My endurance career is relatively young. I completed (not raced, mind you) my first triathlon back in 2005 while I was still playing football as a way to cross train for the upcoming season. I swam up until I was about 14 with a team in Savannah (but gave it up to focus on soccer and football) so I had a background in the discipline that is the "deal-breaker" for most aspiring triathletes. But a background is about all I had as I completed most of that .7 mile swim doing the breast stroke. I had only one friend who was a cyclist, so I borrowed his road bike (complete with toe straps!) for the 13 mile ride (also, my friend is about 5'2"). The run I thought would be my strength, being a running back and all in college, but I quickly realized that being an efficient "between-the-tackles" running back meant that you sucked at running farther than 100 yards. The race was the Charleston Sprint Triathlon and given my tendency to be competitive in most of my athletic endeavors, I felt pretty sure that I could nab an age group award. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I died a slow death that day, but nevertheless a spark was ignited that would burn slowly until my collegiate football career was over and I relocated to Cleveland for Med-school.
After starting school, I was eager to begin training for something so I googled the only running store I had heard of and was happy to find a Fleet Feet only a few miles from my house. I walked in and met Frank and Jody, the word Ironman was thrown around and I was hooked. The first time I ran with the group (it was only about 6 miles) was the hardest and longest run I had ever done, and Frank was there to watch me slowly wilt away as I attempted to delay a heart attack which I thought was inevitable. I continued running and raced my first half-marathon 2 months later in 1:39:50. I ran through the winter and put all my efforts into qualifying for Boston at the Cleveland Marathon in May 2009. By the time the race rolled around I was down to 180 from my football weight of 225. The weather was in the 40s with sun but a little windy. I started out with the 3:10 group and stayed tucked in the pack. We cruised through the half in 1:34 and I thought about how great I felt (not to mention a 5 min PR!) I saw Frank and he gave me some words of encouragement and I trucked on through 18 with little effort. But something happened during those last 8 miles that I never imagined: I started hurting. Everyone kept telling me that the marathon started at mile 20, but I don't listen very well and when I started to suffer I was shocked. Mentally I wasn't prepared for this and eventually cracked. I walk/ran it in, finishing in 3:22.
The good thing about an early marathon was that I was in pretty good run shape for the ensuing triathlon season. The first race was Clay's Park, a good little sprint distance tri. I was pretty nervous but Jody kept me calm, that is until I realized half way to the race that I had left my bike shoes at home! Luckily we were in two cars, so Allyn whipped around and raced home, got my shoes, and was back before the race started. It only took me about 5 strokes to realized that I still sucked at swimming and was way behind by the time I got on the bike. I caught up with Frank (who gave me a lot of encouragement and really helped me through the race) and we rode most of the way together in pretty good position. I came into transition, lost a shoe, racked my back and took off. I wasn't that great at running off the bike due to my inexperience but found a rhythm and pressed on. I out-kicked a guy at the finish for my first age-group win and was 7th overall....not bad for my "first" triathlon.
I was in good spirits after that race and decided to register for Steelhead 70.3 in August. I went home in July and signed up for the Charleston Sprint again, looking for a better outcome that 4 years ago. I was surprised to see how big and fast this race had gotten. I debated on registering for the elite race but settled with age groupers. Bad choice. I watched the elite guys go off 1st with an open course in front of them as I waited in the LAST wave. I had my usual terrible swim, over 4 minutes slower than the leaders, but hopped on the bike confident in my cycling legs. I spent the entire 13 miles on the left passing people and was disappointed to see so many people drafting, especially the guy who latched on to my back wheel towards the end. I finished just over 31 minutes without drafting, threw on my ds trainers and finished the 5k in 19 min. I ended up 3rd in my age group but was content with my legal race.
As Steelhead rolled around so did the nerves. Jody had been good at telling me all year to not be so focused on time but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized what he was saying. By overestimating my abilities and having dreams of grandeur, I set myself up for disappointment and missed out on some of the joys of triathlon. Recently, I was re-watching a video Ryan Hall posted talking about winning and losing and he posed this question: "There can be only one winner for each race, so does that mean everyone else is a loser and that you are a failure?" A simple question, one I had heard before, but for some reason it hit me differently this time. What was I racing for? Was it for my own glory? Because if that glory was defined by winning then I was a big failure. I came to the realization that even though I had given my life to Christ years ago and was trying to live my life to glorify Him, I was spending all this time training and racing for my ego and my benefit and to be honest it wasn't working out all that well. I may not always win, but if I push myself, give all I have and encourage others with my training then I win every time.
Unfortunately, I didn't have this realization before Steelhead because I think I would have enjoyed myself more. But race morning came and luckily Allyn was with me because I was nervous. Lake Michigan, which is notorious for having swim-canceling swells was like glass...at least when the pros went off 1.5hrs before me. I spent some time in prayer, hit up the john, and began the walk down the beach with Allyn to the swim start. It was a beautiful morning but I couldn't help but notice that the waves were picking up. I was in the last wave, and as we stood on the beach before the gun I fidgeted with my wetsuit (it was Jody's and I had never swam in one before.) The gun went off and I raced down the beach and started dolphin diving trying to get out in front of the crowd when something dawned on me- I still suck at swimming and my heart rate is now 200. Needless to say I struggled on the swim, reverting to side stroke a few times. The swells were big now and I could only see the buoys when I was at the top of a wave. The wetsuit was choking me and I was starting to get seasick. There were a few moments when I thought I was going to have to flag a kayak down. I continued on and somehow exited the water in 33-34 min. I ran up the beach with my calves cramping and began the half mile trek to my bike. Out on the bike I felt great. There were hills and it was windy but I was blowing by people. The course had changed from the previous year so I knew that the back half was different and when I went thought the half way point of the 56 mile bike in 1:12 I was praying the last half was downhill or at least flat. Nope. I don't know if it was my legs fading or the course, but it seemed like it was uphill with 50mph winds the whole way back. If I wasn't suffering so much I could have enjoyed the course because it was right by the lake (which was also contributing to the wind) but mostly I noticed the growing cramp in my side which would explode on the run. I struggled in just over 2:30 and took off running. My first mile was good, around 7:20 pace but then I started feeling my efforts on the 1st part of the bike. I ended up walking for about :45 at every aid station en-route to a blistering 1:52 half-marathon split. As my watch ticked past 5 hours I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It wasn't until later talking to Jody, Frank, and AJ about their first half-Ironman's that time should not be the deciding factor in your first race at that distance as much as how you felt pushing yourself.
I was relieved to be done and Allyn hugged me as we ran back to the car trying to get out of the storm that had rolled in during the run. As we loaded up the car and rushed home I was excited, not about being done, but about Jody's baptism that was about to happen. Standing there in the river as Scott and I brought Jody up out of the water there was a joy that overcome me, a joy that can never be felt by winning a trophy because though all my training I was a part of a life that was now beginning new. And speaking of new life, as we were walking out of the river Heather's water broke and we went to the hospital to see the birth of their first child, Lilly.
This first season has given me more than just a solid base fitness or an outlet from the stress of med-school; I have pushed myself to new levels I never though before, I have made great friends, and I have realized that standing on the podium doesn't determine whether or not I should be happy with a race. I mean, it would be nice though! So my plan for the winter: swim, swim, and get ready for Ironman Florida 2010!
cheers-
