Has anyone ever done THIS (very stupid) thing?
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RV posted 2 years ago.
Not to worry - The course will be well marked - You won't have any issues on race day.
The day before a HIM I rode about 15 miles out on the bike course then turned around to get back - The course is very different in reverse - sure enough got lost - didn't feel bad as I caught up with another rider who did the same thing - finally worked our way back to the start. It happens.
Good luck on your race!
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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1323 days
Tamara posted 2 years ago.
You'll be fine. I've never had that happen in a race-related situation, but while biking with my then-boyfriend in Italy in 2001 we got separated. He had the map, hotel key, water, money, Italian-English dictionary, and passports. Meanwhile I biked upwards of thirty miles thru the Tuscan countryside (which at the time was a LONG ride for me as a newbie cyclist) cursing his name. Eventually we were reunited amid many tears and sighs of relief.
So, it does happen. Definitely don't drop out (I didn't quit cycling after that one mishap - but did learn to carry my own gear!). Think of it as just one of the many adventures you'll have related to this sport.
Good luck on Saturday -- let us all know how it goes!!!
"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." ~George Sheehan
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1197 days
BluStang6 posted 2 years ago.
Ok first off there is no reason to be a blubbering crying mess......you made a wrong turn.....not a big deal. I couple races ago i got lost trying to figure out the bike course before the race. I hate to sound mean or anything but I really think you should forget about it because its not a big deal....so dont make it one. And of course....DO NOT drop out of the race because of something of such unimportance like this.
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1070 days
nufan-tri posted 2 years ago.
lol. The same thing happened to me last weekend! (except for the crying part). After I finished the bike I started in on the run course, which was supposed to be on a trail through the woods. I kept thinking that they really let the course go as it started to get more and more overgrown. Then I hit a dead end. So I went back to the last fork in the path and took the other path. Dead end again! I wound up just turning around going back to the start of the path. I ran about double what I should have.
Like the other tri-fuelers said the course will be well marked and unless you plan on winning, there will be other people around you. Good luck and have fun out there.
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1313 days
rbreddin75 posted 2 years ago.
Its OK... but get in a car and make sure you know the course...
I volunteered at a tri this past weekend where some of the guys made a wrong turn on the bike... (they came back into T2 angry as hell that the cops let them make a wrong turn). I couldn't say anything because it is the ATHLETE'S responsibility to know the course...
Don't worry, everything will be fine, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND knowing the course (bike and run) like the back of your hand...
GOOD LUCK!! you'll be fine..
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As Iron sharpens Iron, so one man sharpens another. proverbs 27:17
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qb ant posted 2 years ago.
I've been at two different races where the cops pointed the lead guys in the wrong direction - and boy were they pi$$ed. That has never happened to me, I'm never in the lead :p
It's really a good idea to know the course.
"90% of the game is half mental" Yogi Berra
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1412 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
At one Tri there was a HIM and Oly running concurrently - I was doing the HIM - on the bike course there was one intersection where the HIM turned right and the Oly continued straight. Not well marked - I went straight - Oops - Figured it out within 30 seconds, funny part was that 2 guys were hanging on my wheel and also missed the turn - serves 'em right for drafting! - Happily I was able to drop them when we turned around and got back on course.
It is the racers responsibility to know the course.
Heather Golnick (WPRO) got directed the wrong way at an IM last year, so it can happen to anyone.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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1026 days
kuan posted 2 years ago.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one out there that's..."navigationally challenged"!
My first race is in three days and I'm getting SEVERE insomnia!
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beads1985 posted 2 years ago.
Well first of all I do lots of stupid things :rolleyes:
Most of the time if it is a shorter race I usually just check the map or route cue if they are available. If it is longer I do the same thing, and I might drive the course.
During the event I am usually in the middle of the pack so I am near other riders, so I follow the people in front of me, ever so lemming like.
Nothing to it, but to do it
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1203 days
PJT posted 2 years ago.
kuan wrote:
My first race is in three days and I'm getting SEVERE insomnia!
Pre-race jitters are totally normal, and a lot of us don't sleep very well the night before a race. However, it is important to get sleep in the days leading up to the race, even if you don't sleep well the night before. So focus on sleep for the rest of the week. At this point, it will do you as much good, or more, than training.
Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!
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1250 days
Beldrueger posted 2 years ago.
Tamara wrote:
You'll be fine. I've never had that happen in a race-related situation, but while biking with my then-boyfriend in Italy in 2001 we got separated. He had the map, hotel key, water, money, Italian-English dictionary, and passports. Meanwhile I biked upwards of thirty miles thru the Tuscan countryside (which at the time was a LONG ride for me as a newbie cyclist) cursing his name. Eventually we were reunited amid many tears and sighs of relief.
Your boyfriend dropped you on a bike ride in Italy!? Is that why he your ex? My GF would have had my head for such a thing.
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1323 days
Tamara posted 2 years ago.
Actually....he's now my husband! But he has NEVER gotten more than 20yds ahead of me on any biking excursion since then unless we've pre-arranged to split up and go our own paces. But yes, at the time I was soooo close to calling it quicks and catching the next flight back to the States. :-)
"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." ~George Sheehan
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Learn posted 2 years ago.
I get lost all the time - the courses are well marked - I almost never drive them in advance.
But crying....? There's no crying in triathlon!
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kuan posted 2 years ago.
Well, I finished!!! And I didn't cry OR get lost. Go me!!!
Here's the race report: http://www.sactriclub.com/results/report_COGT2006.php
k.
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deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
Tell that to Normann Stadler...
Learn wrote:
But crying....? There's no crying in triathlon!
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BluStang6 posted 2 years ago.
The only crying acceptable is at the end of a race out of happiness.....i.e first marathon, HIM, or Ironman
lol but other than that....no crying or whinning shall be acceptable
3354
Member
1412 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
Congrats on the finish! Nice report.
That is tough doing an OWS without having practiced one or practiced sighting.
Nothing better than a sprint to the finish. Good job.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
Okay, so I have my first triathlon ever on the 13th, and I thought I'd be smart and go check out the bike and run course. The bike went fine, but I got COMPLETELY lost on the run - like 3 miles off course on what was supposed to be a loop! I had to thumb down a ride from some nice strangers to the parking lot where my very confused boyfriend was waiting for me. I was a blubbering crying mess (how could I be so stupid?!? :confused: ) and considered dropping out of the race, but the park rangers assured me that the course would be very well marked on the actual race day.