Let the Games Begin! – Maxtrax Duathlon Race Report

Thunder, rain… I read Saturday's forecast with some trepidation…but not too much J. I've been in much worse, such as finishing an entire triathlon in rain so hard it was coming at me sideways and I couldn't look straight ahead while on the bike. This was small potatoes in comparison.

I needn't have worried – the forecast turned beautiful for race day and it was spectacular indeed, 50F and sunny by gun time.

This is the beginning of my 6^th year racing triathlons. With no prior athletic background in any of the three disciplines of swimming, biking, or running, I had brazenly taken on the sport in 2004 when I watched the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and wept over many of the athletes' stories. Pro or amateur, their unflinching determination to reach a goal was indeed something I could relate to in my life thus far. Suffice it to say 25 years ago I was an odds-on favorite to be a loser in a gutter somewhere, pissed at the world. That the pendulum has swung entirely the other way is due to the influence of many wonderful people in my life, particularly my husband who is the greatest man I've ever known, my family, and of course God Himself, who struck my brain with the proverbial lightning bolt 16 years ago and made me realize there's more to life than meets my finite and limited view of things. But that's another post J.

Last year racing was tough. By this time I was already suffering from a tendon injury near my left knee, and there was more to follow that took the trials of training from adversarial to positively ludicrous. I ended the season with a stress fracture in my right foot that made me relook at EVERYTHING I was doing to pursue this passion. I had no choice but to retreat to the basics and focus on getting stronger, period. Over the winter I incorporated additional swimming, core work, as well as yoga, and not the "meditative" stuff either. This was extreme, and it stretched and strengthened every muscle fiber in my body as well as my thinking. I had badly underestimated the power of yoga and its potential to elongate the body's elasticity.

I also changed my running shoes and raised the saddle on my bike which helped ease the compression on the tendons that run on the outside of the upper leg. After I healed up, the track became my new friend as I retooled my running technique and learned to land on my forefoot (instead of my heel), drive my arms to enhance forward propulsion, and toe off in much the same way a plane does when taking off from the runway. It sure didn't come about overnight and I'm still learning, but I'm miles away from where I was as a 10:00/mile runner.

Five months into consistent and patient effort, I reached a new milestone in my swimming and moved on to the next faster lane at Masters practice. Even I was bewildered at how much farther I could stretch an arm forward to "grab" more water. The days of swimming 3,300 yards were behind me as 4,000+ yards became a regular occurrence at Monday morning swim practice.

So this past Saturday I was pumped with fair excitement. It was the first opportunity to put my new skills to the test in an early-season duathlon.

I'm no newbie when it comes to triathlon, but the first race of the season always has a "blowing the dust off" feel to it. I had rehearsed my transitions, even my setup, and it still felt like I was forgetting something, though I actually wasn't.

We all lined up at the Start and the gun finally went off. Amazingly I was hanging with the pack and still feeling pretty good. When I could see the Mile 1 marker just up ahead I stole a peek at my watch and nearly soiled myself when I saw the first number was 7…what the?? No way, I thought; this must be mismarked.

I was wong J. On the way back I looked at my watch again after Mile 2 and was only a few seconds off from the first mile. Sure I was working hard, but…crikey! Well, alrighty then – let the games begin!

I took all of 1 minute in transition to fling the shoes off, put the bike shoes and helmet on, and fly onto my steed. The bike course was windy and hilly, but I was alternating between watching the road and watching the speed on my computer. Giddy up girl! It was exhilarating to fly down a hill at 30mph, pedal strongly and consistently up the next, and pass guys on the bike.

I flew back into transition to rack my wheels and pull on my running shoes one last time. This year I have Yankz, also known as speed laces; say goodbye to bending over and tying laces, these cool dudes make it possible to slip on running shoes like slippers.

And off I went in the hunt for more of the same speed. I was a tad slower this time but knowing I had a Personal Best in the bag spurred me on that much more.

The last hill coming to the Finish was a killer, but I absolutely left everything on the course and sprinted one last time to cross the line for a total time that was 2 minutes faster than last year – huge for a "short course" race.

I barely noticed the drive home – I am grateful beyond words to God, my family, and my coach. I realize not every race or workout is going to be top shelf, but I sure know the kind of potential that lives in a person when the heart and mind are in the right place.

Let the games begin! J