June 2008 Archives

There’s no way around the fact that it starts adding up on the financial end as you knock things off your bike gear shopping list.

I’ve created a cycling checklist with 3 categories:

Must Have

A Good Idea

Would Be Nice

Let’s start with the cycling Must Have list:

There are different triathlon distances. The most common are:

Sprint (swim 0.5, bike 12.4, run 3.1)

Olympic (swim .93, bike 24.8, run 6.2)

Half Ironman (swim 1.2, bike 56, run 13.1)

Ironman (swim 2.4, bike 112, run 26.2)

Notice that the longest leg in every triathlon is cycling, which means you're going to be spending a lot of time training on a bike.

So, the next few posts are going to explore the cycling universe.

I thought I was a pretty good swimmer until I joined the Masters Swim class at our local YMCA.

There I was - Mr. Triathlon man, ready to show everyone just how triathlony I was! Let's see... there was what looked to be about a 60-something-year-old man, this string-bean thin Asian guy, a woman probably also in her 60s, a couple of other women about my age or maybe a little younger, and this short pale looking dude. So I hopped in the water with my tan, lean triathlon body, ready to show the class what I could do.

Soon after getting in the water, I realized I was in trouble upon discovering that people were expected to know multiple strokes. I knew the freestyle, but that was it (other than the doggy paddle). I thought I could more or less fake the breaststroke. (Heck, I've watched the Olympics, and I can bob my head up and down in the water with the best of them.) Unfortunately, I didn't factor in our teacher being able to see down into the water to catch the idiotic things I was doing with my legs. Busted!

You should have seen what happened when she tried to show me how to do the butterfly. Thank goodness no one was taping this or it might have well become the most watched video on the Internet entitled, "You won't believe this!"

I was so glad when we finally got around to doing the freestyle. Now I was in my element, and ready to demonstrate just how fit I was. I was doing just fine until the drill when we were supposed to do 16 50-meter sprints: 4 sets of 4, with a 15-second recovery between each 50-meter sprint. I was good for about 8 of them, and then I was sucking wind in a major way!

It was humiliating! I didn't realize string-beans and older folks could swim so fast and far. I realized I had a lot to learn and a long way to go.

Recently a friend of mine and I decided to explore a new bike route that went through a rural town, Gladeville, TN. It seemed like we were out in the middle of nowheresville when suddenly we biked past a gated yard that was filled with grazing Zebras!

Hmmm... Zebras in Africa - check; Zebras in a zoo - check; Zebras in Gladeville, TN - huh?!?!

We hopped off our bikes and took the above pic. I'm guessing it was some sort of refuge for injured Zebras but not the sort of thing you expect in a town where the Nashville Super Speedway is the major attraction. I don't see any connection between Zebras and NASCAR.

By the way, if you want to find or share new bike routes, you might be interested in Map My Ride.

This past weekend I was out on a 100-mile bike ride, and it started to pour rain.

Part of the route was on a local greenway, and rounding a curve onto a wooded pedestrian bridge my bike slid out from under me and I went down hard on my right shoulder. For a while I just laid there in the downpour, wrenching in pain. I was fine, but what came to mind in that moment was this article that had not yet been written, discussing why doing triathlons are “FUN!”

Admittedly, there will be times when you will question the premise that training and competing in triathlons is “fun.”

Here are some times when I questioned it:

1. Falling over on my bike, getting used to clipless pedals.

2. Swallowing mouthfuls of nasty lake water.

3. Accidentally getting IcyHot in places you really don’t want it.

4. Getting kicked in the head by other swimmers in a tri event.

5. Your first flat tire.

6. Calf cramps with 4 miles left to run.

Just for laughs, listen to Bud Light's Real Men of Genius "Mr. Professional Sports Leg Cramp Rubber Outer":

I admit that before getting into triathlons I imagined these folks to be hardcore, high-strung, overbearing, egotistical types. Wow, was I wrong about that!

Most of the triathletes I know are the exact opposite. Sure, there are a few jerks in every crowd but I found most of them to be humble and considerate people who are happy to help along newcomers to the sport.

I learned an important life lesson some years ago: don’t judge people, because there is always more you don’t know about someone than what you do know.

Every triathlete has a story -- how they got into it, their motivation for competing, the challenges they have had to overcome to get there, what drives them, and the experiences (sometimes very painful ones) that have shaped who they are.

I feel overwhelming gratitude for the people I have met and the new friends I have made along the way of training and competing in triathlons. These people have greatly impacted my life.

There will be times as a newcomer when you will be tempted to reconsider doing triathlons.

Here are some situations that made me think twice:

1. The first time I tried open water swimming, swallowing mouthfuls of nasty lake water, and floundering around in the breakers while fearing for my life. I really wasn’t in any danger because I was swimming alongside a long float buoy pipe, but I felt like a complete idiot.

2. The day our kitchen began looking like a medical clinic. No lie; here’s what I currently have sitting on our kitchen counter: IB-Relief, Organic Tendon Rescue, Traumeel Homeopathic Ointment, Arnica Ointment, Flexall; and IcyHot. The freezer is filled with Styrofoam cups with ice for icing down my shoulder, foot, groin, hamstring, and the rest of my anatomy!

3.  The cost of training and competing. Wow, you can save a lot of money eating at McDonalds compared to organic foods such as Rebound Cereal and all the organic alternatives to regular food items. The cost of equipment accessories and the registration fees for bike, run, and triathlon events add up.

4.  The learning curve as a beginner. I remember when I first began my training that I practically was killing myself trying to keep up with more experienced cyclists when biking in group rides. It was also a little demoralizing while swimming in the YMCA pool when other swimmers would lap me. Just face it: it’s not easy being green.

I said all that to say this...