It's official

It is official, I'm a blogger...or something like that. It may take me some time to figure out this whole blogging thing out. So hang in there with me. My curiosity about blogging about my tri-life comes from spence and trizilla who I'm friends with off-line and well...spence basically set me up to start out in the land of blogs. So I'll give it a go and we will see where we end up. I've been racing for the past three seasons consistently. And for me, finishing is the sweetest part of the chaos. I'm not that speedy, but that's not what it's about. Anyway, my RR from my last tri this last weekend: Greenfield. Me and tri-zilla knocked this one out of the water.

This tri was my longest to date: 0.6 mile swim, 30.4 mile bike, and 7.2 mile run. The alarm went off freakishly early at 515...out of bed I jumped. Got myself ready, tried to eat what I could, and got everything loaded and hopped in the car. The race was up in Greenfield about 25 mins away. I met tri-zilla at a gas station on the way up to the race and we caravaned up. We got there at 645 or so...checked in, got body marked and found our spots for our bikes and set up our transition areas. OK...nervousness totally takes over. Slightly freaked out...ok more than slightly. I'm just hanging around in the transitions area and realize that the start of my heat is going to go off soon...guess I should scoot to the start line.

OK the swim start is a LOT further than I thought it was to the start line...I have to RUN to the start...jump into the water, forget to de-fog my goggles and off we go. We are swimming up stream in a river...not a very swift one, but still it's upstream. And then FINALLY I see the buoy to turn. By this point, i've been past by the super fast fishies from the wave behind me. OK passed, isn't the right term...how about swam over...legs grabbed...whatever you want to say. The down river jaunt seems much more like a washing machine as there are people on my right going up stream and I'm trying not to get swum over by other people. I don't have tinted goggles and now I'm looking INTO the sun. OHHH that's nice. (note to self, next time I need new goggles tinted isn't such a bad idea). I cannot see the end buoy where I have to turn and swim up stream again (only half the distance before...think 1.5 times around) finally there is the BIG orange buoy ahead. Round the bend...now fishies from the wave 4 mins behind me are passing me. Really the only thing I'm thinking is "don't drown". OK I'm out. Whew, I made it.

Into T1: Put the shoes on, helmet, grab bike, run out of the transition area and I'm on my way to 4 laps of 7.1 miles. My friend of mine from church called me earlier in the week and she wanted to know whether or not I was doing the sprint tri or the international tri and where she should be on the course as she was asked to volunteer. I told her that if she positioned herself correctly she would actually see me 5X...as the run was another loop of the bike (mostly). Anyway, about halfway point I see her and she's JUMPING up and down yelling "Go!!" And her friend started yelling for me too. After I saw her, I went through the part of the course that I'd consider so "quintessential New England"...we had to go through a covered bridge for this part of the course. Not exactly the greatest thing as it was narrow and dark(thankfully they put up lights)...and then we hit THE HILL. Fortunately this hill was short, but it was rough. They had spray painted "What would Lance Do?....GO!!" on the pavement. Entertaining, even for the fiveloops. At the top of the hill was my FAVORITE cheerleader. This older gentleman coached everyone up the hill and was just so encouraging. He was my favorite...although there was a guy on the back of the loop who waved a flag and rang bells as we went by.

So while I was on my 3rd loop...I was getting passed like I was picking my nose...yes...those people MUST be lapping me. Fortunately you don't get kicked out if you get lapped...so whatever. On my last lap, I'm on the hill for the last time in my bike loop there is a guy RUNNING who is either the race leader...or pretty darn close to the front and he is climbing the hill. I say "good job" he says "thanks...keep it up" I round the bend to the hard part of the hill. I'm going something like 6.8 miles and hour...the guy is GOING MY PACE!! UP that stupid hill...I don't think I can run that on flats, much less UP a stupidly steep hill. Crazy fast man! I finally finish my last bike loop and I'm into T2

I rack my bike and grab my running shoes and hat. Let me say the day was SOOOOOOOOOO nice, opposed to nasty hot humid weather we'd had all week, it was back to New England summer...it was low 80s not too humid...which was good. I passed a couple of people on the run and got passed a few times, but mostly it was pretty deserted by this point. There were some lonely miles where you just want to see a water station because there are people there. My stomach was sorta bothering me most of the run which was difficult...but I got through it. And finished right where I wanted to between 3.5 hours and 4 hours. I finished in 3 hours and 35 mintes. I got back to my stuff and packed it up and waited for tri-zilla. The reality of the race was it was small (only 169 people in the international race) and FAST. You really had to take the motto of the race to heart when things were tough: "to finish is to win"...because that was the truth. I think I reminded myself of that a few times on the run. I came home, showered and pretty much fell into my bed for the next 3 hours or so.

I thought it went pretty well considering that last monday I clued into the fact I was over-trained, and it was pretty ugly. Now that may sound like a good thing, but it's not. Many triathletes say it is better to be 10% under-trained for a race than 1% over-trained. When I googled "over-trianed and triathlete" I realized I had like 5 or 6 of the symptoms...didn't want to train, began to dislike triathlons, exhausted, low motivation (although that could be grad school related...isn't that fun), but the real kicker when you are over trained is that your ability to run or bike or whatever at "normal" speeds...suddenly starts to disappear. You start going slower with equal effort as before. Realizing I wasn't *that* over trained, as in I wasn't in a chronically over-trained state, I realized a few days completely off would hopefully right the situation before the weekend, or at least make it better. So...much to my mental chagrin, all I did monday-wed was some yoga. On thursday I did a light bike ride short and sweet and THAT was it before my race. I think it paid off in the end. I think I need to take better notes in my training diary is what I learned. But that comes with practice and time I guess. Now that I'm done with this first post we shall see how the land of blogging goes. Hmmmm, it shall be interesting.

happy tri-fun