TriDid It!
by carlywen ~ March 6th, 2011. Filed under: Uncategorized.Carly’s Day of Triathloning.
7:30am: Wake up, go for warm-up bike ride.
8:22am: Wait for the bus, didn’t think about how many other people were taking the bus to UBC with their bike. A 99 already with two bikes on its rack drives by.
8:29am: A 17 with only one bike on it! Yes! Put my bike on the bus, the driver yells at me for doing it wrong.
8:44am: Arrive at UBC.
8:47am: Stand in line to get my bike checked out. Standing behind two bikes that look like cost more than my tuition… for my entire time at UBC…
9:02am: Set up my bike in the transition area. I had no idea how to set up a transition so I check out what the people around me are doing. Also, it appears I’m in the middle aged men heat.
9:04am: I spit out the chocolate flavoured Power Bar that came with my race package. Man that thing was gross.
9:07am: Some guy makes a triathlon joke I didn’t understand, I laugh awkwardly.
9:16am: I left my “wet bag” at home. Have to go back to the SUB to get a new one much to the annoyance of Rec staff.
9:27am: Check out the booths in the SUB selling triathlon products. I ask if they have any race belts. I never thought I’d be asking for that at a store.
9:38am: Set up my transition area, still not knowing what the hell I’m doing. I’ll make it look really organized so people will assume I’ve done this before.
9:43am: Head to the pool! Bombarded with signs saying “DO NOT SHOWER!”. I’m still curious why we couldn’t shower before our race.
9:52am: Awkwardly standing in a room full of half naked people waiting to get into the pool while someone is stamping a number on me. Some girl has the same swimsuit as me, we smile awkwardly at each other.
10:02am: Told we need to arrange ourselves in order of fastest to slowest. I take the safe approach and stand near the end.
10:11am: Walk outside to the pool deck. I can’t say I’ve ever stood on a pool deck that was so cold.
10:14am: Start the swim!
10:17am: Think about how dirty the bottom of the outdoor pool is. Get distracted by the leaves floating around.
10:21am: Get smacked by some guy doing the breaststroke in the lane next to me.
10:24am: Pass the same guy that hit me while doing the breaststroke. Take that!
10:30am: Finish the swim! Man that felt good.
10:32am: Having issues in the changing tent. Ever tried putting on a sports bra with wet skin?
10:35am: Still having issues in the changing tent. I put my jacket on inside out.
10:38am: STILL having issues in the changing tent. Seriously?! What more can go wrong??
10:39am: FINALLY out of the changing tent. Have to hold up my pants for the swim to bike run because the drawstring fell out of my pants.
10:42am: On my bike! Off I go!
10:47am: Riding downhill with the wind along SW Marine! So fast!
10:58am: Riding uphill against the wind along SW Marine… So effing slow…
11:12am: Tried to grab a cup of Powerade while biking. End up throwing it all on my face.
11:33am: Riding uphill again… Passed by guys wearing helmets that make them look like Sonic the Hedgehog.
11:39am: Ride past friends who made a sign for me! You guys are awesome!
11:41am: Getting a little emotional as I ride into transition. Only the run to go!
11:48am: Transition fail #2. I really need to learn to get better at these. Off on the run!
11:49am: My legs are so wobbly it feels like I’m running backwards I’m so slow.
11:52am: Pass by the first water station. Grab a cup of water, still end up throwing it on my face. Need to learn to get better at this too…
11:55am: 1km mark! Wait, I’ve only run ONE KM?!? Oh man.
12:02pm: Thinking about the potential for taking a shortcut. This cramp in my side is killing me.
12:17pm: Pass the water station again. This time I slow down so I can actually drink it. Feel bad about throwing my cup on the ground. Apologize to the environment in my head.
12:19am: I can see the finish line! I think it’s actually getting further away as I run towards it.
12:20pm: No really, it’s actually getting further away…
12:21pm: Cross the finish line!!! Oops, I didn’t smile for the camera at the end… That’s not going to be attractive at all.
12:22pm: The best part of a race – post-race orange slices.
1:24pm: Find out they later brought out bagels for the finishers. Not impressed…
March 7th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
LOL. This post made me laugh so hard! This was my first Tri too, and it’s hilarious how we shared so many similar experiences.
Total YES to everything below:
– feeling so dinky with my Kona hybrid amongst all the hardcore bikes
– not knowing how to set up the bike and copying what everyone else was doing
– awkward standing around in the swim wait room
– getting distracted by the dirty leaves in the pool
– the feeling of triumph after passing someone who passed/hit you earlier in the swim
– having so much difficulty with putting pants on after the swim
– marine drive joy one way and pain the other
– throwing powerade all over my face
– frozen, jello, robot legs for the run
– I think I ate at least 27 orange slices at the finish line. I might have scared people away.
So, you think you’ll do another? 🙂
March 10th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Hah! my first tri, too. so fun! my drama was in the pool, i had to take my asthma inhaler every damn 100 metres. that was humiliating. transition, didn’t even put light long underwear on, just pulled bike shorts on top of compression shorts. that made it a bit faster–my timing chip fell off my ankle, though, which was just as well, I wore wool socks and they were mighty uncomfortable all bunched up at my heel before the timing chip fell off. A nice young man helped me tie it to my shoe lace.
thanks Carly, I thought i was the only one who wasn’t so sure about how to manage the water…
I can’t wait for the next one.