I came to the realization that an old hippie like me who is doing triathalon for cross training while my aged old running injuries truly heal will always be outclassed in this sport for the idle rich. None the less, I did my best in Lake Zurich and Mrs T triathlons and had one heck of a good time, but not good times...
The swim started one hour later due
to a change in the course. it was suppose to be a point to point swim across
the lake but goose poop closed one of the beaches so they had to devise a new
triangular course from one beach. The water was 80 degrees and there was quite
a bit of sea weed. My second tri and the first beach start. I went in with two
other clydes and hit the water. I kept getting a bit distracted when I would
get kicked and clubbed, but kept on keepin' on and managed to finish the swim
with much reserve. 2/3rds of the competitors were in wet suits, I was just in
my wet skin. One guy took a hard left and swam right over the top of me which
I thought was pretty rude, but I just kept going and finally waddled out of
the water.
Transition one was OK, into the shoes etc, and off on the bike. A lovely hilly
course in the Lake County countryside. Of course nearly all my rides have been
10 miles or less, though there were many of them, and all on the flat. Chicago
is a very, very flat place. So it was challenging, but fun to ride on the hills.
I kept company with other poor folk riding their commuter bikes or even the
occasional mnt bike. I was thrilled to go 28 mph down hill, but rather chagrin
to manage a meager 12 mph on some of the uphills. I was getting passed like
I was standing still by those Kestrel's with carbon fiber frames and solid wheels.
One thing to be said, though, I was getting more exercise. The bike leg was
good, I felt pretty solid, though slow, and only experienced pain in my butt
at the very end. Having to pee like a race horse haunted my bike leg, similar
to the experience I had in my first tri last year at Mrs T. I know Lance and
the boys pee while peddling, but I have yet to gain mastery over this feat.
T2 was OK as well, especially after the big drain-out. whew, but running-- ha!
By then it was 92 degrees. No water in the transition area and no water until
mile 2; and then they were out. But the kind citizens of LZ had their hoses
going and I drank too much and felt sick as I continued to stagger lee. The
run course was unremarkable as was my performance. I think I had my all time
PW for a 10 K, 1:04, but was just so darn glad to be finished that I did muster
a mighty kick at the end, woo-hoo. Now I know 3:07 really should be an embarrassment,
but the way I figure it is, hey, I DID IT! Considering I was so ill prepared
for the swim, the bike and the run, I guess even finishing was something. I
sure was not hungry afterwards, but worked up an appetite by the time I got
home. I showered, ate lunch, took a nap, then got up, ate dinner and went to
bed. I felt very tired, but the recovery was quick.
Like last year, my running brother Saint Stephen and his son Tim and I got up at 3:30 AM and headed down to the Monroe Street parking structure. Despite the ungodly early hour, and threat of E. coli contamination in the water, It turned out to be a great day to swim-bike-run. I had a very good day in terms of how I felt, and a decided improvement over last year, but the result confirms what I know to be my great weakness--- the bike. And I don't think its due to the fact that I rode my trusty hybrid- with great vigor, indeed, but due to the lack of hours spent on two wheels. I just didn't put in enough time and do enough long training rides. I rode nearly 400 miles this season before the race, but most of this was commuting from Oak Park to UIC, a distance of only 8 miles. However, my comfort level was vastly increased over last year, but my time was exactly the same, as was my pace. Last year I died! I was in excruciating pain. This year I negative split the bike leg, and really cranked on the second loop, was standing on my peddles on the short up hills, and only felt moderate pain after 22 miles or so. I hadn't trained for the run at all so managing sub 9:30 pace was acceptable, and rather enjoyable, too-- especially after about mile 1.5 when I saw Ryder cheering me on.
My bike time and run time were the same as last year, to the minute. But what made my day was how I did in the swim. I took swim lessons over the winter at UIC, and think this must have made the difference. Last year: 48 minutes (that includes the run from the water to the transition area). This year 35 minutes. I was out of the water in under 34 minutes which surprised the heck out of me! I had done Lake Zurich two weeks early, a 1000 meter swim in 31, no wet suit and the water was 80 degrees. At Mrs T I was sporting my new QR hydrophobic suit and the water was 66 degrees. I pulled hard breathing every 3rd to 5th stroke, was in a pack the whole time, and passed many people-- a new experience for me. I jumped out of the water, took about 50 steps, remembered to check my watch and started hooting and hollering. My day was made right then. And it was a beautiful day indeed. New international distance PR, last year I finished at 3:38. This year 3:12:56 Steve also experience a huge improvement in his swim time with nearly the same results for the bike and run as last year. Indeed, he is my running and triathlon brother.
My marathon training commenced when I hit the grass, starting the 10 K run of Mrs T. What am I nuts?
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