Triathlon at Retirement

This was the biggest triathlon competition ever in the USA, maybe the whole world with over six thousand competitors over two days. The athletic village and transition area dominated the pretty sea front near the Art Museum and Discovery Center. I did the sprint distance. Women's age group 60-64 was completely full at 100 qualified athletes! I did not feel particularly nervous, I knew I would not have anything to do with the top. I did a business like swim at 16.50 for 750m coming in at 32nd place. Swimming is not my forte, and if I try too hard, I just get tired without swimming faster. Getting out of the water, I was not exhausted and I passed several people on the run between water and bike.  Rather than pressing the leg time button on my smartwatch, I pressed finish. On the bike, I fiddled with the watch trying to restart, and I was not totally focused on the ride from the beginning. I passed people on the uphills, and they passed me on the downhills, even though I peddled like...

Rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for this Fort Worth Olympic distance triathlon. I had misgivings while driving five hours the day before; maybe the event would be canceled due to weather. But I had signed up, I had paid and I went. Good job, I did. It was a gray day, but hardly a drop of rain!  For the 1500m lake swim, I positioned myself in the middle of the field. I am not a great swimmer, and often I take a humble position in the back only to find that people are slow and blocking my progress. This time, I was not the slowest in my group, probably most people were faster. It made me feel like I had a bad swim when people passed, but I did what I am good at; swallowing my pride and push on. I could not believe my eyes when I came out of the water; clock said 33 minutes! That is fast for me.  Transition 1 included a long uphill, I ran all the way and started to peel off the wetsuit. The bike leg consisted of two loops of about 12.5 miles, I had almost the same time on ...

It is now time to plan for the 2021 competition season. This is a good idea for both the more serious competitors and the beginners.  I go to the competition and events calendars and search for competitions I like to do. Note that the Ironman events are on a separate website.  I type up all potential events on a spreadsheet with dates and location. From there I choose the key competitions, for example a championship, and this year I may try a half Ironman. These will be the focus, and the other events will serve as preparation. By making a plan, I ensure I get adequate training and rest before major competitions which helps performance on the day. I also plan travel dates and vacations away from home with the competition schedule in mind.  Here in Texas, the season opens already in March and I am signing up to a sprint to get an early start. A few competitions really help in sharpening up routines and speed. I do not want to be flustered on an important competition, ...

Age groups for triathlon competitions are calculated per calendar year. So January 1st, we all are considered one year older. If you will be 65 on December 31, 2021, you will be competing in age group 65-69 the entire 2021. On many competitions, the age is marked on your calf so you can spot your fellow age group competitiors. I always have the same reaction:  No way, he/she is much younger!   I am surprised how old the competitors really are, people in the 40s and 50s, I am guessing being in their 20s and 30s.  I conclude that triathletes age really well. /Gunilla

In 2018, I retired at age 60. I always wanted to do triathlons and it was now or never. I did not know if I could do it, maybe I was just too old, maybe I was starting too late, maybe I would fail?  I trained, I signed up for a competition, I did it, and I have never looked back. I am enjoying my retirement, and with this blog, I want to inspire other closet athletes to have a go.  I am really not a natural athlete. Seriously, if I can do it at 60+, probably you can do a triathlon too.  /Gunilla