Vermont Half-Iron Race Report (Part 2 of 2) - The Process

As promised, some more of thoughts from the race this weekend:

Keep the taper easy: I tapered for a week and a half, and felt bad the whole time. I was sore, tight, and worried about my fitness. My inclination, then, was to do more; stretch more, eat more, and do more “sharpening” workouts. However, I was careful not to get sucked in, and followed my plan (which was to do very little). Sure enough, race morning rolled around, and I felt great. I learned, yet again, to trust the taper.

Keep the bike easy: I watched a lot of people go by on the bike. I had the 30th best swim split and the 72nd fastest bike time. Partly, I was taking it real easy because I feared the run. But, really, that’s about where my bike fitness is. Remember, this is only my second year in the sport, and while working on swim technique and steady running gets me by, the bike fitness will take awhile to develop. I’m committed to it coming around, and committed to doing the sort of consistent work it requires. Some day, I’ll be able to ride like I know I’m capable.

Racing to my fitness: I’m pleased with the race because the finishing time reflects my fitness. I’ve had races where I’ve flatted out, or gotten sick (sometimes both), and the final time was nowhere close to what I could have run otherwise. However, I ran this race up to my current fitness level… I just don’t think I could have gone any faster. While it’s sort of humbling to accept, and I certainly expected better coming into the season, this is my fitness for the time being. I’m pleased I executed a great race, and it gives me a good starting point for the beginning of next year.

A life-changing experience: The nature of endurance sports achievement is incremental. When you do a 13-mile running race, you don’t just go out and do it. You do 9 miles one week, 10 the next, 11 the week after that, and so on. So, when you get to 13, it doesn’t seem that long. “Of course I can run 13, I just ran 12 last week… no big deal.” When I finish an event, I’m always surprised when some says “wow, 13 miles, that’s a long run.” I say, yeah, I guess that is a long run… wow! My own feelings of accomplishment sneak up on me.
However, this race is different. I really feel the weight of the 70.3 distance, not only in my legs, but everywhere. I feel accomplishment – that I really did something. I pushed through physical barriers I didn’t even know existed, and as a result, am somewhat of a changed person. Today, after the race, the world looks a little different. Given the usual nature of my athletic accomplishments, I’m surprised to feel this way, and curious as to why this time is any different. But to be sure, I’m enjoying the sensation…. And looking forward to the next race.