Athlinks.com is every endurance athletes best friend and worst enemy. For those that are not aware of this facsinating site, it is a listing of all ones race results that they can gain access too. From my own experience they have about 75% or so of every race I have ever completed. All your race results are out there good or bad for everyone to see. But do these results really tell the whole story? What can you determine from strictly looking at finishing times?
http://athlinks.com/racer/results/88959192
In my opinion finishing times only tell half the story. Take my half marathon times for instance. I have run 6 half marathons, but only three of those have I run with the sole purpose of running my best time, the other three I ran in support of my wife Amy. I have completed 5 half Ironmans only 3 of which were posted by Athlinks. Of course my PR race of 4:59 is missing, but my tuneup race prior to Lake Placid in which I flatted 3 times is listed (6:41). So just by looking at these results you can never get the whole picture and I believe that is the beauty of racing.
It is not always about your fastest time. I can say without hesitation that the three half marathons I ran with my wife were my favorites. The tuneup half Iron I did in 6:41, well I had a pr for the swim and the run so at the end of the day I was ecstatic with the result. For me I have been blessed to be able to compete in the top 25% of a lot of the races I enter and have won some awards along the way. But at the end of the day all my medals from every race I have ever done are buried in a bag in my basement. Those medals do not tell the story that I wish to remember. Sure it's great to have that finishers medal around your neck and you can rest assured that I always wear mine for a few hours after the race. However once that race high wears off and the medal goes into the bag in the basement, the thing that lasts far longer are the good times had, the bad weather endured, all the flat tires, the cramps and the long, long days of running, biking and swimming to get to those finish lines.
So for me it is not always about fast. Fast is relative to each of us and no matter what your finishing time the fact that you did indeed finish is a far greater triumph. When I am old and gray I will be most proud of the list of races completed, not the finsihing times. I was never the fastest and probably will never win a race, however the best days of my life have been on a race course, competing against my peers or just running along side my best friends (wife and dog). So if you do get a chance to check out Athlinks, and I do recommend it, make sure you not only view the finishing times but that you also take a moment to remember the race.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Looking back
The reason I started this blog was to be able to have a written record of my journey to completing an Ironman. It allows me to be able to go back and review my thoughts and actions leading up to that event. Going forward I hope to continue to write (as their appears to be some interest) and track my progress to what will one day hopefully be greater success in this sport. I say "greater" success because I am never quite sure what that means to me. Will qualifying for the World Championships in either the half or full Ironman give me a sense of success in this sport? I am very grateful to even be able to toe the line at most of these events let alone possible qualify for a championship event. However I do realize alot of people can't fathom running 50 miles, cycling 150 in a single day, or completing one half ironmans let alone 3 in 3 months. So I don't believe if I never qualify for these events that I will not be satisfied. The problem for me is being patient enough to realize my potential in a given endeavor. When I am prepping for a ultra I am completely immersed in the task and dream of greater distances and faster times. While training for Ironman, I literally thought about nothing else for 6 months. So for me to be able to look back and see where I was at each interval of the season is quite interesting. So I thought it would be beneficial to take a step back and look at not what I accomplished this season, but what I learned along the way. It is cliche to say but it is truly the journey not the destination.
-Patience is the number one thing in athletics. It takes time, alot of time to master a single sport never mind 3 sports all rolled into one. I am not known for my patience but going forward realize that I am very capable of all the fast times I dream of I just have to be willing to work hard and be patient.
-Pacing a race is paramount to being able to run fast times. So many times this year I went out to fast in road races and completely blew up in the final miles. I believe had I went out more controlled and paced my self I would have had the same if not better times.
-There is no better feeling then that sick to your stomach feeling before a race. Why you ask? because it lets you know that you are heading into the unknown and no matter how much you prepared, things that are out of your control may pop up. (see 3 flats at Quassy HIM)
-That sick to your stomach feeling goes away and you learn alot about yourself while you are out on a race course for 12+ hours. Then when you cross that finish line whether it be at a 5K or an Ironman, everyone there, including yourself thinks you are a rock star.
-It is absolutely the best feeling to assist or participate in a event with someone who never could imagine doing something like that before. (Amy's century ride, Brothers duathlon, and yes even Miles 5K)
-The people that I am meeting through running and triathlon are without a doubt the best, most welcoming people in the world. Many outsiders see what they do and think that they are elitists and only socialize with those who can put up fast times. All the people I have met could care less about your finishing time, just that you did indeed finish.
-I wish more people would get involved with sports and completing events themselves. I had the pleasure of volunteering at a triathlon and watching a few road races and everyone and I mean EVERYONE was on cloud nine upon finishing. There is no better feeling then accomplishing something that takes time and effort.
-I don't think there is any event that I can not do that I set my mind to. When you start training for your first Ironman you think that it would be great to finish, and that slowly evolves into a goal race time. Everyone that I know that has done a Ironman this season or previously can tell you weeks ahead of time when they will finish and I guarantee that it will be within +/- 10% of where they actually finish. Funny how confidence builds throughout a training cycle.
These are just a few of the key things that I took away from this season. Of course there are many other little things that are paramount to my education in this sport. So I guess to answer my own question about will I get a sense of success if I qualify for a world championship, the simple answer is no. It will just be one of many successes that happen along the way. It will be no greater or no worse than that first 5k or first sprint triathlon. Success is measured by you and only you, not by how many trophy's or awards that collect dust on the shelf.
-Patience is the number one thing in athletics. It takes time, alot of time to master a single sport never mind 3 sports all rolled into one. I am not known for my patience but going forward realize that I am very capable of all the fast times I dream of I just have to be willing to work hard and be patient.
-Pacing a race is paramount to being able to run fast times. So many times this year I went out to fast in road races and completely blew up in the final miles. I believe had I went out more controlled and paced my self I would have had the same if not better times.
-There is no better feeling then that sick to your stomach feeling before a race. Why you ask? because it lets you know that you are heading into the unknown and no matter how much you prepared, things that are out of your control may pop up. (see 3 flats at Quassy HIM)
-That sick to your stomach feeling goes away and you learn alot about yourself while you are out on a race course for 12+ hours. Then when you cross that finish line whether it be at a 5K or an Ironman, everyone there, including yourself thinks you are a rock star.
-It is absolutely the best feeling to assist or participate in a event with someone who never could imagine doing something like that before. (Amy's century ride, Brothers duathlon, and yes even Miles 5K)
-The people that I am meeting through running and triathlon are without a doubt the best, most welcoming people in the world. Many outsiders see what they do and think that they are elitists and only socialize with those who can put up fast times. All the people I have met could care less about your finishing time, just that you did indeed finish.
-I wish more people would get involved with sports and completing events themselves. I had the pleasure of volunteering at a triathlon and watching a few road races and everyone and I mean EVERYONE was on cloud nine upon finishing. There is no better feeling then accomplishing something that takes time and effort.
-I don't think there is any event that I can not do that I set my mind to. When you start training for your first Ironman you think that it would be great to finish, and that slowly evolves into a goal race time. Everyone that I know that has done a Ironman this season or previously can tell you weeks ahead of time when they will finish and I guarantee that it will be within +/- 10% of where they actually finish. Funny how confidence builds throughout a training cycle.
These are just a few of the key things that I took away from this season. Of course there are many other little things that are paramount to my education in this sport. So I guess to answer my own question about will I get a sense of success if I qualify for a world championship, the simple answer is no. It will just be one of many successes that happen along the way. It will be no greater or no worse than that first 5k or first sprint triathlon. Success is measured by you and only you, not by how many trophy's or awards that collect dust on the shelf.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
On the shelf
No running until Dec 5th! That is the goal I have set for myself, with the help of my doctor of course. It's the only way to let my ankle rest up and hopefully be able to come out of the gates flying in 2012. After logging 1100 miles this season this is clearly my bodies way of telling me to take a break. Now most people would welcome such a break, I am not most people. I LOVE running, it comes easy to me and I can't think of anything I would rather do then to head out on a long, fall trail run. I don't think people enjoy running as much as I do because they do not allow themselves to shut their mind off. They are out there dreading every minute of every run, thinking about every ache and pain and not allowing their mind to escape the fact that they are exercising.
People ask me all the time (or they don't ask and just say I am crazy) what the secret is to running long distances. I don't think about running. Sure I check my pace and on many of my shorter runs I have time goals and distance goals like everyone else. However that is just the competitor in me and I never let it define my run. To truly appreciate running you need to let your mind wander and not let it become a dreaded task. Did you hate running as a kid? probably not. You just ran for the sake of running. You would run for no reason at all and never once think of what you were doing as a necessary evil. I truly believe running long distance is the only way to have this happen. You can't possible get lost in a 3 mile run, never going to happen. Running 13, 26 or even 50 miles is when you can completly get lost in a run. You just lose track, you stop thinking about what hurts and what doesn't and the next time you look down at your watch it is 20 minutes later and you are 10 miles from home. Now believe me when I tell you this does not happen every time. This "runners high" is not as rare as some would have you believe however.
I would venture to say every long run leading up to the Lake Placid Ironman for me was a slow, painfull death march. I got too wrapped up in pace and distance and making sure I had done the mileage to have a great race. However once the race began and I headed out for the marathon, after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 I got to the point where I really enjoyed that run. For me this is what happens When I train for and run ultras (any distance longer than 26.2). I don't worry about time, pace or distance so much as I take in what is around me and let my mind wonder which is a pretty cool thing.
So with this love affair I have with running, the next month will be a real challenge. I have had to cancel 4 races I had planned on running (all for fun) this month but know that it is the right move to make. With patience and learning comes the potential to be even better next year. So in order to keep my self sane and continue to progress and become a better athlete I am going to focus on my swimming and biking. So do me a favor and run a mile or two or twenty for me this month, I would greatly appreciate it.
People ask me all the time (or they don't ask and just say I am crazy) what the secret is to running long distances. I don't think about running. Sure I check my pace and on many of my shorter runs I have time goals and distance goals like everyone else. However that is just the competitor in me and I never let it define my run. To truly appreciate running you need to let your mind wander and not let it become a dreaded task. Did you hate running as a kid? probably not. You just ran for the sake of running. You would run for no reason at all and never once think of what you were doing as a necessary evil. I truly believe running long distance is the only way to have this happen. You can't possible get lost in a 3 mile run, never going to happen. Running 13, 26 or even 50 miles is when you can completly get lost in a run. You just lose track, you stop thinking about what hurts and what doesn't and the next time you look down at your watch it is 20 minutes later and you are 10 miles from home. Now believe me when I tell you this does not happen every time. This "runners high" is not as rare as some would have you believe however.
I would venture to say every long run leading up to the Lake Placid Ironman for me was a slow, painfull death march. I got too wrapped up in pace and distance and making sure I had done the mileage to have a great race. However once the race began and I headed out for the marathon, after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 I got to the point where I really enjoyed that run. For me this is what happens When I train for and run ultras (any distance longer than 26.2). I don't worry about time, pace or distance so much as I take in what is around me and let my mind wonder which is a pretty cool thing.
So with this love affair I have with running, the next month will be a real challenge. I have had to cancel 4 races I had planned on running (all for fun) this month but know that it is the right move to make. With patience and learning comes the potential to be even better next year. So in order to keep my self sane and continue to progress and become a better athlete I am going to focus on my swimming and biking. So do me a favor and run a mile or two or twenty for me this month, I would greatly appreciate it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)