At first, it all seemed so simple...girl met race, girl trained for race, girl finished race, girl fell in love with racing. Yeah, too simple.
Back in reality, training can be your best friend, or your worst enemy depending on the day. Running was coming along (slowly but surely), biking I was struggling with (but with the help from some awesome cyclists, it's starting to come together), and I figured I had swimming in the bag. Just to be sure, I contacted a ghost from my past - my original triathlon coach, Brian, to get reassurance on my swim technique. He had been a competitive swimmer, been trained under the wing of a four time Para-Olympian Gold Medalist, and had spent the last 20 years coaching at all levels. Plus, he has known me since I was 15. I don't think there is anyone who knows what makes me tick like him.
At first, the conversation was quite chatty - his wife, kids, Hannah, teaching and such. Soon, we turned to our favorite topic, swimming (occupational hazard for him, obsessive fixation for me). I had already told him about training for Ironman, and his reaction was that the only person who did not believe I could do it back in college was me. He knew I could. But then came the million dollar question: did I want to "do" an Ironman, or did I want to "race" an Ironman. You can imagine my answer.
He asked me to film my swim, both above and under the water, and send it to him for analysis. There's this cool app called Coach's Eye. It lets you look at a video frame by frame, and you can draw on it to show different things. Highly recommend it for any sport. A lot of times what we think we are doing and what we are really doing are two different things. Film shot and sent, I waited.
A few days later, Brian called. I asked him what he thought and he was quiet...too quiet. Then he said something I was not expecting at all. He said the video wanted to make him cry. Pardon?
Turns out I am what is called a front quadrant swimmer.
Confused? Me too.
It's a technique where all the emphasis is placed in front of the shoulders. It's almost impossible to teach, so to find someone who does it naturally is a coach's dream.
Sounds great, right? Wrong.
It is a sprinter's stroke. Not at all effective for an endurance sport. I could "do" the triathlon with it but...well, you know where I'm going with that.
List of corrections in hand, I have spent the last week or so trying to learn a new way of swimming. Frustration does not even begin to describe how I feel. I'm sure I look like a suffocating fish flailing about. If I did not place great faith in Brian's ability, I would have chucked the idea this close to the Half. But like the Christmas Carol, my ghost of Coaches past has come to teach me something, and I have to learn it to go forward.
He knows me well enough that there is only one reaction he will give me to my frustration - he laughs at me. Then he makes a few sarcastic comments about my ability and, like throwing a grenade, waits..3..2..1. Boom - I get all fired up to go back and get it done. Like I said before, different people get coached different ways. Soft and gentle doesn't work for me - I do best when that competitive spirit is lit, and I'm given a challenge. Turns out that works out well for Brian, since he thrives on sarcasm and cynicism.
I've got three months to make this work, and then six months to refine it. I wish I had Brian's faith in me that I'll get it done, but all I can do is just keep at it, and wait for it to click. So click, darn it, click!
See you on the flip side!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Musings of a Sugar Rush
Tonight was GNO, and I allowed myself a soft drink (gasp!). So now, in the midst of a full blown sugar rush, I present to you what I have learned so far from training for triathlons - in no particular order:
1. Sometimes it is better to swim in murky water just so you don't know what's swimming under you.
2. Sometimes it is better to swim in clear water so you can try to avoid what is swimming under you.
3. NOBODY looks good in a swim cap.
4. If, when taking a breath, you get water in your mouth, never swallow it. You don't know what the person in front of you did before you got there.
5. Nobody looks graceful while trying to take off a wetsuit quickly.
6. Make sure your feet are fully clipped into your pedals before starting high cadence.
7. Look behind you before clearing your nose while on the bike.
8. There is no topic off limits while on a training ride, so be prepared to hear some really personal and/or weird stuff. You are on the bike a long time, and you need to talk about something to forget how much you hurt.
9. No matter how long you have been training, your nether regions do not become calloused to the bike seat.
10. Gravity works - leaning over too far or looking over your shoulder is a sure fire way to find out how much road rash your body can tolerate.
11. Slow down on the bike coming into transition - the volunteers are not bowling pins.
12. Know the difference between your front and back brake, especially when riding downhill.
13. For the first mile or so of the run, your legs will feel funny after coming off the bike. Chances are, you will run funny too. So will everyone else, so it's ok.
14. There is no such thing as a safe way of passing gas on the run - you don't know what else may happen.
15. They put the your age on your calf for a reason - so you can see who is ahead of you, and you can run them down and crush them before the finish.
16. It is a talent to be able to run and drink from a dixie cup at the same time. If you haven't mastered it, walk or be prepared to be wearing it.
17. Always save a little bit for the end so you look strong at the finish. No one needs to know you were crawling the mile before.
18. It is the only time that talking to yourself is perfectly acceptable.
19. Plan to stay somewhere that has an elevator, or stay on the first floor. After the race, a single flight of stairs may as well be Everest.
And, the most important.....
20. Always, always, always, know where the cameramen are. Plaster a smile on your face so everyone can be impressed with how strong you look. You can throw up as soon as you are past them.
Sugar is starting to wear off, and my finger that I fractured today in a freak dreadmill accident is beginning to throb. 3 months and 18 days to the Half Ironman. See you on the other side of the finish line!
1. Sometimes it is better to swim in murky water just so you don't know what's swimming under you.
2. Sometimes it is better to swim in clear water so you can try to avoid what is swimming under you.
3. NOBODY looks good in a swim cap.
4. If, when taking a breath, you get water in your mouth, never swallow it. You don't know what the person in front of you did before you got there.
5. Nobody looks graceful while trying to take off a wetsuit quickly.
6. Make sure your feet are fully clipped into your pedals before starting high cadence.
7. Look behind you before clearing your nose while on the bike.
8. There is no topic off limits while on a training ride, so be prepared to hear some really personal and/or weird stuff. You are on the bike a long time, and you need to talk about something to forget how much you hurt.
9. No matter how long you have been training, your nether regions do not become calloused to the bike seat.
10. Gravity works - leaning over too far or looking over your shoulder is a sure fire way to find out how much road rash your body can tolerate.
11. Slow down on the bike coming into transition - the volunteers are not bowling pins.
12. Know the difference between your front and back brake, especially when riding downhill.
13. For the first mile or so of the run, your legs will feel funny after coming off the bike. Chances are, you will run funny too. So will everyone else, so it's ok.
14. There is no such thing as a safe way of passing gas on the run - you don't know what else may happen.
15. They put the your age on your calf for a reason - so you can see who is ahead of you, and you can run them down and crush them before the finish.
16. It is a talent to be able to run and drink from a dixie cup at the same time. If you haven't mastered it, walk or be prepared to be wearing it.
17. Always save a little bit for the end so you look strong at the finish. No one needs to know you were crawling the mile before.
18. It is the only time that talking to yourself is perfectly acceptable.
19. Plan to stay somewhere that has an elevator, or stay on the first floor. After the race, a single flight of stairs may as well be Everest.
And, the most important.....
20. Always, always, always, know where the cameramen are. Plaster a smile on your face so everyone can be impressed with how strong you look. You can throw up as soon as you are past them.
Sugar is starting to wear off, and my finger that I fractured today in a freak dreadmill accident is beginning to throb. 3 months and 18 days to the Half Ironman. See you on the other side of the finish line!
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