Saturday, March 19, 2005

What am I doing to myself?

Well my body just wasn't feeling right after being up for so many hours, then training so hard while up and then the two seven hour sleeps I took in twenty hours. By yesterday, Friday, I was still a bit loopy. Maybe thats why I did what I am doing.

I posted yesterday that a schedule change allowed me to go watch a local triathlon that at one time I had thought about doing. Heh, heh, heh, well if you have followed any of my previous posts, I am impulsive. I decided, after a call with my wife, at 10 o'clock Friday morning, to enter the Scottsdale Triathlon, which is Sunday at 7:45 am. Not a lot of heads up. But Mistress Carol is ever the encouraging wife and supportive of my fitness dreams.

I remind all of you this will be my first official triathlon. My wife did triathlons for years and I trained with her. I would actually do tricks with her, (all three events back, to back, to back, you sickos) and I went to every race. I have done health club tri's jumping from pool to stationary bike to treadmill. Life just always got in the way of entering one and it didn't bother me. I knew that this year was going to be the year...

One little, bitty, tiny snag. Even though its only a 300 yard swim, its not really something I do all at once in the pool. I am more the get in thirty minutes of laps with 10-15 seconds inbetween 50's or 75's. I didn't even know if I could pull 300 yards all at once. Well 8 minutes later I knew that with my last sucking breath and some breast strokes I could at least manage the distance without water wings.

Oh and one other thing, even though its only a 12 mile bike ride on city streets, I got rid of my Softride Roadwing last year and had not replaced it yet. I thought about how I can do the course on my 2005 mountain bike, named Black Bart, knobby tires and all, in around an hour. A 35 pound, full suspension mountain bike only goes so fast for so long.

And while I felt confident that I could swim in running shorts, to bike and run in wet shorts reminded me of oh too many times of chaffing. So I needed bike shorts. The last pair were respectfully discarded after years of service.

So I went to the best local Triathlon shop in the Valley, Tribe Multisport, and Kevin the owner hooked me up. I picked up a new pair of Pearl Izumi tri-shorts and he gave me a road bike for the race for free. What a guy! So bike problem is solved and with a carbon fiber rocket between my legs I would think I could hammer around 20 mph. That makes up hopefully fifteen minutes and have fresher legs for the 5k run.

As it stands this is the shortest sprint I have seen listed all year. Its also the most surprising, unprepared and undertrained I have ever been for any race. I was projecting an off-road tri in late April as my first this year. This now makes three races in three weekends; 8k, 1/2 marathon and now sprint tri.

After a dismal 2004 of entering only three races, 26.2, 5k, 10k, and spending six months in rehab, I have had a plan for 2005. My goal this year has been to run short courses with no lofty goals (i.e. no marathons or 1/2 IM with seige like training and recovery) I wanted to train hard, hit some choice races and not worry about recovery. The races would have a smaller impact on my overall hard training as opposed to trainng for one specific event. I just didn't think I would be racing so soon, I'm stil in my base phase.

Race #1, the 8k, was done on eight weeks training after 26 weeks rehab. The 1/2 marathon one week later and now this. I have put in only two hours of swimming in 2005 and 30 miles of mountain biking. Do I sound prepared for this?

What I do have on my side is perservance, atittude and heart. I won't quite. With my last gasping breath behind me I will drag myself 300 yards. With an exhausted cardiovascular system, on a bike I have never ridden, wearing new shorts for the first time, I will bike 12 miles; then on heavy, cramping legs I will stagger through T2 and run a 5k, the only thing I absolutely know I can do without drowning or crashing.

What I have missed most in the last few years is the complete abandonment of reason, to do any race I want to do. No ultimate challenge, no peak to look up at and scream, "On this date I will kick your ass!" I am doing this because it feels good to challenge my fitness, to dig deep and see what I am made of. Once a long time ago I was in a race and I was dragging. A guy I respected was on the side of the course and as I ran by he whispered five words, "Do you have the heart?", he said. Even though I barely heard them on that day, ever since then they hammer into my head like thunder whenever I am faced with physical challenge.

I have the heart of five men to finish this triathlon. Let's just hope it dosen't take six to finish it. .. then I'd have to kill someone and I never do that before high noon.

3 Comments:

At 7:56 AM, Blogger Tracy said...

This is awesome!!! Good for you! You'll kick butt at this new tri.

I always have to "scare" myself into stuff like this - when you feel that "holy crap, what did I just commit to doing???" feeling, then you know you're just scared enough to pull it off.

And how the heck did you manage a free bike? There's a good omen right there!

Tip for swimming - it's just like running (well, minus the whole being in water thing...). Get your breathing in line with your stroke and you're set. Find your rhythm.

You're going to do great!

 
At 10:48 AM, Blogger White Salamander said...

Good luck amigo. I might make it down to watch tomorrow.

I am just the opposite of you, I am sure I can do the swim no problem but its the run that scares me.

Anyway, good going and best of luck.

 
At 6:48 PM, Blogger :) said...

Wow, I am doing my first sprint in May... I am VERY interested how it goes...make sure you post all of the details. Good luck and I am sure you will do fine!

Flatman

 

Post a Comment

<< Home