On May 9, 2009, I watched John, my husband, compete in the Jerseyman Triathlon, a half iron distance race held in Clinton, NJ. At the time, I was recovering from pneumonia (the sickest I have ever been in my life!) and a bout of hip bursitis, so I couldn’t compete. As I watched the race, I just knew I had to do it some day. At that time, however, I had never even done a sprint triathlon. Heck, I had only learned to freestyle swim in March, and the first time I sat on a road bike was in February. It seemed like quite the long shot. But, I really wanted to do it.
It has been four months–almost to the day–since John did his race, and in four weeks, I’m going to compete in my first half iron distance triathlon: The Bassman.
I started my training for the Bassman in May. I’ve swum almost 76,000 meters, biked about 1200 miles, and run 350 miles. I have been training 9-12 hours a week. I’ve gone through unknown numbers of scoops of Heed and Accelerade. I competed in 6 sprint triathlons and 1 olympic distance triathlon. I used several tubes of Chamois Butter and Glide. I’ve eaten a lot of Hammer Bars and Power Bars. I lost four pounds (and I don’t care if they never return!) I’ve gone to bed before 9 p.m. more times than I have gone to bed after. I’ve woken up before the sunrise more often than not. I’ve spent all the money I’ve saved from not having a social life on tri gadgets and gizmos and special nutrition and race fees. I’ve spent hours reading and researching proper training techniques and tips. I check updates daily from the #running, #marathon, #triathlon, and #ironman communities on Twitter. In short, I’ve been a bit obsessed about this goal.
And, with good reason. 70.3 miles via swimming, biking and running is no joke. The distance must be respected–especially since this will be my first one. But, the challenge is what attracted me to the distance in the first place. This race is also a key part of a much larger goal for next season: the 2010 Lake Placid Ironman. But, I won’t be obsessing over that one until October 5, the day after the Bassman. 🙂
My goals for the Bassman have kept me pushing through the training schedule, which has been challenging in its own right. I have several goals for the Bassman. The first one is the most obvious one: finish the race. This is a new experience, and playing it conservative is smart. Sure, I’ve been training hard. I can do each of the distances separately. I just haven’t done them all in one shot. So, the reasonable goal is the most modest one – just finish. Along with finishing, I want to feel good while I’m racing and have fun. I want to flow.
But, let’s face it, don’t we all have other goals beyond the modest ones? Maybe we don’t tell other people about those other goals because they might be considered a longshot or we don’t want to jinx ourselves. I’ve got those kinds of goals too, and they increase in difficulty. Here goes: I’d like to finish the race in under 6 hours. I would LOVE to finish in 5 hours and 30 minutes. I’d like to place in my age group. I would LOVE to win my age group. I’d like to be in the top 15 females. I would LOVE to be in the top 10. These are the goals that will fuel me when I want to take it easy or stop. These are the goals that will help me dig just a little bit deeper, go a little bit faster, push a little bit more.
As the day draws closer, I find that I spend much of my time visualizing race day. As I swim in the pool, I imagine the feet of another swimmer in front of me. I feel the motion of swimmers to my left and my right. I imagine starting out strong for the swim. When I bike, I think making a smooth transition, of finding my groove, of the turnaround, of how I will change my fluids at the bottle drop off, how I will pace myself during the first loop and then the second. As I run, I imagine passing others, and pushing hard to keep off competitors who might be trying to close the gap. Most of all, I think about the finish line. That’s the drug that keeps me focused. Crossing the finish line, hearing the claps and shouts of the spectators, feeling the hot buzz and strain of strong effort. As I train, I hear the Rocky theme and imagine myself victorious. Holding my arms high above my head, shaking my fists, feeling the glow of accomplishment. Da-na-na…da-na-na…
I’m four weeks out from a goal that seemed like a long shot in May. After miles and miles of preparation, my target seems a whole lot closer. BRING IT ON.
