A Humbling Experience
by Manny Aragon
Last Saturday I had a humbling experience. Yep. It kind of sucked. But there was redemption in the end so I’d like to chalk it up as a great learning experience. As many of you know I race many Long Course Triathlons each year and have been experiencing fairly constant improvement in my performances. Up till Saturdays race.
This year was no different- Earlier in march, I had a great race at the Bayshore 70.4 (a Half Ironman is 1.2 miles of swimming followed by a 56 mile bike ride followed by a 13.1 mile half marathon run-for those uninitiated) and went 5:25- a personal record of over 10 minutes over my previous best time.
This year I am in better shape in every way- my endurance is better, my strength is better, although I am the same weight, I am more muscular and in the under 10% bodyfat range, my metabolism is more efficient and I burn more fat metabolically than last year. Everything is good- so my race should have gone well no?
It didn’t. Here’s what happened and heres why it is relevant to what ever lifestyle you are currently living:
This was a tough course (one of the toughest in North America) with lots of hills on the bike AND on the run (usually a course has a hilly bike OR a hilly run. This one has both with a particularly hard trail run). The days leading up to the race were HOT- Friday was over 100 Degrees and race day temps were in the high 90s- 100 degrees with what felt like NO humidity- very dry conditions. I took pains to make sure I stayed hydrated leading up to the race.
It wasn’t enough. Race morning as I started the swim- I had no mojo. Once on the bike- even the first hills (which are usually the easiest) were hard. I couldn’t seem to eat the nutrition I brought with me on the bike course. Overall I managed to get about ½ of it down. I was constantly thirsty- consuming bottle after bottle of water. My bike pace slowed as a result in the 2nd ½ of the course. I ALMOST quit.
After the bike ride I walked the most of the 1st ½ of the run course- taking in fluids, getting sprayed with water and drinking something I usually avoid like the plague: Gatorade. It worked. Buy mile 6 of the run I was back on pace. I finished in a dismal 6:40 (longer than last years time for the same course)…
So- whats the “moral of the story” here?
When times get tough- Nutrition counts even more towards your ability to perform gracefully. My example was an accelerated version of what happens to many folks who live busy lives and end up either not eating or eating things that are “emergency measures’ like my Gatorade.
I don’t drink sugary drinks and eat simple carbohydrate foods on the race course because they set up a blood sugar rollercoaster that ultimately affects my ability to perform. In the long term this blood sugar rollercoaster breaks my body down much more quickly than when I eat foods that give my body the fuel and nutrients it needs to rebuild, repair and fuel a top performing body.
You are no different.
I want to age gracefully and with no illness. You?