White Lake Half Ironman 2009

By: Jack Shannon

Thanks for everyone who inquired about my race.  Here are the highlights:

• The weekend in a rented house on the lake with friends was great.
• The race was…  Did I mention the weekend in the rented house on the lake with friends was great?

The race was not my best outing.  It started off well; I had my fastest swim.  The transition went fine, then I got on my bike.  I’m not sure if I pulled a muscle or had a cramp, but something in my left butt cheek hurt.  It was annoying the first mile, from mile 2-5 it was painful.  I worked it out as best I could on a bike seat.  After mile 5, it was feeling better, and I started getting in a groove.  My average MPH was climbing: 20.5, 20.6, 20.7.  I felt like I could get to 21+, and I would need that because the last 20 miles is tough and you lose speed.  Unfortunately, mother nature (known from this point on as mother $%$#@$% nature) had another plan.  There is a right turn at around mile 10.  This turn brought us into a pretty stiff headwind.  This lasted for most of the rest of the ride.  I finished with a sub 18 MPH ride.

Along with the wind, there was sun and heat; my favorite combination for a 13.1 mile run.  I got through that OK, mostly because I went slow and stopped at every water stop; 1 per mile.

When I finished, I was not in a good place.  I was tired, frustrated and disappointed.  Some of you may have listened to some grey-haired guy on the greenway say, “You should never be disappointed at the end of a race you finished.  Finishing is an accomplishment.”  At the finish, I decided that grey-haired guy doesn’t know what he is talking about (although, he is still charming)…

After a day or two of sorting out my feelings after the race, here is what I know:

• If you want to know what you are made of, run a marathon, half Ironman, or Ironman.  There is no place to hide, you can’t fake it.  Any weaknesses in your training will be exposed.
• I really, really want to say I’m getting slower because I’m getting older.  That would really be easy.  The problem is, I ran my fastest marathon last fall.  Damn facts always get in the way of convenient excuses.
• Reality: My bike training has been more about number of miles than quality of miles.  They have been nice Sunday rides.  Comfortable.  Easy.  The real question is will I kick it up a notch, or will I stay in my comfort zone.  Time will tell.

So there you have it.  In the end, my body couldn’t cash the check my mind wrote.  That’s pretty humbling.  I know what I need to do; now it’s up to me to do it – or change my expectations.

Oh, one last thing so I can end on a good note: I didn’t shit my pants.  The record remain unbroken.