30 days to go!

Yip...it's getting serious

Hi Everyone..

So, the Rainbow Cup Triathlon is officially 30 days away. Truth be told I will be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous.

Anxiety aside, I thought it will be a good opportunity to give everyone an update on my progress to date as it relates to the three sports.

Swimming

Of course I will start with swimming. It is, and continues to be the most difficult aspect of this journey for me. I am happy to report though, that I have improved. No longer does my swimming look like I am violently attacking/slapping the water with each stroke. Through many hours of practice and coaching I can say that I am more giving the water a love tap before my hand enters as opposed to a hard slap. Still not ideal, but definitely an improvement. For some strange reason my hand is not entering the water at the right angle but i keep working on it. For the next month I have to continue to work on this in addition to my roll, catch and pull (yes basically the entire stroke). Also, I have been advised that I windmill my arms too much which is not ideal and would lead to exhaustion so I have to sloooowww down the turn over. Concentrate on form and technique. Lots of work to do, but I must admit I have seen some bit of improvement however small it is. My coach Dexter has said as well that I look stronger in the water, so I am taking some comfort in that.

Cycling

I haven’t been cycling as much as I should have. I did one long ride in May and have been doing some shorter distances at least once a week. What I can say is that I am feeling better on the rides and have to focus on getting the strength and cadence. Again, a work in progress but I am feeling a little more comfortable. My friend Mikey tries to coach me on the techniques and the muscle groups to engage while climbing and sprinting but as with everything, it takes some time to assimilate and put into practice.

Running

I have seen some gains in the run as well. With each week, I can feel my body getting stronger and a bit faster. The focus remains on the 25 minute goal so I just need to continue working. Richard has been doing a great job mixing up the workouts, so I am just trying to put in the effort in the hope of seeing the results. I trust that once I do the work, the times will drop so my eyes remain on the target.

Putting it all together

I have done a few ‘brick’ workouts to date.  Some have been ride and run, while others were swim then run. I will admit that I have not tried a full triathlon as yet which is a cause for some concern. I am constantly reminded by my peers that I NEED to do some trial runs. So technically I have no idea of what my time will be doing everything all together, transitions included, which is vital. Am I afraid to try? Maybe a little but I also know that this level of practice will be absolutely critical in preparation for the big race.

How are your preparations? Are you going to Rainbow Cup or any other Triathlon? Did you just complete your first Triathlon recently..how did it go and what was the distance?

Let me know!

Thus begins my countdown! Will keep you posted on how it goes.

Image courtesy http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-only-30-days-more/

Project 25

Just about right. Courtesy @ultimatebodies IG account

Based on the previous posts, I am sure persons might have been asking themselves “What is Kairon really trying to do in this triathlon?” I guess I would have given them some reason to ask this question because the triathlon consists of three sports and I have not indicated any degree of comfort in any. We all know about my relationship with swimming (which I am happy to report, we are seeking counseling. But more of that in another post) and my relative recentness with the sport of cycling and more specifically road cycling, which leaves one other aspect…Running

By the process of elimination, I would have to say that the run is my strongest ‘leg’ of the triathlon. I did do a bit of track and field when I was younger and generally enjoyed running as a means to get fit but injuries would often be my downfall. Luckily for me, I have been educated a great deal through friends and general reading on ways to prevent injury and as such am able to take the load of the training so far.

According to Strava, my fastest 5K on record is 27:12. It won’t quite be considered blistering by any means but it is something to work with. I have set a goal of 25 minutes to complete the 5K at the triathlon which obviously will require a lot of training. If I am to put things in perspective that would mean that I need to get down to a 21 or 22 minute 5K if I am doing that alone. Fortunately, I am friends with T&T champion long distance runner, Richard Jones, who has offered to assist me in getting to the magical 25 minute mark for the triathlon.

Mr. Jones

For the last few weeks, Richard has been giving me different workouts all geared towards me building the necessary strength and then eventually developing the speed and endurance needed to run a 25 minute 5K after swimming and riding. The workouts have been manageable if not entirely ‘kind’ and sometimes painful. I do enjoy running, generally, but having a sprinter mentality (I ran 100m and 200m for a bit) makes the longer workouts a bit more challenging. Above all though, I have clearly stated my goal to Richard and he is going to guide me in the best way possible.

Contemplating whether he can help me get to 25

In terms of race strategy, the run is an opportunity to make up ground. I know my swimming is going to put me at a disadvantage at the start and I will have to do my best with the cycling. I have realized though that many people do not particularly fancy the run which, depending on how you look at it, may be my only chance at gaining some type of advantage albeit very small.

Technically my running form is pretty okay. As with everything though, there is a lot to work on. From stride length and stamina to controlled breathing and pacing I am going to have to piece together a lot of small parts in order to make the time that I want.

 Is it attainable? I think so. Will it be easy? Definitely not!

I have the help and the motivation. Once I stay healthy, who knows how close to 25 I can get.

For those reading, do you like running? If you do triathlons, would you consider the run your strongest leg?

Feel free to leave a comment. 

Swimming – A love hate relationship

Oh swimming….why do you make it so hard?

From ever since I can remember, I have always been enamored with the concept of being able to swim properly. Some things come naturally for some, while others they need to work a bit harder. Unfortunately during my childhood, I was never in a system long enough to get the training needed for that swimmer’s technique. I learned the rudiments of the free style and some variation of both the back and breast strokes. I will be lying if I say I didn't envy my more established swimming friends when they would nonchalantly get into the pool and glide through the water effortlessly.

I have always made attempts to get back into swimming, but would have been hindered by one thing or another. I remember when I was in Form 6 (12^th Grade for the US folks) at my secondary school St Mary’s College I decided that, in the interest of school spirit, I would audition for the non competitive swimming team. If it is one thing, I can never fault myself for ambition. I distinctly remember this one time where a younger student saw me doing my best impression of the backstroke at the trials, and he stood at the side of the pool yelling “Splash, Kairon…SPLASH!!!” I guess it was supposed to be some form of encouragement, but such was my situation.

As fate would have it, I actually did make the team, imperfect stroke and all. The school needed five entrants for the race and yours truly came a combative fifth..out of five. At the actual Secondary School Championships, I placed second in my heat of three persons (so unfortunate the other guy caught a cramp..but whatever) and 58^th out of 60 overall. Hardly Phelps-ian, but I finished, eventually.

Fast forward upteen years later to my current endeavours of becoming a triathlete. Swimming is one of the ‘tri’ sports so it is equally as important as the other two. Getting better will involve me essentially facing my fears and resolving to put in the work to get better. I am not the absolute worst thing in the water, if I am to be fair. I do however believe that my freestyle at times looks like I am having a physical domestic dispute with the water. Lots of commotion and a bit violent.  Improving on the swimming is definitely going to be a serious challenge if I am to make this work. 

At times when I am in the pool and come up for air during a swim, I see curious on lookers attempting to analyse my stroke/breathing technique. Their expressions almost say "oh dear, someone is trying to drown that poor boy..please help him".  I genuinely appreciate the concern, but it is the best I can do at this point.

In the event that time comes around and I don’t quite have the technique, I figured that I should at least have a Plan B. With this in mind I asked the Triathlon Federation if they would allow the doggy paddle as an acceptable stroke for the race. In their very accommodating way, they acknowledged my question by stating that I am free to do so, but if the lifeguard has to leave before I start my cycle portion, they may need to pull me out of the water. A fair enough response in my opinion, but more or less showcased that my Plan B may not be a viable option for the race.

Confirmation of my reality

All is not lost though. I have sought advice and guidance from established swimmers & coaches (former national athletes in the bunch as well) on how to improve. Everyone has been open with their knowledge and I am attempting to apply it as best as I can. Rome wasn't built in a day, but some serious overtime will be needed where I am concerned. So far, I know that I need to work on my ‘catch’, my breathing and rolling to the side, so I have my work cut out. Oh..and I seem to forget to kick, ALL the time.

Are you like me and have problems with swimming? If you are a triathlete is the swimming the weakest or strongest part of your race?

Do you think the doggy paddle gets a bad rap?

Looking forward to the comments. Will let you know how my progress in the water comes along.

My First 'Long Ride'

So after the National Duathlon Championships, Gershwynn suggested that I should get a couple long rides under my belt to improve my strength in the cycling portion of the race. Long rides = Get better? Sign me up!

It was Saturday 12^th April 2014. Gershwynn rides with a team called SR which is made up of a group of uber enthusiastic , very serious leisure riders who seem like a fun bunch pre and post cycling. The team assembles at Starlite pharmacy in Diego Martin and uses that as the start point. It costs just about $60 TT ($10 USD) to do the ride and for that you get 2 police outriders, a guy on a motorcycle following closely and helping stragglers (he will be mentioned again in this post) and someone in a flat bed truck with a sign that read “Cyclists on the Road”. I was comforted by the professionalism and felt a lot better that I will not be endangering my life. After all this was the FIRST TIME I ever cycled on the open road. I had no idea what was in store but jumped right in.

The ride for today was from Starlite to a place in east Trinidad called Wallerfield. I knew it was a long ride, but for some reason my curiosity did not inveigle me to check the distance. To be honest, it didn't matter because I felt that either way, I will be completing it.

.

 Luckily I knew one other person on the ride, Jason Gooding, who is a former national champion in Triathlon and the race organizer for the Rainbow Cup Triathlon that I will be doing in Tobago.

As the ride started, the group or peloton was moving at an okay enough speed. I was advised to hang to the back for obvious reasons and I complied with strict obedience. All this time, so many thoughts and emotions running through my head. I didn't want to mess up, that’s for sure. These guys were ‘professionals’ in their own right so I didn't want to be the newbie that came and messed up their Saturday morning workout.

Gershywnn and Jason were good in advising on how I should stay with the pack. It was important that I get into the ‘draft’ of the cyclist in from of me. Sounds simple enough right…NOPE. And I paid the price for it.

As the ride went on, the speed started to increase…rapidly. I thought to myself..’Well Kairon, you know you are a ‘just come’ cyclist, but these guys are moving pretty fast’ I kept it to myself because I didn’t want to seem like a whiner but then both Jason and Gershwynn confirmed that they were moving pretty fast. I think it was an average of 34 km/h. To make matters worse, I was having difficulty gauging the distance between my front tire and the back tire of the rider in front of me. This indecision was largely influenced by my desire to not cause an accident by clipping the other rider and be banished from the local cycling fraternity after only my first ride. As the gap widened, I lost the benefit of the draft which meant I was fighting the wind coming up the road for the entire time. Baptism by fire me thinks. But in this case, baptism by wind and speed.

The anguish was beginning to show. I think we had ridden about 16 miles by that time and heading further east. A combination of the speed of the pack, the wind in my face and the widening gap started to become a problem. My confidence was dropping very fast because I felt out of my depth. Much thanks to the older gentleman in the all black who rode past with a face adorned with displeasure at my obvious amateur attempts to ride with the ‘big guns’ and felt it fit to yell ‘He should be in the back!!!’ . This in addition to a few audible snickers did wonders for my confidence (sarcasm). Thankfully Jason reminded me not to pay them any mind and to just keep fighting.

With all of these factors combining and the fatigue becoming an issue, I ALMOST reached a point of cracking, pulling to the side of the road and waving the white flag. I needed some help. Earlier on in the ride, Jason would ride up to the side of me and push me closer to the pack. Enter the man on the motorcycle. Unbeknownst to me, that is what he is there for, to assist persons who are struggling. And well, in this case, he was there to assist me because the struggle was REAL!!

 Mr. Chan (I think that is what his name was) rode alongside me on the motorcycle and would push me closer to the pack. I was SO GRATEFUL for this, I don’t even know if he understood how much.

Mr. Chan in his biker's jacket

At the rest stop

Sidenote…The intermittent push gave me a chance to rest a bit but also allowed me to remember that I was supposed to go ‘off saddle’ every so often..because DAMN. If you are new to cycling, regardless of if you have on the right pants, the seat hurts ‘down there’. I think the blood flow stops altogether which makes the whole process of coming off the saddle all the more important and an INDESCRIBABLE relief.

With the help of Mr. Chan, and my general resolve I was able to make it to the rest stop. At the stop, we got hydrated with water and other beverages, and had some fruit as well, banana, watermelon and oranges if I remember correctly. It was a good opportunity to bring the heart rate back down and refuel for this was only the first half. The only comfort was knowing that we would have the wind at our backs on the way down making things easier.

The 'Special One' aka my bike, just chilling on the fence

The return leg was a bit more manageable. I had a much better time of the trip heading back down the road. I even impressed myself at times, staying in the middle of the pack, and not being the subject of mutters and curse words from the more established cyclists. I didn’t feel like I was out of my depth, which did wonders for the self esteem. The speed was quite brisk as well but I was right there with them. After a couple of sprint segments on the highway by the Beetham and then lower down on the fore shore, our ride was complete.

I was very proud of myself. I reached back to the car and said a very quiet ‘Thank you Jesus’ because I made it. The ride was 50 miles in total and took just about 2 and three quarter hours. Before this, the longest I had ever ridden was 11 miles and 42 minutes. So my body was properly shocked. I hope to join SR on more of their rides and intend to improve with each one. Special thanks to Gershwynn, Jason and Mr. Chan on the motorcycle for helping me through. 

Image of the ride