Ok, so the next time I plan to race following a week long vacation filled with late nights, lots of eating and beer consumption, hanging with friends and family…remind me to do it again! I would not have traded my race week for anything. Despite not having an optimal week of eating nutrition wise and while my result was not nearly as good as what I was capable of, I still pulled off a solid consistent performance on what was a challenging course on one of the warmest days New England had seen in many weeks. The week was filled with some relaxing moments along with some stressful ones. And while the race has come and gone, the week was filled with moments and memories that will last forever far more precious than any race result.Pre-race prep:
The week prior to our departure, I had left one job and started another. It was very exciting but stressful in the same vein. We left for New Hampshire on a Thursday afternoon which turned into a very long travel day with a lay over (3 hours) in Chicago. But we were able to find a table with 4 chairs in the food court and a deck of cards that made the time fly by. Got to love when your kids can travel and roll with it like adults. We arrived in Manchester to pouring rain about 12:30am and by the time we got to bed it was 2:30am. Needless to say we all slept in. I left for Falmouth, MA. on Saturday morning to run the Falmouth road race which has been a long standing tradition with all my childhood friends since our college days. Basically it is an afternoon of waffle ball and beer, an evening of cards and beer. Limited sleep capped off with a 7.1 mile road race on Sunday morning. May the best man survive! This year, it was 1 hour of sleep (in my car of all places) and a personal best on that course by over 3 minutes. Hmmmm, maybe there is something to carbo loading with beer.
The rest of the week was spent doing some light training but mostly relaxing. I did have a kink to work out of my back from all that wiffle ball but thank god my sister is a massage therapist and she did some magic and I was back on track. Thanks Tracey! The Friday before race day, I was configuring the bike for my wife who was doing the short course race on Saturday. She had a little issue with getting out of the pedals and the bike went down bending the rear derailleur hanger. Luckily she was ok and after a slight freak out I just went to work and got it fixed. What could go wrong now? Erin had a great race on Saturday running what I believe was a PR off the bike. I then met up with the Louisville contingent and proceeded to get the bike ready for my venture the following day. After a quick training ride I took it to bike check-in where I noticed a HUGE gaping GASH in the front tire. Erin did say that the roads coming back into transition were crack ridden and very rough. I checked the bike in less the front wheel and went up to the expo where I was able to get a new tire and tube and make the repair. Potential disaster averted. A good dinner with everyone and an even better night sleep and I was ready to go.
Race Day:
I awoke at 4:15am with a very unsettled stomach. Started with the breakfast consumption:
· A can of Red Bull (Caffeine and calories)
· 2 packages of Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal with Granola (The apples would prove to be not so good)
· A banana
· A balance bar
· 20 ounces of Gatorade
· 12 ounces of Nuun Electrolytes
· 2 Imodium AD’s (yep…not feeling good!)
We arrived at the race site in the front row. Thanks Jim! Checked in, installed the front wheel, setup transition area and proceeded back to the van to relax. Stomach still felt bad but it was getting better. Wetsuit on and down to the swim start.
The Race:
I had one goal for the day…try and run down a friend of mine starting 17 minutes ahead of me. There is nothing like a little carrot for motivation to make the day pass quickly. But I was not going to waiver from my swim and bike pacing and hydration strategy that has proved to be bullet proof this season. If I could catch him great, but if not I would wait until the last 5k of the run to make the move.
The Swim:
The wind was picking up a bit but I found open water quickly and just settled in. Did not even go anaerobic in the beginning. The sun and wind made it difficult to stay on course. At one point on the way back in I was at least 100 meters off course and had to reel that back in. 33 minutes and some change into transition. A little slow because of my sight seeing tour of Lake Winnipesauke but uneventful and well rested. Stomach still felt like a rock.
The Bike:
The tires were still full of air. Something I always check before departing. I decided to go with Arm Coolers today because they would act like warmers in the beginning and if the humidity stayed away they would act like coolers later when the temps rose. That was a good decision. There were lots of hills in the first 10 miles so I just paced them out and settled in. I needed to get my stomach in a place to consume fluids. I have found a full stomach will empty quickly if the HR stays low so that was the strategy. Fill it up and go easy and it worked. I got rid of a lot of gas (don’t mean to be gross) and everything settled right in. Picked up the pace and just rode on feel. No electronics for me again. I love racing this way. It makes the time go by and the only thing I need to focus on is me in the moment. I highly recommend this to everyone. There was lots of drafting but the Race Marshalls were out in force and giving penalties. Every time I went past the tents they were full of offenders! Triathlon is an individual sport people…it’s what makes it fun!! The last 10 miles of the bike were hilly just like the out so I just paced them up and shook the legs out and hydrated on the downs. Stopped consuming fluids about 6 miles out to make sure I had an empty gut for the start of the run.
The Run:
Into transition. Decided to keep the arm coolers on as there was very little cloud cover. The humidity was fairly low so I was ok with that. I could take them off if it got too hot. Shoes and hat on. Grabbed my flask of run nutrition and I was off. The course was a slight uphill for about 1.5 miles then some downs and ups before it turned around and you came back. It was much hillier then I expected. The goal was to find my carrot and run him down. I saw him close to the turnaround and he had a good 5 minutes on me. This was not going to be easy. I just paced on the way back. I was gaining on him at the half way point. I decided to pick it up on the second loop. It was getting hot so I took advantage of the aid stations and the snow balls…yep, a whole bunch of ice from the local skating rink. Nice touch! By the turnaround at mile 10 my carrot was in reach at about 2 minutes. If I don’t blow up I will have him caught with enough time for a victory stroll to the finish. On the way back I decided to gamble and run that one big hill (which I walked on the first loop). It’s all about saving those heartbeats. Well, never bet against the house because the house won. I overcooked it and was on the side of the road at mile 12 with the dry heaves. About a minute or so and I was back and just cruised it in. My carrot beat me by about a minute and a half so it was close but I was pleased because I raced a good race and am accountable for the result! 5:20:21 was a good time on a tough course and a slightly longer run.
In Summary:
While this race was important to me, my overall well being is even more important. There has been to many times where I have been wrapped around the axel regarding a race and most likely missed out on some precious moments. My family is my top priority and this trip was about vacation and spending time with them. Sure, I could have eaten better, slept a little more and not indulged in some things but for what…a couple of minutes…maybe. I have learned that life is short (and getting shorter with each passing day) and you need to seize the opportunities that make you rich in life. The definition of rich is personal to you. My definition of rich is having a bank account full of precious moments with friends and family that can't be replaced or recreated. Stressing over the little things does nothing for you (easier said than done) and ends up wasting time and energy. Not staying up late and having ice cream and fried dough (Thanks Judy!) with your family will probably get you a better time on race day but you will never get the memories back from the time you spent with them had you decided to go to bed early.
I would not have done anything different this week and feel blessed because of all the riches I have in my life. So the next time you are faced with making a trade off decision for a race, ask yourself if it will really matter at the end of the day. Live the day in the moment and deal with what you have in front of you at that time. Don’t dwell on the past and don’t stress about what you have not experienced yet. When forced with a decision, follow your gut. It is always right. But above all else, be human and enjoy life…after all, that is what you were put on this earth to do!
Peace…
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