Climbing into Adventure

The You Yangs X Duo was the final in the series of three races held by Tri X Series for 2009.

The 6km run, 22km mountainbike, 5km run course certainly proved to be the toughest of the three courses. I don't think I've ever been up and down so many hills in the space of three hours!

The gorgeous views from the race headquaters at Turntable Car park was a nice way to spend my Sunday morning. Gearing up and registering as usual, I was glad to not be having to get into my swim suit in this race.

The pre-race briefing warned competitors of the fast downhill, and therefore long uphill sections of the course, particularly the first run leg. Strategically placing myself at the back of the pack at the start line, I was setting my position for the rest of the race. A friend from work was also standing beside me, competing in his first adventure race in some time.

As the starter gun went off, we all went down. Quickly forming a single file to scatter down to the flat grounds and a 5km circuit. Nice running, however the whole time i was running on this flat ground, I couldn't help but think of that horrible hill I would have to go back up to get back to the bikes. The run soon turned into a walk as the calves and butt had their first major workout for the day.

I undertook my fastest ever transition as all I had to do was put on my helmet and camel back and race off down the bitumen hill. What a relief to be able to breath properly......just for a little while. The off road sections soon appeared and my trusty $15 mountain bike did the best it could on the often corrugated, slightly uphill tracks. Onto single tracks, up and down the hills of the You Yangs we went, with me actually having a closer inspection of the ground as I turned a corner and had a great stack - directly onto a rock! After a quick brush of the knee and a re-jig of the bike front wheel, I was off. The stockyard proved to be a highlight for those who called themselves mountain bikers, however, for us other folk, it improved our skills on how to walk your bike up rocky hills. The final stretch of the bike leg was a 1.5km gradual climb on bitumen back to the car park. Gear 1 all the way but I managed to pass two people on the way up :)

Transition to the run was quite slow as my legs were not ready to move in a non circular motion. As I cheered people across the finish line, I made my way up the hill (walking of course). The 'track' was not very kind to runners as rocks and boulders obscured its course. As the legs were having enough trouble putting one in front of the other, maneuvering around rocks was a slow and steady affair. Whenever possible (to get through the pain) I took in the amazing views that surrounded me.

A full traverse of the mountain and we were back around to the front, with a quick downhill 'sprint' to the finish line. My usual fanfare (of no-one) greeted me as I crossed the finish line in just under 3 hours.

As the presentations took place with the usual competitors taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, I was lucky enough to receive another spot prize (Engine goggles and an AUS swimming cap).

Definitely a challenging race to remember.......and i think the last for my poor old green bike.

To see more photos (the professional ones) click here

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How to Climb into this Adventure:

• click on www.trixseries.com.au for more info on this specific race

• if racing at the You Yangs, make sure you train on hills

• get yourself a camel back to ensure good hydration on the bike ride (that way you can keep both hands on the handlebars and still go fast whilst biting the tube)
  

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Sun, sand & surf

Off road Triathlon #2 and this time it was on the coast – where I feel more at home – and to help matters, Chris was doing this one with me.

After my ‘incident’ in the water at Lysterfield (see earlier post), my apprehension of the water was even greater. The day before this race, I went for a swim at Torquay to accustom myself to swimming in the ocean with goggles. So many people said I should be more scared of swimming in the ocean because of the sharks, but I felt safer in the ocean, away from the eels and reeds of the lake (yes, I know this is strange but its just the way my mind works).

A cold, frosty morning certainly did the job of waking us up as we registered and set up at transition. The walk down to the beach and the start line, and again, I found myself one of the few people not wearing a tri wetsuit (Chris was in his surfing wetsuit which was a good alternative). But this time, I was surrounded by 160 people as this race was doubled at the Victorian off-road Triathlon Championships.

The starter gun went off and this time I took my time getting into the water. As the waves crashed over us, I was doing ok, until the time came to start the freestyle. A quick moment of fear, but then Chris calmed me down and swam beside me so I did a bit better than last time! Still…..the swim is certainly not a strong point due to my fear of seeing was lies beneath the water.

A run up the beach from the water to transition and ready for the mountainbike. First 50m and through the water in the inlet. On my new $15 mountain bike, I raced along the track which seemed easier than Lysterfield. The uphills I passed people, but then quickly got overtaken on the downhills – I think I really need some more experience/training in downhills. On one downhill section I was glad to be going slower than normal as a large kangaroo hopped across the track only 2m in front of me. The last stretch took us back onto the beach and back to transition for the 6km run leg.

This run leg started with along the beach for a kilometre, then up, up and up the clifftops for a scenic but undulating run. As I peered down to the beach through a glimpse in the trees, I saw runners heading back towards the finish line. My turn soon came to reach the beach and the next 2km was on the sand. What a gorgeous way to finish the race (I kept telling myself this). After running up the now full inlet I was greated by Chris to cheer me across the finish line. A much better way to finish the race.

A day after the race, I went to spend my $50 voucher I won at the Lysterfield on some new triathlon gear (no, not a wetsuit) but a nice race top and pants, ready for my next race at the You Yangs (which doesn’t have swim leg!) on 24th May.

TOTAL TIME - 02:11:39
SWIM (including transition) - 18:25
RIDE - 01:11:11
RUN - 42:02

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How to climb into this adventure:

• visit the Tri X Series website: http://www.trixseries.com/index.php

• ensure you cross train and do at least 1 session a week in riding, swimming, running, gym to build both strength and fitness

• if possbile, find a training partner - its a lot more fun and you will push yourself further in each training session

• visit Sleep Monsters website to find other adventure races on within Australia

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Off road Adventure Racing at its best

My first off-road triathlon began bright and early at 5.30am on a Sunday (who gets up that early on a Sunday!). Big breakfast and big nerves started the day followed by the drive out to Lysterfield.

Arriving early (as I always do), registration on the beach was completed and I wheeled my bike to set up in transition. As a newbie to this type of racing, it’s easy to get psyched out by the competition, especially when you are there on your own! Wetsuits, special triathlon gear, transition boxes, etc made me feel even more out of my league…..but hey, I am in it for the fun and adventure, certainly not to win it. I came into this race, with 2 goals. #1 – to not be the last girl to finish, #2 – to do the race under 2.5 hours.

9am drew closer as did the start of the race. Lining up with the other 110 competitors, I looked around to find I was one of only 10 people that weren’t in a specialised triathlon wetsuit! Yep, this psyched me out even further, but tried to remember why I was here! The gun went off and into Lysterfield Lake we went for the 500m swim. Now, I have no problem swimming 500m in a nice, clean lap swimming pool, but Lysterfield Lake is a little different, hence the panic attack that I endured. 20m into the water and it began…..shortness of breath, frozen limbs, panic! Looking around me there were a hundred pink swimming caps bobbing around and arms and legs splashing everywhere. I looked behind and to my surprise I wasn’t coming last….there were actually people doing worse than me! Determined to keep going, I kept trying to swim, but still couldn’t breathe. The ungraceful breast stroke came out as I tried to regain my breath and composure. I wasn’t going to give up. The buoys seemed so much further away than they looked from the start line, but I eventually got to the turn-around point. More breaststroke, followed by backstroke and I had gained a bit of composure to crank out the desired freestyle. 500m later and I was back to the safety of open air and sand between my toes. Not a fun start to the race.

Transition area was a buzz as I took my time putting my shoes on and jumping on my mountain bike. Up and around the Lysterfield track, I reached the 5km mark and thought something must be wrong – surely I have done more than only 5kms. Single track riding continued as we hit the up and down hills, then part of the Commonwealth Games track (which I did at a snail’s pace having no mountain bike experience). Passing the ‘koalas’ in the trees (well…..actually they are teddy bears that someone has placed in trees along the path), brought a welcomed smile to my face and the end of the 22km bike section was coming to an end.

Pulling into transition, ready to start the 6.5km run, I smiled as I witnessed people crossing the finish line – yep…..this was the part where I reminded myself again I wasn’t in it to win it, just enjoy myself and not come last. Off I went for a run around the lake, chasing down a girl in front of me so I knew there was a guarantee I wouldn’t be last! As I tried to run faster, my legs just wouldn’t move any quicker, so I stuck at a pleasant pace and managed to pass her. The open stretch across the dam wall and I could see the finish line. 100m run on soft squishy sand was the final push and as I ran through the finishing banners, I raised my hands in excited looked around……and was met by no-one (a bit of an anti-climax to the end of my first adventure race). As I patted myself on the back, I turned around and saw a girl run in only 30seconds behind me (then later followed by another 3 girls).

As I sat on the hill, eating my free sausage in bread whilst waiting for the presentation ceremony, I realised that I had achieved all I had set out to do:
Goal 1 – not be the last girl = ACHIEVED
Goal 2 – do the race in under 2.5 hrs = ACHIEVED