So what is the cost of 8 minutes? The answer, hours of training. Training I didn't do in preparation for this triathlon.
This is a race I've done 4 times now. It usually falls on the weekend before or after my birthday and I use it as a way to remind myself that I haven't given up yet. This year it gives me a pause. A serious woulda, shoulda, coulda moment.
My training for this race was pretty much non-existent. I have been running some but haven’t been on the bike much at all and haven’t done any serious swimming for quite some time (months). But this is a short race, 500 yd swim, 14 mile bike and 3 mile run, it shouldn’t be a problem. Of course at 46 I’m beginning to find out that I can no longer just jump into one of these things and do reasonably well. I have other rationalizations for my performance (as Jeff Goldblum said in The Big Chill, “I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex… Ever gone a week without a rationalization?). I had some lower back issues the day before the race (which I wouldn’t have if I’d do my core workout on a regular basis), stomach issues the morning of the race (probably nerves knowing I wasn’t ready for this) and the old can’t workout because I work too much (but I can find time to post reports and hang out on the web, now can’t I?). Anyway, this did not turn out to be one of my better races.
Everything was fine at the start. It was cloudy and not too hot although a bit humid. I started in the third wave of men which included all men 45 and over plus under 16 year old kids. The only wave behind me was the women. I lined up in the front figuring my swim is usually pretty good and it’s easier for me to stay out front than to crawl over slower swimmers. Also less chance of getting kicked in the face. The horn blows and I’m off. I got in toward the front of my pack but didn’t do nearly as well as last year. My lack of open water swimming in the last year caused me to zig-zag some and look up a lot for the buoys. Eventually I passed several from the wave before me (each wave went at 5 minute intervals) and I was out of the water for my run to the bikes.
My transition to the bike went well. I mentally prepare for this before hand putting the image of myself going through the tasks in my head over and over again until its second nature. Sit on ground, roll socks on then bike shoes, put glasses on then shirt then helmet, no gloves, it’s only 14 miles and I’m gone. The first half of the ride was good. I was cruising the straight aways at anywhere from 22 to 26 mph. I got passed on these by some of the guys with the really expensive tri bikes but some of them I caught on the hills (my strength as a mountain biker). I got caught by the first woman just before the halfway mark of the bike. That’s better than I thought since these are young strong girls that are really working at it (not just during the race). Several more caught me before the finish of the bike but I was taking some of the riders ahead of me out also. So it goes.
Jumped off the bike and went instant noodle leg. I felt kind of like the guy who puts his head on the end of the baseball bat on the ground and spins for 10 seconds than tries to run in a straight line. Probably funny to watch. I got to my transition spot, helmet off, put on knee brace, switch shoes. And I’m out of there, still running kind of funny. The run was hard. First, I took my glasses off since I didn’t have my sport ones on that hug my face. With the sweat they tend to slide off, so I decided to run somewhat blind. Then I start to get really hot. The shirt I was wearing my have been a bit heavy for the humidity. I run by Lisa and she is cheering me on. I get a little farther on and start walking, ahhhhhhhhhh. I hate it when I do that particularly this early in the run but I was realizing that I had pretty much left it all on the bike. I continued to run/walk the rest of the race but did finish the half mile at a run passing a few that had been bold enough to pass me when I was walking.
I finished up at around 1:35:00. About 8 minutes off my best for this course (which I set last year). I’m not so much disappointed in the race but in my training. So here I am like the hungover drunk who says he’ll never drink again, next year, I’ll train for this race!
The race is orgainzed and managed by my friend Fred at
DLT Multispot.
CATS Sprint Triathlon - Conway, AR
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