Well, it is that time of the year again, the days are getting shorter, the temperature cooling off at night and ultimately it is the end of the triathlon season. I have tried to reflect on triathlon seasons in the past to learn from my successes, failures, and everything in between. Unfortunately, what should have been an awesome weekend of racing an Ironman in Madison starting today was derailed 8 weeks ago after a car accident injured my shoulder and ended my season.
I have experienced all sorts of emotions as a result of this injury. I was quite shocked how quickly I had arrived at the acceptance stage. I think as soon as I was heading back to the medical tent in an ambulance with an inability to move my arm that it became quite apparent that the season was done. Clearly frustration has been in there too with the initial lack of ability to do much by myself and finally to where I am now sitting at home thinking of what could have been instead of being up in Madison getting ready for a race.
I think that the best way to describe the season is as one that failed to meet my expectations that was hampered by numerous injuries. I had come off of a great fall running season with a PR for a half marathon and felling great with my fitness. Then in late January for some unknown reason my foot started hurting. 3 months of rest later, I finally was able to start running again and ran pain free. I had a very successful early season with the Eagleman Half Ironman in super HOT temps and continued training towards the Ironman this weekend. In reality, all cylinders were firing. I was hitting my workouts, training in the crazy mad heat we were having. Additionally, even without swimming in the off season as my new training plan had suggested, I was swimming further and faster than I ever have before even with swimming all winter. Ultimately, none of this would matter much with a separated shoulder due to a crash with an inattentive driver at a sheriff controlled intersection during a race. And just like that, all of the physical gains that I had made for the season were gone and my hopes of getting back to the starting line in Madison this year were wiped away.
I have lost a lot as result of the injury. To name a few there was lost time at work, a lost vacation, lost ability to train, lot fitness, and lost the ability to race.
During this time I have had a chance to catch up with stuff related to work and try to reset my brain for what is to come next. I suppose it would have been easy to hang up my shoes and call it quits. It might have been easier to never get back on my bike or to go through all of the physical therapy (which isn't even done yet) to try to get mobility back in my shoulder. And it sure as hell would have been easier to not go back up to Madison this weekend to be surrounded by the Ironman spirit knowing that I should have been out racing with everyone else. It especially is even harder to imagine not being in the race after looking at the forecast which is predicting an absolutely perfect day for a race.
I was sitting in a lecture a couple of weeks ago and the following quote was on a slide. It said, "What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens." I couldn't catch the author of the line but it has resonated with me. From the time that I was injured I had accepted that my season was done and have said to myself and others that the goal now is quite clear. See, before I was injured, the goal was to go back to Madison and take care of some unfinished business. Now, even more so, there is a really strong desire to get back to Madison and not only take care of the unfinished business from what will then be 4 years before but also to prove to myself that despite this injury I will get back to the race.
My uncle, a triathlete himself who has qualified for Kona several times works as a marketing consultant and emphasizes the importance of setting a goal and then making it public. This is what I am doing today: to anyone listening or reading, I will continue to strengthen my shoulder, learn how to run, ride my bike, and swim again, and get back to the starting line at Madison in 2013.
So to do that, I am committing to the race. I will be going to Madison this weekend to register for 2013. Because, not only is the race going to be awesome, but it will be an epic experience with all of the EN'ers on the course. I am looking forward to going to the Terrace first thing in the morning to watch the swim start. I have made some signs to cheer on my teammates and plan to hang out on one of the hills, take pictures, and cheer on my teammates. Eventually, I'll make it back to the run and take some pictures there as well. I'll post some pictures and my perspective next week.
Despite the physical challenges associated with the season, and the fact that I will likely need to take a good amount of time rebuilding my base, I will be able to take everything I have learned during the year forward to next year. I have finally found a training regimen that I like. Despite the difficult intervals, and my initial uncertainty of not swimming or doing really much of anything long during the winter months, I could see that the dividends were paying off in the summer and that I really didn't suffer from spending hours of endless time mindlessly getting in junk miles. I learned more about my body, how it reacts to physical stress and when it needs breaks. Nutrition was better, and hopefully with another year of practice and experimentation I will be even more poised to conquer the challenges I faced during the last Ironman. While I would have loved to have been able to put this knowledge into race day execution, I will carry it forward and use it as a foundation to get even smarter.
The one silver lining of the entire injury (if there is a good part of an injury) was that the timing was good. While it ended this current season, I was still able to get across the finish line of one race, start another, and get some great training completed in between. Hopefully, the physical therapy will also be sufficiently done to a point when I can transition back to training and getting set for next season.
I have learned so much from the team. Your insight, answers to questions, and general congeniality have all been fantastic. In a sick sort of way, I am looking forward to the winter, with the bike on the trainer, the intervals on the treadmill and getting used to spending more time in that dark place which is my cave to rebuild, strengthen, and become a hungry little monster just waiting to perform on race day.
The race in 2013 is on September 8th. It will be 5 years after my first Ironman in 2008. I can't wait to be in the race and reflect on everything that will have transpired during that time and recognize that this injury while a major set-back for the season, is just another bump in the road called life.
I have experienced all sorts of emotions as a result of this injury. I was quite shocked how quickly I had arrived at the acceptance stage. I think as soon as I was heading back to the medical tent in an ambulance with an inability to move my arm that it became quite apparent that the season was done. Clearly frustration has been in there too with the initial lack of ability to do much by myself and finally to where I am now sitting at home thinking of what could have been instead of being up in Madison getting ready for a race.
I think that the best way to describe the season is as one that failed to meet my expectations that was hampered by numerous injuries. I had come off of a great fall running season with a PR for a half marathon and felling great with my fitness. Then in late January for some unknown reason my foot started hurting. 3 months of rest later, I finally was able to start running again and ran pain free. I had a very successful early season with the Eagleman Half Ironman in super HOT temps and continued training towards the Ironman this weekend. In reality, all cylinders were firing. I was hitting my workouts, training in the crazy mad heat we were having. Additionally, even without swimming in the off season as my new training plan had suggested, I was swimming further and faster than I ever have before even with swimming all winter. Ultimately, none of this would matter much with a separated shoulder due to a crash with an inattentive driver at a sheriff controlled intersection during a race. And just like that, all of the physical gains that I had made for the season were gone and my hopes of getting back to the starting line in Madison this year were wiped away.
I have lost a lot as result of the injury. To name a few there was lost time at work, a lost vacation, lost ability to train, lot fitness, and lost the ability to race.
During this time I have had a chance to catch up with stuff related to work and try to reset my brain for what is to come next. I suppose it would have been easy to hang up my shoes and call it quits. It might have been easier to never get back on my bike or to go through all of the physical therapy (which isn't even done yet) to try to get mobility back in my shoulder. And it sure as hell would have been easier to not go back up to Madison this weekend to be surrounded by the Ironman spirit knowing that I should have been out racing with everyone else. It especially is even harder to imagine not being in the race after looking at the forecast which is predicting an absolutely perfect day for a race.
I was sitting in a lecture a couple of weeks ago and the following quote was on a slide. It said, "What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens." I couldn't catch the author of the line but it has resonated with me. From the time that I was injured I had accepted that my season was done and have said to myself and others that the goal now is quite clear. See, before I was injured, the goal was to go back to Madison and take care of some unfinished business. Now, even more so, there is a really strong desire to get back to Madison and not only take care of the unfinished business from what will then be 4 years before but also to prove to myself that despite this injury I will get back to the race.
My uncle, a triathlete himself who has qualified for Kona several times works as a marketing consultant and emphasizes the importance of setting a goal and then making it public. This is what I am doing today: to anyone listening or reading, I will continue to strengthen my shoulder, learn how to run, ride my bike, and swim again, and get back to the starting line at Madison in 2013.
So to do that, I am committing to the race. I will be going to Madison this weekend to register for 2013. Because, not only is the race going to be awesome, but it will be an epic experience with all of the EN'ers on the course. I am looking forward to going to the Terrace first thing in the morning to watch the swim start. I have made some signs to cheer on my teammates and plan to hang out on one of the hills, take pictures, and cheer on my teammates. Eventually, I'll make it back to the run and take some pictures there as well. I'll post some pictures and my perspective next week.
Despite the physical challenges associated with the season, and the fact that I will likely need to take a good amount of time rebuilding my base, I will be able to take everything I have learned during the year forward to next year. I have finally found a training regimen that I like. Despite the difficult intervals, and my initial uncertainty of not swimming or doing really much of anything long during the winter months, I could see that the dividends were paying off in the summer and that I really didn't suffer from spending hours of endless time mindlessly getting in junk miles. I learned more about my body, how it reacts to physical stress and when it needs breaks. Nutrition was better, and hopefully with another year of practice and experimentation I will be even more poised to conquer the challenges I faced during the last Ironman. While I would have loved to have been able to put this knowledge into race day execution, I will carry it forward and use it as a foundation to get even smarter.
The one silver lining of the entire injury (if there is a good part of an injury) was that the timing was good. While it ended this current season, I was still able to get across the finish line of one race, start another, and get some great training completed in between. Hopefully, the physical therapy will also be sufficiently done to a point when I can transition back to training and getting set for next season.
I have learned so much from the team. Your insight, answers to questions, and general congeniality have all been fantastic. In a sick sort of way, I am looking forward to the winter, with the bike on the trainer, the intervals on the treadmill and getting used to spending more time in that dark place which is my cave to rebuild, strengthen, and become a hungry little monster just waiting to perform on race day.
The race in 2013 is on September 8th. It will be 5 years after my first Ironman in 2008. I can't wait to be in the race and reflect on everything that will have transpired during that time and recognize that this injury while a major set-back for the season, is just another bump in the road called life.
