Kansas 70.3 – a great entrée to the long course triathlon!

I followed the “yellow brick road” last Sunday for about 5 hours and 13 minutes. I raced the Kansas 70.3 in Lawrence, Kansas. In the week leading up to the race I started regretting signing up for the race at all; work has been really challenging and I have no love for the weather and hills of Kansas. The last time I raced in Kansas, like many of us, it was the year after they canceled nationals and I never got settled into the event the 2nd year. All I remember from the national’s course was rolling hills I could never get comfortable on and a run that wore me out before I started. Thankfully it is 3 years later and I am a much stronger, smarter and happier triathlete…but I was still dreading the 70.3.
I am always happy when we have a large group from our team and this race was no exception. We had at least 10 athletes compete and plenty of great fans from neighboring states. The logistics started out complicated but we all knew what we needed and everything went smoothly. Many thanks to Tony and Michele for letting us turn their FJ into a mobile locker room!
Race day started out cool, cloudy and misty. I had a headache, felt nauseous and was a general mess prior to the start. The race is cool because it has 2 transition areas so you have to be very organized and focused before the race so that you have all the right equipment at the right transition. I handled that no problem…the only hiccup in my prerace was the smashed Accel Gel and crushed sunglasses in my tribag. The Accel Gel exploded all over my wetsuit and left it sticky inside and out so I was hoping it would make me slicker through the water…didn’t help. I finally settled into my “race head” when MnM and I went for a run to shake out our legs. I started to settle down and chill out. After the race was over I realized just how stressed I was before the race. I haven’t been that worked up about a race in quite a while. I’m not sure if it was because of the distance, the competition or the unspoken pressure I put on myself to have a good result or if it was just all the other stress in my life. Regardless, I don’t need to do that again!
Now that I am in the “elite” age group (by that I mean 45+) I get to start early. I was in the first age group wave with all the men 50+. Let me tell you, I do not enjoy going into the water with all those guys. They are big, strong, directionally challenged and mean! I had the same guy punch me in the face twice and then swear at me! Geesh! After the first 700 meters of combative swimming I moved out to my right just so I could actually swim. This made the swim longer and my time longer but at least I could move through the water. I spent the first 15 minutes trying not to drown!
With the longer course and the looming clouds I took my time in T1 and put on socks before sprinting up the hill. The coaching session I had with Steve about a month ago was the best I have had in a long time as he taught me how to move around on my seat depending on the climb and he taught me when and why to stand. What a huge difference that made in my ride! I felt the rhythm the entire ride. Even when we were faced with a long steep hill I was able to roll up it and cruise to the next one. My only concern was how hard should I work so that I had something left for the run. I was dreading the run (more mental destruction) as I got closer to T2.
I managed to convince myself that the run was going to hurt too much. What a dope. My original goal was to run faster than I did at SuperFrog (1:51) because the run at SuperFrog was harder but the ride was much easier so I thought I could run a little faster. As I cruised into T2 I was having a really stupid conversation with myself about “how slow could I start out and still cover the distance?” I should know myself better than that by now…I always cover the distance! The key was not to start out too fast so that I would have something for the 2nd loop. The first loop was a struggle but that was because the sun came out and was burning through my uncapped head and my head would not let up! I even considered what it would be like to trip myself and call it a day! Unbelievable! The 2nd loop started out OK, then I felt a huge lull between miles 8 and 10…I was day dreaming, thinking about the pain and wondering how I could get this over with faster. Then, like my body seems to enjoy, at mile 10 I found a new energy and strength. It’s as if my body realizes it is in for the long haul and realigns itself…the pain disappears, I feel lighter in my steps and I am able to cruise. It is very strange and I am convinced that I would have completely escaped the lull had I not been doing mental acrobatics.
As I ran toward the finish line I came up on my old friend Ted, from Premier Multisport, and we ran down the yellow brick road together. I felt really good when I was done! I was glad it was over and I knew I had more left physically but that I was done mentally. This is definitely a great distance for me. If I continue to train at this level I think I will really be able to make serious strides and have success. It was so much fun to see teammates Sonja, Michelle, Steve and Tony qualify for Worlds. For a brief moment in time I thought I might qualify but my age group only took 1 slot and since I finished 4th in my age group (out of 40+) I did not get a slot. Honestly I was relieved as I am not having great success in sales right now and the thought of spending more money was daunting but if I had been offered the slot I would have taken it…maybe another year. I have plenty of time to get stronger at this distance.
The 8+ hour ride home with Barry and Michele was the toughest part of the trip. Not because of the company but because we struggled with cramped muscles and tremendous hunger! Fortunately the ride was uneventful and the perfect end to a perfect weekend. I will take 4th place in my age group in my first 70.3 and learn from it and see how I do at the next one!