RIP VAN WINKLE Part Du . . .
In July when I did Rip Van Winkle I didn’t know what to expect. Reading the race information I was really excited. He descriptions were similar to “The race course is on beautiful Rip Van Winkle Gardens – The bike is on mostly flat smooth back roads – The run is on packed pea gravel through the historic Rip Van Winkle Gardens.”
With those descriptions I was ready for a magical race running through fragrant rose petals with a mist sprinkler around every corner keeping me cool.
I have a theory. When ever I am describing a movie, an event I attended, or business expectations, I always down play the possibilities. I paint the picture a little less beautiful or wonderful than it really was. I do this so the person I am telling doesn’t have such high expectations when they go see the move, attend the event, or experience the business opportunity. There have been several times that I have been told how AWESOME a movie was only to wonder what the heck that person was talking about???
However, a few years later when I see that movie on HBO or regular TV, it was actually pretty good.
Why?
My theory – Creating an awesome picture of an event or experience leaves nothing for the imagination of the individual planning to attend the movie, or event. They have this grand duos expectation that probably will not be met.
There fore I try and give a natural easy description so that I don’t set the bar too high.
Back to Rip Van Winkle.
The bar was set too high with the description on the race website (in my opinion). I was expecting tranquility but instead at mile 1 of the run on NOT SO PACKED PEA GRAVEL I was slapped in the face by the smell of 50 foot high 100 foot wide mountain of manure and mulch! This was not the rosy fragrance I was expecting and the bike route seemed to need a mountain bike rather than a triathlon bike since the pot holes held many a water bottle captive after they were jarred from the unsuspecting bikes that drove deep into them, violently. (I was one of them)
But let me get to the facts.
As I woke this morning for Rip Van Winkle II, which is the exact same route as number I, I had a new expectation of the race course. I expected a longer swim than was advertised, I was aware that the road was going to be a pain in the butt for a couple miles, and more than that I was ready to tackle the mountain of mulchy manure that awaited me on the run.
Guess what, I had a great race and a lot of fun. The course was great. I new the swim was going to be 100 to 150 meters longer than advertised. I was ready for the pot holes and half gravel roads, and the manure was not going to be an issue.
At the end of the race, I realized I didn’t even notice the mulch.
What I did realize is:
I had a PR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I averaged 17mph on the bike!!! I averaged about 15 or so in RVW I. I did ok on the run, but I finished 12 minutes faster on the same course that I had raced on just one month earlier!
I wanted to break 1:30 and ended up crossing at 1:37. I was upset since I think I could have pushed a little hared on the run to cross in under 1:30, but I was happy about my overall work today.
I have not had time to take a picture and weigh today. Amanda and I will go to the office after we have dinner at Brent and Christy’s and weigh, then take pictures tonight and post them, but I think I am having decent progress.
My friend Caroline is racing in Germany this coming weekend. Wish her the best. Visit her website.
http://www.igettodothis.blogspot.com/
Have a brilliant day!
