Elma Triathlon

Have you ever been told you can’t learn anything while watching TV?  Well my friends, if anyone has ever told you that you can’t, they are wrong.

  I was watching my favorite channel, Universal Sports, last month when I saw Michael Phelps, the king of swimming, finish 4^th in the 200m fly, his best event.  Everyone watching, with the exception of Rowdy Gaines, was in shock.  Phelps, a guy that has 15 Olympic Medals, finishes 4^th in his heat.  How can that be possible?

Rowdy said that he was not at all surprised or concerned about Phelps or his performance. Continuing Rowdy went on to explain, very articulately I might add, that athletes have one or two chances each year to really be on top form and compete at 100 percent. With the Olympics about a year away Phelps is beginning his ramp up to his Olympic training. Rowdy put it simply when he said Phelps is competing as a part of his training. He isn’t tapering, he isn’t resting, and he isn’t focusing on the races. According to Rowdy, this method is all part of a swimmer’s training program, you can’t expect to swim fast when you are training hard.

I remember being very interested in what Rowdy was saying because the methodology seemed to have a direct translation to my triathlon season. After hearing it, everything seemed to make sense. With how much I race (and train) it would be impossible and impractical to rest and taper for every event. If I did I would be resting all summer. I pick two or three key events that I really want to be at my best on that day. The rest of the events I do not to be at my best, but because I love to race.

The Rowdy Gaines Concept (I made up the name) really clicked and made sense after the Elma Triathlon. I couldn’t decide if I was satisfied or disappointed, or somewhere in between the two, with my 5th place finish. Well I have my answer. My answer is…I am in the Rowdy Gaines Concept.

Although the swim was super short at 300 meters, I had a great swim. I came out in 2nd place right on the leader’s feet. If I would have had another couple hundred meters, I would have been in the lead as my strength has always been as a back half swimmer.

I had a fumbling transition while trying to get my numb fingers to move and entered the bike course in the lead. Once out on the bike course I was hit with a pretty significant side wind, nice! The first race is always the “clear out the jets” race and I was feeling it. Trying to hold top end speed was a painful task from the first minute. I rode hard with burning legs to the turn-around. Before making it to the end of the bike course I was overtaken by three other riders to get dropped to 4th place. With all things considered I had a pretty good ride.

Once on the run I didn’t have the form, turnover, and speed that comes later in the season. April is early for triathlon, August is for being fast and tan, April is for training and suffering. I suffered the whole run, and had a great time doing it. I was really a hurt-machine on the way out to the turnaround and dropped another spot. Once I reached the turn-around the suffering eased slightly and I was able to pull away from a chasing group of runners and hang on for 5th.

The swim may have been cold and the bike may have been windy but that is spring racing and nothing to complain about. I quickly grew tired of all the complaining that Kevin and I had to hear at the race. “Oh it’s too cold, it’s too windy, it’s too late in the day, it’s too west of the Mississippi blah, blah, blah, blah.” I would never complain about weather or temperature. The worse the weather, the more advantageous it is for me. Any day of triathlon is a good day.

Kevin and I both secured some great awards, a very cool shirt, and had a great tri adventure.  I am not disappointed with the race, that would be crazy.  Everything makes perfect sense now, I am in the Rowdy Gaines Concept and I am right on track. 

Kevin and I won some sweet awards!

I won this delicious ham and chip sandwich, and by "won" I meant "assembled and devoured"

Kevin kicking to the finish of the run.

Me posing with my bike...duh

The whips in transport mode

I remember driving by this and thinking how proud I am to be American.  That is a story for another day.  The Elma Tri was fun, 5th overall at a tough race is a success, and Rowdy Gaines is a genius.