Rhodes World Cup - Lessons learned

Wow that was a strange race...many lessons learned though!

So the trip started out not the greatest.  My bike got lost on the first flight from Toronto to London.  The strange thing about it was that the flight was only half full, I checked in plenty of time before the flight, and I had PRIORITY tags on the bike.  So when I got to London and there was no bike there, I knew that the chances that it would be found were slim to none.  I checked everyday about the bike but all I was getting (and still get) is "TRACING CONTINUES.  PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER."  So no bike for the race.  My bike box had all my bike stuff in it with my running shoes.  Lesson learned...bring all shoes, pedals, one set of training clothes, and race stuff with me in my hand luggage from now on.

So on Friday I contacted the local bike shop and they lent me a loner bike.  It was a 55cm (I am a 58-60cm kind of guy), a little on the heavy side with bad components (it had a triple front chain ring) but I was still happy to have a bike to ride.  They also gave me a helmet and a pair of cycling shoes that were 1.5 sizes too small!  I was able to borrow race wheels from Carolyn Murray after her race so the bike was the best that it was going to be.  I was not sure what my measurements were from my old bike, so I had to guess and adjust my position on the fly to "what felt ok".  Lesson learned....bring bike measurements to races.

Race time.  HOT HOT HOT, oh yea it was a HOT HOT HEAT (which I am going to see tomorrow night in Toronto with Lisa :D).  It was a run in (beach) start...I had a great start, right at the front, got in control fast and in the zone.  Second or third going around the first buoy, oh yea!  The I started to get swallowed into the pack.  People grabbing my feet, hips, back and shoulders which shot me back a few places.  "OH MY GOD, IM FEEL LIKE I AM DROWNING.  RELAX.  RELAX.  GET THE F*%K OFF MY BACK YOU A$$HOLE.  OH MY GOD, IM LITERALLY DROWNING.  RELAX COLIN, RELAX"  So that was the commentary going on in my head as I was getting swallowed up.  Thank God the first lap was over, now I can start to swim.  NOPE. Still getting beat up, and it was not a great feeling.  I am a very confident swimmer but when you are in the middle of something like that, swallowing buckets of water, fighting for space, it can get to be a very panicky situation, I DID NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT.  Well 3/4 into the second lap of the swim we started to swim into shore.  I was on the inside at that point trying to find open water.  GET THE F*%K OFF ME!  YES! OPEN WATER!  WAIT, THIS IS TOO MUCH OPEN WATER...WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?  I stop, put my head up and S*%T!!!!!!!!!!  The rest of the field is 25m to the right of me going around the last buoy!  OH MAN, OH MAN, JENKINS YOU ARE AN IDIOT.  THATS RIGHT, AN IDIOT!  YOU DESERVE TO BE STERILIZED THEN DROWNED FOR SWIMMING THAT FAR OFF COURSE!  Well anyways, I sprinted back to the last buoy and hopped into the pack.  At least there was still some people around me.  A couple minutes later the worst swim of my career was over.  THANK GOD!  So I was 2nd going around the first buoy, got put into a washing machine for the rest of the lap and came out after the first lap in 17th.  Decided that it wasn't fair for me to be so good in the water that I thought I would make it a bit more fair and swam a little extra on the second lap, just for fun.  Finished the swim in 57th.  Thats right!  I lost 40 places doing my little stunt.  Lessoned learned...know the swim course (don't go into panic mode, stay calm when in a washing machine) and ALWAYS SWIM AT THE FRONT!

Got on the bike, rode HARD HARD HARD for 2 laps to catch up.  YES!  It came together.  Now I know what it feels like to have to chase for that long....it sucks.  For the rest of the bike I tried to stay out of trouble and conserve as much energy as I could with the Stallion that I was riding.  A couple of breaks went off the front, some successful, others not. Only if I was on my LITESPEED bike!!! :(  I found it hard enough just to stay in the main pack.  DAMN BIKE, JUST DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, AND STAY OUT OF TROUBLE.  OK.  Bike done.  THANK GOD THAT IS THE LAST TIME I SEE YOU MY SORRY EXCUSE FOR A STALLION!  YEA YOU ARE MORE LIKE A PONY, A MINITURE PONY AT THAT WITH ONLY THREE LEGS, A DRINKING PROBLEM, AND THREE PACK A DAY SMOKING DIET!

Off the bike and into a pair of borrowed running flats that were 1 size too small.  DAMN YOU, YOU SIZE 13 CLOWN FEET!  I tried to stay in a pack for as long as I could.  Running with people is a lot easier and more encouraging the running on your own way off the back.  So I ran with some people for most of the run, I did not run that great but I was happy to get that far after all the set backs that came flying full speed at me this week.  I finished 43rd.

So there were some highs of this trip (ummm, maybe not....cannot think of any....oh wait there was.  Warming up in the water I saw schools of fish swim by in the crystal clear water and thought that it was "pretty cool to be here"), and then there was many lows or things that did not go my way.  But out of those lows and mishaps I learned some valuable lessons.  I know that it sounds funny but I grew as an athlete from this trip, a better prepared and smarter athlete...next year I will be able to use these experiences and prevent the mistakes that I faced during this trip.  

Now it is dinner time.  Then time to pack...HECK YEA I DONT HAVE A BIKE TO LUG AROUND!  AP and I are on a 1:30am flight out of Rhodes tonight to London, then onto Toronto from there.  Belly says "STOP TYPING, ME HUNGRY!"  OK BELLY, LETS EAT.