So, I've been working out a little...but mostly just enjoying a physical and mental break. I've been fishing, drinking, went the Indy 500, drinking, bbq'd, drinking, out on the boat, drinking, catching up on some sleep...oh yeah, and had some beers too :)
I really think that it is super healthy to get away from Tri/Endurance sports a few times a year. It keeps you fresh both in body and mind. If done right, it helps keep your motivation high as the workouts get longer and tougher!
BUT.....you have to keep your expectations in check when you get back at it!
I raced in Leon's Triathlon yesterday in Hammond, IN. It is the self proclaimed "Fastest Triathlon in the World." I have to admit, I had a blast. I had no real expectations coming in because I knew I was still recovering (physically and mentally) from the Marathon. Not to mention the 4 cases of beer I drank in the last 4 weeks :) Well, maybe not that much beer...
Straight to the point...I suffered like a dog out there. I was a good 10 minutes slower than what I "could" have done if I was rested and trained for this one. But why? I set out to SMASH myself, like Chrissie Wellington said to do a few weeks ago at a talk at Runner's High and Tri.
My swim was great actually! A PR by about a minute. It was weird...for the first 2/3 of the swim, I was swimming "alone" and couldn't figure out why....but then I did....I was actually leading a pack of faster swimmers on MY feet. Now, there were several uber swimmers ahead of me...but I was really excited as I caught some adrenaline when I looked back with a few hundred meters to go. I even pulled us up to the next group ahead of me. I was in the Elite wave, so this was no joke. This was the first time I've led a good group of swimmers and it felt good to have people drafting off me for once! I posted a while back that when I started...I couldn't even swim to the other side of the 25yd pool! I will always remember the swim at Leon's.
Unfortunately, that is where my race fell off the tracks. I had trouble getting out of my wetsuit. T1 was way longer than it should have been. I felt "off" from the first pedal on the bike. By mile 5, I was counting the minutes until I could get off the damn thing. By mile 10, I kinda wanted to throw up...and it NEVER went away!
I rolled in much slower than anticipated, and had a really nice T2. Very quick this time. However, about 1/4 mile into the run, I really felt like WALKING. My body was revolting, I was hot, my legs were starting to cramp a little...I really just wanted to be done. But, I set out to SMASH myself so I figured that didn't include walking.
Fast forward to the finish....my run pace was SLOWER than my marathon pace, not good. It was only 6 miles. However, I was delirious when I finished...it took a good 15 minutes to get my heart back to normal...it was racing like crazy. I accomplished my goal...work hard, no regrets. While the place and finishing time were way off my potential, I did the best I could on this day.
Me HURTING at the finish line....pretty sure my eyes were closed.
So it goes back to setting proper expectations. Was I disappointed? Kinda...but not really. I had a great day with Ana, Jen, Matt, and Ron. It was so fun to see them out there racing their hearts out...and have Ana cheering us on. Sounds like a pretty damn good day to me.
So what's next? I'm HIGHLY motivated to redeem myself at Pleasant Prairie in a few weeks. Same distance....time to get those 10 minutes back!
Oh yeah, Leon....GREAT race. Loved it. I'm not sure if it really is the "Fastest Triathlon in the World." But I'm pretty sure that the real "fastest" triathlon doesn't have a U Turn every 2.5 miles on the bike course. I'm just sayin.... :)
Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results
