Camp Musings- Riding THROUGH Transition

Damie and Justin Daerr. Yes, I am as tired as I look- and this is after 4 cups of coffee.

Before I share with you some things I learned at the Mississippi Heat Triathlon Camp a couple of weekends ago, I want to encourage you to attend a camp or lecture in your city. If there are not any available, spend some time with some experienced triathletes and learn from them. Ask questions! Get a coach and further your education. Read some of the blogs of professional triathletes and learn from their stories.

So, on this post I am going to share with you one thing (out of many) I learned from Justin Daerr. Please understand that my attempt to paraphrase Justin will not do his lecture justice. He was an excellent speaker and teacher.

On the topic of transition:

1. Ride THROUGH transition. How many times do you see fellow triathletes sit up in the last mile or more and stretch, spin, etc... as if the bike leg has already ended? While you want to be prepared to transfer from the bike to the run, the bike is not yet over. Many times in races we must go through a park or pass a landmark signaling that transition is near; however, transition may not be as close as we think it is. Do not fall into the trap of slowing down prematurely because you think you are close to the transition area. Do as Justin suggests: Ride THROUGH transition. Your ride is over when you prepare to dismount, not when you enter the park or think you are close to being finished.

In my most recent race, I wanted to practice this skill. I noticed as we entered Ole Miss campus that many cyclists slowed down immediately. Guess what, we still had almost a mile or more to ride! In that moment, I was able to clearly see what Justin had described. The landmark, Ole Miss campus, triggered a reaction in almost every rider in front of me: "I am finished."

I noticed another rider up ahead of me had slowed and was sitting up. I decided to ride THROUGH transition, and I was amazing the amount of ground I made up in that short period of time. I did not stop riding until I reached the dismount line, and I got off of my bike with that rider that had entered the campus well in front of me.

So, for your next race, really focus on this skill. Don't let it be an afterthought. Do not ride mindlessly; after all, you have probably put in a lot of training time and want to race well. Don't lose time in the last part of the bike because you think you are almost through.

I learned lots of great stuff at camp- more to share later!

Not a bad day. It was a good day with a little bad thrown in the mix. I am worried sick over a stupid, well-intentioned mistake I made. I am always striving to be a good person and a good friend, and when I fail, even in the slightest, I definitely take it very personally- and in turn can be very hard on myself. I just sometimes forget to be easy on myself...we are humans that sometimes make mistakes!

I found many quotes in a favorite book of mine, The Art Of Living, that have calmed my intense spirit down a bit for tonight. Here are just a couple...

- He lives on the principle of "nothing attempted, nothing gained" and is resolved that if he fails, he is going to fail while trying to succeed.

-It is being great now, being forgiving now, being tolerant now, being happy now, being successful now, instead of postponing positive and constructive living to some vague and indefinite future.

Thank goodness I came home to this box of goodies sitting on my door step. There is chocolate somewhere in there, and it is going to help me fall asleep in peace tonight. Bad things may pass through my days, but I have so many good friends that bad days just don't really happen much in my life. Dolly just thought she was sending me a present, and I bet she had no clue how much I needed this today!!!! It is the little things we do for each other that really help make life great.

At the Ride Into Spring yesterday, I actually rode into the frustrations of ironman training. Last year I had the pleasure of trashing myself with the roadies and making myself hurt since I needed to increase my speed for short course. I could kill myself on the road and did not have to think about all of the long runs I had to do. It was really great for me mentally, and it taught me how to hold a wheel until I died (sometimes literally). This year, that type of training does not apply to my goals, and I had to wrap my head around the challenges of group riding....yet riding within my training parameters.

And training parameters don't apply to group roadie rides, I mean, they are always just racing each other all of the time. So, I was having some trouble finding my place and my ride.

I left the day feeling a little pissy, although doing the ride (mostly) the way I was supposed to do it. Wouldn't it be nice if my long course pace was 25 mph at zone 2? Ha!!! So, while I wish my long course riding was more developed, it is not, and I have some work to do and I have to do it the right way. And maybe towards the end of the summer I won't have to let the group go at all...

I had to remind myself that I can't get caught up in the big group rides. It is not always fun to let the group go- but as I get ready to head out the door for a two hour run this morning, I am grateful that I put myself in "time out" yesterday before it was too late and I ruined my workout for today.

My little sister turned 30 yesterday! Yikes!!! I still have way more gray hair than she does, although who can really tell since she has a different hair color every month. ;)