So the day began at 4:15am. The sky was pouring and it was still dark outside. My only instinct was to stay in bed. But I knew that was not an option. I needed all the luck I could get so I had Lucky Charms for breakfast. Then I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs for a cab.
I think I got to the bike transition on 79th St and Riverside at about 5am. There was a lot of buzz in the air. No one seem phased by the rain. So I laid my bag next to my bike and started the 1 mile walk to the swim start. This happens to be my favorite part of the Triathlon. There is a mix of excitement, nervousness, and downright fear...Most of us are terrified of having to jump into the Hudson River for the swim. That is typically the subject of conversation amongst the triathletes. The veterans reassuring the newbies that the wetsuit does make you buoyant. And the newbies asking if the current really is that strong...both are very true. One of the female participants was selected to sing the national anthem. She did a great job. The rain stopped. The pro males lined up and the horn went off!
Swim:
I was surprisingly not that nervous during my walk up to the swim start. I had some experience since I did it last year. But last year I burned out after 500 meters and needed a noodle to finish. When I actually stepped on the barge is when the rush of terror came over me. The swim start happens so fast. For a split second I wanted to back out. I second guessed any swimming ability I had. All I could think of was drowning. My inner self smacked me a couple of times and said jump! So I did. I took the first few seconds to compose myself. I wasn't going to drown. Next I started swimming. 250 meters in I was fine, 500 meters...unlike last year...I was still in good shape. 750 meters my shoulders started getting a little tired. Somewhere in between 750 and 1000 meters the waves started to pick up. I had to change to a side stroke because every time I would go up for a air a wave would come in and stop my breathing. It sucked. Past the 1000 meter mark I was pretty confident I was going to make it. I was exhausted. But I knew I would finish without the noodle! Finally, I made it to the other barge. I made it...barely.
Bike:
So at transition my arms were useless. I could barely lift them which meant it took me a little more time to get my bike shorts and sneakers on. I got my stuff on and was ready to head out to the bike course. At that point I realized my freshly rented bike had gear shifters I was not familiar with! I did not know how to get it to the lowest gear. IF you have participated in the NYCTRI you know the hill going up to the course is brutal. I was stuck on a high gear trying to go up a steep hill...I fell, bruised my elbow and my ego. So I was forced to walk it up the hill. The first 5-10 miles were horrible. I could not figure out the gears to save my life. Each hill was torture. I wanted to quit because the bike course is what killed me last year. I stopped at the road for about 10 minutes trying to learn the gears...also contemplating quitting because I couldn't finish this race without my gears. I started off again and finally got to a gear that gave me enough push on flat and was still able to go up hills. I made up a lot of time and was even passing up people who passed me while I was on the side lines. My legs felt fresh and was glad I put in all the work on the bike leading up to the Tri. When I made it to the 59th Street U-Turn the sun was out and I still had hydration left. I could have gone on for another 10 miles. I was a little upset because I lost about 20-30 minutes with gear issues. So I made it back and was ready for a run.
Run:
My quads were burning. I underestimated the hills on the bike course yet again. I switched to my running shorts and was ready to go. I started a lot slower than I wanted to. It felt like I was running under water. Heading out of the park there was an aid station. They were handing out water and Cytomax. Deep down inside I did not want to take the Cytomax because I know it had giving me cramps last year. But I wanted the carbs. While running down 79th Street towards Central Park the inevitable happened. Cramp! On my right side just under my rib cage. It felt like someone was stabbing me with every step I took. But I had to tough it out because 79th Street is the biggest cheering area outside of the finish line and I knew my TeamFox people would be there and I wanted to make them proud. So I hit the park and the TeamFox cheering section in a good stride and also came across our RunGordoRun contributor Big Mike and his wife Elena and son. They were cheering Run Gordo Run!!! It really energized me. Thank guys. When I got to mile 2 though I hit a wall. My legs were gone and the cramping didn't get any better. So I sped walked most of the next 2 miles. When I pass mile 4 I was dying. I knew it was almost over but I just wanted to sit. But I came across two other participants. I woman named Lisa and a member of TriLatino. We chatted it up for the remainder of the run. We walked, we ran, we encouraged each other to get to the finish. A lot of props to Eli (I think that was his name) from TriLatino. I probably would have been just fine walking the entire way to the finish but he pushed us. Check them out www.trilatino.org.
Finish:
So we ran the last quarter mile to the finish. My Gordita was there snapping pictures like the paparazzi. Big Mike and family were there as well. It was over. And I was glad. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I wasn't as fast as I would have hoped. I wanted to break 4 hours. But I did shave 45 minutes from my last years time. As I write this my body is in shambles. All my muscles hurt. But inside somewhere I am already thinking about next year! NYCTRI2012.
Vaya!
Gordo
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