Greg McCarthy's Blog - Posts Tagged "triathlon"
Triathlons
A recent conversation at the gym brought to mind a journal entry from last fall after a particularly tough triathlon:
In my younger years, I tried my hand at a wide variety of sports. College intramurals in basketball and flag football, recreational leagues early in my legal career, and everything from golf to skiing to the occasional fun run. A series of nagging, minor injuries slowed me down, and surgery for a ruptured disk shortly after my 40th birthday slammed down the emergency brake. Recovery was tough, but after a few years of relative inactivity I decided to get back in shape.
Last year, at age 46, I competed in a triathlon for the first time since law school. I ran in four sprints and an Olympic distance event, plus a 100-mile bike ride. Mostly I did well, finishing in the top quarter of my age group in the triathlons and keeping a respectable pace in the bike rides. It was a great experience, and a good way to keep in shape, although it did result in a minor knee injury that will soon require arthroscopic surgery.
This year, I did two endurance rides and three sprint-distance triathlons. The season came to its culmination with an Olympic-distance triathlon of a 1500-meter swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run. Here’s the report:
Saturday 3:00 PM: Meet with race buddy Bill Mateja for mandatory race briefing in Dallas. Take bikes to lake as instructed. Water reported to be 68 degrees, so we rent wetsuits. Go cheap and get the standard scuba-type shortie instead of high-tech triathlon design. Big mistake. More on that later.
Sunday 5:45 AM: Arrive at American Airlines Center in Dallas; set up bike-to-run transition gear as instructed.
6:00 AM: Get in line for shuttle bus to lake.
7:00 AM: Board bus after standing for one hour in 50-degree drizzle.
7:20 AM: Driver misses correct turn onto Interstate 20.
7:30 AM: Driver misses alternate correct turn. Coincidentally the official start time of the race.
7:40 AM: Bus enters Waxahachie; driver finally concedes he’s lost.
8:00 AM: Bus arrives at swim start/transition area. Swimmers in the water, some already on bike.
8:10 AM: Bill and I hit the water after quick drop of transition gear and visit to port-o-let (see 2-hour bus experience above). Back, knees, and feet aching from standing and riding bus. Water temp no problem, didn’t really need wetsuit. In fact, sleeves on cheap scuba shortie acted much like a water sail, filling with each stroke. On several occasions, I see floating grass and bubbles pass me.
8:12 AM: Two-foot wave smacks me in the face, and I drink about a quart of nasty but cool lake water about 100 yards from shore. Fight off urge to say “screw it” and wave in the boats.
8:50 AM: Emerge from lake. Swim timed with calendar. Official time .04 days, +/- six seconds.
Transition long enough to order in breakfast, due to the fact that we had to pack up all belongings into our bucket for transportation to AAC by race volunteers. Also due to the fact that by now I know my overall time will be awful and it won’t matter.
8:57 AM: Finally on the bike, my best and favorite event of the three. Plan on averaging 22 mph for the 40k ride. Immediately hit by weather ranging from light drizzle to steady driving rain, all enhanced by 15 mph winds. Thanks to our extended bus ride, no time to pump up my back tire, which has a slow leak and is about 30 psi low.
Bike course is great, if you’re really into a hilly training ride. I regularly pass people on hills while doing a bit less than 8 mph. Wet roads lead to several crashes; fortunately none involve me or brother Bill.
9:24 AM: Arrive AAC after averaging 17.3 mph. Pretty proud of that considering the conditions, the course, and the fact that my shoes have so much water in them that I’m carrying a handicap of an additional 8 pounds. Don’t need the extra weight, since I’ve already qualified as a Clydesdale without the waterlogged shoes.
9:28 AM: Head out on 10k after drying off. Mercifully, the rain has stopped. Just short of the first water station at mile one, right hamstring seizes. Instinctively straighten it and bend down to stretch; right quads immediately seize. Not knowing whether to bend or straighten the leg, I limp to the station and down four cups of Power Ade. After a little walking loosens the muscles, and I start running (or something that resembles it). Bill catches me and we do the run together. Bill is patient and Sherpa-like as my legs and lower back play an endless game of Guess Which Muscle Will Cramp Next. The only good thing was that the muscle spasms were so agonizing I hardly noticed the pain in my knee, which by now is roughly the size of a cantaloupe. Able to run without total leg seizure for the last mile.
10:31 AM: Mateja and I cross the finish line together; race announcer pronounces Bill’s last name mostly right. Time is atrocious – 3:20 compared to 2:42 at the same distance last year.
10:35 AM: Post-race is worse than the race, which doesn’t seem possible. Still in the low 50’s and windy, and the only entertainment is an intro of the race winners. Of course nobody knows who these people are except their spouses and parents, so there’s very little intrigue for the rest of us.
10:40 AM: Race paraphernalia touted beer at the finish, so we head straight to the beer tent. When we arrive, they have MGD Light 64, which is actually club soda with a couple of drops of yellow food dye. This stuff is so weak and so bad I’ll bet dedicated Ultra drinkers won’t touch it because it’ll make them look like sissies for drinking it. And they only give us one of them for free. Of course, they have real beer for sale, BUT I DIDN’T HAUL MONEY WITH ME FOR 32 MILES!
10:43 AM: I’m suffering from hypothermia by the time I finish my one and only free “beer”. Bill and I pick up our stuff and head out.
We decided that the swim was an ungodly beating due to the swells and chop, and the bike was a kick to the groin with the rain, wind, and hills. Bill did fine on the run, but it was honestly one of the most painful and miserable six miles I’ve ever endured. The point-to-point format for the race, instead of one start/transition/finish area, sounds good on paper but is a logistical nightmare, especially when the bus driver can’t read a map.
We then decided that the whole thing was a blast and we wouldn’t have missed it. Maybe we’ll pass on thepoint-to-point races, but damn it felt good to be done. Most important, as anyone who has ever done one of these races can appreciate, we now can tell THE STORY. I can’t wait to get my knee repaired and start it all over again next year.
In my younger years, I tried my hand at a wide variety of sports. College intramurals in basketball and flag football, recreational leagues early in my legal career, and everything from golf to skiing to the occasional fun run. A series of nagging, minor injuries slowed me down, and surgery for a ruptured disk shortly after my 40th birthday slammed down the emergency brake. Recovery was tough, but after a few years of relative inactivity I decided to get back in shape.
Last year, at age 46, I competed in a triathlon for the first time since law school. I ran in four sprints and an Olympic distance event, plus a 100-mile bike ride. Mostly I did well, finishing in the top quarter of my age group in the triathlons and keeping a respectable pace in the bike rides. It was a great experience, and a good way to keep in shape, although it did result in a minor knee injury that will soon require arthroscopic surgery.
This year, I did two endurance rides and three sprint-distance triathlons. The season came to its culmination with an Olympic-distance triathlon of a 1500-meter swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run. Here’s the report:
Saturday 3:00 PM: Meet with race buddy Bill Mateja for mandatory race briefing in Dallas. Take bikes to lake as instructed. Water reported to be 68 degrees, so we rent wetsuits. Go cheap and get the standard scuba-type shortie instead of high-tech triathlon design. Big mistake. More on that later.
Sunday 5:45 AM: Arrive at American Airlines Center in Dallas; set up bike-to-run transition gear as instructed.
6:00 AM: Get in line for shuttle bus to lake.
7:00 AM: Board bus after standing for one hour in 50-degree drizzle.
7:20 AM: Driver misses correct turn onto Interstate 20.
7:30 AM: Driver misses alternate correct turn. Coincidentally the official start time of the race.
7:40 AM: Bus enters Waxahachie; driver finally concedes he’s lost.
8:00 AM: Bus arrives at swim start/transition area. Swimmers in the water, some already on bike.
8:10 AM: Bill and I hit the water after quick drop of transition gear and visit to port-o-let (see 2-hour bus experience above). Back, knees, and feet aching from standing and riding bus. Water temp no problem, didn’t really need wetsuit. In fact, sleeves on cheap scuba shortie acted much like a water sail, filling with each stroke. On several occasions, I see floating grass and bubbles pass me.
8:12 AM: Two-foot wave smacks me in the face, and I drink about a quart of nasty but cool lake water about 100 yards from shore. Fight off urge to say “screw it” and wave in the boats.
8:50 AM: Emerge from lake. Swim timed with calendar. Official time .04 days, +/- six seconds.
Transition long enough to order in breakfast, due to the fact that we had to pack up all belongings into our bucket for transportation to AAC by race volunteers. Also due to the fact that by now I know my overall time will be awful and it won’t matter.
8:57 AM: Finally on the bike, my best and favorite event of the three. Plan on averaging 22 mph for the 40k ride. Immediately hit by weather ranging from light drizzle to steady driving rain, all enhanced by 15 mph winds. Thanks to our extended bus ride, no time to pump up my back tire, which has a slow leak and is about 30 psi low.
Bike course is great, if you’re really into a hilly training ride. I regularly pass people on hills while doing a bit less than 8 mph. Wet roads lead to several crashes; fortunately none involve me or brother Bill.
9:24 AM: Arrive AAC after averaging 17.3 mph. Pretty proud of that considering the conditions, the course, and the fact that my shoes have so much water in them that I’m carrying a handicap of an additional 8 pounds. Don’t need the extra weight, since I’ve already qualified as a Clydesdale without the waterlogged shoes.
9:28 AM: Head out on 10k after drying off. Mercifully, the rain has stopped. Just short of the first water station at mile one, right hamstring seizes. Instinctively straighten it and bend down to stretch; right quads immediately seize. Not knowing whether to bend or straighten the leg, I limp to the station and down four cups of Power Ade. After a little walking loosens the muscles, and I start running (or something that resembles it). Bill catches me and we do the run together. Bill is patient and Sherpa-like as my legs and lower back play an endless game of Guess Which Muscle Will Cramp Next. The only good thing was that the muscle spasms were so agonizing I hardly noticed the pain in my knee, which by now is roughly the size of a cantaloupe. Able to run without total leg seizure for the last mile.
10:31 AM: Mateja and I cross the finish line together; race announcer pronounces Bill’s last name mostly right. Time is atrocious – 3:20 compared to 2:42 at the same distance last year.
10:35 AM: Post-race is worse than the race, which doesn’t seem possible. Still in the low 50’s and windy, and the only entertainment is an intro of the race winners. Of course nobody knows who these people are except their spouses and parents, so there’s very little intrigue for the rest of us.
10:40 AM: Race paraphernalia touted beer at the finish, so we head straight to the beer tent. When we arrive, they have MGD Light 64, which is actually club soda with a couple of drops of yellow food dye. This stuff is so weak and so bad I’ll bet dedicated Ultra drinkers won’t touch it because it’ll make them look like sissies for drinking it. And they only give us one of them for free. Of course, they have real beer for sale, BUT I DIDN’T HAUL MONEY WITH ME FOR 32 MILES!
10:43 AM: I’m suffering from hypothermia by the time I finish my one and only free “beer”. Bill and I pick up our stuff and head out.
We decided that the swim was an ungodly beating due to the swells and chop, and the bike was a kick to the groin with the rain, wind, and hills. Bill did fine on the run, but it was honestly one of the most painful and miserable six miles I’ve ever endured. The point-to-point format for the race, instead of one start/transition/finish area, sounds good on paper but is a logistical nightmare, especially when the bus driver can’t read a map.
We then decided that the whole thing was a blast and we wouldn’t have missed it. Maybe we’ll pass on thepoint-to-point races, but damn it felt good to be done. Most important, as anyone who has ever done one of these races can appreciate, we now can tell THE STORY. I can’t wait to get my knee repaired and start it all over again next year.
