Gotta tell everybody about my first road triathlon! Yep, sorry; that's the virgin part. Never thought I'd say it, least of all write about it.....but here it is. Sure, I've done an off-road tri before, and that was a lot of fun. But a road tri? Too many pre-conceived ideas about road tris and triathletes. We'll see!!
I'm very pleased to say that I joined a tri club to get into the mood for my 'transition' and I'm glad I did. I joined our local club - Tomaree Tri Club, El Presidente is Graeme Chamberlain (Chambo or Yogi) - thinking that it would take months before anybody would talk to me. Boy, was I wrong!!! I entered an Aquathon (run/swim/run) prior to my first tri and it nearly killed me, mainly because my swimming leaves a lot to be desired.....drowning more like. After it was over, a group of us BOP's formed (that's back of the packers) and we were congratulated by the elite guys and encouraged with advice on how to train and tricks on how to improve. Fantastic!!! First pre-conceived idea blown out of the water. Of course, my effort was posted on facebook and again I got some wonderful comments from people, including El Presidente himself. Anyway, that wasn't a tri so we'll see what happens next month.......
Next month rolled around and I found myself setting my beautiful bike, Rusty up in the T1 transition area with my T2 stuff, road running shoes with lacky laces. I just realised that I can actually talk the talk now (and walk the walk cause I've done it), but I still feel like I've 'Got all the Gear and No Idea'. Off to the start of the swim at the end of Salamander Shores jetty and looking out at the turn buoys, my thoughts turn once again to self preservation and drowning prevention. The water looks like chocolate soup and I'm sure there are sea monsters just waiting to pick out newbie triathletes like me. Hooooonnnkk!!! And we are off; needless to say I didn't drown or get eaten, but I did get a good look at the rear end of every other competitor as we exited the water to run up to T1. The idea of a tri transition is to get your old clobber (in this case, swimming stuff) off and your new stuff (in this case, bike stuff) on as quick as possible. Yeeaahh right! Buggered from the swim, shaking like a dog pooping razorblades from the cold and excitement and trying to get bike shoes on and remember my helmet, it takes time (and I will need lots more practice, I've gotta tell you). Off we go, Rusty and I, at least I'm heading in the right direction and not too far behind the next rider. I'll make this short....I ping a couple of riders and manage to get my feet out of the bike shoes before I get back to T2 and roll into the transition area. Soooo, not too bad on the bike. Whewww!! Now....off with the bike stuff (already out of shoes, but musn't forget to take helmet off), and into the running shoes. Funny feeling in the feet and legs as new muscles innervate and blood recirculates as I start to run (must look like a ballerina, cause I certainly feel like one). I realise at this stage that I have nearly finished and am not going to die. I also realise that duty athletes acting as Marshals have been cheering us newbies the whole way. Fantastic......feeling good!!! Running into the finish, I realise that I've got it all wrong...this is great, this is wonderful.....I've discovered a new sport....and I've joined another unique group of people. It doesn't matter whether you are a newbie or an elite, we are in this together, and we are all winners.....and now, grinners! Thanks all the guys and gals from the tri club. Thanks Margaret and Wayne and Neil. Incidentally, thanks Sonya for a yummy brekkie! But most of all, thanks to my beautiful Jaci for encouraging and supporting me in my new venture to compete in a Half Ironman in October. I know now that I can actually make it....at least to the start line. :~))
Thursday 23 February 2012
Sunday 15 January 2012
Musings of an O/F!
I'm a Trail Runner and I'm an O/F! I consider anybody over 60 years old, an O/F (Old Fart), and the following musings might encourage a few more O/F's to hit the trail (figuratively speaking of course), cause you're only too old if you want to be, and let yourself be..............
We just got back from a weekend of trail running in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. This, as most trail runners know, is the venue for the world-renowned The North Face 100 (TNF 100), a brutal 100 km course from the Fairmont Resort in Leura, around to the start of the 6ft Track Marathon (up my nemesis, Nellies Glen), then around to and up Kedumba Walls track, back around to the Fairmont Resort. This weekend 15 of us trail runners from NSW and QLD ran from Scenic Point (where the Three Sisters can sometimes be seen if there's no fog), down into the Megalong Valley, up Kedumba and then around to Conservation Hut. All in all we covered about 28-30km. Not to be outdone by this effort, and after a day of rest, we all backed up for a 20km night run along another section of TNF 100 called Narrowneck Ridge (this section occurs straight after leaving Checkpoint 1). The two runs were like 'chalk and cheese'; Kedumba is a relentless climb, while Narrowneck is comparatively flat with a few undulations. The difference then?? The weather for Kedumba was ideal; cool to warm and even a slight breeze sometimes. The weather for Narrowneck was cold, dark, foggy and raining. So both runs had their challenges. And everyone of our team met and accepted the challenges with guts and determination. Now, here is where I start my musings. Most of the folks who ran this weekend are under 55 years old, most are under 50, some are under 40. Two of us are over 60 years old. Now don't get me wrong! I'm not the least bit jealous of the youngsters who are able to thrash my compression shorts off, and I'm not p.....ed off with always finishing up as a BOP (Back of the Packer), and always clocking a time that means everybody has consumed the snag sangers and coffee, packed up and had a shower and got changed, before I finish the run. Oh OK, I am jealous and I do get p.....ed off. But now I understand that I'm not going to be able to keep up with the younger runners, and I will probably always now be a BOP. It's OK because I see my friends attack these runs and not only accept the challenge, but each time try for a PR......and they enjoy that.....and it's great for them...and me! I realise now that I'm much happier trotting along at my own sweet pace, taking in the scenery, getting a few photos with the GoPro and watching everybody's face light up when eventually I do arrive. Sometimes they even save me a sausage sanger (not often though). I am a trail runner because I enjoy the trail, and the bush, and the surroundings...I love nature and all it offers...beauty, bush sounds, tranquility, and freedom. Once again, don't get me wrong, I'd love to win my age group and I will win a Bronze Buckle in this years TNF 100, but the important things for me don't revolve around competition and fast times. I can still train with the youngsters (albeit a bit slower), and we can still enjoy each others' company, so the important things for me relate to the facts that I can still run, I can still start with the rest of the youngsters (even though I don't finish with them), I am still able to enjoy my surroundings, I can still ruminate about the trail with the best of them and, I hope they all look to me for what I can do, not my inability to keep up with them, and most important of all.......even though I'm an O/F (Old Fart)...I can still say, 'I'm a Trail Runner!' ;~))
We just got back from a weekend of trail running in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. This, as most trail runners know, is the venue for the world-renowned The North Face 100 (TNF 100), a brutal 100 km course from the Fairmont Resort in Leura, around to the start of the 6ft Track Marathon (up my nemesis, Nellies Glen), then around to and up Kedumba Walls track, back around to the Fairmont Resort. This weekend 15 of us trail runners from NSW and QLD ran from Scenic Point (where the Three Sisters can sometimes be seen if there's no fog), down into the Megalong Valley, up Kedumba and then around to Conservation Hut. All in all we covered about 28-30km. Not to be outdone by this effort, and after a day of rest, we all backed up for a 20km night run along another section of TNF 100 called Narrowneck Ridge (this section occurs straight after leaving Checkpoint 1). The two runs were like 'chalk and cheese'; Kedumba is a relentless climb, while Narrowneck is comparatively flat with a few undulations. The difference then?? The weather for Kedumba was ideal; cool to warm and even a slight breeze sometimes. The weather for Narrowneck was cold, dark, foggy and raining. So both runs had their challenges. And everyone of our team met and accepted the challenges with guts and determination. Now, here is where I start my musings. Most of the folks who ran this weekend are under 55 years old, most are under 50, some are under 40. Two of us are over 60 years old. Now don't get me wrong! I'm not the least bit jealous of the youngsters who are able to thrash my compression shorts off, and I'm not p.....ed off with always finishing up as a BOP (Back of the Packer), and always clocking a time that means everybody has consumed the snag sangers and coffee, packed up and had a shower and got changed, before I finish the run. Oh OK, I am jealous and I do get p.....ed off. But now I understand that I'm not going to be able to keep up with the younger runners, and I will probably always now be a BOP. It's OK because I see my friends attack these runs and not only accept the challenge, but each time try for a PR......and they enjoy that.....and it's great for them...and me! I realise now that I'm much happier trotting along at my own sweet pace, taking in the scenery, getting a few photos with the GoPro and watching everybody's face light up when eventually I do arrive. Sometimes they even save me a sausage sanger (not often though). I am a trail runner because I enjoy the trail, and the bush, and the surroundings...I love nature and all it offers...beauty, bush sounds, tranquility, and freedom. Once again, don't get me wrong, I'd love to win my age group and I will win a Bronze Buckle in this years TNF 100, but the important things for me don't revolve around competition and fast times. I can still train with the youngsters (albeit a bit slower), and we can still enjoy each others' company, so the important things for me relate to the facts that I can still run, I can still start with the rest of the youngsters (even though I don't finish with them), I am still able to enjoy my surroundings, I can still ruminate about the trail with the best of them and, I hope they all look to me for what I can do, not my inability to keep up with them, and most important of all.......even though I'm an O/F (Old Fart)...I can still say, 'I'm a Trail Runner!' ;~))
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