Indiana State Games (aka Indiana Senior Games)University of Southern Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
May 22, 2016
First TT Bike Race!
Today was just plain fun!
It is 7 hours post-race and I am still as high as a kite!
INDIANA SENIOR GAMES!
INDIANA SENIOR GAMES!
I knew nothing about the Indiana Senior Games until last year when I met a member of the Senior Games staff (Holly Schneider) at the Carmel Sprint Triathlon which doubles as the triathlon for the Senior Games. If I understand this right, they have Indiana Senior Games in the even years. During the Indiana games, you qualify for the National Senior Games which are held in the odd years. People from six states entered the Indiana Senior Games cycling events trying to qualify for the 2017 Nationals which will be held in Birmingham, Alabama.
You must be at least 50 years old to enter the events including things like corn hole, shuffleboard, but also swimming, cycling and running. My Carmel triathlon qualified me for the sprint triathlon at the National Senior Games in 2017.
You must be at least 50 years old to enter the events including things like corn hole, shuffleboard, but also swimming, cycling and running. My Carmel triathlon qualified me for the sprint triathlon at the National Senior Games in 2017.
Holly suggested that I also enter one or more of the cycling events that were being held during the week-long senior games in Evansville, Indiana in June. That sounded like fun and my coach agreed that I could do the 10k Time Trial (TT) bike race. He wanted me to go all out and planned to use the race to see where my watts were when I did have a swim first and and wasn't hold back for the run.
Nerves!
I was so nervous before the race, probably just because I had never seen a TT race and didn't really know what it would be like. I think I was most nervous about the start. I would start all by myself with a man holding my motionless bike upright with my feet clipped in. I was terrified that he wouldn't be able to hold me up and I'd come crashing down and break a hip! I keep forgetting that I only weigh 135 now and am much easier to hold up than when I weighted 335. Ha!
I was also terribly nervous that I wouldn't be able to hit the watts that my coach told me I should be able to hit.
Pre-Race Warm-Up
Before my warm-up, I watched the first 15 or so people in the 5k TT race start. That was really helpful. After the last one left, I talked the “holder-guy” into letting me practice with him one time prior to the start. He was really nice, showed me how he was going to hold the wheel and the seat post, and then let me practice. The bike felt totally solid under me. He didn't let it wobble at all. That calmed my nerves a LOT. I was surprised that I stood up as I took off. I had not planned to do that, but it just happened. I think I stood when practicing starting a few times with my coach, but I wasn't sure.
While I was watching the 5k race, I met a Level 1 Cycling Coach. We chatted at bit and after telling him that I had a wonderful coach with whom I was happy, I explained that my FTP was 177 and that I had been trying to do 190 in races but always ended up being 165–175-ish. I asked if he thought I was being a little wimpy and to my surprise, he said yes! Ha! He also said that if my FTP was 177, then 190 was very reasonable for me in a 10k TT. Now I had two coaches telling me I could hit 190. Pressure!
Warm Up
I did the warm-up my coach prescribed. In the 15 minutes of z1/2 at the beginning, I really focused on getting to 92 rpms in a really easy gear and told myself to remember what 92 rpm’s felt like. In the intervals, I was surprised at how fast I was and that kind of pumped me up. I felt like I was toasting my legs a bit. At one point, my left groin muscle was hurting. I jumped off my bike and stretched in the middle of the warm-up.
Start
I was the fourth rider to start. Number 2 was a no-show, but they didn’t move people up. So, #1 started, then two minutes later #3 started, and a minute after that, I started.
I was SOOOOO nervous! My HR was 112 before I even got on the bike (normally 70 while standing).
On the other hand, it was SOOOOO cool! The holder-guy remembered me and held me really steady. The Level 1 Cycling Coach was there too. He told me not to get on the bike until the 30 second warning. When I got on the bike, it was the coolest feeling. This will sound silly, but I felt like I was an astronaut on a rocket about to launch with the crew all standing around. The holder-guy had me a little crooked. I remembered what my coach said to do if that happened, and I asked the holder to move me a little to the left. He moved me too far to the left and I quickly said in a panic, “Not that far!” as I imagined myself tipping over at the start. Everyone started laughing - including me. And then the starter said “10 seconds,” and it was like the entire world stopped. I looked down, took some deep breathes. I was suddenly extremely calm. And then the starter said, "5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – GO!" Several people started cheering. I could hear them all yelling, "Go! Go! Go!" It was SO cool.
Race
I started working through the gears as instructed by my coach. Everything was going well and I was feeling pleased with myself. Then I could hear the Cycling Coach yelling in a loud, booming voice, “AREO!! GET AREO!!!” Oops!
First Leg
The first leg was about a mile long and had a 6 mph tail wind. Cycling Coach told me where to expect the winds – which was nice to know ahead of time. I knew I had the tailwind and wanted to make the best of it. I was so pumped at the start that two minutes into race, my HR was 144 and my watts were over 200. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was afraid that I was toasting my legs, so I tried to pull back a little to get to 190. I figured if my heart could beat at 155 in the run, it could do 155 in a TT bike race so I didn’t worry about my HR.
Second Leg
The second leg was also about a mile long with some fun little S-curves which I made into as much of a straight as I could get. It was also the only little downhill. I wanted to make the most out of that downhill and really pushed it. My watts for that mile were 202. At the end of that leg there was a little climb – not big but enough to down shift. For the first two legs, I was averaging 24-25 mph. That was cool.
The turn from leg two to leg three was a little tricky. The road on the third leg was about four feet higher than the second leg and you had to turn and go up a short and relatively steep incline at the same time. The day prior to the race, I walked that turn and noted that it was also gravelly. I had planned to be very conservative on that turn, but of course, I ended up being very aggressive. :-) Caution and bike racing don't go together for me. I hope that doesn't get me in trouble some day. ;-)
Third Leg
The third leg was about two miles long. It wasn't really hills, but it was enough up and down that I needed to change gears often. I was also starting to wonder if I could maintain the watts I was holding for the entire ride. For that leg, we were in the 6 mph headwind – and I could see my average speed drop. I knew that the first place woman last year was over 21 mph and I hated seeing my average drop below 21. But then, it occurred to me that this was just like doing intervals in training when I work through pain to maintain whatever watts my coach assigns. So I told myself to gut it out.
One part of the road went into a woods and I was glad that I had driven the course the day before the race. I was totally blind going from the sunshine into the shadows but I already knew where the big potholes were in the middle so I stayed to the side.
I was really breathing heavily – I wasn’t out of control, but close. My throat started really hurting and I was glad to have a little water for sipping. A kind gentleman who I met prior to the race had advised me to not carry water (extra weight) since the race was so short. I'm so glad I had water. On several occasions, I took in about a teaspoon of water. Just enough to make my throat not hurt.
Fourth Leg
The fourth leg was a mile long. I knew I had enough gas in the tank to just hammer it home. While my cadence went down on all the other corners, it did not go on the corner into the fourth leg. I pedaled all the way through. I had been catching the rider who started third and it looked like I would catch her soon. As I got closer to her, it appeared that we were going to reach the corner at the same time. I decided to hammer it and yell "left" at the top of my lungs. I hoped that she would back off a little and I could pass her before the corner. I did 225 watts and screamed "LEFT!!! LEFT!!!!" She did not back off. There was nothing I could do but put on the brakes and fall in behind her. But then, she swung really wide at the corner - into the oncoming traffic. I thought it would be dangerous to pass her on the right, so I started yelling "LEFT!!! LEFT!!!" again and swung even further to the left (and into oncoming traffic) so I could get around her. Finally, she pulled to the right and I passed! She was kind enough to shout, "Good job!" as I passed. People can be so nice!
As I passed, I wondered if she maybe thought I was a crazy person. I was so winded! I was still in control of my breathing but oh-so-close to being out-of-control. The volume of my gasps for air seemed like a million decibels to my ears. She must have thought I was a crazed woman. Maybe I was, a little. There's just something about racing with a bike under me! :-)
Fifth Leg
The fifth and final leg was one mile long. I just gave it everything I had. The 6 mph wind was at my back and I was averaged 203 watts for that segment. Somewhere in the middle, I wondered, “Did I misjudge this distance? Am I going to make it to the finish line before collapsing?” I told myself that I was one little mile from the finish line. I noted that my average mph had climbed back above 21 mph and I was determined to keep it there. I remember switching to the next highest gear, one that I don't normally use, and just doing everything I could do to hammer it. I also noted that I was drooling! LOL! I just made my legs work. As I approached the finish line, I was going 27 mph on a road that was virtually flat. Before I started, a nice man from Kentucky (not the coach) told me to yell my number at the finish line so I did.
Stopping!
After the finish line, I had 172 feet (I measured it the day before the race) to get stopped before going into an intersection where there were no volunteers stopping traffic. I think I was brain dead for the first 100 feet. Seriously, I could not think or move. Luckily, there were no cars coming so the intersection was not a problem.
After the finish, I circled back around to the finish line and hung around for a while. I overheard some people talking about how fast the second woman who crossed the finish line second was going. One said, “She was flying!" Ha!
Results
PLACE: First overall woman
2017 National Senior Games qualifier
FINISH TIME: 16:16
Award Ceremony
When I went up to get my medal, the presenter shared that I had lost 200 pounds and had qualified for the Sprint Triathlon World Championship in Cozumel. People started clapping and saying really nice things. One man got up out of his chair to come over and give me a high five. Everyone was so kind. Just a nice, nice, nice group of people.
After the awards, several people came up to tell me about relatives who were extremely overweight and asked how I started, what I did, etc. That gave me an opportunity to share that 1) you can lose of lot of weight without surgery and drugs, 2) you don't have to be skinny to exercise, and 3) you can transform your life at any age. Those were important concepts for me to understanding before I started my journey. I gave them my blog address and hoped that my story might help their friends and relatives know that losing a lot of weight is possible without surgery and drugs.
Also, a pastor came up to chat with me. That was an AMAZING conversation. I told him that my weight-loss journey had also been a spiritual journey. He came right back with, "How so?" I'm still trying to figure out how to talk about this so his question kind of shook me. I told him that at some point, I felt my weight loss was being done to me rather than by me. I felt like God was courting me and that I was being called, but I didn't really know what I was being called to do. He assured me that if I were being called, God would make that clear. I am so shy about this part of my journey and it was both scary and wonderful to talk about it. When we left, he said he would pray for me. Before I knew what was coming out of my mouth, I told him that I would pray for him too. And I did!
GRATEFUL!
As I think back on the race, there were SO many things that were wonderful at that race. Here are things for which I am grateful.
1. Grateful to have my health and to live in a country where we have the freedom to enjoy leisurely activities!
2. Grateful for all the kind competitors who helped and encouraged me during the race:
- The man from Lexington, Kentucky who parked next to us and gave me lots of good advice about how to do a TT race.
- Peter Wimberg, the Level I Cycling Coach who helped me build my confidence at the start. There are so few Level 1 coaches in the country and even fewer who are Power Based Training certified. It was wonderful to have his help and to hear him shout "AREO! GET AREO!" at the start. I'm not sure why, but that was really, really cool.
- The pastor from Cleveland (I think) who talked to me at the awards ceremony.
- The man who jumped out of his seat to give me a high five during the awards ceremony.
- Everyone who cheered for everyone else!
3. Extremely grateful for all the kind and helpful people who put on the race - both the staff but also the volunteers.
million times. He says he was born to coach and I sincerely believe that to be true. He has more kindness for more people than most anyone I've ever met. He took me from 335 pounds to a nationally competitive sprint triathlete. He took a transplant survivor and helped him become a multipe half-Ironman completer. He is coaching a deaf woman on her way to her first Ironman, and he helped a woman who wanted to honor the loss of her child through the completion of a triathlon. He also coaches elite athletes including Boston Marathon qualifiers and Kona Ironman qualifiers.
- Holly Schneider not only told me about the race to begin with, she also answered all of my emails. I was so touched when she noticed my husband (who has bum knee) walking the mile between the race finish and the parking lot. She jumped in her car and drove him to the parking lot.
- Steve Gerbig was fantastic! I think he just loves cycling and is just helpful at heart. In the beginning, I was so confused about road races vs time trial races. I wrote lots of emails with quesions and he was incredibly helpful. One of my questions was about whether or not I could wear my Bontranger bike jersey since it had advertising for Bontranger on it. Steve said yes, but explained that 1) we could not wear anything with words that, in the eyes of the official were in bad taste. Then he explained that he was the official, and he deemed that "Indiana University" was in bad taste.
- Volunteers: I am always amazed that people volunteer their time at races. They are giving up their personal time to help the event organizer and to help me have fun. Their time is a gift, plain and simple. I am always so appreciative. In this case almost all of the volunteers came from the Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging. They were there to support the 500 senior athletes who came from all over the state to compete and to promote a healthy lifestyle. How cool is that? And . . . they were knowledgeable and fun - at registration, at the race start and finish, and at the awards ceremony. Just a GREAT group.
5. Of course, I grateful for my family. My two sons and daughter-in-law continuously encourage me to be the best me that I can be. My husband is my rock and the love of my life. For 37 years, he has treated me like a princess and has supported me in everything I've chosen to do. I am SO blessed!
As I write about these people, I am struck once again by how many kind people have been in my life at just right time to help me along in this incredible journey. People are so kind. I've come to know these people as the Face of God. I am truly so very blessed.
