We also find great value in doing a "short" distance race. For many long distance triathletes, short races become "not worth it" and are brushed to the side in favor of more training for half or full distance triathlon events. But in the short events, there's less breakdown and risk for setbacks alongside so many incredible opportunities to go through the motions and emotions that are experienced in long distance racing.
Karel's knee was bothering him running last week so he stayed on the sidelines to cheer for our campers and I decided to race. My last sprint triathlon was in 2006 and my one and only triathlon with a pool swim was in 2003. I was excited to set out of my comfort zone and do something that was unfamiliar to me. Additionally, with predicted temps in the 30's, I knew this race would really be uncomfortable for me.
Human instinct tells us to stay safe in our comfort zone but I don't think I'm wired this way. Maybe it's a swimmer thing (as swimming is not the most comfortable sport) but I enjoy putting myself in new and unfamiliar situations. There's always a bit of nervous and apprehension but I love the feeling of being challenging. Although I don't always enjoy the discomfort of uncomfortable situations, I crave the feeling of satisfaction when it's over. Perhaps that's why I've completed 17 Ironman distance triathlon events.
Over the past year, I've put myself in a lot of different uncomfortable situations but I knew that this sprint triathlon would test me in ways that I've never been tested before. With a predicted race morning temperature of 33 degrees, I found myself thinking "how am I going to do this!?!?!"
In the afternoon of our third day of camp, Campy and I got in the car to drive the bike course. We drove the last four miles of the course in route to the aquatic center to pick up my race packet and then the first 10 miles on the way home. Not knowing the bike route brought a little anxiety prior to the race but after driving the course, I felt much more comfortable knowing where the turns were as well as the descends and hills.
With my last triathlon happening 6 months ago, it took some time to pack my transition bag but it felt good to have to go through the stress of packing for a 3-sport event. Karel worked on my bike while I was out to make sure it was race ready. I ate similar meals/snacks to what I would do for a long distance triathlon and kept with a normal routine of getting to bed early and clearing my mind by watching something on Netflix. I was asleep before 9pm but that early morning alarm was still a shocker to the system.
I woke up at 4:45am and had my typical long workout/pre-race meal of a bagel w/ peanut butter and jam a few spoonfuls of yogurt. I dressed myself in layers to stay warm and I spent some time foam rolling and doing a few of my go-to ECFit moves before we left the house at 5:15am. Unlike normal training, having a routine and sticking to a tight schedule is something that you only experience on race day. Plus there are the swings of emotions from "why am I doing this?" to "I'm excited to race."
We cranked up the heat in the car and during our 15-minute drive, I kept my mind free of negative thoughts. This was really helpful as I knew once I started to get into a negative spiral of thoughts, it would be hard to get out of it. I made sure to keep myself as warm as possible while setting up my transition area - although I was still a little cold.
Having thought of all the possible clothing combinations for the bike, I decided to go with a tech shirt, long sleeve jersey and vest. I draped the items on my bike handlebar so that it would be easy to put on each item. Even though I wanted to have a quick transition, I also wanted to have an efficient transition. I also had a large towel to dry myself off as well as a small towel to stand on after the swim to keep my feet from getting too cold. I had one pair of Hot Hands (which I've never used before) for my shoes (under my toe covers) but my athlete Therese saved the day and gave me two more to put inside my gloves. I jogged to get my chip and still couldn't get myself warm but once I stepped into the aquatic center, I finally felt warm. Just that quick change in temperature changed everything. It was the relief needed that no matter how cold I was going to be, I knew that the cold feeling wouldn't last forever.
My style of racing is to get stronger in the back half of long distance racing as it takes me a while to warm-up so I knew it would be hard for me to go hard from the beginning as the distances were too short for my physiology and how I've trained my body for the past 16 years (400 meter swim/14-mile bike/3-mile run). I made sure to get in as much of a warmup as possible so that I could swim somewhat hard from the start of the race. I did my stretch cord exercises that I normally do before I swim in training and then I was the first one in the pool for a ~10-minute swim warmup. I found it really important to get in the water before the race as my body would not allow me to go hard without some type of swim warm-up. Several of our campers joined me and nearing 6:45am, the pool had several more athletes swimming. I practiced snaking under the lane line as well as diving in.
Nearing 7am, the race director told us that this would be a very tough and miserable race but that we were all strong enough to do it. I lined up near the front as it was a seeded start and I was racing in the open category. I was the 5th athlete in the water and just like that, the race started.
As I was nearing the end of the 400, I started to get scared about what was about to come. Although I warmed up in the pool from my effort, as soon as I pulled myself out of the pool and ran outside, the shock of the cold on my wet body nearly took my breathe away. I even said outload "OMG this is crazy."
I removed my swim skin and dried off my shorts and my sports bra with my towel and then put on socks, my shirt, long sleeve jersey, vest, gloves, helmet and cycling shoes. I jogged my bike to the mount line and headed out to the coldest bike ride of my life.
The girl ahead of me was several minutes ahead as she had a quicker transition than me but I wasn't focused on her as I was cold and I didn't want to make any careless mistakes. My upper body was somewhat comfortable but my thighs were so cold, it felt like knives sticking into my legs. I was hoping that as the ride continued, I would get warmer and although my upper body felt ok, my hands got colder and colder. It was hard to grip my bars and change my gears so my focus was on staying safe. It was really hard for me to push hard as my body wasn't really working well but I stayed focused on whatever I could control. I ended up passing the girl ahead of me in the first few miles (she was on a road bike) which gave me a little energy boost. The downhills were hard because I was so cold and couldn't use my bike skills like I wanted but I still tried to execute the best I could on the course. Although some of the roads are normally really busy, traffic control was great, the course was well-marked and I didn't find any issues in the course - the roads were quiet.
The bike ride was short compared to what I am used to racing so I kept reminding myself that it would be over soon. I sipped on INFINIT in my hydration bottle (trying to take a few gulps every 15 minutes) throughout the bike. As I was nearing the end of the bike, my feet were actually a little warm and I didn't want to remove them from the shoes but I knew it would be beneficial to practice a flying dismount so I made myself remove my feet from my shoes and perform a flying dismount at the dismount line.
Life is hard and sometimes it's really difficult. Life forces us to deal with a lot of uncomfortable situations and experiences, along with other uncomfortable emotions like pain, loneliness, fear, worries, anxieties, frustration and sadness. As an athlete, sport gives us opportunities to experience similar emotions - but in the context of doing something that we enjoy. If we always avoid uncomfortable, new and unfamiliar scenarios, there's no growth. Racing gives us the reason to embrace challenges.
I survived the race. I went through the familiar motions of racing but I also proved to myself that I am a lot tougher than I ever thought I could be. Feeling uncomfortable is a sign that you are trying. Don't be scared of being uncomfortable. Stepping out of your comfort zone is how you improve, develop and grow. Be motivated by self-growth.