Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Triathlon Genes

I think sometimes people assume I would be a really fast triathlete. I have a brother who is gaining ranks in the triathlon world. My youngest brother Ed seems to be a natural at it, taking fifth overall at the Spudman, as well as placing first at other local races. But I'm not fast. I don't know how to will my powers to run faster, swim faster, bike faster. I feel like I'm going fast for me, but others have their doubts (hmm, mmm, Kulani). This year's Spudman was still one of my favorite races of all time, despite the sad death of one of the competitors. I completely finished my race before I heard the news. However, I did hear some rumblings about someone dying when I was on the run. I assumed they were talking about a different race. It was also my slowest Spudman finish to date. I've done three of them so far; the fourth time I've done the bike (I was part of a team one year--we took first in our division--thanks to the quickness of Mary's run and Hetty's swim). My swim was okay; 22 minutes. My bike was slow because at mile 20 my tire lost a lot of air, but didn't flat enough for me to stop riding. I didn't have anything to blow it up or change it, which Kulani says I couldn't have anyway because they were cemented-on tires, or something like that. Kulani (Zen) takes care of all of my bike maintenance so I am woefully dumb about the art of bike repair. Even still, I average 18.5 mph. The bike was really fun this year. I found myself in the middle of an all-women peloton, all of us riding about 21 mph and none of us knowing how to pass one another or let others pass. I loved that. I hate riding in pelotons generally, but I really like riding in this one. I found myself being able to take a little break. And then, as always, I really enjoyed the run. My goal was to make it under an hour, and I made that goal by two minutes.

But back to my going faster. I really could if I'd dedicate my mind and lost some weight. It's really appealing to me, and I like the results of it. I don't think Kulani would mind if the house was a little messier than usual if the trade-off was me with an awesomely buff bod. And maybe then I could fit into my triathlon jeans (or genes).

2 comments:

Fish said...

Cindy, you've got the go fast gene in you. When I first started doing triathlons, I was all about looking for a PR on every race or else using it for training and experience. Now, I'm coming around to your point of view - I just want to enjoy the locale of the race, not embarrass myself, and cruise comfortably fast without bonking. Given my workload, that's all I can really hope for or else I'll end up giving up tri's, and I love doing them with you.

Stephanie said...

Cindy-you are awesome! and an inspiration to me! I love to read what you post. I have only done one, though I was signed up for the Spudman this year but found myself stuck in Hawaii instead. But you make me want to do more and feel like I can! Esp. since I don't have three little girls! You rock!