Rev3 Half-Full Triathlon

Since I last blogged, I competed in my final triathlon of the season: the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon in Columbia, MD. In the time between the Richmond Sprint Triathlon and Rev3, I was able to procure a triathlon bike (thanks to all of my grandparents’ wedding gift generosity, Tim’s self sacrifice of settling for a Wii as his primary post-wedding purchase rather than an expensive bike, and the ever so knowledgeable EF staff). For those of you counting, that increases the total bike:human ratio in the Patterson household to 2.5:1. Or the bike:Julie ratio of 4:1. Lest you think I spend frivolously, I would like to emphasize that each of my bikes has its own unique utility. Enoch is used for draft legal racing. Tim rides bright-yellow Elijah. Elisha is used for casual riding. Eleph is a $50 craigslist bike used for errands. I looked briefly on Wikipedia for another Biblical “E” name for the new bike.  Some of the names listed include Elika (pelican of God), Epaphras (covered with foam), and Eshcol (bunch of grapes). As much as I love grapes, I decided the new bike would remain unnamed.

Anyhow, the Half Full Triathlon is, first and foremost, a fundraiser for the Ulman Cancer Fund, which works to help young adults (18-39) navigate their cancer diagnosis and treatment. I usually feel like fundraiser/for-a-cause races aren’t really any different than their cause-less counterparts, but Half Full was genuinely different. Cancer survivors, many about my own age, stood at the entry to the lake to high-five us as we entered the water. Cancer survivors gave us our medals in the finishing chute. The first mile of the run was full of yard signs people had decorated in honor/memory of their loved ones who have battled cancer. The atmosphere was really incredible, and I only wish that the weather had cooperated to make the actual race slightly less miserable.

I never heard official weather reports, but the weather on race day was ~50 degrees and raining. The course was hilly, and downhills emphasize the cold. I’ll sum up the race in 4 sentences. I’m still not where I should be on the swim, but my open water race technique is improving. My chain dropped on the bike, and between the unfamiliarity of a new bike and my frozen fingers, it took me 2:15 to get it back on. In the time I stood out in the cold, I lost any illusion of warmth and was very literally shaking uncontrollably for the remainder of the bike. By the time I got to the run, I figured I was in last place (not true) and was so exhausted from fighting the cold that it was all I could do to get myself to the finish.

I finished in 7^th place, one place out of money. I don’t really have any emotion surrounding my overall race results. It is what it is. I didn’t handle the cold well.

Since I don’t really want to talk about my race statistics in any detail, I’ll give you a glimpse into my thought processes as I battled the cold. You should note that I had my CV therapeutics final exam the day after the race. The class was an ever-so-cheery 6-week blitz attack of the pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and therapeutics of cardiovascular drugs.

1) You are freezing. You need to monitor yourself for signs/symptoms of hypothermia. What are the signs/symptoms of hypothermia? I don’t know. Probably slowing of mental function. I will monitor the progression of my mental function

2) My heart is not getting enough blood to my core, let alone my extremities. I need a positive inotropic agent so that it will beat stronger.

3)  Name one positive inotropic agent. Oh my gosh. I can’t think of one. My mental function is deteriorating.

4)  Digoxin. 250 mcg because I have normal renal function and weigh over 40 kg. Good.

5) Stay positive. Think about polar bear club. You always ran the most laps in the snow before jumping back into the hot tub. You can handle the cold.

Unfortunately, these thoughts weren’t really enough to convince me to keep pushing through the cold. I really didn’t feel like I could handle the conditions well mentally or physically, and I was emotionally exhausted from pushing myself through it. I thought about my dad, the girls who high-fived me at the start, and the survivors waiting to give me a medal at the end. Freezing for 2.5 hours on a Sunday morning is a heck of a lot easier than fighting a battle with cancer. They are the reasons that I was able to finish.

Some of you may be wondering how well I possibly could have performed on an exam the day after an exhausting race. The answer is this: better than I did on any other exam of the semester. I named my blog after my daily balance of the numerous components of my life, and I firmly assert that maintaining the balance makes me better in all aspects. The afternoons before and after the race, I studied more efficiently than I have all year. I wasn’t on facebook, reading the news, or looking at pictures of baby walruses. I just studied. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without Tim, who graciously agreed to drive home so I could study in the car and bought me my first ever Starbucks coffee in an attempt to keep me awake (it didn’t help).

I’m currently in the middle of a run block to prepare for my first half-marathon. The race will be a family affair; Tim is also running his first half, and my brother Jason is preparing for his marathon debut. I have found this time to focus on running incredibly refreshing. I like the “break” of only having to focus on three hard workouts a week, and (assuming I get to bed early enough) I actually enjoy getting up at 5 to do track workouts alongside my coach. Overall, I’m excited for the race and for my family’s visit.

Until then,

JP