Napoleon Dynamite: Well, nobody's going to go out with *me*!
Pedro: Have you asked anybody yet?
Napoleon Dynamite: No, but who would? I don't even have any good skills.
Pedro: What do you mean?
Napoleon Dynamite: You know, like nunchuk skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.
My triathlon hobby started in 1989. I had been doing running events since the day I was born (or so it seems), moved up as far as CAT 3 in US Cycling in the mid-80s, and competed in duathlons as early as 1987.
But I was not a swimmer. And that single component held me back from jumping into triathlons. Until an eventful evening in the winter of 1988. I was working pharmacy retail at that time in Bryan, TX. I had just finished another draining twelve hour day and was now vegetating in front of the local cable access channel on my television. I was watching the little weather bar at the bottom of the screen trying to decide if I wanted to do a late night run when an ad suddenly caught my attention. It was from the Bryan-College Station Park & Rec department. They were starting a Polar Bear swim club. Simply put, swim at the outdoor pool logging in a minimum amount of meters each week for 12 consecutive weeks and you got a cool Polar Bear long-sleeved T-shirt and other goodies.
I, of course, laughed at first. In North Dakota, where I grew up, being in a Polar Bear club meant you cut a hole in a frozen lake. You dived in and out quickly and raced to a nearby Finnish sauna. The temperature would usually be below zero.
But this? Swimming outside in a heated pool? When the temp maybe got below forty above. Pshaw! But after sleeping on it, I decided to check it out. The thought of being able to compete in a triathlon had been nagging at me. Now in 12-short weeks I hoped to be able to do just that.
Every day over lunch, adults would show up at the outdoor Bryan pool. We'd change inside the non-heated locker area. Then walk briskly to the pool. Most days the temps were in the 50-degree area. But there were days that it dipped into the thirties with the lightest of snow in the air. Steam rising from the heated water. Swimming laps was so friggin' cool in those conditions! Some days the mist was so thick we could have used a foghorn to keep from running into each other in the lanes.
I started slow and gradually graduated from being able to swim one complete lap to swimming 1500 meters by the end of the Polar Bear session. And I earned my T-shirt! It was now time to do my first triathlon. And I picked a doozie.
I always like to tell people that I once raced against Lance Armstrong. That usually gets their attention. I don't bother to tell them that he whooped my rear-end by 35-minutes in a triathlon.
On May 13, 1989 at Speegleville III Park outside Waco, Texas there was a certain buzz in the air as the athletes were all saying, "watch this kid, he's really something." This tri was a 0.6mi swim, 28mi bike, and 6.5mi run. Lance finished in 1:54:05. His closest competitor finished over 6-minutes back.
All I remember is Lance was finishing up the run as I was coming in off the bike. Here's a image of the race summary. Unfortunately, splits were not available.
Then came marriage, focus on career, international travel, and a baby. In a blink of an eye, 15-years went whooshing by.
In the fall of 2007, I was fighting bad health. Something had hit me a year before and I couldn't shake it. Poor sleep, irritable bowel, constant fatigue, depression. All the signs of living for the moment and burning the candle at both ends. My mantra had been, "Don't tell me I'm burning the candle at both ends. Tell me where to get more wax!"
I went through a myriad of medical testing locally. Everything always came back normal. I spent much of the summer of 2007 at the acclaimed Mayo Clinic. At first, they were stumped as well. Then, a break.
My wife's best friend from high school had attended a dinner party in New York. She met a nice young lady and somehow the subject of my health had come up. Seems the young lady's father was one of the lead GI-doctors at Mayo. He was the guy patients were sent to when no one else could figure it out.
The daughter phoned her father. The father, vacationing in France, called me and told me to contact his assistant as he would be back in the states within a week. A week later I was sitting face-to-face with him when he asked, "Has anyone tested your testosterone levels yet?"
We tested the same day. Normal total serum testosterone levels for a person of my age are 600 - 900 ng/dL. Mine? 70 ng/dL. Finally, an abnormal test!
Further testing eliminated all the nasty causes. Be it pituitary tumor, hypothalamus issues, adrenal tumors....all negative. So I was stuck with an unexplained low testosterone level. There was some talk on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
I was put on testosterone replacement therapy. And I started to get more energy back. But I was still tired. Still sluggish. Still down in the dumps. So, what does a person do in that case? What would any sane person do when they are fighting fatigue and low-energy? As I sat staring out the window one particular depressing day, I decided to start training again.
I could only run a mile at first. Could only swim one length of the pool. My bike was snail slow, barely sustaining 14 mph pace. It took time. But I got back into shape. I had a good 2008 season, placing in the top three overall in three of the six events I entered and won my age group (45-49) in four of those six events. I look for even better results in 2009.
Well, that was a long lead up to the topic of this blog entry. What have I noticed on my return to triathlon? What skills have I lost never to regain again? I put some thought to this.
What about the flip side, though? Why have I still been able to compete and continue to achieve my one constant target - finish in the top 10% overall in each race?
Simple, experience. I know what's ahead of me in each race. I don't get nervous or tighten up or start to hyperventilate like so many of the young, inexperienced bucks do. You know the ones - you can see it in their pre-race motions. In their eyes. In the way they come up to the starting line. You know they are going to go off like a rocket and at some point during the event, you will pass them in the middle of a unrecoverable bonk.
Not in a mean sort of way, but it brings me great joy to pass a person half my age and see the look of astonishment on their face when a grey-haired, white-whiskered, pot-bellied old fuddy-duddy passes them.
I know how to pace myself. I can set off at a certain swim or run pace in my head. Wanna stay on target for a 6:30 per mile run? Just jump behind me. Wanna know how to play the wind, the next big hill, the time to hit the big cog or the little one during a bike? All second nature to me. Think experience doesn't matter in a tri? Ask Scott Tinley or Dave Scott. All were competing at high levels well past when most people thought they could.
At your next event, take a look at the overall results. Which age group puts in the highest percentage of the top finishes? Is it the 20-24 or 25-29 age group like you think it would be? Often times, it is not. It is the 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, and even the 45-49 age group that is competing for the top honors. Triathlon is truly a sport of experience matters.
It's not the water we are drinking. Despite our diminishing skills, our experience continues to get us through. And I have a feeling that we're going to continue to see that paradigm move even further out and start seeing some incredibly fast times from the 50's, 60's and 70's aged triathletes.
And that should be an inspiration to all of us.
The Stick: I use the stick prior to my running and cycling workouts. Sort of like having a quick massage session. It helps me through such things as trigger point pain, muscle strain and DOMS. Time needed, 5-10 minutes a day.
The Pro Foam Roller: More than any other product, this roller has helped my IT bands. I have been using on the quads when those post-event DOMS issues seem to creep into the quad region. It works!
It is anyones guess if he'll actually concur and want to join/try out. Now nearing age 9 his mood changes daily. And we aren't going to push a decision. The Boy® suffered through three years of Irish dance because he thought we would not like it if he quit. Lesson learned.
Hi Brian,Great! So, for you Minnesota USAT duathletes just sign up and compete in the following two du's....and you'll be ranked for USAT for 2009.
Yes, the Treadman will be USAT Sanctioned. All of our events this year are USAT Sanctioned. I am finalizing the course and venue for 2009 on the Treadman. The event is going to be a little different this year, much bigger than in past years.
Thanks,
Bill Nevala
CEO, WIN MultiSport Events, LLC
USAT Certified Race Director & Official
For USAT sanctioned triathlons, the task of competing in three events is not so daunting. Here's the list of USAT sanctioned tri's to date:
So, between personal events, conflict with other events (that are really great and why I go back despite not being USAT sanctioned)....it is possible to find three races from which you can acheive a USAT triathlon ranking. But it ain't easy.
If you're planning to participate in other triathlons throughout the summer you may want check how many of them are USAT sanctioned. A one day USAT membership is $10, while an Annual USAT Membership is $39. Depending on how many USAT Triathlons you enter, it may be more economical to purchase the USAT Annual Membership.
If you reside in Minnesota, please encourage your race directors to consider making their events USAT sanctioned. The more we have to choose from, the easier it will be for all of us to make the minimum race requirements. And the more times we can race beyond the minimum, the easier it is to 'throw out' that one race where you might have "Blow'd up good, blow'd up real good!"
The video is from the Collegiate Olympic race at WildFlower in 2007. The move I'm talking about is 3:54-3:56 in, right as John Daltz, the leader of the race at the point, rounds a corner. It's very difficult to see what he does, I did a double take the first time I saw it.
Basically, (for a right hand turn) he places his right arm in the water for the pull, flips on his back, does a single stroke of backstroke (with his left arm), then continues the roll to finish on his stomach again, regains his right arm and continues to swim.
I used this technique in an open water swim this past week, and I have to say I like it a lot. Not only can I make the turns tighter, but it's easier on my chest and abs, which prefer I swim in a straight line rather than try to make tight 90 degree turns. Not only that, the manuever allows you to take two or three quick breaths while you're on your back without any real time loss.
Maybe you guys have heard of this move before, but it totally blew me away. I just figured it was my duty as a tri-talker to pass it along to the rest of my self-coached brothers!
Ice awaits most certainly. I may bike later today to keep everything loose. We'll see.
Happy Valentines Day to you and yours!
Of course, I did some shopping. I had been looking for a lightweight training jacket for my runs now that spring is knock-knock-knocking on our door. What I found was perfect. I knew it from the moment I saw it
Introducing the Nike Clima-FIT Convertible Men's Running Jacket featuring weather-resistant technology. This baby has:
