I Completed My First Olympic Triathlon

Categories: Triathlon, Fitness, Swimming, Biking, Running

Yesterday I finally did my first ever Olympic-distance triathlon. It was extremely challenging, especially on the run, but I’m glad I finished and I have quite a few lessons learned on how to train, diet, and strategize my race. I finished 24th in my age group, 125th overall, and missed my goal time by 21 minutes.

The Race

My strategy for the race was simple. I planned to take the swim easy to leave myself enough energy to push hard on the bike and run. I planned for two gels during the bike, 2 gels for the run, and rely on aid stations through the run to keep myself fueled through.

The swim was easy, maybe a bit too easy. I swam in a few zig zags, having to course correct myself multiple times. I even did some breaststroke and double arm backstroke to keep the lactic acid at bay through my swim. Besides, the wetsuit I was wearing is slightly tight at my shoulders and I don’t have the fitness to push through the pain. Nevertheless, I came out of the swim feeling very fresh going into the transition.

The transition went 99% smooth. I struggled for the first minute along the way trying to get the wetsuit off. I couldn’t locate the strap to unzip and panic started to creep in. I almost asked a spectator to grab my strap. But, as soon as I stopped to ask, the strap magically swung into my hand and I was back to transition mode. Stripping the wetsuit was a breeze. I put on some vaseline beforehand to help it slide off easier. With the wetsuit off, I was quickly into my cycling gear and off.

The cycling went as well as I could expect. I knew my 35km/hr goal was lofty, but I was determined to limit the damage to give myself a chance to catch the stronger cyclers on the run. I pedaled hard and used the flats to refuel myself, stretch out of the hunched aero position, and catch my breath.

Cycling on the DVP/Gardiner was slightly bumpy, but it felt like a thrill where I could feel absolute speed on the declines. The inclines were a lot tougher than I expected, and the final incline felt like the toughest. Additionally, there were signs for distance left from the 10km race earlier in the morning. I misinterpreted the signs as distance left on my bike and picked up the intensity.

Turns out, I was off by 4km / 8 minutes. I hadn’t known it yet, but the prolonged strain I didn’t expect would destroy the rest of my race. Going into the final transition, the lactic acid had built up tremendously in my VMO and hip flexors. I felt them seize as soon as I tried to lift my feet to put my shoes on. I knew I was in danger, but figured crushing a gel and settling into my run would suffice.

My legs begged to differ. The first 15 mins (1.5km) I was walking, stopping, contemplating my life decisions, because I couldn’t run at all and thought I was going to DNF. My Apple watch thought I paused my workout. I had to endure the pain and wait for the fuel and nutrition to reach my legs. Once the electrolytes and gels kicked in I was on my way with limited ROM. I couldn’t raise my knees at all but I was able to continue at a pace of 5:00/km all the way to the finish line.

Performance vs. Goals

Lessons Learned

Nutrition

These cramps are happening due to malnourishment. Loss of salts and electrolytes. Relying on 4 gels and on-course aid won’t suffice. In the future I’ll include a Gatorade/Powerade and some small candies for immediate sugar like gummy bears.

Training

I didn’t reach my benchmark goal of 15.5 hours training a week. I only ended up doing about 9–11 hours per week. I should have focused more on my brick runs, because this ended up being my downfall. I usually train on a stationary bike where I’m not clipped into the pedals, and then go into a long run. Because of this, I hadn’t built up the muscular endurance in my hip flexors and VMO as well as truly understanding how my legs would feel in the run right off the bike. I need to do more cycling on my bike, and more incline training.

Strategy

I felt my strategy was pretty good with the exception of the cycling near the end. I should have understood how much distance I had left in my ride. If I didn’t cook my legs for an extra 8 minutes, I may have ridden about 2 minutes longer, but I would have saved dividends on the run instead of suffering through it. I need to take the ride easier near the end, or build up my cycling fitness.

Final Thoughts

I’m so glad I did this Olympic triathlon. Even though I was in pain, hating myself, wondering if I could finish, those emotions faded away as soon as I crossed the finish line. I can’t even fathom how an Ironman would feel, but I know I have a long way to go to get into Ironman shape.

I want to give special thanks to my family, friends, and competitors that came out and supported me in this race. It gave me the extra push and mental fortitude to push through the pain and dig deep to keep on going.

Stay tuned for more updates on my Ironman journey!