Post by evamc on Aug 21, 2013 21:12:51 GMT
On becoming an Olympian........my first Olympic Distance Triathlon.
My main goal for 2013 was to complete my first Olympic distance triathlon. I picked CK because it is local, familiar, has an open water swim, and is held a little later in the season. On arriving at Lillyput the conditions were perfect. Calm water, very little wind, and not too hot. Despite this, I was nervous, more nervous than at previous races........my first Olympic, on home ground, I had been racing well over the summer, the pressure was on.
Looking out at the swim route is always the scary part for me, and the Olympic swim route didn't disappoint. Having said that, I think you can't underestimate the advantage of familiarity and the nerves were eased considerably by just knowing my surroundings. I got myself ready and headed into transition only to be greeted by Doug on bike check. He looked down at the single gel sachet celotaped to my bike and said, 'Is dah ith? I replied in a mouse like voice, 'I have another one for the run'. He looked at me like I was mad and said, ' I'd take tree'. He then said something about taking one after 5k on the bike, and one 5k out and something else that didn't register. I could feel my heart rate enter the anaerobic zone as I thought, 'Jesus, where am I going to get another gel from'. After a brief panic induced loss of consciousness, I managed to re-centre myself and start thinking about the swim. I got suited up and headed towards the water. I was in the first wave, (being the right side of 40 and all that!). Deirdre Roche greeted me with a smile at the waters edge. 'How are you', she said.' 'Nervous', I replied. 'So what's your plan', she said. I thought to myself, 'What a good question' and answered,' Just to stay calm during the swim'. The plan was also to stay on course as I had managed to turn a planned 750m swim the previous Tuesday with Antoinette, into a kilometre dip!
I lined up to enter the water. No matter what the swim conditions, it is at this point in every race, that I get a strange sense of 'complete loss of control'. I liken it to being in labour, once it starts you can do nothing about it. Lines such as, 'like lambs to the slaughter', start to ring in my head. Anyway, I got off to a good start and managed to stay with a group of swimmers until the first buoy. After that, I seemed to be on my own, although I don't think I went off course too much. I started to really get into the whole 'positive thinking' thing as I turned the last buoy, (a phenomena that regularly happens to me)......'I've got through the swim, I didn't panic, goggles didn't play up, I didn't go too far off course..... if I get a puncture on the bike at least I'll have swam 1500 meters in a race'. I exited the water after 32 minutes. Someone on the shore shouted my time to me and I was happy.
T1 was pretty unremarkable. No doubt it could have been a bit faster but nothing dramatic to report. I headed out on the bike in good form, comfortable that I knew the route. At this point I have to thank whoever was responsible for positioning Breda Daly at the bottom of that first hill on the Dysert road. My cadence jumped by at least 15 points (is cadence measured in points?), every time I caught sight of Breda in an attempt to look like I was, 'Giving it all'. This is one of the major advantages of racing on home ground. The fear of disgracing yourself is as powerful as taking that third gel. I had been happy with my bike times in previous Sprint distances this summer and felt I was starting to enjoy the bike more, but this was an Olympic race, and you never take anything for granted. Anyway, I managed to pace myself well on a tough enough course (very technical analysis of the bike section), and got off the bike with the legs feeling relatively ok. The hilly bike routes of Loughrea and Dring the previous two weeks definitely stood to me. T2 was also uneventful apart from nearly racking my bike in the wrong spot.
I really enjoyed the run. Not a hill in sight, and even though that loop up the Westmeath Way seems to go on forever, when you get back out on the road again, you are practically home. I'm never sure whether it is an advantage for me to see everyone in front and behind me on a looped run. My very unscientific attempts at estimating how far people are in front or behind me, usually results in one conclusion, 'I need to run faster'. A better plan would be to just get a watch. Anyway a 46 minute 10k took me across the line. First Olympic complete in 2 hours and 46 minutes. A good days work. Now, I REALLY feel like I've done a triathlon.... (that ones just to annoy Michael).
So, what did I learn from this race, (1) I need to talk to Doug about the rules of taking gels, (something about 5k in and 5k out on bike?? (2) I need to have a more detailed race plan ready to tell Dee Roche the next time she asks and, (3) I need to have a visualisation of Breda Daly roaring at me ingrained in my right hemisphere to call on during future hill climbs. For me CK was a great way to end my second summer of triathloning. I ended up doing six races (not including aquathons), and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Thank you to all; race director, committee and marshalls for a great race and a big Thank You to the Kearney and Brady families for allowing us all to share in a day that belongs to them.
So did I, or did I not use that third gel? If I was to tell ya that, I'd have to kill ya!!!
P.S I'm married to a Dub so I have slagging rights on the accent..... Righ!!!
Eva
My main goal for 2013 was to complete my first Olympic distance triathlon. I picked CK because it is local, familiar, has an open water swim, and is held a little later in the season. On arriving at Lillyput the conditions were perfect. Calm water, very little wind, and not too hot. Despite this, I was nervous, more nervous than at previous races........my first Olympic, on home ground, I had been racing well over the summer, the pressure was on.
Looking out at the swim route is always the scary part for me, and the Olympic swim route didn't disappoint. Having said that, I think you can't underestimate the advantage of familiarity and the nerves were eased considerably by just knowing my surroundings. I got myself ready and headed into transition only to be greeted by Doug on bike check. He looked down at the single gel sachet celotaped to my bike and said, 'Is dah ith? I replied in a mouse like voice, 'I have another one for the run'. He looked at me like I was mad and said, ' I'd take tree'. He then said something about taking one after 5k on the bike, and one 5k out and something else that didn't register. I could feel my heart rate enter the anaerobic zone as I thought, 'Jesus, where am I going to get another gel from'. After a brief panic induced loss of consciousness, I managed to re-centre myself and start thinking about the swim. I got suited up and headed towards the water. I was in the first wave, (being the right side of 40 and all that!). Deirdre Roche greeted me with a smile at the waters edge. 'How are you', she said.' 'Nervous', I replied. 'So what's your plan', she said. I thought to myself, 'What a good question' and answered,' Just to stay calm during the swim'. The plan was also to stay on course as I had managed to turn a planned 750m swim the previous Tuesday with Antoinette, into a kilometre dip!
I lined up to enter the water. No matter what the swim conditions, it is at this point in every race, that I get a strange sense of 'complete loss of control'. I liken it to being in labour, once it starts you can do nothing about it. Lines such as, 'like lambs to the slaughter', start to ring in my head. Anyway, I got off to a good start and managed to stay with a group of swimmers until the first buoy. After that, I seemed to be on my own, although I don't think I went off course too much. I started to really get into the whole 'positive thinking' thing as I turned the last buoy, (a phenomena that regularly happens to me)......'I've got through the swim, I didn't panic, goggles didn't play up, I didn't go too far off course..... if I get a puncture on the bike at least I'll have swam 1500 meters in a race'. I exited the water after 32 minutes. Someone on the shore shouted my time to me and I was happy.
T1 was pretty unremarkable. No doubt it could have been a bit faster but nothing dramatic to report. I headed out on the bike in good form, comfortable that I knew the route. At this point I have to thank whoever was responsible for positioning Breda Daly at the bottom of that first hill on the Dysert road. My cadence jumped by at least 15 points (is cadence measured in points?), every time I caught sight of Breda in an attempt to look like I was, 'Giving it all'. This is one of the major advantages of racing on home ground. The fear of disgracing yourself is as powerful as taking that third gel. I had been happy with my bike times in previous Sprint distances this summer and felt I was starting to enjoy the bike more, but this was an Olympic race, and you never take anything for granted. Anyway, I managed to pace myself well on a tough enough course (very technical analysis of the bike section), and got off the bike with the legs feeling relatively ok. The hilly bike routes of Loughrea and Dring the previous two weeks definitely stood to me. T2 was also uneventful apart from nearly racking my bike in the wrong spot.
I really enjoyed the run. Not a hill in sight, and even though that loop up the Westmeath Way seems to go on forever, when you get back out on the road again, you are practically home. I'm never sure whether it is an advantage for me to see everyone in front and behind me on a looped run. My very unscientific attempts at estimating how far people are in front or behind me, usually results in one conclusion, 'I need to run faster'. A better plan would be to just get a watch. Anyway a 46 minute 10k took me across the line. First Olympic complete in 2 hours and 46 minutes. A good days work. Now, I REALLY feel like I've done a triathlon.... (that ones just to annoy Michael).
So, what did I learn from this race, (1) I need to talk to Doug about the rules of taking gels, (something about 5k in and 5k out on bike?? (2) I need to have a more detailed race plan ready to tell Dee Roche the next time she asks and, (3) I need to have a visualisation of Breda Daly roaring at me ingrained in my right hemisphere to call on during future hill climbs. For me CK was a great way to end my second summer of triathloning. I ended up doing six races (not including aquathons), and thoroughly enjoyed them all. Thank you to all; race director, committee and marshalls for a great race and a big Thank You to the Kearney and Brady families for allowing us all to share in a day that belongs to them.
So did I, or did I not use that third gel? If I was to tell ya that, I'd have to kill ya!!!
P.S I'm married to a Dub so I have slagging rights on the accent..... Righ!!!
Eva
no bother to ya! 
