I did the Carmel Sprint Triathlon...and then I asked myself "what were you thinking signing up for a 70.3?"

The Carmel Sprint Triathlon is the 1st Triathlon of the Indianapolis Racing Season.  The race is a 400 meter pool swim, 10 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run around Carmel High School.

First let me set the stage.  Mentally, I have not been training for a sprint triathlon.  In fact, mentally I have been training for this race that seems really far away.  And, I've been focusing on distance.  And, last week I only managed to get 1 training day in on Monday before the race on Sunday...oopsie!  Cue mental brain fart...I forgot to make sure my bike was in working order the day before the race... and, I forgot that I felt the gear shift pop the last time I road my bike.  Add in a beautiful day with winds gusting up to 30 miles/hour.

I awoke at 5 a.m. (awoke seems like a funny term, because I never really sleep before races and this was no exception).  I pulled on my tri suit, twisted my hair into my usual double french braids I always sport for race day, loaded my bike onto my car and began my trek to the Upper Penninsula also known as "Carmel" by those who live in downtown Indianapolis.

When I arrived at the highschool to set up transition at 6:30 a.m., it was so dark I could have used a head lamp.  After unloading my gear from the car (I could seriously post a second blog entry on my packing rituals) I trudged to transition and began unpacking and arranging my gear.  I won't get into the fact that some people are obsessive about transition and arranging their gear.  4 races in I have not developed an obsession with transition arrangement, but I can feel it coming.

When transition closed I headed indoors with the my TNT team and began the waiting and defensive peeing (hey, no one wants to stop and pee mid race!).  Although you could warm up in the pool, given that the race did not begin until 9 (and it was closer to 10 by the time that I started) I was not interested in freezing my keister off for 2.5 hours. Hence the waiting and defensive peeing.

I was actually thrilled when the race finally started.  I really didn't have a strategy other than to finish in the least amount of time possible. 

Swim: My swim went well other than passing a breast stroker who clearly incorrectly seeded himself (amateur hour anyone??) and having to pass a guy who cut me off despite being slower than me.  All in, I give the swim a thumbs up.  Official race time: 9:23.

Transition 1: Transition 1 went relatively smoothly...everything seemed to be soaking wet, but I felt like transition went well as I donned my helmet, wedged socks onto wet feet, clipped on my bike shoes, etc.  Getting out of transition with your bike was a bit of a haul from a course perspective.  Official race time: 2:55 (ouch...I used to be more efficient at this)

Bike: The bike was an utter disaster.  Remember I set the stage for you above.  The first half of the course (at least) was up-hill in terrible wind...and remember that pop I mentioned...well, my bike would not switch gears.  2 miles in I was off my bike trying to adjust the rear brake and figure out what was wrong with my bike.  I got back on, I finished, but I was really sore and not a happy camper.  I should also mention that the bike course was really technical with lots of turns and lane changes...in short, it was super tough.  Official race time: 41:41 (ouch...just 13.7 miles/hour).

Transition 2: Transition 2 actually went smoother than Transition 1.  Things were less wet, and I was extremely thankful to be off my malfunctioning bike. I threw my helmet down (noticing half of my race gear strewn across transition from the wind) and exchanged my bike shoes for my newtons and clipped on my race belt.  I was ready, only to realize I didn't know where the run start was...after yelling to a volunteer I learned it was directly opposite the bike course (weird).  Official race time: 2:59 (ouch...perhaps I need to become more obsessed with transition).

Run:  Well, what can I say? The first 1/4 mile was straight up hill...broke my heart...especially after my awful bike experience.  I walked a little and started running, but I had a bad attitude after the bike.  I was thirsty, and tired and no water stops in sight (there was 1 water stop the entire race at mile 1.5 of the run course).  The run was not my best effort, but I completed it.  Official race time: 35:23 (although you may think this is slow (and although I am capable of running a bit faster) this time was actually not horrible for me).

And it was after all of this that I thought to myself "What were you thinking signing up for a 70.3?"

I'm still pondering that lapse in judgment.  But, alas, I've signed-up...and so, I will train and I will conquer 70.3 even if it isn't pretty...because I signed-up to raise money to fight blood cancers...and fighting blood cancer is more important than any lapse in judgment. 

Chicken and Brown Gravy For the Soul...

Last night I was asked to attend what people at my law firm like to call a "Chicken and Brown Gravy Dinner"...a gala event benefiting one of our clients where the food is never very good...but, is usually chicken with brown gravy.  So, I did my duty and attended.  And while I will admit that these events are sometimes a tad boring, my colleagues are a good group and we usually can make any event fun.   But this event actually had a really inspiring message. 

I attended the Brady Sports Achievement Awards and Dinner presented by Methodist Sports Medicine's Research and Education Foundation where scholarship awards are presented to  high school and college athletes who have overcome adversity or hardship in their pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.  Out of the 5 athletes that were presented awards, 3 of them had overcome blood cancer.  While all of the kids who were honored have overcome serious injuries and adversity (you can read about Robbie Hummel and Bradley Humphrey), my heart went out to the 3 who have battled blood cancer Ashtyn Brown, Alysia Bennet, and Evan Meade.

I guess I never really understood how prevalent blood cancer is until CLL struck a loved one.  Now I see blood cancers everywhere and I find myself witnessing extraordinary battles and extraordinary courage and perseverance every day.

You should read about the adversity faced by all 5 of the kids honored last night because it makes you realize that these kids love of being active and participating in athletics helped them to overcome the odds.  And these kids have first hand knowledge of what it is like to be privileged to have a healthy body that lets them participate in the sports they are passionate about.  They have first hand knowledge of what it is like to sit on the sidelines when faced with a horrific injury or incurable disease.

Next time I find myself wanting to slack off and take a day off from training or not push myself as hard as I should...I'm going to channel the spirit, energy, strength and perseverance of these kids.

I am not going to complain...

I am not going to complain...I am not in the hospital.  I don't have water on my lungs making it difficult for me to breathe.  I do not have a feeding tube nourishing me because I am too weak to eat. My kidneys are not struggling to keep up.  I am healthy.  My body is conditioned to swim, bike and run for long periods.  In the last week alone, I have swam more than 5000 meters, biked 54 miles and run nearly 7 miles (did I mention that running is not my favorite part of triathloning?).  So...I am not going to complain about training because it is a privilege to be able to train.  It is a privilege to not be so unlucky as to have my body taken over by blood cancer. 

But...

I have to admit...sometimes training is hard...mentally and physically.  Getting 1.5 - 2 hour workouts in 6 days a week is a challenge...especially with a full time job that is not always 9-5.  Once in a while I am tempted to give in to sitting on my couch and watching tv in lieu of running or biking because the temperature is a little nippy and the wind is whipping.  Lately, I have had a hard time getting everything in...which when you are facing what will likely be an 8 hour race in a little over 4 months... is scary.  I won't even get into the part about the fact that when you are training 12 or more hours a week...and working a full-time job...that having a social life (especially one that occaisionally incorporates a good happy hour cocktail or two) is nearly impossible. 

Instead, I am spending my time agonizing over what to eat so that I am a) not starving, b) not overeating, and c) properly nourishing my body.  I do laundry...lots of laundry...because well training is a stinky business that seems to create a ton of black lycra that needs laundering.  I plan and re-plan my workouts.  And yet...I still don't seem to get them all in.  I worry about my injured hip.  I pump and re-pump bike tires...plan my routes.  You get the point. 

And yet, I really do enjoy triathloning.  I like being so tired that I fall into bed.  And, as much as I thought I would hate asking people for money to support finding a cure for blood cancer...I find that I am now not shy at all when it comes to asking.  Because as I said before...I am privileged.  I am privileged to be the person asking for money...instead of the person battling blood cancer.  And...given the chance...I would do it all over again.

Take A Moment to say a Little Prayer For Those Suffering From Blood Cancer...

Training to fight blood cancer has never meant more to me.  My Honored Hero is having a really tough week in his fight against blood cancer, and my heart goes out to him and his family as I pray that he recovers.  Days like today make me realize that training really isn't that hard when you put it  in perspective.  Today, please take a moment to say an extra prayer for those who suffer from  blood cancer...

March was a long month to say the least.  From a training standpoint we were in a build period which meant that I was having to devote more time to training...longer swims, runs and rides...training six days a week...brick workouts...outdoor training.  Suddenly this race I signed up for is starting to seem real.  Couple that with a last minute trip to Little Rock for work and closing a deal I have been working on for over a year, and I was officially pooped and very ready for Recovery Week!

When your training, Recovery Week is like this beacon of light on the other side of a steep hill.  You don't mind that you still have to train during Recovery Week because your training distances are very tolerable.  The only bad thing about Recovery Week is that it is bookended by build weeks.  Alas, the first week of April is a build week. But, I am ready for it!  Bring. It. On.