Vineman 70.3 Recap

I participated in the Vineman 70.3 yesterday and had a great time. I was pretty nervous going in because of my lack of training over the last two months. That being said, I had a personal best finishing time at the half Ironman distance of 6:48. Wow-am I ever surprised.

I met Holly Pepper on the run course. She is another Triabetes member and Type 1 diabetic. Her husband and father-in-law were also racing. That was really cool and it was nice to talk to her about racing with diabetes...during a race. Talking to her made me realize that I had forgotten to take my Lantus before the race. A minor freak out ensued until I remembered that I had a great swim, a better than expected bike, and my run was going well despite nagging cramps in my quads. All that and I started the run out at 225, which wasn't too bad given the situation. As a result, I did not take any calories in on the run with the exception of Amino Vital and a handful of pretzels. When I finished I was at 160--so not too bad.

Vineman Lessons learned:

--Pay attention to your insulin intake before a race.

--Do not get your front and rear derailleur cables changed right before traveling with your bike and not riding it first. Bad idea.

--Racing with friends is always better than racing by yourself. I traveled to California with eight or nine other athletes from Hawaii. It was great to see their faces throughout the race and see that they were having a good day.

--Finally, maybe rest periods are good? That is a difficult pill to swallow for a Type A triathlete, but I'll do my best.

Do Not Try This At Home

I started this year out with a bold idea to do things that I otherwise would not. This was meant to challenge myself and to learn about new things. For the most part, I have not done anything too crazy--I went sailing, I am learning how to surf, I have tried new foods, I have gone out with new friends, I am a Triabetes captain. This weekend I will be trying to complete the Vineman 70.3 race in California. For some reason, I feel as if this is going to be my biggest challenge to date.

Three reasons why racing Vineman is a bad idea:
1. I have not been on a 60 mile bike ride since May.
2. My training has been very inconsistent.
3. My mental focus on this race has been almost non-existent. (Normally, I would have printed out copies of race maps, know what time my swim wave starts, downloaded the athletes guide, know when and where the race registration is--I don't know any of this!)

Three reasons why I plan to race Vineman:
1. Why not? I have my plane ticket and lodging.
2. What is the worst that can happen? I DNF. This has happened to me before in much more emotional, spirit crushing circumstances and I survived it.
3. Maybe I can learn something from this--like how to enjoy a half ironman distance when you aren't worried about finishing within a certian time!

We'll see what happens. I am excited for my training parters--Lilian, Brian, Karen, Eric, Jodie, Cheryl, Jeff, Shelley, and Marcy. I am excited for my coach--Tim. They are ready to have a great race. I am glad that I'll be able to be there to share the experience with them. We are all traveling to CA wine country for a great weekend with friends.

Next posting, I'll let you know what happened. My experience with my new approach to life has worked out so far, so I hope that my luck holds out.