Success at Eagleman

Dan, Mike, Charlie, and I enjoying a post Eagleman meal. The day started off cloudy and cool and ended with breezy bright sunshine.

This year it is not difficult to pinpoint the success that Eagleman brought, not just to me, but to three of my friends who got the chance to participate this year because of varying degrees of my influence. The first is Dan, who signed on to Eagleman Half Ironman when registration opened last July. I remember convincing him that he could easily finish within the time limits, and how awesome it is to have this event in our own backyard. The second is Charlie, whom I asked to do the swim portion of EM as part of our Team Talbot Dudes. And, third, but not last, is Valliant, who made our TTD complete by manning the running leg. As the four of us were sitting in the shade after EM eating buffet recovery fuel, each of these "first time Eagleman dudes" was talking about next year’s Eagleman; how awesome is that?

Dan has a stunning write-up of his experience that I hope to link here for you to read. One of the lessons learned from doing these types of races is that one must be willing and comfortable with adjusting his goals; sometimes that means on the fly. Dan shows us how well it can be done. He nailed the swim (his most challenging leg) and bike, but encountered a similar situation as I did in the run last year…tough going. Still, Dan finished with style in a little more than six hours. He’s already set his time goal for next year and is ready to write the check for Eagleman 2010.
Charlie and others in his wave preparing to hit the water. The first turning mark (of 4) looms in the background as does the Hambrooks Boathouse.

SWIM
Charlie just graduated from high school and has enjoyed training for this event. He said, disappointedly, that he didn’t have any swimming goals now that EM was over. Eagleman holds a lot of weight for folks like us. It’s the biggest event in our area, bringing top notch professional and amateur athletes to a venue that is watched by the world. Now, at age 18 Charlie already has an Ironman event under his belt. Though he is on the summer swim team, the excitement that is Eagleman will loom large in his mind (mine too) for a long time, making anything less seem unimportant, initially. But, Charlie is a fine young man and he will give his best toward all endeavors he has in the future. At his age I wasn’t good enough at any of these disciplines to consider entering an event like EM. Charlie nailed the swim at 36:40 despite having major difficulties with his goggles fogging and not being able to see. His enthusiasm during the past month has been welcome by me; it has helped me know that I made the right decision to go relay.

Jena (closest woman), who is a fellow TCS teammate, and Charlie (without a cap) eye up the 1.2 mile Eagleman swim course.

BIKE
My goal was to have nothing in the bank when I returned to transition after 56 miles. Goal accomplished! There was no way I could have continued with a run after my ride; at least not without a half hour break. I sprinted on the bike for 35 miles, averaging over 22mph and hitting 25-27’s several times. That was cool, and I’m glad for doing that well for so long; it’s all part of learning limits, learning the bike, and pushing my body, mind, and spirit. But, then my legs died. They no longer had that extra punch to be able to lift my butt off the seat and push in a sprint. Nor did they have the power to pull back and lift on the second stroke. Add to that a wicked head wind, and I felt my average speed drop considerably. I suffered through the next 15 miles, but gained a second wind for the remaining six miles and finished strong. Ultimate goal was to try for 2:30. Lower goal was 2:45. My time was 2:42:44; I’ll take it. My time was second best in our division and fourth best in all the relays.

TEAM TALBOT DUDES, complete with finishing medals, pose for event day photo. We did not know the results at time of the photo.

RUN
I approached the relay transition area from an unexpected direction (yes, I got lost) after the bike ride. Valliant was standing there among the throngs of triathletes looking distantly in the proper direction. I was half running, half lying on the bike heading toward his right side. He could hear me calling his name, “VALLIANT!!” but he couldn’t see me. It was almost comical. As I staggered into him, we switched the timing chip, and at the last moment he remembered the bib. Off he went on his half marathon run. It was a hot windy run. I remember a time when breaking 2 hours in a half-marathon run was a big deal. Mike did a stellar job in Sunday’s conditions and finished with a time of 1:54:39, well under the predicted two hours. Mike instituted a policy years ago when we started running that we hydrate every 15 minutes. It’s a policy that I adhere to consistently. While he was restocking at the last aid station, he got passed by our competition for second place. Team Talbot Dudes won third place in the all male division relay teams and came away with three eagle heads; one for each of us. We missed 2nd place by 27 seconds. Where could we have shortened our time by 27 seconds? That could have been my water bottle malfunction at mile 20. Or, my running off the road at mile 51. Or, the damn slow triathletes in and out of transition; the people were walking…HELLO, PEOPLE, WE’RE IN A RACE HERE!! So much fun all this. I can’t wait until next year.

Ellie and Varszhan having a moment while waiting for me to exit transition on the bike. I did see them when I left, despite all the traffic.

Both my daughters and our friends volunteered for the event. Ellie and Liv helped stuff packets on Wednesday night, then returned early on race morning with our friends Varszhn, Becky, and Patrick. The five of them manned the Sandy Hill Elementary School aid station for the run. I think they had a wonderful experience.

Sandy Hill Elementary cup pile.

Eagleman has become nearly a weeklong event for me. Starting with packet-stuffing on Wednesday night, packet pick-up and expo Friday night, bike racking Saturday night, Sunday’s race, and the volunteer dinner Thursday night, it is over a week. Saturday, however, turned into an epic event for me:

I’ve decided that I’m a show-off. Last year when I went down for bike-racking on Saturday afternoon of Eagleman weekend, I was mesmerized by the few participants who were swimming the entire course...a day before the race! A half mile off shore, while a thousand people watched, you saw an occasional elbow lift into the air, then you'd catch the color of a swim cap glisten in the sunshine as the late afternoon sun was setting. It was beautiful, it was free, it was awesome and daring.

You could say that it was a premeditated swim, but I really did not know I was going to swim the whole course; and certainly not by myself. After helping Dan rack his bike in the transition area, I stripped down to my swim suit. Dan and his wife Cindy walked with me over to the beach at the beginning of the swim course. I bade them farewell and entered the water. There were four turning marks for the five leg course of the 1.2 mile swim. Each leg had intermediate buoys to help guide the swimmer along. There were a few athletes in the water swimming the first leg; most had wetsuits on. I went "pure" with my red suit (easy to spot if I got into trouble) and red swim cap from last year's Eagleman. The water was warm upon entry, but, I immediately got stung by sea nettles on my left arm and front of body. I was used to getting stung from the early morning swim in Oxford the day before. So, I said, the hell with it and kept going. When I got to the first turning mark I was alone and never saw another swimmer for the rest of the swim. It was my duty, therefore, to provide that stimulation for the on-shore onlookers. It was my elbow glistening in the sunshine as it raised high in a gentle rhythm far out from shore. It was me "alone" disturbing the shimmering water in the late afternoon low light. And, hopefully, it was me, the lone swimmer on the course, who may have inspired another (like others did for me) to step out of one's self and do something beautiful and daring.

I appreciate the many hours of instruction in form-technique the Galans have taught me over the last few months. I, literally, remembered every item at some point during that swim, and would immediately incorporate each into action for a time. There is beauty in open water swimming (OWS); there are no interruptions, no walls to break rhythm. That swim will go down as my favorite swim of all time. I felt confident in my form (though I know there is still a long way to go). It was warm, I was comfortable being alone, I felt strong and healthy, again, and I had all the time in the world for that swim. I felt it gave my body a great warm-up for Sunday’s bike race.

On Father’s Day I will slip out of Wittman at 4am and head to Assateague for the Assault Sprint Triathlon. It is an ocean swim from the beach; I’m so excited! Happy Summer and Father’s Day everyone ~ love, swim, ride, run, and appreciate every moment.