Triathlon Bloopers: Learning from the Fails – Know Your Limits
As the SoCal Triathlon Team from Orange County, CA prepared to send 12 athletes to race at IRONMAN Portugal and IRONMAN 70.3 Portugal, the rest of the team rallied to support them in their final preparations. It's great to have a team by your side to keep you company while training and provide encouragement leading up to a race.
Our last big training session included a 100-mile ride followed by a 60-minute run off the bike. The team gathered at Back Bay in Irvine, CA to start the day. There was an awesome turnout! The ride organizer confirmed which teammates were going long and those doing a shorter route. One of our newer athletes at the time, we'll call him Johnny, was an incredibly accomplished runner but a triathlon novice. Growing up in Europe, he knew how to cycle but had been very much out of practice. That said, he was confident that his exceptional running fitness would bridge the gap, so he signed up for the long ride.
About 30 miles into the out-and-back ride from Irvine to Carlsbad, a concerned fellow rider asked Johnny about his nutrition. His shocking response was, "I’ve got a gel." How on earth was Johnny going to get through a 100+ mile ride in the building heat with only one gel? Despite others offering some of their nutrition, Johnny was certain that he had the ability to power through the ride with limited calories. He was wrong.
As we sped towards the halfway point, Johnny started to fall behind, the stress of running on empty for so many miles clearly showing on his distressed face. Thankfully, there was a welcoming 7-Eleven at the turnaround spot in Carlsbad. Johnny awkwardly dismounted his bike and rushed into the convenience store for some badly needed food. When he emerged, the poppyseed muffin that he purchased may have seemed like a healthy choice, but from the expiry date 10 years into the future, it was clear that this thing wasn’t all natural. No matter, it had calories! Johnny's first bite was right through the plastic wrapper. The muffin completely disappeared with his second.
Fueled up and on the way back, we were all hopeful that Johnny would be able to stay strong to the finish in Irvine. At mile 70, we learned that Johnny’s longest ride in recent memory had been just over 50 miles. Yikes! This was a massive step up in distance and concern started to spread that Johnny was going to absolutely crack before the ride was complete. To make matters worse, as we got back into Orange County and headed inland, the temperature started to really spike. At 90 plus degrees, things were getting hot! About five miles from the finish and the relief of the air conditioning in his car, Johnny realized that his house happened to be just a block away. His survival instincts took over. Johnny took a hard left turn and headed for home. Who cares about the car, he would worry about that later. Johnny made it through the front door as far as the living room floor before putting his head down for a rest. He woke up two hours later.
Needless to say, Johnny is much better at fueling his rides and builds his volume at a measured pace. The rest of us make many more inquiries of newer athletes before long rides to ensure they are riding within their limits. By the way, Johnny is flourishing as a triathlete and getting ready to have a wonderful performance at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside. So glad you stuck with it, Johnny!
