Things I learned - Race report PC HIM

[Wahine]

My race did not go as planned. I didn't PR. I wasn't even close. In fact I had my 4th slowest time at this distance in the 10 races of this length that I have done. But I'm still happy and here's why...

You learn way more about yourself on a bad race day than on a good one.

No matter how tough the race, I am always thankful that I can do this at all.

I finished when it would have been so much easier to DNF.

I didn't get a sunburn, even though it was scorching out.

I'm only slightly sore today.

I had a lot of fun with my Tri Club friends.


The nuts and bolts of it are this. I had a great swim, good clean and fast T1, got over excited on the bike and likely went out too fast, My first 26 miles were at a blistering pace, but then my stomach shut down. Nothing was going through. No nutrition to the legs on the hills and I had to slow waaaaaaaay down. I managed to get through the bike and when I headed out on the run my stomach was so distended you could see it jiggle with the fluid in it. And I mean my stomach, not my gut. I couldn't run more than a couple of minutes before I would overheat or get terrible abdomenal cramps. So I had to drop my effort level way down. My stomach got better with the decreased effort and my heat tolerance went up as I processed the fluids I had taken in. By mile six I had my legs back and I smoked the last half of the run. I had to have passed 15 women in those 6 miles.

Total time: 5:59 and something
Swim time: 32:30 ish
Bike: 3:15 ish
Run: 2:05 ish

That would make T1 and T2 together about 6 min.

I don't have the official results yet but I placed 9th in my AG.


My race was on Saturday. The Olympic version of this race was today and I stayed to watch. I had a couple of people I knew racing. The damper on the whole weekend was that someone went unconscious while being jet skiied in from the swim and they had to do CPR on the boat ramp at the swim exit. It was very surreal. This man on the ground while people ran by to continue with there race. Don't get me wrong. I don't think that people should have stopped. There was nothing they could do and didn't know what was happening. Based on what was overheard and how the paramedics were managing this man, I don't think he made it.

Live every day like it could be your last.

[Tri Girl]

Sorry you didn't have a stellar race day, but I'm glad that you're walking away with a positive spin. You're right- you learn far more from bad races than from good ones (going back to what I always tell my students- you rarely learn anything when you always do it right- it's when you do it wrong and figure out something about yourself that you grow).
Good race- and even tho it's near the bottom slowest time, I'd still give anything to have a half be anywhere near that fast. My PR is in the low 7 hour range.

So sad to hear about the man during the race. OWS, heck swimming in general, is risky and put in a race sometimes even the best swimmers have trouble. It could've been anyone of us. I'm sorry for him and his family (and the paramedics who tried to save him).

[jesvetmed]

Wahine: Too bad your race wasn't as planned, but as you say, things are still great when you can even attempt such a feat! Good job getting yourself back into the race -- I can't believe you "perked" up and kicked the last 6 miles... quite impressive!

I'm sorry about the man who went down. I wonder what happened. Very sad and I'm sure affected many during the event whether they stopped or not.

Keep it up! You're doing GREAT! We are all in awe!
Jes

[teigyr]

Wahine, I'm sorry it didn't go as planned but it sounds like you made the best of it. I'm glad you listened to your body. You ran a logical race

That is too bad about the swimmer. I think it happens more than I'd like to think. I feel for his family and for the people who ran by, images like that stay with you.

Hey, congrats on not DNFing It's races like this that show character. If it was always easy, anyone could do it. You finished AND will race again.

[Wahine]

I've been trying to get more information on the swimmer. I haven't found anything out yet. I feel very badly for his family. He was in the 40's age group, was about 30 lbs on the heavy side and was swimming the leg for a relay team. Ugh! His team members must be beside themselves.

Just to clarify, I don't know that he died. I'm just suspicious that is the case.

ETA: I just found this link. The man did die and he's not the first to die at this event apparently.

[NbyNW]

Wow, what a weekend . . .

It's so impressive you finished even though you weren't feeling your best.

And sad to hear that it was someone's last day . . . I'm surprised too that they didn't have an ambulance and defibrillator on hand. Seems like a no-brainer.

[Zen]

Salsa- that's it exactly.
During times of stress, the autonomic nervous system sends signals to where its needed (fight or flight)
The rest of the the time it's "rest and digest"

You learn way more about yourself on a bad race day than on a good one.

No matter how tough the race, I am always thankful that I can do this at all.

I finished when it would have been so much easier to DNF.

I didn't get a sunburn, even though it was scorching out.

I'm only slightly sore today.

I had a lot of fun with my Tri Club friends.

Live every day like it could be your last.

Congratulations, Grasshopper Wahine.
That is the Zen of The Race

[mimitabby]

wahine
what a great recovery! Sounds like any extreme sport requires a lot of resource juggling, literally.

thanks for sharing with us, we're all learning from you.

[Veronica]

What do you think they should have out in the middle of the water that they could do CPR on? If the course is at all how I picture it, the swimmers were probably never more than 750 yards from shore.

Yes, it's sad, but I don't think it's the race organizer's fault in any way. Maybe there are some things they could do better. But who are we to second guess when we weren't even there? I bet the guy didn't go to his doctor and get a check up before he decided to try swimming a mile in open water. And maybe he did. There are lots of things that could have happened to him while he was swimming... stroke, brain aneurysm, flamingo bite... that no amount of medical intervention really could have done anything for.

V.

[salsabike]

For all we know, he DID check with his doc beforehand. Docs can't predict events like this, either. Our best efforts still don't provide any guarantees...and that's how life is. We make the best efforts, and then we go on, and...who knows what will happen? No one I've met yet, anyway.

[Wahine]

Plus 1 what V. and Salsa said.

The course is a large square course, so yeah, even if he was at the farthest point from shore it would have been about 700 m.

Roadie gal, thanks for explaining that. It seems to make sense with what I heard and saw. Would the same thing happen if he had swimming induced pulmonary edema?

From what I understand he was still conscious but in distress when they pulled him onto the jet ski, and was unconscious by the time they got him to shore. Who knows what happened.

[Zen]

CPR is old stuff. There are no more chest compressions, just rescue breathing.

[teigyr]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/22704044.html

I guess we can't really speculate as to how it should've been unless we were there.

Anyway, very sad.

I think this is a better article

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/tex...thlete30m.html

Seems to be he was in shape and knew what he was doing.

[roadie gal]

CPR is old stuff. There are no more chest compressions, just rescue breathing.

Nope, just the opposite. Just compressions, no rescue breathing.

[tjf9]

Great job Wahine! It was a scorcher out there. Great lessons for me from your race as well, since I'm only a 2x triathlete.

I actually participated in the olympic tri. The ambulance was not on site, because I saw the ambulance rushing up the mtn, lights and sirens going (I was ~5 miles away from the swim at this point). Sounds like there was nothing to be done, either way, but I agree that with that distance to a hospital, at least an AED should be on site.

A similar event happened at a bike race here in Portland about 3 weeks back. Guy had a heart attack on the course, and the organizers had no paramedics or AED. Fortunately he was close into the city, so an ambulance could get there quick and he survived.

I think things like this should be a wake up call to all race organizers - be prepared!