Milkman Triathlon

Milkman was not good. Not only did I not achieve the goals that Steve and I discussed, I was a DNF. I do not recall what happened. I've been told that I collapsed about 100 yds from the finish from heat exhaustion. I can only assume it is true since I don't remember the last 1/2 mile of the run. I remember running past the 2.5 mile marker. My next memory is waking up in a hospital bed. I stayed in the hospital for over 24 hours so that I could be re-hydrated. I do not recommend spending a weekend this way. The only good part was I got to see my sister since she flew down to drive me home. Thanks sis.

What happened at this race worries me. This was a sprint distance race. In less than 75 minutes, I went from feeling fine to being in the ER at a hospital. I had a similar, although not as bad, experience at Rage as I needed to hold onto Brenda to steady myself at the end of the race. Two triathlon races, and two bad loss of fluid experiences. While the weather was hot at both races, it was not excessively hot. I raced last year in races in Colorado as hot as these races without experiencing these issues. What has happened in one year that I can't seem to tolerate heat?

I'm not sure that I want to do Loveland. If I had to make the decision today, I would not race. Maybe I will feel different next week. I wonder, though, what happens if I take in water, Gatorade, and other nutrition, and I still end up in a dehydrated state? Is it really worth doing a race where I may, even if I do things 100% right, potentially collapse and end up in an ER? On the other hand, maybe this is will not be an issue if I actually take in the proper amount of fluids (both water and Gatorade) during a race. I learned the hard way that I need to be much better at taking in nutrition during a race.

It was been a strange year so far. While I've had two bad race experiences, I've also had many great experiences. Some of the great experiences include:

1. Hiring Steve as a coach - I've done things that I likely would not have done if Steve was not coaching me.

2. Meeting lots of great people through Practical Coaching.

3. Running/walking 15+ miles on the Colorado trail and talking with James during the last 3 or so miles of the run as IT band issues forced both of us walk to the end.

4. Running up High Grade with Sarah. Other than the Colorado trail, it was my longest run ever (almost 13 miles) and mostly uphill.

5. Riding Shadow Mountain with Andrea, Michele B., Anne, and Sarah. For Michele, Anne, Sarah, and me, it was our first time.

6. Running Sharp Tail Ridge with Andrea. I didn't feel like running that day but Andrea pulled me the first few miles until I found my legs.

7. Running with Tyler after swimming two laps in the Gravel Pond. Before I ran into Tyler, I did not feel like running. Running into Tyler (figuratively, not literally) lifted my spirits, and somehow the run seemed to go quickly as he pulled me through the loop.

8. Riding City View with Michelle F. It was my first time up City View, and Michelle was awesome in providing guidance on how to approach the ride.

9. Swimming 5K not once, but twice. Less than one year earlier, I was worried about completing 500 yds in a pool triathlon.

10. Running with Beth during a group run from Waterton Canyon to the Gravel Pond parking lot. We had a great talk for the first part, and Beth made me work hard on the second part as she lifted the speed but always pulled back when I was about to be dropped.

11. Running with Steve, Anthony and Sonja for a portion of their 50 mile Highlands Ranch to Boulder run.

12. Seeing the group at track each week. Highlights include running at various times with Barry, Jewels, Andrea, Sarah, Michele B., Jenna and Doreen.

Overall, the good has far outweighed the bad. And in the end, maybe it was good that I did not cross the finish line before collapsing. If I had crossed, I probably would have qualified for Nationals as I was in the top third of my age group at mile 2.5. Given how I've struggled in heat, I probably should not be racing in heat and humidity. By collapsing just before the finish, I immediately got help that kept a bad situation from getting worse while not facing a decision of whether to risk racing at Nationals. This was probably a blessing in disguise.