Failure is the greatest opportunity for Learning
I made many juvenile tri mistakes, but the biggest was ignorance. I decided I could finish in less than 8 hours. I did the math (I love numbers and will crunch them all day if I let myself) I could finish the swim and be out on the bike in an hour.
I forgot my LSU practice nike top the Will hooked me up with. This is the skin tight top I race with. It really does nothing more than help me feel comfortable walking around in public, so that sucked. Stupid I know, but I struggle with the looks ( I AM NOT LOOKING FOR SYMPATHY I AM JUST SHARING) I get and they were double for the ½ IM.
I took off on the swim and felt great. I realized about 200 into it that I sucked at finding the buoys and I went WAY off course twice. But I really did feel great. Half way through I realized that the LSU nike top is very useful. My face rubs against my right shoulder when I take a breath and today I have a major burn from that, nastiness.
I came out of the water feeling good. Then I realized that I don’t like running on the beach. I almost fell once, like a dork.
T1 was fine.
Then there is all of that number crunching. I decided I needed to average 17.2 mph to reach my goal of sub 8. Here is the ignorance. My first year (2005) in tri’s I averaged 12.9 mph in my races. Last year I averaged 15.3 mph! All that is fine and good, but not for this race.
I kept a 17 to 18 mph pace until about mile 15 when I began to cramp. I stopped and stretched, but then it moved me to about 16 mph average. I forget what mile the bridge was, but this guy kicked butt (for me) getting up that hill and going down the other side I was FLY’N!!!! and there were a lot of cars at the intersection we turn on to 388. To all of those people waiting in their cars . . . I was a cycling machine! Then my calves locked up.
I heard Susan at about this point holler for me, I kinda whim ply yelled back, Go Susan!.
At took a stretch break and I wished I was done and I felt like crap. After the turn around My calves were becoming unbearable. I was unable to pedal properly. I was trying to pull and not pedal through since each time I pedaled down my calves locked up. I did this until the 40 mile mark where there was an aid station.
This may sound gross, but I usually am able to wee on the bike, but I couldn’t during this race and I may have been looking for an out mentally? But I went into the port a potty and it was hot in there. As I stepped out my left calf felt like it was going to rip and I whimped out and gave up.
As I was ridding back in the sag truck I became a little more pissed as I saw that I had such a short amount of distance left, but I couldn’t do it.
I arrived back at the race area.
This sucks for me (I feel like I have to say this, I am only sharing I am not looking for sympathy) I hate not finishing and having to walk through everyone back to transition. I feel like (I may be wrong) but I feel like everyone sees me before the race predetermining I won’t finish and then I don’t, I know, stupid for me to worry about even if it is the case.
I racked my bike and went to the room to get the gel to rub on my calves to, hopefully help. Bad move. As I made it up the second flight of stairs I had to wobble with straight legs. Then I hit the air condition of my room and laid around cursing and rubbing and stretching and nothing would help.
I would find a “non-cramping” position and out of no where Wham! A cramp would shoot in and I was up hobbling around the room cussing and hitting my legs. I have a bruise today on whatever the muscle is that runs to the outer part of your shin. I found that hitting them when they cramped actually made it better!! Gloria will probably yell at me, but it helped at that moment, but I have a heck of a bruise today because of it.
About 2:00 am I was able to fall asleep without waking to a shrieking noise in the room (me) while jumping out of the bed trying to relieve the cramps.
But, I am VERY glad I did it. I learned a lot and I also found out more about myself.
I am sorry I wasn’t at the finish line to cheer everyone in to their glory. That really is one of my favorite things to do is see all of your success and I like to think that my loud mouth and excitement for your success helps you and I wish I would have been there Saturday, but I was in a bad state and I don’t mean Mississippi.
My coach and I will begin prepping for IMFL in November. He wants me to cut 100 pounds by then and I will.
Congratulations to everyone! You guys rock!
I forgot my LSU practice nike top the Will hooked me up with. This is the skin tight top I race with. It really does nothing more than help me feel comfortable walking around in public, so that sucked. Stupid I know, but I struggle with the looks ( I AM NOT LOOKING FOR SYMPATHY I AM JUST SHARING) I get and they were double for the ½ IM.
I took off on the swim and felt great. I realized about 200 into it that I sucked at finding the buoys and I went WAY off course twice. But I really did feel great. Half way through I realized that the LSU nike top is very useful. My face rubs against my right shoulder when I take a breath and today I have a major burn from that, nastiness.
I came out of the water feeling good. Then I realized that I don’t like running on the beach. I almost fell once, like a dork.
T1 was fine.
Then there is all of that number crunching. I decided I needed to average 17.2 mph to reach my goal of sub 8. Here is the ignorance. My first year (2005) in tri’s I averaged 12.9 mph in my races. Last year I averaged 15.3 mph! All that is fine and good, but not for this race.
I kept a 17 to 18 mph pace until about mile 15 when I began to cramp. I stopped and stretched, but then it moved me to about 16 mph average. I forget what mile the bridge was, but this guy kicked butt (for me) getting up that hill and going down the other side I was FLY’N!!!! and there were a lot of cars at the intersection we turn on to 388. To all of those people waiting in their cars . . . I was a cycling machine! Then my calves locked up.
I heard Susan at about this point holler for me, I kinda whim ply yelled back, Go Susan!.
At took a stretch break and I wished I was done and I felt like crap. After the turn around My calves were becoming unbearable. I was unable to pedal properly. I was trying to pull and not pedal through since each time I pedaled down my calves locked up. I did this until the 40 mile mark where there was an aid station.
This may sound gross, but I usually am able to wee on the bike, but I couldn’t during this race and I may have been looking for an out mentally? But I went into the port a potty and it was hot in there. As I stepped out my left calf felt like it was going to rip and I whimped out and gave up.
As I was ridding back in the sag truck I became a little more pissed as I saw that I had such a short amount of distance left, but I couldn’t do it.
I arrived back at the race area.
This sucks for me (I feel like I have to say this, I am only sharing I am not looking for sympathy) I hate not finishing and having to walk through everyone back to transition. I feel like (I may be wrong) but I feel like everyone sees me before the race predetermining I won’t finish and then I don’t, I know, stupid for me to worry about even if it is the case.
I racked my bike and went to the room to get the gel to rub on my calves to, hopefully help. Bad move. As I made it up the second flight of stairs I had to wobble with straight legs. Then I hit the air condition of my room and laid around cursing and rubbing and stretching and nothing would help.
I would find a “non-cramping” position and out of no where Wham! A cramp would shoot in and I was up hobbling around the room cussing and hitting my legs. I have a bruise today on whatever the muscle is that runs to the outer part of your shin. I found that hitting them when they cramped actually made it better!! Gloria will probably yell at me, but it helped at that moment, but I have a heck of a bruise today because of it.
About 2:00 am I was able to fall asleep without waking to a shrieking noise in the room (me) while jumping out of the bed trying to relieve the cramps.
But, I am VERY glad I did it. I learned a lot and I also found out more about myself.
I am sorry I wasn’t at the finish line to cheer everyone in to their glory. That really is one of my favorite things to do is see all of your success and I like to think that my loud mouth and excitement for your success helps you and I wish I would have been there Saturday, but I was in a bad state and I don’t mean Mississippi.
My coach and I will begin prepping for IMFL in November. He wants me to cut 100 pounds by then and I will.
Congratulations to everyone! You guys rock!
