Tuesday, June 1, 2010

It's Doesn’t Hurt to Tri



"I want to go to Miami."
....."to do a triathlon...."
...."thirteen days after the Boston Marathon."
Those who know me would not be surprised to hear me utter those words, but, it was not I who came up with this crazy idea - it was my wife, Lyn! Yes, I am a very lucky guy.
If you read the account of my 34th running of the Boston Marathon, you can imagine my trepidation about attempting a triathlon, even a sprint tri, less than two weeks later. My journey from Hopkinton to Boston was not kind to my legs, and conventional wisdom dictates taking one day off from racing for every mile just raced. I would be cutting that formula in half.
It wasn't too difficult for Lyn to convince me to enter us both in the "Tri-Miami Sprint Triathlon" on Key Biscayne. I certainly could use a five day get away, we have very dear friends who arranged to meet us there, and I could fit in a client visit while there as well. Casting reasonable coaching advice aside, we booked the trip.
The few days following the marathon were filled with the residual aches that are to be expected after completing a twenty-six mile jaunt, and the general sense of fatigue made me think that, perhaps this time, I took on a challenge that wouldn't end well.
Four days after Boston, I put on my Vibram Five Finger shoes and ran five miles. Those tight IT bands that were a pesky problem during the marathon continued to remind me that they were there and weren't going to make the running portion of the tri (usually my strongest event) easy.
I also needed to get my biking legs ready, and I wanted to get a chance to ride outdoors. The long winter meant training on my Computrainer in my den, and it just isn't the same. I didn't want to have my first real ride occur in a race, so it was a relief that we got a warm Saturday perfect for riding. It was a delight to ride the roads, and I was able to "crank it up" in a way that running wouldn’t allow.
It was time to get into the pool. Marathon training kept me away from swimming for too much of the winter, and the thought of an open ocean swim without my trusty, super buoyant wetsuit motivated me to get back to the YMCA.
Within a few laps, I found that I really hadn't lost too much of my swim stroke capabilities and the therapeutic benefits of swimming after a marathon really helped sooth those damaged muscles.
Again, my triathlon training offered a great alternative during a time when getting back to full time running is unwise. With only thirteen days separating competitions, however, I hoped my optimism wasn't over-reaching reality.
When we reached Miami, we headed to the bike shop to get our rental bikes. Lyn and I were outfitted with bright red, spiffy, new Cannondale road bikes. As nice as they looked, switching from my carbon fiber Guru Crono Tri bike to this model was like going from a Ferrari to Yugo.
On race eve, we picked up our race packets and headed to Key Biscayne to check out the race venue. For triathletes who find the swim to be the biggest challenge, a pre-visit to the swim location can help calm nervousness...or not.
The photos of the swim on the race website feature a serene tropical beach with lake-calm waters. What we encountered were winds gusting at 30-35 mph, choppy water, and beach sand swirling. The distance from the swim exit to the bike transition area was a 1/4 mile run up the beach, and it was hot.
After surveying the triathlon race site, we needed to either do a practice ride to assure our rental bikes were well tuned and shifted correctly, or have lunch. The lure of South Beach was too great. We began our carbo loading with the delicious Cuban fare served at Gloria Estefan's restaurant, "Larios".
Triathlons have very early start times, and Tri Miami was no exception. We arrived at the transition location at 5 AM to rack our bikes and prepare our assigned area for the quick transition from swim to bike, and then bike to run.
Each triathlete has his own method and rituals for laying out his gear in transition. This would be my first triathlon to require a new decision about running footwear. Should I run in my traditional race shoes that I could slip on very quickly, or should I take the time to get into my Vibram Five Finger shoes to experience the near bare foot approach? Undecided, I laid out both options.
Though the winds were still strong, the water was relatively calm, and I completed the swim with ease and in the middle of my age group wave.
With a quick dry-off, I slipped into my bike shoes, put on my helmet, and mounted my "Yugo", hoping that everything worked. Surprisingly, I had a very strong ride with a time that put me near the top of my age group.
Back to the transition area, it was running shoe decision time. Nike or Vibram? Faced with indecision and a ticking clock, I chose "none of the above", and headed out bare footed.
Yes, it was a rash decision. I had only done one totally barefoot run before.
To my surprise, I felt great, my IT bands weren't complaining, I was passing other runners, and I couldn't stop smiling.

In triathlons, athletes are "body marked". The competitor number is written on your arms, thighs, and one calf. On the other calf is your age. What fun I had passing 30'something year olds. First they saw the bare feet, and then as I passed, they saw my age. ""Oh man, are you kidding!" was the frequent refrain I heard.
In a competitive field, I placed fourth in my age group. Not to be outdone, Lyn took second, so we both came home with medals, though Lyn's was far more impressive than mine.
So the lesson I learned yet again, is that triathlons are a great alternative for runners. I am a diehard runner, but triathlons keep me in the game when my body needs recovery time from the rigors of too much road work.
The season is young, and you are probably planning your race season. If you own a bike and have basic swim skills, you may just want to fit in a Sprint Triathlon. There are lots from which you can choose, you probably know a triathlete that can give you some advice, and you just might find yourself beaming with pride as you cross the finish line of your first event and proudly tell your friends that, yes indeed, you are a triathlete!

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