Chasing Down My Dream

After competing in the NCAA system for a year and a half without doing a draft legal triathlon I was exhausted. Why? I was tired of losing or not even being close. A good race puts me in the top 30 at an event. So I asked coach flowers if I could take a red shirt indoor track season and race a triathlon to get my elite card back. A race that in order to get that card I would need to be one of the best on the day.

So I set out to do so,  bumping my one once a week swim and very scarce bike. In order to maximize these I asked Jenny what I would need to do. I took care of the swimming, but she would take over the bike. Two to three times a week I would try to get the fitness I gained previously from miles and miles of biking. Thus, it was time to hop on the computrainer so I could train with power for the first time.

With only months to increase my swim and bike while maintaining 100 plus mile running weeks,  I grinded it out. A bike camp in the winter back in Iowa, several days of "mental" swimmimg because the pool was closed a bunch, and a track meet in Michigan where I continued to PR. I did what I could to get ready. Come March 2nd I had to get on the plane and be ready no matter what.

So early Thursday morning I woke and set off to the airport with Hen House Bike and wheel bags, and my back back. Hoping I didn't forget too much as it was my first race like this in too long. A layover  in houston later and I was in beautiful warm Florida. A bit more travelling and we made it to our house for weekend. My plan to get a swim at the beach, a small bike, and a run fell through because well it's a travel day so whatever I can fit in and the body wants. Assembling the bike and a late night run it is. A delicious meal made by Michaela and I'm knocked out.

The next day brought a few surprises, but hey after not racing for this long I expected something to happen. During the night before my assembly didn't go quite as planned so I went in for what I thought would be a quick bike shop stop before meeting up with the Z3 crew. A few hours later and I missed my chance to check the course with the team, but it's all good my swim and bike training has mostly been alone as is.

So I hit the water first after a few minutes of preparing for the cold water I haven't experienced in quite some time. Nothing like a grown man running being afraid of water. I finally get in to the familiar blackout water I can't see anything in. I actually feel good and grab about 700 meters before doing entrances and exits. Still got it. So I hop out and head out on the course. Bike is running fluid so I call it good at 3 laps of the 5k course.

Fast forward a bit through a bunch of napping, a pre-race meeting, 2 more runs, another bike, some amazing pasta thanks to the Z3 parents (thanks again!), and found myself at race morning Sunday morning. With the race starting at 11 I had grabbed a shakeout run that morning to get the blood flowing. Now I found myself looking for a trainer to warm up because the course is closed. Luckily Joey had found one and I asked to use it after him. This is when I realized it was really just about race time, the nerves that had been hitting me for quite some time now intensify

I hop off at 8 minutes and grab a 2 Mile run. Which calmed my nerves for a bit until I realized at half way my chip had fell out of my pocket...I promise I have done a try before haha. So here I am retracing ever step to no avail. So back to transition it was. As arrive the official asks if I was in the next race, and proceeds to tell me I'm late and they were looking for me...because I had barely made it out of transition with my chip. With that out of the way I head to the beach, grab dynamics, and head to the line as the 69th guy to pick a spot.

Excited to be back to racing triathlon.

Breath. The logistics of getting to the line are over and the gun goes off. Time to do what I do best. Arms flailing and people crashing top the water around me until it's my turn to take the dive. It's just us and the water now. (Plus a few gators on the other side of the lake NBD) I surprise myself by getting into a rhythm rather quickly. Once there I relaxed and did my best to enjoy the moment a trick I learned over the years to calm my claustrophobia. Make it fun and a game. Before I know it we are racing the waves back to the shore as our out and back comes to an end.

Fourth man back in this picture coming out of the water.

I sprint out of the water in signature fashion hearing people cheering for me and my ferrite competitors. The rush gets me up and into the bike fast and furious. We head out onto the course and I grab a pack. It's farther back from the leaders than usual, but it's what I had to work with. I realize rather quickly that my tires are a lot more bare than I remember as every 180 I have to work hard to keep up on two wheels. My apologies to those behind me on the turns, sure it was a bit nerve wracking. Regardless I was in it, lap after lap of my favorite style of triathlon; high speed draft legal.

It has been a while since I've been on the bike...

As we enter transition I have A LOT of work to do if I want to get my pro card as planned. So I set out to use the run I developed the last few years. Passing everyone in my pack in a matter of seconds, not even giving them the thought of staying with me. I pick off people one by one moving through the field. It hurts like hell but I know I can't slow down because it could come down to a few seconds of difference. Which is hard to grasp with 1.25k left as I make my final u turn, but I know the guy I needed to catch was up there and hurting. Going to my track speed as Alex Libin kept telling at me I chased down as many as I could  the final straight away. I saw the finish line and one more person who hadn't finished, I made it my mission to catch him no matter what. Pumping my arms, gritting my teeth, and giving it what I had left I caught him before the line.

On the chase

I took 6th place, the significance of that was 3 people earn a pro card at EDR races. They remove the athletes already with pro cards from that category. The news gets back to me that three people had their card and I had got mine by a matter of seconds. It that moment I had to cry, I pulled out off. Only a few months earlier I decided to come back to the sport and set a goal to open my pathways by getting a pro card. I did it. It hurt. It was worth it.

I grab a cool down through the woods before Michaela picked me a few miles down the road. I take it in that was only one stepping stone in a long way to my ultimate goal, but to really enjoy that moment. We grab some food, rapid fire pack our bikes up, and get to the airport. The adventure had simultaneously ended and began that day. Thanks again to all who supported me along the way.