"Think we should sit this one out dear? Yeah, probably so." :)
So, let's rewind from race day back to the entire week b/f Memphis in May, shall we? Our triathlon team puts on a yearly beginner-friendly triathlon called Soak up The Sun. Bill was our race director for the year. He did a great job getting everything planned out and ready to roll this year---so far, so good on lack of complaints this year. The only caveat is that Bill was out of town on vacation the entire week and didn't get back home until late Friday evening. We took over for him last week and got everything all sorted out. I will never understimate staying on your feet for an entire day again. Seriously, my legs and feet ached so bad Friday evening and Saturday evening, it felt like I had completed speedwork type training days. Only I hadn't. Packet pick up lasted from 3pm-7pm. I stayed there the entire time helping out, then bought pizza for all the volunteers. By the time we got home, finished loading the car for our Memphis trip and loading the car with tons of cases of water, cookies, food, and sodas, etc, for the race, we only got about 2 hours of sleep. We were up by 3:30am to drive to Reunion Lake to get things ready to go for the morning. The race went smoothly overall, thank goodness! It's always so rewarding to see all of the planning finally coming together. Even more so, there's nothing more rewarding than seeing a beginner triathlete complete their very first triathlon. SUTS was Matt and myself's first triathlon, so it's extra special to us to be able to put this on every year ;) Anyway, we ended up getting things cleaned up and heading to Memphis around 1pm.
Getting ready to announce door prizes and overall awards
Talking Josh, Jackson Metro Cyclists president, into Soak up the Sun 2011 ;)
The crazy thing is, if you have to forgo packet pick-up when you get into town, in order to go to the hotel first and take a nap because you are too exhausted to pick up your packet, maybe you should forgo the whole race? Hmmm............that would have been the wise thing to do, wouldn't it?
So, Friday evening after we ate dinner with some friends and picked up our packets, we got things ready in the hotel room and got to bed.
Only problem is, I was complaining to Matt that my legs were throbbing just laying in the bed---like I had raced or been through a long day of training. Not good. Not good at all. I put on my compression socks and elevated them in the bed. I told myself maybe I should listen to my body. The week of Soak up the Sun had really worn me down, obviously. I just couldn't justify paying the expensive entry fee, driving all the way to Memphis, and not racing the one race in the area that we had never done.
Fast forward to race morning: Alarm went off at 4am. We laid in the bed contemplating whether we would race or not. I decided I could quit at any time if things got really bad. I needed the training at least. I was supposed to train for the weekend anyway. This is the first race where I didn't experience that adrenaline feeling like I always do. I just wasn't in it........physically or mentally. When the mental part of my race strategy goes, it's all over for me.
The Swim: This is the first true olympic distance that I have done. I have been
having issues with my wetsuit making me feel a little too restricted and
claustrophobic. I decided I would go for it anyway. I actually had a
pretty good swim, for me anyway. It was a little tricky getting my own
wetsuit off---there were no peelers. This made T1 extra long for me.
I am not a swimmer and will never be anything close to a good swimmer but I am learning to accept that. Ithink the fact that I wasn't mentally caring how I did on the swim actually helped me have a good swim this time. I was pleased.
Time: 25:00
The Bike: The sad part about the bike for me was that when I saw the 5 mile marker
sign, I felt like I had already ridden 20 miles. How sad is that? My legs
were like bricks. So heavy and just worn-out. I decided I would try to
push to at least break 20mph. It was just such a letdown for me. I've been
training so hard and put in lots more volume than last season. I kept
telling myself, "You KNEW coming into this race to not have expectations.
You shouldn't even be racing today." It was so bad that I was actually
secretly wishing that I would have a flat. Sad, sad, sad. I debated on
the bike if I should just skip the run. I talked myself out of that. I
rationlized with myself that our coach had prescribed a brick anyway that
day----I might as well stick to the plan at least.
Bike: 20.5 mph
Run: This is where I was most disheartened: The run is where I gain ground. No
matter how bad of a swimmer, or how much ground I still lack on catching
up on the phenomenal cyclists, I can usually get them back on the run. This
is always my time to come back and pass lots of people. I was walking by
mile 1 :( Now, I know the heat could have been part of the factor. It was
92 degrees and not much shade. The first mile was uphill. There was a water
stop right b/f my watch beeped for the first mile. I stopped here, poured
water over my head, and walked. First Mile: 7:32----with a walk. Not bad.
Only, I was trained to hold around 7:00 miles, on a good day. I made it to
mile 2. Mental games were floating in my head again............"just quit
at mile 2. Walk back to bike transition and call it a day. What are you
gaining at this point?", my mind was saying. Nope. Can't do it. Not yet.
By mile 2, my feet were getting extremely blistered. I never wear socks
on smaller size triathlons and I have never gotten blisters. For the first
time in a tri, I decided to wear my Nike Lunar racer training flats. Never
blistered me before. Oh but, buddy, they were KILLING my feet.
Slaughtering them.
7 blisters from a 6.2 mile run!!!
I walked after every hill. I walked at every water
stop. I walked around 10 times? I ran a pace for 6 miles that I don't even
have trouble holding on a marathon. Yeah, I know. Cry me a river :) I am
crying in my Cheerios............It was a bad experience for me. I have
NEVER walked a triathlon run. Never. There's a first time for everything.
Run: 8:03 pace
Now, please don't get me wrong. I am not saying these are horrible times. These are just not the times I was trained to race. Every athlete has their own goals, so I by no means wish to downplay another's times by showing my own. I am simply saying that I should have done better, rating myself from what I am trained to do.
By the time I crossed the finish line, Matt was waiting for me and wanted to cool off in the lake where we swam. I took my shoes off and walked over. Caught cramps in my feet trying to take my shoes off. Rarely get cramps. Had to walk it off for a bit. Tried to get in the lake-----screamed out b/c the blisters burned so bad when i got in the water. We talked about our race. Matt had a bad race as well. I said, "we should have listened to our bodies. What did we expect them to do when we were this exhausted?". He agreed. So, we loaded up on Memphis BBQ and other foods, sat on the grass, and enjoyed talking to others on our team.
We left shortly after the race, and decided to head back home. We unpacked and decided to grab some sushi/hibachi for dinner. Here's the bottom line to a horrible weekend:
We shouldn't get so upset over a race. We should just be happy to complete triathlons. Period. Our bodies weren't meant to do well this weekend. We both knew that going into this race. It's just the fact that we've both been training SO hard. When triathlon and Ironman training takes away so much of your life, you at least want the satisfaction of knowing that you are improving and you can justify that your time spent training is worth it.
We need and must keep our eye on the prize, and that's Ironman Canada. It's not the local races that seem so important at the time. It's the one day in Canada that we should focus on. Because when we look back at this small part of the big picture of our life, Memphis in May triathlon 2010 will barely be remembered, if remembered at all. There is so much more to life. We have to keep our priorities straight, and even though this race wasn't good, it's nothing compared to what else life offers us. We need to step back for a moment and breathe. We need to remember......this started out as a hobby. This started out as 2 beginners struggling and barely making it through a 500 meter swim in a pool----it was called Soak up the Sun Triathlon 2005:) I still remember that feeling of accomplishment. That race was for me. It was a competition with myself, no one else. That is the healthy way and thinking to triathlons. We have gone from SUTS 2005 to 3 1/2 Iromans, too many to count short-distance triathlons, 8 marathons, and 1 Ironman Florida, to Ironman Canada 2010 in just a few more months. Thank you God for allowing us to be healthy enough to do ALL of these extraordinary activities. We are blessed and need to not take THAT for granted. Triathlon DOES NOT define me. It's just a small part of who I am. How do I sometimes forget that?
