Triathlete Experiences

Mark Avery on My Triathlon Experience  

averymarkstiles@yahoo.com

Jan. 2009

My name is Mark Avery and I am 50 years old.  I have always had a competitive spirit to pursue and conquer challenges put before me.  I remember many years ago as a teenager watching Wide World of Sports and watching the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and thinking, "I would love to do something like that some day."  It never went past the thinking about it stage.  I did ride my bicycle across the United States from Reedsport, OR to Yorktown, VA in 1976, the year I graduated from high school.  Why, you ask?  It was there and it was a challenge and so I did it.  I still have very fond memories of that experience 32 years later.

Since that time, marriage, 7 children, church, job, etc... have pulled from my ability to pursue too much in the way of any physical activity.  I have had jobs that have kept me relatively fit but I have not done much cardio exercising.  In 2007, as I was 49 years old, still had three daughters at home (ages 11, 10, and 5 at that time), and had not been too physically active, my wife had concern that she might be left raising children alone if I did not get some cardio exercise on a regular basis.

Before getting into how I started my triathlon and half-marathon experiences, I will say that I would not necessarily recommend doing what I did in preparation for these events.  I guess part of my willingness to share is that though you may not be in great shape and may not feel fully qualified or capable of competing at a top level in a triathlon or running event, you can do it and enjoy it and look to improve in the future.  The first step is setting your mind to do it and dive in.

As I am one who does not like to exercise for the sake of exercising, I needed something to give me motivation to get fit and stay in shape.  At 6' 3" tall and 205-210 lbs., I was not overly out of shape.  I believe it was July of 2007 when I saw the advertisement for the Bitterroot Classic Triathlon in the local newspaper.  I went on-line and then called about the triathlon only to find out the event was already full.  I decided to put my name on the wait list.  I was way down the list and figured I would not get in so I did not start preparing in any way.  I believe it was about the 1st of August when it looked like I might actually make it into the triathlon.  With 3 1/2 weeks to the triathlon, I figured I better at least start training for this. 

The bike I had was a Giant Sedona with fatter tires designed for road or off road application.  I could only spend three days a week training (M,W,F) for about 45 - 60 minutes per day.  I spent most of my time riding and running building up to the distances in the triathlon.  Toward the end, I did combine the bike and part of the run to at least get a feel for the transition from the bike to the run.  I only swam the 750 yard distance once, the Saturday before the triathlon just to make sure I could do it.  I have never swum competitively but am comfortable in the water as our family has been boating for a decade or so.  I had my life-guard certification back in high school.  I swam the distance the Saturday before primarily doing the breast stroke; there was no way I was going to swim freestyle for 15 laps.  The day before the race, I drove the bike route to make sure I had a good idea of where it went.  As my training was very limited, I set a goal of 1 hour and 30 minutes for this first triathlon experience.  Not very fast compared to the best, but a goal that I thought I might reach based on my one swim time, and my biking and running times over the past few weeks.      

Well, race day came and I was quite nervous.  I had no real idea of what to do in the transitions.  I got to the race early to be able to see other participants as they came out of the water and transitioned to the bike and then coming off the bike the transition to running.  As a complete novice, I was there to learn what I could.  As my time came closer, I was nervous and yet excited.  The time had arrived.  My race against the clock had begun.  I came out of the water last in my heat of 12 triathletes with a time of just under 18 minutes; most all of it swimming the breast stroke.  I transitioned by toweling off quickly, throwing on a t-shirt, and putting on my running shoes as I was biking with just flat pedals/no straps/no clips.  I headed out on the bike and managed to pass 4 or 5 of the triathletes in my heat during this portion of the triathlon.  I got done with the bike portion and was feeling quite tired.  I was slow initially on the run; this was a hard transition for me.  I just kept thinking in my mind, "It is only 3 miles, I can do this."  I passed 2 or 3 runners in my heat during the run portion and ended up 4th or 5th in my heat.  At last, the finish line; I had completed my first triathlon.  My time; 1 hour, 29 minutes, and 31 seconds.  I beat my goal by 29 seconds; yeah!

Well, I decided I liked this triathlon stuff and it sure gave me a reason to exercise.  I bought a cheap but reasonable quality road bike through Bikes Direct ($350.00) and I have since done 3 additional triathlons in 2008, the Griz Triathlon in April (time of 1:36), the Bitterroot Classic in August (goal of 1:20; actual time 1:21:23; 4th in my age group; an improvement over previous year by more than 8 minutes), and the Garden City Triathlon after no training for 2 weeks prior to the race as I was on vacation (1st olympic distance and open water; goal 2:45; actual time of 2:55:14).  I had trained during the winter of 2007/2008 somewhat regularly using one of those older Nordic Track Cross Country Machines 3 days a week for 45 - 60 minutes somewhat faithfully.  I was pretty faithfully commited to training through the summer 3 days per week for 45-75 minutes combining biking running, and swimming.  I still breast stroke most of the swim portions of the triathlons I have done.  This is the area I have the greatest ability to improve my time.  I plan on continuing to do the three local triathlons and hope to someday do a half-ironman.  With my limited time to train, I do not think a full ironman will ever happen for me.  For me, triathlons give me a reason to exercise and I have goals of lowering my times each year in the future.  Who knows; maybe I will medal in my age group in the years ahead!

My Half Marathon Experience

I really had not done much of anything between September's Garden City Triathlon and the Freezer Burn Half Marathon December 6th.  I had run 5 miles 2 different days about 2-3 weeks before the race and got on the cross country machine Monday and Wednesday before the race for an hour each time.  I had a friend encourage me to do this half marathon the Sunday before the race stating that I was fit enough knowing about my triathlon experience.  I finished in 1:53:14; I had hoped for 1:45.  My 12 year old daughter competed in the 5K the same day which was great.  It was not great time but I finished.  My first 9 miles were at 7:45 pace, the last 4+ were 10:00+ pace; I hit a wall at 9 miles.  This was my first competitive running race since track days in high school.  Needless to say, I was quite sore for several days.  I plan on running more races but with a bit more preparation in the future.

 

Justin Yetter on the Ironman, AZ

justinyetter@hotmail.com

Nov. 24, 2008

Here is what happened.

The alarm went off at 4 am and the first thing I had to do was eat so breakfast would be digested by the 7 am race start. Then it was into the shower to shave my legs so they would be silky smooth for the body markers. After the shower, it was time to pack the wetsuit, swim cap, goggles, heart rate monitor, G.P.S. unit, timing chip, body glide, and the special needs bags for the bike and run.

We had scheduled a cab to pick us up at 5 am so we could get to the transition area just after it opened so I could drop off the rest of my gear and double check everything else. The cab driver called and said he would be about 5-10 minutes late so I just laid down on the bed and tried to relax. As I layed there I could feel my heart pounding like it wanted to jump out of my chest.

After everything was dropped off and double checked it was time to put on the wetsuit and head down to the 63 degree water. (brrrrr) Once the pro race started all 2600 age group athletes were herded into the water for the mass start.

When the cannon went off at 7 it was a free for all for the next 15 minutes. I was either getting kicked, hit, or someone was trying to swim over me. From previous experience I knew this would pass and eventually I would get some "clean water" to swim in so I just tried to stay relaxed and go with the flow. Eventually I was able to get out of all the chaos and find a rhythm then exited the water in 1:09:44.

I ran into transition to change into my cycling gear and was off on the bike for the next leg. On the way out there was a little bit of wind so I kept telling myself "just relax and don't push too hard". I was a little thirsty so I started to drink more water to try and make sure I wouldn't be dehydrated. By doing this I also inadvertently started drinking more Perpetuem and before I realized it I had consumed over half of my 3 hour bottle in less than a hour. I could feel my stomach starting to get bloated from too many calories so I slowed down on my intake and hoped it would feel better in a little while. I completed the first loop in about 1 hour and 50 min which was exactly where I wanted to be for my goal.

The wind had picked up a bit more on the second loop but I was able to keep my goal pace and made it to the turn around but then it all fell apart. On the way back I started to pay for the mistake of taking in too many calories and my stomach was not happy. I threw up first on the bike then made a few stops at the porta potties on the way back into Tempe. At the completion of the second loop I was about 75 miles into the bike ride and over half way done with the race. My stomach still wasn't "right" but I wanted to finish so I told Carolyn it was going to be a long day.

The third loop was more of the same so my goal went from finishing in a certain time to just finishing the race. Bike time 6 hours 14 minutes and 30 seconds

After I transitioned to the run my stomach was feeling better so started a slow walk/jog for the first 10 miles or so. Then the lack of nutrition on the bike took its toll and I was out of gas. I knew I could walk the remaining 16.2 miles and finish well before midnight. So I just kept putting one foot in font of the other for the next 5 hours or so and crossed the line in 14 hours 38 minutes and 38 seconds.

As soon as I crossed the line I told Carolyn I was officially retired as an Ironman. I think that was the best news she had heard in a long time. Now that I've had a couple of days to recover I'm already thinking about coming out of retirement. I know I can put together a good race if I don't make the same mistakes, it just might be a while before I toe the Ironman start line again. Besides, if Lance can come out of retirement so can I!

Welcome back to school, to hunting season, to familiar routines. There are just a few fun runs left around our area. I hear plans of some athletes to visit other states to attend marathons and triathlons. There is always a race to prepare for if you are willing to travel. Participating in a marathon, triathlon or cycling event out-of-state is a great reason to get away.

Justin

Antara Croft on Becoming a Triathlete

antara@antarasports.com

Sept. 2006

The Triathlete Challenge, 2006
A Wimp Morphs into Triathlete
Antara Croft

The Commitment
What began as a commitment and challenge to train for my first triathlon, snowballed into seven triathlons, six fun runs, an aquathlon, a mile swim in Lake Coeur d’Alene, a 65-mile bike ride in Helena, and a bodybuilding figure competition. I won three first places, a second, a third, and a fourth in the figure—age 45, and some nifty souvenir shirts too. I never won this much in my school-age years and certainly not at work as a loan processor! Experiencing that winning feeling in triathlons can influence your life.

It all began when my husband, John was introduced to Matt Guzik, also known as Marathon Matt of Montana who raised close to $150,000 for charities running 12 marathons in 12 months a few years back. Matt told my husband about competing in triathlons and that the Griz Tri was a big event in Missoula in April. John decided to do it. I took a little more time to consider it.

When we moved to Montana from Sacramento, we had at one phase or another been involved in each aspect of a triathlon. We had even run a marathon, but seven years previous. After the marathon, we ran sporadically and then I quit running for two years. We serendipitously became swimmers. A woman at the Alhambra Athletic Club in Sacramento asked me how to operate a Stair Master. I said, “It’s easy. Just do...” this and this and this. She was so happy (didn’t the club trainers introduce her to this?) that she said, “I’ll teach you how to swim!” “SWIM?! That is quite alright. I don’t really like to get wet.” But no, she insisted that it was fun and a good work out. Must I placate her? “Alright. I’ll try it” at age 33.

I always considered myself in the category that I knew how to swim and therefore would not drown. But, in the beginning, I was about ready to drown after 5 laps. I was lifting my head straight up out of the water and then turning for air, which took a lot of energy. But, with my friend’s instruction, I took off. I soon worked up to 100 lengths or 50 laps before work. She did forget to tell me about exhaling under water (I held my breath for a number of years, which I realized after my first two tris), but she was a darn good instructor for just wanting to share a sport in return for a small favor. Oddly enough, my Stair Master instruction didn’t get her hooked. I never saw her on it again.

So, I told John that he had to try swimming. John wasn’t a swimmer either. I taught him what my friend taught me and he took off also at the age of 46. He loved it. He took lessons at the Y and really got into it. We both lost some poundage and were really feeling fit. But what happens? Life gets in the way, we moved to another house, working out at the club and getting to work on time weren’t going so well. So we joined another club, worked out at lunch time, which wasn’t enough, but then we got into Hot Yoga—Bikram Yoga.

We did hot yoga for two years straight about five times per week. It was not aerobic at all, but really built our core strength. Hot yoga is done in a 100 degree room. An instructor guides you through 26 “simple” poses, which are very strenuous when holding them for one minute. The sweat pours out of you. Big muscular football players would come in and think it is going to be easy and they couldn’t hold a pose that used their back muscles. It is satisfying to see yourself improve and another great workout to add to your repertoire if you have spare time. (There is a Bikram studio in Missoula.)

So when we moved to Montana, planning to continue our workouts, we had no club to join! The club had burned down the previous summer. Now what town in its right mind would exist without a club?!? Alright, city slickers, settle down. We tried to jog and wait for the new club to be built—The Canyons in Hamilton. The hills were wiping us out! “We are just not used to this elevation.” After all, we were flat landers from Sacramento, elevation 100 at best. We were now at 3500 and who says it only takes 72 hours to adjust? But, looking back, it was almost three years now since we had done any aerobic activity and it took its toll. Please note: Never stop aerobic workouts. It is too hard to get back into it!

Finally, we get our club and plug along just maintaining for a year. We started spinning for the first time on Halloween 2005. I met two other spinners, Leslie and Steve, who were interested in doing the Tri, but needed a push to commit. It was a big step for us all. We would actually have to run outside in the cold—in the winter—in Montana! I admit it. I am a Californian. I am a weather wimp. A doctor, Kirk Crews, would occasionally attend our spinning and Masters Swimming and he had done the Griz before. He had legs like a wrestler—big. Come to find out, he used to be a wrestler. He said we could do it. So by mid January Leslie, Steve, and I committed.

The Challenge
The training was on. I had already been swimming laps and thought I was pretty good doing 30 laps (60 lengths) in 30 minutes at age 44. I soon joined the Masters Swim class along with my husband and spinning friends. It made me push myself more. We were led, and still are by our lovely 5’2” 1948 Olympic backstroke swimmer, Barbara Jackson. She is like a rodeo cowboy cracking the whip at us cattle. But she gets in the pool right after us and at age 77 does the same workouts/training we do.

We continued our spinning and swimming three times each per week and I ran two or three times. Sometimes we would do a mini tri and put all three together on a Saturday. We ran in the snow, in the freezing cold, in the rain, up hills and I complained the whole way. Spinning was easy, swimming was more difficult, and running was just pure misery for me. Sometimes, if it was inclement weather, I just didn’t show up. I was a wimp. Plus, I had all this weight following me. Come to find out, I was carrying 20 extra pounds, which I would lose by mid July.

We ran one big hill at the Stock Farm that was on a gravel, rutted road, jumping over sage brush and dodging an occasional deer. It was training for the one hill in the Griz Tri that Matt said was a real mental challenge. He said this would help us to prepare for it. It helped alright. It nearly killed us! John and I both were ready to quit “jogging” and walk. I really fought with the temptation to lay down on the ground so that I could catch my breath. “Was he crazy? The Griz hill couldn’t be this bad; at least it better not be or this is it—it’s over!” We shuffled to the top of the “hill” to a covered picnic area that overlooked the whole Bitterroot Valley. The little jaunt was an elevation change of about 1500 feet. No hill was even considered a hill after that experience.

The Big Day
The Griz Tri came and everyone was nervous. It was a thousand yard swim (40 lengths or 20 laps), 12.4 mile bike, and 3.1 mile sprint triathlon. I didn’t know it was such a huge “coming-out” event. after the LONG winter.  It was at the University of Montana, Missoula on a cold, dreary April day. The swimming alone took about 6 hours to get everyone through it. I saw Steve get back from doing the whole event and he was still walking and talking. That was a good sign. “If he can do it, I can do it.” John was on his way in the pool and I would start shortly after him.

I thought the swimming would never end. Touch toes, you go in front. Touch toes, I go in front. Again and again allowing the faster swimmer to switch places at the end of the pool. I was dizzy from too much carbon dioxide in my blood from holding my breath under water. “What is the use in trading places? This is just wasting time.” By the time I got out of the pool, I didn’t see any reason to run. I was actually asphyxiated. “What is the rush about? Where is my sneaker? Now what did I plan to put on first? Oh wait, I have to put on my lipstick. OK, now point me in the right direction."

"This is a nice joy ride. Why won’t my bike go faster? It is so flat! Who are these speed demons flying by me? Oh look, I can pass two people on this hill! Thank goodness for spinning! Now the run...Do I need a jacket still? It is kind of cold...yes, I’ll keep it on. Man...my legs just won’t get going. It is so hard to switch from biking to running. These people are going fast. They all keep passing me. I just have to finish. The hill. This hill is not even a hill. There is the turn to the left that Matt showed us. This is where people get psyched out because they think they are still going up and up, but it turns here. OK, I’m on the downside now, just got to get back to the finish line.”

I made it back and was happy to get in that hot shower. I felt the glee of “It’s fun when you’re done” motto. I felt skinnier already. I had lost 13 pounds by this time and thought I was pretty fit. Why was it still so difficult then?? John and I didn’t stick around for awards. We didn’t really know there were awards. We didn’t win anything any way. We were just glad we finished and survived. The celebration party was at Matt’s and he had lots of food. It was great for all the athletes that trained together to mingle and discuss their experiences. Little did we realize that this triathlon was just the beginning. 

Antara 4/06