Post Race Blues 😞
After completing Ironman Arizona in November of 2019, I have to admit, I was slightly bummed about the way things went. I have yet to crack the Ironman code and have a perfect race. Chattanooga was probably my best performance overall but I still think I can do better. After the race, I started thinking about what I wanted to do in 2019. Did I want to try another Ironman? Did I want to give a full Ironman a break? Did I want to try doing an ultra trail running race? Did I want to take a break from structured training? One idea I toyed with was doing a self-supported Ironman on my own. Basically a Will Turner style race. I had already committed to Ironman 70.3 Virginia in early May but other than that, I was not sure what I would be interested in doing.
I took one entire week off where I did not do any workouts. I mostly went to work and ate a lot. It seemed like I was hungry every couple of hours for 2 to 3 weeks after Ironman Arizona. Melissa and I relived our trip and looked at finisher videos and photos and let her amazing accomplishment sink in. For the next two weeks I did not do much. I did a few very short runs and swims for a total about 2 hours of training per week for the next two weeks. But then, after my three week hiatus, I was ready to get back to it. On the 4th week after Ironman Arizona, I managed to put together a solid 10 hours of swim, bike, run training. After that, I was ready to start ramping things up. I was back to 10-12 hours of training. My shoulder still was not 100 percent but it felt good to be back in the groove.
New Years
For New Years, we traveled up to my hometown of Vienna, VA to visit with my family. I took my bike and running gear of course. On the the day before New Year's Eve, I went on a ride with some Vienna friends. The temperature would have kept me inside in Richmond but I was determined to try to ride outside more in the winter and committed to meet some cyclist friends on the bike trail for a 2 hour ride. Boy, did it not disappoint. Riding with these two guys was so much fun. No expectations, no rigidity. Just an organic ride with a few short attacks on the hills and some easy segments where we conversed about everything from cycling to soccer to everything in between. We ended up with 40+ miles and it felt so good. That was my longest ride since IMAZ and really made me feel like my fitness was returning.
While out on the ride, I noticed a sign on the trail advertising a New Year's Eve 5K which would be taking place the next day at 4 PM. Well, I could not pass that up. So I registered for the race. The next day, I ran to the start from my Mom's house which was about 2 miles down the bike trail. I did not know what the course would be like other than the fact that part of it would be on the bike trail. I was looking forward to a nice flat course. But when the gun went off, we turned onto a road that went up a nice little hill. I heard someone say, "This is not the steep hill." Great. "I was not aware there would be any hills" went through my mind which is sort of a little joke I say sometimes when running up a hill in a race just to be silly. I did not say it out loud on this particular day. But after a few more hills, the course did flatten out and we were running down the bike trail. From here, it was a simple out and back. As I approached the turnaround, I started counting the front runners so I could see what place I was in overall.
I was in 25th place when I went around the turnaround cone. I could see a few people ahead of me and it looked like I was gaining on them slightly. From the turnaround back to the finish there was a false flat. I had run and biked this part of the trail very often and knew that the subtle up hill could feel like nothing on a good day. But with some fatigue and a headwind, it could slow you down a bit. But I kept trudging along. I picked off a few younger runners who had perhaps not paced themselves well. And then I had a little boost as my brother Erik and his wife Melissa were standing on the trail outside the local brewery and gave me a nice cheer. That was all I needed to help me claw myself into 19th place. And then, there was one more person in front of me who I managed to pipe at the line for 18th overall.
After the race, I checked my results and saw that I had won my age group (M50-59). Wow! That was unexpected. The prize was a one hour massage. Not too shabby for a last minute entry. After collecting my gift card, I ran back to my Mom's house in the dark on the bike trail. Luckily, the moonlight was strong enough that I could see plenty well. It was a little creepy but there were still a few bikers and runners out there here and there.
After I got home, I had a quick bite and we went to Erik's house for his annual New Year's Eve party where I had lots of fun talking to folks I had not seen in years. It was probably the most fun I had had a party in quite a while.
First Race in 2019
On January 12th, I competed in another 5K, the first race of 2019. Melissa and I both did the Run4Meg charity 5K. It was a chilly January morning but after warming up for the race, I decided to run in shorts. It had been about 2 weeks since the last 5K and I had put together another couple weeks of solid training leading up to the event. When the gun went off, I found myself in about 5th place after the fist few minutes. I was going at pretty good pace, slightly faster than my New Year's Eve 5K pace. The first 3 runners were pulling away from me but I still had 4th place in my sights. Sightly past the half way point, I saw Melissa who was racing. She was going in the opposite direction as I had already reached the turnaround. She gave me a nice cheer which gave me a boost and I was able to pass the guy in 4th place. Now I just had to hold him off. I pressed down on the gas pedal ever so slightly and took a look over my shoulder. He was not able to react. So I held that pace for another half mile or so before turning up the heat for the last quarter of a mile. I ended up 4th overall and 1st Masters Male which entitled me to a $50 gift card at a local running store. Melissa has since used this prize to get some new shoes. After all, what's mine is hers.
2019 Plans
So far, these are the events I have planned for 2019. There are a few I still have to register for but this is pretty much what I have in mind so far.
- April 13th - Monument Ave 10k
- May 5th - Ironman 70.3 VA
- May 6th through the 10th - Beach Vacation
- May 11th - Cap to Cap Century with some extra miles
- May 17th through 19th - Riverrock Trail Trio - 5K Friday, 10K Saturday, 13.1 on Sunday
- June 2 - Independence Olympic Triathlon
- July 13th - Allen Stone Braveheart Run/Swim/Run
- September 13th, 14th, 15th - Savage Man - Big Savage (Friday Prologue Swim/Run/Swim/Run/Swim/Run, Saturday Olympic Triathlon, Sunday Half Iron distance Triathlon.
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