Perspective

Is it all about perspective? There may not be a cleaver way around this. No spin will do justice. Say what you will, and think what you like, my best today, plainly and simply wasn't good enough. I was NOT one of the few, but one of the many.

And I can live with that. It is OK. I am fine, happy even, that I had the chance to go out and mix it up with some incredible athletes. I did NOT achieve my goals, I did NOT win my age group, and because the guy who did went 5:05 to my 5:17, I didn't even stick around for the roll down. I don't deserve to race at World's when I was clock-cleaned by a whopping dozen minutes. I can't go for that, no, no.

But what I did do was this: Race my race. I did the best I could under the circumstance of racing with a less-than-perfect ankle and arm. Tendonitis has infested both to painful degrees forcing a strategy formatted upon balance, control and focus. Today was not a go as hard as you can for as long as you can day. And it was, well, interesting. I held back. I reigned it in. I sacrificed power for cadence, wattage for efficiency and results for process. And guess what happened?

I was three minutes faster than 30 days ago in Lake Chelan, on a course that is arguably much harder, at 80% of max. And finished sixth!!!!! Let me repeat that, 6th!

I should be crushed. I should question my motives. I should be half in the bag, begging for sympathy and pity.

No way. I raced. I gave all I had. I improved areas that needed improving (not the swim) and I had a blast doing it. All day long I had a mash up of David Crowder, Bad Company and The Animals blaring in my head. It was Sky River II at 40mph, all systems go. I did a negative split on the run with the final two uphill miles the fastest of the day. I was spent at the finish. Done. Char-broiled. The fork was in. I stood in the summer sun in awe.

And then amazed that somebody else, five of them actually, had done more than that. My sincere congratulations to those fine (and fast) gentlemen.

So I am content. We inflicted no additional collateral damage on the ankle. Yeah, yeah, the arm went numb again at the swim turn, but so what. Here is the big take-away:

During the last uphill I was thinking what a handicap it was for me to not have the use of my left ankle tendons. Until I passed a Marine who had no ankle at all.

Perspective.

Thanks for all your support and well wishes. I owe some coin. Humbled but happy.

Pix: Bob and Kurt at the CompuTrainer booth Saturday night. For some strange reason, my camera instantly focus' on the Real Course Video being played (in this case the NYC Tri) instead of faces. This morning at 0600, pre-race set up in front of one of my favorite signs: Swim Finish.