Tri-Demption

Written By Lawrence Merrill

2023 Triathlons

I was happy with my 2022 Ironman Florida experience last year, but the training was a lot. It took a considerable amount of time away from family, home projects, vacationing, and having a steady work life balance. For 2023 I wanted to get some time back. How about get half the time back? Train for Half Ironmans! I spoke with Kerry earlier this year about this, and she was happily on board with it too.

Summer of 2023 would be the “Summer of Half’s.” I would do one Half Ironman in June and another one in September. I chose two races that were very different from each other. The first half was up near my family in New Hampshire, the White Mountains Triathlon. The race has a cooler mountain lake swim, and the bike and run courses are hilly. The second half would be Ironman 70.3 New York on Long Island, with a bay swim and very flat bike and run courses. By doing races that were very different from each other, I hoped to get more experience and learn what kind of long distance triathlons work to my strengths. Though I would train less time-wise this “Summer of Half’s,” I would train more strategically.

A smoky view from the Peloton bike in New York City.

This summer, I couldn’t always train safely outside. In early June, forest fire smoke from Quebec came down and lingered for long periods of time in New York City. At one point it made the sky glow orange. Air quality was unhealthy to breathe outside and training could only be done indoors. Many races this summer were being canceled because of the forest fires. Would the White Mountains Triathlon, a race closer to Quebec than “orange sky” New York City, be affected?

It was easy to be anxious about the smoke, and I certainly was. With Kerry’s help though, I could make training adjustments. Kerry has always been incredibly supportive in helping me accomplish my triathlon goals, and this summer she helped me make indoor triathlon training for me possible. Kerry gave me access to yoga and strength training classes on the Peloton app, and she shared with me her gym equipment and her Peloton bike. Although Peloton is not specifically “geared” towards triathletes, I found it incredibly useful and easy to use in conjunction with the training plan Danielle made for me.

Half I: White Mountains Triathlon

After weeks of smoky skies, the skies cleared up in New Hampshire and the White Mountains Triathlon would proceed without cancelation. I headed up to the “shire” with Doug and we were able to get a good outdoor taper training before our race. Yes, Doug was doing the White Mountain Triathlon too. It was actually his idea! When he told me he signed up for it, it really just sounded like to me “I dare you to sign up too.”

As twin brothers, Doug and I have always had a friendly rivalry. Unlike other rivalries, it’s never really been about who can do something better than the other, it’s more about, “if I can do this, than you should do this too.” From school to Boy Scouts to even filmmaking, we’ve enjoyed pushing together and helping each other accomplish our goals. Although Doug and I haven’t had shared as many experiences with our younger brother Wyatt, we also have a very friendly competition with Wyatt. Any time the other brother accomplished something, it made us all proud. And any time one brother was doing something fun and exciting, it was really just a dare for the other brothers to do it as well. This White Mountains Triathlon was a perfect case of that.

Dad and the Merrill Sons: Doug, me, and Wyatt.

Doug and I have done the White Mountains Triathlon up in New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch multiple times. We knew how cold the Echo Lake swim could be in the upper 50s°F. We knew how dangerous the first part of the bike leg is with a two mile downhill of 1000 feet of elevation drop. We knew how rough the mountain roads were on the bike and the run. It was a very challenging, but rewarding course.

When Doug did this race for the first time as a novice triathlete, I was really scared for him. I remember we were at the starting line on the beach and I told him, “ I love you,” in case something bad happened to him. He replied “I love you too?” Wondering why I said that out of nowhere. Thankfully Doug powered through, including swimming in the cold lake with a sleeveless wetsuit, and finished the race in one piece.

Though we knew most of the “in’s and out’s” of this triathlon, the weather this year made this a different course in two different ways. One way, which nicely worked in our favor, was the lake this year was 68°F, about 10 degrees warmer than usual. The other way, which didn’t so nicely work in our favor, was we’d expect rain midway in my half ironman race and for most of Doug’s sprint race.

My family reminds me from time to time that it’s better to have a safe and careful race than to attempt to go faster and get seriously hurt in the process. I’ve known for a while how lucky I’ve been to continue racing in triathlons and have had so much support from my family. I don’t want to squander my lucky life. Being cautious in triathlons allows you to, as Doug likes to say, “expect the unexpected, so the unexpected won’t be expected.”

Cloudy with a very good chance of Triathlon! I’m in the blue suit near the starting line.

First Half: White Mountain Triathlon Race

A hundred triathletes went to Echo Lake beach to compete in the Half Ironman. Even though Doug’s sprint race was a couple of hours before mine, he and the rest of the family came down to support me. The weather was cloudy but calm, perfect swimming conditions! Like most races in the post Covid era, the swimming start was a rolling start with swimmers starting five seconds apart from each other. Though it meant a longer time for everyone to start it also allowed for athletes to be spaced out nicely. After the elite swimmers went first, it was my turn to roll start.

I was in my element during this swim! Whether it was the new BlueSeventy Helix wetsuit I got for this race, not swimming over other athletes, or the fact I’d swam in this lake so many times, it was the best swim I ever had there. I was so much at peace in the swim, it felt like I had the lake to myself. After swimming two loops of the swim course at a constant 1:30/ 100 yards, I exited sixth in the swim feeling very positive it’d be a good race day. But then came the bike…

Even though I knew ahead of time how rough the bike course was, I really didn’t enjoy it this time around. And having to yield to other athletes who didn’t mind taking risks on the downhill was even less enjoyable. On the steep downhill, an athlete passed me and their water bottle ejected in front of me. The bottle bounced around the road like a pinball. From that point of the bike course and on, I learned to practice even more caution. As long as I finished the bike course before it started raining, that’s all that mattered to me. In the past I’d get easily upset with athletes who didn’t yield as much as I would’ve liked, but it’s better to save that adrenaline for parts of the race that work to your benefit. Anger is good fuel, it just needs to be channeled towards something positive.

Climb every mountain… on a bike!

This year I came to realize cycling was my weakest discipline in triathlon. But I did notice doing well in one cycling skill: climbing. I honestly haven’t liked climbing on a bike, but I’ve seen in past races other athletes have liked it less than me. The White Mountain Triathlon bike course has a large climb at the end of the course, which meant an opportunity for me to gain on those who passed me before. After yielding to half a dozen or so triathletes on the downhill portions of the course, I was able to cover some lost ground in the climb. Though the climb was painful, it worked to my benefit and came back two places and was in 9th place entering transition.

After I started running it started to rain. It wasn’t coming down too hard, but I was glad I didn’t have to deal with that on the bike course. Running is my favorite part of triathlons. When coming off a bike, I feel so positive and motivated, and I try to ride that positive momentum throughout the run. During this race I told myself that as long as I went at a steady pace, the run should feel great.

Because I was concerned about the 800 feet of elevation change over the 11.8 mile run course, I went at a slower pace than the last half Ironman I did at the 2022 Patriot Half, locking in at a 7:15 per mile pace. The course was four laps, which made it easy to gauge my pace without having to look at the watch as much. I could see from running the laps it wouldn’t be possible to catchup to the leaders. Early on in the run I was able to catch up two places and I was content with keeping seventh place for the rest of the run. On my last lap, I could see Doug starting his run leg. I was really happy to see he made it through the bike course okay, “I love you Doug!” I picked up the pace to 6:40 mile for the last mile and held it to the finish.

Doug (right) and I (left) finishing another White Mountains Triathlon.

Was there a part of me that wished I went less conservative for the White Mountain Triathlon? Not at all! It wasn’t a race worth taking risks. I was happy I could do a triathlon near family, up in the beautiful White Mountains, and “half” some more half Ironman experience. Also Doug and I had our best triathlon score yet for this race! We really couldn’t complain.

Mid Half: Wolf Olympic Triathlon

The weeks in between the Half Ironmans was time well spent with family. With Danielle’s help, I was able to create a training plan that timed well with family gatherings and didn’t require always following a strict plan. Danielle would remind me during triathlon season training that the primary focus was maintaining my base triathlon fitness. That also meant base triathlon “mental fitness” too. In other words, not worrying so much about triathlons. I wasn’t always perfect about keeping a base triathlon mental fitness, and I had a “Come to Jesus” moment at an Olympic Triathlon.

2023 would be the year to spend less time living triathlon and more time with living real life.

The Wolf Olympic Triathlon in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire was supposed to be a straightforward and fun tune up for my second Half Ironman in September. Well it turned out to be an event that got the best of me, and not in a good way. Although I had family with me, I was agitated by a lot of little things in the race. Whether it was the last minute adjustment to the bike course due to flood damage on the roads, black flies eating me up in transition, or the lack of cold water and Gatorade drink at aid stations, I couldn’t believe this was all happening at once in a triathlon.

Having family cheering me on has helped me a lot getting through races. My family helped me push through many tough times that race especially after I took a wrong turn on the bike course and was passed. Fast slowly and rough steadily, I gained on the lead triathlete during the run and passed him with a mile left to go. However, the last mile he was actually running right behind me. I spent a lot of energy catching up to him and running a 6:00 mile pace, and I couldn’t really break away from him. The last 300 meters in the race was actually on an outdoor track, and when we rounded the last turn, 100 meters before the finish, I was passed. I lost the race.

I was really upset. Never had I competed in a triathlon where another triathlete would draft behind me in a run and then pass me at the final sprint. Though a legal running tactic, I felt cheated. I threw my hat on the ground, and when the lead triathlete came over to congratulate me I didn’t shake his hand. If it weren’t for my family being there I wouldn’t have come to my senses afterwards at the awards ceremony and shake the triathlete’s hand. Speaking with Danielle afterwards about the race, she told me “If it’s the difference between an Ironman World Championship slot or not, you do what you can in the run to place well, within the rules.”

Lost the battle, but still in the war. With Wyatt and Aunt Mal in background left.

You should never take things personally, especially triathlons. Momma once told me back in her rowing days when her coach saw her crew out of sorts he’d tell them to ignore everything that happens outside of the boat. It doesn’t matter how awful the weather is, how good the competitors are, what the results will be. Perform purposely. Translation… Live purposely. I had to move on from the Wolf race, and this was greatly helped by the fact had one more chance this summer at Tri-demption!

Second Half: Ironman 70.3 New York

Not too far from home in the big city, Ironman created a brand new half distance race for 2023 on Long Island’s Jones Beach called Ironman 70.3 New York. The race course had a bay protected swim, a closed bike course on a highway with no car traffic, and flat run with less than 100 feet of elevation gain. I thought this was a great opportunity and signed up shortly after it was announced. Soon afterwards, the race sold out 3000+ slots.

Like all other Ironman 70.3 branded races, the Ironman 70.3 New York had slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. 2024’s World Championship would be in New Zealand, a country I’ve wanted to visit ever since Dad travelled there and sung its praises when I was a kid. Growing up we thought it was cool we had a Dad who visited “Middle Earth” from Lord of the Rings. Getting a slot at the sold out New York race would be difficult, but not impossible. Training this summer I felt stronger than last year when I was close to qualifying at Ironman Florida, so who knew?

A week before the Ironman 70.3 I checked the weather report... Race day would be rain and wicked high wind speeds, 30mph average. Gulp. I figured the swim would be shortened, and the flat run wouldn’t be too bad, but the portions of the bike course along the very exposed beaches and bridges would be difficult. I didn’t think my bike handling would be put to the test again this summer, but with these conditions it certainly would. This was the first race I had to strap my bike in the transition area with zip ties because of how windy it would be overnight. “Expect the unexpected so the unexpected won’t be expected,” I reminded myself.

Strapping my bike in transition for dear life before the storm.

Ironman 70.3 NY Race

As predicted the swim course was shortened, but the bike and run distances remained the same. Not sure if this was inspirational or foolish, but seeing thousands of other triathletes also in this stormy weather gave me reassurance I could still have a great race. After quickly removing the zip ties and plastic bags from my bike safe in the transition area, it was time to get to the bay for the swim. Though the bay was protected from most of the elements, there was a little chop. The water condition were slightly similar to that of Ironman Florida, but thankfully no jellyfish this time around. After seeing me head off, Kerry went over to the medical tent at transition to volunteer.

The 750 meter swim was so quick compared to any of my previous swims including my training swims in the pool this year. It first started with swimming into the wind and the chop for the first half of the swim, but then after the turnaround you could ride the chop and tailwind very quickly back to the beach. Because it was a short swim, there was a bit of congestion and lots of swimmers were colliding into each other. I dealt with similar congestion issues in the Wolf Triathlon swim and so I was “comfortable” with swimming a little slower and more defensively.

Not too far near the last 100 meter buoy, the water started to be shallow again. As soon as I was able to grab sand from my swim stroke, I stood up and started running towards the swim finishing area. Kerry actually ended up seeing me exit out of the water on her way to the medical tent. The quick swim took a total of 12 minutes and 41 seconds, I finished 82nd in the pack.

Kerry spotting me already finished with the shortened 750m swim.

The swim was easier than I thought, but as soon as I got on the bike I knew it was just as difficult as I expected. Right after hopping on the bike I was feeling strong crosswinds on the parkway and had to get out of the aero position in order to balance myself. Recalling the quick bike maneuvering from White Mountains Triathlon, I felt I could handle this safely even though it wasn’t fun. Luckily after three miles of crossing the bay and heading into tree cover, the cross winds were none existent. I was able to keep consistent speeds along the “flat as a pancake” parkway and get back into the aero position.

Bike Balancing.

My goal for the bike course, besides to not get hurt, was to stay consistent with each loop of this two loop course. When looping the bike course again, things got similar to the swim course and there were some congestion issues with little room to pass. Though I had to slow down at times, I was able to keep my energy levels constant and I didn’t lose much speed from the first loop. The race was probably the first long triathlon course I’ve done that my body didn’t feel achy at any point in the bike course. Safely and steadily I finished the bike course 63rd overall in 2:25:30, 23 mph average speed.

I have no issues running in the rain, I revel in it! I was feeling so good after the bike ride that I started running my 10K pace of 5:50 per mile. Realizing quickly that this was also because the course started with a tailwind I kicked it back a little to 6:20 per mile, but I was still passing other triathletes. I grabbed a gel early on in the run and a spectator in a thick Long Island accent asked me, “You vaping bro?” I was glad to see some spectator was having fun with jokes in the cold rain. Later I had another nutrition related incident at the turnaround. I thought I was grabbing water at an unmanned aid station but turned out to be Coke. Coke is actually good race fuel, but I recommend it should only be consumed towards the end of the race when you need a quick caffeine boost.

“I’m runnin’ in the rain, just runnin’ in the rain, what a glorious feeling I’m happy again!”

My pace dropped 40 seconds to a minute during the headwind parts of the course. I expected this, but didn’t realize there would be a headwind at the end portion of the run. If I wanted to do my best, and maybe get a Championship slot, I needed to push through the headwind. I ran comfortably for the most part until Mile 10 and then after that I started to run past the point of comfort. Maybe because I wasn’t sweating as much in the rain, but I didn’t feel I needed to stop at the water stations during the last three miles of the race. It turned out that was the right call. I was able to keep a consistent pace without having to slow down for water.

Seeing the weather getting windier and rainier than when the race started, I felt even more motivated to run faster. But what truly got me running the fastest, was seeing Kerry 50 meters from the finish. After supporting me all this summer through smoky skies, “Olympic distance hat throwing,” and a tropical storm, Kerry was with me the whole time. And at the perfect moment in the race, she was cheering me home to the finish. 50 “Kerry Kicks” later I crossed the finish line.

Kerry Kicking to the finish, with Kerry in the background.

I finished with my second fastest recorded half marathon time ever at 1:25:30 and placed 21st overall with a total time of 4:09:13. The storm was getting to be so difficult to stand around in that the awards and Championship allocation ceremony was cancelled and would be done online. Finishing 8th in my age group, I wasn’t sure if I received a “ticket” to New Zealand.

Two weeks later I received an email from Ironman… I had a qualifying slot for 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand! An unexpected journey to Middle Earth, Kerry and I eagerly accepted!

 
Lawrence Merrill
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