Finishing the Plan
After completing the 19 week triathlon training plan (posted here) I put it to a test in a race. Admittedly, a first look at the plan made me laugh. No way was I going to spend that much time training. Pfft! But then I was curious to see how much it would improve my race time. So after more than doubling my workout time by training 7-12 hrs per week for 19 weeks (roughly 181 hrs but who’s counting?), I stood on the beach of a little lake in Kansas ready to shoot for one of the women’s top three overall spots in a sprint triathlon. It had a 500 meter swim, a 10.6 mile bike and a 5k run.
I dove into the water and, thanks to a kind (and patient!) swim coach, the swim was a full minute faster than any open 500 meter I’d swum before! Pretty sure if I’d swam all day everyday for those 19 weeks, I’d have been fitter but not faster in the water. Technique help has made a big difference in speed. The more efficient swim made for a strong transition and soon I was speeding along on my bike. Speeding along, that is, until I missed a turn. I looped around and peddled harder to make up for lost time. Then, as I headed down a hill, I missed another turn and quickly lost my balance turning around. Unable to unclip my bike shoes from the pedals in time, it was like being glued to a bar stool as it fell over.
Neglecting the Details
How disappointing to show up to this race with good health, no injuries, great training and perfect weather only to smash my finicky knee into the road. The recommendation to drive the course and visualize the race the day before fell on busy ears. No time for that. Most of the races I’ve done are well marked with cones and have plenty of other people to follow but that wasn’t the case in this event. Gaining all that strength, endurance and speed but neglecting to study the race course reminds me of someone who attains great knowledge in an art or science but neglects to learn the simplest and most important thing in life. Like our Christian journey, nobody should depend on others to mark their course. God’s personal plan for each of our lives is unique and spending the time to learn it for ourselves is precious.
I believe God made each of us with a specific purpose and our path is made clear by studying His Word and praying. Veering away from what we are created to do will cause pain and steal the joy we were meant to experience. Much like races being hard enough without preventable falls, life will have its rough times. Sadly, not knowing the right road or God’s plan won’t shield anyone from the added pain and lost time of going the wrong way. But Christ lights the path that gives the peace and encouragement needed to fulfill your purpose.
Race Results
As for my race, it wasn’t all over. Aside from a few scrapes and a baked-potato-sized bruise on my hip, my bike and I were OK so I finished the bike and run and despite the fall, cut 3 minutes off that sprint tri course. My Garmin data showed the fall took about a minute. That’s a great testimony for the swim coaching and training plan. What stung a little, though, was missing 3rd place by 10 seconds. I tried thinking maybe 3rd place fell off her bike too. But I know she probably didn’t. Third place probably knew just where she was going. And next time, so will I.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25 NASB
Race Safe!
