CER Team member Joe Sheets recounts his whirlwind weekend of racing:
This
past weekend marked my last week of competition before I tackle the ToughMudder in Frederick, MD. I wanted to make sure I was fully recovered from
a nasty crash last month and in good enough shape to take on a beast like the
Mudder. The 12 miles of running that await are not that intimidating, but
as I found out earlier in the year at the inaugural Wild Warrior Challenge in
Morgantown, running with obstacles (and more importantly upper body
involvement) is a whole new ballgame. What better way to put myself
to the pregame test than to enter a sprint distance Triathlon (Morgantown’s own
Sprint, Splash, and Spin) and a cross country mountain bike race (The 25th
installment of the Henry Clay 30k at Cooper’s Rock State Park).
First, a word about triathlons (sprint or otherwise). They involve
swimming, biking, and running. I consider myself an above average
cyclist, a decent runner, and a sub-par floater. I cannot use the word
swimmer in any way, shape, or form to describe myself. I often tell
people that I can’t swim and get the same reaction. “You’re joking.
Everyone can swim. Besides, you’re entering a TRIATHLON!
You’re just being modest.” That is, until they actually witness
what I do to get through the swim portion of this one triathlon that I dare
enter. This particular triathlon is held in the Marilla Park swimming
pool, with competitors going off in heats every ten minutes. The reason
this is the only triathlon I do is because over half of the swim is held in 5
feet of water, with the remaining portion crossing the “deep end”.
My method for completion of this part of the race goes as follows:
Push off the wall at the whistle and look like the rest of the people
swimming. Unlike the others, I immediately put my feet down and
“shimmy-shuffle” to the deep part. I then employ a combination of
dog-paddling, free-style, butterfly-flailing with some backstroke thrown in
until I hit the wall. I hang out there until I can breath again, and
repeat the process in reverse. 5 times up, 5 times back, and it’s on to
the bike where the race actually becomes enjoyable!
As bad as the swim went (I was the last person in the pool by a fair amount...
something I’ve gotten used to in my five times entering this event), the bike
went far better. This was my first year using a road bike, and I felt
completely at home once I started turning the pedals. I knew I wouldn’t
catch many of the folks in my heat as I somehow had gotten into the 7 am
heat... which is the first of the day. This heat is usually reserved for
the elite of the elite that enter the race. Suffice it to say, elite does
not describe my triathlon skills. The longer I went, the better I felt.
When I got near the turnaround, I saw one of the guys in my heat heading
back toward me. He had made the turn about 200 yards before, and I knew
that if I could focus I could have a shot at catching him and salvaging a
little pride that had disappeared in the pool. I pressed hard on the
return leg, and caught him in the last mile of the bike course.
In my early attempts at this race, the transition from bike to run had always
been a difficult one. My legs were always tight from pedaling and I would
often stop to stretch in hope of relief. This year, however, I have done
a lot more running than in years past. The transition went smoothly and
the run felt great. The guy I had passed on the bike caught up to me at
the turn around and we ran most of the final half of the race together. I
had saved a little more than he had and was able to sprint in the last 200
yards to at least not be the last finisher of my heat. My time wasn’t
what I had hoped for, but it was a minute faster than I’d ever done it before.
For me in a triathlon.... I’ll take it!
Sunday marked my return to cross country mountain bike racing. No silly
swimming/splashing/transitioning or any other such nonsense. Just a
group of guys, mountain bikes, and a great course in one of my favorite places
to ride awaited! Sadly, it had been quite a while since I last had a good
mountain bike race. I had suffered mechanical issues at North Bend StatePark that cost me about 10 minutes and any decent shot at a finish and endured
a nasty crash in the Race to Little Moe’s in Philippi that cost me most of July
in downtime and recovery. Fortunately, this race went great! I had
a perfect breakfast of buttermilk chocolate pancakes and eggs, followed up by a
pb&j and some Honey Stinger waffles right before the start. I found
myself feeling good and strong the entire race.
I was even able to win a little side bet with fellow Consol Energy racer Jason
Stewart. Stew and I often place little wagers on the outcome of our
races. Typically we’ll wager a six pack of a favorite beverage while
handicapping the course depending upon whose skills best fit the terrain.
I typically give Stew time at Big Bear Lake (my favorite place to ride
and race anywhere!) and he gave me time here because he always rides me into
the ground when we ride at Coopers together. We also added a little twist
to this wager... instead of the winner receiving a favorite beverage at the
WVU/Marshall tailgate this upcoming weekend, the loser would receive a least
favorite beverage for consumption. I thought this would be a great
motivator for me, as I REALLY dislike the beverage of choice for the wager.
Suffice it to say... I see nothing Natural about it.
Fortunately for me, I was able to fuel my second lap with visions of Stew
toasting the Thundering Herd in grand fashion! Bottoms up Stew!
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