I've tried, multiple times now over the last month or so, to update the blog so I can stop feeling guilty about not doing---yet each time I try to do so, somehow, someway, the post deletes itself and I'm left spatting curse words at the computer and asking it how I'm supposed to remember all of the gems that I came up with in the post.... Alas, I'll try it again, and if it continues the slew of hijinks, then I'll just give up...
It's been over two months since my last post and a LOT has taken place--namely the last two races of the season... I've also had some personal crap happen (which I'll write about, because it's race related) and some other interesting stuff happen, like catching up with an old friend who's just getting into the sport.... I just hope I can remember all of the stuff I should include in this post... If not, tough, cause this is what you're getting...
Hmmm... let's see... the last entry was the Mountain Lakes race report, which saw me finally breaking into the top 10 in the Clyde division at a race.... I'll try to remember what all I can from that point forward....
Although I admittedly hadn't trained much for Mtn Lks, I did pretty well... I hurt on the run, like usual, but finished... I had made the decision to try my hand at the USAT Age Group Nationals in September, and knew that this would be a "just finish" race... There was no way I was going to compete with the fastest age groupers in teh nation, but I'd have fun racing (in my backyard) anyway...
The weeks leading up to the race were marked with school starting and (I admit), some pretty lackluster training on my part.... I was keeping up with swimming, but rides weren't as good as they could have been and runs were definitely sub par (when I actually did them)... I rode the course a few times beforehand, but failed to ever run the whole course (which you'll see ended up hurting me in the end)... AG Nats took place in Tuscalooa, right across the river from my place, so naturally, I got a little "too comfortable"... I figured, "Hey, this is my 'hood, I know what I'm doing"....
Wrong
My parents made the trip up to Ttown for the race, and to visit me, since they hadn't been able to do so since I moved here a year ago... I was really excited to have my folks finally come to a race and "see what their baby boy was doing" with his life (outside of school of course)... Prior to their arrival, I had told them that I hoped they didn't expect much out of the weekend... I was racing, which would take up a lot of, if not all day on Saturday, then I had a pig roast that night at Shayne and Chad's.... After reassurances on their part that they "were happy to just be there", I figured I had the green light to enjoy the weekend...
As I mentioned, the weeks leading up to the race weren't really special... I tried to ride at LL as much as possible to prep for the hills on the AG Nats course, but for some reason, felt like I was regressing, fitness wise... I spent SO much time being tired that it was hard for me to stay motivated to train.... Which, as I mentioned, caught up with me (on the run, no surprise there)...
I have to make note of a pretty cool thing that happened around this time (it may have been the week of the race, or maybe the week after, can't remember) since he might end up reading this at some point... My buddy Tommy from grad school, who I haven't really kept up with after we finished (I went to Starkville, he moved on to Virginia to work at Old Dominion) called me and told me that he'd been following my triathlon exploits on Facebook and was thinking about training for a race.... Of course, we spent so much time just catching up that talking about racing came secondary.... It was awesome to catch up with Tommy, since he and I were pretty good buddies in grad school.... He's knocked off a Half Marathon and has been getting into endurance sports just like I have.... I did offer up the warning to him though: Triathlon isn't so much a sport as it is an addiction... or a lifestyle... or both... whatever...
Anyway, back to AG Nats...
Kendrick had been really good the week of the race, sending me encouraging texts about race day, reminding me to just have fun and not worry about all the posturing and dick swinging that was going to be all around me on race day.... I was nervous, yes, but I did have a strange sense of calm too, I guess because I had resolved that there was no way I'd do well... I was only half right I guess...
Race day comes.... alarm goes off early.... Here we go...
We had to check in our bikes the night before, so race day was easy.... Got to transition when it opened, set up, and did my pre-race ritual of peeing every 10 seconds and practicing the swim to trans rack to bike out, then bike in to trans rack, run out pathways so I wouldn't get lost... thankfully, my rack was half way between the in's and out's in a pretty easy to find location...
I meet up with Kendrick, Chad, J, Sara, Hallie, Jean, and some others from the BHam crew... I finally got the chance to look at the swim course, and yes, I admit, did freak out a little bit... The swim was long.... really long... 1500m long... which is just shy of double my longest race swim (800m at Heart O Dixie).... I guess I was freaked out more about the wave start, which I had never done... I knew I could swim the distance--I had done so many times in the pool--but I wasn't sure how brutal the swim start would be... I resolved to start on the corner of the pier buoy thing, just to be safe....
Finally, my age group is up... Now, I do have to mention that I raced as a Clyde, but started with my AG... Clydes don't have to qualify for AG Nats (which is the only reason I was able to race), but don't start with their own wave... Anyway....
So we head down the pier, and I hop in the water to swim a bit before we start.... Nerves set in and I just tried to stay calm... Tried being the operative word...
We line up, and the horn goes off... So much for staying calm...
2010 USAT AGE GROUP NATIONALS RACE REPORT:
SWIM:
The swim was 1500m, as mentioned... The course was rectangular with all right turns... I had been a bit "iffy" about sighting for the right turns/buoys, since I've taken to breathing pretty much exclusively on my left side during race swims... It helps me keep a rhythm... But, knowing the length of the course, I knew I'd probably have to switch it up, which I ended up doing...I started off just like Kendrick had me practicing: "sprint" the first 200 or so, settle in for the next 1000, then kick it for the last 300 or so... I settled into a pretty decent groove and my stroke felt strong--but not as strong as I would have liked.... I guess I wasn't quite sure how hard to go on the swim, considering I had never done a 1500m race swim before... I figured I'd play it safe and just get it done...
I apparently passed a lot of people (Mom and Dad told me), but of course, my swim time was way low compared to my AG.... No matter, I was happy to complete it--a first for me
Swim Time: 31:24, 1:55 pace
T1:
The trek to T1 was a tad bit longer than I expected, but I kinda didn't have time to gripe about it... there was a short run, then a flight of steps, then another short run to the bike rack... I just followed the water trail... Here's the cool part though....
I was running to T1, trying to keep calm... Can't remember if I saw my parents or not (I think I did, but then I think I saw them at Bike Out, which would have been impossible for them to get to in such a short amount of time... whatever)
Anyway, so I'm running out of the water, feeling pretty relaxed for having just swam a mile... I see my friend Puneet (another Phd student) so I wave to her and I think she snapped a picture with her phone.... So I keep running, see that I'm going to have to turn left to go to transition and I start hearing a bunch of people yelling my name... WTF? I had invited a bunch of people to the race, but being that most of the people I invited are complete shitbags and I knew they wouldn't get out of bed that early, I wasn't sure who the hell was yelling...
I look up and it's Mike Grimes and Brian Franks from Mississippi State! I was pretty blown away since they hadn't told me they were coming... I guess they figured I'd be racing and decided to make the hour trip to Ttown to check out the race (and me).... Like I said, I was pretty blown away.... Hell, I wanted to stop and give them a hug for coming, but shit, I had a race to get through!!
Here's a pic Mike snapped of my heading to T1:
T1 TIME: (a respectable) 1:35
BIKE:
As usual, I knew that the bike would be where I made up the majority of my time... The course was legit... 24.5 miles of long hills... I had ridden the course the weekend before hand, pretty hard, and clocked in at about 1:20, so I figured that'd be close to my time on race day...
Lap 1 was calm... and fast... I knew the course, and knew where I needed legs, so I didn't push as hard as I could have going out... there was a decently gnarly hill about 2 miles from transition, so I just tried to lower my heart rate and save my legs... I guess I was doing much better than I thought, because well after that very hill, I asked myself, "Dude, where is that hill? Oh shit, I already went over it! Bam, time to hammer!"
This is how the majority of the first lap went... I was feeling REALLY good as I crossed onto the bridge that would lead to the turnaround on Rice Mine Rd. I guess I caught a pretty good tailwind, because I was CRUSHING it, going as fast as 35 mph, pushing towards 40 mph on the way out... after the turn around, I was heading smack dab back into that tailwind, but I guess my legs had enough rest to keep it at a respectable 25-27 mph...
During lap one, I had some issues with my saddle water bottle cage... I had taken a spill a few days before the race and I guess I bent it somehow... Anywhos, during lap one, I reached back to grab a bottle to refill my Aerodrink... When I tried to replace it, I couldn't get it back in the cage, and I got pissed.... I finally had to pull over and noticed that my cage was turned 90 degrees to the right... yeah, that ain't good... I slammed the bottle back into the cage and got back on the course...
During lap two, my legs started to feel it... Not good... Just kept telling myself to save some legs for the run... BUT, I had been running REALLY REALLY well off the bike during bricks that I foolishly convinced myself I'd be ok... Wrong....About 5 miles to go, I try reaching back for another water bottle from my saddle cage....and can't feel anything... Shit, I guess the cage finally snapped off and is somewhere on the side of the road... Damn... The only thing I remember thinking was, "Shit, I hope no race official saw it and gave me a penalty... I'll be pissed." (Turns out, no race official saw it)
I reach again and can feel the top of a water bottle!! But I can't get to it... Hell, might as well pull over again... And as soon as I do, I see a sight that sent anger through me... My cage had in fact, detached itself from the clamp holding it on the saddle... Yet, the cage itself had lodged itself on top of my brake/wheel.... no telling how long it had been there, or how much friction it caused on my wheel, or how much of my legs it sapped by trying to compensate... All I know is that it had been there long enough, and had enough friction, to warp the inside edges of each of the cages, in a perfect wheel mark....
Dammit, now I'm pissed...
I did what any self respecting triathlete would have done...
I pulled over and yanked that piece of shit off my bike and threw it in a ditch.... I'll deal with it later...
I manage to make it to T2 without any catastrophic equipment failures (I was certain that my back tire was going to explode given the wear and tear the cage had caused).... My legs are feeling it... this run is going to suck...
BIKE TIME: 1:11:54, 20.7 avg
(I was happy with this time having ridden a 1:20 the weekend before... I wanted to avg around/at least 20 mph, and I did... win)
T2:
Nothing eventful... the jog to the rack was rough... I knew the impending 6.2 mile run was going to be brutal... plus, the sun, which had not made an appearance the ENTIRE week before the race, was now out and beating down.... shit...
T2 TIME:
1:20
RUN:
Like I said, I had been running REALLY REALLY well off the bike during the weeks leading up to the race... I had been holding paces in the low 9's... like, 9:10's and lower (some higher) on training runs which included some of the actual run course...
But today was different... way different...
My first mile was in the 10's, which I thought was ok, because I had just biked a tough course and my legs were feeling it now.... My Garmin beeps after mile 1.... and I start walking... and cramping.... and what occured for the next 5.2 miles was nothing short of pure agony... a definite weak moment for me...
The sun and heat were brutal.... I'd run for maybe a quarter mile (if that), then start to cramp and have to walk... my hamstrings were hating me: they had had enough and were fighting back... I'd run a little, walk.. .run a little, walk... run a little, walk... this made the 6.2 miles absolutely demoralizing... I passed zero people on the run (which is pretty normal)
In an effort to not feel like a total failure, I started doing the only thing I knew how to do to push myself... I'd pick a spot ahead of me-a tree, lightpost, or sign-and run to it... then I'd walk... then I'd pick out another landmark and run to it, then walk... By this time, I had had enough of this fucking race and only wanted to be done...
About a mile out from the finish line, my friend Jean passes me... Jean is awesome... simply put... She knew I was hurting, and did what any good friend would do, "There's beer at the finish line! Step it up!"... Who am I to argue with that statement? Turns out, there wasn't any beer at the finish line ;(
The last mile (or more) of the course ran along the Riverwalk, which was decently shaded enough and fairly flat'ish... I jogged... but my God did it hurt... I told myself I wanted to run the last mile, no matter how bad it hurt.... and trust me, it did hurt....
Run up on Mike and Brian about 150 yards from the finish... they're going crazy on the sidelines and telling me I'm almost done and I'm looking good.... Here's a pic Mike took
Here's what's funny about this pic... It looks like I'm pumping my fist in celebration of almost being done... Well, I'm not... In actuality, I had used my right hand and did the "throat cut" motion to signify that I was cooked... Done.... tank was empty.... get me the fuck off this course... Turned out to be a pretty cool picture though!
The finish line is in sight, so I start giving it all I got... Pushing, but hurting... I'd rather push myself and have a decent finish line than keep walking and be comfortable....
RUN TIME: 1:19:12, 12:45 pace
TOTAL TIME: 3:05:23
The finish picture simply cannot convey how much pain I was in... I was weak, cramping, and severely dehydrated... I haven't felt pain like that in a long time--maybe since my first race ever... Or maybe never at all...
I find my parents and they're rattling off all of the supportive things that parents say... I do appreciate them, but in the back of my mind, I was disappointed in my performance... Anyone would be... BUT, I had a strange sense of calm about it... Ok, yeah, my run sucked, but I finished... I wish I would have done better, but there's always next year, and there will be other races... What struck me most though, as it does with all of my races these days, is that if I want to race a Half Ironman in 2011, then I've got a LOOOOONG way to go, both physically and mentally....... But, I'll live to fight another day
AG Nats did teach me a few things though:
1. You really never do as well as you hope, or that you think you're capable of doing... Could I have swam harder? Yeah.... Could I have pushed the bike a bit more? Absolutely... Could I have tried running more often? Yep....
2. No matter what, a finish is a finish.... I had done more before noon on that day than most, if not all, of my slack ass friends who didn't bother to show up for the fucking race...
3. Your parents will always compliment you, regardless of if they completely understand how disappointed you truly are
4. Friends make racing worth it... After the race, seeing Mike and Brian, then Kendrick and the rest of the Bham crew made my day worth it... I do seek approval from Kendrick--any athlete seeks the approval of their coach... and for the first time (well, not true), he said he was really proud of me for fighting during the run...
5. I've got a lot of work to do before next season....
So, with AG Nats in the books, I focused on my last race of the season, Mighty Magnolia (formerly Eagleman)... MM would mark the 1 yr anniversary of my entry into the sport... or addiction... or lifestyle... whatever...
Thanks for reading...
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