I just completed my first triathlon while traveling and am compelled to share some of my many learning experiences with the RTB group. Everyone at RTB has been so generous in providing valuable advise to this newbie, so I thought I would try to return the favor.
I decided to rent a bike from a shop in Las Vegas, where the event was being held, instead of bringing my road bike along. Mistake #1!! My wife Brenda and I spent an hour and a half driving around looking for the bike shop which turned out to be only 8 miles from the hotel. My wife called for directions but grew impatient with the dude from the bike shop as he was carrying on multiple conversations, and hung up the phone. When we called back he was pretty honed in on the hang up, and not buying the dropped call excuse - we were on our own!
The morning of the race I was feeling pretty tense and probably taking it out on Brenda, and we got into a heated argument, about what I couldn't tell ya. We then spent about a half hour trying to find the parking garage as well as the car, not a simple task in this town (we were on the strip). The drive out to Lake Mead (Hoover Dam) appeared to be going well until our directions failed us, or visa versa, and were were on the wrong freeway which cost us another half hour. Once we got near the lake there was not one sign pointing to the actual event. My wife and I could not have been more aggravated or on each others nerves at this point, but somehow made our way to the event. It was a point to point race with a requirement of putting our swim gear in a bag to be taken to T2, but unfortunately I did not get one upon entering, and had to race back in my wetsuit for one. I had no idea what time my wave went off but made it down to the water and found the guy with the horn and he said my wave was in 2 minutes...amazing.
Felt pretty good in the water, although still stressed and a bit bummed that my wife and I were at each others throats, but was able to apply much of what I learned with Patty in the beginner swim classes and kept by far a faster pace than ever before despite the fact that this was a 3/4 mile swim as opposed to the usual 1/2. Once I came up to T1 my wife was transformed into super fan #1, cheering me on and snapping as many shots as she could. This seemed to provide a stronger burst of energy than any gel shot or electrolyte drink ever has. Turns out this was well needed, as I was about the embark on the hugest one way mountain these rookie legs have seen. The bike I rented, which I had not tried out the day before, seemed to have 3 gears at best. This was painful on the hills but even more frustrating on the flat or downhill sections where I was able to go about a third as fast as normal. I also ran out of water just as the desert sun was heating up. I was sure I was going to suffer the embarrassment of walking up the final mountain but it was not to be, in what felt like the biggest victory of the day. Wife there again at T2 cheering and snapping away. Run felt pretty good - met very cool guy and we paced each other for then last 2 miles or so. With about a 1/4 mile to go he clearly had more in the tank than me, but rejected my offer to go ahead, and instead pushed and encouraged me for the final leg. Wow getting a chill just thinking about that - triathletes are some of the best people I have met.
Always the best part of the race..the finish. A feeling of agony and "what on earth am I doing out here" to complete euphoria that maybe only endurance athletes can relate to. More hugs and photos with my better half, and time to actually enjoy what this town has to offer. Turns out if I had a far better time relative to other participants than I had in any of the 3 other tri's I had completed. Go figure!!
Lessons Learned:
1. Stay as close to the even as possible the night before.
2. Have clear directions well in advance. Do not rely on Mapquest, particularly in other cities as the accuracy seems to vary city by city.
3. If renting a car, splurge for the GPS devise. This would have saved at least an hour and a half between the 2 days of priceless time and aggravation. Don't be a cheapskate like yours truly, and cough up the extra 10 bucks.
4. Pick up the packet the day before for obvious reasons, not the least of which avoiding the stress of being able to find it the morning of.
5. Do not take anything for granted such as signs pointing you in the right direction, volunteers being able to answer questions, etc. as this was not the case.
6. Plan for hydration based on the event. While 1 water bottle was enough for a sprint in Seattle not so much in the heat of the desert. DUH!!!
7. Seriously consider bringing your own bike, particularly if the course is hilly. Missed my baby particularly on the downhill's. If you do rent do it as early as possible as you're much more likely to get your hands on a quality bike. If you are going to rent a bike, don't be an idiot - test it out and get comfortable with it the day before.
8. If staying at a hotel, valet park if possible. One less thing to worry about particularly in a hectic scent like Las Vegas.
9. Even if you need to bring your marriage counselor along with you, do not fight with your spouse on race day!
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