Believe In Yourself and Anything is Possible!

Season 1

My first season seems that it will have about seven total races in it.  The first two were 10K run races that I did early on just to work out the pre-event jitters.  My summary of some of these early races might seem a little disjointed, as they are being written over a few days time and are done mostly from (fond) memory. 

The first of these road races was the Lexington Race Against Hunger, which was really well done and is early enough in the year that it might become a regular thing for me.  Lexington is just up the road from me, so I can get to it easily, the race is put on for a good cause, and it seems fun to keep doing one local race like this repeatedly.  The day was pretty cloudy, but the rain held off until after we had finished.  The picture shows me and Erica (one of my training partners) and her husband Casey.  Casey is on the left in the camo.  I was really psyched up for this race, and it was perfect weather.  I destroyed my previous best 10k run time and came through in 48:22.  I plan on breaking 45 by next year at this event, and hopefully could run it in 36 with time.

The second was the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC.  This is a 10K that is internationally known, and I might just keep doing it for the novelty of being one of 50,000 runners, plus I have friends in Charleston so it is easy to get down there and I don’t have to worry about a hotel (they mostly fill up a year in advance, crazy!).  Sorry I don’t have any pictures from this event, I kinda forgot my camera.  The “professional” photos were pretty heinous as well, which I can understand.  Shooting into thousands of people, the majority of any one person is bound to get covered up.  Weather was good, overcast, the bridge part of the run was not nearly as daunting as I imagined it would be.  I was going to try for a personal best here, but lack of sleep the night before and the crowd made me decide to hang back and just have fun.  I ran it in 1:01:04, but with all of the dodging of people who were ahead of us (the gated start was poorly controlled) I don’t feel so bad about that time.

Then I hit my first triathlon, a sprint distance in Cheraw.  It was then that I definitely became hooked on multisport, as the event was wonderfully staffed and the participants were extremely enjoyable to be around.  At the hotel I met Dan, another beginner to th sport who was doing his first event that day.  Prior to race start, in transition, I met Anthony.  Anthony gave me some wonderful tips that certainly helped make my day a bit smoother, and I have since found out that he is the president of the local Tri club.  I did the swim portion well, although the bike course was very suited to me and I had a pretty blistering ride.  I had, at this point, never practiced a bike-run brick workout and my legs were lead for the first half of the run!  At the turnaround I started pacing off of Jenna, who seemed to know everybody and whenever she saw somebody she knew she ran just a bit faster!  I wound up running the fastest 5k I have ever run, even after the bike ride.  Here are some pictures from that event, as you can tell it was a beautiful day!  Swim-16:41, T1-2:55, Bike-50:40, T2-1:21, Run-22:10; total time 1:33:46.

I knew my passion and forte was in distance events, and from there I entered the Half-Ironman in Orlando Florida.  It was a tough event, but the feeling of finishing and knowing that I can race much better was certainly a lure to continue. 

Florida Half-Ironman Trip Report 

Florida doesn’t look like a long way on a map, but the drive felt like an eternity (8 hours).  Up side was that my dad went with me, so we got to split up the drive.  That would become a true blessing a few days later!  The event is held at Disney World, and it was a perfect venue!  The logistics of having such a big crowd was handled wonderfully, and even though there were tons of people around there was no crowding of the course anywhere as a result!  Of course the local boys in blue were out making sure we were kept safely out of harm’s way, and I think that every one of those guys that gives their time for a race deserves a huge thanks, so if you race give them a big hearty thank-you next time you see them out there!  Trust me, you will gain more energy knowing you made somebody’s day than you will lose in oxygen. 

We got all set up in our hotel, then went out and drove the bike course.  Amazingly they found both big hills in Orlando, and made us ride right over them!  We also got registration out of the way, eyeballed all the really expensive merchandise at the vendor tents.  I tried hitting Clif Bar up for some more free trial sizes (to no avail) which are wonderful on long training rides.  I got to swim in an endless pool, which was really neat since I never had to do a (admittedly horrible) flip turn.  The next day we came by and did bike check in and hung out for the Pro panel featuring Tim DeBoom and Karen Smyers.  I got to hang out with them both for a bit, which was total tri-geek heaven!  Then it was back to the hotel for an early dinner and some shut-eye.

 Sleep came surprisingly early that night, and I was up at 3:30 ready to go!  We arrived on the second bus in, and I was quickly set up and ready for racing.  I had already eaten my last meal by four, and I got body-marked and took an hour of easy stretching before making it down to the water for my wave start.  As the fourth group in the water, it was a pretty open pool when I got started, and I made a conscious effort to pace myself and try drafting off of someone.  For future note, drafting only works if the person you are following knows where they are going.  I tried to be nice and give folks room, but eventually I just had to pick my line and ignore everybody else’s tendancies to go off into their own section of lake.  Half way through the swim, a stray hand removed my goggles for me, so I got some extra backstroke practice (extra meaning I had not done any up to this point, ever).  Near the end of the swim I finally got some good feet to follow for a while, and when I came out of the water I was ready to swim the course in reverse just for fun!  1900 meters - 39:42 (Goal, under 40, achieved). Easy swim.

Took my time in transition (9:09), wanted to make sure my feet didn’t suffer any more damage than they were going to have to.  Could have cut five minutes off transition here, and I will next time, but I was more concerned about just finishing than anything else and I knew my day could become really horrible if I got a blister three miles into the run because I left some grit on my feet.  The bike was a lot of fun, although rather crowded at times.  I was probably right in the main pack, so I spent most of my time staying aware of other riders around me.  It made the time go by fast, although I might not have ridden as well as I could.  The hills were really just enough to break up the monotony of flying down the road at 20 mph (which I love doing, by the way).  56 mile ride - 2:59:30 (Goal, under 3:00, achieved).

Still felt good, and made a fairly quick transition (3:56).  The first four miles of the run were nice.  The next nine were hell.  After about mile four I could feel my stomach bloating, and running was creating a huge sensation of pressure under my diaphragm.  By mile seven it reduced me from a consistent sub-ten minute mile to a slow walk.  I don’t know exactly what caused it, whether it was the severe heat and sun that I had not had an opportunity to train in yet or the stronger-than-I-am-accustomed-to Gatorade on course (mine is usually a bit diluted), but I was hurting.  Also at this time I realized that my cardio was certainly up to the task, but my muscles were not.  I never sucked wind on the entire run, but my legs went to lead.  I walked miles 7 to 8.5, hitting two aid stations for water only, as Karen Smyers had recommended the day before at the pro-panel.  My stomach came back under control, and I took on some Gatorade as I stretched out well at the next aid station.  From here to the end of the race myself and another age grouper took turns motivating each other to keep the pace up, and it worked well.  Some moments he was down, and I could give come encouragement, and others he helped me pull through.  Somtimes it just sucked for both of us and we at least knew somebody else was hurting too!  Finally we crossed the line, and it was all good!  13.1 mile run - 2:39:46 (Goal - under 2:00 - dismally not achieved!).  Glad to have been done with that run!

I got my finisher’s medal, cooled off in the lake, and then walked out with my dad.  It had been a wonderful day, with my first goal in triathlon having been accomplished, becoming an Ironman.  Showered at the hotel, then I slept the entire ride back.  Then I slept when I got home.  Glad my dad could put up with driving the whole way for me, I was in no condition to drive!  We are in mutual agreement, however, next time we stay an extra night.

Greenville Sprint Trip Report

Greenville’s Sprint was a very well put on event.  The guys from Set-Up Inc. lived up to their reputation and managed everything well.  Being a pool swim, starts were staggered by ten seconds, with all of the age groupers being started according to their reported swim time and the novices being started later and in order of swim time. 

The pool swim was 400 meters, switching lanes at each turn.  I had intended to use flip turns, but most of the time I was too close to other competitors at the walls (where most slowed considerably) and the pool was rather shallow for my tall self to comfortably flip in.  Still, I managed to pass four or five people on the swim, and posted the fourth fastest swim in the novice division (out of 45).  Thanks to Coach Marino for that!

This was the first race in which I have worn a one piece tri-suit, the Power Skinsuit by DeSoto sport, and it performed very well (you can now find their link on the links list).  I was able to keep my heart rate monitor on during the swim, although it slipped down a bit, and did not have to don a shirt, which saved on my transition time.  I did make some mistakes when setting up T1, my sunglasses were still in their case (d’oh!) and at the last minute I decided to forego the flying mount in favor of tighter shoes and forgot to leave the closures open!  T1 was still only 1:30, which was the sixth fastest in the division.

I got out on the bike and started working a bit above my comfort zone.  Unfortunately something caused my computer to register nothing but my heart rate!  There was a long downhill section where I was able to just sit on my aero bars and drink away, although it was not long enough!  The bike course was overall a very hilly course, with a wide array of gradual, steady, and somewhat severe climbs.  I was able to hold a better pace on the long and steady climbs than those around me, and only on the short but steep hills did I notice any major deficiency.  I threw the chain trying to downshift both the front and rear at once, but managed to fix that rather quickly.  I did notice that my pedal stroke could be more efficient, as I caught my legs fighting each other at times and with focus could even out the stroke.  I finished in 46.04, the 12^th fastest ride in the division.  Having my time I now know that I averaged about 19.5 mph, which is better than Cheraw on a more difficult course!  The newfound speed makes me think about getting a set of race wheels, nah, can’t afford it.

T2 was respectable, also the 6^th fastest turnover rate (how that could get faster, I don’t know, run through the TA quicker?) with 56 seconds.

The run was, well, the run.  No excuses here, my run needs a lot of work.  After coming through T2 only 3:16 back from the eventual leader (so close, minutes!) I posted a horrible run of 32:19.  That was the 35^th fastest run out of 45 in the division, and 245^th out of 280 in the overall male category, ouch!  But that’s okay, it just means I have a place where I can shave off 12 minutes with some work. 

I posted a final time of 1:28:17, good enough for 18^th in the division.  It was a fun race, where my limitations were again showcased well, giving me something to work on.  Run training, here I come!

South Carolina Half-Ironman 

Again I would just like to reiterate how wonderful a job Set-up Inc. does with all of their events.  They handled four hundred racers plus a respectable crowd of spectators flawlessly, and coordinated everything needed to provide a wonderful course.  It is definitely worth mentioning the great job Highway Patrol and local law enforcement did in handling traffic.  HP was making a great show of force early and often on the bike, and almost every vehicle (there is always that one jerk) that passed me provided a comfortable margin of safety.  I hope everybody else had a similar experience on the course.  Also, big thanks to Stronghold Athletic for helping me get to this event.  This was the first time I was able to display their logo out on the course, and I am glad that it is visible in the photos!  They definitely deserve the attention.

My Dad made the trip with me again.  Having a support crew of some sort really makes things a lot more comfortable.  Somebody to just lend a helping hand and, for example, hold your bike steady while you put your race number on it can make a big difference in reducing some hassle.  They are mostly little things, but it is nice to have somebody that you trust along to help and provide a kind of double-check.  We certainly can get pretty single-minded about things before a race, and having another opinion can definitely help sometimes.

I arrived shortly before 5:30 and set my gear up on the rack, double checking everything to make sure I had not overlooked anything (like having my shoes still velcroed shut).  Is velcroed even a word?  Got body marked, got my chip, started drinking water.  Ambled over to the swim start.  Drank some water.  Ambled back over to the transition area to get my backpack I had left sitting there.  Drank some water.  Wandered back to the car and warmed up, while drinking some water.  Went down to the swim start.  Drank some gatorade (can you see where this is going).  Told my Dad I would see him soon.  Here was one great example of how much a support crew helped; I was able to wear my sweats right up to about the time we were getting in the water, drop them over the rail along with my gatorade bottle, and not worry about them. 

The swim was a gorgeous, comfortable, 76 degrees.  Three legs, two left turns, 1900 meters, ending by exiting on a boat ramp.  Now, at temps under 78 degrees wetsuits become legal to wear for the race.  The first interesting thing about wetsuits is that they provide some bouyancy, which helps to correct one of the major errors in swimming technique, allowing the hips and legs to sink.  This helps to make poor swimmers much better, but doesn’t do as much for really good technical swimmers.  Although the added bouyancy helps get them higher in the water to produce less drag, a good swimmer already maintains a good position and does not benefit as much from the wetsuit.  The second interesting thing about wetsuits is that I don’t own one.  ”No worries,” I told myself “you are a good swimmer, and don’t need a wetsuit.”  I went out gunning hard on the swim, felt like I was really flying!  I started distancing myself from some of my wave, along with a handful of other breakouts, and before the first turn we were catching people from the previous wave.  Rounding the first yellow turn marker I started to get into the real thick of things, the entire second leg was spent swimming by people.  The downside to being the last wave to start is that almost everybody on the swim that you catch will not be worth drafting off, so I would just pass them as cleanly as I could.  Making a pass is perhaps the most disorienting thing to do, as you have to change your angle a bit, and I spent a whole lot of strokes sighting the bouys on that leg.  Leg three was short and in a bit more control.  The exit up the ramp went smoothly, and I exited the water with a swim time of 38:18.  This was 3:30 behind my intended pace, but no worries, I felt fine.  T1 took me 3:40, a bit longer than expected, but only leaving me down 4:10 from my goal time at that point.

The bike course was a steady, very slightly rolling course.  The first twenty miles were steady rolling hills with three hundred feet of total elevation gain; the end of this stretch was in the town of Saluda.  The next 25 miles were full of mostly unnoticable up and downhills, made even less distinguishable by a slight 5-7 mile an hour headwind.  The final ten miles, beginning just before Ninety-Six (the town, not a mile marker, which has a great burger joint by the way!), had a little character, with some downhills that finally allowed for a brief break from constant steady pedaling and uphills that we were all glad to stand up for just for the change in position!  The uphills and downhills were so gradual that the position of the bike felt almost static throughout the ride, which made for a mentally tough ride.  The volunteers were wonderful out on the bike course; they were lively, smiling, taking pride in simply making the best hand-offs they could, and it definitely helped keep people’s spirits up.  I dont’ know where they got these guys, but I certainly hope they had an enjoyable enough time to be back next year.  It was so steady it was rediculous.  It was almost as if, once people sorted themselves out in the first ten miles, we were all just riding in line together, holding our little patches of road.  I got going, took on some extra calories early to make up for the swim, knowing my appetite would decrease later.  I was in the rush of the moment and was averaging 20 to 22 miles per hour, then I stopped to pee.  Got on the bike and worked up a solid but steady rythm between 18 and 20 mph, Saluda came and went, I turned into the headwind and deepened my aero tuck to take some of the bite out, steadily and constantly I passed farms and pastures at about 16 to 18 mph, and I stopped to pee.  I got back to a steady effort, varying from about 14 to 20 mph as the terrain finally changed, chatted with some other racers to break up the monotony, Ninety-Six came and I waved at a father with his little girl as I went through, I got back to the park, and then I stopped to pee. 

The bike took me 3:03:45, which was 5:25 faster than I had planned!  I dropped my bike off and made the second transition in 3:14, about 1:15 slower than planned.  I was now exactly where I had planned.  3:48:57 into the Half-Iron, with my goal of running a 2:11 half marathon, would put my finish time just under six hours.  But anything can happen on the run, and I knew as I took my first steps out of T2 that the run had never been my strong point.

The two loop course was steady, with no section steep enough to significantly alter one’s stride, but a few hidden hills that could really pose a challenge if you were not aware of them.  The volunteers were again exuberant and energetic, happy to help as much as they could.  I started not with a bang, but more with a shuffle.  My stride was short, my hips tight, three hours in the same position had taken it’s toll.  I ran with an almost detached consciousness through mile 1, looked down at my watch and noted 10:20.  Not where I wanted, but okay.  I could feel some gastric upset, so I grabbed water alone at the first aid station and started sipping.  I had turned out of the park, with my back to the sun, and I was doubting myself.  But I ran on, and mile marker two came, I noted my watch at about 20:10!  I took stock of myself at this point, realizing that my hips had loosened up, my face held no tension, my knee drive had returned and my cadence was where it should be.  I felt like I was floating, I could have laughed, I did laugh.  “You’ve got it,” I thought to myself, “you’ve done the work, you’ve put in the miles.  You don’t have to worry about finishing, that will happen; so just go, put it all out there and put out an effort that you will be proud of, proud to talk about, proud to write about, proud of having done.”  3 miles - 30:00, 4, 5, 6 miles - 58:20.  I realized that the first mile had been mostly a steady uphill, a fact that was mostly hidden by the shade and the necessary distraction of watching for traffic and incoming cyclists as we all shared a two lane road.  That almost made me laugh again, and it certainly made me smile; I was ready for it this time.  I was still taking on just water, trying to keep everythign in check, but so far it had been working.  7, 8, 9 miles - 1:29:30; just keep it together.  Ten miles, time to start sipping some coke.

Big mistake.  I almost doubled over on the spot.  It had worked wonderfully in Orlando, but today my stomach would have none of it.  The carbonation, the sugar, the fact that it was liquid.  I had eaten very little before the race, and my high level of hydration had kept me from consuming as much as I normally do during the race.  Everything was empty, and none of it was happy to have something thrown at it while under the stress of running.  I walked, I ran with somebody, I walked.  I sucked it up and ran a fast mile, turned back into the park.  One mile to go.

I passed Scott Rigsby on his way out to start the second loop.  Overcoming adversity, Scott was competing today for a record.  By finishing the event, he became the first person to complete a Half-Ironman or more while running on two artificial legs.  He has a wonderful demeanor, and has looked adversity in the eye to get where he is.  Meeting Scott before the race, getting to know him a little, and seeing him out on the course giving it his all was definitely inspirational to anybody who was there. 

I ran the last mile.  I ran it quick, I would say that I raced it with all I had.  I did my best, I can confidently say; and ran 2:15:24, to finish in 6:04:29.  Did I break six hours, no.  Did I give it everything I had, definitely.  Did I have a great race, most definitely.  Did I exceed my realistic expectations of myself, absolutely, and that is what I am proud of.  I have already learned a lot from this event, and I will learn a lot more before the next one.  I will get faster, and I will keep exceeding my limitations, because I can.

At some point you are challenged, forced to look inside yourself to find the will to push on.  When you do - when you finish - then you realize that you are stronger than you ever believed possible.  I have one more race, but it’s just a marathon.  My first triathlon season has come to a close, and the last image I have from Greenwood was worth the whole year.  The crowd cheered, the athletes smiled broadly or clapped tiredly or shed a tear, and Scott Rigsby crossed the finish line, showing us all how strong we can be.  The support all of the triathletes are willing to give to each other, and the joy we find in seeing others achieve their goals (no matter if it is winning or finishing, or anything between) just reaffirms that I am in the right sport, the best sport.

 Marine Corps Marathon

Fair warning, this one’s a little different, but it deserved it.

This was my first trip up to Washington DC, ever.  The city (what I saw of it) was beautiful and inspiring.  Wherever I was in the city, it seemed like there was a constant pull towards Constitution, Independence, and Pennsylvania Avenues.  It was as if every monument was set in such a way that it honored it’s recipients, and in the background showed the heart of the nation which allowed these individuals to succeed and in turn add to this country’s greatness. 

The tributes to the heroes who helped forge this nation were visible everywhere.  Of course there were the monuments to great leaders and founding fathers, Lincoln and Jefferson memorials; and revered (or despised, depending on your view at the moment) buildings belonging to current leaders and policy makers.  Despite the capacity to idealize and idolize or demonize individuals, I felt like the entire city remained aware of the very real sacrifices of individuals.  Seeing the Washington monument and the statue of the Marines (and a Navy corpsman) raising the flag at Iwo Jima was inspiring; but when I saw Arlington, the real sacrifice made to protect the rights and ideals our country stands for, it made all the monuments and honors seem woefully inadequate.

Of course, anybody who loves this country, or has been to Washington, or who really stands and allows themselves to be moved by the National Anthem knows the feeling I am describing. 

And I ran a little bit.

Season 1 Recap

With an entire season of racing behind me, I really have a lot to look back on and be proud of this holiday season.  Having done two half-iron distance races, and improved so much between the two, was a great way to jump start into the off-season base training for next year.  I have a much greater awareness of just how hard these races are, and a much greater confidence in my ability to finish, race, and compete at these events.  I can look back and know that I set goals, and pushed myself towards them, and that if I am willing to put in the work I can achieve anything.  In retrospect, I am amazed at just how much I learned this past year.  During the season you are almost too intimately involved to notice the lessons you are learning, about triathlon and about life in general, but when the off season comes around and you can step back and look at the big picture it all really hits you.  I am also amazed at how naive I was to some things.  As I have been telling everybody, I finally know enough to know just how much I don’t know, so next year will be the real year for learning.

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