Got the Nerve 2015: Personal Bests

Personal bests are what keeping us triathletes coming back for more.  It’s a thrill after 5 years in this sport that I can still achieve personal bests.  I know at some point as I age that won’t be possible but I’m hoping the thrill of competing against “my current self” will keep me engaged.  Staying in the game no matter what physical limits a person has is the mission for I’M ABLE, the organization that sponsors Got the Nerve Triathlon in Mount Gretna, PA: 

The mission of the IM ABLE Foundation is to remove obstacles that prevent people affected by disabilities from being physically active by providing grants, resources, fitness opportunities and motivation. We change attitudes about the potential of disabled individuals by redefining what is possible.

This first race of 2015 proved that it’s not about volume of training but how experience and focused training can pay off.  In other seasons, I felt I sometimes peaked too early so I decided not to go as hard this past winter (not to mention having a busy work schedule).  Last year, I was seeing that my total ranking was usually higher than any one of the rankings for the 3 sports.  I realized that the volume of swim training I was doing was no longer paying off now that I was an adequate swimmer.  After having a successful, injury free season last year, I decided to focus on getting faster on my run this season.

A funny thing happened on my way to less swimming and more running training – I got faster in both!  I can’t really explain it other than the water temp was reasonable this year and I didn’t hyperventilate like last year, cutting 2 minutes off of the 500 yard swim.  I also cut about 50 seconds off the bike.  I know this was a Sprint tri 5K personal best but the open question is by how much as my GPS watch only registered 2.86 miles at a 9:23 pace, and the results are showing I did the supposed 5K course in 26:45 at a 8:38 pace, which is plausible.  Mike also had his best sprint 5K time.  Nevertheless, the third time for this race was a personal best for both Mike and me as I cut close to 7 minutes off my last year’s time, and he cut over 4 minutes off of his best time.

At each race I'm reminded why I race.  It is about constantly improving my own abilities but it is also about being surrounded by the energy and inspiration of fellow athletes of all life situations and abilities.  We often have to recalibrate our “personal best” to our current life’s situation.  I was thrilled to cross the finish line at the same time that a miracle was taking place.  A man who had lost both legs came down the finish line in his hand cycle and then put on “his new legs”, a technology that was demonstrated for the first time at this race that allowed him to walk over the finish line.  As I was approaching the finish line, I heard the announcer declaring what was about to transpire which gave me inspiration to speed up so I could witness it.  It was a personal best for both of us.

A thrill to cross the finish line and then witness this amazing feat!