Matt asked me today what has been going through my head as I prepare for the Tango. He thought it might be entertaining to see the craziness that occurs in there as something like this approaches. I will not bore you with all the details. Instead, I will bore you with a few thoughts about the quest to finish this race with my brother.
The big question is this: can we finish the first run before the cut-off, and with the ability to continue? That means we can't be dehydrated at the end of it. That has led to another big question that I have mentioned recently which is the hydration equation. I believe I have decided to go with two handheld bottles, so I practiced with them on Thursday and my right arm, which previously has normally held the flashlight when I run at night, got to hold a significantly heavier 24 oz bottle. On Friday, my right shoulder was extremely uncomfortable, tight, stiff, and sore. Not to worry, however, since that means I am adapting to the changes. A little more practice and I'll be ready. I have decided to shrink the right bottle a little too. My left arm is totally cool, even with the bigger jug, presumably because it is stronger in general and I have been running with a bottle in that hand longer.
I have not had the patience to run the full distance yet, and I may never get there until race day. I go so slow that it takes a freakin' long time. I much prefer biking for 4 hours to running for 2 and a half.
The next problem is eating. I love it! Every time I think I had a good day with a nice calorie deficit, the next day I recover from it. I have lost a few more pounds in the last two weeks though, so that's always helpful with running. I have about 12 days left here, so I could still lose a few more. I'm shooting for 6. Every pound counts in a run like that.
Biking is good. All my bike rides have been way harder than the Tango course, with 1500 foot climbs being a weekly occurrence. Of course Matt has my pump, so that's been a bit annoying ( I left it in his car in NH), but everything else has been great. (Bring the pump to the Tango, Matt!)
I have been swimming with the fins a few times and I feel really good about that for me. If I were doing it alone, I think I could really smoke the swim this year. As it is, this may be my brother's weakest link, so it looks like I may be getting to take it easy here and catch my breath. It looks like Greg is coming up again to support the team, so maybe he and I can have a nice long chat during the swim.
Our orienteering should be fine. Nothing spectacular, but we should be quick to find the points this year. No mistakes like last year. Aside from the fact that we're old, fat, and slow, this might be one of our better splits.
The second run is going to suck. That's all I have to say about that.
The canoe then is our last chance (one of two, I reckon) to bring in an above average split. It would be nice to pass someone here, or at least have one event in which we are better than half the entrants. Bart has a very nice canoe for us, so at least that won't be a hindrance, and our healthy arms will finally be useful. The good news is nearly everyone should be ahead of us, so passing people might be a possibility. I just hope they aren't all hours ahead.
My workouts have focused mostly on running, with occasional biking, swimming, and lifting. I am doing nowhere near as much as Matt or Genine, or probably anyone doing the whole Tango. Maybe there is a part of me who thinks completing this thing while being utterly unprepared is more of a challenge than being good at it after lots of training. I do tend to enjoy my own suffering. Pushing myself beyond my comfort zone was part of the idea when signing up for this thing.
Looks like I ought to have a lot of enjoyment.
6 comments:
Just some ideas from someone who has been through this a number of times -- even though the race is fast approaching, I would suggest a couple run-to-bike transition workouts... not too many or too long, but last year my calves cramped a little bit on that first climb. It's a good idea to get your legs used to that transition a little bit.
I think that you are smart in wanting to finish the first run relatively fresh. There is a lot of pressure to go out fast and/or come into that first transition at the beach in good position. Hold back and let the racing start with the bike.
Is it possible for you and your brother to have two kayaks for the swim escort? Maybe (and I don't know this) if you get to the beach first at the swim finish, you could get the orienteering map and start to stratigize the orienteering. I've also heard from other teams in a similar position (unequal swimmers) that it actually drains a faster swimmer to slow up and wait for a slower swimmer.
I've been doing Thad's races all the way back to the original Two-Day Tango here in Brookville, PA in 1999. Thank God the distance of that adventure race have been modified a bit, and Thad's new Tango is much more realistic than the "old" Tango.
Happy Training!
Ray
Ray,
You coming back this year. I'm not letting you pass me at the end of the bike this year.
Hope to see you there, look us up, we will be the five man team standing next to the giants doing the Tango. You will understand once you see Shawn and his Brother, (no offense guys, you are big). Oh, I can't leave out the KB2, Looking to repeat on the Women's relay.
Shawn, I agree with Ray. Matt and I talked about this last year. You want to be steady, but don't kill yourselves on the first run. You can't be redlining when less than 1/4 of the race hasn't even occurred yet.
I'll be back this year. No telling what will happen on the bike. At 41, I'm finding that my "good days" are pretty good and my bad days are REALLY bad!
I used to be a pretty stong runner but a severe ITB issue hindered me for several years. It's only been within the last year or so that my training has been okay on the run again.
I don't think I'll be too much different than last year, maybe a little fresher at the end of the run. I've also been doing those run-to-bike transitions that I recommended to Shawn.
I enjoy checking out this blog -- keeps me tied into the Tango mindset.
Hopefully we'll have good weather again and we'll all have a great race! Take care!
Glad Greg is coming back too!! He was quite a big help last year and fun to hang out with!!
Good luck Shawn!!
Thanks for the advice, Ray. Here are my thoughts: We are not allowed to separate at any time, including the swim. There is some maximum distance that we are allowed to be apart, and it isn't very far. That eliminates the possibility of finishing the swim early and preparing for my brother's arrival. I would love to do that. Unfortunately, I believe it's against the rules.
I can understand the idea of swimming more slowly being just as hard as swimming fast (or even harder), but that shouldn't be an issue in our case. I think that only applies to people with good form, and we don't have that. I have nice fins that in a pinch can propel me on my back at a pretty good clip for as long as I want. If anything, I need to figure out how to help my brother go faster. It's probably too late for that now, but maybe he'll do better than he lets on.
And finally, the idea of "holding back" on the run is pretty funny. Anyone looking at us or our times is going to assume we must be holding back, but for us, running 11-minute miles is redlining. Our team name is Quarter-Ton Tango. It is not an exaggeration. In fact, it is a bit optimistic. We are going to have to push pretty hard just to make it in 2 and a half hours.
For us, the race really starts with the canoe. We just hope we can make it there.
I have no doubt that once you finish the half marathon, you will making it across the finish line.
Just don't under estimate the orienteering and the short run. Even though I didn't do the long run last year, after putting in the miles on the bike I found those 2 sections to be quite challenging...my legs were shot. I was never so happy to sit in a canoe. but then....2hrs and 12mins later......you know how the story ends.
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