'09 Tri Season - Lessons Learned

Well, my first year as a triathlete is in the books. Simply put, I had a blast. I met a bunch of awesome people, learned a lot about the sport, and learned a lot about myself. The following is a quick look back at my races this year and a brief account of what I learned.

2/15 First Race – Mercedes Half Mary (13.1mi run…ok, jog & walk) Goal Under 3hrs – Actual 2hrs 43mins

First lesson in a repeating course of sticking to training. I started out pretty strong and then started to feel fatigued as I passed the 6-7 mile mark. Felt the “runner’s high” and loved it. While running still sucks, I enjoy it when I’m done. This was the first and only time this year that I could barely stand to walk the following days due to the pain in my feet & ankles. Definitely need to be sure to stretch well before and after the race.

4/18 1st Multisport Event – Magic City Duathlon (3.1mi run/12mi bike/2mi run) Goal 1hr 30mins – Actual 1hr 40mins

Lesson 2 of the course “The Importance of Training”. I felt good going into this race. I had ridden a good bit around the Hoover Freshman Center. I started off waayy too fast on the first run…ended up walking some (or most)…getting very fatigued on the bike…and flailing around in the home stretch. I wasn’t too sore after this event. Crossing the finish line was a feeling that I would never forget and that will never get old.

5/25 First Triathlon – GJCC Memorial Day Triathlon (200m swim, 8.5mi bike, 2mi run) Goal 1hr 00mins – Actual 1hr 12mins

This was my first “competition” swim. I was pretty nervous about the whole event. The swim went great. The bike was fun until I came upon the only climb on the course. To this day, that climb seems like it went straight up a mountain. This led to my next lesson learned…work on biking up hills. Even though I didn’t feel like I had done great, crossing the finish line still rocked. The tri bug had latched on.

6/13 - Buster Britton Triathlon (400yd swim, 13.5mi bike, 3mi run) Goal 1hr 30mins – Actual 1hr 44 mins

After finally beating my “nemesis” on a training ride with my cohort Jeff the weekend prior to the event, I felt pretty good going into this race. I did ok on the swim, and I managed to do ok on the bike despite the wet roads. This race made me realize how important running is. I am not a fan of running, but this is something that I still need to get over. To push myself, I’m going to run a few marathons next season (more on next season later).

7/12 – Chattanooga Waterfront (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run) Goal 3hrs 40mins – Actual 4hrs 11mins

This was the longest race of the season. I was a wreck worrying about this race. The distance of the bike didn’t bother me too much, but then add on the hills to the 26 miles and WOW. I felt great during and after the swim. I regret stopping a couple of times on the bike and not pushing harder on the run, but hey, I finished. I have to admit that crossing this finish mat was the greatest feeling all year. I was a little “emotional” at the end of it. A year ago if someone would have told me that I would be completing an Olympic distance triathlon, I would have laughed my butt off. I never thought I would be able to accomplish this. I learned more about myself this race than any other. It would have been so easy to call it quits on the bike and get a ride back to the transition area. Instead, I dug in and finished it…the finish wasn’t pretty, but at least it was a finish. Ever since that race, I feel like I can do anything. (Sorry for the Velveeta moment)

7/18 – Wet Dog Triathlon (400m swim, 15k bike, 5k run)

Goal 1hr 18mins – Actual 1hr 20mins

This was probably the most fun race out of all of them. It isn’t nearly as organized as the rest of my races. The venue was pretty close and the course rocked. It was super flat and fast. This was a fun one just to go do. I learned two things today…the first is that trail running rocks even if you do get tripped by a rogue vine and second, that running with a GPS watch that tracks your pace and distance is the way to go…I must have one.

8/8 Final Tri of the Season – Mt. Lakes Triathlon (600yd swim, 16.2mi bike, 3mi run) Goal 1hr 40mins – Actual 2hrs 00mins

This was a cool race. Other than the swim being the worst of the year for me, this one rocked. The bike and run are pretty flat. The run is along a paved path that runs next to the lake. I regret not having trained harder since Chatty for this one. I really feel like I could have torn this one up. Something that I have a bad habit of doing on the bike is trying to “save” my legs for the run. In a sprint like this, there is no need to hold anything back. You just have to go all out and know that your training has prepared you to endure. This race will be one of my top priority races next year.

When I look back on all of my races, it is easy to be a little disappointed for not meeting/beating any of my goals except for the ½ mary. Then I remind myself that this is my first season and I’m not exactly the well tuned triathlete I plan to be next year. Soon I’ll plot out my course for this next year which will culminate with IM Florida. Real quick I want to say thanks to all of my family and friends for their support this past year. MH, I love you to death. You will never know how much I appreciate your support and understanding during this journey. 18 days....holy crap!

Eric’s Quote of the Day: “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” ~ Booker T. Washington