Virtual fun

Everyone is impacted one way or another by this pandemic. I am grateful for not having lost any close friends or family to it. And, I am grateful for a job that is considered essential and can be performed from home. I do have friends less fortunate it that respect. The changes in how we conduct our business demanded new application of IT capabilities, and that has had me running hard and fast to keep up and provide the best service possible. A year ago, who ever heard of Zoom? Microsoft Teams? Now, everyone I support has a headset and a webcam.

It is in my personal life that I feel the strongest negative impact from this pandemic. The loss of weekly gamelan practice and any hope of racing. I confess I have done absolutely nothing related to gamelan. I know I should. Review my notes. Browse YouTube. I have no desire to do that. Why, I cannot say. All I can think of is that my enjoyment came from doing. Not solo, either; in a group.

That I miss racing comes as a surprise. For a long time I felt like I did not belong. I had the audacity to show up Sunday morning and line up with people who have been doing this for years. People who can actually swim. Somewhere along the way I got over that without knowing it. I see myself as much a triathlete as I do a musician. It is not about being at the front, or being the best. It is what I do. That is all there is to it. It is what I do. Not who I am. What I do.

There is one thing that has filled some of the emptiness. Virtual racing. As we became acclimated to the restrictions imposed by this pandemic, more and more organizations turned to this format. It took me awhile to catch the bug, but once I got into it I must admit it adds a level of satisfaction that I missed.

This weekend I am taking on a real challenge, the Ironman VR 70.3. Because so many people lack access to pools, and a way to document results, the swim is replaced by a run. So it is a run - bike - run, all outdoors on the road. To simplify safety and support, participants are allowed to do the three events in any order, wherever they want and whenever they want over a bit more than a weekend. I plan to to the bike on Friday, which happens to be a holiday, the short run Saturday, and the long run on Sunday. I do miss the other athletes and the cheering onlookers, but not the sign the reads "Remember, you paid for this." Actually, the IM VR races are free. If you want some finisher's swag you can buy it. I already ordered my Olympic distance swag.

The training I have been following since last winter is my home brew Ironman plan, based on the concepts presented in Joe Friel's Fast After 50 and Going Long, co-written with Gordon Byrn. Not to mention Friel's Training Bible. The plan is designed as if I were racing Kona, so doing a half this weekend is about right as a practice race.

I was seriously (not) considering cobbling together some kind of event to take the place of the October race. I know some crazy people who have done that sort of thing. Chet the Jet for one. And there is Addy and Irene and their mega bike ride weekends. Then along comes the cancellation of the Honolulu Century ride, which I expected, and in its place the virtual Ride of the Century. Fool that I am I signed up to ride 100 miles and my intention is to do it on my TT bike, as though it were a race. Does that mean I should get up the next day and run a marathon?