The Trials of a First Year Triathlete

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times      
                           
 by Keith ShieldsPart 1 - The Duxbury Beach triathalon...NOT!!!   
 OK I have done one triathalon before but didn't train at all. (and it showed). This year I thought I'd like to train and compete in several sprint triathalon after hearing PRC members like Walter, Brian, Maureen, Erin, Cindy and Ironman Mike talk about how fun they were.   
  
 I found a small triathalon in Duxbury that I'd though would be for those "Not as Serious" triathletes for my first event. It seemed easy for the training I was doing... 1/4 mile ocean swim, 11 mile bike, 3 mile run. I arrived at the school parking lot that would serve as one of the transition area nervous but eagar.    

I made my way to the beach and realized three quick things that I figured would not help me out...1) Most of the entrants had far less body fat than me.2) Just about everyone was in a wetsuit but me.3) That rubber thing in my bag that said "FuelBelt.com - Stay hydrated" was not a something you put Gatorade in but my swimming cap that I needed for the race. Not a good start... but I stayed positive and followed the crowd that seemed to be walking in the ocean to get warmed up. I decided to follow. The first foot went in the water an YYOOWWZZIIEE!!! Even in the middle of August the water was about 60 degrees. I started to stress out thinking I most likely would die of hypothermia before noontime. I almost thought of leaving right then and there it was so cold.

 It was cool and foggy that Sunday morning on the shores of Duxbury. The officials decided to start the race an hour and a quarter late. This gave me that much more time to obsess about the frigid waters. My group was the first heat, I tried to psych myself up saying just dive in and get it over with. In the middle of some positive mantra to myself the gun goes off. Staying towards the back I run in, the splashing of salt water by fellow competitors sends goosebumps from head to toe and I dive in. The diving in experience was far worse than I could have imagined and everything I learned in swim class went out the window...this was survival. After swimming about 50 yards and finally thinking "I think I can do this" the 70 or so swimming caps in front of me suddenly are not moving forward. The coast guard was not ready for us yet. We would have to turn around, get out of the ocean and start again. If I didn't think I could have jumped in that water the first time I knew I couldn't do it a second time. After 15 more minutes of panic I hear that the swim part of tri has now been canceled and will be a 1/4 mile beach run. I put on my best face of disappointment and head back to put on my sneakers. Once the race finally starts now almost two hours Iate I finish respectfully somewhere in the top third.


Part 2 - Canton Formula One Triathalon -                  The Aussie experience   
Little did I know that Labor Day morning that I would be a small part of a chapter in the History book of Triathalons. After Duxbury, I competed in one in Barrington, Rhode Island. With more training, a wetsuit, and now a veteran's knowledge of what a swimming cap looks like the race went pretty well and I was hooked.   
 The Canton Formula One Triathalon is what's known as an "Australian Triathon," which you swim, then bike, then run and then do it all over again. This events distances consisted of a 250 yard swim, a 6.8 mile bike, and a 2.2 mile run which when you're done with the run you jump back in the pool to start to swim another 250 yards and so on. It was one of the first times this event was competed in the country and the first ever on the East coast.

  It's a lesson in transitions too. Constantly changing from what you need in the bike, swim and run. For anyone who likes the fun of a triathalon I definitely recommend it. The pool was heated (day started off at 55 degrees so it helped) and the bike and run was on the rolling hills of Canton's suburbia. An Australian sprint triathalon with so many transitions and logistics could be a recipe for disaster but I have to say it was incredibly well run. Whoever put this event together really thought out every possible snag that could happen and planned around it.    
What also made it a positive experience for me was that for the first time in my 30's I placed!!! Won 2nd place in my age group and even got a cute inscribed medal for it. Won't be many times I can say that so I savored the experience     
As I said I'm hooked and there will definitely be more chapters in my triathalon book. If all goes well I might join the small contingent to train for a half-ironman next year!!!