REAL STORIES by REAL PEOPLE
A collection of articles on various POSE and other running related topics written by and/or about Pose Method Certified Coaches and Pose Runners of all levels.
POSETECH.COM (USA)
July 19, 2006
2006 PC National Championships
by David Kyle
With temperatures slated to hit almost 90 degrees, the Hudson looking rather "dark" after lots of rain and run-off earlier in the week, and a sinus infection setting in courtesy of small airplanes, I prepared to start the NYC triathlon. This year it was our Physically Challenged National Championships. I won nats in 2004 and they were cancelled in 2005, so I felt like I needed to perform well and attempt the win this year. The PC field was huge; one of the largest ones ever assembled in the world with several international athletes attending.
My race day ritual is pretty standard. I wake up early, eat a small breakfast, gripe and complain, and then get to the transition area to set up. My set-up is simple and since I've completed many of these, it doesn't take much brain power to complete the task. That's a good thing, since it's before 5am and we couldn't manage to find a coffee shop open…yes I'm a caffeine addict. Even in Alabama, you can get coffee before 5am…what's the deal with this city? After setting up my transition, I help a few of my teammate's air up tires and tape numbers on. This has increasingly become part of their set-up procedure…ha-ha.
Transition closes and we make the 1 mile walk up-river to the swim start. I am blessed this year to have my wife, Heather, with me as my handler. She's become a regular and ends up "handling" several PC athletes. This time it means she has about 4 backpacks to carry, but with only 1 back. This race has been awesome to the PC athletes. We've got our own "special" tent at the swim start to hang out in and work out the pre-race butterflies. I continue my pre-race ritual…standing in line for the porta potty for what seemed like an eternity.
We get called down to the temporary pier to make our start. The backside of the pier has turned into a dam for NYC "river art". I see nothing too gross collecting, just tree limbs and such. There's a nice swift current in the Hudson and we get to swim with it; should be a fast swim. They announce all of us by name competing in the PC championships and we wave at the crowd of athletes and spectators.
I jump in the water and hang onto the rope so as not to get swept down river and wait for the gun to go off. 3, 2, 1, GO!!! I take off amid a group of the best Challenged athletes in the world. Multiple world champions, paralympic medalists, world record holders, and me…the good 'ole boy from Alabama. It only took about 5 minutes before I got a huge drink of the Hudson. Can you say "sewage-water"? I briefly thought about having gastro problems in the plane on the way home due to having some nasty stomach infection. I slug my way through the water amidst tree limbs and other unknown obstacles. One of my teammates ran into a watermelon…only in New York they say.
All of a sudden, I see a sign saying 1200 meters. That was fast. I kick it in and I can see the finishing pier only 300 meters up. I get out and check my watch. It says 21 minutes. I beat last years swim time by 13 minutes! It was then that I decided to see what I could do. Running to transition, I pass a teammate that always beats me out of the water by a mile. It only encourages me more that this is going to be a great race. In transition, I get out of my wetsuit, slap on the bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses then take off for the bike.
The bike portion of this race is not the most pleasant of experiences. Road damage and drainage grates are everywhere and I worry that my wheels and tires won't survive the trauma. You don't think of NYC as being a hilly place, but this bike course is hilly and the wind isn't helping. I start picking people off slowly, while trying not to be passed myself. I'm looking for my main competitor who beat me at the last race. I get to the turn around and I never see him. Wow, I must be in front of him…I've got this thing wrapped up. However, I did see one of the female amputee's that is on the National team with me and decide that I can't let her beat me back to the transition. I still have this thought when I finish the bike! Oh well, she just set the marathon world record, so I guess it's OK if I didn't catch her. That's my motivating self talk going on.
Back in transition, I see his bike. He was in front of me and I just didn't notice him on the course. I ask how far back I am…5 minutes was the answer. I slap on the running shoes and take off. My wife has been stuffing my race suit with ice to help delay the effects of the heat…gotta love Multiple Sclerosis. She yells at me to wait so she can do more. I ignore her; I have a race to win.
Running in the heat with MS can be a daunting task. But the beauty of this race is that it is 95% in the shade. Thank God for Central Park and the trees! Mile one is through the city and then you enter Central Park and encounter some of the hills. I'm not feeling great, but I'm not dead yet either. Mile 2 and 3 are the hardest yet, but at the end of mile 3 after having to walk a hill, a volunteer says that it's the last hill of the race. At this point, I've been through a wide range of emotions. I'd basically conceded the race in my mind, but just learning that the course levels out boosts my confidence.
I continue running and at mile 4 catch up with a fellow teammate who's a leg amputee. I slow a bit to say hi and crack some jokes with him. He lets me know that my main competitor is just up the road a bit and that he just saw him. Talk about motivation! I kick it in and try to look way up the road to get a sighting…I can't see him. Keep running Forrest. All of a sudden, there he is right in front of me. At that moment, the race was over and I had won; I just had to go through the motions now. I'm not saying that I underestimated the speed of my fellow racer; it's just that I have done countless sprints and running drills to prepare myself for this very thing.
I catch him and we say hi and he congratulates me on catching up. This is what separates triathlon from other sports I've done. We all support each other no matter what. We hit the mile 5 water station. I slow to get a sip and throw water over my head. 1.2 miles to go and this thing is over. Decision time…do I try to make my break now or wait for the end and sprint for the finish? I decide to wait because the pace is quite a bit slower than I had done to catch up and it will allow me to "rest" a bit before sprinting for the finish.
We continue running and take a corner and the volunteer tells us that we have a quarter mile to go. The anxiety builds and neither of us can take it anymore, so we take off in a sprint with about 2 tenths left. We are right beside each other and my legs are trying to cramp. I tell them to shut up and they listen. We take a couple of sharp corners and weave through a few other runners. I'm going as fast as I can and completely ignoring the pain that my body is in. I see the finish line and look around. I'm all alone! With about 20 yards left I start celebrating and cross the finish line with a huge smile on my face. I finished 20 minutes faster than last year and just won the USA Triathlon Physically Challenged National Championships!
I turn around to give my friend and fiercest competitor a big hug, we then head to the medical tent and get covered in bags of ice to cool off. My wife is there and I feel so proud that she got to see me come from behind to win. It's still about impressing the chick isn't it? What an exciting race it was! My confidence is through the roof and I'm looking forward to the world championships and bringing us all home a medal.
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