training for it really began long before that – before I ever considered myself a candidate for this kind of torture!  My training actually began in 2005 when I decided that I’d take on triathlon.  With some nudging from two fellow employees, Stephanie Rubalcava and Dave Gatlin, the WB Tri Team was created and hastily “prepared” for the 2005 Nautica Malibu Triathlon.  At that point, I left my comfortable weekend warrior status behind and started down a new path – a path that would test my will more than any athletic endeavor I had ever attempted.

That first season was a rough one.  I didn’t know what I was doing.  I had taken swimming lessons and messed around in the pool like lots of other kids.  I had ridden my bike to football practice from middle school through high school.  I had run cross-country for two years in high school and casually throughout the years.  While having some of that background probably helped some, I soon discovered that I did most of it all wrong, particularly for triathlon.  Swimming in the ocean was a completely different animal – even if you weren’t thinking about the other animals that could be swimming with you!  Biking was supposed to be done with a circular stroke instead of mashing down on the pedals – and you could do it in “aero” position?  What is that?  And who knew that running would be so hard after you got off of a bike?

"Aero" position on the bike

While I tried to learn as much as I could through several weeks of practice, the early bumps showed me that you can’t just pick this stuff up.  You have to experience it.  Just when you think you’re getting it – you’re thrown a curveball.  My first lesson was that “aero” position is not the most stable position on a bike.  At 20 mph, riding down Pacific Coast Highway, I lifted my head up to find a large steel construction plate askew in the shoulder of the road.  With no way to avoid it due to passing cars, I attempted and failed to get over it.  I couldn’t stabilize my front wheel while in “aero”, so it whipped to the side, I went flying, and my brand new carbon-framed bike was broken in two places between my legs.  With one month until race day, it looked like my first season was over before it began.  However, my second lesson is that teammates are your greatest asset.  Unbeknownst to me, they raked together some funds and helped to purchase a new frame for me, allowing me to fight on.

On that first race day, I found out how ridiculous a triathlon swim start can be.  It is often called a “washing machine”.  I’m not sure if that’s the perfect description, but it’s good enough.  Triathlon swims for races shorter than Ironman distance start in age-group waves.  When the gun goes off, you and everybody else in your 5-year age-group take off for the water at the same time.  Since I was a cocky rookie thinking I would smoke this, I was near the front of the pack when we lined up.  Once we got to the water, I found out why it’s called the washing machine – legs and arms are kicking and swinging all around you.  People have very little courtesy in the water.  You can be pulled, climbed over, punched…if you’re in the way, you’re going to know it.  I panicked.  I knew I was going to drown.  My breathing accelerated and I could not get enough air.  I ended up backstroking – in anything BUT a straight line – for half of that race, just so my face was out of the water and air was getting into my lungs.  What a mess.  I now know to stay back and to the side to give myself some space.  While it may cost me a few seconds, it’s better than a kick to the jaw.  The interesting thing for the Ironman is that EVERYBODY starts the swim at the same time.  There are no age group waves, so thousands of people start at the same time.  Uh oh…

As the seasons have gone on, I’ve learned more and more about what it takes to race well.  I’ve learned how hard I can push my body.  I’ve researched equipment and training styles and nutrition.  And I steadily extended my race distances.  All of that training has taken me to the point where, last December, I thought I might actually be able to do this Ironman 140.6 thing.

The lessons still come on a regular basis, however.  Notably, I completely messed up my nutrition during the Half Ironman race I entered this summer.  You see, during a Half Ironman, one can easily burn over 5,000 calories – and that’s within just 6 hours of your 24 hour day!  While you’re racing, you need to replenish a good portion of those calories or you will hit a horrible state, commonly referred to as “bonking”.  If you bonk, your goal race time can be forgotten.  You’ll be past the point where you can get enough calories back into your system that you can recover and get back up to speed.  It happened to me this summer.  I miscalculated the formulation of my energy drink that was to be used for 56 miles on the bike and would set me up for the final 13.1 miles of running.  The drink was at about ¼ strength and half-way through the bike, I could no longer keep up.  I didn’t realize then what I had done, but as I walked most of those 13.1 miles, I knew that my body just didn’t have any fuel to use.  While it was an embarrassing day, it was a great message, and I’ll be more prepared in Australia.

After that Vineman Half Ironman, I had one more short race - Malibu.  With that one completed in September, my focus turned to long-distance training.  I’ll cover that, as well as the equipment needed to race in a triathlon, next time.  Until then, keep the messages coming!  I’ve received some great stories already.  Several of you took on a new challenge this past weekend - congrats to those who successfully ran the LA Rock ‘n” Roll half marathon on Sunday!