First, thank you to everyone for your supportive and generous comments on my indoor tri relsults. It means a lot coming from people I respect in this community, thank you.
I got my result standings on the indoor tri yesterday. As I suspected, the run sunk me. I was tied for 19 of 25 overall females. Had I posted a more stellar run, I would have made the top 10....sigh. Running, the bane of my triathlon existence. I am not diappointed about not winning, I am not disapoointed about not placing top 3. I am disappointed about finishing so low in the standings, I am disappointed about my run being crap (once again), I am disappointed I couldn't/didn't push myself harder.
I am trying to balance this all out in my mind. I did do better than planned in the swim and I have made great progress in the pool. I had no idea whether I could keep up 31-32 MPH on the bike for half an hour, having never done it before, but I did do it despite the skin on my legs getting shredded in the process (my wounds are still oozing...grossness). That damn run, my running, running, ugh!
I have been running for just about a year now. About the same amount of time as I have been swimming. Before this I was a recreational swimmer and only ran when I had to (in soccer practice and in games, certainly not because I just felt like it!). Somehow, I am less forgiving when it comes to running and more forgiving when it comes to swimming. Why? Is it because I am able to better measure my progress in the pool? Is running harder than swimming?
Then there is the whole issue of pain threshold. My pain threshold and whether or not I can push past the pain. Is this an acquired skill? Do I push myself hard enough? Can I push myself harder? How do I know when I am pushing hard enough? Do I really have to puke to get my answer? If I spent my entire run in zone 5, was there still room to push more?
I am sitting here in compression tights for the second day in a row. My body hurts! I am sore beyond belief (I'm still biking this afternoon though!). Clearly I gave it all I had for the race, but does that mean that I haven't given enough in my training? Am I supposed to hurt this much after a race? Is it normal to push beyond what you do in training for a race?
As I embark on my second season of doing triathlons I realize how much of a learning process this is if you want to take it even remotely seriously. I find myself asking more questions than gaining answers. That is not to say that Coach Michelle isn't awesome, cuz she is so awesome. It's just that I am discovering and learning so much more about my mind body connection than I have ever had to do in all my years of being an athlete. I know I have never pushed myself like this before and it raises all sorts of questions about limitations, breaking points, endurance, pain. I also think my age forces me to be more cerebral about everything; over thinking the why, the how, the able to. It makes the days of a roundhouse kick to the head seem like a walk in the park.
8 comments:
I feel the same way about running! I think some of the reasons that running is harder (both to do and to forgive yourself for) are that it is so easy to see and analyze speed. Also it seems to me that many triathletes are poor swimmers so it is more acceptable and also it is a shorter piece of the race. Who knows really but I do feelyou pain - the run is my demon!
I feel the same way about swimming as you do running. It's the only reason I'm not winning races - HA!!
BUT, seriously, it is as if I don't have the same patience, pain threshold, push through attitude or whatever with it as I do with the other sports.
One thing about running in tris, though, you are taxing pretty much the same muscle groups as you are on the bike. So the harder you work on the bike, the less you'll have left for the run. Thus, while more brick workouts and running speed workouts may help you run better, simply not pushing so hard on the bike might pay off the biggest dividends in your total race time. At an Ironman training camp I was told if you give up 15 min on the bike you can gain up to 45 on the run. Don't know what it'd be for a sprint tri but I'll bet there's something similar. Just my 2 cents.
X2 on the harder you go on the bike = the less stellar performance on the run. Its only January and you are already recognizing this, so that is a good thing! You now know what you need to work on! Just wait for warmer weather when you can get longer rides in. Things will improve quickly.
i highly recommend a deep tissue sports massage. i had one and i swear to god i feel healthy, if you are tight your muscles need a rub down.....
Also remember you did this in a true sprint fashion, never would you try to maintain a 32mph bike pace on the road. or swim that fast in the open water, this was a threshold test for your body, this is not how you would race in an outdoor tri. Your coach has a plan, even though we think they are crazy, they are paid to put you through the grinder, we just need to grind away, not think about it, leave the thinking to the coach.
You still rocked it
You are asking all the right questions, though!
I would say if you are that sore than you give it 100% in the race and stop questioning yourself. It is a learned thing going through pain--and that you did battle confronting it, moving through it, and staying in zone 5 is definitely great! the run is very tough--and it takes time. Be patient with yourself. It will come. And remember that many women--most women--would kill to complete that tri as fast as you did.
All good questions, Regina! First of all, you definitely pushed as hard as you could in that race... Your HR tells us that. And, the plan was to push it on the bike like you were not running afterward (so we could find your limits) and you did just that. Trust me, that will NOT be the plan for your 70.3! But you learned some valuable lessons this past weekend about how hard you can push, and that's exactly what these tune-up races are for. You cannot train like that all the time though of course bc then you'd end up injured. BUT now maybe you have a better understanding of what I was talking about when I was telling you to embrace your opportunities at the track... :) The fact of the matter is that it takes a long time (years) of consistent
training to reach your potential. You are doing all the right things though so keep it up and you WILL see the breakthroughs! :)))
CONGRATS on your race, Regina! AWESOME really! You know...learning how to suffer and race is a process and something that not everyone truly understands right away. Suffering beyond the pain threshold is a gift...and you will get it...in steps. One step at a time and you will get stronger and smarter in each training cycle and each race!
I always say a race is 10% physical and 90% mental when you are in shape to race!
Enjoy the successes from the Indoor Tri and learn from them!
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