Lessons Learned

I've never really been one to write race reports, or maybe it's just that I don't race very much; in any case I'm not going to write a report for the race I did because I think it's more important to reflect on the things that went wrong and what I can do to change them.

It was hotter than hell in Lake Stevens last Sunday.  By the last lap of the bike I was really feeling the growing humidity.  I had a good bike portion.  I nailed my nutrition and didn't push super hard on what was a pretty challenging bike course.  I saved myself something for the run and was ready to push myself harder at this distance and see what I could do - that positive feeling lasted for the first 10km....then things slid off track for a bit as I started having some major nausea.  I slowed down (to a walk at times), I took in only water, I shoved ice wherever I could, but nothing was helping.  Eventually vomiting ensued, good times, and I was able to run again. I would say the nausea, walking, vomiting and general pity party went on for about 5km, which brought me to about 15km in the run.  I felt great for the final 5km, running faster than I had originally planned, zone 4.5 the whole way.  I had salvaged a crappy swim with a wicked bike and coulda, shoulda, woulda.....oh well, lessons learned:

1) no NUUN on hot days, well at least don't put nuun into water thats been sitting in the 34 degree heat for several hours - might be reason for stomach problem, might not, but it certainly didn't taste good regardless!

2) I MUST come up with a better mental plan for when things start getting ugly.  Once you walk, it's over!  Yes I felt ill and yes it sucked, but I felt better after a few km and I shoulda got back to the running and gotten out of the pity party.  I let the same thing happen in IM last year.  I gotta learn to suck it up and move my ass!

Well, that's it, I've got 3 months left of hard training and I'm ready to giver'.  There are no races, nothing to distract me between now and then.  After my current week off I'm back on the no dairy/gluten diet (been eating as much cheese, ice cream and bread as I can stand!), back to the workouts (including hot yoga) and back to revolving my life around spandex, future helmets and bike porn.

I forgot to mention that the highlight of my day was when I peed while running!  Yes!  Who knew that going backwards in my evolution to adulthood would have me so ecstatic.  Now that I'm able to urinate whilst racing nothing will stop me on my quest for.....uh oh, not ready to list the goals yet.

   I was much more discreet than this don't worry.