We would love to hear your "My First Tri" experience. Tell your story and we will share it right here. Email Jessica at media@appletriathlon.com
PBs, chocolate milk and baby powder: Great words of advice from John.
Tell us a little about yourself
Hello! My name is John and I am a
consultant in green hi-tech. I was born in Saskatchewan, but consider myself
“from” the North Shore in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, where I have lived for
about 45 years. I love the Okanagan and spent some part of every summer there.
How many triathlons have you participated in?
I have done upwards of 40 triathlons,
sprints, Olympics, half and full iron distances. My favorites are sprints
and halves.
Where/when was your first triathlon?
My first triathlon was 7 years ago on
the May long weekend in 2009. I did the North Shore Tri in North
Vancouver as a bucket list item. I had always swum some but never
competitively. I had not been on a bicycle in 33 years and had never been
in a run race or really ever run. So there I was at the race, like
standing on the dock staring into the ice cold water wondering if I should dive
in. (to be clear, it is a warm pool in the tri, so not an exact match for
my analogy)
With no training and no expectations
other than finishing, I jumped in. I finished, both vertical and
smiling...hooked. I wondered what it would be like if I trained. So, I
trained some and did another tri and did better. Hook was now in
deep. I needed a goal and is my norm, I looked around for what I
perceived to be the most difficult (Penticton Ironman). To note
here, I don’t have much in the way of cartilage in my knees and this is related
to my no running experience, so I had concerns about being able to finish a
Marathon. So, a week before it started, I signed up for the Victoria
Marathon to see if I could do the distance. My performance was best described
as a “finish” but good enough to get me training for 18 months for IMC in
2011. There were many races before and since and new races I did were
based on what I heard about the race.
What was the biggest thing you learned from that experience?
The biggest thing I learned from
participating in my first Tri was that your first race is a guaranteed personal
best. More so, the worse you are, the easier it is to continue to
personal best a race (my secret). There are a large number of people who can
beat me and while fewer now than when I started, there are those I will never
beat. My concern is beating me, not others and I only have 2 races that I
did not PB. I also compare how I do against the average but don’t feel much in
the way of podium pressure. Maybe when I am 90 and the only one left
standing.
What made you register for the Pushor Mitchell Kelowna Apple Triathlon?
I heard about the Kelowna Apple in
glowing references, early on, but never managed to be in the area at the right
time. Finally, in 2014 I made it to the Pushor Mitchell Kelowna Apple
Triathlon! I can’t believe it took me this long to make the race, but I won’t
miss it again. Last year was as close to a perfect race as I have had,
due to the incredible organization the long-standing race has. Everything
thing was nailed but to highlight, my finish was not only vertical and smiling but
I was handed the best hamburger ever, cold chocolate milk and had an excellent
massage. It does not get any better than this.
A triathlon is comprised of three different sports: swimming,
biking, and running. Which do you find is your strongest sport?
My strongest leg was the swim
portion, but the other two are where I have been able to make the most
improvement. While I started out as swim, bike, run, with each leg
getting relatively worse as the race went on, I am now Bike, Swim, Run in what
I am better at. My run still has the most to improve.
Which are you most nervous about, and how to you plan to
overcome it?
I'm in this for fun, fitness and
meeting a fabulous cohort of great people, all of which are pretty much
guaranteed. If I were to worry about anything it would be wiping out on
the bike. So far so good, but last year in Kelowna, while my legs were still
getting out of bike mode, at the beginning of the run, I did a yard sale in
front of the Rotary building. A paving stone that was a couple of mm above
the surrounding concrete jumped up and grabbed my foot and sent me headlong
into a crash (does that sound better than saying, “I tripped”). I missed
head butting the shorts in front of me by about 2mm and while wiping out is not
desirable, it highlights one of the great things about the sport. The gal
in front, whose rear I just missed with my head, stopped her run and came back
to check on me (she heard a crunching noise behind her.) It is this
caring and camaraderie that sets this sport apart from some of its more
cutthroat individual component sports. I got a bump and broke a few
accessories but only lost 25 seconds in the melee. I appreciated very
much her stopping to check on me, especially since she probably caused the
accident, by me watching her butt instead of where my feet were going.
What are some of the steps you're taking to prepare for the
Pusher Mitchell Kelowna Apple Triathlon?
The bike course goes uphill soon
after getting on the bike, so I am practicing hills, as hills favor lighter
riders and being light is not one of my issues. A brick is running right
after a bike ride, so I tend to do a 20 minute run right after half of my bike
rides. Aside from making the transition easier, it got rid of calf
cramping I use to get in the first 300 meters of the run.
What's the best advice you've been given in preparation for the
race?
I have learned a tremendous amount
from other athletes. The list is endless, but the best comment which
applies at least to both the swim and bike, is don’t go out too hard. A
lot of people hit the water flat out trying to keep up with the big dogs to go
as fast as you can. You end up slowing with an overall longer time or in the
worst cases hyperventilate or cramp up. Know your pace and consciously
slow yourself down at the beginning of the swim. When you are settled in
and cruising at your pace (having ignored what others are doing), look for a
slightly faster pair of feet, tuck in behind and hitch a ride. Especially
on bike courses that start out flat or down hill, don’t spend all you have
before you get to the hills.
Any tips, tricks, or thoughts you'd like to share with first
timers?
There are a lot of people who are
first timers, there are much much fewer who don’t do their 2nd race. I
guess that is why the sport is growing in leaps and bounds. Translation –
The odds of you enjoying your experience and doing another race is very high.
Tips:
- Check all your equipment before the race to ensure all is in
good order.
- Ride, walk, run, swim or drive the course before the race, so
you know what is coming and you know you can do it.
- Body lubrication can be used wherever your wet suit might rub
you the wrong way.
- Organize your transition for fast easy access to the minimum of
what you need (i.e. fold open socks in each shoe for fast access and slipping
on. Put your race number on right away but hat glasses, water bottle can be
placed in a pile to be grabbed at once and put on after you are already
running.) Note also, presuming you have a race number belt, you can put
your race number on under your wet suit, so you don’t have to deal with it
later, but practice this first so you don’t rip if off with your wet
suit. Practice the transitions as these are the easiest minutes to
save. (That said, not to worry too much in the first race about how fast
you are, mentally prepare and go over the steps and race in your head, but
remember the first tri is a guaranteed PB.
- Baby powder in your bike and running shoes can make them easier
to get on and more comfortable for the race.
- Make sure your race number is facing forward on the run so you
can find your pictures.
- There are 5 disciplines, not 3. Swim, Bike Run, Mental
(headspace/drive) and Nutrition. Nutrition is my weakest and applies to all
training and racing, exacerbated by the longer distances. You can
mentally prepare and get in the right headspace but likely will need help to
get the nutrition figured out.
- A good coach is a huge benefit to increasing your
performance. A bad coach is not really a bad coach, but is more likely a
good coach for someone else. Find the right fit it you seek this help.
- Thank the volunteers when you see them, on and off course.
- All free advice is to be received gratefully and weighted
against your personal knowledge and other advice. Not everything works
for everyone and there are exceptions to every rule. I don’t use socks on
short course races but many do use socks, your call, but don’t try anything for
the first time on race day. Have a plan, practice it and change it, as
needed, after the race.
Good Luck, Have Fun and Meet lots of
great Folks who love the sport of Triathlon!!
