Random AG Christian B-Côté
We bumped into Christian B-Côté at the bike check-in at the Abu Dhabi Triathlon and this word traveler and first time triathlete became this week's random age grouper interviewee.
Slowtwitch: Christian, do you feel random or does this interview feel random.
Christian: Well, this is a random interview and good things can come from random encounters so I feel good, thank you.
ST: We actually hoped to find someone for a random interview in Abu Dhabi, and you were pretty much in the right place at the right time.
Christian: You mean I wasn't your first choice? I wasn't selected for my natural abilities and potential? Just kidding. Yeah, I was trying my best to take it all in on the day before the tri at the bike drop off. I was having a look at some of the elite bikes and I saw you taking pictures of Andy Starykowicz and I figured ''Hey, you can get some shots of us too. It's our first time.''
ST: You were our first choice, we just did not know it until we bumped into you. And no one else was asked there.
Christian: Now that makes me feel special. Thank you.
ST: We overheard you saying that the Abu Dhabi sprint event was your very first triathlon. Did you have a good time?
Christian: Yes, this was the first triathlon I trained for and competed in. It was a fantastic experience. I think the organizers did a fantastic job.
ST: What was the hardest part of your day?
Christian: I know a lot of people mention the swim as their biggest challenge but, to me, the biking was the hardest. I mean, it's the longest part of the event, no matter what distance you're competing in. I was doing fine for the first half but as soon as I reached the turnaround, I noticed the wind was no longer as favorable, my back started tensing up and all I wanted was to get back to the Corniche to start running.
ST: How did you come up with the idea to register for this event?
Christian: I remember watching Ironman races on ESPN as a child and I was really impressed with the athletes and the fact that you had to be strong all around.
For this event specifically, I received an Abu Dhabi events newsletter and it had details about the different races for the Abu Dhabi Triathlon. I figured it would be a great challenge and a good reason to get in shape.
ST: Once you registered for this 750m swim, 50km bike and 5km run triathlon, what did you do to prepare?
Christian: I started training about 6 weeks before the race, after the winter holidays. I didn't have a bike at the time but once I got one off a local classifieds website, I would go and do laps around the F1 circuit here at Yas Marina, once a week, on Tuesdays. For the swimming, my buddy Jeff found out about a pool at a school with open swimming on Mondays. So we had a bit of a training schedule going.
On Mondays, we went swimming. Tuesdays was biking. Wednesdays were a rest day. On Thursdays I would do a short run on a treadmill or weight training. Fridays were usually spent at the beach. Then, on weekends I have the most free time to exercise (even if it's not specifically for the triathlon). I coach soccer to 3-4 years olds on Saturday mornings and usually have ice hockey games at night and on Sunday night as well.
So by the time the race came up, I felt like I was in decent shape overall. My main goal was to be able to complete the distances for each event (750 swimming, 50km biking, 5km running) and then put them together on race day. I also tried to improve my endurance and cardio, which have always been a bit of a weakness.
ST: It is surprising to hear that you can just go out to Yas Marina and ride there. Are Tuesdays specifically set up for that?
Christian: Yeah, it's called Train Yas. Every Tuesday from 6pm to 9pm anyone can go walk, run or cycle around the F1 track. And best of all, it's completely free. I'm really pleased to find all this free stuff in Abu Dhabi. Like for example, when I was training for the triathlon: Swimming on Mondays – free. Biking on Tuesdays – free. The building I live in has a gym so whenever I went there to train – free. And of course the public beach – free. You can even tell the lifeguards that you want to train and ask if you can swim outside the buoys and they've never turned me down.
ST: Can you take your car to Yas on a specific day too? Free that is.
Christian: No, that costs money.
ST: What is your athletic background?
Christian: I can play lots of sports but none really well.
Growing up, my parents always let me and even encouraged me to try anything I wanted. My mom never learned how to swim so she made sure to put me in lessons from the early age of 3. My dad had me doing team sports like soccer, baseball and later ice hockey. And at different stages of my youth I also tried basketball, taekwondo, fencing, surfing, golf, tennis, boxing…
So I think that gave me the chance to always try new things and enjoy sports. But I was never really enthused with the idea of ''training'' and like I said before, my endurance wasn't amazing.
It's only recently (less than six months ago) that I kind of discovered running. I used to hate it and actually told people I didn't know how to run. But my coworker Jeff encouraged me and I figured it would be a good thing to finally work at.
ST: How do you feel about running now?
Christian: Surprisingly, it was the best part of my race. I was passing people and I felt like I was going at a decent pace for me. And when I actually saw my time I was really impressed with myself. It was a new personal best time for me and I felt ''good'' while I was running. All in all, it was the bike portion that really disappointed me. But I've since upgraded my bike to a carbon fiber model so I don't have any more excuses. That's not to say that I'm neglecting my running but it was real motivator to see how much I had improved and how quickly.
ST: Now that you have the first triathlon behind you and went out to buy a new bike, it seems another triathlon might be in the near future.
Christian: Definitely. I've already signed up for another race on April 13th. This one will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit that I go train at every Tuesday. The swimming and running portions will be longer (1.5km and 10km, respectively) so I'm looking forward to pushing myself some more.
ST: What about your co-worker Jeff?
Christian: It's been really fantastic having Jeff as a training buddy and motivator. He's the one who kinda got me into running and I think we really encouraged each other to train for the Abu Dhabi triathlon. It was both our first time so we really started from scratch and needed to push each other at different points.
On the day of the race, I think he hard a hard time finishing the swim portion. But he passed me on the bike and made sure to say ''Hi!'' on the way by. And then I gave him a big jumping high 5 during the run as he was working his way to the finish line and I still had a way to go. We both achieved our goals on that day so it felt really good to have someone to share my impressions with. He has signed up for the triathlon on April 13th as well.
ST: We understand that you are a teacher, but could you explain where and what you teach?
Christian: I'm an English language teacher at a high school in Al Shamkha. It's about 40 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi. I teach 3 groups of grade 12 students, all male.
ST: How long have you been living in the Abu Dhabi area now?
Christian: I arrived here in August after living in Japan for 3 years.
ST: But you are from Canada, is that correct?
Christian: Yes, I'm from Quebec, Canada. Both my parents are from there and all my relatives are there. But, the most I've lived there personally was for 5 years when I was a university student.
ST: Where have you spent the rest of your life? We assume your parents who must have been traveling quite a bit.
Christian: Indeed, I've moved quite a bit due to my mother's work. She works for the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs so she was posted abroad to work in the Embassies. The first time I left Canada, I was 3 years old and we spent 2 years in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then, we moved to Bangkok, Thailand for 4 years. After that, we lived in Warsaw, Poland for 2 years. Once that was over, we moved back to Canada for 2 years, but it was in Ottawa so I didn't know anyone when I got there. And I finished my high school in Dakar, Senegal. We spent 4 years there.
As a teacher, I worked 3 years in Fukushima, Japan and I moved to Abu Dhabi last August. I really enjoy living abroad and it's something I can see myself doing for a long time. Luckily, the teacher profession offers those types of opportunities.
ST: When will you return home to Canada?
Christian: ''Home'' is a bit of a tricky concept given that I've lived abroad most of my life. But, I'll be going back to Canada this summer for a holiday. In terms of moving back there permanently, who knows.
ST: Is there anything else we should know?
Christian: I love traveling and there are many places I still want to travel to with my wife, Cathy. I have a bit of a special talent in that I know the names of many capitals of countries around the world. It's not incredibly impressive but it's a fun topic starter at a bar or something. Go ahead, quiz me.
