The Triathlon That Ended With a Trip to the ER

There Will Be Blood. He carefully weaved the thin thread through exposed tissue, tying layers of skin together using a stitching technique called a horizontal mattress suture. The needle poked around, under, over, but didn’t cause any pain thanks to the anesthetic administered a few minutes prior. Two other wounds had been cleaned and tended to. Once the stitches were completed, instructions were given and I walked out of the Gulf Breeze Hospital Emergency Room.

[my sister gives the best hugs… photo by Erin Remy @ErinWilderRemy74]

Back to the Future. Six hours earlier. 430am. The morning started in the hotel room with a long, hot shower… something of a luxury when you live in a travel trailer. My sisters and brother-in-law were still asleep. After the shower, I ate breakfast overlooking the beach and the oceanside homes. Quiet. Cool. Calm.

Then it was time to stretch. Suit up. Gather the gear. My brother-in-law and I biked over to the triathlon transition area to set up, thankful to have my headlamp because it was still dark out. I found my assigned bicycle rack and began sorting through the gear, placing items like shoes, helmet, number belt, in the most strategic positions. I also chatted with a few friends from the triathlon club in Tallahassee then continued prepping. Around 645am all the athletes gathered at the start line for a few instructions and the National Anthem. Goggles on. Time to swim.

Just Go With It. The wind had picked up since the day before and foresight from the race organizers called for a change: the swim leg was moved from one side of the island to the other. This turned out to be a significant adjustment for everyone. Not only was it safer, in theory, but it also altered the route from a left-to-right rectangle course to a right-to-left triangle, which was wonderful for me as I’m most comfortable breathing on the left side and now I was able to see the shoreline as I popped my head up for air. Another major factor was the depth of the water. Meaning… there wasn’t much of it! Because of tides and whatnot, most athletes waded through the water for at least 100 yards, almost to the first buoy. For average swimmers like me, I was very OK with that. Kudos to officials for making changes on the fly and high fives to the triathletes who adapted with positive attitudes.

[start line… photo by Erin Remy @ErinWilderRemy74]

A Mighty Wind. Next up was cycling. The 13-mile course was an out-and-back, cyclists turning around halfway to go back in the opposite direction. What I didn’t know was how gusty the winds were going to be for the first half. It was as if I was pulling someone behind me (I wasn’t) and I swear the elevation was a thousand feet (it wasn’t).

As I pedaled and pushed towards the halfway point, I encouraged myself with little reminders that the wind would be behind me for the 6.5-mile ride back to the transition area. This turned out to be true. My average speed in the first half was in the 15 to 16 mph range and the back half averaged over 21 mph.

[starting the bike leg… photo by Daniel Cook @RunDMC_88]

Chicken Run. As I cruised in on the bike, I successfully completed a rolling dismount without a hitch. I racked my bike, swapped out shoes and shed my helmet as patiently yet as quickly as possible.The last leg of the race is usually my favorite– the 5K run– and that was true for this race. It’s not that it’s fun or easy. After all, I have chicken legs according to my stalker. But a few parts of the 3-mile run give me a mental boost: Knowing the race is 2/3 finished and I’m a stronger runner than I am a swimmer or cyclist. I ran towards the transition exit where my sisters and a college friend were hooping and hollering all kinds of encouragement to get me going in that first few hundred yards. There’s nothing like that kind of support when your body is kind of mostly saying “no.” Strangers along the way offered shouts of affirmation as runners wound through an idyllic beach neighborhood. Would those 630am Tuesday track intervals pay off? That question kept floating through my mind because I had been doing the training for a couple of months, even committed enough to buy those little running shorts runners wear. I grew to love those early mornings and the crew of people showing up every week. It challenged me both physically and mentally and this triathlon was the first test of any improvement.

I kept track of my average pace during the race and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Even when I felt slow, sluggish, moving against the wind (again!) my pace was really good. What a boost of confidence and a testament to the Tuesday morning track runs. I’m so grateful for the coach, the technician who sets up the clocks, the other athletes, it’s such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction to see hard work paying off. But I’ve teased long enough. Was I able to finish the race at all?

[first mile of the 5K… photo by Daniel Cook @RunDMC_88]

Homeward Bound. Turning into the transition area and being rooted on by triathlete friends and family was everything. But there’s this little thing I’ve been delaying. Remember that whole trip to the ER thing? It was because of the accident that left me lying on the pavement, blood running down my leg, wondering if I’d be pulled off the course altogether.

Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story including more specific details (with pictures!), what I’ll be adding to the list of my most embarrassing sports fails, and the final results of the triathlon…

-Out of the Wilderness

The iPhone When I Push I Feel Good Commercial – The Music and More

A lot of people will say good music died a long time ago and they’ll point to poetic and colorful lyrics of songs from the 1970s or 80s as the standard in which modern music fails to match. They’ll pluck out a songs from pop radio and say, “See!? This song is utterly atrocious!” Depending on which song they use from whatever’s culturally relevant in 2024, I’d most likely agree, to be honest. There aren’t many songs from the last 10 or 20 years that will be getting Pulitzer Prize considerations and we can just leave it at that! It could be the melody (or lack thereof), the lack of complexity, or the 3rd grade-level lyrics that exclude so many songs from ever being good in any way but then there are a few that sneak through to surprise everyone. It might not have complexity on its surface, lyrics might be severely limited, but somehow the song slaps (is that what the youths are saying?). It’s a vibe. Something about it works. I’d suggest that this is the case for the soundtrack of this recent iPhone commercial. Check it out then scroll down for the name of the song and more…

When the aliens get here, this song probably won’t be lauded as the best earth dwellers had to offer but without a doubt, the Martians will be dancing. This song checks some boxes for what shouldn’t work– for instance, just using a handful of words for the entire song– and yet, every time I hear it, I’m moving my body. The dubstep song is called “Push” by Skrillex, Hamdi, and Taichu, featuring Offaiah. Here’s the full track…

The genius integration of this song couldn’t be more perfect for an ad highlighting a phone’s zoom in and zoom out function. The dubstep/techno song repeating “push” and “pull” while we watch the camera pushing in or pulling out is as WYSIWYG as can be… even if phones have been zooming in and out for years. As non-iPhone users would say at this point, “Ummm, Android has entered the chat.” Kind of like what happened with my Sony action camera: GoPro gets all the hype but the Sony HDR-AS300 was using some features years before GoPro.

But hey, who’s keeping track? And how can anyone keep up with technology anyway? It’s constantly changing, improving, and we’re living in a fun time of incredible tech gear! Also, Apple has a fun commercial and a great song to go along with it. What do you think? Chime in below…

-Out of the Wilderness

Sprint Triathlon Teaser

I’m writing this the night before my first ocean sprint triathlon and there’s already been a twist! Dun dun dunnnnn!!! Because of weather, would you guess that (1) the organizers cancelled the swim portion, or (2) organizers moved the swim to a different, safer area? 

If you guessed (1) cancel the swim, making the race a duathlon (run, bike, run), you would be………. wrong! Phew. Swimming is my weakest leg but I would be bummed if we didn’t get to do it. I’ve been spending time in local pools trying to make my stroke less embarrassing, so tomorrow is my chance to swim with people watching. Instead of the Gulf ocean side of the area, we’re swimming on a lagoon side so in theory the water will be calm and the current won’t be as strong.

So far the bicycle and the run haven’t changed courses and I don’t think they’ll be adjusting those. The rain has stopped. Tomorrow morning, the roads should be mostly dry with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s. The change of venue for the swim adds distance to transition 1 so now the dilemma is this: Running barefoot over concrete for about twice as long as the transition would’ve been if the weather was dry and clear.

Also, I need to be mentally prepared if they decide, in the morning, to cancel the swim altogether but either way, tomorrow will be a race.  

-Out of the Wilderness

A Triathlon Precap – Can’t, Competition, and Community

It’s been about a year and a half since I raced in my first sprint triathlon. I can still remember exactly what I said after crossing the finish line:

I went on to say, “I’m never doing that again.” It was part “won’t do it again” and part “can’t.” It was hard and the swimming just about did me in. I had no idea what I was getting into even though I had done some training and the experience was described to me. Still though, sometimes you just don’t know what things are going to be like until you do them yourself. A recap of that experience (if you feel like laughing along with me) can be read here.

Spoiler alert: I DID do that again and you know what, I’m doing it AGAIN tomorrow! I’ve become slightly attached to these races for a few reasons. Obviously the competition is a big part of it, the challenge of pushing myself to get faster, stronger, etc. …even though it might be true that people are past their athletic prime when they get in their 40s. Another part is the enjoyment of being involved in sporting events. The training, the sweat, the almost-gonna-throw-up feeling, sun coming up over the transition area as dozens (or hundreds) of people prepare. But also… the community. I’ve made great friends who encourage, inspire, give tips, and are in each other’s corner every step of the way. That’s been a really wonderful thing to experience.

For this race in particular, here are a few elements I’m very curious about: the location of the swimming (ocean) and the quality of my running (since I’ve gotten in the habit of training intervals before the sun comes up every Tuesday morning – more on that here).

I’m excited. This is a popular race so I have tempered my expectations about my results, but still have goals. I’ll update with another post, post-race!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Wrangler Blue Jeans Commercial – The Song and More…

I’ve written about a lot of commercials in the last couple of hears (see my Popular TV Ads page for more) but this is the first time I’ve covered a Wrangler Jeans ad. I was streaming a movie on Hulu and as soon as the commercial came on, I knew I wanted to post about it. The movie I was watching was a 2009 film about a vampire… or was she a werewolf… I don’t know but “Jennifer’s Body” starring Megan Fox wasn’t all that bad.

Speaking of bodies, here’s denim for your lower half in that Wrangler ad called “Good Mornings Make for Better Days.”

Rawr. That vampire/werewolf/zombie movie also had a supporting cast member that barely made it in for a scene. When the credits rolled, his name was one of three on screen so he was clearly not the big star he is today. An actor by the name of Chris Pratt.

The Music. Back to the Wrangler commercial, I know you’re dying to know the name of the song! It’s appropriately called “Jeans On” by an artist named David Dundas from way back in 1977.

-Out of the Wilderness