Post-script: Timberman & What's Next. Who's cocky now?

Well, well.

I sent my RR out to my tri team mates via the Yahoo Groups Listserv. However, I left this part out. If you read my blog, then you can read the post-script here. You are an insider, of sorts ;)

After the Timberman race, I called my friend Daniel, as I didn't see him at all. (He was doing the Half and he is also my Firm man Relay team mate.) I was still there and he was driving home. Despite the bike official time, I was excited about my race. Surely, I could do the bike at Firm Man much faster. (Firm Man Half IM is f-l-a-t except for one lollipop area on the route with some good hills heading out to the turnaround.)

"I know I can do it [the Firm man bike] in 3 hours!" I said excitedly. (Note: remember that I said in my Timberman RR that my brain is math-challenged.)

"OK. Don"t get cocky."

"No, no. I can. I really think I can." (Note: I hadn't done the math.)

"If you ride it in 3 hours, I'll take you for dinner anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere."

"You're on. Well, I definitely can do it in 3:10."

"3 hours. You said 3 hours. Dinner for 3 hours."

"Okay! You're on. I can do it."

So, I get home and later that evening I used this excellent pace calculator to see my necessary average mph to clock 3:00.

18.66. O-k-a-y. Big surprise.

So, I call him back and get voice mail. I leave a message about my findings and tell him that maybe he can buy me a drink if I do 3:10. Dinner for 3 hours (after all that was the agreement), and maybe a drink for 3:10. When he called back, I explained about my mathematical challenges. And I told him I could certainly do 3:10 and said that he should consider dinner for 3:00 and a drink for 3:10. He said that I will still get dinner if I do 3:10. 3:10, he says, is still a good improvement. (For all of you who are also mathematically challenged, that's 17.68 mph, average. Just so you don't have to click over to the pace calculator right now...but do check it out!)

Now, I think he is only offering becuase he thinks I cannot do it; however, maybe I'm wrong. But I'll let myself think that, because that will make me want to do 3:10 even more.

3:00 is a looong shot. But I really think I can do 3:10.

Two summers ago I did this race (relay/bike) and I did it in 3:25. 3:25 with a broken computer, pee stop, and holding back considerably when I thought I had ~20 miles or so to go (it was probably more like 10, because someone shouted "one mile to go!" when I subsequently guessed I had about 12 mi to go at that time)

3:10! It's a lot judging from my past races this summer. However, I can do it! :-)