Learning to Hunt: Mountain Man Triathlon

I had an awakening this weekend.  An eye opener if you will.  I have been in denial... but now I have seen the light. 

I have known for quite some time that I am not in great shape.  I mean, my fitness level as it pertains to triathlon is not where it was a year ago.  Not to beat a dead horse, (a phrase which makes me cringe, by the way) but after being sick earlier this year it has taken me a long time to recover. 

I was more than pleased with my first two Ironman events, but my only goal for those races was to stay within my comfort zone and finish.  This weekend I had the opportunity to race the Mountain Man Half Ironman triathlon which is typically a tune-up race for me prior to Ironman Arizona.  It's a good test of my fitness level, and a fun venue to race as it takes place in Flagstaff.  Unfortunately, when your fitness level is lacking, it can also be quite an eye-opener.

I was excited to race Mountain Man (MM).  Our season has been lacking the usual volume of races, so I was ready to get out there and test myself.  One of the best things about MM is that it's a really small race.  This year there were just over 100 finishers total.  This means that your strengths are magnified as well as your weaknesses.

I always seem to swim well at MM.  I think in part because I'm a good swimmer.  (No, really, I am.  I'm only trying to brag a little bit.)  But there are two other sides to that coin.  One- the race is at elevation which means that a LOT of people struggle in the swim trying to get enough oxygen.  And two- a lot of people swim way to far, staying near the far shore of the lake when the final turn buoy is smack in the middle of the lake.  I have learned over time that once I make the first turn, I can swim right down the center and even though I can't see the buoy, it will appear sooner or later.  Have faith.  I was 3rd out of the water.  Overall.  Men and women.  I was very happy with that.  Only 2 guys in the first wave swam faster than me.  This makes me happy.  I love to swim!!!

Then, I get on my trusty steed with new shortened crank arms and compact gearing.... and I am going nowhere.  An hour into the bike ride I checked my distance and did a little math.  (Does anyone else do complex math equations while competing in endurance events or training?  No?  I guess it's just one of my quirks.)  According to my math, I was on track to finish the ride in 3 hours.  3 HOURS.  17 minutes SLOWER than last year.  In my head I'm like, WTF?  Then I talk myself down from the ledge trying to think if there's more downhill in the second half or something.  But, no, 3 hours I was on that bike on that godforsaken road (I think my crotch is still hamburger, pardon the visual).  But oh, well, right?  Gotta keep moving.

I was soooo ready to get my run on.  In the past I've not run well at MM.  The past two years, I've just come off of TRT 50 miler and my legs were still not recovered.  I've never broken the 2 hour barrier on this run course.  I got through transition and out onto the run course.  My Garmin was waterlogged from the swim (note to self:  get new Garmin) and I couldn't see through the screen to determine my splits, so I just ran.  Sometimes that's the best way to run- without pace, without time, just for the pure joy of running.  And so I ran.  And I waited for the bonk to hit like it always does during this run.  And it never did.  And so I ran.  And I waited for people to catch me, but they never did.  And so I ran.  And I ran, and the last two miles when it hurt and I didn't know how far I had left to go, I just kept running.  And I ran myself in under 2 hours, in 1:56, 16 minutes FASTER than last year, making up for my miserable bike ride.

Showing off our age group awards!  Finish time:  5:33:12

I'd be smiling bigger, but by this point I was frozen!  We clothes and rain don't mix.

I finished in 4th place female overall, 1st in my age group.  But again, this is a small race so keep that in perspective before you're too impressed.  (I mean, be impressed, but let's keep it real.)

Back to my original thought, the slap in the face.  The eye opener.  Last year, my bike split at MM was 2:43.  My bike split at IMAZ was 5:29.  Basically 2(MM)+3 minutes.  So if I were to extrapolate that out, that means this year I'm on pace to bike 6:05 at IMAZ.  (2:43 is 10% faster than 3:00, as 5:29 is 10% faster than 6:05.  Simple math, right?)  No matter how you look at it, it's a grim prediction.

On the other hand, my run was 16 minutes faster than MM.  Which might bode well for my run at IMAZ, but without the 5:30 bike split, my goals are not within reach.  Not even spitting distance.  I try not to become disheartened.  I told my husband I felt like my fitness was where I was in February of 2012.  He reminded me that by the time St. George rolled around in May, I was in great shape and poised to do really well.  He told me not to give up hope.  He also reminded me that leading up to St. George we were riding all hills- as we are right now, leading up to Tahoe.  After St. George, we focused on speed and time trials during our long rides- which is what we'll do after Tahoe. 

The bottom line is, come November 17, I will be on the list for Kona one way or another.  Either I achieve my ultimate goal, and qualify.  Or I finish IM #12, and thus the Legacy Program and can enroll in the lottery system.  I thought about delaying my goal until Texas... and maybe if I don't reach it at AZ, I will keep trying.  Despite the fact that all my goals for my winter '13 and spring '14 season lead in another direction entirely. 

When I contemplate finishing what I started with this sport, I feel very nostalgic.  A little sad.  It feels very much like divorce.  I am divorcing myself from something that is so ingrained in who I am.  It's part of my being.  I wake and it is there.  Getting through my work day I am focused on refueling and hydrating for the next round of workouts.  My weekends are devoted to training and preparing.  I look forward to racing.  Ironman is not my other half, it is what makes me whole.  When I think about leaving, part of me is excited for the new, the unexpected, the unsure.  Just as I was when I divorced [my ex] all those years ago.  I am sad, and scared, and excited, and relieved, and.... ready.  But just as with the ending of a marriage, I don't want to leave unfinished business.  I don't want there to be the 'whatifs'.  With my divorce there was a defining moment when there were no more 'whatifs'.  The writing was on the wall.  It made walking away so much easier.  In November I want to know that I did the best I could, even if it's not quite 'good enough'.  I want to know that I started the race with a chance, and let the chips fall where they may.  I want to finish knowing that I had a chance, and I took it. 

So I enter this next round of training with a renewed sense of purpose.  I feel strong, I am thrilled with where my run is, my swim is fine... I just need to get that last edge on the bike. 

To summarize, I will share one of my favorite quotes:

Some people follow their dreams.  Others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission.

 

On November 17, are you a follower or a hunter?