Earlier in the Spring, I thought July 8 would never come (and sometimes I secretly hoped it would never come), but the weekend of the triathlon in Susz was finally here, and we were as ready as we ever were going to be. We did a lot of training and made a lot of friends along the way, and overall it was a very fun experience. I managed to survive, with minimal damage, so I thought I'd share some tips for you, if you ever decide to enter a triathlon.
1. Learn how to spell triathlon
One important thing I learned during this training is how to spell triathlon. I used to spell it "triathalon", but that's how you know if someone has done one before. Learning to spell it is part of the training. Real triathlonesians know. Don't be fooled by the imposters.
2. Bring friends
No triathlon (or triathalon) is complete without the support of your friends, whether it be during training or during the event itself (or the peer pressure to sign up in the first place). In
total, there were 23 of us from WITC who went to Susz, 17 who raced. A couple of the
guys
did the half-Ironman (1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, 21.1 km run), but most of
us did the sprint (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run). I can't say enough about how great it was to have the non-racers there to support us, hand us drinks during the race, take embarrassing pictures of us, remind us to take off our wetsuits, and yell at us to hurry up. It made it much easier to finish with a smile on our faces.
WITC in Susz
WITC cheering on Grzegorz in the half-iron
3. Plan ahead, but be flexible (it's Poland, afterall)
A couple of the girls arranged the logistics for the trip, which made everything much easier for the rest of us. Most of us stayed in a hotel-resort on a lake and we organized a van to take the bikes. Of course the hotel was extremely rude and unaccommodating and the van was in an accident before we even got it so we had to find another one. The back-up van looked like a pizza or ice cream delivery truck. Sadly it didn't come with pizza or ice cream inside.
Our back-up bike transport
Our hotel was called Cykada, in Siemiany, about 30 minutes from the race site. It was a nice place, on a lake with a big outdoor bar next door. It had everything you could want from a lake-side resort, except for nice service. The lady was really nasty and didn't do anything to accommodate our large group, which was taking up half of the hotel. I guess they don't understand the concept of customer service, especially when they're bringing in so much money. Every time we asked for something (certain breakfast hours, a dinner reservation, etc), they groaned like we were asking them to enter a triathlon, and then complained that we were making life hard on them. Hey lady, you're a hotel, you're supposed to do things for the customers. That's why we gave you money!
4. Watch before you race
On Saturday morning we got up to go cheer on the half-Ironman guys in their race. Stan, Grzegorz and Luca all finished in under 6 hours, even though Grzegroz who took a nasty fall high-fiving kids while on his bike. That's a rock-star triathloner for you, high-fiving fans on a bike (but I guess it's the last time he does it). It was very impressive watching everyone compete...I wish I could be as strong in the race as some of these guys. There was lots of cheering, moving around the track to catch glimpses of the guys, and a little bit of relaxing. The best part was being able to see how the transitions went (between the swim and bike, and bike and run) to know better what to expect.
After watching the half-ironman, we were all exhausted (yes, from watching)
The next day came pretty quickly. I think everyone had a bit of nerves, considering it was the first time for everyone not named Ken. Lizzy, Cristina, Kasia, Mark, Hans and Ken went in first group (for ladies and old people). It was really exciting to watch and cheer, but I got nervous sitting there and waiting! Their performances were very inspiring though, as everyone did an AMAZING job.
Watching the morning group start their swim
5. Eat, drink, and be boring
As with any big athletic event, it's important to eat well and stay hydrated. I don't know if we really ate ideal food for a triathlon (Polish food + junk food during the car ride), but Powerade and water were pretty standard. And surprisingly, there were only a few beers consumed during the weekend (only a few because Mark was on medication and wasn't allowed). We didn't really do anything at night, as we were all tired and needed rest for the races. The weather on the first day was really hot and draining, so afterwards, we went back to hotel to swim, relax, and hydrate. When we first signed up, I was worried about all-night parties the weekend of the race, but thankfully we were all really tame.
6. Take your time on the swim (and don't get kicked in the balls)
The biggest lesson I learned was to protect your nuts during the swim. The race started quickly and before I knew it, I found myself stuck in a pile of body parts and neoprene, just trying to take one normal swimming stroke. We were so packed together that arms got tangled, goggles were getting knocked off, and someone kept hitting my butt with their hand (on every stroke, as if they thought they were actually putting their hand in the water, and not in my butt crack). I was totally disoriented because of all the violence. It was like swimming between 100 Igorses and Grzegorzes, arms and legs flying everywhere with reckless abandon. People were grabbing my ass, hitting my face, pushing me forward (yessss) and pulling me down (noooooo). I had to stop a couple times because mentally I wasn't ready for the craziness, and physically I couldn't breathe. I started to hyperventilate while trying to frantically swim to open space to avoid the packs. Then to top it all off, someone's heel firmly met my groinal area, and I physically couldn't move. I had to float on my back for a while, while my "buddies" recovered, but had to also move to avoid the swimmers coming up from behind me. I ended up finishing the swim in under 19 minutes, which was OK, but I expected to be a couple minutes faster, considering I swam 1 km in 19 minutes in a warm-up race.
When there are this many people swimming at the same time...
...it's hard not to get kicked in the balls
But here we go!
7. Bike for show, run for dough (or something like that)
The weather on the day of the race was perfect, warm enough to dry off after the swim, but not as hot as the day before, so we didn't dehydrate too much. Plus, the protective cloud layer kept us cool for most of the bike and run.
The transition from swim to bike was fine for me, after the initial 30 seconds or so. I was a bit disoriented, but hearing everyone yelling for me, telling me I was doing great, reminding me I had to take off the wetsuit completely, it was all helpful (I don't remember who it was, but I'm sure someone yelled at me "you have to take it all the way off!" - like I was a stripper). Most times I didn't know where the cheering was coming from, and I felt bad I didn't always acknowledge it, but I guess they understand, because, hey, I'm trying to win a race. Ok, maybe not win, but finish. The bike felt good, except the fact that every single person passed me, because I was on my old, super heavy mountain bike. It was a bit demoralizing to see guys with fancy new bikes zoom past me effortlessly, while I'm pushing as hard as I can go just to keep them in my vision. One guy even passed me while riding with no hands on his handlebars, giving himself a lower back massage. Really? Is that necessary, sir? I wanted a back massage, but I don't even know how to ride with no hands. Overall I only passed 2 guys on my bike, but 1 of them passed me back. No wonder people make the investment in the nice road bikes for these things.
My bike waiting for me in the transition zone
On the run I felt the strongest. I usually hate running but my legs felt strong and I was able to pass a lot of people (and the only person to pass me was speedy Andy who runs 5 k in 5 minutes or something insanely fast like that - I shoulda put scorpions in his shoes). One guy even said to me "good job man" (in English) as I passed him, which actually gave me a bit more strength in the last couple km. With about 1 km to go, I lost sight of everyone in front and I knew I wasn't going to be able to catch Andy, Alex or Igors, and noticed there was nobody behind me, so I kinda started cruising. Then some spectators started yelling at me to get me to go faster. Those spectators were named Grzegorz and Kasia so I had to listen to them.
8. Have a reason
I think in order to get through the training or to get through the race, it's good to have a purpose. Whether it be to raise money for cancer awareness, not wanting to let friends down, or just for your own personal challenge, it's great to remember why we put ourselves through the training for an event like this. Training for the sprint races aren't as difficult as the longer distances, but it still requires some discipline and motivation.
One thing that stood out to me was when I was watching the bike/run transition area, cheering on my WITC friends in the earlier race, I saw a woman come out of the bike zone, among the leaders through the first 2 legs. She had a huge smile on her face as she started the run, and then I saw why. It was because of her motivation. She stopped running as she came onto the open path, went up to a young disabled man in a wheelchair, gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek, and proceeded to push him in his wheelchair for the rest of the race. I blame the adrenaline and nerves at the time, but I almost shed a tear as the guy in the chair clapped and waved to the spectators along the path cheering excitedly for them. Alan was next to me, and I had to hide my eyes from him (they were wet because someone was cutting onions and blowing dust in my eyes. I mean, seriously, who cuts onions during the triathlon?).
9. Give back to the fans
I can't say how awesome it was to have so much support from everyone cheering at various spots on the course, handing us drinks and even running with us for a short distance. It's so great to hear it and it keeps you going. Everyone was spread out in various spots so it made it a lot of fun to look for the next person.
Along the bike route there were always random families of farmers, kilometers away from the next closest house (or person), sitting on lawn chairs on the side of the road, with beers or sodas in one hand, wearing straw hats, chewing on pieces of grass, cheering for everyone passing by. I might have made up the part about straw hats and grass, but it was still cool to see them cheering for us like we were old friends. I might have been the only Asian person in the entire race, so I like to think they cheered extra loud for the guy who looked different. I smiled and waved to them extra hard on each lap.
Japanese tourist says "Peace to all my fans!"
Then, during the run, coming around to the finish line, the route ends with a stretch of about 100 meters inside a set of bleachers. All the kids in the bleachers were sticking out their hands for high-fives and of course I had to please my fans. I high-fived at least a dozen kids, slowing down so I didn't miss anyone. I had to use both hands for some of the groups, because there were so many hands reaching out for mine. I got a bit caught up in my celebrity moment and nearly forgot I still had to finish the race. I heard someone in the stands yell "szybko!" (quickly!) and I turned to see another competitor coming up from behind. He was an older guy, so I didn't want to lose to him! I resisted beating my chest like Usain Bolt as I crossed the finish line a few seconds before him. That's when Cristina took this very flattering picture of me.
I'm glad I beat that old man behind me
10. Do it again
Uhh, we'll see about that.
Once I crossed the finish line, I saw my team waiting and cheering (which means I wasn't first). Hugs were shared, everyone looking exhausted but with great smiles of achievement. "We're glad we did it, we're glad it's over." Of course the first question was "Anyone for another? Maybe Olympic distance?" A few have already signed up for another one, but I'll wait until I forget how much I hated the swim before I say yes again.
I can't say I'll definitely do another one, or that I definitely won't, but I still re-enact the race thinking how I could improve. A part of me wants to prove to myself that I can do better, especially in the swim and bike. Plus, there is such a nice feeling about the experience itself. There is now some bond between all of us who raced together, and supported each other. There was some competitiveness between everyone leading up to the race, teasing each other on how we'd sabatoge each others' bikes and feed each other laxatives before the race (or maybe that was just me), but in the end, everyone was so supportive and proud of each other. It would be great to experience that again.
We got shiny medals, so it was worth it
Out of everyone that did the sprint, the fastest in our group was Ken (a 6 time veteran), and I was able to finish in a respectable 1:31.03 (188th out of 308 participants, or 114th out of 177 in my category). 4 or 5 other guys in WITC finished before me, so they all had very good races. My swim ranked 89th out of 177, so not bad, but I expected to be better. The bike of 44:09 was 154th (ouch!) because my slick tires couldn't overcome the heavy bike frame as much as I hoped, plus I was not in good biking shape. Finally the run/hi-five time of 23:36 was 66th. My transitions were pretty quick, considering it was my first time, but overall, everything could have been better. Just to give you an idea, the fastest guy in our category was 59:27 and the slowest was 1:48:22.
So maybe the thought of improvement is enough to get me to do it again. We shall see...
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