02/07/2017
Kuldeep Singh : The Power of Mindset
IRONMAN 70.3 - LUBBOCK , TEXAS
Triathlete ,Author & Motivational Speaker. “ Everyone has a dream .”
My first race for the year 2017 . There have been a lot of ups and downs and a number of changes for me this season. I crossed the finish line in Lubbock,Texas fairly disappointed about the way I executed the race but happy with my fitness. My body recovered quickly. I feel great physically and mentally, so despite the early start to the season I made the decision to race a series of triathlon in coming months before shutting things down for a short break. I am going to each of these races to focus on just 1 or 2 things that I need to work on. Obviously, I want to do well in each race, but the focus for the race is about addressing some of the things that are consistently keeping me from the pointy end of races.
Race Morning - 25.06.17
I woke up at 2:00 A.M. and had my typical 2 servings of First Endurance breakfast. Went back to bed for about an hour then headed down to transition. I was lucky to have Keith Burt volunteering for bike repair in the event to gracefully agreed to take me to the race location ,so I was able to get a ride and get there with plenty of time to spare. I got my area set up quickly and had plenty of quiet time to get my head ready. Then, ran a bit to warm up before they let us in the water. Given the weather forecast of 100-110 Degree Fahrenheit/37 degree celsius i have not taken wetsuit and to my surprise ,the water in the lake was very cold and all my fellow athlete were in wetsuit ,now its too late to change and was ready for the cold swim ,so went to get into the lake to about 500 yards warm up before the start and found my spot on the line and got ready to go.
“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals” – General William Hasley, Jr.
Swim :
I got off to a solid start on the swim and was able to stick with the first pack through the 2rd turn around 1k into the swim. I was swimming at right around my redline and we turned into the current. The boys up front stayed the same speed and I slowed down just a bit. The break between the first and second pack unfortunately started with me. I was able to keep swimming well and didn’t panic. I ended up coming out of the water right at the front of the third group.
T1 :
Pretty flawless T1, ran through transition and got my Helmet and glasses on and was on my way to the bike course.
Bike :
The biggest thing I was in Lubbock,Texas to work on was riding IN the pack. Wind speed was between 35-38 Km/h ,extremely windy in the canyon deep cleft between escarpments/cliff resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic timescales.
8 challenging hills, ranging from 2.9% – 8.9% grade and approx 1.2 - 2 miles in length.
This is not something that I am comfortable with, I typically prefer to ride at the pace that I am comfortable with and try to bridge any gap that formed during the swim. The plan here was to ride with whoever I came out of the water with. Maybe I was going to have to over bike, maybe I would under ride, but that was the plan and I was sticking to it! For most of the ride, I was pretty comfortable. Any time I fell more than 4 spots behind the front, I would push up to the front of the group and sit until someone else would take control again. Overall, I had a slower ride than I had wanted, but executed my pre-race plan very well.
T2 :
Aside from stepping on a rock as I was running to my rack with the bike and getting a pretty nasty bruise on my heel, T2 was pretty much as expected. I threw on my Cloud Racers and grabbed the Garmin and race belt and was out to the run course.
Run :
The first few miles of the run were actually quite painful. Because of the bruised heel, I couldn’t strike the ground with the flat foot like I normally do. But I figured out right away that if I pushed the pace up about 15-20 seconds, I was running more on my toes and with pain. I figured the bruise would go numb after a few miles, so I settled into a comfortable pace for the first 1/4 of the run. I got a pretty good picture of what I was going to have to do in order to crack into the finish line . I was pretty far back and knew I was going to have to run well . I slowed down my run the second trip across the hills and thankfully my heel stopped hurting so was able to run relaxed and comfortable there. That’s the pace I was able to hold for the rest of the run. Slowly I made my way up to the finish line which is where I ended up at the finish.
13.1 miles, 2 laps, asphalt, flat with 2 challenging hills, approximately 7.6% grade and .33 mile in length. (not the same hills as found on the bike course) very tough but scenic course.
Overall:
Overall, I think this was not one of the best executed races that I have put together. Certainly not the best result, but I stuck to the plan that I set up going into the race. Taking all positives out of this race despite not the best of my finish time .
“Ironman has always been about finishing what you have started. About being able to do what you have set out to do. Maybe not as fast as the person in front of you but certainly faster than the person that never started” - John Collins, Founder of The Ironman Triathlon.
In fact, triathlon’s has played a powerful role in determining my success in my entrepreneur journey .
Here's how.
It boosted my energy.
It improved my cognitive abilities.
It sparked my creativity.
It made me more productive.
It increased my confidence.
It kept stress in check.
I would like to says, “always remember, first, to never give up; second, you’re never too old; and third, you’re never alone."
As part of my my mission , I’m raising funds for TriIndia Training & Research Foundation, formed on October ,2014 to provide training and support to youth & elite who has a goal for olympics through the words of inspiration . www.triathlon.org.in to learn more .
i would like to acknowledge & thank my family and inner circle friends who have supported me always in my endeavours . 😊
Special Thanks to Keith Burt ; Gwen Lappley ; Greg Davis ; Marti Greer for helping me to get through this wonderful experience . 😀
