Post by karming on Sept 1, 2009 20:59:42 GMT -5
The best thing about fatherhood is seeing your lil dudes and dudettes achieve things they didn't think possible. So was my experience as I helped my son get ready for his first kid's tri. The Chicago Kids Tri is the world's largest kids triathlon and for 7-10 yo (my son is 9) the distance is 100m swim, 4k bike, and 1k run. For those interested, it was well run and totally kid friendly.
Brandon prepared all summer for the swim by swimming 125-150 yds at the local pool so he was finally comfortable at this distance. Other than that we/he didn't do much training. Goal was to have fun after all.
So the swim starts and it was undoubtedly the cutest sight. Not really a swim as much as an herd crossing a river as the wave of 50-80 kids ambled along the entire 100m. Those who tried to swim ahead of the pack simply got swallowed by the peloton (though no kids were lost during this event).
The bike was a brief affair after an extremely long transition. His chain popped off but some kind volunteer helped put it back on. He enjoyed the ride until "some dust got into my eye." After which he took a more scenic leisurely pace.
The run was great for him as he was able to pass a few people. The summer soccer camp prepared him well. All in all, he finished MOP but had a great time. He wore his medal all weekend and we got to share a wonderful weekend together.
As for my event on Sunday, as Patrick mentioned, it was quite windy and cool. This was my fifth time @ Chicago so I knew the course really well. Prior to the race, I tapered for the first time this year. For anyone wondering, it is really really important to taper for your "A" race. Plus I had been getting some great workouts prior so I felt ready.
The swim was a bit choppy but relatively uneventful except getting punched once in the face by a backstroker. Got over to the T1 mat in 28:30.
Bike went extremely well for me as I had been having trouble all summer. Had the disc wheel and aero helmet for the first time and ended up with a PR on the bike. Helped quite a bit considering the windy conditions as I was able to pass quite a few people.
The cool weather helped on the run as I was able to set a run PR as well. It was all the more inspiring to see a bunch of the Challenge Athlete Foundation athletes competing. Quite an amazing bunch of folks.
This was my best race in my 12 years of racing as everything came together finally. Ended up finishing with a 6' PR on this course and 2' PR overall. Finished 28th out of 488 in the AG which was totally awesome as I have never ever ever been anywhere this high in the standings. For those of you who are beginning and think you are not capable of going fast, you can do it. I did this race as my very first tri in '97 and was 28 minutes slower.
KL
Brandon prepared all summer for the swim by swimming 125-150 yds at the local pool so he was finally comfortable at this distance. Other than that we/he didn't do much training. Goal was to have fun after all.
So the swim starts and it was undoubtedly the cutest sight. Not really a swim as much as an herd crossing a river as the wave of 50-80 kids ambled along the entire 100m. Those who tried to swim ahead of the pack simply got swallowed by the peloton (though no kids were lost during this event).
The bike was a brief affair after an extremely long transition. His chain popped off but some kind volunteer helped put it back on. He enjoyed the ride until "some dust got into my eye." After which he took a more scenic leisurely pace.
The run was great for him as he was able to pass a few people. The summer soccer camp prepared him well. All in all, he finished MOP but had a great time. He wore his medal all weekend and we got to share a wonderful weekend together.
As for my event on Sunday, as Patrick mentioned, it was quite windy and cool. This was my fifth time @ Chicago so I knew the course really well. Prior to the race, I tapered for the first time this year. For anyone wondering, it is really really important to taper for your "A" race. Plus I had been getting some great workouts prior so I felt ready.
The swim was a bit choppy but relatively uneventful except getting punched once in the face by a backstroker. Got over to the T1 mat in 28:30.
Bike went extremely well for me as I had been having trouble all summer. Had the disc wheel and aero helmet for the first time and ended up with a PR on the bike. Helped quite a bit considering the windy conditions as I was able to pass quite a few people.
The cool weather helped on the run as I was able to set a run PR as well. It was all the more inspiring to see a bunch of the Challenge Athlete Foundation athletes competing. Quite an amazing bunch of folks.
This was my best race in my 12 years of racing as everything came together finally. Ended up finishing with a 6' PR on this course and 2' PR overall. Finished 28th out of 488 in the AG which was totally awesome as I have never ever ever been anywhere this high in the standings. For those of you who are beginning and think you are not capable of going fast, you can do it. I did this race as my very first tri in '97 and was 28 minutes slower.
KL
