Triple T Prologue & Epilogue

Oh my....where to begin.

The Triple T was both one of the coolest things and hardest things I have ever done. It definitely lived up to its billing as one of the toughest races. 4 races over nearly 40 hours all along hills that are not bike friendly. I was spent.

The race definitely broke me physically, mentally and emotionally. Physically I was beat by Sunday. The hills won. I remember climbing 'Gawdzilla' Sunday during the second lap. All I wanted to do is pull over and sit down to cool off. Between the flat and dropping my chain four times, mentally I was off my game by Sunday. The hills didn't help in the mental department. Emotionally I was a wreck. When I entered transition on Sunday, I just wanted to sit down and cry. I didn't know how I was going to pull myself together.

Someone ask me which I thought was harder...and Ironman or the Triple T. I don't think it is quite a fair comparison. They are two different races. The difference? I knew I was trained for Ironman last year. I was NOT trained for the Triple T. I had put in the time in terms of volume and greatly benefited; however, it is just a different kind of race. I am not exactly sure HOW you could train for the Triple T. There are so many variables in the equation. One wrong move in the first two races and you are spent. The race is definitely a testament to learning how to push yourself but not too much.


First, I owe a huge thanks to Jess for being my sherpa and rock all weekend. The is a pro at jockstrapping events and even she admitted that this was the hardest event to jockstrap for. There was just a lot to do. Two nights of bringing in all my gear to the hotel. Four races to plan for. Constant motion to photograph. She was a rockstar all weekend and let me whine and complain. Fortunately, she loves this type of thing and thought the whole event was super cool.

I didn't really know what to expect going in. A few days later, I have a better idea. This race is all about making the right choices.

--Bike gearing. The courses are tough as nails. A little inquiry helped. A little more inquiry would have benefitted me even more. I knew going in that I wasn't well trained for heavy climbing yet. This issue was further exacerbated by the fact that I was on my tri bike which is built for speed thus possessing larger gears. A number of times I looked down wondering if I had extra gears. Nope.

--Bike selection. It is a tough call. I keep saying that 50% of the time I wanted my tri bike the other 50% I wanted my road bike. The courses had its fair amount of flats and small rollers where I was able to tuck into aero position and make up time. However, with the climbing and fearless descents, I was aching for my road bike. I am just much more aggressive downhill on the road bike since the frame is stiffer and the brakes are better.

--Hotel location. Portsmouth, OH is far from a tourist destination. In fact, if I never go back...I think I will be fine. We stayed at the fine Ramada Inn which served its purpose. The problem is that it was about 20 minutes from the state park. Driving back and forth only added to the stress of the situation. We got back late both nights and still had to find something to eat.

--Nutrition. This was crucial for the weekend. You were stuck with long races and short recovery periods. It is vital to put back the calories and be efficient in it. I ate after each race. In fact, I probably ate the wrong thing and too much of it. I went straight to the buffet line. Next time, I need to make sure I put back my recovery drink and THEN get solid food.

--Race Nutrition. I was dead on right here. I executed to perfection my plan for 3/4 races. I was a little off on the Half Ironman by Sunday but I knew the race would throw me a curve. I made a few adjustments and it seemed to work out.

--Know your surroundings. This was a particularly small race put on by a VERY laid back race director. Many of us benefited from this. And I think karma was a bit on my side. On Saturday, one of the competitors came out of transition with a flat and didn't have time to fix it. Jess was quick to throw him my second set of wheels and off he went. Sunday morning I exited transition with a flat. I didn't make it 1/4 of a mile. I had a choice...learn to change a tubular or backtrack the course and grab my other wheel. I hauled ass back to Jess' car, grabbed my other wheel and was off. Also, I used Jess to my advantage. On the HIM, the bottle exchange was back at transition before you started your second loop. This means there were probably 500 bottles on a table and you were to find yours. Nope. I gave mine to her and had her meet me at a different location. It worked perfectly.

--Recovery. This is probably where I failed a bit. The long drive took a lot out of me. I actually felt the worst going into the Friday night race. A 6 hour drive will do that to you. I did manage to get to bed early each night. Between races on Saturday, a small group of us just hung out at the park. It was a great idea as I just propped my feet up in my lounge chair. However, I don't nap and never fell asleep. Also, I need to park myself under a big tree and stay out of the sun. I also need to get in the lake immediately after the races and let the cool temps serve as an ice bath for my inflammed legs.

--Make friends. The coolest part of the race was the camaraderie. You were also setting up transition or standing in line to start with your rack mates. You have to make the best of it. Martin Cole and I became buds for the weekend. Super nice guy racing alone. We met brothers from Illinois, a guy from West Virginia, two hotties from Ohio. It all helped on the run course where you constantly saw each other. As Jess said, she arrived with 2 people to cheer on...when she left there were about 10-15.

--Meet the pros. Gordo Byrn was there. Freaking GORDO! For more about Gordo click the Gblogs link on the side of my blog. We met him on Friday night for a quick picture. I even help him pump up his disc. Of course he smoked the competition. But he was cool about it and was even seen mingling with the other competitors.

The oddest part of the weekend was racing with little to no care. Did I want to do well? Absolutely. But I didn't care one bit when someone passed me. It was really weird to race and hold back. It was all about surviving.

I will write more in the next few days detailing each race.

Race 1: 28:36
Race 2: 2:44:14
Race 3: 2:57:44
Race 4: 6:45:59
Total: 12:54:46

Yep...nearly 13 hours of racing this weekend through the mountains of Ohio. And to think that we just booked a cabin for next years race. :)