The Comeback Race

Now I know all 5 blog readers have probably been wondering what the hell I have been doing with my time over the past 4-5 months, so allow me to present you with this: Tomorrow marks the day where I finally toe the starting line again. The last time I had pre-race nerves, the excitement of competing, mentally going through my race plans, crunching numbers, and watching all of my hard work come full circle on race morning was the Boston Marathon back in April. Needless to say a lot has been going on in my life since then, both in sport and out of sport. Let’s start with in sport, seeing how this blog is usually focused on my lack luster training/racing. The lead up to the Boston marathon training was on point. My long runs were held between 6:50-7:25 pace, my weekly mileage was right on target based on the 3:1 standpoint, and I was eager to race. A week before Boston, I had been diagnosed with strep throat and everything came crashing down. I was flat race morning, it was hot, I could barely my 4 mile run two days before the race, however I was happy to of qualified; therefore I would run. I finished with an upsetting 3:20, when I truly believed I was in sub-3 shape. A series of misfortunes led me to a race that left me hurting for weeks. Once the recovery that followed the Boston Marathon subsided, I felt no need to hop into triathlons. I was eager to enjoy life. I had put so much into my training the years prior, sure I was somewhat successful, won a few races, became an “Ironman”, made some great memories, but I knew what kind of hours I put in in order to achieve those goals, and I wasn’t ready to put that kind of effort into my training this summer. I had a different goal = exercise without a schedule/plan, enjoy life, and find a job. I am happy to say, sitting on my couch in Bradford Vermont three months later I did all three of those things. Instead of working my ass of swim, biking, and running, I put that effort into finding a teaching job. I had a new love, and a new dream and I wanted to chase it. I always secretly wanted to try life on my own(pre-Catie era), in a different area, explore a new setting, culture, community. Now some of you are saying, “How the heck does the culture in Vermont vary that much from New York?” I can’t do it justice explaining it, so I would have to offer up the advice to come here and check it out. You’ll see what I am saying. People in Vermont would give you the shirt right off their back, in the middle of winter, if it meant they would freeze, and you could go along on your merry way. Generosity in Vermont is something people don’t think about, they just do it. So in retrospect to my life now, I love my job, I love teaching physical education, I do miss home, friends, family, and Catie. Now back to the reason I write this blog, my mediocre racing/training. So as I was saying after Boston the spark wasn’t there. I was suffering from a calf strain and running no longer became an option. Walking was a chore, biking was bearable, but running was out of the question, and it is hard to swim when you don’t have time nor a pool that is open when you’re free. So I decided to become one of those weekend warriors. I would ride on the weekends, lift during the week and just watched what I consumed. I didn’t gain weight; I didn’t lose weight, and by no means was I fit. After a month of this nonsense, schooling ended and I went home for the summer. I decided to get back into slowly, so I offered to teach a few spinning classes, rode my bike 4-5 times a week and began running again. After running for a week or two I was doomed by a high ankle sprain due to trampoline antics. Let me tell you, if you have kids, never let them go on those madhouses. Nothing good ever comes with those stupid death traps. After free falling 10 feet in the air and landing right on my ankle I found myself in a room at immediate care. With my ankle 3-4x’s the normal size I knew this couldn’t end up well. The days following my ankle turned into a replica of Barney’s ankle; massive in size and purple. The doctor told me I couldn’t exercise at all for 2-3 weeks, and run for 3-4 months. I was going to go insane, so I started teaching spin classes a week later, found the beauty of the elliptical, and when I could fit my cycling shoes on my foot I went for a ride. I had no time goals, no regiment to steer my training, just me and my own day to day aspirations. I enjoyed not having to wake up at 4:30am to go for a dip in UB’s pool, I enjoyed not having to worry about how I would fit my 4 hours of training in before and after my 8 hour work day, or how I could squeeze out of the bar by 10:30 without having a lick of alcohol. I lived that life the past 2-4 years and I was over it this time around. Between the injuries and the “not-caring” I didn’t compete in one running race, one triathlon, or one scheduled workout the entire summer. I enjoyed my time, I enjoyed seeing my friends, I enjoyed not having to worry about crunching power numbers. Now that summer has past, the notion to do nothing has settled. After being semi-forced into this race by a coworker, I am proud to announce that tomorrow I will be racing my first race since April. The Chad Half Marathon in Hanover, New Hampshire will be my “comeback” race. No I am not Lance Armstrong, there is no 2.0, or doping scandal for that matter (though I still fully back him due to his contributions to cancer research through the LiveSTRONG charity) I am a 22 year old man trying to get back to that form I once knew. I haven’t trained overly hard for this race as I wasn’t supposed to start running until the end of September, but I do go into tomorrow’s race with pure excitement. I will not win, I will not even come in the top 100, I may not even break 2 hours, hell they may have to roll me to the finish line, but I do know I will have fun doing it. The rush of racing will be back tomorrow. I will line up with a smile on my face, and I will finish with a smile on my face. I am there to have fun, not race. I am hoping this sparks my interest in racing/training again. If it does great, if not I will continue to ride, run and swim but just not as dedicated. There is more than life to triathlon, and after three years I finally figured out what those things were. We all go through the lows and the highs, but it is about finding a balance between a hobby and life. Triathlon is not my life anymore nor will it ever be again. I will continue to push myself everyday, but maybe in will be in the realm of teaching and not in the pool. Maybe I will strive to become a better boyfriend and not a better form runner. Perhaps I will dedicate more time to cleaning my house, rather than cleaning my bike. Everyone has a goal and a dream, whether it be crossing the line first, or being the best friend, sister, brother, coworker, mom, dad, teacher possible. Chase your dream(s), because remember: “Don’t lose the dreams inside your head They’ll only be there til you’re dead Dream” - Dave Matthews

So if your uncertain, sign up for a race, train, give it a whirl, if the bug bites you go for it; If not keep fit, exercise and enjoy the ride!