Triathlon Diary

2006 Racing Season I get a play out a dream season. My two "A" races are on April 17 (the third Monday in April), and October 21 (the fourth Saturday in October). I get to visit Mecca twice in one year.

Boston Marathon Well, it had to happen. I got the marathon bug again. In the Winter of 2004/5, I would make one last effort at the Boston Bastion.

Two Weeks in October: Hawaii, 2004 - Kona and Maui Hawaii is triahtlon's Mecca. Ironman comes to Kona on the Big Island every October. The only way to actually race in the Big Dance is to either qualify at another Ironman, or win a lottery spot. A week later, off-road triathlon is building its own October dreams over on Maui, for the Xterra World Championships. In 2004, I arranged to go over there for both.

Part One Part Two Part Three
Part Four: Ironman 2004
Part Five: Xterra World Championship

Ironman Coeur d'Alene: Music by the Lake We flash forward to June 2004, and my second try at the Ironman USA: Coeur d'Alene. In the inagural 2003 race, it was 98F when I got off the bike; I quit, saying, "Hey, I've finished 4 other Ironman races; I've got the t-shirts and medals. I don't need this. Knowing I can barely walk, much less run, in that heat, I think I did the right thing. But it left a sour taste in my heart, one I had to erase with another try at the same venue the next year.

10K PR I try, in my second 10K ever, to refute my self image as someone who is not a runner. I will try to see, at 55, how fast I can go. If I meet my goal here, maybe there is a bright future ahead for my new-found athletic career.

ORIGINAL TRIATHLON DIARY

Little did I know when I started all that biking that, once I turned fifty, in 1999, I would find myself racing, and eventually winning, triathlons. At this point in my life (Spring 2002), triathlon has become its center. I thought of keeping a diary of my training year (not a log of workouts done, but a daily description of what the journey is like), but, frankly, it bores even me, so I can imagine how any potential audience might feel. I mean, there's only so much one can say day after day and slogging thorugh the water, spinning the pedals, pounding the pavement, and lifting weights. There, that's it, my triahtlon training diary.

But races - now, the races are the whole reason I do this. If it were just for "fitness" sake, I could do without 1/3rd to 1/2 the amount of exercise. If it were for the exhiliration of swimming, or running, or biking, why I'd just do occaisional weekend forays, and leave it at that. If it were an obsession, or an addiction, I'd find one with more immediate gratification, which feels better when you're doing it. But racing - well, racing is where it's at for me. Two things stand out: competition, and stretching limits.

It's FUN to go as fast as I can, and, more important, to have trained for a certain speed, and then actually attain it. And then, to test yourself against other humans (men and women race together in this sport) raisies the stakes - peer pressure, even when silent, is an enormous motivator. And the frequent ribbon or medal for finishing or winning is a just reward.

So. I've decided on a Racing Diary for this Triathlon Year - which actually goes from November thru October. This is my fourth year at this sport, and I'll be branching out into swimming, running, and duathlon races, as well as triathlons of all lengths, and venues (on and off-road). My goals for the year? As always, a triathlete who goes the distance dreams of Kona - the Ironman World Championship in October on the Big Island. But one must qualify, and that is quite possible outside my reach now, but I think that maybe - just maybe, at Ironman USA in Lake Placid, July 28, I might have an outside shot. Then, there are two races I've got issues with from last year: Ironman Canada, where I walked instead of ran for about 1/3 the distance; and Xterra World Championships on Maui, where a flat tire, and my fumbling with it, cost me a podium finish (at the World Champioships for off-road triathlon!) And, I think I've got a 3:35 marathon in me, which would qualify for Boston in 2004. Plus, I'd like to get at least ONE first place finish this year (I had 2 firsts, 3 seconds, a third, three Ironman finishes, and a SIXTH place on Maui). One or two races a month is all my body can take, so let's hit the road!

At this point, my angst over failing to even run the whole way in LA, much less qualify for the Boston Marathon, led me to stop documenting my agony. We pick up the pieces several years later (at the top of this page)