Triathlon Season 2007 Comes to an End

Amazing. This season began last year after Thanksgiving, and a little more than 11 months later, and it is time to reflect. One word, Bittersweet. As I lie on my bed with sore legs from yesterdays Half Iron in Conroe, TX and write this blog, I see people out the window running towards the park - My home for the past 330 days. I feel like I owe it to the 3 mile route around Memorial Park to make my easy 6 mile Monday appearance. Pavlov was right(a lil' shot out to Crazy Jane, M.D. who did her first half ironman yesterday), I am totally conditioned to training, but it runs deeper than that. As the sun gets lower, and begins to amber over the trees, I feel anxious, because my workout hasn't been done yet. There is a certain amount of withdrawal happening as seasons wind down. The daily escape, I call training is not there.

I woke up this morning, literally drank a pot of Kona Coffee, brought the dogs out like three times, cleaned my entire room (if you know me well, that is a task), checked my email, checked it again, went to John's house, went to lunch at Barnaby's with Chau

and the dogs, went to petsmart, brought the dogs out again, napped, sat as my mind wandered into fast moving circles searching for a purpose. So, I look back on these eleven months and realize throughout the withdrawal, anxiety, purposelessness, there is a huge grateful sense of absolute fortune. Life is Good.

2007 began in 2006 for me. Janda and I devised a plan, not only was I excited, I was thrilled to be working with him again after taking a year off. As I lifted and began to build a base in the "cool" Texas winter. My first race goal was set for Half Ironman California 70.3 on March 31, and it was a long, cool, and windy winter preparing for it. I tuned up with a 13th overall at the Houston Rodeo 10k, and was very happy. I have a distinct memory of doing a five hour ride on a Sunday morning last winter out in Katy, TX with John R, Gary Z, and Kurt G. It was 36 degrees and raining at the start and the sun had not popped up yet. I figured being a sailor, a coastie, and a GloucesterMan made me tough, I was wrong. I will never forget the looks on their faces as we hit head wind after head wind. We stopped at a gas station after a couple hours, I remember eating a strawberry pop-tart, fig newton, a powerbar, and a nestle chocolate milk. Haha, we also got grocery bags to put our wet feet in, thats when John told me he had an extra pair of foot covers in the car, thanks. Mornings like that will stay with you forever. It stayed with my legs in California.

After a successful 70.3, we transitioned into short course and aimed towards nationals in Oregon. A couple weeks before Nationals I took the overall at my first triathlon, Tejas Tri, then traveled north to Portland, OR and got humbled. After receiving a slot a few weeks later to ITU Worlds Short Course in Germany, the short course prep continued. I threw in another 70.3 in the middle, in Steelhead (Michigan), and had a stellar run. Work got in the way, and Germany became a missed opportunity and Long Course became the goal. Refurbished with excitement for long course training, I began to prepare for Longhorn Half Iron in Austin, TX and try for another three weeks later in Conroe at Iron Star. Longhorn was a success, and IronStar was good, but still a little fatiqued from Longhorn.

The wednesday before the race, the temperature dropped in tx, to the point where leggings and spandex were a must. Race morning was 48 degrees! Mind you Longhorn reached a heat index of 105 three weeks earlier. I was not ready for that.

After plunging into the choppy water, I realized it was not going to be an easy swim with poor sighting and choppy waters. I stopped a couple of times to clean my goggles and figure out where I was. I got out of the water at a lil over 28 minutes and was a bit shook up by the rockin and rollin, so my t-1 was longer than usual. Wetsuits are not easy to get off when you can't feel your toes. The cold air was beter than a cup of coffee when I got on my bike, but proved to keep me cool the majority of the windy and shaded ride. I spent alot of my summer traveling to the race site and doing long, hot, sweaty, painful rides in those hills. My legs were maybe still tired from longhorn, or they just would not warm up. I did not have an edge on the bike at all, and lost some time during the ride. I got off my bike at t-2 and 36 seconds later, I was running down the road. I really wanted to run to warm up, ha ha. I felt pretty good, but my legs felt heavy throughout. Nevetheless, I ended up with the fastes run of the day with a 1:22, on a decievingly (not flat) run course. I was happy, but I was sore. I didn't feel like I had my edge about me, but I left alot in Austin 3 weeks pior. I finished up with a 4:30:19, and in 4th place overall, 2nd amamteur and I won my age group. As I milled about the finishers area, I realized my season was done.

A huge kudos to my partner in crime, Chris Sustala(see below). Realizing that his (not yet arrived) twins are soon going to be occupying most of his training time, he laid it all out at Iron Star. With a 25 minute swim! 2:30 bike, and nailed the run of his season at 1:31 to finish with a PR of 4:33. Awesome job!

The races are the culmination of all the miles in between, but lets not forget that the volume of miles leading up to performing are where the majority of the memories are kept. Those memories literally make up our lives. If your training 20-25 hours a week with a full time job, there is not much more time for anything else, especially if you own a two year old yellow lab. I would be lying if I said I don't do this for the races, because I love competing, but I also love training. Waking up at 0500 on a Saturday in August, when it is still 90 degrees to go hit up the hills for four hours, or running late at work and having to get your 8 mile tempO run in at 1130 at night, or swimming in a cold pool. These are the internal things that make us stronger, but the people we share these moments with, make us better and deeply bonded. Earthlings don't understand why we live this way, and thats fair, because I don't know how they live the way they do.

Speaking of Aliens - - - - What planet is this from?

The planet of no fashin police, or Lousiana ?

Someone turned the oven off!!!

I have woken up all week to a cool morning, enjoying my coffee in the front yard with the dogs basking in the fall weather. Houston does not offer much for a fall, but this week is glorious. More to come later on my last race - iron star prep.

Longhorn Tri - Recap

They even had cows at the finish!! (Sorry "Longhorns")

The Longhorn Triathlon Festival was a good time. We rolled into Austin on Friday afternoon, and hit the expo. I was wearing my Buffalo Springs 70.3 Race t-shirt from 2006, and Mike Greer(Race Director) thanked me and gave me the finisher shirt from the 07’ race. I’m not sure if I can wear it, I didn’t do the race this year, but maybe b/c the RD gave it to me, I can. It’s a cool shirt. We picked up our packets with the free rice a roni, and headed to feed the belly. After dinner, I camped out on Jason’s Mom’s floor until reveille at 0430, and I slept like a puppy. Thank you Jason and your Mom.

Saturday Morning was the Olympic Distance and the Sprint Race. I was excited to be a spectator, because I have never watched a triathlon before. It was weird being on the sideline, and I wanted to race bad, but it was also fun to watch my friend’s race. Trent “The Intimidator” Stephens had a great race with a 2nd Overall at the sprint. Kelly Carrington and Chris Sustala, battled the tough Olympic distance, and finished with great times and overall places. The rest of the day was good, but it was tough being on my legs in the sun all day, and I really wanted to take a nap. That never happened. Then I got bit by a fire ant on my left foot right where the collar of my shoe sits, I was pissed, as it swelled up. Finally I got a shower in, and headed to Macaroni Grill and ate 5 loaves of bread, and a bowl of pasta. It was fantastic. But, I felt really tired, and almost nervous that I hadn’t rested enough the day before the race. I barely made it into bed before passing out at 930.

I did not want to wake up the day of the race, I was sleepy. Thank god Lisa dragged me out of bed. Out the door, gas station for gatorade and coffee, and we were there. As we arrive, the race site was bustling. People everywhere, dogs all over the place, they really did a great job on the venue. Running around getting finding sun block before the start was a memory i have. Thank god i found some, because the sun definately came out.

Im the one on the top left, who looks like hes wasting alot of energy trying to fly out of the water

As I waded in the 85 degree water, without a wetsuit, i felt like i was harry potter being pulled down to the bottom of the lake by savage plants, the hydrilla was crazy. It was truly nasty, but the hydrilla faded away after the first buoy. The swim felt long, and there were alot of people in the water, seeing that i was in the 5th wave. The concessus was that, the swim was long. I got out of the water a hair over 29 minutes, and ran up the hill to transition. That hill was such a slap in the face.

T1-I was in and out, and on the course. Immediatly, I felt good on the bike. I knew it was a long, hilly ride(57miles), so I paced myself ringing in 10 mile markers every 24-25 minutes feeling good. I was so excited, because I thought I was going to ride a sub 2:30 bike split, but the last five miles were up hill, and it didn't happen. It was a great bike course, with a single loop. I injested 6 gels, and my stomach was doing good. Climbing the last hill into transition, I was thoroughly sick of riding, and ready to run. I dismounted a lil' over 2:33, and was happy. I came into T2 in 60th place! I was so happy with my bike split I forgot I had to run a half marathon. I was the only bike on the rack!



Then, the race began. The sun came out around mile 50 on the bike, and it really started to cook. This became the hardest run I have ever done. The two loop run course was made up of hills, hills, and more hills, not to mention no shade. It was a 5k on the road, then a 5k on a dry trail, then do it again. There was no way to get a rythm, it was pretty torturous. I thought I would easily break 4:30, which was my goal, but I faded as the run went on, and could not keep a pace going up the last grassy hill, which was more like stadium steps. As I rounded the turn into the uphill finishing shoot, I heard Adam from Jack and Adam's in Austin announce, 15th across the line! It didn't really sink in, because I wanted it to be over so bad, but I had started twenty minutes back.

And, I was done. Absolutely done, so went straight to the medical tent. As I hobbled to the tent, Phillip(Owner and Operator of Sugar Cycles) grabbed my wrist, looked at my watch, and said,"U went 4:34?", I looked down, and said, "No, probably 4:33", Phillip then told me, "The winner went 4:30!" I was exstatic, but truly delerious, and couldn't talk.

I ended up running a hair over 1:27 on that brutal course, and was okay with that. It was the second fastes run of the day, so Ill take it, and a total time of 4:33 and change. I got Second Place Overall, and 1st Place Amateur. At the awards ceremony, they pointed out that I was not a Pro. I smiled.

A big thanks to Phillip from Sugar for helping us all out this weekend. And my coach, Janda, thank you for all you do to get me stronger and more confident in this never ending endeavor, triathlon.

Austin bound, and other thoughts...

time to go to austin and get ready for the longhorn triathlon festival, especially the half ironman on sunday. i am excited for the weekend and the race. many houstonian tri-freaks will be enroute to the city of rock n' roll and hippies today. with the olympic and sprint distances tommorow, followed by the UT V. OU game and post race party, i can't wait to actually watch a triathlon and relax for a day!!

then, ill probably eat an entire pizza and get ready for sunday.

i was really sore in the beginning of the week from cinco, but i feel loose and rested now. the course is a hilly one, and there should be some great competition(especially being in austin), so it should be good.

recently in outside magazine, eight time world champion surfer, Kelly Slater said this regarding an all-encompassing life obsessed with competition,

"Being in that competitive head-space for so long - it can kind of take you away. If you get too consumed by it, you don't always care about people the way you should. It's kind of ironic, that what's driving you can also be the thing you need to heal"...

that pretty much describes most triathletes, especially ones (most of us) that this has become our lives. there is something easy about masticistically running yourself to the ground during a race, because its easier then dealing with ourselves. physical pain is almost freedom from a wandering mental race. im not a total nut job, but i'd rather spend 25 hours a week, figuratively and literally, running from things than putting my asics on the shelf and sitting with myself.

im not sure if this was dark or inciteful, but either way i believe most serious athletes can relate. if you think im crazy, take a couple days off from your regime, and see how life is without your training plan (or coping method). for me, ill choose the former, and lace up for another day. fueled by hammer gel, gatorade, powerbar, and something that can not be bought at vitamin world.

good luck to all the racers this weekend.