I mentioned in my previous post that I was gearing up for Sunday's Auburn long-course duathlon. The main event that day was the World's Toughest Half Ironman triathlon, which is comprised of a very chilly 1.2 mile swim, a brutally hilly 56-mile bike course, and a somewhat difficult 13.1 mile half marathon. The long-course duathlon option followed an identical course for the last 69.1 miles of cycling and running, but we ran an additional three kilometers during the initial swim. Overall, this was my worst race in more than a year, but it was a great learning experience.

We all woke up at 4am to make it to the second transition area (T2) by 5am. There, I hung my items for the bike-to-run transition on the rack and we all had to ride six miles on our bikes to get to the start. At the first transition area, I racked my bike and laid out my helmet, gloves, sunglasses, etc. There were hundreds of people milling around, getting ready for their staggered start times (ranging from 6:30am to 7:30am, depending on which race they entered). My start time was 6:45am, designed to be exactly fifteen minutes after the start of the Half Ironman so we could all compete together on the bike. That was unfortunate for me...I could have used the head start!

The three kilometer run was fairly easy. There were some rolling hills, and it was a trail run, so the only things stopping us from running under 6:00/mi pace were the need for careful footing and the fact that we still had 69.1 miles to go. I finished that run in 11:29 and had a quick transition. As I headed out on the bike, I saw my teammates finishing their run a few minutes behind me and I figured they would be passing me very soon. The Auburn bike course is what gives this race its "World's Toughest" status. You can see a map of it here. Basically, the first 20 miles are mostly uphill, and Miles 29-31 are especially rough (as in out of your saddle in your easiest gear trying not to let your bike tip over). After Mile 36 there is some reprieve, but I didn't have enough power left in my legs at that point to take advantage of it. Finally, after almost four hours of suffering, I made it back to T2 to put on my running shoes and start my half marathon. By then, it was in the mid-80's and I had only consumed two bottles of drinks and three Hammer gels, so I wasn't exactly feeling spry. My best half marathon last year was a 1:23:00, so I had delusions of completing this course in under 1:35:00. Had you asked me after three miles if I could still do that, I would have been confident. However, the hamstring fatigue, heat exhaustion, dehydration and overall lack of energy started to sink in. For the first time since my first marathon, I had to take walk breaks (which unfortunately multiply exponentially once you cross that threshold) and I ran a personal worst 1:52. My Garmin GPS watch has never seen numbers that slow...I half expected it to try to electrocute me to put both of us out of our misery. Although it took me a full 31 minutes longer than expected, I was happy to complete the 70.96 mile course and I felt like I grew a lot through the experience.

Over the years, I have become comfortable with the fact that there are different learning styles amongst people and I have embraced my own preferences along the spectrum. There are many conflicting models when it comes to learning styles, but here's a simple synopsis: people can learn by watching, conceptualizing, discussing or doing, and I tend to prefer the latter category (as do a lot of people). Most school systems are not geared to cater to all four learning styles, and that's why there are a lot of highly intelligent college dropouts who have gone on to accomplish great things (Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Matt Damon, Thomas Edison, etc). As the son of a teacher, I have come to realize that the onus is on the educator as much as it is on the student. Anyway, I digress.

The point is that I'm glad I didn't try to figure out every nuance of this race before I signed up and did it. Sometimes you just have to put on your running shoes and then get on the bike to eventually know what you don't know you don't know. I learned a lot about hydration and nutrition. I learned why triathletes ride tri bikes as opposed to road bikes like mine (saves your hamstrings for the ensuing run). I learned about pacing on hills. I learned about the importance of a bike fit and aero bars.

However, the most important lesson I learned was that we are all capable of doing a lot more than we think. Before Sunday, I had never raced on a bike. Before Sunday, I had never done an endurance race for longer than 3.5 hours (this one took six hours). Before Sunday, I had never gone more than 70 miles under my own power. Sometimes we just need to put ourselves in a position where we have no choice but to perform. That, in my opinion, is the best way to learn.