My First and Last Triathlon

      A few years back my son Pat ask if I wanted to do a triathlon (Octomax), a mini version, not the Iron Man.  This triathlon included a 500-yard open water swim, 18-mile bike ride and 5k run (3.2 miles).  At the time I was 60 years old about to turn 61, Pat was 28.  Throughout my life I had always tried to stay in relatively good shape but I would need to put some extra effort into to my workout routine to participate in the triathlon.  I have always enjoyed playing sports (tennis, soccer, cycling, skiing) with both my kids (Maureen & Pat) but a triathlon was a virgin ground for me.

     I ride bikes frequently and many times farther than 18 miles so that did not worry me at all.  I'm 5'6" tall with short twitch muscles so I'm not built for long distance running.  By short twitch muscles I mean I can run fast for a short distance, which is good when playing tennis but my flexibility is not good because my muscles and tendons are as taut as banjo strings.  It's like I have one long set of tendons/muscles that start at my toes and wind to every extremity of my body until they reach the toes on my other leg, so not much flexibility.  So the 5K run was not something I excelled in but I knew it was doable.  My biggest concern was the open water swim because as I learned when we did a practice swim prior to the triathlon my swimming stroke was terrible, very inefficient.  I spent an enormous amount of energy flailing my arms about with very little forward movement.  Pat was a better swimmer than me but he also needed work on his technique, his friend Ron, who had also signed up for the triathlon used to be on the swim team and swam like a dolphin.  I used to think I was a pretty good swimmer because we water skied a lot but I only needed to swim a short distance to the boat.

     The triathlon was at the end of the summer so I had plenty of time to get ready.  My workout consisted of running on the treadmill 3 to 4 times a week plus doing laps in the subdivision pool 3 or 4 times a week as well.  I would bike ride occasionally but I was confident the 18-mile ride would be no issue.  Well the day of the triathlon arrived; I was both excited and nervous.  The triathlon was taking place at Innsbrook near Wright City.  We arrived early and took our bikes to the roped off area, signed in to get our number and had my age (61) written on the calf of my leg with grease paint.  This is when I met an old friend from work (Chris Matsuno) who was an expert kayaker.  As a safety measure the lake had many kayaks floating around the swim area to insure no one got in trouble.  We went down to see lake and get prepared for our turn.  The swim was first which makes sense since it is the most difficult.  As I remember there were 5 waves (groups) of swimmers an I think we were in the 3rd wave.  We watched the two other waves take to the water which amped up my nervousness anticipating our turn.  It was getting real now.  Even though it was unreasonable with all the kayaks following the swimmers, I couldn't keep the thoughts of drowning away, which thankfully disappeared when I entered the water.

   Now it's our turn, the whistle blew we jumped in.  It wasn't long before the accomplished swimmers we far ahead of me.  Pat was with me for a while but soon he was well ahead and on his way to the finish.  Even though his technique was week he powered through the swim much better than me.  This made it less congested, which made me feel a little better.  Within a few minutes there were only a few of us left in the back and eventually it was just me all by myself except for 2 or 3 kayaks following me.  The kayakers would ask me how I was doing and asking if I needed to hold on and rest for a moment, but I refused.  I was making progress but slowly and I told myself I wanted to finish without holding on because that might cause me to quit.  The kayaks stayed with me the rest of the way, which was a very comforting feeling.  I was very impressed with their attentiveness, they were there to be sure I was safe; anything else would be bad press.  As I got closer to the end, less than 100 yards, I heard the whistle blow for the next wave and it seemed like no time before a few of the faster swimmers from the 4th wave past me.  The 3 kayakers past me over to my friend Chris who was floating near the finish and he followed me to the end.

     I got out of the water feeling a great sense of accomplishment even though I was last, Mimi (my wife) and Maureen (my daughter) were there cheering me on as I walked out of the water as well as many strangers there applauding and cheering all the swimmers.  I smiled and waved even though it felt like the muscles in my legs felt like they were now made of jello.  I walked up to the bike area as other triathletes ran past me to hop on their bikes for the 2nd leg of the race.  I got on my bike feeling confident but exhausted.  All my fear was now gone since I had exited the water.  I pedaled 18 miles struggling on some hills but enjoying every minute.  Upon finishing the biking portion I changed my shoes started my 3rd and final portion of the triathlon the 5K run.

     My wife says I run like I have a board stuck in some uncomfortable place, that maybe true but I persevered and even felt a little surge of energy as I approached the finish line.  My 5K was more like a run/walk but I made it the whole way coming in 222 out of 224 only because 2 of the people got lost on the bike ride.  Pat finished about 1/2 hour but I don't remember his ranking.

     One thing I noticed is how all the participants were supported of each other giving encouraging words.  Many would call out your age that was written on your calf as they rode or ran past, yelling "Good job! 61 keep it up".  It was a great experience and the encouragement by all; friends, relatives, strangers and kayakers made me feel good.