This was to be my first half ironman.
swim-2km
bike-80km
run-21.1km
I'll cut to the chase. I didn't finish the race. In fact I didn't finish the swim. I had to get pulled from the water.
Here's what went wrong:
I trained hard, but I don't think I trained smart. I didn't really know what I was getting myself in to, I was over confident and didn't respect the distance.
I was really smug about the open water swim, so much so that I didn't do any open water practices. I told people, I love swimming and I am not afraid of open water. I'll be fine.
I rented a wet suit a few days before and only swam about 200m in it, in the pool. If you've never worn a wet suit let me tell you it's tight and it's restricting in your chest. It takes some time to get used to it.
I went up to Sylvan lake on Friday night, I was by myself. Jody, Jarom, Melissa and my sister Karen were going to come the early Saturday morning to catch me on the bike. It wasn't good for me to be alone that night or in the morning getting ready. I got in my head too much.
On my way up to Sylvan Lake I bought a big bag of cherries and ate them all. My stomach didn't feel great that night or race morning.
I didn't get to Sylvan lake soon enough to go for a practice swim in the lake. I was busy buying cherries and remember I am fine in open water.
The race is a start from in the water. At the appropriate time I got in the water to wait for the start gun. I thought I should probably warm up a bit, stuck my head in and that's when the problems started. The water was sooo cold! It took my breath away. Actually as soon as I put my head in the water it made me want to breath in. I tried a few times but it didn't get any better. All of a sudden it was time to start the race. I just hoped for the best.
Well the best did not happen. I could not do front crawl. I couldn't breath. I tried switching to breast stroke but that didn't help. I doggy paddled. Panic started to set in. Everyone passed me. One person called out to take a few deep breaths and take it slow. I tried again but could only do a few strokes and would panic again. I finally made my way to a paddle board and said I couldn't do it needed help to the shore.
I was so embarrassed and disappointed. When I got out of the water I just hung my head. I couldn't look anyone in the eyes. I got my wet suit off and went to the car to call Jody to tell him not to come. He was already on his way though. I told him to turn around but he said he would come to be with me. I called Melissa and my sister and told them to turn a around.
I had to wait for a long time to get my bike out of the transition area. I found two race officials and explained what happened. These two amazing ladies took my race chip and gave me big hugs. I started to cry. They comforted me told me of the times they DNF'd and the professional triathletes that had DNF'd. They told me to not give up and invited me to a race they were running the next weekend. I've never forgotten these two angels. I tried to find out who they were to no avail. Fast forward to 2018. I was shopping at my favorite triathlon store, Tri It Multi sport, and there they were, Rose and Richelle. I found out they were the owners of the store. I had seen them several times before but when I saw them together it clicked who they were, my angels.
It took me awhile to appreciated my first DNF. With perspective though I have been able to see the lessons I needed to learn.
Things I learned:
-Respect the distance.
-Be humble.
-Practice for the conditions.
-I need to practice in open water with my wet suit on. Three years later this is still true for me. It takes me a few swims every spring to get comfortable in the cold water and in my wet suit.
-I need to have someone with me race morning.
-Don't do anything new before the race, ie eat a bag of cherries.
swim-2km
bike-80km
run-21.1km
I'll cut to the chase. I didn't finish the race. In fact I didn't finish the swim. I had to get pulled from the water.
Here's what went wrong:
I trained hard, but I don't think I trained smart. I didn't really know what I was getting myself in to, I was over confident and didn't respect the distance.
I was really smug about the open water swim, so much so that I didn't do any open water practices. I told people, I love swimming and I am not afraid of open water. I'll be fine.
I rented a wet suit a few days before and only swam about 200m in it, in the pool. If you've never worn a wet suit let me tell you it's tight and it's restricting in your chest. It takes some time to get used to it.
I went up to Sylvan lake on Friday night, I was by myself. Jody, Jarom, Melissa and my sister Karen were going to come the early Saturday morning to catch me on the bike. It wasn't good for me to be alone that night or in the morning getting ready. I got in my head too much.
On my way up to Sylvan Lake I bought a big bag of cherries and ate them all. My stomach didn't feel great that night or race morning.
I didn't get to Sylvan lake soon enough to go for a practice swim in the lake. I was busy buying cherries and remember I am fine in open water.
The race is a start from in the water. At the appropriate time I got in the water to wait for the start gun. I thought I should probably warm up a bit, stuck my head in and that's when the problems started. The water was sooo cold! It took my breath away. Actually as soon as I put my head in the water it made me want to breath in. I tried a few times but it didn't get any better. All of a sudden it was time to start the race. I just hoped for the best.
Well the best did not happen. I could not do front crawl. I couldn't breath. I tried switching to breast stroke but that didn't help. I doggy paddled. Panic started to set in. Everyone passed me. One person called out to take a few deep breaths and take it slow. I tried again but could only do a few strokes and would panic again. I finally made my way to a paddle board and said I couldn't do it needed help to the shore.
I was so embarrassed and disappointed. When I got out of the water I just hung my head. I couldn't look anyone in the eyes. I got my wet suit off and went to the car to call Jody to tell him not to come. He was already on his way though. I told him to turn around but he said he would come to be with me. I called Melissa and my sister and told them to turn a around.
I had to wait for a long time to get my bike out of the transition area. I found two race officials and explained what happened. These two amazing ladies took my race chip and gave me big hugs. I started to cry. They comforted me told me of the times they DNF'd and the professional triathletes that had DNF'd. They told me to not give up and invited me to a race they were running the next weekend. I've never forgotten these two angels. I tried to find out who they were to no avail. Fast forward to 2018. I was shopping at my favorite triathlon store, Tri It Multi sport, and there they were, Rose and Richelle. I found out they were the owners of the store. I had seen them several times before but when I saw them together it clicked who they were, my angels.
It took me awhile to appreciated my first DNF. With perspective though I have been able to see the lessons I needed to learn.
Things I learned:
-Respect the distance.
-Be humble.
-Practice for the conditions.
-I need to practice in open water with my wet suit on. Three years later this is still true for me. It takes me a few swims every spring to get comfortable in the cold water and in my wet suit.
-I need to have someone with me race morning.
-Don't do anything new before the race, ie eat a bag of cherries.