Buffalo

Ah, Buffalo... This was a weekend of firsts for me. The first time Zane got to come to a race, the first time both my parents came to a Pan-Am Cup, my first Elite Nationals... Also, it was several negative firsts for me. The first time I have ever missed a flight, the first time I ever got a time penalty, and my first bad race, through and through, to the point where I have a hard time finding positives.

Transition... it looks innocent enough, right?

Rather than dwell on it, I will try to keep this as short as possible. To begin, my parents had decided to come with me, and also Zane got to come up for the race as well as for a USAT coaching conference over the weekend. Traveling with my parents is great, I love them very much, and I always enjoy spending time with them. However, I hadn't realized how structured my travel to races has become since I usually travel alone. Since they were along and I hadn't prepared them or myself, it added another stressor.

We missed our connecting flight in DC due to some Oldzilla who took a solid 15 minutes to deplane and the ridiculous inefficiency of the Dulles Airport. Like seriously, who designed that hell hole?!

This set off a bad sleep and nutrition schedule, as well as a bad attitude going into the weekend. We were able to get into Buffalo a couple days out from the race in spite of this, but I was sleep deprived and cranky.

One of the few things I did right... spaghetti and meatballs at the little hole-in-the-wall Italian place

Now, going into the race, there were glaring details that I had overlooked, and I would like to share them with you now so you may learn from my stupidity. I did not have a race plan written up, and given my personality type this is like a quarterback snapping the ball without having called a play. Also, I hadn't looked at course maps, nor done a good job of previewing the race course, especially the transition area. That turned out to be a big mistake. I did not communicate well with my parents, and on race day morning I did not have a nutrition plan which is crucial when the gun doesn't go off until 2:30 pm.

...Don't worry, my race-day nutrition wasn't this bad... finding a good coffee shop while traveling is a skill in itself, but that's a whole other blog post!

The common theme in all of this was a lack of focus. I think having my parents there caused me to revert to being a kid going to a swim meet again. I am no longer a kid nor a swimmer, I am a grown-ass man and apparently a professional triathlete! I need to act like one! Going into the world cup this weekend, I have a totally different approach, but that's a whole other blog post...

Wearing red on Game Day like a good Husker fan... even when I have to race! Tragically, I raced worse than they played... which isn't always the case!

As I set up transition I knew I wasn't focused. I kept second-guessing myself, and re-setting things. As I warmed up I felt solid, but all the physical preparation in the world cannot overcome a lack of mental preparation. As I toed the line (it was a dive start, which is good for a former swimmer!) I had no note of who was where or even a plan of how to approach the swim. As such, when I found myself leading the middle group, I went hard left to pack up with another group I saw rather than waiting until the buoy to merge. Had I paid attention, I would've seen the stronger guys to my right, and known that the current would push them in a bit as we came to the buoy.

I did slowly move up during the swim, and I was in decent position (about 17th) coming out of the water. I ran hard to T1, but without a plan or my head on my shoulders I grabbed my bike and got going. Only when I had the thought, "how can I put my helmet on while I'm riding?" did I realize I'd made a mistake. In an ITU race, your helmet must be on and buckled before you can take your bike off the rack. Penalty box, here I come!

On the ride I was way under-geared. This causes your heart rate to climb, although it feels easier on your legs. Generally speaking, by shifting up you will push a faster speed and lower your heart rate, but you will burn your legs a bit more. Had I known this, I probably would have shifted up, but at the time I was in self-preservation mode. Not even Zane telling me (yes, telling; he speaks very calmly during a race, less Bo Pelini, more Buddha) to shift up could convince me. As a result, I got dropped time and time again, and I consider myself to be a decent cyclist... not someone who gets dropped in a continental cup. Since Buffalo, we have worked a lot on this and I will not make the same mistake ever again.

Being in a bad position, getting dropped, having a time penalty, and doing all this in front of my parents and coach had me in a BAD mood going into the run. I should've pushed it anyway, I am capable of going much faster than I did, but I had checked out mentally and basically did a tempo run off the bike.

This sums up the race in a word... "grundle."

Well, this race was a learning experience to be sure. I am done beating myself up about it. It is important to have a short memory sometimes, like Eli Manning! The dude can have 3 terrible quarters of football, and then blow it up in the 4th and win the game!

I now know I have to have a specific plan going into a race, and how it is important for me to follow it. In the long run, I think it was a good thing to have a bad race like this, it is easier to learn from failure than from success. I can promise you I won't make these sorts of age-grouper mistakes again, and I have a totally different approach going into the world cup this weekend in Cancun.

Once again, wish me luck and FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!!