For the first time this year I strapped on my racing gear and turned from support crew into competitor. I got the chance to race alongside my lovely wife as her parents were in town to provide child minding support. It was strange to begin a week considering my own race preparation and not just the role I would/could play to ensure that Christine was in the best shape possible for race day.
The race was an Olympic distance triathlon, run in Passy (with about 250 competitors) in the valley below Mount Blanc, an absolutely spectacular spot with a lake swim followed by a two lap ride with a short but very steep hill and then a 2 lap largely cross country run.
In terms of my preparation for the race I have been cycling alot especially on the cols in the local region so felt well prepared. In terms of the other legs I have not been doing much of either, I am nursing a calf injury so don't run much and have not had the time to hit the pool or the lake for more than half a dozen swims in the last 2 to 3 months. As a result I was looking forward to seeing how my work on the bike translated to a race environment and also to how this level of general fitness translated into the run leg.
With this 'extensive' preparation I lined up on the beach just behind Christine at 2pm on Sunday. The sun was out, I could see Mount Blanc in the distance and I was sporting my new wetsuit. I was a little nervous and excited at the same time but had no real expectations for how I would go in the swim leg. The gun went and we were off, the lake was not too cold and I felt great in my new wettie, as it turned out I swam well. I could hear Chris in my mind talking about staying smooth and long and focusing on finding the feet of a faster swimmer to draft off. I managed to find a good group to follow and was dragged around the lake at a good speed.
I managed a good transition and flew onto the bike. The bike course was fun, except the really steep hill, and I managed to find a good rhythm for the 40kms. Again I could hear Chris's words in my head talking about the timing of fluid and energy intake. I managed a smooth transition onto the run and it was then a case of holding the pace for as long as possible.
My stretch goal was to see if I could get off the bike in front of Chris, as it turned out I managed to go into the run still ahead. I then aimed to get to the end of the first lap still ahead which I did, the goal was then to see for how many kms I could remain there. I saw her coming at about 9kms and managed to hold her off to the last 500m when she came past me like a train. In the end she beat me by 14 seconds, close! I almost got household bragging rights, she however came 4th overall and remains unbeaten as a veteran in her 6 races so far.
It was great to race for the enjoyment of pushing the body and testing my fitness levels and to demonstrate to the boys the fun of competition/participation. It was also great as it reminded me of elements of what Christine goes through every time she lines up at the start line, except I am not trying to win.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Learning some new skills - the mechanics of French, the body and bikes
Well my first post in my newly discovered role. It is almost 4 months since we landed the family in France to try on a new life for size. It has been an amazing journey so far and one where Christine and I have discovered a new perspective and developed (are developing) new roles for ourselves. The boys are also finding it very new and are still trying to work out how they fit into a different culture, learn a different language and make the shift from big city to small town attitude.
Christine has been focused on learning to be a full time athlete. This is a significant change from training when and where she can, to having the opportunity, and facing the challenge of taking her training and performance to a new level. At the same time I have been working out how I fit this new lifestyle and how it fits me. I no longer spend my weeks addressing the problems of Australian retail banking and commuting to Melbourne on the flying bus, while also trying to jam in family life, fitness and friends into the remaining time in the week. So what do I do and what do I find interesting.
Being true to my personality I have taking the emergent strategy approach to this path of discovery. Arriving in a new country for a holiday is one thing, arriving to set up a new life is another. We knew we were landing ourselves in the deep end chosing to live in a small country town in a country that is very proud of its language and heritage.
The Language Apprenticeship
So while Chris was adjusting to life as a full time athlete and the boys were wondering what planet they were on, I led the charge on trying to master the mechanics of French, with an extension program in French bureaucracy. I discovered that despite the difficulty it was (and still is) very satisfying each time I achieve a breakthrough and could understand or make myself understood. Mastering French will ultimately be a life time pursuit, but I can now manage the basics of getting things done and have a good platform to learn from. It is and needs to continue to be a daily obsession on completing my apprenticeship.
The Body
I have been on a journey of discovery about the body, both mine and that of a full time athlete. In my new incarnation as Crew Chief I have taken on the role of 'panel beater'. This involves keeping the body of a fulltime athlete in as good a shape as possible. Yes that means massage, at least once a week I put on my swedish accent, unpack the massage table and deliver the Crew Chief version of a serious massage to Christine. It is amazing to see the positive impact that this can deliver in keeping her on the road and able to train injury free. The typical feed back I receive is grunts of pain as I work on the network of knots across the body, but I am told I am moving up Chris' list of top 5 sports masseurs so a future as body mechanic is becoming more real.
The Bike Mechanic and Mechanics
I was reliably told that they were simple machines and that with a little practice they were easy to look after. Well from recent experience I can tell you that although this is not quite true. Amazingly I am starting to crack some of their secrets, with of course the reliable help of You Tube. I am now able to manage the basics of assembly, cleaning, changing breaks, changing wheels, switching cogs and with a key remaining mystery to crack tuning gears to come soon (I hope). I am now beginning to mascarade as the resident bike mechanic. Importantly I need to continuously road test these bike mechanics and make sure all is in good order. This needs to be done regularly and on the variety of incredible terrain across the region.
Christine has been focused on learning to be a full time athlete. This is a significant change from training when and where she can, to having the opportunity, and facing the challenge of taking her training and performance to a new level. At the same time I have been working out how I fit this new lifestyle and how it fits me. I no longer spend my weeks addressing the problems of Australian retail banking and commuting to Melbourne on the flying bus, while also trying to jam in family life, fitness and friends into the remaining time in the week. So what do I do and what do I find interesting.
Being true to my personality I have taking the emergent strategy approach to this path of discovery. Arriving in a new country for a holiday is one thing, arriving to set up a new life is another. We knew we were landing ourselves in the deep end chosing to live in a small country town in a country that is very proud of its language and heritage.
The Language Apprenticeship
So while Chris was adjusting to life as a full time athlete and the boys were wondering what planet they were on, I led the charge on trying to master the mechanics of French, with an extension program in French bureaucracy. I discovered that despite the difficulty it was (and still is) very satisfying each time I achieve a breakthrough and could understand or make myself understood. Mastering French will ultimately be a life time pursuit, but I can now manage the basics of getting things done and have a good platform to learn from. It is and needs to continue to be a daily obsession on completing my apprenticeship.
The Body
I have been on a journey of discovery about the body, both mine and that of a full time athlete. In my new incarnation as Crew Chief I have taken on the role of 'panel beater'. This involves keeping the body of a fulltime athlete in as good a shape as possible. Yes that means massage, at least once a week I put on my swedish accent, unpack the massage table and deliver the Crew Chief version of a serious massage to Christine. It is amazing to see the positive impact that this can deliver in keeping her on the road and able to train injury free. The typical feed back I receive is grunts of pain as I work on the network of knots across the body, but I am told I am moving up Chris' list of top 5 sports masseurs so a future as body mechanic is becoming more real.
The Bike Mechanic and Mechanics
I was reliably told that they were simple machines and that with a little practice they were easy to look after. Well from recent experience I can tell you that although this is not quite true. Amazingly I am starting to crack some of their secrets, with of course the reliable help of You Tube. I am now able to manage the basics of assembly, cleaning, changing breaks, changing wheels, switching cogs and with a key remaining mystery to crack tuning gears to come soon (I hope). I am now beginning to mascarade as the resident bike mechanic. Importantly I need to continuously road test these bike mechanics and make sure all is in good order. This needs to be done regularly and on the variety of incredible terrain across the region.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)