Lake Stevens Triathlon, September 8th 2012

We gathered a group of friends interested in doing their first triathlon and had them join us for a fun end-of-the season race.  

Please excuse the extreme tardiness of this post.  Ordinary Endurance’s first group triathlon experience at the Lake Stevens Triathlon was so much fun I wanted some of that emotion to settle so I can report objectively on an otherwise fun and successful day!

The morning started like most in September around here.  It was nice, but colder than what we all were used to after a warm summer.  The sky was clear, there was a little dew on the grass, but not a ripple to be found on the lake. 

All twelve of us showed up with plenty of time to pump up those tires, organize and re-organize our transition areas, let the butterflies almost educe vomiting, and then wait. 

Preparing for Race Day, Part 1

Nutrition:  Food = Energy

Week prior to race - Eat food and drink plenty of water.  Sounds like ‘well duh’ but it can be easily overlooked.   My dietary guidelines are always to eat food that I can recognize and pronounce.  Look at the ingredients and if there are more than 5 or if you cannot pronounce them don’t eat it because it’s not ‘food’.  Do not try to cut calories or diet.  If you are hungry, eat.  This food will be your energy on race day.

Night before - To carb load or not?  I say not.  Carbohydrate loading is a science that takes weeks-months to perfect.  For shorter races and if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, don’t bother.  Eating pasta the night before is not carb loading.  My suggestion is to eat a meal that your body is familiar with and you are certain will digest without difficulty.   That may be pasta but it doesn’t have to be.  Whatever it is, eat plenty of it.  Don’t go to bed hungry.  This is your direct energy source for the race.

Race morning - What to eat on race morning is very specific for each person and really is only perfected with trial and error.  An example is Odwalla.  Schuyler drinks an Odwalla before every triathlon but when Tara does she burps/pukes the entire swim.  A good rule of thumb is to eat 2 hours before.  Choose something that your body is used to and if you have a sensitive stomach or anticipate nerves then eat something pretty bland like toast, bagel, oatmeal, etc.   Have a bottle of something to drink with you from the time you wake up until the swim start.   Don’t chug it, just take small sips all morning to make sure you’re plenty hydrated.  For a sprint tri I don’t give up coffee.  I drink my coffee first thing and then work on rehydrating.

During the race - The rule of thumb is to consume calories if you will be working out for over an hour.  I anticipate it will take most of us between 1 ½ to 2 hours to complete the sprint.  That means you should consume 100-300 calories.  Ideally you would eat ½ way through your bike, but unless you have practiced this and feel very comfortable on your bike don’t try it for the first time on race day.  A safer alternative is to eat during your swim to bike transition.  Don’t eat much just a Gu, Chomps, Waffle, etc.   Another acceptable form of calories is a sports drink in your bike bottle.  During bike to run transition if you feel fatigued consider a second Gu.  Remember calories = energy but calories are also not as well tolerated when running so if you’re feeling pretty good skip it and finish strong!

Just remember, this is the LAST thing you want to do:

Jumpin' in. Head first.

My wife and I have been avid triathletes for a few years now, and along the way, friends and family members have told us 'how impressive' it is, or that they've 'always wanted to do something like that too'.  Well, we're holding them all accountable and organizing a group of friends to do a triathlon in a little over a month for the first time!  It's on September 8th at Lake Stevens.  Most of us are doing the sprint distance but there are a brave few opting for the Olympic.
So far we've received a lot of positive feedback.  Many people have already signed up and even more have told us they plan to.  We've had a few group workouts that have gone really well.  Last weekend eight of us went out for an open water swim and bike ride.  For most, it was the first time open water swimming and there were a lot of unknowns to overcome, luckily the water was really calm.  Everyone did very well and is much more comfortable swimming in the open water.
After our swim, we went for a bike ride.  A few of our friends had never ridden road bikes so we took it pretty easy so they could get used it.  Afterwards, they felt much more stable on the skinny tires and narrow handlebars.  
The next group workouts will be the weekend of August 11th and 12th.  If you're in the Seattle area and would like to join us, just comment below, we'll get in touch with you.