The Rookie is an entire triathlon that takes less time to finish than the swim portion of an Ironman. 300 meter swim. 11 mile bike. 2 mile run. All anaerobic. All as hard as you can go. Not a recipe for fun, exactly. No chance to settle into a groove. No chance to "warm-up". You sprint the swim. You hammer the bike. You attack the run. Not a whole lot of strategy involved here. No concerns about nutrition [except perhaps, vomiting]. Just pedal to the metal until you finish.
Joe and I raced it yesterday.
The race started at 8:02 am. By 8:07:21, Joe and I were out of the water, running into T1 together; I had maybe a one or two-step advantage. Joe, with a faster first transition, was the first out on the bike. [Perhaps the funniest moment of the race: As he's leaving for the bike and I'm still trying to put on my helmet, Joe yells "T1!, T1!"]
For the first few minutes, I rode behind Joe, trying to let my heart rate settle. Then, as we crested a hill, I decided that I was going to go for it. I felt pretty good and I knew if we got off the bike at the same time, Joe would most likely drop me on the run. So I clicked into a low gear, and rode hard the rest of the way -- really grinding it out. At times I would have normally let my legs recover, like downhills, I pedaled. Even if it only added up to five or ten seconds, it was worth it. Every second counts. Especially in a fifty-minute race. So I rode like someone was chasing me, because someone was chasing me -- an 8-time Ironman, a 4:30 half-ironman finisher, and my older brother.
I came into T2 not knowing how much time I had, but knowing that I had time, because I couldn't see Joe behind me. I moved through T2 and was out on the run, groaning with each step, because my legs were filling with lactic acid, and my head was filling with thoughts of Joe running with fresh legs and catching me. I kept running, kept groaning, and hit the turnaround without being caught. On the way back, I saw Joe -- we slapped high fives, said all the encouragement you can when you are running as hard as you can -- and knew that I was going to be able to hold on and win. And I did. And a minute or two later, as I was catching my breath, I watched Joe finish, and we had another high-five, talked about the race a little bit, then got a free cup of Fat Tire beer. And the rookie was over. We drove back to Austin, showered [not together], and ate moist brisket and pulled pork and mashed potatoes at Uncle Billy's and washed it all down with some of their incredible organic amber ale. And another race was done.
SWIM - T1 - BIKE - T2 -RUN - TOTAL
JOE: 5:23, 1:16, 31:11, 0:50, 13:06, 51:47
ED : 5:21, 1:25, 29:27, 0:48, 12:30, 49:33
Now it's Monday, I have to be at work in two hours. Joe has to study for his final set of Law School exams. We'll probably swim a few times this week, maybe go for a long ride on the weekend. We've both got little faux-license plates to commemorate our accomplishments in our respective age-groups sitting somewhere in our houses...
As I look at the splits, I think of all the races we've done. From the very first, where we won our age group in Couples [with Joe doing most of the work], to this most recent one -- it's been a hell of good time. We've done long swims, long rides and long runs together. We've lifted. We've hurt. We've felt good while the other has felt bad and vice versa. We've watched the other finish. We've had breakthrough races. We've got an Ironman finisher's photo together. We've gone to Marble Falls, New Braunfels, Galveston, Shiner and Panama City Beach. We've got new bikes. We've helped the other change flat tires. We've watched college football with tired legs and sunburned faces...
And as I remembered all of that, how far this race has made me realize I've come, I wanted to give a quick tip of the cap to the guy who showed me the ropes. Who took me on my first ride in Austin [20 miles, because I couldn't go any further], who kept me going on rides I've wanted to quit, who's stayed with me on rides when I've bonked, who's counseled me when I've been frustrated. Who beat me, but never humiliated me. Who's done the fastest Ironman and half-ironman in the family. Who was there at my first race, just as he was at the last one.... Thanks for yesterday. I couldn't have done it without you.
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