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Hi everybody,
Been a while, but wanted to share my experience at the IM 70.3 Vegas race this past Sunday.
I was lucky enough to grab a qualifying spot at this race during a rolldown at Buffalo Springs back in June. (a quick tip - Always go to the awards dinner after your races if they are giving out qualifying spots to Kona or 70.3 Worlds - you never know what can happen!)
Fast forward to the race morning... I walk outside from the hotel, and it is pouring rain. That's right - raining in Vegas. I was planning on 100+ degrees and it looks like Seattle. My first thought was it's going to be dicey on the bike (and it was).
As my wave is getting ready to jump in the water, the announcer says my name. That's weird - am I in trouble? Then he started telling my story. I always put in the fact that I have MS in the race registration when they ask "why are you competing". Never thought somebody actually read that stuff. Anyway, it was pretty cool to hear the announcer give me a shout out right before I started my race.
I jump in the water, swim up to the start buoy and look around. There I am with about 300 of the top 35-39 year old athletes from all over the world. How the hell did I get into this crowd?! I could barely swim one length of the pool three years ago. Anyway, the gun goes off and before I know it, the swim is done. I swam the 1.2 miles and only got hit in the face twice! A new record!
I get on the bike, ready to put the hammer down. I need to put it to my competition on the bike because my run is.....let's just say it is sub-optimal for a world championship. I hit the first hill (of many) on the bike and realize I do not have my climbing legs today. I've had some great races so far this year, and you can't expect to be perfect every day. But dammit, do I have to have my "off day" on this particular day? I had to reassess my situation. I decided that I was going to enjoy the day as much as I could and really savor the experience. I was glad I did, because Lake Mead National Park is a beautiful place to ride. Thankfully I didn't see any bad wrecks on the bike as there were some pretty fast descents. 56 miles later, I hand my bike to a volunteer and get ready to run.
I get to transition, put on my running shoes, and start the 13.1 mile run. I had some trepidation. Usually when I feel crummy on the bike, things will go from crummy to extra-crummy on the run. In this case, it was extra-crummy until about mile 10. Then things started feeling better. About 200 meters before the finish, I saw my wife (who is the world's best cheering section, all by herself). She handed me my BikeMS jersey - the one that says "I have MS" on it. I put it on and crossed the finish line of the world championships. Felt good to do that.
It's funny how these longer races work. Kind of like MS. You have good days and bad days. But even on the bad days, you can find beauty, friendships, and all sorts of other cool stuff. You just have to make sure you're paying attention through the pain.
A special thanks to Coach Kelly. She took the time to check up on me a few times before the race, despite all of the other commitments she has leading up to the race - including finishing in the top 10 pro female division. She's everything you could ask for in a coach.
Been a while, but wanted to share my experience at the IM 70.3 Vegas race this past Sunday.
I was lucky enough to grab a qualifying spot at this race during a rolldown at Buffalo Springs back in June. (a quick tip - Always go to the awards dinner after your races if they are giving out qualifying spots to Kona or 70.3 Worlds - you never know what can happen!)
Fast forward to the race morning... I walk outside from the hotel, and it is pouring rain. That's right - raining in Vegas. I was planning on 100+ degrees and it looks like Seattle. My first thought was it's going to be dicey on the bike (and it was).
As my wave is getting ready to jump in the water, the announcer says my name. That's weird - am I in trouble? Then he started telling my story. I always put in the fact that I have MS in the race registration when they ask "why are you competing". Never thought somebody actually read that stuff. Anyway, it was pretty cool to hear the announcer give me a shout out right before I started my race.
I jump in the water, swim up to the start buoy and look around. There I am with about 300 of the top 35-39 year old athletes from all over the world. How the hell did I get into this crowd?! I could barely swim one length of the pool three years ago. Anyway, the gun goes off and before I know it, the swim is done. I swam the 1.2 miles and only got hit in the face twice! A new record!
I get on the bike, ready to put the hammer down. I need to put it to my competition on the bike because my run is.....let's just say it is sub-optimal for a world championship. I hit the first hill (of many) on the bike and realize I do not have my climbing legs today. I've had some great races so far this year, and you can't expect to be perfect every day. But dammit, do I have to have my "off day" on this particular day? I had to reassess my situation. I decided that I was going to enjoy the day as much as I could and really savor the experience. I was glad I did, because Lake Mead National Park is a beautiful place to ride. Thankfully I didn't see any bad wrecks on the bike as there were some pretty fast descents. 56 miles later, I hand my bike to a volunteer and get ready to run.
I get to transition, put on my running shoes, and start the 13.1 mile run. I had some trepidation. Usually when I feel crummy on the bike, things will go from crummy to extra-crummy on the run. In this case, it was extra-crummy until about mile 10. Then things started feeling better. About 200 meters before the finish, I saw my wife (who is the world's best cheering section, all by herself). She handed me my BikeMS jersey - the one that says "I have MS" on it. I put it on and crossed the finish line of the world championships. Felt good to do that.
It's funny how these longer races work. Kind of like MS. You have good days and bad days. But even on the bad days, you can find beauty, friendships, and all sorts of other cool stuff. You just have to make sure you're paying attention through the pain.
A special thanks to Coach Kelly. She took the time to check up on me a few times before the race, despite all of the other commitments she has leading up to the race - including finishing in the top 10 pro female division. She's everything you could ask for in a coach.
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