I have a new nick-name: "The Finisher"!
Bonnie here; long time, no blog! Before you get concerned that I've been a mafia hitman, don't worry, it's not the case. Yesterday, I raced in my very first "try-a-triathlon"-- a small-scale triathlon for those interested in them, but not in the crazy distances done at, say, the Olympics. There are 4 levels of triathlon, apparently. The one I did was:
- 500m swim (20 lengths in a standard pool)
- 16km bike (10 miles)
- 3km run (just over 2 miles)
The distances vary depending on the location / triathlon club running the event, so I can't quote exact numbers for what qualifies a "sprint triathlon", which is the next level, but I do know that an Olympic Triathlon is 1.5km swim (60 lengths) / 40km bike (25 miles) / 10km run (6.2 miles). Yeesh!
So, what made me get into this mess?
It began about 12 weeks ago, when I really hit a stride with my weekly swim. I noticed that I had more than doubled my speed, compared to when I first started swimming weekly again last year. Hints of spring were in the air (although they were false hints), and I thought about getting my bike out... then it was announced that a co-worker had signed up for an Ironman.
If she could do an Ironman... I could do a try-a-tri.
I found one in Calgary, signed up, then convinced my mom to sign up with me :-)
Training was interesting. I've been taking spin classes for the last year and a bit, and I enjoy swimming, but running... it's not for me. I've never run unless forced to by a phys ed teacher in high school, or to get out of the way of fire, flood, or the wrath of god. But I began to run, and once I got some decent shoes and good music, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Don't get me wrong-- it was still horrible. But tolerable!
Those hints of spring I mentioned earlier? They were incorrect hints. It has snowed in Banff at least 3/7 days a week since then. So I never actually got my bike out until race day! That was an interesting change!
The race itself went great. There were a lot of really supportive staff, and a lot of just-as-nervous-as-me first timers all hovering around. Definitely a great experience, and something I would consider doing again.
And the nick-name? That's what was on the medal that they gave out to everyone who crossed the finish line. Akin to the "participant!" ribbons that every kid in the science fair got, yes, but I still got it!
Anyway, that's what I've been working on for the last 12 weeks. Here are some pictures from the event, c/o our photographer, Noah!
Transition! Finished the swim, heading for the bike
Getting my bike off the racks
Off to the races!
Finishing the bike segment...
Heading into the finish line!
My Mom and I, FINISHERS!
- 500m swim (20 lengths in a standard pool)
- 16km bike (10 miles)
- 3km run (just over 2 miles)
The distances vary depending on the location / triathlon club running the event, so I can't quote exact numbers for what qualifies a "sprint triathlon", which is the next level, but I do know that an Olympic Triathlon is 1.5km swim (60 lengths) / 40km bike (25 miles) / 10km run (6.2 miles). Yeesh!
So, what made me get into this mess?
It began about 12 weeks ago, when I really hit a stride with my weekly swim. I noticed that I had more than doubled my speed, compared to when I first started swimming weekly again last year. Hints of spring were in the air (although they were false hints), and I thought about getting my bike out... then it was announced that a co-worker had signed up for an Ironman.
If she could do an Ironman... I could do a try-a-tri.
I found one in Calgary, signed up, then convinced my mom to sign up with me :-)
Training was interesting. I've been taking spin classes for the last year and a bit, and I enjoy swimming, but running... it's not for me. I've never run unless forced to by a phys ed teacher in high school, or to get out of the way of fire, flood, or the wrath of god. But I began to run, and once I got some decent shoes and good music, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Don't get me wrong-- it was still horrible. But tolerable!
Those hints of spring I mentioned earlier? They were incorrect hints. It has snowed in Banff at least 3/7 days a week since then. So I never actually got my bike out until race day! That was an interesting change!
The race itself went great. There were a lot of really supportive staff, and a lot of just-as-nervous-as-me first timers all hovering around. Definitely a great experience, and something I would consider doing again.
And the nick-name? That's what was on the medal that they gave out to everyone who crossed the finish line. Akin to the "participant!" ribbons that every kid in the science fair got, yes, but I still got it!
Anyway, that's what I've been working on for the last 12 weeks. Here are some pictures from the event, c/o our photographer, Noah!
Transition! Finished the swim, heading for the bike
Getting my bike off the racks
Off to the races!
Finishing the bike segment...
Heading into the finish line!
My Mom and I, FINISHERS!
posted by Bonnie at 8:59 PM
2 Comments:
Well congrats to you! And your mom. Unbelievable. And how come Noah didn't do this??
deb
Because I have my heart virus
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