Two New Lessons from Triathlons (And One Repeat)

As of Saturday I could not longer be considered a beginner triathlete. In most triathlons there are several categories. There is age group, in which the vast majority of people fall in. There's Clydesdale for men over 200 lbs. There's Athena for women over 150 lbs. And there's beginner for those that have participate in less than 3 triathlons. I participated in my fourth triathlon Saturday, the Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon.

It was a great race. This was easily my best time in each of the three disciplines. Although I fell in terms of my place inside my age group, I finished 9 minutes faster than I finished the same race a year ago. As I have thought about what made me faster this time, I think there are three main things that really helped me along the way.

Familiarity is a great help - the more familiar we are with our surroundings and our situation the better off we'll be. I had been on this course before. I knew what to expect in each of the three areas.

Timing is crucial - In a race in which you are competing for an extended period of time many people need some type of nutritional supplement or energy boost. I have tried several different types, but I have found that more than what you take, when you take it makes a huge difference. I didn't wait until I was hungry or feeling as though I was hitting a wall, but I also didn't take it before I needed to. This allowed my energy to stay up the entire race.

Encouragement along the way - I know I said this in my last post about lessons from my triathlon, but I really think this is the biggest factor for me. First of all, Allison does a great job of maneuvering herself around the course in order to get pictures as well as cheer me on at different stages. She is the biggest help of all. I fully believe that I finish races faster because she is there cheering me on. In this race, however, I had multiple participants give me encouragement as well. With about 1/2 mile to go I stumbled and twisted my ankle. There was at least one person that called me by my number and said something like, "less than 1/2 mile to go. You got it." That was a great help.

What "lessons" have you been learning lately?

Good Customer Service Keeps Customers

I have worked a few jobs in which my pay was dependent upon good customer service. Mainly as a server, if I didn't produce good customer service then my tip was reflective of that. That doesn't mean that every time I gave good service I got a good tip, but if I gave bad service you can bet that my tip was almost always reflective of that.

Recently a new bike shop opened on Franklin Road near our church. With a few triathlons coming up I knew that I needed to get my bike tuned up and ready for the upcoming races. It's not the closest shop to my house, but when I called they told me that they could get my bike in and out in less than 24 hours. This was win #1 since the shop that closer to my house told me it would be 10 days before I could get my bike back.

I took my bike in and, as promised, I was called less than 24 hours later and told my bike was ready to be picked up. When I got my bike home I noticed that I couldn't get into the top chain ring. No big deal, I made the adjustment and planned to go for a ride the next day. I rode my bike a few times and noticed that the chain was starting to rub the front derailleur. Again, I made an adjustment, only this time after making the adjustment I couldn't get into the top chain ring once again. After this I took the bike in to have the mechanic look at it. After a few minutes, several adjustments to the derailleur and cleaning the shifter all appeared to be good to go. Because I had just been in for a tune up he didn't charge me anything for the time it took to get me going again. During the Music City triathlon, however, I was not able to get back in the gear after getting in and back out one time.

The day after the race I took my bike in again and left it for the mechanic to take a look at. I was told that I may need a new shifter, but they would definitely try to fix the one I currently have. The next day, again less than 24 hours, I got a call that my bike was fixed and there was no need for a new shifter. On top of that, he only charged me for the parts it took to fix my bike. I took the bike out yesterday and everything works great!

Because of a few small things, R.B.'s Cyclery in Franklin has not only earned my business, but I will tell everyone I know that rides or is in the market for a bicycle about them. First, they gave my an expectation and they met that expectation. Jason, the mechanic, told me that my bike would be ready the following day twice and both times it was ready. Second, they managed my expectations well. I was prepared for the fact that it may be an expensive fix. I wasn't told one thing and then sold something else.

In my opinion, customer service is not hard. If you manage your customer's expectations and show them that you are willing to work hard to get their need taken care of you will earn their trust and their business. I can tell this first hand. And I will continue to give my business to R.B.'s.

Lessons from My Triathlon

This weekend I participated in The Music City Triathlon. This was my second time to complete this race, and my third triathlon overall. I have at least one more that I and racing this year and possibly a second. Last year's Music City triathlon was my first and so I went into it not really knowing what to expect. I knew the events and the distances, but I didn't really know how I would react, how my body would react, or even how well I would do. This year, however, I had a plan going in as well as a goal. I accomplished my goal and completed the race 10 minutes faster than I did last year! As I have thought back through the race several things have come to mind that I think I can apply, not only to triathlons and other races that I compete in, but in life in general.

It all begins with preparation - I trained a lot for this race. I don't know that I trained more this year than I did last year, but I think I was more consistent over the previous 12 months. The results are that I am in better overall fitness, therefore faster on race day.

Have a strategy going in - I had a goal that I wanted to accomplish in the race and a plan on how I was going to attempt to get it done. I thought about the things I believed it would take to accomplish my goal and worked to implement the strategy.

Don't be afraid to make adjustments on the fly - My plan going into the race was to use the run/walk method for the run portion: running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute. As I started the run I felt strong but immediately came to a steep hill. After a few cycles of the run/walk, however, I felt pretty good and knew that if I was going to keep up my time I would have to run more. I was able to run more than I planned and this helped me achieve my goal.

Encouragement along the way is HUGE - This may be the biggest part for me. I am pretty sure Allison has either competed in or been a spectator at every race I've done with the exception of one when she was pregnant. She and Cooper get up early and fight traffic only to see a few glimpses of me along the way and to see me at the finish line. This, however, is great motivation for me. To see them smiling on the side of the road, cheering, and yelling my name is such a great feeling. Every time I see them I get a burst of energy that keeps my feet moving.

I have completed several races other than the three triathlons. I don't think, however, that I've ever really come away with things that I learned from the race or at least I never took the time to think about it. From now on, after a race I will definitely try to sit down and think through some of the things that I learned and can possibly use going forward in other races or in life generally.

Have you ever competed in a triathlon or other endurance race of some type? If so, what did you learn in the process?

Really? 114 Days?

I am not sure if I'm lazy in writing, not interested, not creative, but I just noticed that I haven't posted here in almost 115 days. That's almost 4 months. It's not because I don't want to, because I do. I think I have just hit a block on what to say. I can tell you one thing though, it's not because nothing has been going on. Since the last time I posted I or we have: celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, been to Africa, ran a 5k, trained a lot for a triathlon or two, gone on vacation, hosted 71 people at our house for a 4th of July party, and continued work on our house. We have done other things as well, but these are the major highlights. Things are well and hopefully I will get back to a normal routine of posting to the blog. We'll see about that...

Triathlons

Since Allison was in law school I have said I want to do a triathlon. We had a few friends that she was in school with that competed in them and that's what put the idea in my head. When we moved to Nashville and I went to work at FMC, one of the partners there competed in triathlons. By that time I was running quite a bit and the idea became a little stronger. Last year I put it on my goal list for the year, but put it off until it was too late to get one in before it got too cold.

Well, this year I did it. I competed in the Music City Triathlon in July and the Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon this past Saturday. I had two really good experiences, although they were both very different. I believe the main difference was the weather. Both days were sunny, however, the temperature at Music City was probably over 80 degrees before I even got in the water and the temperature at Cedars was probably only about 80 degrees when I finished the race. The other difference is probably the most evident: swimming in the river vs. swimming in a pool. I am glad for the experience that I got swimming in the river, but swimming in the pool was definitely easier and made the transition to the bike a little more palatable.

As it happened with running, I think I have caught the bug. I enjoyed the change of pace that you get with three separate events in one race. While I would love to think that one day I can complete an Iron Man distance, but I am not sure that will ever happen. The amount of time and effort that takes is unfathomable. What I can tell you is that I am already thinking about which triathlons I want to compete in next season. My goal for next year is to complete at least one intermediate or Olympic distance triathlon and based on that I will try to figure out if a longer distance is even worth considering. The next race I will be competing in is the Middle Half. This will be the second year that Allison and I have competed in this race. We also have several friends that will be there. That should make it even more fun. And as that race relates to triathlons, a half-marathon is the third leg of a half Iron Man. Maybe one day...