Great local race, even better friends

For the second year in a row, the Sioux Narrows Paradise Triathlon in Sioux Narrows, Ontario, organized a great race.  Dwayne and his crew of volunteers really outdid themselves!  Last year was the first year for this race, which usually brings lessons on how to improve it for the next race season.  It really showed that the organizers listened to suggestions, and I think everyone had a great time.

With it being one of the hottest days of racing, unfortunately some people weren't quite ready for the heat.  Dehydration and heat stroke were problems for some.  The volunteers and EMS crews were quick to respond, and thankfully there were no significant problems out there that they couldn't handle. I heard of a few things that happened at the race, and with the theme of lessons learned, I want to give people a few tips that are beyond the typical checklist of what you need for a race.  As I said in my last post, racing strong is one thing, racing smart is another.

Flat tires.  Anyone who has experienced these know how much a pain they are.  Even worse during a race.  You need to know how to change a tire on your own, and you need to have the necessary supplies with you.  Go to your local bike shop and get a quick lesson.  Many triathlon clubs organize these kinds of clinics.  Or you can even watch a youtube video and change your own tire as you watch.     But you MUST be able to change one on the side of the road during the race.  No one else can help you.

Water, electrolytes, and how much to hydrate.  There are many different formulae out there about how much to drink, what to drink, and when to drink it.  The biggest thing is that you should well hydrated before the race even starts.  You can look back through some old posts, but the end is that you should be peeing light yellow the evening before the race.  As for the race itself, it depends on your distance.  You can look up many different strategies, but the minimum should be 500ml of a sports drink per hour.  You need the electrolytes!  Of course, you may have your own tabs, gels, etc., but I'm just talking about the bare minimum to keep you going.  Hydrate in the days leading up to the race, no alcohol in the days just before a race, and aim for a minimum of 500ml per hour of some type of fluid with electrolytes.  You may still experience problems - everyone will at one point - but you want to do whatever you can to minimize them.

And most of all, have fun.  The group of people you train and race with are the people that will support you through the race.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  The triathlon community is a wonderful group of supportive individuals with similar goals.  Enjoy the race but enjoy the people more.