RACE UPDATE: Testing the Waters - Ventura Breath of Life Race

After a 3 year break from participating in a serious triathlon it was time for me to test the waters and see how I stacked up. I have been on a tough training schedule to say the least. I have been putting in more hours on the bike than ever before (around 200 miles per week), running almost 20-30 miles a week, Indo-Rowing 5 times, swimming 2-3 times and trying to making sure to get the physical therapy, massage and chiropractic to keep this engine and chassis moving along. After getting hit by a car in March and having surgery on my hand, I was forced to rest for 2 months. It has been a bit of a comeback situation adding pressure to my training and forcing me to find a race to wet my feet before the Lake Placid Ironman in July. I chose the Breath of Life Triathlon in Ventura, CA, an Olympic distance triathlon: 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. Nothing like Ironman in terms of distance, but it would warm me up for Lake Placid and definitely test my speed, as the pace in a 2 hr. race is much faster than a 10 hr. one.


Swim:
The gun went off and I soon found myself plunging into the water making my way through crashing waves. Luckily I was able to avoid body pile ups, kicks to the face or elbows to the body as racers try to get ahead. I did find myself trying to grab onto the draft of some of the faster swimmers. That didn't work as I was left in no man's land with 6-7 guys ahead of me and plenty behind chasing me down. A strong current of doubt hit me. "You are already getting killed on the swim. What's wrong with you? You should have trained more! Am I sick and have no energy?" This transitioned quickly into my mantra. "Be here, be now!" Sounds hokey perhaps, but it forces me to be in the present and concentrate on what needs to be done. Relaxing into my rhythm, I started to move up on the others. I came out of the swim in 6th place I believe. Running up the sand is one of the most painful parts of the race. You have just had your breath regulated every stroke and now the air is free to flow but this transitional breathing period is brutal. In addition, you are charging up the sand trying to get your land legs back and your wetsuit off. Pain!

Bike:
The bike is my favorite element and probably my strength. I felt like a hunter chasing down my prey. My form and position on the bike to be as aerodynamic as possible, breathing steadily and drinking fluids became my focus. I could see my first racer ahead and I reeled him in. I continued to pick them off one by one until I had passed everyone. My body and bike were splattered with drool and snot, signs of a solid effort. I later found out I had the fastest bike split of the day averaging close to 27 mph.


Run:
I have never viewed myself as a runner, but this year I feel I have become one. I started the run at a solid pace running around 6 minute miles. This was a challenging pace, but I felt that I could hold it for the next 6.2 miles. As soon as that went through my head, I was passed by the cyclist I had just gone by in the last 1/2 mile of the bike. He went by me as if I was seemingly walking. I had two choices I could make at this point: 1. Stay at this pace and except 2nd place or worse 2. Pick it up and try to stay with him as long as possible. The later was riskier as it could reward me with first place or blow me up only to get passed by several. I chose option number 2. I did it one step at a time and stayed on his heels the whole way. When doubt plagued me, I went to my mantra once again. Be here, be now - every step. I saw the mile to go mark and I knew this would be a sprint to the end. Just then, he accelerated. We were already running 5:45 miles and he dropped it to 5:30. My legs started screaming! 200 yards to go, he pushed again. I responded and went for the sprint closing in on him. I emptied the tanks! He held me off by one second. Second out of 1,000 racers and by one second over the 2 hours of racing. We gave the fans a show the announcer told me and thanked me for making his job easier.



















The beauty of this race and many triathlons is that you have all types competing. There were 12 year olds and an 80 year old, the heavy set and the ultra lean, people with mountain bikes they borrowed from a friend and $6,000 bikes made of the lightest materials. There are also teams (families, companies, friends) where one person swims, another bikes and another runs. Everybody feels the same way when they cross the line - “I DID IT! I gave it my best today and that is what I set out to do!” You learn from each experience (each race) transferring those lessons to the rest of your life.

I encourage you all to set a goal of doing any kind of race - triathlon, biking, running etc. There are Sprint Distance triathlons that are around a 400 yard swim, a 10 mile bike and a 3 mile run. Let me help you get started. You will get in great shape as you have a goal for which to train. The icing on the cake will be feeling the beauty of crossing the line and knowing you laid it all out there.

Check out race info and results at:
http://www.triforlife.com/

In Best of Health,

Josh Crosby