Triathlon Journal:
THE SIGN UP: Have you ever had a coworker talk you into something you weren't really sure about? The best example I can think of is agreeing to help a girl scout sell girl scout cookies. At first it "sounds" easy enough, yet before you know it the girl scout has a much larger goal in mind than a few boxes. She wants to sell cookies to every singe house in the United States; yet she knows nothing about sales, or traveling, or marketing costs. And to top it off you only have a week to sell. Well that's what happened to me; except I signed up for a triathlon on a whim... had no idea of the logistics, ran out of time to train, and didn't have any of the necessary equipment.
THREE WEEKS BEFORE: Realizing I knew nothing about swimming, biking, or running I opted to call Billy. He knows everything. I am hoping he will help me train, and help me find a bike. I recently accompanied Billy and Rogers on the Florida Bike Race (a one day bike race of 166 miles) so I knew Billy could help me with the biking part. Unfortunately, Billy, being himself, was honest in telling me I was crazy to sign up without the proper knowledge and planning. I assumed it would be fairly easy to borrow a bike from someone. Needless to say, finding a friend that is close in height and weight is much more difficult than I had imagined. This is where my doubts began to grow. Now I knew that with less than a month to train I was in big trouble! I knew I could easily train for the running portion, but the biking and swimming are hard to simulate.
THREE DAYS BEFORE: Once again I've completed a full day at work at American Family Day and now it's 7 p.m. and it's time to swim, bike, and run (in that order). Thankfully for the past week Billy has agreed to be my triathlon coach and fortunately my backyard is mere feet from the Silver Comet Trail. Our evening begins with a 40 lap swim (in a small pool), followed by a swift transition to the bike for 25 minutes or 5 to 10 miles on the Silver Comet Trail, and then back to house (our transition station) and then on to the Silver Comet Trail for a 3 mile run. Billy came up with this regimen by figuring out the exact distance I would be covering in the race, which is a quarter-mile swim, 10 mile bike, and a 3 mile run. By the end of each day I was less and less excited about the race. I couldn't keep my head under water without freaking out, I couldn't bike without braking, I couldn't run without throwing up, and I was taking entirely too long during transitions (changing from one activity to the next). I am considering dropping out.
THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE: Billy and I are on our way to Callaway Gardens located in Pine Mountain, Georgia. My stomach is already in knots. In my mind I keep asking myself: Why did I sign up for this? I also keep running through each event to make sure I have all the necessary equipment. We arrive at the Mountain Creek Inn around 1:30 in the afternoon. I begin to notice several people wandering around lost, similar to what I was doing. I am trying to find out where to pick-up my race packet which contains my number, chip (records my race time), and color coded swim cap. Billy figured out where to go. After picking up my race packet I began to see all the coworkers that had talked me into signing up. They were all staying in the same hotel with us. At 2:00 p.m. there was a meeting for "first timers" in the outdoor lobby. I convinced Billy to stay and listen- yet the meeting turned out to be more about "Dave" (the creator of the triathlon) than any useful knowledge. We skipped out early so we could walk the race course. The course was really nice. I couldn't ask for an easier terrain, yet with every step I took my stomach became more and more nervous. Billy and I then did some sightseeing at the Gardens and headed to the Butterfly Museum and then over to the Vegetable Garden for blueberry picking. Billy had visited Callaway Gardens long ago when he was in sixth grade so he knew all the hot spots. After checking in to our room we needed to find dinner. On the way in Billy spotted "Three Little Piggy's BBQ Shack" and a grocery store nearby to pick-up race day snacks. We arrived back at the Inn around 8:00 p.m. where we watched Old Gregg "89 times" and then tried to go to sleep.
RACE DAY: As I turn over I see the bright light from the alarm clock reading 4:35 a.m. I can't sleep. I keep worrying if I fall asleep that my alarm won't go off, and I will miss the race. My mind keeps running through different scenarios that could possibly happen tomorrow. While researching on the internet I read a few blogs about competitors kicking you during the swim, or casually knocking you off the bike course during the ride. The swim is causing me the most stress. While training I had trouble keeping my head under water. I would go a few yards and then think about not being able to breathe, and then panic. I think it's the whole suffocating thing that scares me. The clock now reads 5:45 a.m. I opt to get up. My stomach reminds me never to do this again. I try to relax by packing up all my things yet nothing calms my nerves. Billy finally gets up around 6:30 a.m. and we need to be out of the room by 6:50 a.m. to pick out a transition space before the race begins.
Somehow we manage to arrive on time yet there is hardly any transition spaces left. When I signed up for the race the website stated the turnout should be around 300 people, yet around 1000 showed up this year. Billy helped me find a spot and I hear the announcer asking "for all people not competing to leave the transition station"- This is when I really freak out. I now realize I am alone and I should have payed more attention to all the tips Billy was giving me yesterday. I keep taking trips to the restroom (to make sure I don't have to go during the race) yet everyone seems to have the same idea. The line for the women's restroom is at least ten minutes long and I don't have that long to wait. I decide to make my way over to the beach where the race will begin in eleven minutes. I see most of the competitors jumping in the water. I decide to stay dry until my heat is on the starting line. Dave, who we heard about the day before, gives a short speech to pump everyone up before the race begins. Before I know it, my heat (the red swim cap group) is on the line. A nice gentlemen who had previously competed in a triathlon suggested that I not jump up front in the swim unless I was an experienced swimmer, yet jumping into competitive mode I naturally head to the front. I put my goggles down around my eyes and before I know it, the gun goes off! The first breath under water I realize that this is going to be a long swim. The water is much murkier than I had imagined. I can't see a thing, and I am scared if I don't keep looking up that I will swim outside the buoys (this is grounds for disqualification). I was right to worry about the swim. It was the scariest part of the race. All I can see is a blur of swim caps around me with someone apologizing every minute for kicking me while trying to complete a full stroke. I finally could see other competitors exiting the swim. Oddly, everyone around me is walking. I don't see a reason to walk, so I run and try to find my bike. I get lost. Every bike looks the same after drinking lake water for 20 minutes. I am a bit dizzy and frazzled. I hear Billy shouting, "next row, next row". Billy and I chatted just before the race about not mixing up my bike with someone else's. After getting my head together I grabbed my bike and started walking (no running allowed in the transition station) to the bike course. As soon as I could I jumped on my bike and began to pedal. The bike course was the longest section of the entire race so I had a little time to get my thoughts together and actually think of what my next step would be. I've never purchased a nice bike myself but I have gained a little knowledge from asking Billy countless questions about his bike. He let me use his Trek mountain bike and helmet. I could barely fit his bike because he is 6'2 and I'm 5'4. I am rounding the last curve and I am in desperate need of a kleenex (it's amazing the things you forget when you're in a hurry). I look up and I see Billy with his camera. I jumped off my bike, nearly falling, and then try once again not to get lost in the transition station. This time it's much harder because I am looking for a small purple towel on the ground. I quickly throw my bike over the rail backwards. I grab my handkerchief and start running. This is my favorite part of the race so I was looking forward to it. Immediately after starting the run a lady next to me comments that she needs to use the restroom and asks, "Do you think they would mind if I just went in the bushes?" I didn't feel this was the proper time for conversation so I smiled and nodded. Out of breath, passing everyone I could, I know that the race is almost over. I saw the light pole that Billy and I had discussed the evening before. I knew the finish line was close. I sprinted the entire way. I hear the announcer saying, "Here comes a triathlete!" and even though his announcing was cheesy I was glad to be finished. I looked down at my watch and I notice that my time is fairly decent. I finished in 54 minutes which is much quicker than my training sessions with Billy.
Overall I finished 10th in my classification group. Being my first triathlon, I learned it's nice to have a friend that will help you conquer your goals in life. I set out to compete and complete a triathlon in my life, and Callaway Gardens is a great place to start for any aspiring triathlete.
- Ashley Selman
