And the winner is... not me.
Personal Time, Rank: 10:52, 2/1827
Team Time, Rank: 12:42, 2/376
Perhaps I’m being a little too hard on myself, and especially my team, but I’m disappointed. Training up to the event, our captain/ coach/ most experienced member was pumping us up with how prepared we were, how fast we were, how we could totally do this thing. Mainly he had our female member pegged to do 14:00. Unfortunately, she did 15:30. He pegged himself at 11:30 (which would’ve been a personal best), but he only did 12:23, and another guy he pegged to stay with or pass himself, and he came in at 12:49. Basically every member of the team except me did at least a minute worse than they wanted/expected. The only one to also do well was a wildcard brought in from outside the companies. He got 11:01, though he was aiming for well under 11:00. But he’d run a half marathon the day before, thinking the climb wasn’t until Sunday.
I had it in mind that we could “own the podium”: Fastest Male, Fastest Female, Fastest Co-Ed Team, maybe even Fastest Overall Team. And with my performance, faster than anyone in this climb for as far as my data goes (2007), I was sure I’d get the Fastest Male title. I was walking on a cloud. At the after-party they were brining up Olympic athletes past and future, and announcing their times in 12-15 minute range, and I was scoffing at them. But now I’m (we’re) only 2nd best. I kept hearing from everyone how awesome I was going to do. How I was a force to be reckoned with. I was an Avatar, and machine. But I kept my ego in check, and didn’t believe it until I finished it. Until then, it just drove me to work harder. I was not going to lose face, or let anyone down. But I feel like I was the only one. The others skipped the odd practice while I doubled my load.
This team had a six-year streak of 1st place wins. Never fastest man, or woman, or overall team, but at least Fastest Co-Ed Team was theirs. And now, the year I join, after training so hard, after performing better than anyone the company has ever had, we lose the title. There was talk of a couple teams trying specifically to “take us down”. But it’s not like we’re facing off against them. They couldn’t gang up on us to eliminate us early in the competition. We had every advantage. We were front of the line, with fresh stairs, clean air, and the camaraderie of 90 other climbers from our corporation. The only way for anyone to take us down was to train harder and want it more, which they apparently did. The team that beat us out claimed Fastest Co-Ed Team, Fastest Overall Team, and Fastest Female. Their fastest male placed 3rd overall. I (and the guy who beat me) beat him, at least.
Part of my problem is that I don’t consider myself outstanding in any way. I’m not an athlete. I wouldn’t even consider myself a weekend warrior. This is a lunch-break pass-time. And I got under 11:00 on my first try. I don’t feel I worked especially hard for this. No less than anyone involved in any sport should for their main competition. So in my mind, if I can do it, why can’t the veterans, the real athletes, the lifestylers? I’ve never been the best at anything, and for one day I believed I was. Perhaps if 2nd place was at the end of a long road, a series of successively better times, I'd be happier with it. The guy that took first place beat me by 3 seconds. He's a veteran. He also took first in 2008. He gets faster every year.
So yeah, I’m bummed.
*kicks dirt*
I already know, and eventually it'll sink in, that this is my starting point. Now I have perspective, and an entire year to train. I know there were things I could've done better. this wasn't my best performance. I can get better. We'll talk again in a year.
Update: The public climb results from Saturday just came out. One guy beat me from that climb too. But he did it in a time of 9:13! That is hard-core. That is the class above me that I was expecting to see. Now I have a target to work for.
Also, that puts my rank at 3/6217 :)
Team Time, Rank: 12:42, 2/376
Perhaps I’m being a little too hard on myself, and especially my team, but I’m disappointed. Training up to the event, our captain/ coach/ most experienced member was pumping us up with how prepared we were, how fast we were, how we could totally do this thing. Mainly he had our female member pegged to do 14:00. Unfortunately, she did 15:30. He pegged himself at 11:30 (which would’ve been a personal best), but he only did 12:23, and another guy he pegged to stay with or pass himself, and he came in at 12:49. Basically every member of the team except me did at least a minute worse than they wanted/expected. The only one to also do well was a wildcard brought in from outside the companies. He got 11:01, though he was aiming for well under 11:00. But he’d run a half marathon the day before, thinking the climb wasn’t until Sunday.
I had it in mind that we could “own the podium”: Fastest Male, Fastest Female, Fastest Co-Ed Team, maybe even Fastest Overall Team. And with my performance, faster than anyone in this climb for as far as my data goes (2007), I was sure I’d get the Fastest Male title. I was walking on a cloud. At the after-party they were brining up Olympic athletes past and future, and announcing their times in 12-15 minute range, and I was scoffing at them. But now I’m (we’re) only 2nd best. I kept hearing from everyone how awesome I was going to do. How I was a force to be reckoned with. I was an Avatar, and machine. But I kept my ego in check, and didn’t believe it until I finished it. Until then, it just drove me to work harder. I was not going to lose face, or let anyone down. But I feel like I was the only one. The others skipped the odd practice while I doubled my load.
This team had a six-year streak of 1st place wins. Never fastest man, or woman, or overall team, but at least Fastest Co-Ed Team was theirs. And now, the year I join, after training so hard, after performing better than anyone the company has ever had, we lose the title. There was talk of a couple teams trying specifically to “take us down”. But it’s not like we’re facing off against them. They couldn’t gang up on us to eliminate us early in the competition. We had every advantage. We were front of the line, with fresh stairs, clean air, and the camaraderie of 90 other climbers from our corporation. The only way for anyone to take us down was to train harder and want it more, which they apparently did. The team that beat us out claimed Fastest Co-Ed Team, Fastest Overall Team, and Fastest Female. Their fastest male placed 3rd overall. I (and the guy who beat me) beat him, at least.
Part of my problem is that I don’t consider myself outstanding in any way. I’m not an athlete. I wouldn’t even consider myself a weekend warrior. This is a lunch-break pass-time. And I got under 11:00 on my first try. I don’t feel I worked especially hard for this. No less than anyone involved in any sport should for their main competition. So in my mind, if I can do it, why can’t the veterans, the real athletes, the lifestylers? I’ve never been the best at anything, and for one day I believed I was. Perhaps if 2nd place was at the end of a long road, a series of successively better times, I'd be happier with it. The guy that took first place beat me by 3 seconds. He's a veteran. He also took first in 2008. He gets faster every year.
So yeah, I’m bummed.
*kicks dirt*
I already know, and eventually it'll sink in, that this is my starting point. Now I have perspective, and an entire year to train. I know there were things I could've done better. this wasn't my best performance. I can get better. We'll talk again in a year.
Update: The public climb results from Saturday just came out. One guy beat me from that climb too. But he did it in a time of 9:13! That is hard-core. That is the class above me that I was expecting to see. Now I have a target to work for.
Also, that puts my rank at 3/6217 :)