On Friday I traveled to my hometown, Bennington VT, to cut
some time out of the Saturday drive and have dinner with my mom. We indulged in
one of my favorite high-calorie meals—big, greasy, spinach and pepperoni
calzones. After dinner I made a beet and apple juice cocktail and got my mom to
shave my head for the first time since I was 5 years old. Back then I the
reason I wanted a shaved head was to look like Scotty Pippin, one of the big
shot Chicago Bulls players from the Michael Jordan 90s dynasty. Funny how
motivations can change, and I now shave my head to go just a little faster.
Saturday morning I woke up and had breakfast with one more
beet and apple juice cocktail and we packed up the car and began our trek up to
New Hampshire. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny with just a couple of
clouds, and the green and white mountain states looked so majestic my mom
couldn’t help but pull over and take pictures. Guess there aren’t any mountains
to photograph in Florida.
Once we got to the race venue, I picked up my packet and set
out for shake-out bike ride to loosen up my legs and see some of the turns and
twists of the course. I rode for a little less than an hour, and when I called
my mom to pick me up, she was just a couple of miles behind me, so I was picked
up super quick. I’m pretty sure the high-profile professional athletes shell
out some serious cash to get support crew service like that!
After dropping my bike, we settled into our hotel room for
the night and ordered some chicken and broccoli pizza. My mom could only eat
two slices after snacking all day, leaving me with the job of cleaning off
three quarters of a pizza (darn). After all the usual pre-race preparations had
been made, I got the best night of sleep I could possibly have asked for the
night before a race, a rare occurrence.
The following morning came, and with some breakfast and
coffee in us, we made our way to the lake for transition set up. Everything
went as smooth as the rest, and I even had plenty of time to do a couple of
warm-up jogs and a good warm-up swim. My swim wave was the last to go off,
leaving 50 minutes after the professional race start, so I never felt too
rushed at any point. There was even enough time to listen to some Nero radio on
Pandora! The last some I heard was the Flux Pavilion remix of Gold Dust, an
awesome sound to be stuck in my head for the rest of the race.
The time finally arrived, so I hugged my mom and made my way
to the swim start. As always, the last couple of minutes before the gun felt like
an eternity, but when it went, all hell broke loose and everybody was fighting
for an early position as usual. No matter how many times I race, I still get
blown away in the sprint start of these things, and today was no different. As
usual though, the eager beavers who gunned it in their first 100 meters came
right back to me when I found my groove, and fell off my feet when they
couldn’t keep pace. The start of these things would be so much nicer if
everybody seeded themselves just a little smarter! The water got a little
choppy in the middle of the lake, adding some time to the swim splits. I came
in from the swim 3rd in my age group with a swim split of 29:44.
Transition went well and before I knew it the bike course
was underneath me. I took the time to get some fluids and fuel in me while
still settling down from the rush of the swim and transition. In the best way
possible, the bike course felt very uneventful. No cramping, dizziness, or
anything like that. A few other guys in the swim wave before me were riding at
about my pace, and after trying to drop each other for a few miles, we agreed
to just work off of each other’s energy and accept the back and forth riding
that would occur for the remainder of the bike ride. Despite a couple of
significant climbs, the majority of the course was fast and gradual, allowing
us to stay in the time trial position for most of it. I came zooming into
transition with a bike split that had even myself taken aback, 2:24:29, with an
average speed of 23.3 mph!
When I saw my age group’s bike racks, there were only two
other bikes returned before mine. After the first two legs of the race, I had
held onto 3rd place in my age group. Running has been my biggest
struggle in every race this season, and I didn’t expect today to be any
different. After finding my stride about two miles into it, my hamstrings and
quads both began to cramp. Didn’t really expect that either! I fought on
knowing the run wouldn’t be the split I had hoped to get today, but hoping my
first two events would put me in a place with a bit of wiggle room. On the
second lap of the two loop run course, I was passed by a runner who made me
look like a statue. Ouch. In the last half mile I was caught again, and even
with the best finishing kick I could put together, I couldn’t stay with him. I
held on for dear life to my pace to finish the run with a 1:37:01 split.
After checking and rechecking my math a few times, I
celebrated, in full realization that I had actually finished the race in
4:35:37. Unable to stand when I succumbed to the cramps at the finish line, I
dragged myself to a chair and sipped some water. The next stop was the beer
tent. As the final race of my calendar, and a good one at that, I figured it
was time to reward myself with a beer or two (or eight) while waiting for the
awards ceremony. Age group awards go 5 deep in Ironman and 70.3, so the 5th
place I held on to was good enough to place for the first time in a 70.3. Maple
syrup was my prize, yum! World Championship slot roll down followed the awards,
putting me on the edge of my seat. When my name was finally called I couldn’t
help but let out an obnoxious “WOOOHOOO!” and claim my spot. I had just
qualified for the World Championship race in Vegas, how could I not?! Grinning
ear to ear for the rest of the day, I set off for the ride back to Saratoga
with my mom.
After getting home late the last thing I wanted to do was
unpack my stuff, but with work the next morning I knew it had to be done. I
don’t know if it was an exercise hangover or a regular hangover, but the next
day I had to drag myself around the lab at work. Worth it.
It’s crazy to think that one moment can make so much pain
and suffering worthwhile. This summer I gave up a large part of my social life
and time spent with family to train and race. With so many mediocre results
entwined with a few high points, I found myself wondering if I was truly cut
out for long course triathlon at a competitive level. This single event has
really given me a great deal of confidence that I do have what it takes to
achieve my goals. Besides some of the fitness, I have to appreciate that I have
the best support crew to get me to the start line of every race feeling strong.
Now that I have ended triathlon season on a high note, I can look forward to giving
back some of that lost time in the next few weeks to the people who matter.
Thank you all for everything, especially mom, I would not be the athlete I am
today without your undying support!
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