70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

So i have been working on my swimming a lot more than I did last year. Specifically, I was working on speed and form. Did not do as many straight swims as I did last year. I felt really good at the start, I actually felt like I was a FOPer. But then, it soon went away as we rounded the first buoy. Water got a little choppy and I kept getting hit in the inside line. I just kept my cool and just kept swimming. When I arrived at the finish of the swim, I looked at my watch and it said 40 mins. And I was like what the frick!!!. I was hoping to come in at 32-34 mins but whatever, just kept focusing on the next thing which was the bike.

Many RRs say to do more ows, well, captain obvious here is going to say the same thing. I need to do that more.

So the transition into the bike is a long run. I wanted to get it at 3 mins. Took the wetsuit off, put sunglasses on, put the helmet on, and then took off with the bike ONLY TO FORGET MY SHOES!. Frick, dropped the bike, and ran to get my shoes and put them on.

TO NOT BRAIN FART

So I was excited about the bike portion of this course. I put in a lot more miles on the bike than I did last year. I was hoping to come in on the bike course at 2:35 which would be about 21mph. I was doing well on the front half. I was avg 22.24 on the front half, and I was saving those legs for the back half. I see the first hill and I am fricken excited. I've been climbing a lot and I was exciting to attack it. I switched to the small crank and high cog and got off the saddle and started attack. I immediately notice that this is a lot harder than I remember. I looked down and noticed that my rear wheel was rubbing against the frame. I was thinking I could get off right now and try to fix it and run the risk of struggling to get on the bike on the uphill. Or I could just crank it out to the uphill. I didn't want to ruin the frame or wheel so I decided to get off. It took me 15 mins to fix it. I was flustered and frustrated that this happened. But I got back on the bike and decided I need to compensate for the 15 mins. I started cranking it as hard as I could and hoped for the best on the run. I was actually looking forward to the run or so I thought.

Take the bike to the shop before just to make sure it doesn't happen again.

When I took my feet out of my left bike shoe on the "unmount" line, my left shoe unclipped and I had to run back to pick it up and run with it in my hand with the bike on the other. Other than that, the zoot tts make it for a faster t2 time.

Practice..

I was planning to run a sub 1:40 but that it obviously didn't happen. I fell apart on the run. Literally a quarter of a mile into the run, both of my quads basically said "i hate you man, gimme sum down time SON!". I saw it twitching and it was rock hard. So I stopped, stretched and started massaging them. I took a gel and went my way. The first 6 miles were painful but manageable ( I saw Halfironmike and he looked fresh).. But I had planned to run slower on the first half and then fly on the 2nd half. When I started on the 2nd loop, I knew that my body wasn't having it. I got dizzy, my stomach was sloshing around and I could not go faster. I started stopping at aid stations taking sponges, water, gatorade and whatever to alleviate the pain. My cramps got worse. Legs were barely moving forward, but I made an effort to not walk, not that there is any shame for walking, but I personally did not want to walk. At mile 10, I hit the wall. I was just looking for aid stations and looking for a reason to stop. And then it happened; I started walking. My legs could not run. I tried as hard as I could but it wasn't happening. People kept cheering me on and I would get minor spurts here and there, but I couldn't go. At mile 12, I started hobbling, which turned into a gallop and then in a very very slow run to the finish line. I saw the girlfriend, gave her a hug and kiss and went to get some food.

avoid bike issues, watch my nutrion. I'm not sure what's causing all the cramping.

Grabbed tons of pizza, soda, talked to a few friends in the transition chute and enjoyed the fact that the race was over. I had to rush back home as I had a red eye flight to Boston with the gf to hang out for Spring Break. Sat in the plan for 5 hours. This is not a good idea if you have been moving around for 6 hours.


Bike issues and cramps.


My goal for this race was a sub 5:00, and I finished the race 4 minutes slower than I did last year. I had a poor swim, some bike issues and bad run. However I am glad that it happened. One of the great things about sports in general is how people deal with adversity. When faced with a problem, a difficulty, annoyance and trial, your true self is revealed. It's really easy to get frustrated, angry, flustered and completely unfocused. And finally, it's very easy to just give up knowing that your goal will not be accomplished. As I fixed my wheel and hopped back on the bike, all I could think about was "Frick, I'm not going to make my time, all the training was completely in vain. " And then I saw a gentleman in front of me biking with 1 leg. At that very moment, I realized what I've always known in my head but had easily forgotten because of the bike mishap which is ...adversity is a moment for growth. Was I going to let this small issue be a source of negativity for the rest of the race, or was it going to be an opportunity for me to learn and grow. I must confess that at moments it was the former, and the rest of the time was the latter. Given the circumstances, it was a good race. Although it does very much seem trivial that a bike mishap and cramps can be considered obstacles, but I learned a lot. People wonder why endurance sports are so dramatic and emotional; well, I'll give you atleast 1 reason, it's more than just a sport....