Newbies practice

Wow, it has been over a month since I last blogged. Well, I don't have much to say I guess. When you aren't really training for anything and you write a training blog, you run out of items of note. : )

However, I am still the newbies director for the Cleveland Triathlon Club. This year, I thought I'd plan several sessions ahead of time to provide lots of good, safe training opportunities to new triathletes. So far, we have done:

- a bike ride in Rocky River Reservation before the CTC picnic
- a bike ride and run in Peninsula
- a bike ride out in Mentor Headlands
- a bike ride and then run in Peninsula

Ok, yah, lots of biking, but it was too cold before to swim. Thankfully, that has changed. So, this past Sunday was the best.

We met out at Fairport Harbor. There is this nice little race there every year. I set up the club's transition racks, gave a brief talk about how to set up transition and what to expect in a race (including for the love of god, please don't ride next to your buddy and please stay to the right when you are biking). Mickey, awesome race director for the Greater Cleveland Triathlon, handed out goody bags to each participant.

We then headed into the water to do the 500 meter swim course. Some of the participants got into the spirit and ran up the beach to transition area. I did not do that though. : )

I sent the fast, experienced triathletes off to do the bike course. I told my group that we'd ride as slow as the slowest rider, but that quickly changed. We got spread out and I found myself in the middle of the group. I wasn't worried about the front of the group, because Kim and Bill were leading and they knew where they were going. I stopped to wait for the slowest riders (guy was riding a fixed gear bike). We made the first left, but then ahead, I see Mickey head off course past the second left. I sprinted up to him to get him back on course and told the slowest ones where to go and turn around. Mickey and I got back on course and eventually caught up to the two I had sent ahead. Mickey knew the way back, so he said he'd get them back safely. I sprinted ahead to catch up to the other riders. I never did catch them, but they were all waiting at transition area.

Once we regrouped, we headed out on the run course. Again, we didn't stay together, but nobody got lost.

I was very happy with the way the practice went and I hope the newbies who showed up feel a little more confident come race day. Tracie's mom and grandma watched the bike racks and her mom played photographer role, so I'll share pictures when I get them.