Location: Clemson, SC
Date: May 16, 2009
Placing: 15th Overall
Race Photos
Results: Click Here

This is not so much a 'race report' as it is a scientific thesis. I remember the days back in science class where we learned to conduct experiments by changing variables and noting the effect on results. I used to love that. I still enjoy problem solving which is an integral part of my job. I just never thought I would be having to investigate the mystery of my own health.

Keeping up with me this year means you've had to listen to a lot of guessing, uncertainty and well, for lack of a better term - excuses. I've always hated that word because of its negative connotations, when in fact an excuse is merely a reason. For the most part, people see an 'excuse' as a false or invalid reason. But that's not really part of the definition. If I said that I did not finish a race because I crashed, isn't that an excuse that has no negative bearing? It simply is what it is. The problem with excuses is the way they make you feel - valid or not.

I know that all sounds lot a lot of mumbo-jumbo but what it means is that if a person says "I can't jump over my house today because I have a headache" most everyone would be sceptical. But if you had ever actually seen the person jump over his house, you would be a lot more inclined to believe that a headache is in fact stopping them. It's basically throwing scientific evidence into the mix. Here is my scientific evidence for this year: 5 running races - 4 of them at or near PR speed; one of them minutes off of normal. 2 duathlons - both of them producing podium finishes. 2 triathlons - both of them well below normal performance. The bad races didn't happen in succession. As a matter of fact, they were sprinkled in between some of my best races. And it's due to the evidence I have just placed before you that I am continuing to train hard and sign up for races. The evidence says that I "can" still go fast. The problem is knowing if I "will" go fast.

In some way that I can't figure out or comprehend, it's all based on my allergy-induced asthma. According to my allergy panel, I have little to no reaction to 'grasses'; a modest amount of reaction to some trees and ragweed; and the real culprit - mold! My mold allergy reading was pretty much through the roof. The worst thing about this is that there is no "mold season". It can be in a number of different places throughout the year.

I warned you this was going to be more science than race report...so let's continue. I have really been working on my swim lately. No, this time I'm for real. I joined a Masters Swim Class a couple of weeks ago and I believe I've done more meters in the last 2 weeks than the prior 2 months. I've always said that Clemson is the worst ratio triathlon for me that I will do all year (swim:bike) but I had been going good for a week and a half and the numbers told me that I should be near the top 5 or 6 so I was actually excited to make amends from my poor showing at Lake Murray.

I was glad for once that I was able to pick up my packet on Thursday for this race considering I hate getting up so darn early to race. Yet somehow, I still ran short on time and managed only about a 1-mile run for a warm-up. But what the hey, that's what the swim is for, right? The horn sounded and for the first time ever, I was actually able to draft one of the other swimmers for close to 100 meters before I had to back down and catch my breath. I also noticed how much more comfortable I was in the water - able to recover from my 'sprint' start without having to come to a near stop. One of my big guages in the water is how long it takes the fastest age-groupers to catch me and it appeared that I held them off much longer than usual and that less of them passed me - at least that's how it appeared. I exited the water and made the long run up the beach to the transition area. I'm not sure I've ever mentioned this before, but everytime I exit the water in a tri, I am a bit disoriented and somewhat dizzy. I typically can barely muster a jog...which is about what I did. I felt much faster but the results would later show the following:

2006 - 15:42
2007 - 15:32
2008 - 15:26
2009 - 15:30
Each of these years, I was somewhere around 100th swim time. (I'm not sure the atomic clock is this consistent)

At this point if you stopped me and asked what kind of day I was having, I would probably have said "pretty good". That's the thing with me and swimming; I can't tell a good day from a bad one. After one of the most stellar wetsuit-strippings I have ever done, I mounted my steed and took off. Now - just 5 minutes later - if you asked me what kind of day I was having, I could tell you in an instant: "not so good". No power on the hills. No speed on the flats. Based on one of the event photos you might literally believe I was asleep on the bike. I pushed hard because I was hoping that I just 'felt' slow but deep down inside I knew better. The only reason I probably placed as high as I did on the bike was because of the slightly wet conditions that allowed me to take advantage of my bike handling skills. In the last quarter-mile, I passed another elite male - 21-year-old Taylor Shoulders and we entered transition right after each other. Stats?...

2006 - 26:51 (1st fastest)
2007 - 26:56 (2nd fastest 9 seconds behind fastest)
2008 - 27:21 (2nd fastest 3 seconds behind fastest)
2009 - 28:26 (4th fastest 1:36 behind fastest?!)

In T2, I also saw my teammate Kat Welling well on her way to a women's victory. She teased me that she had a goal to finish the bike before I caught her...and she did. Kat ran out of T1 with me a few seconds behind and Taylor was right on my heels. Taylor immediately sprinted by me like I was standing still and I thought to myself "huh, young kid - that's way too fast. I'll be seeing you soon." But I didn't. NOW if you had asked me what kind of day I was having, I would have stopped, wrestled you to the ground and used my last ounce of energy to pummel you. I literally could not get my legs to run. I was in an unwavering jog from which I could not break loose. Taylor left me in the dust as I raced the catepillars on the sidewalk. I had nothing to give. I relunctantly made it to the finish line. The run course has changed over the years so it's hard to make a comparison but my run times were the 5th fastest both of the last 2 years and on this day I considered myself lucky to have the 13th fastest.

Discouraging? Yes. But as I pointed out at the beginning of this report, as long as I continue to have some stellar days mixed in with bad ones, I have a pretty high probability of writing a report in the near future that speaks of valiant efforts and feats of athleticism...that day is just not today.

After the race, I joined my friend Ashley Long for a few extra meters of swimming in the lake. I had planned to run but was in no mood - and I probably still needed the swim more. On the drive home, Janis listened to me psychoanalyze the events of the day. I'm not sure at what point this came up but I believe it was Janis who made the observation that I've done 4 lake swims this year (2 races and 2 practices). After one of the practice swims, I went for a run with Gail Kattouf. It felt like we were running a 6:00 pace when in reality we weren't even running a 7:00 pace. That's 3 lake swims where I felt poorly immediately afterwards. Could there honestly be something in the lake water that is affecting me now that my lungs are hyper-sensitive? Logically, it does make sense. I intend to run my own little experiment in the next week or so to test the theory.

Adding fuel to my above theory is the fact that I went out the next day and had a pretty amazing 3-hour workout...and the same goes for every day since the race. Only time will tell.

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The guys at Bird's Eye View really captured the spirit if today's race for me...drunk after the swim; asleep on the bike; and out for a jog to the finish

Race Notes:
* My teammates all had pretty good days with Chris Olson taking the men's race and Katharine Welling taking the women's race.
* My teammate Pete Edge pulled out a 6th place overall at the ripe old age of 51.
* In contrast - just 3 places behind Pete - was the future of triathlon. 13-year-old local Greenville resident Sawyer Willingham was "puttin' it" to a lot of guys in their athletic prime.

Next up: Not sure at this point...still debating about entering a half ironman in a week's time based on how well I am going (of course that's what I thought before this race)...