As the months went by, I got a little better every week. Finishing residency with a little baby was hard enough, but I tried to get to the gym once or twice a week. The last two or three weeks were a lot better, since I now spend most of my days studying for boards. In the last six months, I ran a total of 125 miles, biked 225, and swam 35000 yards. A good triathlete would do that in about 2 weeks.
As I mentioned, the Philly Tri is a pretty well-known and prestigious race. There were no mountain bikes or people in cut-offs and t-shirts. I was surrounded by hardbodies in spandex with $5000 bikes. I ride a commuter road bike I bought at a used bike shop. I have a belly roll.
As I pulled up to the transition area to get marked, an announcement was made that the race this year would be converted to a duathlon. A what you say? A duathlon: run, bike, run. So, I'm not in shape to begin with, and now my best part gets knocked out. Cripes! (Sad story actually. One of the racers from Saturday's sprint race went missing in the river. The swim portion on Sunday was canceled so the search mission could continue. A 40 year-old man with a wife and two teenagers drowned and was recovered just past the transition area. Sad.)
So, with the race being converted to a 5K run/40K bike/10K run on a 95 degree day, I allowed myself to not try and win. I always try to win, no matter how unprepared I am. This time, I just told myself to finish.
I got through the first run in a pretty good time, tried not to keel over on the incredibly hilly bike portion, and walked/jogged the last 10K. I added at least 5 minutes on the second bike loop from fatigue and lack of mental toughness. Oh well. I looked great at the end carrying my cute little baby around. I know he's proud of me.
