Yesterday, as I wrote Prep for Outdoor Ride, I benefited from better preparation before the ride. Today, the incidents that happened deserve mention. I wonder, if I had thought about these problems yesterday, would I have been more overwhelmed, or would I have been able to prevent these problems?
I wouldn’t call it a “Fail early, fail often.” case. The incidents I had today fall into the hiccups category.
I’m thankful for all of these hiccups. They now help me feel a lot more confident about not making similar mistakes in the future, especially in a race. Some of these mistakes I made today can seem like beginner’s ones for the regular riders. I’m not a beginner triathlete, but I can still make beginner’s mistake.
First, I could not sleep. Yesterday, I had 3 cups of coffee instead of 1-2. I published my writing yesterday while tired and managed to get to bed at midnight. However, caffeine was still in. Every movement of my wife next to me in bed kept me awake. I moved to my big daughter’s room. My little daughter cried at 2 a.m., keeping me from falling asleep again. At 4 a.m., I woke up to get ready.
Second, I had a bloated stomach. I thought about this problem while lying in bed restlessly. As soon as I woke up, I kept drinking water while getting ready. Finally, I managed to relieve myself before heading out. That was huge!
Third, I soon encountered a road bump that knocked off my energy gel from the big. The compartment was meant for tires, not gels. Because I rode indoors more often than outdoors, getting bumps on the road is one of the most important experiences I should get.
Oops, I did it again. My aero bottle flew off my bike after another road bump downhill. I stopped my bike and secured the bottle better between my aero bars. I told the other riders about the bottle situation when I arrived at the meeting point.
Off we went, and it happened again. My fellow riders were on their regular route ahead of me this time, and I had to shout, “Hey, wait for me!” I had to collect broken pieces. My Garmin Edge bike computer stopped working. My aero water bottle had to be reattached and I had to eliminate the disappointment and switch to using my watch. I also had to let go of the embarrassment that caused the delay to my fellow riders.
We got to better roads, and I had a great ride since that moment. My average watt was higher than expected, showing the results of all those indoor sessions. My new aero helmet and bike shoes. I was ahead of the group, letting the others draft behind me. They were excited. This was the fastest average speed on the same route they often did.
On the way back, I stopped at my regular bike mechanic. It turns out my aero water bottle setup was not correct, and the latches were misaligned. I now know how to secure the bottle and no longer have to ride the bike with an arm bracing the bottle for impact.
Committing myself to meeting two new friends at 5 a.m. got me out of my comfort zone, not as much in the physical exertion but more in preparation and dealing with obstacles. Endurance triathlon can be a sport of solitude for those too busy to do regular group sessions. Five years in this sport still surprises me with how much I learned from a single group session.
Next: 10x thinking