In the past I've seen a few guys "own" the New England racing season by putting together impressive streaks of wins against the toughest competition around. Steve Eisenhower, Charlie Desourdy, and Travis Keane come to mind. I've never had a real triathlon winning streak, and this year that was my goal. My 5 wins were not consecutive, but I'll call it a streak anyway.
No ironmans for 2002. Ironman training takes too much time away from short-course training -- unless you are a pro with no day job. I decided to go for lots of shorter races instead. The Timberman half-ironman was even too long for my training this year, and I did best in the 1 to 3-hour range. Also, no draft-legal races for me.
Based on a quick web search of results for New England races, it looks like I might have the best record among New England guys. (If someone has done a more thorough search and thinks otherwise please tell me so I don't look like a fool.) I did all the major races, and I beat most of my competitors at least once. I split a win and a loss against the two guys I was worried about most -- sprint specialist George Bent and all-arounder Bill Reeves (**see above). They are from Cape Cod and New Hampshire respectively. I lost a few to some highly-ranked pros from around the country. Christophe O'donnell, Matt Seeley, Travies Kuhl and Junior Pullins (an age-grouper) were the most problematic. Anyway, by August complete strangers started picking me to win whatever race was next. I hated the pressure for a while, but it was a good indication that things were going well.
So many things can go wrong in a triathlon -- jellyfish stings, bad directions, crashes, flat tires, sprained ankles, etc. -- that winning is not something I count on until I cross the finish line. Even before race day there are months of training and preparation and plenty of chances for something big to go wrong and wreck the whole season (or worse). I stuck to a conservative training plan to avoid injuries, and I invested in quality gear and took good care of it. I still consider myself lucky to have avoided mechanical problems, crashes, and injuries. To complete a successful season after so many months of preparation was satisfying to be sure, but it was also a relief.
I did have one notable setback, a dislocated rib, but I don't consider it serious because its cause has been identified and it probably won't happen again. I had had trouble breathing in some cold-weather running races last year and in the Wrentham Duathlon in April. I was exploring the possibility of asthma or a muscle pull. From April on everything was fine until I spent the night sleeping in my car before the Maine Sports Triathlon (it's a long story). The same rib became dislocated on the bike for no apparent reason, and what had been a comfortable 2-minute lead was gone by mile 2 of the run. I dropped to 50th place by the finish, but I'm glad I didn't drop out. Given the symptoms -- difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, tingling down my left arm -- I was relieved when the EMT's at the finish assured me that it was nothing serious. The next day Dr Gallagher (my chiropractor and sponsor) diagnosed it and cracked it back into place and that was that. Now that I know about it, it should not be a problem in the future. Sleeping in my car is definitely NOT part of my usual pre-race routine.
The bike is where I made the most improvement and gained the most time on my competition. I think I had the fastest bike split in 6 of my races. My cycling put me in the lead starting the run in 5 of my races. I owe a lot to the guys I trained with, and also to some of my sponsors who helped me with gear and with maintaining my physical health so that I could push myself as hard as necessary. Somewhere in here I should thank my wife and coworkers for putting up with my excesses in training and racing even though I have yet to make any real money at it.
I am hoping for bigger and better things in the future. I'd like to be better prepared at the beginning of next season and extend my season longer into the fall. I may have to space my races out more and make some tough choices if there are conflicts on the race calendar. There always are. Staying healthy and injury-free will always be a priority. I'm considering an ironman event, but it will probably have to be in the fall and won't be Lake Placid (July). Qualifying for Hawaii is a possibility, but not a priority. It is expensive and my triathlon budget is limited, but I will check with my sponsors before making a final decision. Several closer, cheaper races might be more satisfying. I'm considering putting together a small and unusual event of my own, like a long-distance ocean swim. That could be fun. |