Race morning: Got up really freaking early. No wait, I always get up really early, it’s my daughters and Alex who got up really early and they did a great job! We headed to Boulder at 3:45 am, got there at 5 am, and parked.
Transition: Got body marked, set up my gear, got my brake fixed (well kind of) racked my bike , tried to stay calm. Hung out on the deck with the kids which was awesome. I am so glad they were there.
Swim: Swim wave # 5, “What are all these skinny people doing here? Good thing they have wetsuits on so they don’t sink!” Water was about 75.9 degrees. Oh crap, here we go! 1st leg was good, but between the first and second turn I could not get lined up on the buoys and kept having to make huge adjustments. I may have swam an additional 100-200 yds,
Time: 1:10:06 Not bad considering I swam way off course a few times (I was not alone either) I felt strong and had fun!
T1: Trunks off, riding accessories on, handfuls of butt-butter swathed in the appropriate area and off I went. Time: 7:52
Bike: "What the heck?" (OK, I didn't say "heck" but my kids read this) "Are my tires low? Nah, just need to warm up my legs!" I was really having to churn and it's a slight incline but this sucked! I got off at the 4 mile mark and sure as heck my rear brake was rubbing against the wheel, not hard, but enough to slow me down a bit. I kept hitting it till it was not rubbing and off I went. Water was good, nutrition was good, but I was sucking wind. When I hit the six mile downhill run on St Vrain, I was too tired to kick butt and take advantage of gravity. My max speed was 38.5 and a lot of folks were still flying by. I should have been almost 45 mph at that point. The encouragement out on the course was so great. Our community of triathletes rocks! I made the turn onto 75th and by mile 21, I was toast. I was dizzy and totally out of gas even though I hydrated well and followed my nutrition to a T. I kept having to stop. I ended up getting checked in the back of an ambulance, then driven in to transition. Only made it 21.2 miles on the bike.
So,I have my first DNF. I'm not happy about it, but I am not beating myself up over it either. I went to the starting line of a Half Ironman Triathlon. I tried as hard as I could. It was not my day and I still have a lot of work to do. I think I am pretty strong seeing as I still carry around an extra person. (Weight loss focus coming right up)
I went in today with an attitude of being grateful. Grateful for my kids, grateful that I could take a whack at this thing.
In February 2006, I weighed almost 500 pounds, had a leaky heart valve, cholesterol was 240, triglycerides were 800, I suffered from chronic back pain for 20 years, and I could not walk a block. Now my cholesterol is 124, my triglycerides are 101, my back pain is totally gone, and my leaky heart valve is cured. I can ride a bike 64 miles, I can run/walk 13.1 miles, I can swim 1.2 miles. I have finished 9 triathlons, I have 1 DNF at a Half IM, not so bad.
And, I am grateful I met you! You all rock and the encouragement and love you share is so incredible! Hugs to you all!
18 comments:
This will not get you down... you WILL be out there again! You've come an amazing distance and you are absolutely not done yet! I know it sounds weird, but congratulations for getting on the starting line today - today wasn't your day, but there will be others. Plus, your attitude is stellar!
You did awesome to get there! Sorry it wasn't your day, but I'm sure next time it will be! (I'm now going back to read the archives... you are totally inspirational!)
I was really hoping for a dfl, good effort though... It's never easy being the big dude of the group. I am racing it next year and I am expecting a finish from you :)
I saw you out there on the bike and yelled for you. I am so glad you got out there and gave it a shot. Obviously you never give up, so next time you will finish it!!
Good for you for getting to the start line. Remember: DNF>DNS!! You rock!
Good!
You do have the right attitude.
Don't give up on IM...
The crazy thing about the 70.3 and 140.6 distances are they constantly make you strive for something bigger...
As you build your bag of information and lessons from these races... your performance constantly improves.. trust me..
It's unfortunate that you end up making the WTC rich in the process... but what the heck..
You did great! You have accomplished things that many people would not even try. Keep going strong and you will conquer your heart's desire!
I am most impressed! We must meet soon to ride!
Great job out there Duane!
I love your attitude. You really have come a long way. The 70.3 (and 140.6 for that matter) will be yours before you know it!
Congratulations on having the determination to start the race and the smarts to stop when your body told you so. Keep up the inspirational work.
What a great attitude..you are healthier and that is fantastic!!!! There will be tons of there halves out there with your name on them.:)
I am a friend of Julie's and found you through her blog. I too was out on the course on Sunday. What a fantastic attitude that you have!
I look forward to being one of your new followers.
Congrats on all that you accomplished on Sunday.
What a great race summary! Sure, you DNF'd... but you went out there and gave it your all, and it wasn't your day. Instead of being defeated, you took that and looked at how far you've come!!
Next time, it will be your day!
I had a DFL on a sprint race (my 2nd tri) and was feeling pretty defeated. But I know the two choices are to take myself out of the game or go in and try twice as hard. I know you will do it too! You're right - the triathlete world is full of encouragement so let me be one more voice that says "No worries! You'll get it next time!"
Nice to read your current medical stats!
Glad you took a shot and rolled with the DNF possibility. It seems to me that much of life is trajectory, and your trajectory is good.
So you didn't make it, no big deal. It's time for a new update, what are you going to do now?
You rock! I trained for, and DNS'ed a half last summer. I hate myself for it. Keep at it man. ;)
Great stuff .... You made it to the start line and gave it your all, got undone by a rear brake is a nightmare! I had my first dnf the other weekend, sounds like you handled it really well and the experience gained will do you well for the future I'm sure.
As for your stats.... Blinking brilliant! Keep it up!
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