Paul's Ride Guide: Sprint Triathlon

I was #95, or should I say I felt like 95!! haha!

I entered an Indoor Sprint Triathlon on the weekend, put together by the 3433 Sport Performance Centre, which is part of the Talisman Centre, a world class training venue in Calgary. The weather outside is still unpredictable and the swimming portion of a triathlon is certainly adversely affected by our climate if it were to be held outdoors! haha!
For an indoor event, competitors were put into heats based on their swim times. Each lane of the pool was shared by 3 or 4 athletes and swim times need to be fairly compatible, as there really just isn't a lot of room to pass slower swimmers. After completing 20 lengths in the pool, the athletes climb out of the pool, run along matting and head to the gym where the bikes are set up. Competitors are wearing a timing chip on their ankle, to keep track of segments and over all time.
Based on the aforementioned heats, the gym is divided into two segments of TACX training rollers, with your personal bicycle set up and calibrated to the same tolerances for everyone, as per your body weight. An electronic monitor is attached the handlebars so the rider can check his speed and distance and, just like in a regular triathlon, swimmers must get into their shoes and cycle a specific distance, in this case 12.5 km..
Once the rider hits the distance, they transition to the next stage, jumping off the bike and changing shoes, then heading up to the elevated, oval running track which circumnavigates the 3 gyms at the Talisman.The inside track is 200 metres so runners must complete 15 laps (3 km.) before crossing the timer mat at the turnout on the corner.
Despite the fact that this is a 'competition', there's a lot of camaraderie at an event like this and it was a lot of fun, as well as a personal challenge. Sometimes the act of signing up for something like this is a good motivation to get fitter and train more, plus work on one's weaker disciplines. For me, that would be swimming, and the need to make improvements in the water was paramount. I mean, it's not an issue to swim 500 metres but to do it quickly and effortlessly (relatively speaking) is a challenge. You still have a bike ride and run to contend with after the water portion, so keeping some energy for those is a must.
Of course, the beauty of a triathlon is that you need to be good in all 3 disciplines, or at least well rounded. Some athletes certainly are, but no matter what, everyone does have a stronger segment and time lost in one area can be made up in another. For me, starting in Wave 2 of my heat, meant I should at least be finishing in the middle of the pack,but it was a little closer to the end than was desirable. However, I was able to maintain a 30- 32 km/hr pace on the bike and made up some decent time, being second on to the track.
There's something else I need to work on...transitioning. The old legs felt like stumps and it took me 2 km just to get going, which leaves plenty of room for improvement. I had a strong finish but hink my ranking ould have been quite a few places higher had i managed to get the legs moving a little quicker (and pared down my swim time too, of course)
None the less, it was challenging and fun and I was pleased with the results. Certainly it is a benchmark as well and motivation to keep working hard and improve the overall fitness level. I might even get some 'professional help' and see if some expertise from the good people at the 3433 can help make a difference.