Why You Should Write Race Reports.

The other day I went back and looked for what was my first triathlon race. People are always asking me how long have I been racing and doing triathlons, and I usually just have to give an estimated guess, but now, I can tell you exactly when I first started this journey.

Feb 25, 2008, just over 8 years ago, I did my first indoor triathlon. It consisted of a 500 yd pool swim, an 8 mile stationary bike and a 2 mile treadmill run. The reason I know this is because I created a race report for this race. It was pretty interesting and a little bit comical going back and reading my report.

To bad we did not have spell check back then!

So my assessment of this first ever triathlon was that the water was a little choppy. A pool swim was choppy. See how I complained about the water being dirty??  LOL  I had no idea what I was in for as you can tell from the next race I did. My first Olympic and first open water swim!

I can vividly remember that race and thinking my race was over before it started. I also remember thinking "why am I doing this? This is nuts!" At that moment in the water, I thought my triathlon career was over!

And I can pretty much go back and review every race I have ever done. It is a feature on the website Beginnertriathlete.com. This website has really helped me in just about every phase of my triathlon journey, from training questions to racing, so if you are looking for a good site on triathlons, you should check it out.

Other comments in other races speak of how proud I was that I did not float on my back for any of the swim. It was also cool to see the comments people left that read my report. All in all it is a good look back at this journey I have been on for 8 years.

I have race reports form setting PR's and feeling great and I have reports from my 1st ever DNF at Ironman Branson 70.3 (which still stings). I remember everything about that race, and the frustration I had in not finishing, but then I also got to read about the joy I had from coming back and getting my redemption on that course!

A race report can help you remember little things about a course you might not find on a race website, and it will also not only help you, but it can help another fellow racer competing in that race for the first time. So I would urge you to blog, journal or whatever about your races. You see, sometimes a blog is not really about writing stuff that everyone will like, it is often about talking to myself. Cause if you learn nothing else from me, remember this:

Opps, I Did It Again...

I have a race in 4 days, a sprint triathlon and I am not trained for it. This is starting to become a habit for me and it's a bummer. Things were going well on the whole training aspect until we moved, then it broke up a little bit and now I am here with a nasty head cold that leaves me only wanting to go to bed. I am suppose to be jumping in a lake in an hour to get in an open water swim, but I am not sure that being sick and jumping into a 65 degree lake is the smartest thing to do!

So I know I am not trained for this race, but the odd thing is this. I still feel like I can go out and hit a 1:25 for the sprint. A 580 yard swim should be around 10-11 minutes, a 13 mile ride conservatively should be 45 minutes (that's based on my trainer rides) and a 3 mile run, even giving myself 30 minutes, this all equals a 1:25 minus transition times. IS that so far fetched??  I'm not sure honestly.

Like I have said, I have not done this distance in a really long time. It should be fun. Yes, It should be fun, and I am sure I am going to get smoked because there are always really fast people at this race, but I could careless (yeah, I know, it means I still care by caring less, blah, blah, blah) This race is about me (and my wife and my friends doing their first triathlon). SO whether I smoke it it sludge through it, I am gonna have fun.

***Side note*** I have found the perfect weight loss plan for me. It 's called "Not eating on the new white sofa" plan. Seriously, since we got the new couch (see previous post) we have rules about eating on it. And apparently I am too lazy to get up and stand in the kitchen to eat a snack vs. taking it back to the couch to eat that I choose not to eat anything at all! I am down to 191 lbs! (And it ain't from training either) Maybe all these experts are right about diet!

MY 1st DNS

Saturday I was registered to run the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon in Forest City, AR. This is a really great race and one thing that sets it apart from other races around here is that it is a point to point race. Meaning that you swim to the bike, you ride the bike to the next transition and then finish, so you never come back to the same transition area.

So fees were paid and plans were made. In all honesty, I was not as prepared for the race as I should have been, but I was still anxious to see how I would do. This was going to be my 1st race since Redman 140.6, so I was intrigued. My bride also had signed up since she was coming off her first ever sprint triathlon in May. We were both looking forward to racing on July 19, 2014.

But we forgot one thing...

If you read Daily Trainings much, then you know I have three boys. A 14 yr old, a 13 yr old and a 5 yr old. So we are always involved in something it seems and normally we do a great job about scheduling around the boys stuff, but this time we failed somehow. Our older boys had been planning to go a the church Summer Music Missions Project (SMMP)for months. They were heading to New York for a week! A great opportunity. Well for some reason, one we can't figure out how we missed it, they were required to be at the church at 11 AM. Our race started at 8 AM and was a minimum of an hour drive (if all went well). This meant there was absolutely no way for us to race and make it back to them in time. So I recorded my very first DNS of my triathlon career.

So I admit, it kind of bummed me out most of the day. I really did not want to dwell on it, cause what my boys had going on was way more important and I wanted them to know I supported them, so I would have made the same choice every time. But it was weird, and stupid me, I went to the website to look through the results and hated, HATED seeing my name with no times. It was embarrassing because they had my team's name out to the side of all those zeroes!

So what did I do?

I went for a run that afternoon and started focusing on whatever is next. I know I have a half marathon I am signed up for in Dec, but nothing else, so I am thinking that I am really going to work on my running for the remainder of 2014 and then 2015 will beat the year a I crush Brad's dreams at Redman when we go head to head. So maybe me missing this race is a good thing, it has just added to me resting up and preparing for next year!

11 Days Out...

So I am 11 days out from Redman. I bet you will not guess what the most common question I have been getting over the last two days is???


Are you scared to death about the race???

Scared to death? I can't say I am scared at all. I have concerns about the race, but I am really not scared. But if I am honest, there is one thing that I fear doing, and it is having to make that phone call about being a DNF.

It has happened before in Branson. My first ever attempt at a 70.3. 5 flats took me out. Stupid rim tape. I am the only one to blame since I was the one that change the rubber on my tires. This year I am having a bike shop change my tires!  LOL  I know, it's weak, but it will be one less thing to worry about.

I also hate reading about other people nutrition plan. Some of these people are so detailed that it makes me second guess my own plan!  Bradleyd3 from Brad's Ironman Journey has already told me to get off the internet and train! Which I am starting to think might be a good idea. Some of these people have their nutrition down to 3 spoonfuls of peanut butter and a cup of applesauce in the morning... Crazy!!!

My plan is so simple compared to that, and that freaks me out a little. I am looking forward to the swim and the bike somewhat (although I hear the road conditions might be a little rougher than desired) but I am dreading the run.

4 loop course. A little more than 8 5K's. It is going to be mentally challenging. I plan on some walking.

They also just announced bib numbers!  I am number 65 in the full distance triathlon!!

I am also just ready for it to get here and let me do this. It has been a long time in training. A long time thinking about it and I really want to just get it going! That's normal right? So I am gonna go old school on you...

LET"S GET IT STARTED!!!!

5 Flats in 1 Race?? I Should Get Some Kind of Award!

Well, my first HIM is in the books and I hope to keep that book closed after I write this. It was a truly disappointing day. The last thing I thought about is what did me in. It wasn’t the sore tooth that bothered me until Friday morning, or the sore back I got from loading heavy suitcases in the van, it was wheel tape. Let me explain and it is long, but I need to vent/write this out.

Branson 70.3 was my A race. This was the race I planned for, trained and was looking forward to all year. I was confident. I was calm. I was taking it all in. The concert kickoff was great, packet pickup was great, getting everything to the right area the day before went great, and even waking up at 4AM went rather smoothly. I was expecting a great day.

I got to the race site before 6 AM on Sunday. I was a little concerned about my back, but a night of “the stick” and Icy Hot had me feeling OK about it. Once I got into transition and got my stuff spread out, I was talking to Chris B when for some reason I reached over and grabbed my back tire, only to find it was flat. PANIC!! Immediately I took my bike over to the bike support guys and they quickly changed out my tube, which was a huge relief. They did it much faster than I would have been able to, plus it was still dark and hard to see. Those guys were great and I really felt like I dodged a bullet. Everything was OK!

The announcer came over the intercom and said they would open the swim up for warm-up swims at 6:40, once the daylight broke. This was also a relief to hear because it gave me a chance to get in a swim and see how my back would feel. Once in the water (wetsuit legal) I was able to swim comfortably. Again, things were going well.

SWIM:

The waves started with the pros going first and then the AG started. My AG was scheduled to go off at 7:21 AM, and I was really at peace before the start. I was not nervous or anxious at all. As the horn sounded and all 200+ 35-39 males moved into the water, I waded in about thigh deep, found some empty space and started swimming. There were a few instances of pushing and shoving, but nothing out of the ordinary. I remember having all sorts of random thoughts while swimming, I had songs going through my head, and I wondered if my wife made it and what she was doing… I was basically having the best swim. I did not expect it to be short, I knew it was going to be long and I was OK with that, I just kept swimming. Before I knew it, we were turning to the right and I remember thinking, “Are we already at the turn?” That has never happened to me before. So I went with it. Kept my pace, avoided people as best I could and only stopped for a second to sight (it was tough to see that far out). Before I knew it, I was up out of the water running up the ramp. I heard my wife screaming for me before I saw her! She was excited, so I knew I had a good swim and looking at my watch, I was out of the water in 39:16!

T1

T1 was a long ways away! We had to run up a steep hill and then around the back of the transition area to get to our bikes. I had a slow transition, but I wanted to make sure I got everything. I had gloves, socks, Garmin to put on and I had to stuff all my swim gear in a bag so they would bring it to T2 for me. It must have been over 5 minutes, but that didn’t matter much to me. As I was exiting T1, I again saw my family there cheering for me, which was awesome!

BIKE:

The first 6 or 7 miles of the bike were uphill, so immediately you start climbing slowly. The fog was also very thick which made it hard to see riders 50 feet ahead of you. This first part was something I was concerned about after driving it the day before with my Dad, but I finished that part in around 25 minutes and the best part was that my back gave me no trouble, so I was feeling confident. I hit speeds of 45 mph on the downhill and speeds of 7 mph on the uphill. Uphill it burned your quads and downhill you just had to pucker up and hold on. It was a beautiful ride once the fog broke. I was on pace to hit my goal time.

Mile 17 is when I heard it, that indescribable noise of a flat tire. The rear tire AGAIN. I pulled over and there was a volunteer working the area. He asked if I needed help. I said I was out of tubes (who carries more than one tube at a race?) He said he would call the pickup van for me. My heart sank, I asked him if it was over and he said he did not know what they could do. Luckily, when the van got there, they were able to provide me with a tube and get me going again, until mile 25 or so. Another rear flat tire. I was about to throw my bike into the woods when a guy named Steven stopped and asked if I needed help. I explained my situation and he graciously gave me a new tube and CO2 to help me get back riding. I got the tube changed, thanked Steven as he rode off and was about to hop back on my bike when I noticed my chain was off. I had a heck of a time getting it back on and doubt I would have if another racer named Mary stopped to hold my bike for me while I fixed it. Thank you Mary and Steven! So, then I was off and riding again.

Mile 32 or so, I had the same rear tire go flat, a 4th time. I had passed Steven prior to the flat and he stopped again as he passed me. I knew that there was something going on inside the rim/tire and that popping a tube in would only lead to the same result. I asked Steven if he would ask the volunteer ahead of us to call the support team for me, and I started walking. Numerous triathletes asked if I was OK and tried to encourage me, but it wasn’t an issue of fitness or any kind of physical ailment I was battling. That was frustrating as well. After about 30 minutes of walking, pushing my crippled bike, the support van finally pulled up to assist me.

What was the problem you ask? My wheel tape was not doing its job. It was not protecting my tubes from any sharp edges created by the spokes coming into the rim (sorry, best way I know to describe it). The guy changing my tire actually brought out a wheel from his van and gave me the wheel tape from his bike tire to get me going again. By this time, he said there were about 5 other road bikes and some mountain bikes still on the course besides me. I knew it was over after he said that, but I kept going. I had already been on the bike course over 4 hours and still had about 20 miles left to ride.

There is not a more lonely feeling than to be out on a closed race course with no other bikes or people around for miles, and there is nothing you can do about it. It sucked hard!

However, I was still determined, until mile 42.5 when the front tire went flat. I assume it was also the wheel tape, but I have not checked it out yet, nor will I for a few days. After another 25 minutes waiting for assistance, the sweeper got me. It was over. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to puke and I wanted to throw my bike off the nearest bridge.

It was a long ride back to T2 in the truck. I have never in my life felt more defeated than I was in that truck. I called my wife to tell her where to meet me, in a way, I am glad I was able to leave a message because I think I might have lost it if I spoke with her. I knew she would be just as disappointed for me as I was. I needed her hug as I arrived to T2.

The toughest part was throwing my timing chip on the table with the rest of DNF’s, the ultimate admission of it being over. It stung and I suppose it will for a few days.

Ironman Branson was a great race to do. A great venue for the swim, a challenging bike course and the run course looked flat. It was nothing that was too hard for me. I know I could have finished it. I can’t say the experience was all bad.
I have appreciated the support of my family and friends who know how much I was looking forward to this race. I am going to take a few weeks off from any kind of training and then see what is on the plate for next year. I am not sure about taking a second shot at Branson 70.3 yet, and I am not sure what to do with the shirt either!

To my friends Chris B, John H, and Ted H. all who finished it, congrats, you guys rock! Ted even won the M35-39 AG! He is a stud! You all should be proud!

SO TRUE...

Saw this in a forum and thought it was so very true, I had to post it!