So for now, I’m not thinking about the past, only the future.

It’s the 2012 Audax Alpine Classic. Having been defeated last year, I’m going to attempt the same course and distance again. This year I’ve got the RAV so I can get out to the mountains for some more serious training.

Other than the AAC, I’m seriously considering the 200km Scody High Country Challenge in March, the M7 Westlink  Marathon in July and a crack at a Half Ironman in late November/December. Add to that the City2Surf, Lake2Lagoon and assorted local stuff and it could be a busy year.

For now, I’ll get cracking on some serious training for the Alpine Classic and see how things look in the new year.

The day started off early. The 8am start meant I needed to be up and eating by 6ish, and out at the venue by 7am. Having packed the night before, it was (for once) a relatively organised morning for me.

I rolled up to the lake and after finding a park, made my way done to registration. Having pre-registered, everything was ready for – swim cap, t-shirt, timing chip etc. But it was at the registration that my biggest disappointment of the day occurred. I was really looking forward to getting my number on my arm and leg. Unfortunately, the organisers opted for this instead.

I wasn’t expecting that and as a result, didn’t pack my race belt. I’m not a fan of safety pins on the t-shirt, but unfortunately I had no alternative. After affixing a race number to my bike, I checked into the transition area and started the process of unpacking. Being my first, it felt like I took a ridiculously long time to get my gear set out. At one stage I got busted talking to myself as I was going through the transition order in my mind…”ok, so out of the water, suit off, t-shirt on – check, sunglasses on – check…”. The guy next to me looked mildly amused but didn’t say anything.

After the race briefing, we hit the water for the staggered start. I was in the third group and was relieved to see that I wasn’t the only one hanging back. I was dreading the start and clearly wasn’t alone. I was grateful that wetsuits had been permitted. When we started, I made a conscious effort not to go out too hard. Despite that, and despite starting at the back, I picked up a few people fairly quickly. As soon as I swam into someone, things went south. I swam over legs, got kicked in the face, bounced off people, went sideways. I didn’t like it at all, but I was determined to persevere. We were swimming parallel to the bank and as I looked around, I noticed a couple of people had moved across to shallower waters. I did the same. The second my feet hit bottom, I felt better. All my nerves disappeared and I started swimming again. I’m a confidence swimmer and I had my confidence back. I swam better and stronger. I’d lost a little time, but I’d found my rhythm.

The course was a rectangle, with the two long arms being about 300m each. By the time I’d done the first half of the course, I’d taken a little over ten minutes. A quick look around at the buoy and I knew I was one of the last in my start group. The second half was easier. I’d settled into the swim and “powered” on through. By my watch, I finished the swim in a tad around 17½ minutes.

My official time was a little longer. The only timing mate I recall seeing was at the finish line, so I’m not sure exactly where it was, but I’m guessing it was at the entry to the transition area. This would account for the extra minute as I did a slow jog from the water to the transition area, 100m away.

I felt like I transitioned fairly quickly. I didn’t have too much trouble getting the wetsuit off and I got my t-shirt and helmet on fairly quickly. I’d practised transitioning onto the bike with my shoes already clipped in and the transfer went well. From the moment I hit the bike, I started to make up some time. I passed people almost immediately and never looked back. I knew the bike leg was going to be my strongest leg. About 7kms in, I saw the front runners coming back the other way, and it inspired me to push harder.  I wasn’t flying, but I was passing people on a fairly regular basis. In the swim, I’d come 143 out of 197. On the bike, I came in 61st overall. The bike course was undulating along a slow incline to the turn around point and then a rolling down hill back. I was pushing hard on the bike, and doing well, but I could have done better. I felt underdone. I hadn’t had a lot of time on the bike in the last month or so, and had no real power. In the end, I came home in 36:58. I personally feel like I should have done this ride in sub 35. As with the swim time, my official time is longer by nearly 2 minutes. I’ve given this some thought and I think I know why. The timing mats must have been at the bottom of the transition area, but the bike exit and entry were at the top. Which means that the bike time includes both times within the transition area, whereas the swim time includes the run to the transition.

To me that’s pretty piss poor. Now I know nothing about the logistics of running a triathlon, but timing mats should have been placed at the both sides of the transition area to allow more accurate timing.

What I do know is that I am 100% certain that the ride time on my Garmin is spot on, which means that my total time spent in the transition area is less than 2 minutes. For a first effort, I think that is pretty good.

The run was hard. My calves were burning from the start and I struggled to find a comfortable pace. I overtook a few people but for the most part, people overtook me. I spurred myself on my trying to stick with everyone who passed me. That usually worked for about 50m before I was dropped and then another popped by me. By the first turn around point, I’d settled into the run a lot more and started to pick up the pace. I’d been hoping to have my Forerunner with me to help me keep pace, but I’d forgotten to charge it up, and I’d left the bike Garmin on the bike. I was watching the time though, and I knew I was never going to get close to my 77min bold goal. In face, I was a little over 1.5km from the finish when the first goal time passed. I did my best to maintain my pace and hoped to make it home in time to reach my stretch goal of 83 minutes. I need to run a 25min 5km for that, but I couldn’t manage it. As with my riding, I’d neglected my running of late (even moreso) in favour of getting through the swim. In the end, I managed the run in a little under 27 minutes.

So my total time: 1hr 24min 53secs, in the middle of my stretch and respectable times. To be honest, I’d have settled for a simple completion, but I’m really quite happy with my time. I had been hoping to be faster that the average time for all competitors, but alas that was not the case.

I absolutely loved the race. Absolutely. Loved. It. I just want to do another. I want to swim more confidently, ride harder and run faster. I want to do a sprint tri in under 75 minutes. I want to do it again and again and again. But I can’t. I don’t have the time or the budget to travel that frequently so I’m fairly limited to local stuff. Saying that, there are local triathlons around, but I’m also keen to try to focus on my riding over the next few months. If I do front up for a couple more triathlons, I’ll have to work in at least one long swim and one hard run a week.

Before I go, a statement of my goals.

Primary goal: To finish
Respectable time: 87 minutes
Stretch goal: 83 minutes
Bold goal: 77 minutes

The swim will be my weakest leg, I’m sure of that. In the pool, I can do the 750m in 15minutes, but I find the lake a lot harder. Even accounting for the added buoyancy of the wetsuit, with the throng of swimmers and the race mentality, I think I’ll do well to match this time, but I’ll try. Realistically I think 20mins is more likely.

The ride will be my strength, and assuming I don’t have trouble on the wet roads (it’s been raining since Thursday night), I should be able to easily finish inside of 35 minutes. If I can push and maintain a good pace for the first half, I should be able to ease off slightly in the second and still have a strong ride.

The run is the catch. On a good day, I’ll run the 5km in 23 minutes. On a bad day, 30, I’m hoping to find something on the day and come home at sub 5min/km pace and finish strong.

A couple of quickish transitions and I should be right.

But time will tell.

So, with an eagerness to do a little more than usual today, I took to the pool. My goal was to complete a solid 1.5km swim. Despite sharing the lane for the first 300m, and having a couple of quick stops to stretch and readjust goggles and the like, I tabbed through the first 1km fairly comfortably. After a short (10-20s) break, I stretched myself to another 10 laps (500m). By the end, I’d completed 1.5km and felt like I could do more. Just as importantly, I wasn’t squeezing the swim in between appointments, so I had the time to do more.

By now, I was the only one left in the pool and after another very quick break, I pushed on through another 10 laps. To be honest, these last 10 laps were tiring. I was counting down the laps rather than counting up. I could feel my legs hanging lower in the water, and my form slipping. But I persevered and clocked up my first 2km swim. I’m extremely happy and proud. I might not be the fastest swimmer in the pool (but I’m not the slowest).

Just under a month a go, and I’d only just completed my first ever 750m swim. 6 days earlier and I’d only just completed 200m non-stop. Tomorrow, I’m going to attempt a ramp-to-ramp swim in the lake. That’s a 1km open water swim. If I can get through that, I know I’m ready for the weekend.

Of course that was easier said than done. The wind was up and the water was choppy. The water had a distinct E-W “current” as much as a closed man-made lake can have. On the way out, I was swimming against the current, but it was with me on the way back. I think the round trip was about 25 minutes, not quite half of what it took last time. I still stopped more than I would have liked, but those stops were as much about sighting as anything else.

I’ll be back in the lake tomorrow evening. There is a novice tri group that is having a swim/run biathlon tomorrow, and so I’ll be joining them rather than doing the run/swim that I’ve done for the last couple of weeks.

The first was a two weeks ago. As usual, I was running late and made it to the start line with about 30seconds to spare, having registered only a few minutes earlier. The last to sign-up, I was No. 49 and was strangely excited about having a stranger write a number on my arm.

At the start line, I was amazed to see a good cross section of people, male and female, young and old(er). I recognised a couple of local runners who I knew would be at the front of the pack.

After a quick description of the course, we set off, and I started in the middle of the pack. As I settled into a comfortable rhythm, I started to pass a few runners and by the end of the first lap, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the first dozen or so runners. Since it was a shorter run, I worked hard to maintain a sub 5min/km pace, as per my new self-imposed running rules. Not having had a lot of runs lately, I lagged a little towards the end but came home in 4:48min/km. The advertised 4km course came up a bit short, measuring only 3.5km. Still as I rounded the corner to the transition area, I was feeling the afternoon heat and looking forward to the swim.

Not the quickest transition in the world, but not shabby I hit the water soon. The swim was a suprise. It was a lot hard than I expected. After the run, it was my arms that ached in the water, and as I’d pushed myself a little on the run, I started off a little short of breath. Added to that, the six lap swim was restricted to only three lanes, so it was out and back in the same lane before moving to the next.

In short, the swim hurt. My arms were aching as I started and I with all the stopping and starting as I got caught behind people, I never really fell into a good rhythm with my stroke or my breathing. I over took a few people and got passed by only one. I took a couple of hits. As I came up behind one guy, the bubbles generated his kick went up my nose as I was breathing out and that threw me for a moment.

In the end, the swim was a lot slower than I’d hoped for but I came home in a little under 8 minutes for the 300m. Total time for my first ever biathlon was 25mins flat. I’m fairly certain I was in (or very close to) the top 12 (out of 49).

This week, I fronted up again. Registering just after 6 (for a 6.15pm start), I was number 52, and I think we ended up with about 60. I set out with a single goal -  to improve on my previous time. I’d decided that the key to this was the swim and so in order to do better, I tried to keep my arms more relaxed during the run (especially the latter half) and to be slightly more organised at the transition.

My run time was very similar, 15seconds better than last week. The transition was faster. Relaxing the arms during the run had helped and the swim felt easier. Despite the congestion in the pool again, I swam better and came home in 23m22.

A whole 1m38s better, which may not be a lot, but to me it is. I’m looking forward to next week and am hoping for a sub 22m30 time.

Yesterday, I joined a few of the local triathletes in an open water swim in preparation for the triathlon at the end of the month. Of the 6 who were there, I was the only one doing the sprint tri. It was the ultimate for the rest, although one was only doing the run leg as part of a team. Of the six who were there I was the only one swimming in open water for the first time. Of the six who were there, I was the only one who was thoroughly petrified.

Swimming in the lake wasn’t my only first yesterday. I also swam in my new wetsuit for the first time. The first of my concerns was getting the wetsuit on. Being that I’m still overweight and have a broad back, I had trouble finding one the right size, but eventually I came across the blueseventy axium, an entry level wetsuit. Despite my concerns, it went on relatively easily, and seemed to be a decent fit. Perhaps a little tight across the chest but otherwise ok.

First hurdle overcome – the wetsuit fits. But it was the swim that concerned me the most.

I’ve given some thought to this and come up with a short list of things that I’m afraid of about the swim – not touching the bottom, not being able to touch the side, not being able to see the bottom. In short, drowning.

I found it extremely disconcerting that I couldn’t touch or see the bottom and that I didn’t have the side of the pool (or lane ropes) as a safety net. I don’t use them in the pool, but just knowing that they are there is a comfort. When I started swimming properly, I needed them. I felt uneasy in the water, unnatural, even scared, but I always had the ground and/or the side there for comfort/security/piece of mind.

But not this time, and it was TERRIFYING. The others were swimming across and back, a two km swim. For me, I’d set myself a goal of the third buoy and back, which in the absence of a waterproof GPS I’m estimating at around 750m. (It’s 6 buoys across, evenly spaced. If you include the distance between the shore and the buoy at both ends, it’s be 8 buoys across, or 125m between buoys)

For the most part, the wetsuit did it’s job. I’d been told that if I got into trouble, or need a breather to roll onto my back and I’d float like a cork. Of course I tested this out, and it was right. Thankfully. The first couple of times I did it to test it out, the next few times it was more to give me time to calm myself. I was letting myself get a bit worked up and I had to work to overcome my own fear. And there was a lot. Remember, I was TERRIFIED!

Other than not being able to touch or see the bottom, I found the water temperature itself hard to adapt to. In the pool, it’s always the same. In the lake, one stroke my face would be in warm water, then cold, then warm. Very very weird. A few jetskis were out and about and the waves from those were also a first from me, especially when I turned to breathe and instead got a mouthful of jetski wake instead.

Not being able to see the line at the bottom of the pool meant I couldn’t sight properly. My goggles were a little fogged and the first half of the swim was directly into the sun. Sighting the buoy was nearly impossibe.

The wetsuit may have helped me float, but it was tight across the chest so I didn’t feel like I could get a good deep breath in when I needed to (which was always when I was trying to take a minute to calm myself down).

In short, I hated it. I well and truly gave free rein to my fears and had to fight them all the way home. Never have I been so happy to feel the ground under my feet as I was at the end of the swim.

Had it not been for my swim coach who stayed with me the whole way, I would have truly been in trouble. Steve was fantastic and he stayed close to me all the way, encouraging and calming me in equal measure. He knew I was scared, but he also knew I could do it. He patiently listened and let me voice my fears and then calmly took the lead and we’d get going again. Until the next pause, and then we’d start the process again. It wasn’t a fitness issue – it was pure and utter psychology. The water and conditions had got into my head and instead of focusing on swimming, I focused on fear.

In the last quarter, I changed tack. I swam in 60 stroke sets. I counted my strokes, breathing bilaterally every three. At 60, I’d stop, get my bearings, test the buoyancy of the suit, and then start again for another 60. In doing this, I stopped thinking about the conditions and started thinking about the stroke and I found it a lot easier. Now that I wasn’t facing the sun, I could see the shore and that helped as well.

But I make no bones about it. Steve got me through. It wasn’t even a scheduled session. He did it because he chose too. He could have easily done the full swim like he planned too when he arrived. I am and was grateful. When we were back on solid ground, I shook his hand and thanked him.

We’re going out again next week, and I’ll do better.

Very bummed, but that’s life. The Mrs. gave me the option to go to the tri and she would cancel her thing, but I couldn’t say no. She has been very good about letting me get out of the house for training especially when it means she doesn’t get a sleep in. If I go out before a day shift, it means she has to get up at 7am when the girls do (or earlier), and she doesn’t get to sleep till 8am (or later). It didn’t feel right puttingmy needs wants ahead of hers. She gets precious little time off as it is so what right do I have to take any more from her?

So, my weekend has ended up being a quiet, house cleaning affair. It also meant I got to have a nice little nap yesterday afternoon, and rest is an important part of the training process, so hey, I enjoyed it.

Back to the pool tomorrow. If I can organise myself properly, and I have an ok night on-call, I will run and swim tomorrow. If not, I’ll just swim.