It was Monday night, 11 p.m. EST, and I was in a panic.
Earlier that day, John had brought our bikes home from the Pro Pedals Bike Shop, where they received their final tune up and check over before Ironman Lake Placid, now just 10 days away.
Normally, I go to bed at at 9 p.m., but I had drank a foolish amount of green tea, and couldn’t sleep. So, I wandered over to my bike, which was sitting in the living room (a.k.a., the CompuTrainer room), to check out the new tires the mechanic Jason put on my rims.
I peered at the writing on the sidewall: “700 x 23.”
23’s ?!@#!$?
The tires I’ve been training on all year were 700 x 25. This difference means that my new tires are about 2 mm (yes, milimeters) thinner than my old tires.
The words: DON’T TRY ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY flashed through my mind.
I could feel my heart start to race as I wondered what difference–if any–this thinner tire might make on the descent in Placid. I paced around the house, debating whether to wake up John to ask him.
He went to sleep at our normal time: 9 p.m.
Hmmm. If I had been asleep for 2 hours, would I be happy if he woke me up with some foolishness?
Okay, can’t wake John up.
What to do… What to do…?
Pacing. Pacing.
And, then it occurred to me: It’s not 11 p.m. everywhere.
So, I emailed West-coast resident Vince (@felog), who John and I follow on Twitter. (At this moment, he is likely VERY grateful he hasn’t given me his phone number.) For several months now, he’s been very helpful, offering information and support to both of us. Last month, we cheered on his sub-10 hour finish at Ironman Coeur d’Alene. In short, he knows his stuff.
While I waited for his response, I googled every combination I could think of regarding tire size and stability as it relates to road biking. While I found various bits of information in several discussion forums–most indicating it won’t make a difference–I didn’t know these people.
Within 60 minutes, Vince responded, “I doubt you will notice the difference. Tire pressure will make more of a difference than tire size.”
Relief.
I went to bed shortly thereafter.
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Yesterday, I received a text message from Patti, my massage therapist and friend.
“We are coming to watch you race!!”
Wow!
I met Patti over a year ago, after a fellow runner and triathlete recommended her for sports massage. She’s a great athlete herself, having competed in Ironman, as well as shorter triathlons and marathons. Like me, she’s a runner, but she’s also a killer biker. A back injury several years ago took her out of running for a while, and she is just now getting back to running–slowly, but surely.
With a massage every 4-6 weeks, as you might imagine, Patti and I have become good friends.
While the race excitement has been building, I was even more happy as I thought about the posse we’ll have in Lake Plaice, with John’s parents, my brother Johnny, sister-in-law Tracy, nephew Jake, John’s aunt Joey–and now Patti and her husband. Along with our immediate cheerleaders, there will also be a collection of fellow triathletes we know who will be there volunteering and spectating.
And, my mom and other members of my family and friends will track us online as we move throughout the day. (If you want to track us, I’m #341, and John is #1438. Just go to the Ironman Lake Placid website on race day and click the link for athlete-tracker.)
I’ll be thinking of this support as the race through the good and the bad. It helps to keep me going, as I don’t want to disappoint those who have put so much faith in me.
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You may be wondering why I’m sharing these two seemingly different stories with you. What’s my point?
Simple: the value of having a support team that includes people you can go to with questions, people who will help you with training and recovery, people who will help you keep going when the going gets rough–as it most undoubtedly will across 140.6 miles.
This support team includes:
1) family and friends who will continue to love you when you disappear from social life for several months, and who will also show up to your races and scream like maniacs, while schlepping your gear all over the place.
2) fellow triathletes who are willing to share their wisdom and experience (and for whom you are willing to do the same).
3) medical professionals, who are well-versed in sports medicine. For example, my primary care physician specializes in sports medicine, and my chiropractor (newly added to “the team”) also focuses on sports wellness and recovery, offering ART, Gratson, and advice for developing effective biomechanical form.
Video vignettes of Ironman triathlon, such as this one from Ironman Lake Placid 2010, feature inspiring narratives of various individuals–amateurs and professionals–battling the course and climate, while exceeding presumed limits of human physiology.
We see the camera frame the grimacing faces of determined athletes, as they push past barriers of pain to achieve peak performance.
And, then, it focuses on the smiling faces of euphoric athletes as they cross the finish line, hearing Mike Reilly’s voice say it like only he can: “Maria Simone! You. Are. An. Ironman!” (He’s got 2,600 ways to say that simple sentence!)
Stories and images such as these are indicative of the individualistic ideology that pervades much of Western culture. And, yes, triathlon is an individual sport in the sense that it’s just “me” out on the course. I have to do 140.6 miles myself, or it doesn’t count.
Yet, preparing and racing Ironman triathlon is anything but an individual endeavor. Success in endurance racing requires a support team that is willing to help with training, recovery, and mental well-being.
John’s parents refer to John and I as “Team Crazy.”
Well, our team is much larger than just the two us – it’s also the friends, family, fellow athletes, and medical professionals who keep us motivated and healthy.
In 10 days, we’ll be racing not just for ourselves, but for the whole team. I hope we make you proud.
Go Team Crazy!
