DARE TO TRI
I am an
IRONMAN !
I swam and ran in my youth , and rode my bike . Nothing spectacular , but I could swim fast . Then I stopped swimming and running , and riding my bike , but today I am an Ironman , thanks to DARE TO TRI . – BY CONRAD JARDINE
Forgotten your specs , Conrad ?
In my 30s I began to suffer from acute lower backache – and a ballooning belly – and three or four times a year I was bedridden with pain . I lived on a cocktail of physio , acupuncture , painkillers and anti-inflammatories , but when the pain was gone , I forgot about the exercises the physio prescribed , and even tried getting back into running a few times . I remember wondering if I would ever get fit again .
Then one day , while on a work trip ( with a stash of anti-inflammatories ready at hand ), I had to walk about 1km every day to get to the office . I recall the warm , sweaty relief I felt in my lower back , and I knew it was not the painkillers . Then a colleague took me on a 30km walk around town . It was painful … I felt every muscle in my legs screaming … but at least it was not the stiffness in my back .
BACK IN ACTION
Upon my return home , I thought what the heck , I might as well continue walking , maybe even do a bit of running . I also returned to swimming , and my memories were filled with youthful fitness , although my body held me back at first . Fortunately , my back responded well , but now I was seeing the physio for other aches and pains instead . Eventually I felt ready to take on my first 10km in Soweto ... but I thought it was too short , and immediately made up my mind to take on the Comrades ! My first attempt in 2014 was an adrenaline-charged DNF , but the next year I finished Comrades … and was exuberantly finished !
That same year a cycling-mad colleague challenged me to take on the Ironman , but since I had not been on a bike for more than 30 years , I knew this was not something I could just jump into . So , a week after buying myself a new bike , I joined DARE TO TRI . The cycling was humbling at
first , with lots of ‘ first-time discomfort ,’ but Coach Derick and the DTT team were patient and full of support , advice and guidance .
My first 5150 in Germiston was excellent , followed by two more , then a missed cut-off in the 70.3 , but I felt ready to take on the full Ironman and registered ! In training , Coach Derick slowly took us up to the full cycling distance , and a month or so before the event I did my first 100km ride . I remember thinking to myself , if I had known that cycling was going to be so tough , I wouldn ’ t have registered for Ironman ! Fortunately , as if by magic , I felt more comfortable on the bike in the next few rides , and finally felt ready for the race . Just as well , because it was too costly to withdraw !
GETTING THE JOB DONE
Ironman took forever to come , and even longer to finish ! I was so excited that I forgot to hand in my specs before the swim , but thankfully a helpful race official took them and dropped them in my bag , and I headed out for my most effortless swim ever . I felt like a swimmer should feel … with chafing and all . After that , I remained cool on the bike , thanks to fresh memories of great DTT training rides , and in spite of a puncture just 2km into the race ! The cycle was long and lonely , but made bearable by the odd chat with a fellow athlete , and by the cheering spectators . I also made sure to take in the sea view .
The run was really tough ! In spite of my solid running background , I did not feel like a runner , but the spectators thought otherwise and kept me going , and finally I finished , feeling like a champion , in 15:59 . Thanks , Coach Derick and Dare to Tri , now I am an Ironman !
Coach ’ s Corner
By DTT Coach Derick Marcisz
Congratulations to Helen Webb , our visually impaired DTT athlete , who together with her American guide Caroline Gaynor finished the Ironman World Championship in Kona , Hawaii . Helen had a “ tough day out on the lava fields ,” but managed to get home in 16:27:25 – a great achievement for somebody that only started triathlon 14 months ago !
Sign up for DTT Today !
The season is underway , but you are still able to join the DARE TO TRI programme , which is an affordable and manageable training programme that fits in with your family / social and work commitments . You will receive personalised coaching and can join coached weekend group training sessions . You cannot get this level of coaching at this cost anywhere else ! To sign up , go to https :// daretotri . canbook . me / dtt-2017 .
Images : Courtesy Conrad Jardine & Derick Marcisz
32 ISSUE 100 NOVEMBER 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za