Reflection on the Tel Aviv Triathlon
I am no longer drowning in matriculation exams and I finally have time to post. Yes, I know I didn't reflect on the Lehavim Triple -- too many races, too little time. Here are my thoughts on Tel Aviv:
Did you enjoy the race?
For the most part, yes. This is not my favorite race -- it's crowded, hot and humid. But I like races in general, so I guess you could say that I enjoyed this one.
Which parts of the race were easy and which were hard?
The swim was easy, but too long (because I made it too long). I didn't get beaten up for a change, so that was nice. Unfortunately, "easy" doesn't necessarily mean "good".
The bike course was very crowded and rather frightening at times. It wasn't hard, but it did require complete concentration at all times in order to avoid having an accident.
The run was hard. The course itself is easy -- completely flat, apart from a few short pedestrian bridges, but there is little shade and it was hot. And I was really pushing the run (though it's hard to see that from my time). In fact, I was second out of nine in my age group for the run -- that never happens! So in complete contrast to the swim, "hard" in this case was also "good".
Did you learn anything from the race? If so, what?
Yes, a few things. First of all, I learned that if I want to be competitive in the swim, I have to get over my fear of other swimmers. I need to find a way to swim well even when there are other people around me. Swimming around the edge of the course is easier, but it's not going to help me improve my swim times. Note that in my last reflection (on the Women's Triathlon), I said just the opposite. There must be a "happy medium" here somewhere!
The second and most important thing I learned was that I can push myself to the limit and survive. I really suffered during the run, but I didn't give up and I didn't even take a break. I just kept pushing, right to the finish line. Even meters away, I wasn't sure I could make it on my feet, but I did. I feel like I've overcome another mental barrier -- I've finally learned how to dig really deep inside myself and make a 100% effort.
Another lesson I learned was that the competition can surprise you. The two women who I was looking out for during the race, the two I thought had the potential to finish ahead of me, both finished behind me. In fact, this was the first time I'd ever beaten the woman who finished in 5th place -- she usually finishes one or two places ahead of me. However, the two who finished ahead of me both finished behind me just three weeks earlier at the Women's Triathlon. One of them is a new competitor, but the other is someone who had never beaten me before (and she was less than a minute ahead of me this time). It's great to have several women with similar abilities competing against one another -- it makes it a lot more fun (and more interesting, too!).
Which part of the race did you enjoy the most?
Strange as this sounds, the run. It was hard, but after running away from everyone else during the swim and being so cautious during the bike, I enjoyed the feeling that my performance would depend entirely on me and not on any outside factors. I felt pretty bad while I was doing it, but when the race was over, my run effort gave me more satisfaction than any other part of the race.
What do you think you did well?
My transitions were good, apart from getting on the bike (that wasn't really something I could control -- it was very crowded). And, of course, the run was relatively good. But the thing I did the best was keeping a good attitude throughout the entire race. Any negative thought that entered my head was immediately replaced by a positive one. This, more than anything else, was what got me through, even when it got really hot and my body wasn't completely cooperative. This was a milestone for me -- one I'd been aiming for for some time.
What could you have done differently?
That's easy. I could have raced the swim. I'm a strong swimmer. I'm not always fast, but I'm not slow, either. I can easily keep up with the teammates who exited the water two minutes ahead of me. I need to take that positive attitude to the starting line, rather than burdening myself with thoughts of being trampled or drowned. Two minutes less on the swim would have moved me up one place in the age group standings. It also would have taken me out on the bike course two minutes earlier, when it was less crowded. That might have improved my time. If there's one thing I regret about this race, it's my decision to wimp out on the swim. I don't want the swim, even if it's crowded, to be a limiter for me. It's time to take a good, logical look at my fear and to start dealing with it.
Did you enjoy the race?
For the most part, yes. This is not my favorite race -- it's crowded, hot and humid. But I like races in general, so I guess you could say that I enjoyed this one.
Which parts of the race were easy and which were hard?
The swim was easy, but too long (because I made it too long). I didn't get beaten up for a change, so that was nice. Unfortunately, "easy" doesn't necessarily mean "good".
The bike course was very crowded and rather frightening at times. It wasn't hard, but it did require complete concentration at all times in order to avoid having an accident.
The run was hard. The course itself is easy -- completely flat, apart from a few short pedestrian bridges, but there is little shade and it was hot. And I was really pushing the run (though it's hard to see that from my time). In fact, I was second out of nine in my age group for the run -- that never happens! So in complete contrast to the swim, "hard" in this case was also "good".
Did you learn anything from the race? If so, what?
Yes, a few things. First of all, I learned that if I want to be competitive in the swim, I have to get over my fear of other swimmers. I need to find a way to swim well even when there are other people around me. Swimming around the edge of the course is easier, but it's not going to help me improve my swim times. Note that in my last reflection (on the Women's Triathlon), I said just the opposite. There must be a "happy medium" here somewhere!
The second and most important thing I learned was that I can push myself to the limit and survive. I really suffered during the run, but I didn't give up and I didn't even take a break. I just kept pushing, right to the finish line. Even meters away, I wasn't sure I could make it on my feet, but I did. I feel like I've overcome another mental barrier -- I've finally learned how to dig really deep inside myself and make a 100% effort.
Another lesson I learned was that the competition can surprise you. The two women who I was looking out for during the race, the two I thought had the potential to finish ahead of me, both finished behind me. In fact, this was the first time I'd ever beaten the woman who finished in 5th place -- she usually finishes one or two places ahead of me. However, the two who finished ahead of me both finished behind me just three weeks earlier at the Women's Triathlon. One of them is a new competitor, but the other is someone who had never beaten me before (and she was less than a minute ahead of me this time). It's great to have several women with similar abilities competing against one another -- it makes it a lot more fun (and more interesting, too!).
Which part of the race did you enjoy the most?
Strange as this sounds, the run. It was hard, but after running away from everyone else during the swim and being so cautious during the bike, I enjoyed the feeling that my performance would depend entirely on me and not on any outside factors. I felt pretty bad while I was doing it, but when the race was over, my run effort gave me more satisfaction than any other part of the race.
What do you think you did well?
My transitions were good, apart from getting on the bike (that wasn't really something I could control -- it was very crowded). And, of course, the run was relatively good. But the thing I did the best was keeping a good attitude throughout the entire race. Any negative thought that entered my head was immediately replaced by a positive one. This, more than anything else, was what got me through, even when it got really hot and my body wasn't completely cooperative. This was a milestone for me -- one I'd been aiming for for some time.
What could you have done differently?
That's easy. I could have raced the swim. I'm a strong swimmer. I'm not always fast, but I'm not slow, either. I can easily keep up with the teammates who exited the water two minutes ahead of me. I need to take that positive attitude to the starting line, rather than burdening myself with thoughts of being trampled or drowned. Two minutes less on the swim would have moved me up one place in the age group standings. It also would have taken me out on the bike course two minutes earlier, when it was less crowded. That might have improved my time. If there's one thing I regret about this race, it's my decision to wimp out on the swim. I don't want the swim, even if it's crowded, to be a limiter for me. It's time to take a good, logical look at my fear and to start dealing with it.
posted by bari | 15:19
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home