TRI Harder…..GK17

Friday morning (day before the actual race) came very quickly. So much to do and had plenty of time to prepare for our trip to Waupaca Wisconsin. The race was scheduled for Saturday at 7AM, so since we had 274 miles to travel it was wise to go out the day before. Anyway, after making my list and checking it 5 times, loading up the truck, getting the DVD hooked up for the kids, checking my list again, racking the bike on the roof, printing out the map, calling buddies to see where to meet, dropping off the dog (Ace) at the In-laws, yada yada yada…it was time to head east into cheeseland. About 30 minutes into the trip we hit some major construction on the major freeway heading into WI, so we sat and sat and inched along until finally there was light at the end of the tunnel and in no time at all we were near Eau Claire (almost half way)! Right after Eau Claire we ran into more friday afternoon traffic and sat for about 45 minutes. Patience is a virtue, so we hoped. After a couple minor bathroom breaks and gas fill-up, we were in Waupaca and headed over to South Park where the race was to be held.

After finding some parking spots nearby, we unloaded the bikes to have them safety checked by the LBS and crew. We then signed in, got our shirts, and our race numbers along with race chip and off to the potato bake for some carbohydrate action. While eating, the kids triathlon was about to start. Ages 4 - 13 could race and they split it up into different age groups and off they went. Those TRI parents are CRAZY!! It was real fun and cool to see all the kids happily racing.

After a while we went to check into our hotel and do some swimming at  the indoor pool with the kids (our kids) and then we started chatting racing and course maps etc. What we almost forgot was that Michael Phelps was about to swim the 100 butterfly for his bid for his 7th gold. We did get to see the race and man was that close!!! Literally by a fingernail. It took us about 20 times watching it to believe he truly won that race…but he did, and as you know went on to get one more gold and break Spitz’s record. Drew (best friend) and I decided, after little thought, that we would now venture out and do a little run through town. So we did, and loosened up some leg muscles and had a nice chat in the crispness of the eve. After about a mile or so we headed back to the hotel and got our gear ready for the next morning. Our hotel was just over 3 miles from the race sight transition area and Drew talked me into riding in in the morning instead of driving…so we did…bright and early we rode with backpacks on our backs and fresh air in our lungs. Like I mentioned before, race start was 7am prompt with the Elite group of 50 heading out first, and then waves of 50 every 2 minutes. There were almost 20 waves of people between the long and short course and the relay teams…thats alot of racers for such a small town lake and it was an awesome spectacle. I was in wave 4 with 2 of my buddies, John and Clark! Drew had decided to move into the Elite group the night before the race, so he went in the first wave naturally. I was so nervous…I couldn’t decide whether to wear my wetsuit (which I had never trained with) or just go with my one piece TRI suit. After setting up the bike in the transition and getting everything laid out, I decided I would go with thte wetsuit after all. I am glad I did! Way better buoyancy and seemed to glide through the water much more easily. Since the swim has been my weakness, any help was welcome. Okay, my time had come and I’m waiting for the horn to sound. Off it went and off I went into the water flailing about getting kicked and kicking for my life not realizing how much energy I just used up trying to freestyle with my head above water, that must have looked funny. So trying to regain any composure I might have left, I decided to go into “side-stroke” mode. I would pick a couple points of interest out in the distance and just concentrate, and before I knew it it was time for the turnaround and on the way back to shore. The second half of the swim went by way faster and I had really found a good rhythm with my sidestroke that I was passing freestylers left and right (I was also being passed left and right, mind you …haha). The shore was with in striking distance and as I saw swimmers begin to stand and run I was so elated that the swim portion was coming to an end…now I just had to be able to shed the suit and figure out if I was going to be able to stand when I got to my bike.

The run up to T1 was tough. I couldn’t get alot of air into my lungs (so it seemed) but when I saw my beloved “Fujster” I couldn’t wait to get on and pedal into the country. The transition went very well, first the wetsuit came off, helmet on and buckled, shoes on and comfy (no socks), sunglasses, checked brakes again, checked hydration again, and tire pressure along with ankle chip and I was off. 20 miles of either pure joy or pure pain were ahead of me. Now, since I normally train solo, I knew I could really kick it into higher gear with riders on the course to…I like to think that I am pretty competetive and that any chance to pass without getting out of control would only heighten that feeling…so thats what I did. I got passed a few times at the beginning, but the further we got into the ride the less I had to watch rented Zipp wheels go past me (no offense to anyone who rented zippp wheels for their races). In the hills I plucked riders off one by one, on the flats I kept a steady pace and enjoyed the scenery, and on the downhills I hit the high gear and took advantage of gravity. About mile 12 I started cramping…I was enjoying the race so much I forgot to Gu nad drink my gatorade. So I reached for a GU and followedit up with some gatorade and not 7 minutes later the cramping was pretty much a memory (albeit a bad on). With about 5 or 6 miles left I found myself trading positions with a young lady who was also riding a Fuji…so we got to talking aobut our bikes and our races and so on and so forth. It was her first TRI season and my first TRI, so we felt like we were doing rather well and enjoying some chit chat…boy did that make the pain and the miles disappear. Next thing I know only 2 miles to go. I kicked it up a notch, bid farewell (with all due respect) to my new friend and headed into the outer area of downtown. Through some camelback hills into some S-turns and on the other side of the lake I could hear the announcer oud and clear. The last mile was so awesome, down a sweeping hill into a banked “s” turn next to the lake and then a steep climba dn a hard right into the transition area. One problem, I had never really practiced dismounting my bike at such high speeds, so I was at a bit of a loss of what to do. So I unclipped the left foot, slowed down a bit, unclipped the right foot and my right foot slipped off the pedal and all of the sudden I was skating toward transition. Agian, must ahve been a sight to see (I would have laughed if given the opportunity). Right leg over the saddle and legs started chuggin toward T2 for the run.

Did I mention that I landed and end spot in the transition area!!! I didn’t have to fight to get my bike out nesteled between two other bikes or anything…in and out…how lucky was that. Re-racking the bike, slipping off the cycling shoes, lacing up the running shoes, checking to make sure I had what I needed for the run (skipped the hat, though I had one cause Peter and Brad told me to), but what was laying under the hat was the one thing I missed…but I didn’t realize it until mile 2——-MY RACE BELT AND RACE NUMBER!!! We were not required o wear the number until the run prtion of the race. I had the number sharpied onto my left leg, and since my arms are completely tattooed, that was really the only place you could see it anyway. Thank God that the Waupaca Area Triathlon gods were smiling on me and didn’t get DQ’ed! So I didn’t worry about it too much, since I was chipped and written on. The run felt tense, under sides of my ribs ached for oxygen for the first mile and a half, but it was now time to make a move or continue my pace. My legs didn’t want to go any faster, but my heart is stronger than that, so I picked it up a bit and started to feel real energized. I started to think about my Mom and my friend Adam, Drews brother, (whom I always race for) who aren’t with us anymore because Cancer ended up getting the best of them (and don’t get me wrong they fought with strength, heart and guts). I started reminding myself of how little this pain was compared to what they went through with Chemo and Radiation. and how when I was done racing the pain would quickly be gone…so I ran faster and harder,and better…for them. The finish was in my sights, and in my grasp. It felt so sweet…so I emptied the tank with about 2 tenths left and finished strong and proud and Awesome!!! All the training, all the support, through some of the toughest last 12 months of my life, mentally and physically…at that moment it all disappeared. And then to see my wife and kids cheering, and my friends and their families clapping and hollaring. What a joy!! Life is good and I am truly blessed way beyond what I can fathom. It’s not just a race its become a lifestyle, and from what I remember, and you can quote me on this…a wise man once said…”Now that I have tasted the sweetness of this stuff, I can’t imagine life without it!!” Thats my story and I’m sticking to it!! Thanks for reading, and good luck with your lives in training! GK17….OUT!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 8:13 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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