Sunday, September 9, 2012

Pumpkinman 2012

Pumpkinman Sprint
September 8, 2012

Swim - 1/3 mile
Bike - 14 miles
Run - 3 miles

RESULTS
Swim - 6:36 (6th)
Hill Climb - 1:07
T1 - :45
COMBINED T1 - 1:52 (6th)
Bike - 36:35 (23mph, 8th)
T2 - :30 (4th)
Run - 12:26 (6:08 / mi, 7th)
TOTAL - 1:04:00
PLACE - 5th Elite Male / 5th Overall

There is no convenient place to start this race report. To tell the full story of today's race and what it means to me, I would need to take you back to, at a minimum, last December. Even then, I don't know that I could string together the words to adequately capture my sentiments toward the race. To leave out my personal and professional connections to the event would hollow this report of any meaning. But detailing my every feeling on Pumpkinman would make this report obnoxiously lengthy. So I'll compromise. You'll get the best short summary on my work with the race that I can conjure up in a paragraph before I take you through my actual race.

Last fall Kat presented me with an opportunity. She has a long history of doing things like that for me. Every offer she's ever made me has resulted in an incredible experience. So when she asks if I'd like to do something, I say, 'yes'. Always. So when she invited me to join her as Pumpkinman's Director of Social Media, I accepted without hesitation. I did the same when Kat asked me to be Assistant Race Director. The decision to work for the event is one I will never regret. I have learned more this year from Kat about business, professionalism, work-ethic, and dedication than I have in the first 25 years of my life. I aimed for perfection in every project. I thought through minor details endlessly. I awoke, panicked, in the middle of the night (with some frequency). I learned to channel my passion and intensity into crafting successes. In order for the event as a whole to become a success, everything that went into it had to also be a success. From the color of the duct tape and size of the zip ties to the artwork on the new inflatable archways and misting station, everything needed attention to detail. Only then could we make the event a true success. I could continue on, but detailing everything I have learned would be impossible; I could write for days and still craft and incomplete list. Simply put, my first year as a Pumpkinman employee has been an incredible experience in every way. I love this event. I love working with Kat. I am thankful for the opportunities and experiences. I will carry everything I have learned on into the future with Pumpkinman as well as into every other aspect of my life. And, most importantly, I am especially grateful to the Donatello family for welcoming me into their lives (even the dogs, cat, and guinea pig - which, to this day, I affectionately call Guinea Pig because I have no idea what its actual name is!).

On race day, I show up to race. For a few hours I am simply an athlete competing against a handful of the best athletes in the country. Today that included names like Matt Russell, Ethan Brown, Mike Caiazzo and Connor Jennings. I knew I was due for a difficult day in terms of climbing through the ranks and securing a spot on the podium. Fortunately for me, races are not won on paper. I was determined to leave everything on the course and sort the results out at the finish. Today was about racing. It wasn't about staying in control or pacing. It was about getting to the line before the most people possible.

Fifteen seconds into the swim and I found myself in full-out race mode. I was not getting dropped by the front group on the swim. I knew if that happened, my day was effectively over. So I surged when everyone else did. I battled around the turns and hit the red line repeatedly. Ethan eventually broke off the front and secured a decent lead of 20-30 seconds, but I was able to hang with the pack of Caiazzo, Jennings and two of the countries top amateur women, Catherine Sterling and Katie Hursey (2nd and 3rd respectively at USAT AG National Championships). As we exited the water, I fell. Of all people, I should have known about the hole on the bottom of the pond a few feet from the water's edge. Fortunately, my ego was the only thing to suffer any damage.

Back on my feet, I started putting one foot in front of the other as I climbed the daunting hill to transition. It's an absolute beast of climb and one that I despise (as an athlete, as an RD it's pretty cool!).  Hypoxic from the swim, the climb simply managed to push me over the edge. I was only seven minutes into the race and every fiber in my being was seconds from failing. Which, essentially, meant that I was following the plan for the day.

I exited transition just behind Connor and just ahead of Mike. Connor took off immediately and I didn't have the strength to go with him. Mike also pulled ahead of me, but I was able to stay in contact. While I knew it was a long shot, I realized that if I had any chance of beating him, I needed to stay within about 30 seconds for as along as possible. I was able to hold on for about 9 miles before finally losing sight of Mike as he gradually pulled into the distance. I was satisfied, though, because my efforts had dragged me further ahead of the rest of the field and set me up for a solid finish.  At the same time, I was hurting. I knew I was over-cooking my legs and would suffer on the run. The only question was whether or not I'd be suffering at 5:40 minutes/mile or 6:10 minutes/mile. Either way, I knew I'd played the right cards. I could have raced much more conservatively, but then I'd have never been in position to do anything in this race. By racing as I did and making a serious effort to hang with the leaders I gave myself a chance.

As I entered the second transition, I was passed by another one of the elite athletes, but maintained contact all the way to the dismount line. I'd backed off slightly in the last mile and was ready to make a move early on the run. And I did. Immediately. I didn't even wait to get out of transition before trying to break away and secure 5th place. I went exceptionally hard for the first three minutes and gained a sizable gap. Again, I was doing everything I could to produce a good result. I didn't want to take any chances by leaving my move until too late, so I ended the battle early. With the gap in place, I kept striding forward. Through the first mile I was running well. It certainly wasn't the best run of my life, but I was moving with speed. And then the second mile happened. The over-exertion of the bike started to creep into play. My legs tightened, my stride shortened, and cramps rooted themselves in my abdomen. But I managed to hold things together. As I've done all year, I kept telling myself that I could withstand the pain as it would only last for a few minutes. With everything I had, I pushed forward. As I entered the third mile and the road tilted skyward, I could feel my quads begin to cramp. Knowing that a full-fledged quad cramp would severely slow (or stop) my progress, I backed off slightly each time. And then I'd push again until my legs started to fail. I went on to repeat this process about 10 times. It was miserable. And it was frustrating. I have run incredibly well all year long (including my best track workout of the year just a week ago) and couldn't believe my run legs were abandoning me on this day. Pumpkinman is so important to me and I really thought I was capable of running in the 16:45 range. Not doing so, and actually running slower than 2011, was disappointing

As I crossed the line, a look of disappointment and frustration cross my face. I'm sure the race photographers captured it and I know Kat saw it! In retrospect, part of me wishes I hadn't. Overall it was a fantastic race. I'd done everything I could. I had nothing left and had exhausted my body entirely. At the same time, I'm happy that I wasn't satisfied with the performance. Being satisfied is easy. Being happy with every performance is convenient, but it doesn't make you better. I will remember this run every single day for a year (and beyond). Every day I will think about it. It will force me to be better. I don't like disappointing myself in any way, especially at an event so important to me - at an event that is woven into every day of my life. I will be motivated by my shortcoming in those three miles. I didn't run poorly, not by any stretch. But I want to be better. And I will be.

The balance of the day was spent drifting between athlete and assistant race director modes. I was able to spend some time talking to some amazing people and athletes, which is always such an important part of Pumpkinman weekend. Eventually, Day One's festivities concluded and I headed home, where my focus shifted entirely to Sunday and the Half Iron. That focus would eventually send me back to Spring Hill and later out to drive the half bike course for the 793th time this year in preparation for Sunday morning.

As this is a race report, I'll spare you the details of what I did on Sunday. Frankly, most of it is a blur. I know I did a lot and my body was ready to give out on a number of occasions. But what really stands out is seeing John Young finish and get his award. A small group of us gathered in the finishing area as John made his way to the line and it, for me, was a special moment. John is an incredible person and I was honored to be there when he finished. Kat and I even had the pleasure of holding the finishing tape as he ended his day. Thank you, John, for coming to Pumpkinman and allowing us to share in your day.

Personally, I am still deciding where the season goes from here. I'm torn on whether I've raced a triathlon for the final time in 2012 or not. I've had a successful season, but I'm not sure how much I have left in my tank. I'll reevaluate in a few days and see if there's anything left for one more triathlon. This weekend (and the lead up to it) was physically, mentally and emotionally draining and tonight is not the time to be making (sound) decisions.

2 comments:

  1. Great race Kyle and thanks for all the hard work on the race. This was my first half and logistically
    it was seamless!

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  2. Thank you for sharing Kyle! It was such an amazing experience for me as well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the experience of a competitive athlete. My goal was to finish, which I did, but a little less than a hour after you did. :) WOW!!! You rock!
    Thank you for helping with such an amazing race!! You and Kat are inspirational!

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