Chasing One Dream to Make Some Others Come True

First triathlon race report: 
August 27, 2017, Oakland Triathlon Festival

धीरे-धीरे रे मना  (Slowly, slowly, my dear)

धीरे सब कुछ होय। (Everything happens in its own time)

माली सींचे सौ घड़ा (Even if the gardener tends to his plants with a 100 pots of water)

ऋतु आये फ़ल होय || (They only fruit when the season is ripe)

-- संत कबीर दास (Kabir Das, 1440-1518 A.D.)

I'm beginning my log with this couplet from Kabir Das because patience is a virtue I sorely lack.

My triathlon training, especially the swim portion, taught me that no amount of land endurance or feet climbed above sea level can prepare one for the unique nature of water. And thankfully, through the example of my coaches and teammates, I learned this important lesson early on in the season to be able to finish my first triathlon.

Sisters ... they know you better than you ... AND they know how to mess with your mind too!

I had never thought that any of my medals would contain the word "Triathlon." However, when my sister went to the orientation for the Team ASHA running program, she came back more excited about the fact that I could possibly do a triathlon, than that she would be running a marathon this year. 

I'm a sucker for such dreams.

I emailed Ranjit asking if there was any hope for "non-swimmers" like me. 

Ranjit emailed me back asking to call him. 

I dont remember much except that he sounded serious and gruff. "So ... how much have you biked before? Can you swim 25 yards? ... You can sign up with Coach John ... ." 

Knowing Ranjit now ... 

Training ...

Fast forward to May 2017. I started training ... spottily, in between other commitments (like training my 2 left feet for Bollywood dancing) and so forth. 

May to August were the fastest months this year (I wish my feet flew that fast on runs!).

I missed a whole month of training in July when I was in India (except for a week in Bangalore where I was the sole swimmer in a public pool ... they don't have ANY concept of heated pools there!). 

Since swimming was my weakest and most important link in the triathlon, I put most of my effort in getting more comfortable in the water. To that end, the following exercises were the most enjoyable and confidence building:

-- pool sessions (at Fremont High School and Saratoga)

-- OWS (what a tremendous confidence builder!!)

-- Coach John ... that wonderful tall man in a tall beanie, and eagle eyes that can spot your swim technique flaws from across two pools

Most helpful tips that constantly rang in my head were:

-- "Take it easy. Nice and slow. No hurry." (Ranjit)

-- "If you are tired, you can always take a break. Or go on your back. Remember, your wetsuit is a flotation device." (Rajeev)

--  Chakri and Surya taught me how to quickly dip my goggles and clean/defog them while treading. 

Other training tools ...

-- I used to refer to Sakshi's weekly training calendar. It helped me to plan my weekly mileage/yardage.

--Santa Cruz and Oakland clinics were immensely helpful. The Oakland clinic helped me get all my tri gear organized and arranged in the same way that I would for the actual event. It also helped me remember all the little details for the actual tri.

Pre-race Day ...

The day before the tri was a mess. I tried throughout the day to pack my gear, but ended up doing nothing more than drinking water and visiting the loo. Finally after other gals had posted that they were "all set" and ready with gear, I scrambled to arrange things into my "transition basket."

Mild panic upon discovering that I was missing my wristband. I emailed the race organizers and Janice Coelho promptly replied that I could pick one up at the event.

I finally pulled the packing together, checked the air in my bike and packed my pump + gauge. 

I spent the rest of the evening watching (repeat) videos on fixing flats, piston-pumping with CO2 cartridges; and mentally reviewing my transition "moves."

11:30 p.m. and my daughter was still watching some beep-bopping Bollywood program and by the time I drove her to bed it was midnight. I got about 3 hours of sleep ... . 

THE DAY ...

-- Up at 4 a.m.

-- Made myself my favorite pre-race breakfast of coffee with bagel + cream cheese.

-- Made breakfast for my sleepy cheerleaders who would drive me to the event

-- Relaxed by reading PJs on WhatsApp (I have many sources of the choicest PJs and Photoshopped news)

-- Ready by 4:45. Packed things into car. Loaded bike. Loaded gear. 

-- Arrived at the event a little after 6.

-- Set up in transition by 6:25 a.m.

-- Warmed up near the swim start for about 10-15 mins. (Practiced my goggle defogging skills infinite times.)

In retrospect, I would have liked to get there earlier. In spite of arriving almost an hour early, I think I still cut it close. It's always good to have extra breathe time. Oakland is excellently organized. However, if that were not the case, I think I would have been in a mad frenzy to set up my stuff.

It begins ...

The horn sounded and swimmers pushed off. I took it slow. Easy. No rush. Rested. Paddled. And then ... started enjoying my swim so much that I forgot to sight (I know, I know ... the pitfalls of left-dominant, one-sided breathing .. ). I veered away from the shore before realigning and then stayed on track for the rest of the swim while pretending to be an alligator like Rajeev had taught us.

After approx. 27 mins of "horrible swimming" (as my daughter-the-swimmer put it) I made eye contact with some friendly volunteer who pulled me on deck like she was hauling an elephant seal. The barefoot run to transition was comfortable and quick. The wetsuit came off in record time ... for a change! (Get it? ha ha ).

Changed into my biking tights, put on my helmet and shoes, and headed out.

The biking portion was smooth. The course was well staffed by volunteers and the route was clear. The route had seemed dreary during the preview clinic, but not so much with all the bikers on race day. I don't think I would have done anything differently during this portion of my tri. 

Biking done in about 45 mins. Dismount. Walk bike to transition. Change out of biking tights and into running shorts. A bite of an energy bar,  a few sips of water and coconut water. I started out slow, built my rhythm ... finished my 5K in under 30 mins. 

The end result? A 1:54:45 finish time and this long race report  

The best part of the whole experience:

I'm awed and moved by the great team spirit that I've experienced as part of this training. A special thanks to all those who came out to cheer us on (Chakri's presence at transition was very calming). 

I couldn't have done it without all of you (coaches, mentors, teammates, alumni, volunteers) in the Team ASHA Triathlon program.