email from a bike racer...
so, a friend of mine wrote me perhaps one of the best "pre-race emails" that i have ever gotten. So, thank you CD (since I know that you read...), this is definitely inspirational.
[for everyone else, this friend of mine is a super duper road racer, and Vancouver bike courier extraordinaire.]
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Hey Amo,
I will check out that site. I was going to wait until Wednesday but knowing me, I would forget- so I give you my race advice now for your first half Ironman:
I'll break it down in to three parts, since you triathletes are all about multiple sports...
1. The Swim
I suck at swimming and the water is always cold so hopefully you know what to do and how to stay warm. I hear that people often get kicked and punched- so stay away from anyone looking frantic. That said, if you yourself are frantic- hopefully everyone will stay away from you and then you can swim in the path of your choosing.
2. The Bike
This is your forté. You are very strong. Don't mash your gears however. This is a longer bike ride- keep a quick turn of foot and your legs will be fresher for the run. Ride your strengths- descend like a daemon, hammer the flats, stand for short climbs and whatever you do, don't strap a Bento box to you bike!!
3. The Run
Run like a Kenyan. Beautiful strides, snappy gait. Don't forget to drink on the run- thirst could be your undoing at this point. Oh yeah, and finish strong- you never know you might just beat someone in your category. As a Polish bike shop owner/ex-road racer used to say: I race to the line. So race to the line.
So that's my advice- though what do I know, I've never had to deal with transition times and jello legs after the ride. As they say about racehorses: "His mind is impressed with a single command: run. He pursues speed with superlative courage, pushing beyond defeat, beyond exhaustion, sometimes beyond the structural limits of bone and sinew (okay maybe leave out that last one it sounds gross and painful...). In flight, he is nature's ultimate wedding of form and purpose." So yeah- have form and purpose.
C
PS And eat lots of good food in New Orleans- it seems like a town with good food!
[for everyone else, this friend of mine is a super duper road racer, and Vancouver bike courier extraordinaire.]
-----------------------------------------
Hey Amo,
I will check out that site. I was going to wait until Wednesday but knowing me, I would forget- so I give you my race advice now for your first half Ironman:
I'll break it down in to three parts, since you triathletes are all about multiple sports...
1. The Swim
I suck at swimming and the water is always cold so hopefully you know what to do and how to stay warm. I hear that people often get kicked and punched- so stay away from anyone looking frantic. That said, if you yourself are frantic- hopefully everyone will stay away from you and then you can swim in the path of your choosing.
2. The Bike
This is your forté. You are very strong. Don't mash your gears however. This is a longer bike ride- keep a quick turn of foot and your legs will be fresher for the run. Ride your strengths- descend like a daemon, hammer the flats, stand for short climbs and whatever you do, don't strap a Bento box to you bike!!
3. The Run
Run like a Kenyan. Beautiful strides, snappy gait. Don't forget to drink on the run- thirst could be your undoing at this point. Oh yeah, and finish strong- you never know you might just beat someone in your category. As a Polish bike shop owner/ex-road racer used to say: I race to the line. So race to the line.
So that's my advice- though what do I know, I've never had to deal with transition times and jello legs after the ride. As they say about racehorses: "His mind is impressed with a single command: run. He pursues speed with superlative courage, pushing beyond defeat, beyond exhaustion, sometimes beyond the structural limits of bone and sinew (okay maybe leave out that last one it sounds gross and painful...). In flight, he is nature's ultimate wedding of form and purpose." So yeah- have form and purpose.
C
PS And eat lots of good food in New Orleans- it seems like a town with good food!
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