So, let me give a brief overview of last year, and next week I'll cover where I am this year.
Last season I decided to hire a coach, and build a training plan to help me complete IM Muncie. I had an assessment done on my flexibility/mobility (Functional Movement Screen), and the results were predictably bad. I'm not flexible, but I do what I can. I bought a heart rate monitor/GPS watch, put clip-in pedals on my bike, got a "big boy" helmet (I previously used a child's helmet, as I have a small head), and got fitted for running shoes. I was as ready as I thought I could be.
Last year was truly a landmark season for me. I not only completed my first Olympic distance triathlon, I completed the Muncie Ironman 70.3 race. In addition I did a few sprint tris, and my very first century ride. I only have the energy to gather complete times for a couple events right now, I'll try to update later on. I'll go in chronological order:
Cicero Triathlon, sprint distance: This was the first race of the season, and I didn't realize it but it set a precedent for my season. One of the things I have to tell myself when I arrive at races is that you can have the most expensive bike in the world, but if you haven't put the work into your legs, you won't be fast. Cicero is on the north side of Indy, which is an area with particularly wealthy residents. The bike porn game was strong in transition.
I had a strong swim, finishing near the front of the pack and in first place for my age group. The swim was straight across a lake, from a pier/dock to a launch ramp. Unfortunately, due to some strong storms in the area there was a lot of debris in the water, causing a few surprises along the way. That heart rate watch I was telling you about? It comes with a strap that goes around your chest to find your heart rate. After a dozen strokes, I had nearly lost the strap. I had to take time to pull it off and tuck it into my shorts so I didn't lose it. I exited the water remembering why this is so tough. I was fighting to steady my head, and focus on preparing for the bike.
I put on a 3/4 zip jersey with a lot of difficulty, strapped my shoes with a lot of difficulty, and tried in vain to get my heart rate monitor back in place. T1 was a massive failure. Nonetheless, I exited T1 in the lead for my age group. I had spent a lot of time working on my cycling in the off season, and I held my position all the way through the bike, averaging a little over 19 MPH.
Coming into T2, I pulled my shoes on, grabbed a quick drink of water, and was off again. I knew the run was a weak point for me, but I didn't realize how weak I was compared to everyone else in my age group. I hit mile 1, and was feeling sluggish. I was nearly to the loop, and I heard footsteps behind me. As we went around the loop, I watched at least 4 guys in my AG run right past me. I finished the race, but was disappointed that I let the podium run past me.On a much better note, I was surprised by my two best friends joining me at the finish line! Richard was in town from Alaska, but I wasn't going to be able to see him. Jeremy rounded him up and brought him down to Cicero to see me finish. I also ran the race with several other friends, Kyle, Crystal, Chad and Lindsey, who all crossed the finish line with smiles on their faces. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the boat on the water, soaking in some sun.
Tour de Cure, cycling: This was my first ever century ride! It was an event to benefit diabetes research, raced around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It wasn't officially timed, not officially a race, but man was it hard. It was a particularly hot day, and on a black asphalt track, the heat was amplified. Not to mention those corners! If you've never set foot on a racing oval, those corners are banked a LOT more than they appear. Took me a little over 6 hours, but I was one of few who completed all 100 miles that day.
Winona Lake Triathlon, super-sprint distance: This was the first race I ever did, and a good excuse to go up and see N's family. We made the trip up the night before, got some rest, and then made our way to beautiful Winona Lake, Indiana to run the race.The swim went much worse than expected. The simple out and back threw me for a loop, and I finished a very slow swim. T1 went as usual, with the swimming head trying to gain my balance and get my legs under me for the bike. The bike was decent, still averaged over 19 MPH, and came in strong. I did leave my shoes a bit early, but avoided a near collision with the guy coming in next to me as he lost control of his bike and went down. The run followed the unfortunate pattern I set at Cicero, I watched a lot of the top competitors run right past me.
Ironman Muncie 70.3: This was my A-race. This was the race I trained all season to compete in. I was incredibly nervous on race day, wondering if I would even complete the distance. We arrived around 4:30 am in Muncie, after an hour and a half drive. I won't be making that mistake again this year, we'll be getting a hotel room. I was tired, full of coffee, not full of enough nutrients or water, and it was a little on the chilly side. To be honest, I still get nervous just thinking about it.
The swim was wetsuit legal, but the water temperature was still around 73. Being a swimmer, that temperature suits me perfectly, as it cools you as you move through the water instead of making you sweat more. The first 300m is literally a brawl for position. I positioned myself too far back and got caught with a lot of guys surrounding me who transitioned to breast stroke pretty quickly, making them difficult to pass. I made it about 600m before I realized I was using too much energy, not breathing efficiently and consistently, and I needed to calm down. I took a few strokes of backstroke to calm my nerves, get my head back on and focused on completing the task at hand. After that I fell into a nice rhythm, and started passing people. As I neared the shore, I could hear the crowd, and with the sun peeking just over the top of the beach house, it was absolutely gorgeous.Running into transition is probably a 1/4 mile run from the beach to the bike rack entrance. All along the way, people who wore their wetsuits were diving at the feet of the wetsuit strippers for assistance, bearing no regard for anyone else trying to just get to T1. I made my way along the mats, passing a few walkers or those gasping for breath along the way. When I finally got to my bike, I took another second or two to take some breaths. I pulled on my socks and shoes, grabbed my beef jerky (yes, beef jerky, go ahead and laugh at the noob) and helmet, put my sunglasses on and was off to the mount line.
I had a decent mount, no problems getting into my pedals. The first and last 5 miles or so were on country roads that had been chip-and-sealed in the weeks prior, but had opened up due to some recent storms. Fortunately, the staff or volunteers had been out with spray paint, outlining the biggest potholes. Once we hit the highway for our loops, the course sped up. The road just begged you to ride fast, and I happily obliged. I averaged 19.5 MPH over the 56 mile bike, I surprised myself at just how long I could ride that fast. Around mile 36 I tried to change too many gears at once and ended up dropping my chain. I coasted to a stop and fixed it as quickly as I could, but it still cost me a couple of minutes. All the way back in the wind was dead, and that sun that had been so beautiful coming in off the swim was now pounding down, heating me up as I came into T2.
T2 was relatively uneventful. I had a great dismount, and found my rack straight away. I had done a good job with nutrition on the bike, as I needed to hit the head for a pit stop before leaving. I grabbed a drink of water, skipped the sun screen, and left transition. On my way out, my team mates who were not racing, friends of friends racing, and of course N were standing on the way out cheering me on. I gave them a small grin and a wave, but my legs were on fire.
I knew as I left transition that it was going to be tough. I had a goal of 6 hours to complete the race. I glanced at my watch as I left, seeing that if I could maintain 10 minute miles, I would complete the 13.1 mile run just in time. Mile 1 is always the hardest, as your legs finish making the transition from bike to run they want to cramp and fight you the whole way. Mile 2 usually gets easier, but it wasn't today. I thought it might be due to the length of the bike, and that if I could suffer through mile 2, I would be home free. Mile 2 came and went, miles 3 and 4 came and went, and I was only getting worse. I got chills, I stopped sweating, and I started feeling a little light headed. I hit mile 5, and it felt like the wind stopped, and the humidity went through the roof. I tried to push through, but had to slow down and walk.
I was so disappointed in myself. I had been moving slowly, but I had been running. I had never stopped running to walk in a race before. I walked for a few hundred yards and tried running again. I quickly came to the realization that I would be walk/jogging the rest of the way in. I did meet some nice folks as I was making my way through, but it was hard to mask my disappointment. Around mile 10 I met someone who was actually living in my hometown, and we ran together for a couple of miles. We were both struggling, and he told me why: I hadn't taken in any salt on the run. I had done well on the bike, but my nutrition fell apart on the run, and therefore so did I.
The last 3/4 of a mile were excruciating. My calves had begun to cramp with every step I took, so much so that my toes were being involuntarily pulled under my foot. My quads were on fire as they were handling much of the load, and my hamstrings had become so tight I was basically waddling. I forced myself to climb the final hill, turn the final corner, and jog across the line. Immediately after I crossed the line, I was caught by volunteers who saw that I was cramping and drug me to the medical tent to receive IV fluids.Total time: 6:18. 18 minutes. I missed it by 18 minutes. I failed to plan for the run, and crumbled. After receiving fluids I felt much better, enjoyed a meal and went home, happy to have completed the race.
Tri32, Olympic distance: This race happened some time after Muncie, after I had time to process and talk about why I fell apart. This was a brand new event, by a production company who was new to the area. They really did a great job, especially having over 2 dozen volunteers not show up. I'll keep this one quick, since I rambled about two others.
Swim was uneventful, I carried a good lead coming out. We exited on a very slippery boat ramp, though we had volunteers to help us exit the water. I did lose an earring in the water, and I wasn't very happy about that, but had to keep moving.
Most of the bike was uneventful. The race officials had been out on the course sweeping dirt, dust and debris off the road the day before, so it was a great ride. If any other race officials are reading this, that was a huge help, and I highly recommend taking that step for your own race. My one complaint about the race was a lack of a carpet coming into T2. We had to cross a patch with a good deal of gravel, and most of us do it in socks. I managed to somehow lose my balance coming off the bike, and ended up falling over while running full speed in the gravel.
I almost didn't leave for the run. I was cold, I ached and was bleeding from falling over, so I took my time getting ready to leave. Eventually I convinced myself that I needed to suck it up and go. I averaged a little over 9 minutes per mile on this run, again I walked. I think it was more mental than anything, I was shaken after Muncie. I came in over my goal time, but had a strong finish.
Lake Lemon Triathlon, sprint distance: This was my last event of the year, near Bloomington, IN. This was a race I competed in the previous year, and remembered it being a very difficult race. This one I'll keep really short.
The swim was wetsuit legal, and since I hadn't had an occasion to use my wetsuit, I decided to give it a try. I had a good swim, aided by the buoyancy of the wetsuit, but filled it with too much water at the end, leaving my legs incredibly heavy running uphill into T1. Grabbed my bike and was off. Very hilly course, on country roads that were in surprisingly good shape. I came down the hill into T2 with my feet out of my shoes and on the pedals, feeling good about having averaged about 17 MPH. I slipped on my shoes and was off on the run. Again, a very hilly course on the run, but I was determined to make it. My goal was to not let anyone in my age group pass me on this run. I did walk again on the very last hill, about 3/4 of a mile up a steep gradient after you've passed halfway will do that. Interestingly, I was passed at this point by a 70+ year old man. Good for him. Indeed, no one in my age group passed me, and I came through the chute in a respectable time. My parents were even there to watch!Later on, I found out that I had gotten 2nd in my age group, but hadn't stuck around because I was being a whiner about some guys from another Tri Club coming who hadn't been there before. I did get my medal in the mail.
So that's it! That was my season! I know this was an inordinately long post, but hopefully I'll be completing new posts every Thursday (my rest day) to keep things interesting. See you next week!
