Longhorn Tri

This isn't technically a "race report" but more of a personal reflection on the entire season. And it's long.

Yesterday was the Longhorn Tri: a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56+ mile bike, followed by a 13.1 mile run. Due to a running injury that continues to nag, I opted to complete the race in the Aquabike division, a multisport division that was conceived in 2005 and continues today. Most people have never heard of it. I think it's a great way to cater to folks who either can't or don't run, but who still want to get out there. I mean, it has been a LONG season of training and racing (11 races since January) and it would be a shame to completely throw in the towel and not even make an attempt.

So, my day started at 4:15am with breakfast, a shower, some stretching (always part of my pre-race regimine to get focused), and a drive out to Decker Lake. After a shuttle ride over to transition I got my stuff organized and then waited for my friends to arrive. It was so nice chatting with Bibiana, Glenda, Dionn, Evan, Mark, Malinda, and Stacey. It hardly felt like a race day. I wasn't nervous. I was calm. Too calm, in fact. For me, there's no way to muster up the energy to attack the race course if I'm calm. Same thing happened at the Skeese Tri in August. Just really relaxed.

But there is a definite positive side to this as well. This allowed me to be in the moment. To savor the excitement and reflect on why I enjoy multisport. Working out & training for me is essential to relieve daily stress and maintain fitness. It's a way of life, and has been since running junior high track. I like breaking a sweat out there on my bike, the calming of a long swim where I can focus on the sound of my breath in the water, and even though I enjoy running - even gaining some speed this summer - with the 13.1 mile out of the mix for Longhorn, I was incredibly relieved.

The Aquabike and Relays all started in the last swim wave, just after 8am. As we entered the water, we were surrounded by hydrilla. While it certainly was unpleasant, it was a short-lived harrowing experience. It was funny to hear a beefy guy in my wave (who looked like Stretch Armstrong with this long blond hair and speedo) squeal like a girl at all the weeds. I calmly took each stroke, and found myself around the first buoy in a sea of caps from the two waves ahead of me. Not too bad. I certainly wasn't breaking any records, but I was enjoying myself.

Onto the bike. I saw Bibi in transition and Malinda on the course & we all exchanged words of encouragement. The bike course had everything you'd want: cloud cover, cool temps, rolling hills, false flats, tight turns, and speed traps. Near mile 10 it started to sprinkle and was almost a little chilly. Miles 17-24 and again at 53-56 were mostly hills. I'm not a huge fan of hills as I slow WAY down, but I never stopped, thinking to myself "the little engine that could". I also took note of all the things along the course that scream Texas countryside: wrought iron ranch symbols (J&J Allen, Triple S), folk/country art along the fences for Halloween, scarecrows, cemeteries, longhorns in pastures, cows in a convoy, dead snakes, 2 chasing dogs, a lazy lab on a picnic table, huge pastures for horses, laundry on clotheslines, trash on the highway, abandoned and rusted cars, trailer homes falling apart with naked babies running around, a street sign for "Coon Neck Road", gun ranges, etc. All in all, I wasn't fast on the bike, but I had a fantastic time. I received 7, that's SEVEN compliments on my bike! During these longer races, it's interesting to see how attitudes shift along the bike course. People were actually talking some, at least a lot more than during a short race. I even passed a guy in an aero helmet, which I think is incredibly funny.

After the bike, to a somewhat lackluster finish, I received my medal and quickly changed clothes. I grabbed some lunch, a couple of beers and then made my way to Panther's "RockStar" themed water stop, seeing Dionn, Anna, Mark and Glenda along the way. It was a great day, and it was even better to be out there with my friends.

As I reflect on the entire season, and think about yesterday's race, I'm so thankful to have gained new friendships with some great people. There are entirely too many to name, but a few fellow tri racers that I have met this summer and am always relieved to see in transition on race day include:

Glenda - such a sweet person who despite being a rockstar athlete isn't afraid to show that she's human - she has falls, crashes, and even slow days once in awhile. She's had a BUSY season, moved, suffered injury and a cold, and endured Suellen's move back to Rhode Island. Yet she has persevered, and met most (if not all) of her race goals.

Stacey - a busy mom, who started the season with a 6 month old baby in addition to two other young children, but still made nearly every workout. Juggling an active lifestyle with her husband, who trained for Pikes Peak, coupled with a busy home environment always amazes me. She's even made it to a few Pub Runs, and I'm glad she'll continue to train with us through marathon season.

Steve (aka Menard) - always a riot, it was great to see Steve out there racing yesterday. I only saw him briefly during the run, but it's amazing to me that he was there. Having to change his weekly schedule for family commitments meant he missed nearly all of our workouts the second half of the summer. I remember seeing him out on a weekday afternoon doing the Lost Creek hill workout on his own because he couldn't join us the Saturday before to do it. He focused all season on his swimming and saw great benefits.

Arturo - Menard's "right hand man" and about the only person outside of Steve's family who Robert (Steve's son) will actually talk to, Arturo is an all-around genuine guy. He, too, was unable to make most workouts at the half-way mark, which is probably good. I say this only because Arturo always talked me into tequila shots at Aussie's and that's never a good idea. Arturo is the kind of guy who always shows up in some capacity for races. If it's volunteering or doing a shorter distance to satisfy his goals, he's there. Oh, and he also steals volunteer shirts for Menard AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY.

Bibi - While she didn't train with us a lot because she lives in Round Rock, Bibi is a great person to know. She's always upbeat, and in the throes of tri season, she's even managed to find time to train for NYC. I look forward to more seasons of racing with Bibi.

Mark - only in our group for Part I of the season, Mark has quickly become what I would call "hardcore". His first 1/2IM was this year, and he's already done 3 with a full IM planned for next year. He's encouraging and supportive, and always a joy to see out there.

Panther - how could I not take a minute to say something about my coach? While I've never raced with him (thankfully), he has quickly become a great friend who seems like someone I've known a lifetime. He's been supportive at the right times, funny when you need comedic relief, and introduced me to some great people - some we train with and some we don't. Because of him, I have gone on some crazy bike rides where I've been chased for over 5 miles by dogs, been nearly knocked off my bike by a GIANT pit bull, fallen in some gravel, gotten lost, and even cried in frustration. I've also laughed like I never thought possible, been challenged to recognize movie quotes and song lyrics, and done things I never thought I would (Snack Island) or could (Ladera Norte). He's also shown me that beer after workouts not only tastes refreshing, it actually helps you improve.

While yesterday wasn't the stellar race for me I thought I wanted when I first considered it back in March, I had a fantastic day and a great season. Burnout has officially set in, and now I can focus on healing my injury and moving onto a fun running season. I improved greatly this summer - setting new PR's for several races, and if you combine all my race times from last year/this year on identical courses, I've shaved off a total of 6 mins. on the swim, 25 mins. on the bike, and 18 mins. on the run. Beating myself is really all I ever wanted to do.