Kurnell Race 3
hmm don't know where to start with this one. lots of things going round my head. number one is a bit of a groundhog day moment that I am sick of getting sick and feeling a bit lethargic and tired all the time. I have a hot date with the haematologist on Thursday so I am hoping for a bit of iron-magic in my very near future.
anyway I was incredibly nervous about this race. There were a lot of firsts for me. First ocean swim (yeah none of those training sessions happened...), first swim in a wetsuit (no it didn't make me fast like I was hoping...), first ride out in the real world (even though there were hardly any cars, there were some, and there were also tight turns and speed humps!!). you get the drift.
So in some aspects I have gotten a lot of confidence from the race. It took me ages to settle into the swim, but I did eventually. I also didn't fall off my bike. I improved my run time even though my swim and bike were slower so that I was 3 mins slower overall. I could definitely have pushed harder on the swim and the ride. Especially the ride...
But I also feel a bit overwhelmed (could just be my already horrendous morning at work) and wonder why I am doing all this, whether I have wasted all this time and money and whether I have any chance in hell of finishing an OD race without completely embarassing myself. I also saw a photo of myself riding the bike and was completely horrified and may in fact have to ban myself from all forms of lycra for the rest of my life...
anyway - perhaps I just need to toughen up. ah well.
EDIT - thanks for the encouragement everyone - its much appreciated. Its funny - I do really enjoy this triathlon business for the main reason that it is such a challenge. its only when I start to dwell on my crap-ness and giving myself shit for not being good enough that I get down about it. So i'll try not to do that so much.
Here is a photo gnome took of me at the first triathlon - i was absolutely petrified at that stage!! I should remember that I will never be *quite* that nervous... well maybe on 18 March...
posted by Ellie80 @ 8:33 am
14 Comments:
Well, lets look at the positives: you did it, you finished without mishap, you gained some experience and confidence.. what's to be worried about :) You can do it, and it's only going to be your first one so it will be a matter of finishing not racing it.
Never worry about how you look in Lycra. Who cares:) Think of how strong your body is that it can do so much. It never matters what you look like!
In my first triathlon (& first wetsuit swim) I took a mouthful of water & had to hold onto the lifeguard board to get my breath. I almost crashed my bike taking a drink. The run was soooo hard. By the time I crossed the finish line I was in tears. It was the hardest thing I'd done, but I survived. Now, more than 12 years later I'm going strong. You keep going strong too!
It's all a learning experience. You did so well to finish and next time you'll be even better! And you didn't fall off the bike which has to be good.
Think back to when you did your first proper running race - were you bothered about your time or were you just happy to have seen it through to the end?
As Lulu says concentrate on finishing rather than racing - and try to enjoy it!
As someone who is contemplating their first triathlon sometime this year, I have been keeping an eye on your progress.
If you look at the overall picture, I'll think you'll find you've already made tremoundous progress and you should not be disillusioned by one race.
You did very well Ellie. Full stop!
Everything is about learning and improving from the previous experience and you are doing that. However, if it is not enjoyable, then sit down and have a good think about it.
TA
Hey Ellie, better to be in lycra on the bike than to be wearing trakkie daks and sitting on your butt watching tele.
Hang in there, you are doing sooooo well.
Nice work Ellie - nothing wrong with a bit of soul searching - just don't get bogged down in it.
As the Nike ad says....
*high 5* E ! Well done. Huge effort. So when is the next one ? You should be so very proud of your achievements to date.
Gee mate, you're so hard on yourself it's a wonder you don't give yourself bruises from your own introspection ;)
You've just completed the biggest tri of your life (and the first of your very short tri-career remember). You made it through and still doubt yourself? Think back to everything you've achieved in the last 12 months missE. In fact, trawl back to your earliest blog posts to see how far you've come. I have many friends up here who have been in triathlon a lot longer than you have who have never done that distance you did yesterday. We're all really really proud of what you've achieved Ellie, and don't doubt that you'll have a great time at Cronulla :)
btw - remember, the wetsuit isn't really there to make you go faster. The primary purpose of the wettie is to reduce the amount of effort your legs need to make during the swim, leaving you fresher for the bike/run to come. i.e. the wetties "floats" your legs so you don't have to kick as much. For your everyday swimmer, all that your legs are doing is keeping your bum afloat - the wettie does it for you :)
And yeah - that lycra doesn't really do any of us many favours does it?
thanks for the coffee & caramel bikkie recommendation :)
It sounds like your tri experiences are a bit like mine. It's this bizarrely fun kind of torture, and it's hard to stick at something you're not instantly awesome at. But I've seen how far you've come in the bike and the swim since you started! Further than i have that's for sure!
I am really impressed by you going the distance- I wish I had done it this season and am regretting that I will now be ntering half-IM training without having faced an Oly.
I wouldn't even contemplate doing a triathlon so I think you're really inspirational!
Great pic Ellie :-)
Well, I for one admire you - I would love to even be able to enter these kind of things but sadly I swim like a stone so it's not likely to ever happen *rolls eyes*
Good luck with the haematologist, hopefully they can get you feeling bouncy again :-)
What ^^^^ they all said. Stop being so hard on yourself missy - you did great out there. You will be fine for the OD. You rock - don't forget that!
Being sick can really take the wind out of your sails and take away your positive attitude. I've had a recent bout of anemia, and i can say I know just how you feel now. Try to focus on the things that make you happy for awhile! Don't dwell on the racing. That will come along!
:-)
Jodi
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