...Yeah, I thought that might get your attention!
In reality, I was writing on women's bodies too, and what I was doing was serving as a volunteer "Body Marker" at the West Kennebunk FireMan Triathlon that was held at Mother's Beach in West Kennebunk, Maine.
For those who don't know (as I didn't), a "Body Marker" is a person who helps out at a triathlon by using permanent markers to write the Bib (or, entry) Number of an athlete directly onto the athlete's skin. This is done to be able to see the athlete's number in the water and when on the course.
This is a picture of us at the WestK FireMan--I'm in the brown shorts and blue shirt
at the bottom center of the picture!
The Bib Numbers are marked vertically on the left side--at least in West Kennebunk they were. The numbers go on the left arm, the left "quad" (quadricep, or thigh muscle), and for this triathlon, on the left hand as well.
Finally, the athlete also had to have their age marked on the back of their left calf. A "T" went on the back of the right calf if they were part of a team.
The oldest ages I marked that day?
73!!
And they were both amazing men--I would have never guessed either was in his 70s.
Asking people for their age was a little awkward at first. Most of the athletes were aware of the reason--to help ensure they're in the right age group wave for the swim, and to allow other competitors to know what age group they belong to--but the request caught a few by surprise.
One woman was almost stuttering, she was so shocked she'd have to give her age. She finally managed, "Do I have to give you my REAL age?"
I laughed, and explained that the race officials would believe anything I wrote. She happily then told me she was 32.
I marked it! After all, who am I to ask for identification?? Besides, my guess is it was her first triathlon, and her being in the right wave for entry into the water wasn't going to be a big issue.
Her friend, however, was indignant with her. "You mean you made yourself younger than ME?" she squeaked!!
The best part wasn't the act of writing on these absolutely amazing bodies--no, the best part was the friendliness of the competitors.
Remember, my own first Sprint Triathlon is just a few weeks away. I was really nervous about whether I would fit in, how I would feel going to the race, whether I would be welcomed or shunned.
If the Cape Elizabeth Triathlon is anything like the West K, then I have NOTHING to worry about. The athletes, whether they were serious competitors or first-timers, were all fabulously friendly and totally polite. Nobody came across as a prima-donna, and nobody came across as better-than-thou. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I never met such a neat group of people--totally friendly and down-to-earth.
Getting there that morning was even fun. I decided that, to avoid the parking issues, I would simply ride my bike, and call it part of my training!
Clever, eh? The only problem was that the time I needed to be there, 6 a.m., was early enough that I was setting out from home in the dark. I was a bit nervous about this, because although there wouldn't be many cars on the road at 5:30, I knew there would be some, and that I might hit a little traffic from people coming to the triathlon.
I didn't have anything really reflective to wear, so I needed to find some way to distinguish myself in the dark.
Enter the dog light.
This past summer, when out for an evening walk, my niece, Samantha, handed me a flashing red light that you are supposed to put on your dog's collar for nighttime walks. She had me put it on the stroller, to help make us more visible.
When I went to give it back, she told me to keep it. They didn't really need it for their dog, Nurumi.
I thought about the light, and how it was on the stroller even at that moment. So I got the light and hooked it on the underside of my bike seat.
Perfect! I had my own red strobe light, sure to be visible that early in the morning!
The ride itself was wonderful. Although it ended up being wicked muggy that day, the morning ride was fabulous. I had the roads almost totally to myself, so I practiced some high-speed turns and played around with my gears to try to find the optimal gearing for my triathlon--I don't want to push too hard, but I don't want to pedal so fast I get out of breath either.
Later on that morning, after I was done marking bodies, I spent some time picking the brain of a new friend, Rebecca--she knows Kent from school--as she was there marking bodies too. She's also a triathlete, but is on her 4th month of rehab after suffering a stress fracture on her ankle. She has some books she said she'd loan me, but that day she helped me understand how they would do the race, where they'd go, and where I should go to watch the transitions.
For non-triathletes, a "transition" (or T1 and T2) is where you transition from the swim to the bike ride (T1), and from the bike ride to the run (T2). I wanted to watch these transitions because I wanted to know how they did it--how did the athletes set up their stuff, what did they take off/put on, how fast did they go and, most importantly for me, how did the women handle the need for a swimsuit AND a jogbra?
The answer: they wore a special suit that acted as their jogbra, or they wore their bra right under their swimsuit.
To avoid buying extra stuff, especially since it's my first and I don't know if I'll be insane enough to do another, I think I will opt for wearing my jogbra under my swimsuit.
That means I'll need to practice that way too.
Watching those transitions really set me at ease. The transitions really were all over the map, some super fast, some slow, and even one high-speed triathlete took the time to TIE his shoes, which means nobody is going to laugh at me when I take forever.
I even saw a few mistakes, like one athlete who forgot his bib number back at his transition point and hand to run back to get it.
That was so reassuring. If the people who do this a lot make mistakes, then a rookie like me shouldn't worry so much about it.
The best part is the very last guy out of the water got the biggest cheer of everyone!
I watched until the first few people finished the triathlon--the fastest time I saw was one hour and seven minutes--and then I headed for the remainder of my bike ride.
That's when I made my first-ever rookie Triathlon Training Mistake.
Never ride a bike with drawstrings anywhere on your body.
Halfway through a really good ride, I was powering up a hill and feeling really strong when my bike started to shudder and I felt a yank at my waist.
Turns out I caught the drawstring from my jacket (which I'd tied around my waist) stuck in my back gear sproket.
Oops.
I tried to get it undone, but just made it worse. I had to call for rescue via my cellphone, which I'd remembered to tuck into my pocket.
Ten minutes later, Kent, Maddy and baby Kara arrived to bring me to Cape Able Bikes. Thankfully we keep the bike rack on the back of the car all summer, so rescuing me was a breeze.
The guy at Cape Able was a sweetie. He fixed the problem for free--he said it only took him a minute to get that sprocket off and pull the string out, even though it was tightly wound around--and he tactfully didn't even ask me how I managed to do it in the first place!
I left Kent and the girls to get home in the car, while I made my way home the rest of the way on my bike.
It was a good ride, but perhaps it was good that I got stopped when I did. The Triathlon Gods were definitely watching.
It turns out that I was riding in too high a gear, so I was putting too much pressure on my legs.
How do I know this?
My quads are KILLING ME!! My thigh muscles are so sore, I could barely walk down the stairs this morning!
I did get a new book last night at the bookstore: Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel. When I read the part about having my bike gear too high, I had to chuckle. If only I had read that before my bike ride!
The West K FireMan has me completely psyched and ready to race. The book has me relaxed that I am going to do it for the right reason--to finish, not to try to win it (not that I could anyway), but to complete it upright and with a smile on my face.
I start swimming tomorrow. I was able to get a one-month swim membership to a place where I can use the pool. I am pretty confident about my technique, so I just want to get used to the distance. The rest of the training is going to be by the book (Joe Friel's book, that is).
Five weeks and counting!
Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. - Ronald E. Osborn
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Disclaimer: Look, I'm not a doctor. However, I am a teacher certified in both California and Maine to teach science curriculum, including the human body (and health/nutrition) to kids in grades K-8. This blog is my attempt to wade through the current thinking on weight loss, and to present it in a way that makes sense to everyone. As a woman who is successfully recovering from obesity herself, I feel it's even more important to help others understand what I did to lose the weight; what worked, what didn't, and what the struggle has been like as I went from morbid obesity to fitness. It doesn't mean that I have all the answers, however. If you want to lose weight, by all means, read my blog--I think I can provide some help and clarity. BUT, please know that I am NOT a medical expert, and you should most definitely consult with your own doctor or family physician before undertaking any weight loss efforts yourself. Weight loss is a personal journey. I'm making mine visible to the world, but each of us has to take our own steps with our own doctor's guidance; please make sure you check in with yours before you try to do anything I have done. Good luck and God bless!
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