Or, “Holding Off The Bikers As Long As I Could”
Or, “Who Ordered The Wind And Hills?...”
We got there EARLY (as I ALWAYS like to do), and there were only 3 bikes set up in transition. I love to have prime pick-ens’!
Pharmie and I were going to do the long course, which was a 3.1 mile run, an 18.6 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run. Matt and Borsch were signed up for the short course: 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 2 mile run. IT WAS GOING TO BE THEIR FIRST MULTI-SPORT EVENT! We got a sweet, sweet parking spot, about 20 feet from transition and 30 feet from “port-o-john row:”
I had one big goal for the day: to push HARD on the bike. In the past, during multi-sport events, I feel like I’ve left too much in my tank during the bike. I wouldn’t push enough on the bike, thinking about that run that I have to do when the bike is over. But not this time. Today, I wanted to bike harder and just try to hold on for the run. That was the plan.
It was REALLY SWEET being able to park so close - just after the pre-race meeting, when we were on our way to the starting line, we all did our final strip and threw everything in the car. It was about 31 degrees at the start, so it was the chilliest multi-sport event I’ve ever done. At least it was sunny!
Start: Pharmie and I started the long course 12 minutes before the short course started. It was a pretty small event - it was actually its first year. There were about 50 doing the long course and 110 doing the short course. I’ve NEVER been in such a small du or tri. My last tri was IM WI, when we started with 2,200 other people. This was much different.
Run: I was hoping to run the first 5K in around 20 minutes, but I didn’t know how hard I’d push myself. I ran most of the run in 7th or 8th place, and finished strong and feeling fine!
Bike: It was windy. And HILLY. And the “18.6 mile bike” was really just over 19.5 miles. That hurt. BUT, I stuck to my plan. Well, mostly.
I went out on the bike, and waited to get passed. See, I’m not a super fast biker. I didn’t get passed until about mile 2. I had dropped to 8th overall. A few more people passed me throughout, but I wasn’t getting passed as quickly as I usually do! I was pushing, and people were having more trouble catching me! But I started having a tough time around the middle of the bike leg. I was getting sick of the wind and hills. But when I saw the mile marker for mile 12, I kicked it in the butt and told myself to finish this ride hard and strong, just like I wanted to. And that’s what I did. I finished the bike in 11th overall.
Run: I hit the 10K run, and I went out at a good pace. I had worked hard on the bike, but I still had plenty for the run. I didn’t take official splits, but my first mile was about 7:10, and I hit the second mile marker in under 14 minutes.
Around that second mile marker, I finally caught up to the ONLY RUNNER IN SIGHT on the long course. There was no one behind me that I could see, and just this one guy in front of me. “Good morning,” I said. “Jeez, you caught me quick!” he told me. We made small talk for about 15 seconds. Then there was a pause. Finally, I just came out and asked it: “How old are you? Are we each others competition?” He laughed and said, “I was JUST thinking about asking you that!” It turns out he was in the age group above me. “Good thing...” he said. “I won’t be able to catch you!” We laughed again. I threw my hands up in the air and jokingly said “Not that it matters - we should each just be running our own race, right?” We parted ways, and I took off in front of him.
The run was tough. Besides mile 1 and 2, there were no mile markers. And my feet were a little numb from my bike shoes yet. And my knee was sore. And my Achilles tendon was really acting up. It was shooting pain at times. I just tried to keep my form proper and strong and work through it.
I didn’t see anyone else on the run. The Joe Plant 5K a few weeks ago where I ran all alone was good practice. I turned into the park, and booked it to the finish line.
Unofficial Results:
5K Run (3.1 miles): 19:19 - 6:13/mile
T1: 1:36?
Bike (19.5 miles): 1:03:50 - 18.3 mph
T2: 1:09
10K Run (6.2 miles): 41:33 - 6:42/mile
Total Time: 2:07:27
10th Place Overall
2nd Place in Age Group
That’s right folks! I actually walked away with some hardware! The best part of the story is that Matt finished FIRST in his age group on the short course, and Pharmie finished THIRD in hers! (Borsch would have done better, but his bike broke 2 days ago, but he didn’t just throw in the towel. Borsch did the du today on his old, crappy mountain bike!) So, in our group, we had a full set of gold, silver, and bronze to take home!!
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Have you ever tried this swimming exercise? You jump in a pool with no lane lines...I repeat NO lane lines, and you swim with your eyes closed while a coach or a friend monitors your progress. The point of this exercise is to figure out your strong and weak sides. Some of us will naturally swim to the left, while others tend to veer to the right, while a few lucky or talented swimmers will swim dead straight. If you try this drill you'll immediately learn two important lessons: 1) Which direction you tend to swim when you are in open water and,2) The sheer terror and challenge of swimming blind. Casey Jones "Trouble with you is the trouble with me,Got two good eyes but you still don't see." Recently I had the privilege to attend the second annual Tri It Camp for blind women in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. My lovely wife decided that she wanted to learn how to guide blind triathletes, so I loaded up our son, our gear, and joined her for one of the most extraordinary weekends of my life. The camp consisted of a small group of 7 women athletes, and 7 women guides from around the country, of all ages, who learned over the course of the weekend how to swim, bike, and run together. The culmination of the camp was a mini triathlon on Sunday morning where the blind athletes put all of their newfound skills together for a one hour sprint triathlon. I still vaguely recall from my years at journalism school that the above sentences covers the five basic "W's" of good reporting which I'm sure you know consist of who, what, where, when, and why. But between you and me the five "W's" need some explaining to really capture the spirit and meaning of the camp to both the blind athletes and the sighted guides, as well as myself. The biggest challenge that many of us face when getting up in the morning is to figure out what color shirt to match with what color pants. Or perhaps you are like me and your morning challenge consists of deciding what type of fruit you'll add to your cereal. Now imagine getting up in the dark, with no hope of a sunrise. I have to be honest, that thought just terrifies me; yet it is exactly how the seven newbie blind triathletes began their camp day. Actually I'm not being completely honest because some of the blind athletes still retained a bit of light recognition, as some of the women progressively lost their eye sight throughout their lives. So I guess to be completely fair, imagine getting up in the morning and seeing just enough shade of black to help you remember what it was like to see. To remember how it felt to get up and be able to match your clothes, make that cup of coffee, and slice that banana into your morning cereal. But instead you wake up in a pitch black hotel room, at just about 6000 feet of elevation, hundreds or even thousand of miles from your home, your friends, your family, your established routine, and your familiar surroundings with the knowledge that today you get to swim, bike, and run your first triathlon with a stranger. You'll have to excuse me, but all of my pissing and moaning about not being able to sleep before my last Ironman rings somewhat hollow to me today. In fact, I'm a bit embarrassed that I even mentioned it in my last race report. So please imagine yourself completely in the dark and unknown hotel room in the middle of the Rocky Mountains about to place your life completely in the hands of a kind stranger. Now before I go any further I want to be absolutely clear about the word inspiration. Because I'm verging on the edge of making these blind athletes sound like they could, should, and would inspire you. But my real sense from getting to know these women is that's the last word they would feel comfortable using to describe themselves or their motivation. For them it was just business as usual. The camp and the triathlon was just another obstacle to overcome in a lifetime of proving people like me wrong. Showing me that just because they can't see doesn't mean they can't live independent lives. In fact, proving to me that sight, or lack thereof, is not what defines them as people, or for that matter, as athletes. My wife's weekend blind partner in crime and namesake (another Barbara) recently survived breast cancer. She discovered she had breast cancer after she fell and broke her ankle. She credits her cancer survival to being blind because if she was able to see, she would have never gone to the doctor with a broken ankle nor asked for a mammogram while she was in the x-ray room. But that's just one of the amazing stories of the weekend. Another memory I can't shake is that of the blind athlete who had not been in a pool since she was a young girl. After she lost her sight it had not occurred to her to go swimming. And let's face it, even if she had wanted to go swimming, it would be a bit difficult without a guide. I watched her tentatively take her first swim strokes in the pool. Unbelievably, it didn't take long for her to start pushing her guide to faster and faster speeds. And that's the second lesson I took away from the camp. I always struggle with the motivation to go and exercise. There is always some reason not to go. But these athletes had the best reason not to go, and yet they fought tooth and nail for the simple opportunity to go for that swim, bike, or run. Where is probably the toughest "W" of all to define. Why? Because it cuts me to the bone. I think to myself, "Where am I in my own personal life's journey?" The sport of triathlon tends to be a jealous mistress in that it easily eats up all of the time and energy I can throw at it. But at the end of the day what does that really accomplish? How much faster do I swim after spending countless hours in the pool? How much quicker is my bike split after my third or fourth century ride of the summer? How many seconds, or perhaps minutes, faster is my next 10K after all those early morning track workouts? And most importantly, do all of those saved seconds really matter for anything real and important? I can't help but wonder if it would have been so much better to spend a few of those countless hours helping a local blind triathlete go for their swim, bike, or run? Because unlike them I have the privilege to chose when and how much I want to work out without having to ask for somebody for a helping hand. When The last day of the camp was a chance for the women to put their newfound skills to the test. Let me break it down in proper triathlon order. The Swim To be able to guide a blind triathlete, the guide and athlete have to learn to swim tethered by a bungee cord. This springy cord is tied around both the guide's and triathlete's waist...which in theory keeps both athletes swimming in the same direction. Unfortunately since our arms tend to be longer than our waistline the cord also means that on one side of the swim stroke, both the guide and the athlete have to substantially shorten their swim stroke. This is a skill, like any other, that has to be practiced and learned. Transitions This was the most amazing part of the race to watch because honestly I just don't know how the blind athletes actually manage this tricky part so gracefully. I can barely towel myself down and get myself on the bike with my helmet and sunglasses on my head. How the blind athletes did this, mounted a tandem bike, and set off down the road is really a testament to their courage and skills. How much would somebody have to pay you to jump on a tandem bike with a stranger and go roaring down a small path next to I-70 at break neck speeds? How much courage does this really take? Because that exactly what all seven athletes and guides did. And to my sheer amazement they did it with huge smiles on their faces. OK, so maybe my wife didn't smile until after she got to the run, but the other Barbara on the bike had a massive smile on her face the entire way up and down the bike course. It was just too bad that my Barb couldn't see it. The Run So I was talking to Barbara (my wife's partner) after the race and she casually mentioned that she walks three miles to work and three miles back home every day. This in itself is pretty extraordinary as I personally don't know anyone, with or without their sight, that walks even a half mile to work. However, she went on to say that the most difficult thing about walking is that while she sweeps her cane back and forth as she walks, she can often miss the potholes and ruts. The cane will warn her of curbs, but not the ruts and cracks of a typical sidewalk. Now image having no cane and running. Which was probably the most amazing part of the camp for my wife. On day one of the camp, all the athletes and guides went to the track to learn to run together. When it was Barbara's turn she asked my wife how to run. My wife was stunned. Barbara had never run in her life. So my Barb showed her how to move her feet, swing her arms, and basically explained the correct way to run. Barbara immediately shot down the track like a rocket at a full sprint. My wife chased after her and mentioned to her in between heavy breaths that she needed to run slower...more of a jog and less of a sprint. To Barbara this was all new, and to me this was all just plain wonderful. This is the easiest "W" of the five. Why do the blind athletes want to try a triathlon? I suspect for the exact same reason as you and I race: to feel the wind in our hair, Except that is was hugely different...at least for me.I knew that these athletes and guides had done much more than just finish a sprint triathlon. shared each others fears, hopes, and goals And don't forget to say Hi to Coco her swimming-eye-dog. Ironman Arizona – April 13, 2008 I have been hanging on to this old belt of mine for a while now because I wanted to have in laying around unless I got fat again. Over the years I have gotten into the habit of hanging on to big clothes because I have spent so much money purchasing and re-purchasing clothes of varying sizes. While this particular belt isn’t the largest belt I ever wore it is the largest belt I wore that I still have and that goes with my new buckle. I want to give a Huge thanks to Rudy Project for their support of team raceAthlete and the B-Fit B-Day Challenge this year. The new Rudy Project TT (Time Trial) helmets just arrived and they are just spectacular. And thanks to my son for modeling one of them. We'll be giving away these great helmets (Sponsorship Premiums) and much much more to any athlete willing to take on the raceAthlete B-Fit Challenge this year. The great thing is there are no strings attached. I know it sounds crazy but really...no strings! All it takes is the willingness to celebrate your health, your fitness, and your birthday in a new and unique way in 2008. You don't have to jump through any hoops, you don't have to promote anything. All it takes is having a B-Day. And I suspect that you probably have one of those ;-) I just sent out four boxes of Rudy Project helmets and sunglasses to four very fit athletes who completed the Challenge in February. I've also heard through the International grapevine that the athletes that have already joined the Challenge have gotten their Hornet Juice. So a Huge Thanks to Rina at Hornet Juice in New Zealand who has sent out over 100 trial packages of her great training and race supplement to athletes around the world. When is your B-Day? Come and join us over at B-Fit B-Day and join in the fun. I've got several boxes of brand spanking new TT helmets, that I could be mailing to you. A question people often ask me is why I love doing this so much. There’s no one reason, but a big one is from the second I hit the water to about 20 minutes after I finish, my mind is crystal clear. I can’t think of anything, I can’t hear myself talking to me, there’s nothing. Pure silence. If you had any idea how much nonstop chatter goes on inside my noggin, you’d understand exactly why that few hours of silence is so incredibly alluring. Editor's Note: We got this email today from T who just completed the first 50-year-old Challenge. Great work T. That's a great swim.We're impressed that you almost made Gold. My Gift of Health, Fitness, and/or Charity Please Donate 1.00 per mile to help me conquer the B-Fit B-Day Challenge. Lots of new features and fun at the B-Bit B-Day Challenge to tell you about. |
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