Team Effort

Just north of Barrie this past weekend, local triathletes Jeff Musson, Keon Bernier and former Quinte residents Lynda Steers and Dennis Bell along with a fifth from Kingston tried their athletic prowess in a new venue, mountain biking for 24 hours as a team, at the 24 hours of Adrenalin. The team dynamic is an interesting one, and must not be taken lightly. Whether you are teaming up for triathlon relays, CFB Trenton?s Surf & Turf, mountain biking or adventure racing, choose your teammates wisely. You should know the strengths and weaknesses of each member and ensure they are well matched. This is particularly important if your event will go for an extended period of time where sleep is sparse or non-existent. Communicating prior to the event as to goals, compete or complete is also vital. Arguing about effort half way through an event is all too commonplace when some members want to ?win? and others want to experience. Typically in team or relay events only the lead out competitor knows his or her start time with all others waiting for their turn. Do you warm up while you wait? YES! Although it is true you may warm up in anticipation of a switch time that may come and go, it is still advisable to prep the body for it?s upcoming workload. If you have had an extended wait time, particularly during cold weather or nighttime events, your metabolism slows down to ready the body for sleep or to conserve energy. Without a warm up, your muscles are cold, shortened and not ready to work, opening you up for injuries. Unlike solo events, we tend to jump into race pace faster in team events to perform our best for ?the team?. At the end of your lap or event don?t stop dead, perform a proper cool down and recovery, which include stretching and eating strategies. Team events or relays are a good way for athletes to get a sense of a sport without doing the entire event solo, although Camaraderie is the #1 reason cited for team events. So do your share of cheering for other teammates, and present a full team complement at the finish line. Team Bounder from Quinte placed 30th out of 59 co-ed teams by completing 14 laps in 24 hours and are still on speaking terms.