ENDURE: August 23, 2013

There's no substitute for preparedness.....

We made it.  Gilford, New Hampshire and the absolutely gorgeous Lake Winnipesaukee.....bigger and clearer than I thought it would be.......the perfect swim venue for a triathlon.  The weather was predicted to be just about perfect for racing (cooler than usual and overcast, but no rain) and everything was coming together nicely.  We even got a parking spot right near the swim start, something we didn't expect to get.  Snug in our wetsuits we made our way down to the beach to get the day underway.  There were ten of us altogether (8 racers and 1 relay-team), and about 2000 or so of our closest friends all with the same goal - to pull ourselves 1.2 miles through the water, push ourselves 56 miles on the bike and finish it off with 13.1 miles of lakeside running. We got ourselves warmed up, listened to a great rendition of the national anthem and age-group by age-group made our way into the water.  I had several goals on the day, including a smart and relaxed swim, a strenuous (but not hard) bike ride and a strong run......which, if all done correctly should put me near the front of our group and in the top quarter (or better) of my age group. Admittedly I hadn't found the same focus in training as the year prior when I had raced this distance last, but I was confident that if I followed a smart race plan, I could pull it off. The final twist was that this year there was a real threat my younger brother Eric would beat me, which although something I've grown accustom to in running, hadn't yet happened in multi-sport......nothing like a little sibling rivalry to keep you pushing right?  But I wasn't too worried.....I figured experience would win the day. 

As the horn went off, my plan went into motion.  I got past the initial bumpy stage of the swim and got into a good rhythm....and beyond the occasional bump or kick from a competitor, all was nice and relaxed.  1.2 miles later I exited the water about where I expected to be.....not terribly tired, about the right time and (relatively) quickly out of the transition area and onto the bike........which went about as planned.  About 10 miles into the ride I decided that seeing the whole course (to have a mental picture of the hills) would've been a good thing, but no biggie, nothing I couldn't handle.......by the turn around near mile 30 I was making good time and things were clicking along.  By the 56th mile mark my legs were tired, but not more than they should have been and again, in and out of transition I went......to start phase 3 of my plan, a strong run.  It usually takes me a mile or more to have the rubber-feeling exit my legs and start to feel comfortable running but this time something was different.  I got to mile one and felt my left quadriceps on the verge of cramping, something that has never happened before.  I worked through it but the legs were heavy and decidedly not going along with the plan.  Mile 2, no different....my pace slowed even further.......mile 3, again, not much different.  I got to the turn and there it was, the big Pro-Activity "Mr. P-Body" logo on the front of Eric's shirt only a few hundred yards behind me.  This was a lot to take in.......it meant that not only was eating my run time (which I expected) but that he must have ridden my pace or better on the bike....not good.  It was at that moment I realized today was NOT going to work out as planned.....A minute or so later he passed me (cordially asking if I was alright)....racer speak for "you don't look so good".  I wished him well and away he went......it turned into a long day; and I re-learned a powerful, yet incredibly simple lesson......if you want the result, do the work and show up ready. 

As I got to the 1/2 way point, my wife and kids cheered for me and I shrugged some.  Lindsay also asked me if I was alright ("you don't look so good") and by then I knew the answer......I was fine.  There was nothing wrong really.....I just didn't have it.  I was out of gas and was going to pay the price of not showing up as prepared as I should have been......lesson learned.  Even with the hint of bitterness that comes from knowing I didn't bring my best this time, with 10 in the race and 10 finishers (in addition to 3 for 3 the day before), I am extremely proud of our team for taking-on and tackling this big challenge......more than 1/2 of which had never raced the distance before. 

I suppose no one likes to learn a lesson the hard way, especially not hyper-competitive people, but this is EXACTLY what challenging ourselves is about isn't it? This is the ENDURE concept that we are always pushing......stretching our limits and learning things along the way......paying some "tuition" and then trying again with a different (and hopefully better) perspective.  In the end showing up unprepared cost me about 30 minutes and will go down as my slowest 1/2 marathon to date, and it won't be one of my prouder race results......And so it's back to work for me, but this time reassured of the truth of a lesson that couldn't be more valuable......sometimes it's just that simple: if you want the result, you have to do the work and show up ready.

Have a great weekend,

Mike E.