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The Post-Race That Changed Me

Saturday, I cut a few more notches in my belt.  It was a bittersweet day that, in many ways, changed who I am as a person.151009_4342436591699_941279087_n

Rebekah and I met Roger at the start line around 7:30 to shiver and discuss strategy for our 12K run.  It was the first annual 12k Winter Warm Up and I knew it would be a little hilly, but it proved to be a beast.

12k turns out to be about 7.2 miles and would be the longest run I’d done in a while.  I was coming off a nice 4-Mile race on Thanksgiving and decided to set my goal pace at 7:46m, which is my buddy Jim’s goal next week for the Huntsville Marathon.  If he can do that for 26 miles, I can do it for 7.2!  The competition bubbles.

There was also a 6k and the 12k was two loops.  I’m not a huge fan of that set up, but it turned out to be kinda cool because we kept running by each other.  I had mentally set a goal of 31:00 for the first 4 miles because I did that distance in 28:51 the week before.  It seemed manageable and would put me in good position for the last 3.2.

Talking about these paces is a little surreal to me.  In March, I was literally unsure if I could “finish” a 5k, let alone bust one at sub 8 after already running 4 miles.  But, it’s a testament to what we can do if we stick with something.

Anyway, the course was filled with rolling hills and descents, but not much in terms of flat.  I’ve actually come to love hills, though and feel like training with East Nasties has given me an advantage.  In fact, there was a solid line of people I train with busting down the other side of the road ahead of me all day long.

To make a long and boring story short, I took first in my age group with a time of 56:39.  Thing was, I thought there was no way I’d come close after running the first bastard of a loop.  What’s kinda crazy cool is that I ran my first 5k in March at a 9:10 pace and it was a flat course.  Yesterday my pace was 7:51 on a tough 12k track.

But that’s good news.

As we were walking back to our cars, Rebekah suddenly tripped and fell straight to the pavement.  It was so quick she was already picking herself up before I realized what happened.  Halfway up, I heard her say, “My tooth,” as she reached out to pick a white spec off the sidewalk.  I was paralyzed.

She stood up and looked at me with a swollen and bloody lip . . . and sure enough, half of her front tooth was gone.  I felt an incredible surge of compassion wash through my body.  I leaned in, hugged her and said everything would be okay.  Her pain was mine and I felt the horror that had to be racing through her mind.  The flukiest of accidents had changed the entire tone of the day.  The race was gone.  The afternoon was gone.  The smiles were gone.

I gathered myself, put my arm around her and we staggered to the car.  I reassured her it would be okay, but had no idea what to do next.  Then, in the most calming of tones, she spoke through her bloody hand, “Well, good thing my dad is a dentist.”

I was so proud of the way she handled her fate.  Roger gracefully followed as we drove to her parents and knocked on the door.  An unsuspecting mother opened the door to see her little girl in pain and it brought a tear to my eye.  We explained what happened and her father calmly assured her everything would be just fine.

“Honey, this is what I do, I will take care of you.”

She laid back on the couch with ice on her lip and I knelt by her side wiping the moisture from her cheek.  It’s the unknown that scares us and there was enough to last me a lifetime.

I took her car and waited in agony for some news.  Would he be able to save it?  Would she need a new tooth?  Was a dentist’s daughter ready to face the world with a cracked smile?  I felt helpless, but the flood of compassion kept rushing through my veins.  In the face of her pain I literally felt my ego dripping away.

Two hours later I got a text message with a picture of her pretty smile restored in between big swollen lips.  It was one of the greater senses of relief I’ve had in years.  I could feel my body relax, a true, deep, and sincere calm.  Hearing her upbeat voice helped even more.

The power of emotions is undeniable and I feel like the last year of training has unearthed many buried feelings.  Saturday was another roller coaster that started on top, sank to the bottom, but set the tone for another magnificent climb to greater heights.

I didn’t swim, bike, or run on Sunday, but a renewed energy had me bouncing off the walls.  I wanted to be with friends.  Help people.  Listen, love, and learn.  I felt a sense of gratitude to be surrounded by so many amazing people and training for an unimaginable quest like Ironman with four other great guys and an inspirational coach.

It may be fleeting, but for now I have an increased sense of the moment.  I’m excited and grateful for each training session that lies ahead.  I’m optimistic that I will continue to improve and reach internal and external goals that have been patiently waiting for me.  It’s all about enjoying the process and putting in the work.  And considering the overall winner in that 12k beat me by 20+ minutes, I certainly have room for improvement.

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Somedays Ironman Gets In Your Head

Yesterday, I ran a 12k.  Today, I slept in before riding my bike a mile up the road to the local pub for lunch and a couple beers.  Riding 111 more miles seemed like a daunting task at that moment.  #IronmanWisconsin

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Coach Throws a Bash

Last night, our coach, Robbie Bruce, and X3 Endurance put together a little shindig at the former CAO headquarters in Nashville.  These triathlete cats are swank!  556824_4571217410459_2017126219_n

Free beer, food, wine, and damn near anything else you may want from a health conscious workout crew, including samples of Huma, which is a Nashville based energy gel patterned after the Tarahumara diet.  There were several endurance big wigs in attendance, including Nashville Running Company’s, Lee Wilson and his staff. LeeMarkX3 had big white sheets of paper on the walls with 2013 races across the top, which the athletes all signed if they were planning to knock it out.  The Fab Five all checked in under the Ironman heading and took a team picture by the fire pit.  FabFivex3

The triathlete contingent in Nashville seems to be alive and well and I look forward to pounding some open water swims in February!
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Tomorrow,  I will be taking my talents to South 12th Street for the 12 South Winter Warm up 12K.  Lots of 12’s in that sentence!  I told Jim, who is above with the flowing silver mop, I am shooting for his Huntsville Marathon pace goal of 7:46.  We’ll keep you posted on that one.  After the run, there is a big time beer festival, which I am evidently partaking in, that starts at 11:00.  Wish me luck on both accounts!

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Caffeine and Training

Sometimes I feel like a real jackass writing about Ironman training.  I mean, who am I to figure like I know stuff?

But then, I start to rationalize . . . “Hey, maybe I do know stuff.”  Well, at least I know what’s going on in my own mind and body.  That counts for something, right?

Today, what’s going on in my mind and body is a little more stillness than usual.  Last night I ran with the East Nasty crew, then had pizza, a salad, and a Schlitz tallboy before heading home to bed at 10.  When I woke up, I felt rested for the first time in weeks.  Sleep matters.

Monday through yesterday afternoon of this week I was on edge.  I wasn’t sure why, but love to speculate about my health.  This morning it came to me.  I haven’t had caffeine for the last two days.

This is a sticky subject with me.  I have a natural lean toward having a buzz and being a tad compulsive about it.  During my college years it was beer.  For hangovers I drank water.

I used to give my buddies a lot of shit for slamming down soda (we called it pop).  I never drank coffee, either, unless it was to be cool on all night exam crams.  But a few years after college, I started a business and became a Mountain Dew whore.

I pounded yellow juice all day long and was typically short tempered, though I knew that wasn’t acting like “me.” I never openly associated my crankiness and lethargy to the drug.  In Alcoholics Anonymous they say that “Alcohol is cunning and baffling,” but now I’m starting to think the same can be said for caffeine (or any addictive substance).

Of course, this isn’t for everyone to hear.  I have a tendency to overdo things.  Like pound not one, but two large coffees in search for that edge.  I’m not even sure if I’ll stop or not, but have decided to turn that one over to a higher power.

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Inspiring Quotes from People I Follow

I’m following more and more swimmers, bikers, and runners every day.  Each of them say things that make me think, create discovery, and inspire.  Here are a few of the latest with links to their blogs.

This from a couple of guys from Budapest who decided to quit their jobs and go on the ultimate cycling adventure.  This is an excerpt from their latest ride in France that highlights the random hospitality I often hear shared by endurance travelers:

We had a first great surprise at sunset : a motorcyclist started riding with us and chatting on the road. He was also a keen cyclist and traveller, and asked us few questions about our project. After few minutes chatting with Nico (Yves was ahead), he hit the accelerator and left us. But then, at the next traffic light, he was there, waiting for us. “Where do you stay tonight”, he says. “We don’t know!”. “Ok, come to my place if you want. It’s up in the hills -a place called Eze, I have some wine, bread and saucisson. We can have dinner à la bonne franquette’”. “Sure, excellent. Let’s go!”. – Cycling Further

It just makes me want to hit the road and see what’s out there in the world.

One of the greatest things about reading other people’s training blogs are the constant reminders that help us learn how we can be better triathletes.  Iowa Tri Bob has helped remind me that technique in the water is not honed by laps alone:

“As I’ve focused more on technique and drills I’ve become much more efficient in the water.  I love watching swim techniques on YouTube or on the blogs I come across and I’ve come to really love the drills in swimming.”

Read more about the his favorite drills and techniques here — Iowa Tri Bob

I think one of the biggest questions triathletes ask themselves is, “Why?”  Why do we put ourselves through all of this?  I found an interesting analogy about life, fulfillment, and self-worth in the breakdown of a scene from Rocky at Tri Fatherhood.

“I wondered why Rocky didn’t have confidence in himself. But now I’ve come to understand that winning in life is relative. Winning wasn’t what Rocky needed. He just needed a chance. He needed a chance to stand up after being knocked down. Again and again. He needed a chance to still be there when the bell rang. Just the chance was enough. And survival.”

And here’s another from a woman who loves swimming more than southerners like corn cakes and hones her passion in open water.  She offers these tips for swimming in the sea.  I was especially intrigued by her “kelp” insight:

  • Learn to love your wetsuit – it is your anti drowning, warm, speedy friend.
  • Do not put Vaseline on your hands then touch your goggles
  • Put anti chafe on your neck and other hot spots – chafe is not your friend and you will scream in the shower.
  • Sharks don’t like kelp so you are safe in there but it is scary so head up and motor it
  • Sight! If you don’t, you can end up in the middle of nowhere
  • Swim with a buddy and be aware if in the sea – conditions can change quickly.
  • Have fun and don’t fight the water (or people in the water).
  • And for the ladies, stay away from guys in the water, they are notoriously bad sighters and will swim right over you in all directions (sorry boys).

There is tons of good stuff out there and I’m excited to be connected to fellow swimmers, bikers, and runners on my quest for Ironman Wisconsin.

 

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Winning Your Race

The story of my early life was team sports.  I was lucky to have a neighborhood full of kids who wanted to play football, basketball, baseball, whiffle ball, and even backyard hockey.  We made it happen, and after school or weekends weren’t complete unless we spent countless hours on some kind of imaginary field or court.  I think this background may be one of the reasons I’m so energized for triathlons.

There had been a long void in my life after I hung up the baseball glove, hockey skates, and lacrosse stick. I did play competitive softball for several summers after college, but that ended 10 years ago. Now, it’s multi-sport endurance, and I’m trying to figure out how thinking like a team-sport-athlete can help.

Exposure to competition is the first thing that comes to mind.  I have ranted many times about how running and/or triathlons are, for most athletes, personal competitions.  Quests for better time, performance, or post-race feeling.  But there is a deep-seeded competitor inside me who wants to win and I’m doing my best to channel that energy in a constructive way.  Learning to win is best done by winning, and winning in this case can be however we define it.  Celebrate and remember what it took to get that time or that feeling.  Then repeat.

Finishing the game is another advantage a competitive history brings.  Not all games start well, and it’s surely the same for athletes that tackle Ironman.  I heard John Calapari say something to his thoroughbreds at practice one day, and I think this sums up what I’m talking about.

He said something like, “You have to play defense here.  And I don’t even care if you get beat, but don’t give up on the play.”   He was referring to a play in the national championship when one of his players got beat on a backdoor play, but the kid (I think it was Michael Kidd Gilchrist) turned and hustled to block the shot, which kept them close enough to eventually win the game.

That play was about digging for something deeper.  Realizing the situation didn’t look good, but finding the will to win, or set a new PR, or simply finish the race.

Pre-game preparation is also a major factor (although I constantly forget or ignore this lesson).  A couple weeks ago, I ran about 4 miles with Jim and he was 3.5 miles in before we met.  His pace
was stellar when I saw him and I didn’t want to slow him down.  Mistake.  We went right to a trail at
sub-9 minute pace (which seemed faster) and hit the road a mile later at sub 8.  I never felt quite
loose and I really have to remember that I am a second half player.  Negative splits win the race.

I’ve been forcing myself to warm up slow, find a groove, and be fast to the finish.  I know this, but have to remind myself every time until it is habit.

Learning how to win is about setting attainable goals and hitting them.  Digging deep when things aren’t going well by trusting that you have more inside.  And preparing with purpose.  Winning is a state of mind and perpetuates more victories in training, life, and your next race.

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Flying Monkey Marathon More Pictures

Here are some more pics from the Flying Monkey Marathon in Nashville.  My apologies for shooting the “slow clock” in some of these shots.  Feel free to follow my blog for more pictures and insight on the road to Ironman Wisconsin.

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Ironman Louisville Pictures

If you know anyone who did Ironman Louisville, here are a couple dozen of the hundreds of pics I took.  These bike shots are sure to bring back good memories for Robbie and Kevin.  I’ll post more as we go:

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Ironman Wisconsin Training Video

Here’s the first in a series of Ironman Wisconsin training video from members of the “Fab Five.”  Jim kicks it off with a reflection on the excitement “just signing up” for an Ironman can bring.

It should be noted that Jim is the only Fab Five member in this video.  I shot it while he was doing tempo runs with another group in preparation for the Huntsville Marathon.