One Tough Weekend; Chapter One

Chapter One:  The Iron Soldier Sprint Triathlon; Take Two!

Saturday was my second chance at the Iron Soldier Sprint Triathlon.  One year ago I participated in my first triathlon.  In late winter I was able to do another one while on extended vacation overseas.

They say that you're not really a triathlete until you've done at least two triathlons, so count me an expert.

Ex = has been       -pert = flippantly cocky and assured

Yes, we have matching triathlon socks.

I spent the last year working on my swimming, my weakest event.  In June, I was the swim leg for a Team Aquathlon event, and was feeling pretty good about pulling a time closer to 10 minutes in this year's tri.  But then the month of July hit me really hard.  First it hit me with a horrible summer cold and sinus infection.  Then it hit me with a near death 72 hour flu.  Then it hit me with a car.  Not really my month.

I struggled in August to get healthy, and in September to get back into shape.  I finally got my swim time back to a low 12 minute mark and signed up for the tri.  Standing by the empty pool on Saturday morning, and later in line with 300 other swimmers, was the first time I didn't feel complete panic before getting in the pool.  Not counting the time it took me to jump in the water, or climb out the other side, I finished in 12:02 exactly; only two seconds off my target time.  I may or may not have done a quick victory dance in the pool which is why my recorded time was 12:12.

This sight used to intimidate me and cause real anxiety attacks.  Now it just looks peaceful.

The T1 (Transition 1) was much easier this time with a solid pair of triathlon shorts to make things simpler.  3:01 between the swim and bike.

The bike event is something that I never thought twice about.  All I had to remember was to not stop for anything and not drop my water bottle this year.  I was successful at both.  15 miles in 43:56.  Sucked down two gels during the bike ride so I wouldn't bonk before finishing the run.  May or may not have been a good idea.

The T2 was so much easier this time without having to switch shorts.  I threw my helmet and gloves off, pulled on my tri shoes and visor (thanks Mom and Dad), and took off.  1:28 from bike to run.

My legs felt completely drained and wobbly when I took off out of the transition area, but I remembered reading an article that said everyone's legs are wobbly, just maintain what you feel is a less than miserable pace and even though you feel like you're running slowly, you're actually going quite fast because your legs are adjusting to the different cadence between cycling and running.  Sure enough, at the 1-mile marker my watch said 7:40.  I just kept cruising along, fought off some cramps and bubble guts from the gels and water, and then crossed the line at 23:19.  Two seconds faster than last year.  I'll take it.

1:23:56 total for my overall.  I was 56th overall (out of 265 that finished) and 6/36 in my age group.  Can't complain.  In fact, I feel like bragging a little.  But then I remember that I was 220th in the swim this year out of 268 swimmers.  Time to get back in the pool before we go to Hawaii for the marathon.  No shark is getting a piece of this guy.  I will literally punch every single shark in the face, and then swim away very fast.  Say no to sharks.  Say yes to more swim practice.  (and then say no to blogging while under the influence of too much coffee and m&ms)

I will brag a bit about Char, who finished second in her age group.  She received the first place medal after the girl before her won the overall trophy.  Not bad for someone that 5 years ago didn't run or bike. 

Aquathlete? Nevermind.

My hopes and dreams have been shattered.

Ok, maybe not.

The Fort Bliss Individual Aquathlon is this Friday, and I've been planning on participating for a while.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the pool for a few practice laps.  My hope was to relax and prepare for a more intense run/swim/run workout this morning.  The pool was completely packed with families and aquathlon hopefuls, so I was swimming in an adhoc lane at one edge of the pool.  There was a definite current pushing me towards the wall, and I was occasionally avoiding kids and parents jumping into the water (from a side in which they weren't supposed to be playing on).  At some point, I pulled a muscle buried deep in my left shoulder.  It hurt so bad by the time I walked home that I could barely lift a glass of water to my mouth.

Let's make matters worse.

Later, about midnight, I awoke not only to a throbbing shoulder, but a swollen throat and aches all over.

I'm sick.  Thank you Charla, love of my life.

So, Friday's adventure has been called off for me.  At first, I was frustrated and angry with myself for the last minute bungle in the pool, and my weak and pathetic immune system.  But, truly, I'm quite relieved now.

I've been worrying over this aquathlon for over a month now, but haven't really spent the proper time training for it.  Now I don't have to worry at all and can focus on my preparations for the fall triathlon.  Because, as everyone knows, that's where I'm going to get picked up for the WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) where I can run triathlons with world class professionals all while still serving my country.

Right?

Maybe I need to quit watching the Tour de France every day.  I'm starting to see myself in the peloton, riding next to Jens Voight, swapping crazy stories about past rides.  Yes, I am a nerd.

Well, at least I don't have to stress over an event that wasn't important to me, and was only going to serve as a sneak preview of the fall.  Instead, I can hop back on my bike and focus on the things that I enjoy.  Plus, now I'm free to take all sorts of pictures of Charla as she competes (now you can't back out, babe) so look for another post this weekend with all the gory details.

Aquaman

I'm an aquathlete!

Everyone knows that I'm not a strong swimmer.  I have struggled so much in the last year to improve my dismal performance in the triathlon last year.  This time a year ago, I couldn't even finish a 400m swim without stopping to breathe or switching to a sidestroke.

The decision to participate in the Fort Bliss Team Aquathlon was easy, but that was when I was pretty sure that I could find someone else to do the swim portion.

What's an aquathlon?  It's just like a duathlon, but with the bike portion replaced by a swim event.

What's a duathlon?  It's a relay or individual event consisting of a run event, bike event, and concluding with a final run event.

Any other questions?

Turns out, that even as bad as I am, I was the best choice for the swimmer on our team.  Great.  Really.

So, not even a full week after I finished the Death Ride Tour, I'm in the pool prepping for 400m of pure suffering.

Here's a sight that used to terrify me.

My first couple training sessions had me exhausted and not feeling at all confident about being able to complete all 400m without stopping for breaks.  It had been almost a month since I was in the pool and I wasn't sure if I could regain the confidence and ability I'd developed over the last six months in such a short amount of time.  At first I could only swim a single strong lap before heaving and choking along the side of the pool with a death grip on the edge.

Not a good sign at all.

My final training session in the pool changed all that.  I jumped in, started my stopwatch and took off for a warm up lap.  I was finally feeling very relaxed and took my time.  At the end, I checked my watch, 2:45, and realized that I was feeling quite strong.  I made the decision to keep going and see if I couldn't go ahead and finish up a 400m right then.  I ended up with a 12:26, a decent time for me, and knocked out a few more laps to round out a 1000m workout.

The morning of the Aquathlon arrived and I did my best to stay calm.

Warming up before the safety brief.

I waited near the transition area, watching for a sign of the lead runner coming in.  Our lead runner was admittedly out of shape and very slow, so there was no pressure to win anything or place anywhere near the top.  We were just competing against ourselves and to show our unit pride.  After 29 minutes he came stumbling into the transition area trying to unpin his bib.  We slapped hands and I trotted into the pool to begin.

Here comes the lead runner for our team.

Tagged, now time to swim.

I had expected the rush of cool water to cause me to seize up and panic.  Instead, I slid into the water, kicked off the wall and immediately relaxed into a steady stroke.

That is, until I swam headlong into someone going the wrong way.  I pushed around her, coughed a little, then kept on.

And swam into another person going the wrong way.

Ok, so you're supposed to swim in a serpentine pattern.  You swim to the end of the 50 meter lane, duck under the lane line, and come back down the opposite direction.  Do this eight times and you've swam 400 meters.

Halfway through my second length I ran into another swimmer going the wrong direction.  Now I was fighting mad, ready to pop the next one in the face, until I heard the lifeguard blowing on a whistle.  Someone was finally paying attention and getting these dangerous and incompetent knuckleheads moving in the right direction.

As I finished the second length, one race coordinator even tried to stop me to explain how to swim in the right direction, even though I was obviously not the one swimming badly.

I continued on, after a slow restart, and although I continued to get more tired and out of breath as I swam, I was able to keep plodding along.  I even passed another swimmer!  (this one was swimming in the right direction, just slowly)

Last fall, in the Iron Soldier Sprint Triathlon, I had trouble passing anyone slower than myself.  I couldn't maintain a steady freestyle stroke and had to switch to a sidestroke which was slower and more awkward when negotiating around other swimmers.

Slowly gaining, very slowly.

This time, when my hands brushed against feet, I just swam off to the left and kept my steady pace.

Past the halfway point.

When I hit the turn of the final lap, I was ready to start celebrating and almost did a quick fist pump before kicking off the wall to sprint (sort of) to the finish.  I could hear people screaming and was sure some of it was for me.

Just the final stretch to go.

When I hit the finish and climbed onto the steps to clap hands with the anchor runner, I can honestly say I had given it all I had.  My head was throbbing, I was dizzy, my chest heaving.  Much more and I would have been vomiting into the pool.

Just tagged the anchor runner, and trying not to throw up.

 Our team finished somewhere in the bottom half of all teams that day.  Together, we clocked in at 1:00:44.  Most importantly, we each faced a challenge that day to overcome and did our best to push ourselves past our limits.

The Cobra Strike Aquathlon Team

And that's what it's all really about anyways.

What's Next?

So, the Death Ride Tour is over. Now what?

I thought I would feel empty after the Death Ride. I thought I would have to start looking for challenges right away, to find something to work towards. I expected to find something missing in my life after devoting so much time to one event.

After all, I do have my masochistic tendencies to satisfy.  Not to mention, an innate desire to drive my wife, Charla, completely insane with my constant self abuse through rigorous and slightly psychotic training.

Then I remembered, there are so many other things that I’d already planned on doing. Now, I just have the added confidence and experience of the Death Ride to add to them.

So, as early as this week, I have the Fort Bliss Team Aquathlon. It’s actually a duathlon (with a 5k run, 400m swim, and 5k run), but they give it a funky name to be different. It’s a team event, with three members, each completing a different event consecutively as a relay team. Since there were no real swimmers in my group I volunteered and am spending the rest of the week in the pool to get ready. And I am not a strong swimmer, so we’ll just have to see how this goes.

In July there’s the Fort Bliss Individual Aquathlon. That’ll be my preview for the sprint triathlon later on.  Plus, it’s a great way to torture myself in the pool and prove just how much I do not float.  (hint, I sink straight to the bottom when I stop kicking)

Next, the Oryx Challenge Bike Ride in September. I rode it the last two years with my cycling mentor, Alanna, and hope to really crush it this year. Not looking for an amazing time, but I want to feel stronger and less exhausted at the end of the ride.  It would also help if we could avoid the destructive headwind (in both directions) of two years ago.

Then there’s the Iron Soldier Sprint Triathlon in late September. That was my first triathlon last fall. I felt pretty strong on both the bike and the run, but my swim was the third slowest time for everyone competing. It took me over 15 minutes to clear 400m and I was 222 out of 224 swimmers. Yeah, need to work on that.

Because I’m such a masochist, I also want to do the Chili Pepper Challenge this year. It’s the day after the triathlon. But I really want that jersey when I leave El Paso, and want to say I did the whole Challenge, all 100 miles of it.

Finally, for the fall at least, I want to ride the Tour de Tolerance with Char.  That was our first major ride together two years ago, and we’ve both come a long ways since then. 

Some of my biggest challenges will be less personal and more about sharing and patience. Charla has been running for a few years now, started cycling with me and will also be joining me for some of the events. But, my big task will be helping her prepare for her first marathon.

Yeah, you heard that one right. Char is going to run a marathon.  (that’s 26.2 miles for the uninitiated, please stop asking)

She told me a while back that she wanted to do a marathon before the end of the year. We started looking around at different marathons with a list of criteria. Which would be the most fun and entertaining to make up for the suffering and pain of running 26.2 miles? It would have to have amazing scenery (sorry DukeCity/Albuquerque, I can only run along the ditch and interstate for so long). It would have to be reasonably accessible and occur within certain windows that coincided with my ability to take time off from work (sorry Marine CorpsMarathon, DC, I just can’t make it this year). It would also have to make for a great vacation, so we could also enjoy time before and after the marathon in the area.

We finally have tentatively settled on the Maui Oceanfront Marathon. 

Just imagine 26.2 solid miles of Hawaiian coastline while you run. And the time you spend before and after the race? Awesome.

There’s prime whale watching, trails to hike, beaches, snorkeling, various excursions in the water and the Haleakala Volcano to cycle up. Yeah, don’t think I won’t try it.

So, there you have it.  My summer pretty much tied up into one long session of pain and misery while I prepare myself and Charla for the fall.  I suppose that at least I won’t be bored.