Now that the Birkenbeiner has been checked off my list, my next challenge is to compete in a triathlon. I have completed several triathlons in the past, but it has now been over twenty years since my last one so it will be fun to train and compete in one again. I’m looking forward to adding biking and swimming to my training regimen along with my regular runs. With the Victoria Marathon over seven months away, training for a triathlon will be an excellent way to maintain my fitness until I concentrate solely on marathon training.
The reason it has been so long since my last triathlon is that it was difficult to find enough time to train for three different events – swimming, biking, and running -while I had a full-time job as well as three children at home who were involved in their own activities. I often had to do early morning workouts and I don’t enjoy exercising in the morning, especially in the dark before work. Now that I am retired it will easier for me to schedule training time and if I do have to do an early morning workout, I’ll know that an afternoon nap will be coming.
Triathlon is a relatively new sport with the first modern race held in 1974 in California. The race was held on an island and involved running a three-mile loop, biking around the island twice, and then swimming to the mainland. Since then, the sport has grown in popularity with many different lengths for triathlons including the Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman, and Ironman distances. All the races now start with the swim event, followed by the bike, and finishing with the run. I have competed in the Olympic event, which included a 1.5 km swim, a 40 km bike, and a 10 km run, the shorter Sprint event, which is half the Olympic distances, and the Half Ironman consisting of a 2.0 km swim, 90 km bike and a 21.1 km run.
I consider the Ironman the ultimate endurance race; it consists of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike, and a marathon distance run. I have never had any desire to enter this race, unlike my brother-in-law Graeme, who has completed it nine times, eight of them in Penticton. A few years ago our family traveled to Penticton for a vacation and to cheer on Graeme. This was the first time that I had watched a triathlon in person and I was impressed with Graeme and all the other competitors who competed in this insane race in the hot August temperatures.
Watching the Ironman started me thinking about competing in a triathlon. I was doing a lot of running at the time but I was frustrated with having to take off time due to developing tendonitis in my Achilles. It seemed like a good time to reduce the amount that I was running and add swimming and biking to my fitness plan. It was also around this time that Simon Whitfield from Canada was gaining national attention because he was a favorite to win gold at the upcoming 2000 Olympic Summer Games. He eventually did go on to win gold and also inspire other runners like me to enter a triathlon for the first time. Although I couldn’t see myself competing in an Ironman, I knew I was a decent swimmer, had done some road biking, and also had run 10-kilometer races, so competing in the shorter Olympic distances was in reach.
After my twenty-year triathlon break, I am considering entering the Sylvan Lake Triathlon held during July. It’s an Olympic distance event that fits my goal to remain fit and avoid developing tendonitis from too much running before I start training for the Victoria Marathon. The race will have a lake swim with a mass start unlike the staggered starts in a pool, making it a really fun race to participate in. It’s also near Red Deer, and there is a good chance that I will know some of the other competitors.
Last Friday I went for my last cross country ski for the season. It was a beautiful day to get outside and get some exercise, but the tracks are deteriorating due to the melting snow, so they won’t last much longer. However, having skied over 600 km this winter I am ready to hang up the skis. I am proud of my accomplishment of skiing the full Birkie, but I did not enjoy the season because of the pandemic. Too often I went skiing as a method to cope with the negative emotions brought on by the pandemic, rather than the enjoyment of cross country skiing. Unfortunately, that is what I am going to remember the most about this season.
As a result, I can hardly wait for summer, not just because I am looking forward to a change in activities, but because I am hoping the pandemic will be over by then. I hope that at the Sylvan Lake Triathlon I get to experience racing against other competitors, rather than having to compete in a virtual race. I want to see spectators out cheering, without the need for socially distancing and masks. After the race is over I want to visit with other competitors and enjoy being with family and friends who came to cheer for me and to have refreshments and applaud the winners of the race. I want all those simple pleasures back, and that will make it a much more enjoyable experience.
One Last Kick 