The race that’s not a “race”
Tomorrow morning is the Harriman Half-Ironman.
Last year, this race helped me judge my fitness and set up my final preparations for Lake Placid. I had a great race under trying conditions and came out psyched, confident and ready. This year, it’s going to be a little different story. It will still be something of a test, but less a test of fitness and more a test of how well I’ve weathered these soft tissue injuries I’ve been fighting all season long. As I wrote earlier this week, my knee is feeling much better and my back/butt are still an issue, but I’m not letting either hold up my basic training too much.
With all that in mind, tomorrow will be my first “DNF” (“Did Not Finish”). Fortunately, I’ve never had to call it quits during a race.
I’ve been trying to mentally prepare for tomorrow as if it’s a race, but in reality it’s more of a well-supported training day. The “race” will end for me after the 4th loop of the bike course. There will be no T2 and no run. Regardless of how I feel when I get off the bike, I’m going to walk over to the officials and tell them I’m done for the day. In fact, I’m not even bringing running shoes. What if I come off the bike feeling good (as unlikely as that may be given my training and the course) and think that I can do the run? I’m sure adrenaline and testosterone would take over. And I’m not prepared to run 13 miles. I’m sure I could do it. But at what cost? I don’t want to risk finishing the race and ending up aggravating one of my existing issues or causing some new problem.
At one point, I’d thought about bagging Harriman, but as part of my shift in attitude about this season, I realized that there’s no reason not to go up there, even if for just the bike and swim. It will be great to do a cold open water swim and even if I didn’t race, I’d have to do a long ride tomorrow anyway. Doing it at the race will be more fun and I can take advantage of the aid station for water refills. Going up that hill four times will make for a more challenging ride than I would otherwise do. Also, even though it’s under different physical and psychological conditions, tomorrow will give me some indication of where I am in terms of preparation for Lake Placid.
Indoor Bike – May 13
Time: 38 minutes
Average heart rate: 119
Run – May 13
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 149
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Beautiful, clear, sunny, warm (high 70s)
Swim – May 14
Distance: 2,200 yards
Time: 45 minutes
Run – May 15
Distance: 2.55 miles
Time: 21 minutes
Average heart rate: 132
Treadmill
Indoor ride – May 15
Time: 30 minutes
Average heart rate: 117