Team Mango

if at first you don't succeed, try a tri again

within sixty seconds of starting the swimming leg, i couldn’t help but think that the seafair triathlon would not only be my first triathlon, but my last. and not just my last triathlon, but my last act in life.

as i did during the entire race, i keep replaying those first few minutes in the water over and over in my head, trying to figure out what went wrong.

after the starting gun, the neoprene-clad swimmers took to the murky waters of lake washington in a churning mass of arms and legs. but even with the pushing and bumping and being kicked, i managed to swim fairly normally. but very soon after the start, my heart rate was racing, and i was literally gasping for air. was it my constrictive wetsuit? nervous energy? the claustrophobia of murky water and shoulder-to-shoulder swimmers fighting for position? maybe i was trying in vain to keep up with much faster swimmers than me, as i had never swam with anyone besides myself? perhaps a combination of all of these factors.

regardless, my quest to figure out the problem soon gave way to the very urgent need to refrain from drowning. i gave up my attempts to swim and tried treading water — which i found out it not that much easier when i’m hyperventilating. i began looking around for the nearest lifeguard floating alongside the swimming course and considered making my way over to them for rescue (or else flailing my arms in the air before i sank below the surface).

somehow, though, i managed to calm down enough where i could at least envision myself doing the doggy-paddle and making it back to shore. “you can do this, damnit!” i tried to psyche myself back into the race mentality. “quit your whining and swim!”

by this point, the main field of swimmers was well out in front of me, so i had my own space in the water (and the women’s group, which started a good 4 minutes behind us, was beginning to overtake me). i started out doing the side stroke, keeping my head above water and trying to get my breathing under control. i rounded buoy #2, then #3. halfway. i’d calmed down enough to give the crawl a try again. i did ten strokes and rested. feeling ok. ten more, doing fine. rounding buoy #4 i was in the home stretch — three more to go. on and on like this until i could hear the crowds cheering on the shore.

what i had easily done in 10:00, sometimes 8:00, in a swimming pool, i had turned into 18:34 in the 1/2 mile open water swim (putting me in 731st place out of 1113). but time was of my least concern now. i was happy to stand up on shore.

running into the transition area, i saw pam getting ready for her start. she yelled to me, smiled and waved, but i had barely the energy to mutter a faint “hi” and less yet to attempt lifting my arm to wave. i blew a whopping 3:17 in the transition area trying to squeeze my wet feet into my running shoes (which i would wear for the bike leg as well).

biking is, of course, my true calling, so i made up a lot of lost time here. as i’ve been doing 100+ mile training rides for RAMROD later this month, the 12 mile bike ride would be a piece of cake. i passed dozens and dozens of people, and i don’t think i was passed more than three times myself. 34:02 later, i was back at the transition area. for the bike leg alone, my time was 86th out of 1113, which put my overall place at 354 out of 1113.

transition #2 was a lot quicker, as i was already wearing my running clothes. just dump my bike off and go. but i did hang around for a bit to gulp down some water… then i started running in the wrong direction. some kindly spectators waved me down and corrected me.

i felt pretty strong on the run, although i had to stop and walk a few times to keep my heart rate in check. about two miles into it, my team mango cohort, mr. john tulinsky came up behind me, looking like a million dollars. we exchanged a few words then he rounded the corner ahead of me. john had started the race about 10 minutes BEHIND me, by the way. 26:01 of running put me over the finish line (finally). john greeted me with a high-five and i headed immediately for the free bananas, bagels, and ice cream bars, then over to the transition area to cheer pam on while she finished the bike leg and started running. pam, by the way, had a similar experience in the water, but toughed it out and finished her first triathlon standing on her own two feet as well!

overall, even with my aquatic difficulties, i finished a few minutes faster than the 1:30:00 i had hoped for — 1:24:04, putting me at 369th out of 1113 — right at the top 1/3 mark.

would i do it again?… well, i think i need to figure out that open water swimming thing — or find a triathlon with a pool swim instead. in retrospect, the water was actually warm enough that i could have easily done without the wetsuit — which may or may not have been the problem. but yeah, i can see myself doing this again. maybe next year….

Posted by jason at July 21, 2003 11:30 AM