THE RACE I DIDN'T RUN

Yesterday the Desert Classic Duathlon was held in the McDowell Mountains between Fountain Hills and Scottsdale Arizona.  I was not there.  The two runs were on desert mountain biking trails and the ride;  if mountain bike on mountain trails, if road bike on the paved road running between Rio Verde and Fountain Hills  --  your choice.  It was a "B" race for me, meaning a race to test my fitness but not something I was peaking for.  My "C" races are train-throughs substituting for a hard training day.  My "A" races are usually National or International Championships that you have to qualify for.  Or, the qualifying races for the National Championships.  Usually only 2 or 3 "A" races per year.

I was not there.  It was hard for me to cancel out as I had been coming along decently with my training and wanted to have an objective fitness test.  However, I fell and cracked a few ribs 10 days earlier and had not been able to train in any material way since the injury.  The bruises and cuts were healing nicely, but the pain upon pressure to the chest and any deep breathing -- excruciating when coughing -- was only slowly improving.  And,  while not extremely painful, the popping feeling of the ribs was very disquieting.

I tried biking last Wednesday, and as long as I did not press hard (stayed under 200 watts on the power meter) and didn't have to stop, the pain was manageable.   I could ellipse a bit, but the popping of the ribs was annoying.  Running or swimming or weight room;  out of the question.   So, I continued to take short bike rides and tried to convince myself that it would come around in just a few more days.   It did not.  So, I was not there.

Why did I think that I had any chance at all, since all the "googled" information talked about a three to six week recovery?  Because a similar situation happened to me before, and two weeks later I raced an Ironman.  Well, let me rephrase that, I completed an Ironman.  It was two weeks prior to Ironman Arizona, 2008 edition.

I was on a longish run in the desert and fatigued enough that I tripped over a boulder and fell into some nasty outcropping.  I took my shirt off to tourniquet my lacerated hand and ran the two miles back to my house.  The emergency room administered twelve stitches and checked my damaged ribs.  I wondered out loud if I could still race in two weeks,  The doctor was not encouraging but said I would probably do no more damage if I insisted. He prescribed some anti-biotic to take before and after the race.  You see, the swim is in Tempe Town Lake which is unfit for swimming most of the year, treated for the race.

I had convinced both my nephew and son to enter so it was a family affair.  How could I back out?  So, with the severest pre-race taper ever (no training two weeks prior) I completed the race.  In both T1 and T2, I contemplated quitting but found the mental fortitude to continue.  Not pretty but Ironman are rarely pretty.

So surely this time was no different.  Yes it was.  I did not have the popping of the ribs in 2008, maybe because it was more of a bruise than a break (according to my Radiologist, about half of the breaks can not be seen on x-ray).  This time it was a "B" race.  This time my nephew and son were not entered.  This time I was more mature and less obsessive/compulsive (that's what I told my wife).

Now I need to focus on recovery and getting my fitness back.  I tried to swim this morning  (500 yards, not fun) and jog on the treadmill (only 2 miles and the bouncing was uncomfortable).  I did bike 38 miles at an average of 180 watts, probably the only exercise I can perform for the next few weeks.  I was not there, but I will be back.