I finally got around to reading the USA triathlon magazine article on Wildflower. I really had no idea what I was signing up for. Apparently Wildflower is like the Woodstock of triathlons. It's out in the middle of nowhere and an entire city moves in on tents. Live music, food vendors, huge expo, and everyone is just camping out. For it's first year it was a blue grass festival that had a triathlon. It's definitely the other way around now. And this year it's turning 30 years old. I get to be a part of that.
And I am scared shitless.
Seriously.
I'm not talking about how I was nervous before the 50k Tour of Anchorage or before my first marathon. There's not really a whole lot that can go wrong there. I knew how to run. I knew how to walk. That's pretty much all you need to know. Drink a lot of water, keep moving. No time limits, no real potentials for disaster besides cramping or pulling a muscle or straining something. Perhaps tripping and falling but I've done that quite a few times already. Not too scary.
So I'm back to the what ifs.
And there are too many to count. Traveling, open water swimming with thousands of people, biking one of the hardest bike courses in American triathlons, flats, crashes, fuel, weather, running a half marathon after biking one of the hardest courses. Traveling alone the day after racing.
Did I mention its one of the toughest bike courses?
Have I also mentioned I haven't actually ridden any hills since October?
Why?!?!?! WHY did I foolishly decide to do an early season race?
Ok yeah, so I've been training. I've been really good about following the schedule. I probably haven't even missed more than 5-10 days total of training since I started in November. But yesterday's workout wasn't even half the bike distance or half the run. And I have 54 more days to feel confident about this?
I have a bike set up I haven't even ridden on yet!? At least not really. My rollers are great but they aren't the road. My seat isn't really positioned for me to ride the entire 56 miles on my handlebars. It's set for mostly being in aero and I don't even know if I can remain upright and steer in aero.
I'm also trying to learn years of bicycling knowledge in a couple of months. Race tires, training tires, fixing a flat, changing tires, pumps vs CO2, adjusting derailleurs, when to replace chains, when to replace gears, optimum cadence, etc etc etc.
And don't get me started on the hills. At mile 40 there's a 5 mile climb. Gaining 600 ft of elevation. Followed by too short of a downhill and then another 3-5 mile climb of 400 ft.
And really, this would be no big deal if I had all day.
But I don't.
Which brings me to my goals.
At one point I thought I might be able to finish in 7 hours. Then I reevaluated my speed and the course and thought maybe 7.5. I figured 45 minutes for the swim, 3.5 hours for the bike, 3 hours for run and 15 minutes cushion for transitions and aid stations and what not.
But honestly, I don't even think I can set a goal for this one besides finishing. It might take me close to 9 hours. I might not even make the bike cutoff time. Or I might make that one but not have enough time to finish my run. All that training and not finishing? So the goal is to finish. I'm having a hard time accepting this kind of goal. Things have always been about time. Even when I did the 50k Tour of Anchorage I had a time in mind. Two times actually. I always set two goals. The one I am pretty sure I can make, and the one I really want to make. I don't often hit that second goal.
But I can't estimate how long its going to take me to do this bike, or how long it will take me to run a half marathon after a grueling 56 miles. I should be able to run a slow half marathon in just over 2.5 hours but....who knows!
The only thing I can say is that I want to do the swim in 40 minutes but will be happy if its under 45. I'm pretty confident about that.
So there we go. I have two goals as usual. The one I think I can do, which is just finishing, however long it takes. And then I have my ambitious goal of 7.5 hours. If I get anywhere close to 7.5 I'll be ecstatic.
I don't really like it, these goals, but it's the best I can do. And hopefully I'll enjoy the journey. As much as I complain, as much as I bitch and whine about being sore, or how hard something is or how much time something takes. I love it. I really do. I've enjoyed the journey up to now. I'll enjoy the next 54 days. And I'll try and remember to relax on race day. I might need an extra reminder or too though. Just ask me why I'm doing it. And I'll probably grin.
For your viewing pleasure here is a map of the course. And the elevation profile for the bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment