IS THIS THE ROAD TO KONA?
BY ROBERT ARMAGNO
Well, here it is June 28th at 8:43 AM and we're off on another adventure. In the past, I've written to you about my very first road race, my first marathon, and now it's my very first Triathlon. It's true! We're heading up north to Tupper Lake where I'll do the Sprint portion of the Tinman Triathlon. You're probably saying Oh my God, what next! The Sprint event consists of a 1/2-mile swim, 20-mile bike ride, and a 6.5-mile run. By the way, for those who are uninitiated, Kona is where the world championship Ironman Triathlons are held each year in Hawaii. That event consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon. But that's another story.
Now what did I forget?... If you think it's a problem trying to remember everything for a running race, triathlons are three times worse. I'm sure we forgot something.
Anyway, it's a cloudy, overcast day. Looks like it might rain. The Northway seems unusually busy for this time of day. I wonder if every one is going to Tupper Lake? Ugh.. Oh NO! Here it comes... It's raining! But it's just a sun shower.
I've been planning to do this triathlon for over a year. But before committing to the race there were quite a few obstacles that had to be worked out. What obstacles you say? Well for one thing I didn't know how to swim! I didn't know if I could swim a half-mile. I hadn't been in the water for over 40 years. So, I had to learn about currents, water temperature, wetsuits, goggles, endurance, pacing myself and so forth. I bought a yearly membership at the YMCA in order to learn how to swim again.
The next obstacle was a bike. I didn't have one! All kinds of questions arose regarding what kind of bike to buy. There are hybrids, mountain bikes, road bikes, and finally triathlon bikes. There are steel frames, carbon frames, titanium frames, aluminum frames, etc. It's enough to make a person's head spin. Personally, I liked the road bike because it gave me more options than a straight triathlon bike. I won't bore you with all the details of buying a bike but it is very time consuming. Also, the cost can be pretty high for these toys.
Then, I had to train for the three separate events. At times it seemed impossible to make weekly training schedules work. For example, Monday might call for a run, however, that Monday the weatherman would predict thunderstorms and lightening. So the run would have to be rescheduled. Of course the same problems would arise with the bike. Sometimes I would have to plan two workouts for the same day. In other words, I would run in the morning before work and bike in the afternoon, after work. At times it seemed like my swimming, biking, running schedules were more difficult to arrange than the actual workouts. Somehow I managed to get through it all.
So, we made it to Tupper Lake. Actually, the lake where I would be doing the swim is called Raquette Pond. The village is called Tupper Lake. Well, we saw a number of huge bright orange buoys in the lake. It soon became clear that those buoys marked out the swim portion of the triathlon. The water was very warm and children were even playing in it. This was a moment of concern. If the water temperature reached 72 degrees we might not be able to wear wetsuits. I'm not that great a swimmer and the wetsuit helps me to stay buoyant. But we were assured that wetsuits would be allowed.
My wife and I stayed at a lovely little inn nestled deep in the heart of the Adirondacks. The lake just down the road is called Lake Clear, however I have no idea what the name of the village is. A scent of pine permeated the area. I was unable to fully appreciate all this beauty because of my deep concerns about this upcoming race.
I suppose every runner has his or her rituals and routines, which they follow before every big event. I like Jim Galloway's nutritional recommendations. Basically his menu consists of sports drinks and energy bars along with a couple of chicken sandwiches the day before a big race. This formula seems to be a good way for me to carbo load. Unfortunately it's not very tasty. My wife on the other hand had one of the house delicacies. So while I stuffed my face with an energy bar she ate a special vegetable pastry bubbling over with cheese and special herbs. Afterwards I got to bed early, and managed to sleep comfortably until 4:00 AM.
We arrived in the Village of Tupper Lake at around 6:30 in the morning. It was a wonderful day full of bright sunshine and all the excitement one could ask for. The park was bustling with energy as participants headed for the check in points. It always amazes me how we can come together and have such great fun despite everything that may be happening in the world. Perhaps this is a way that we uniquely define our identity as Americans. We know how to have fun. Anyway, I received my triathlon brands on arms and legs - my number was 1077. Then I got my timing chip and headed for the transition area where I tried to arrange everything needed for the bike and run.
Time seemed to be flying by. Before I was able to worry about the swim we were herded into corals. Each age group wore a different colored swim cap and would begin the swim according to their respective groups. I was in the last group. As I looked out over the water my buoy seemed quite a long distance away but I tried not to think about it. Besides I already knew I could swim a half-mile since I did one or two in practice. hummm Well, we were off!!! Arms and legs bustling and crashing into one another - I must have bumped into a number of people but nothing too serious. I remembered to count my cadence but can't say much for technique. I probably learned more about swimming in these 20 minutes than in the whole year of practicing at the YMCA. The swim portion went very quickly in my mind. But, whatever time I gained in the swim I lost in the transition area. It took me about six minutes to get out of the wet suit and into my biking paraphernalia.
Then I was off on my trusty steed. Everyone around me was drafting at the beginning of the bike race. We seemed to be in a big peleton group in the Tour de France. Drafting couldn't be helped but everything soon worked itself out and I got down to business. The bike portion of the Triathlon was the most fun. I flew like a bird on the straightaway until I saw a monstrous hill in front of me. I kept repeating, "What goes up must come down". Since it was a loop course I knew I would return this way and fly down the hill. Anyway, the bike course seemed longer than I thought and the 18 miles turned out to be 20. Later the officials changed the mileage to reflect this correction for the bike course. I think I hit 40 mph coming back down the hills that I labored upon going out over the bike course. My total for the bike part was 1:21:48, which included the 6:00 minutes in transition between the swim/bike. The bike was fun.
Once back in the transition area I had to get my runners act together. I mean this is what I do... I'm a runner (more or less) and 6.2 miles is not all that much - right? Wrong!!! My calves were fine on the bike but as soon as I started to run they were burning. My legs were on fire! I had to stop! I would have been in deep trouble if I didn't stop to stretch my legs. The stretching seemed to help and I was on my way. I hobbled over hills and dales with the help of Tylenol and gummy bears. At each aid station I poured cold water over my legs. I kept going at what seemed to be a slow steady pace. Before I knew it I saw a sign "1 mile to go". I couldn't believe it - almost there and my first triathlon would be complete. There was no way I could sprint to the finish line. There was no way I could catch the women about 10 seconds in front of me. Then I heard the MC calling out some weird concoction of my name. I did it! I made it!
After the race (endurance test) we were treated to barbeque chicken, potato salad, and corn. It was wonderfully tasty especially since my diet consisted of energy bars and sports drinks the day before. Then, I was very surprised to see a familiar face. It was Heidi Underwood. I was very happy to share a moment with her. By the way, Heidi completed the full Tinman in 5:12:15 and her husband Bob finished in 4:56:41.
Well, my Sprint Triathlon run of 6.2 miles was also changed officially to 6.5 miles. I managed the run in 1:03:35, which is a 9:47 pace. This time also includes the 3:20 minutes I spent in transition changing from biker to runner. All in all my total time was 2:45:22. This triathlon stuff is pretty neat. Next year when I'm stronger and faster I want to do the Half Ironman Triathlon. After that who knows... Could this really be the road to Kona?
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