So, it’s been almost a month since I last posted, sorry to keep the six people who read this waiting for so long. Where to begin…(fyi: this is going to be a long one)
IT’S A BOY!
First off, I’m ecstatic to let everyone know that we are having a boy!! His name is Lucas Charles O’Neal, and yes, I do lean in to MH’s tummy and say “Luuuke, Luuuuuke, I am your father.” It will go back and forth between the actual Darth Vader voice and Chris Farley’s rendition in Tommy Boy. We’re just past the halfway mark and have way too much stuff still to do.
THANK YOU
Secondly, Heather and I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers for her mother. Now that the malignancies have been removed, we know the type cancer, there is a plan of action. Chemo will start on May 7th and last on into October. The Oncologist (thank you spell check) came in Easter Saturday and said that in all his past dealings with this stage of Ovarian cancer and the chemo cocktail she will be given there has been a 100% rate of putting the cancer into remission. Needless to say, it was a wonderful Easter weekend!
TRAINING AND RACE REPORT
So, the past month or so has been pretty chaotic. I haven’t been training like I should. I’d make to a couple of swim practices, a bike ride here or there, but I haven’t been consistent. I’m not even going to pretend that I went running any. My slacking became painfully obvious this past weekend at my first multi-sport event, The Magic City Duathlon. Leading up to the weekend, I was a bit anxious. Not really nervous, just ready to start it. I didn’t do much heavy training during the week; just enough to keep my legs loose. I focused on eating right for the week which went well until Superior Grille for lunch on Friday. One thought kept creeping into my head…what happens if I get a flat? I don’t know how to change a flat on my bike…holy crap, what am I going to do if I get a flat? So, I went on YouTube and watched several videos on the subject. I felt like I knew enough to be dangerous. At least if I got a flat, I wouldn’t be carrying my bike back to the transition area (hopefully). I was also a bit worried about the transition area. Is it as big of a cluster as I imagine it to be. I tried to practice a good bit pre-race week getting off my bike changing shoes running a little, changing shoes and getting back on my bike. Getting off the bike seems to pose the biggest challenge for some reason. I kept having nightmares of causing a huge pile up of twisted bike frames, torn jerseys, and scraped knees. Here is the “play by play.”
The following took place between 4:15 am and 10:00 am.
4:15 am – Up and at ‘em. I went down to eat breakfast (Turkey Sausage, Egg, & Cheese sandwich, Coffee, OJ). I started going through my gear for like the 10th time, aired up my tires to 110psi, watched some TV for a minute, showered, got dressed, loaded up my gear, and headed off to downtown.
6:00 am – Arrived at the Civil Rights Museum. I was surprisingly relaxed at this point. I got out and jogged/walked about for a little bit followed by some stretching b/c no one wants a repeat of the pain and suffering endured following Mercedes weekend. The transition area opened at 6:30, so I went in and arranged the few things needed for today’s race
Over the next 1hr and 45mins I picked up my timing chip, got my body markings, jogged a little, stretched some more, and started to get pretty pumped about the race.
8:17am – the participants only running the 5k race were off, and all men completing in the duathlon proceeded to fill the chute. Team-Magic put on the event, and they were great at coordinating everything. The announcer would come over the loudspeaker and say, “All male competitors need to be heading towards the chute you will be starting in 2 minutes. Ladies will be going 5 minutes behind the men…”. After that was said, one of the guys next to me said, “and 6 minutes after the men start, the ladies will be running past me..” It cracked me up.
8:20am – and we are off. Leading up to the start, I kept telling myself not to go fast; try and pace yourself. Well, that didn’t really happen. I flew out of the gates, and ended up walking a bit of the 5k. Right around mile 1.5, I hear quick footsteps behind me…yep, here come the ladies. The first chick flew by me. All that I could say to myself was, “I’m such a fat ass.” I quickly overcame my shame and started jogging. I’m coming up on the 2 mile mark and then I hear her. As I’ve said before, my MH can hoot’n holler with the best of them. She and my dad are just a block ahead cheering me on. (I’ll go ahead and say that none of the video’s are very flattering)
With my new found strength, I finished up the last mile and headed into the transition area.
8:52am - I spotted my transition spot rather quickly, because it’s easy to see yours when it’s one of the last bikes there. I changed shoes; took a sip of energy drink; buckled my helmet and off I went. My legs were a little tight at first, but quickly loosened up. I kept telling myself 13 miles is all that stood between me and finishing my duathlon. Heather and Dad found a good spot where they would be able to see me on the run and 4 times on the bike.
The main legs of the bike portion went down 20th Street, then left onto 2nd Ave South, and then left onto 35th St South. Overall it was pretty flat until you hit 35th street. This is a bridge that spans the rail yards. My legs were struggling to get me up the hill. The best part of climbing a hill, is going down the other side. Once I hit the peak, I gave a few hard kicks and coasted on down at around 28mph. There were two girls flagging down the riders warning that there is gravel in the turn at the bottom. Apparently it took someone wiping out to get a warning. This poor dude was wrapped like a mummy up his left arm and around his left leg. The butt of his bike shorts was nonexistent. I’m sure his bike was pretty banged up too. Just ahead is the turnaround. I’m ¼ of the way done with the bike.
Here is a shot of me riding by my cheering section again…or at least who they thought was me (I guess I should say thanks!)).
Now, here is the real me.
Now I’m ½ way there. Just down and back is all I kept telling myself. I tackled the 35th street bridge one last time, and on the way back down, I hear a “pop” followed by a “ffshhheeeww” the sound that I believe a bike tire would make if it popped. The expletives that followed would cause my blog to be rated NC-17 so we will leave them out. As I coasted to a stop at the bottom of the hill, I tried to remember the high quality videos I watched on YouTube to prepare myself for this type of situation. I jumped off; went to unlock the hub and noticed that my tire wasn’t flat. I was relieved to say the least, but what the deuce was making that noise. Then I see it, I ran over a sticker and it was stuck in my front brake rubbing on the tire. I struggled for a minute to get it off and then off I went to finish up the ride.
9:48am – I enter the transition area happy to be giving my rear a rest. I hobble to my post, rack my bike, change my shoes, and start jogging to the exit. My cheering section has grown. My buddies Carroll and Justin have joined. I give them all 5’s and ask if I’m still in first. I start running a little harder and I begin to realize why they call bricks (a training day when you ride for about an hr and then run for 30 minutes right after) bricks. Your legs feel like they are strapped to bricks. I imagine it is the same way a foal’s legs feel when it tries to stand for the first time. I manage to go about a block and run down a hill and then I start walking a bit. I get to the turnaround and try to run a bit more, but end up walking. My legs are dead. I get to the last 4 blocks and make myself run to the finish. I tried to keep good form, but I was flailing around like the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.
9:57am – I cross the finish line. Took me 1hr 40mins. My goal was under 90mins so I was a little disappointed. My times weren’t great for any of the legs and neither were my paces or rate, but I have to admit that I was bitten by the multi-sport bug today.
Overall, it was a great day. I wasn’t dead last overall (close though). I was top 6 in my division, which is just a fancy way of saying I was 6/6 in my division. I’m beginning to realize that you may hate yourself during the race for deciding to do it, but the feeling when you cross that finish line makes it all worth it. My next event is Memorial Day weekend. I hope that I can get conditioned enough to finish a bit better. I definitely don't want to be a "back of packer" anymore.
Eric's Quote of the Day: “The trouble with jogging is that, by the time you realize you’re not in shape for it, it’s too far to walk back.” ~ Franklin P. Jones
