When I came out of the water and saw that I had finished under 40min - I got energized. As I went to transition, I heard the music switch to AC/DC's "TNT". That pumped me up more. I hit the bike and went out strong. The hills were more than I expected but, on my first 20K loop, I kept up with - or passed - alot of the athletes with aero-helmets and tires. I was feeling good and really moving. Coming back past the transition area to start my 2nd loop on the bike was like cycling through a stadium. How cool. Music, people cheering and rattling cowbells (and other noisemakers). I heard so many people yell my name that I thought there must be someone behind me named Jeff also. Then, I thought of Lindsay. Lindsay was a fellow Team in Training participant. In all the training I did, where I dropped everyone on the bike but the experienced triathletes - Lindsay was the one that kept up with me. Or, rather, I kept up with her. We cycled together a few times and talked about training or her kids. Once we got off the bike, she'd dust me. I'm not a fast runner but she was always way faster than me. She's attractive, athletic, and down to earth - a cool person to train with.
The night before the race, all the TNT folks gather for a pasta dinner to celebrate making it to the event. Lindsay was the last person to speak. In short, I had no idea she was a cancer survivor. In fact, her cancer is "incurable" but treatable and she had recently undergone treatment. It blew me away when she spoke of going through treatment and therapy - fighting back tears while talking about explaining to their children ages 4,6,7 (I think) what it means for Mommy to have cancer. Her husband broke down while sitting at our table.
I had no idea.
I don't think I could have been more humbled - and more honored - than when she spoke that evening. She had trained next to me on many rides and never said a word, never complained, never mentioned it - and some of her treatment had been in the past year.
So....as I came into the ampitheatre of sound that ended the first 20K loop of the cycling portion of the race, I was pumped and moving at a phenomenal pace. People calling my name, cowbells going off, rock and roll on the speakers - and I thought of Lindsay and how much it must have meant to be there - to race, to have people call her name, to drop into that moment of total being. And, I got a little teary. I felt really proud and humbled to be in the race suddenly. It was a great, great moment.
The rest of the race went well. In hindsight, my first 20K loop was way too fast as I bonked hard on the 2nd 20K. I finished the first loop in under 40min. The second loop was over 50min. I did what I needed to keep moving forward and to get nutrition and electrolyte replacement in me - but I was toasted for the rest of the cycling portion. I was probably a little cocky about the bike and I got a big lesson learned there. I'll definately look to do better next time.
The transition to the run went well and I started the run strong. Since I'd be tight coming off the bike, it was my strategy to run every mile faster than the last one. I was fairly successful at that. It was a flat 10k course and when I got to the last water station I yelled out "What's the milage?" Someone answered that it was mile 5 - I saw that I had 6 min to make it to the finish to break the 3 hour mark.
I haven't run a 6min mile in my life - not to mention a 6 min 1.2 mile. But, it would not be for lack of effort - after dumping a cup of water on my head - I took off in a sprint, passing about a dozen people, working my way through the crowd (heard the TNT folks yelling my name again) and finished with my fist in the air at 3hours, 2min, 14 seconds.
So, let me say thanks to all my coaches, the folks I met and trained with, and my wife and Steph for making the trip to Philly to support me. A special thanks to everyone that donated $ to this effort. I can't recommend the Team in Training program highly enough. I look forward to joining for the Philly race again next year.
I'll be keeping this blog open as I hope to keep racing some. "Race to train, not train to race" as my friend Leslie would say. I'm thinking of joining some folks in Manassas for a shorter race in a few weeks - and have sent an inquiry to someone that's said they have an available slot for the Nation's Tri in DC in September.
The night before the race, all the TNT folks gather for a pasta dinner to celebrate making it to the event. Lindsay was the last person to speak. In short, I had no idea she was a cancer survivor. In fact, her cancer is "incurable" but treatable and she had recently undergone treatment. It blew me away when she spoke of going through treatment and therapy - fighting back tears while talking about explaining to their children ages 4,6,7 (I think) what it means for Mommy to have cancer. Her husband broke down while sitting at our table.
I had no idea.
I don't think I could have been more humbled - and more honored - than when she spoke that evening. She had trained next to me on many rides and never said a word, never complained, never mentioned it - and some of her treatment had been in the past year.
So....as I came into the ampitheatre of sound that ended the first 20K loop of the cycling portion of the race, I was pumped and moving at a phenomenal pace. People calling my name, cowbells going off, rock and roll on the speakers - and I thought of Lindsay and how much it must have meant to be there - to race, to have people call her name, to drop into that moment of total being. And, I got a little teary. I felt really proud and humbled to be in the race suddenly. It was a great, great moment.
The rest of the race went well. In hindsight, my first 20K loop was way too fast as I bonked hard on the 2nd 20K. I finished the first loop in under 40min. The second loop was over 50min. I did what I needed to keep moving forward and to get nutrition and electrolyte replacement in me - but I was toasted for the rest of the cycling portion. I was probably a little cocky about the bike and I got a big lesson learned there. I'll definately look to do better next time.The transition to the run went well and I started the run strong. Since I'd be tight coming off the bike, it was my strategy to run every mile faster than the last one. I was fairly successful at that. It was a flat 10k course and when I got to the last water station I yelled out "What's the milage?" Someone answered that it was mile 5 - I saw that I had 6 min to make it to the finish to break the 3 hour mark.
I haven't run a 6min mile in my life - not to mention a 6 min 1.2 mile. But, it would not be for lack of effort - after dumping a cup of water on my head - I took off in a sprint, passing about a dozen people, working my way through the crowd (heard the TNT folks yelling my name again) and finished with my fist in the air at 3hours, 2min, 14 seconds.
So, let me say thanks to all my coaches, the folks I met and trained with, and my wife and Steph for making the trip to Philly to support me. A special thanks to everyone that donated $ to this effort. I can't recommend the Team in Training program highly enough. I look forward to joining for the Philly race again next year.
I'll be keeping this blog open as I hope to keep racing some. "Race to train, not train to race" as my friend Leslie would say. I'm thinking of joining some folks in Manassas for a shorter race in a few weeks - and have sent an inquiry to someone that's said they have an available slot for the Nation's Tri in DC in September.
Thanks to everyone for being there.
Remember - Keep moving forward......
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