Training for Death Ride mentally drained me more than I liked. With all the focus on riding road I missed dirt. Although I had two triathlons on the calendar I opted to reconnect with the Mojo and spend the majority of my time being the dirty girl that I am. Every day I ride dirt I'm reminded just how much I love mtbing more than any other sport. I was also significantly behind on client work and needed to focus on getting back on track. All this means is that swimming and running were neglected activities.
The next time I wheeled Cervy out of the garage was for the Marin Century. It was a great day but I still longed for dirt. While riding dirt that following Monday I reinjured my sacrum. This left me uncomfortable for a week and debating the Emmett triathlon that Saturday. I ended up sitting it out until I could see my PT for confirmation what was wrong. After dealing with the jammed femur and a slow recovery to get me back to 70% I didn't want to push it. I also had the Jordanelle Triathlon coming up and I wanted to make at least one of them.
The Jordanelle Triathlon is held near Park City, Utah. I flew out to meet my friend Kirsten who was also doing the tri. I would be her first. I hadn't really done any swimming after Death Ride except for one OWS when I was camping at Utica Reservoir. My PT had told me that I was not to push it on the run and risk injuring myself further. I wasn't nervous at all until the morning of the race when I saw them placing the buoys for the swim - 750 meters, the longest OWS I would have ever done. That's when the nerves hit and the self doubt started. My stomach began to flip and turn and feeling as if breakfast should be coming up any minute. Every attempt to calm myself down and mentally build myself up proved a failure. At one point the thought of backing out crossed my mind. Not only did the buoys look far but why did the second one have to be in the middle of the ocean?! OK, I realize Lake Jordanelle isn't the ocean but when you have a fear of water as strong as I do it might as well be the ocean. A few times I dry heaved and the taste of stomach acid sat in my mouth. Given the typical dry mouth from nerves this is not the way one wishes to start a race.
I suited up and slowly inched my way to the water. They were having all women up to age 39 start in the first wave. The water was filled with yellow swim caps. The start line was several yards out into the water and I inched my way up until I could just barely reach. When you have a fear of water even treading water causes the heart rate to surge. The gun went off and arms, legs and miscellaneous body parts were hitting me every where. I figured it was too crowded to attempt free styling it so I did my own version of the breast stroke and waiting for things to thin out. Woman around me began to panic and hyperventilate which was not helping me any. I tried to swim fast enough to get them behind me but as soon as I did I would hit another group of women who were struggling just as much as I was. I sited the first buoy and stayed fixed on making it there. At no time did my face hit the water during that stretch and at no time was my heart rate any where below 180. I wasn't wearing a HR monitor but I know for certain my HR has never gotten that high on a bike ride. "You will not drown, you will not drown, just stay calm" I kept repeating to myself but hearing women flailing around me and gasping "oh god, oh god" was working against me. I rounded the first buoy and hoped to be able to attempt to freestyle but never gathered the courage to get my face in the water. There were still too many people around and my HR was still soaring. I flipped onto my back and tried to take some deep pilates breaths. I closed my eyes and thought of my happy place and then I dunked some pour woman as my had came down on her head! I'm not sure I've ever apologized so many times in one day. Floating is easy but you tend to hit a lot of folks too. I turned back over to site the second buoy and decided I was mentally done with this leg of the tri. "Just get through it" became my motto. It was hard to site the dock without a brightly colored buoy and I was, again, on my back or side breathing like a steam engine. "Just get through it. Just get through it". I saw people begin walking up the dock but when I tried to put my foot down it didn't touch anything. When you have a fear of the water this also is not the experience you want! I inched my way over to the dock and wanted to fall into child's pose and kiss the ground. Embarrassment and fear that the second wave might run over me prevented that from happening. I gathered myself and ran up the dock to the transition area.
My happy place! I tore the wetsuit off my shaking body, geared up for the ride and turned to get out of transition. There was a women standing in the middle of the aisle resting on her bike, WTF? "EXCUSE ME" I yelled as she mumbled a "Oh, I'm sorry". I mounted Cervy and a smile broke out on my face - here is where I make up my time! Instantly I began passing folks. I shifted into big gear and let the body do what it's been trained to do. The first part of the course was a false flat. 1-2% grade leading up to a steep short climb and then downhill. After DR nothing feels like a hill anymore. I opted to stay on the left side the whole time and my motto became "on your left, on your left, on your left". People were remarking on how fast I was riding and I was thinking "you all might be able to swim faster than me but this is Cervy's time to FLY". I'd pick my carrot and attack them, making sure to take time to read what age group they were in. I passed men and women but did not see anyone in my age group. Damnit, they had to be further in front so I pushed harder and waited patiently for the hill, my strength. As the hill began to show itself I noticed the 20+ riders slowly making there way up. I rounded the corner, dropped a few gears and let the legs do what they love to do - climb! One by one and sometimes two by two I became dropping riders. They'd either let out a disappointing sigh or a 'awesome power' comment. I focused on the girl in pink at the top of the hill, my next carrot. I knew that once we finished the hill it was all down hill and Cervy still had the mtb cassette on her which would leave a few gears too short. I silently hoped some of the riders in front of me were a bit hesitant on the downhill. I was not so lucky in that regard. We all sailed down the hill without anyone being passed. I stayed fixed on the carrot wearing pink and hammered on the flat section until I passed her. New carrot? Then I hear someone coming up behind me, WTH? I turn to look and it's the first Olympic male racer wearing an aero helmet, my next carrot. I kept him in site and watched his uber high Lance Armstrong cadence. The next Oly male passed me. They made for great carrots but it was bit disappointing to be passed by Oly competitors while doing a sprint tri. We rounded the corner into the final chute to transition and it was like everyones speed dropped by half. I figured this was the final push and hammered to the end. At the dismount a guy in front of me managed to fall and take out two other riders. Ugh, is it proper tri etiquette to excuse yourself as you step over a down rider?
I pushed Cervy to her resting place and changed into my running gear. After dealing with the hip injury for most of this year my goal was to not re injure myself at all. Each burp I continued to taste stomach acid even though the nerves had stopped once I dragged my drowned body from the water. I focused on form and not speed. When I felt a tinge of pain in the hip I stopped, walked and started again focusing on form. My stomach cramped and screamed in pain and another burp of stomach acid sat in my mouth, just lovely. I passed and got passed but at this point all that mattered was focusing on form and getting through the run without it requiring an emergency call to the PT. Once we left the pavement and hit dirt I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I had some additional cushioning. At mile 2 I hit my running zen state but when it's only a 3 mile run it's a bit late. I began passing more and more people and sat in that zen state thinking had this been a 5 or 6 mile run I might actually do okay. We ran over a bridge that twisted and turned several times each time begging us to peer around the corner asking if this was the final turn to the finish. Finally it came into sight and I crossed the finish completing my second triathlon.
I grabbed some water and fruit then found Kirsten's friends. It was nice to be done and I wanted to see Kirsten come across the finish line completing her first tri!!
Final time: 1:38:24.41
Swim 00:23:25.259
T1 00:02:55.923
Bike 00:42:10.268
T2 00:01:46.944
Run 00:28:07.019
In true Caryn fashion, I have already found another sprint tri, swim school and OWS practice and events. I will conquer this fear!! So much for that off-season I've been looking forward to.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Death Ride 2009
In the weeks preceding Death Ride I logged a 104 century ride up Mt. Hamilton and several 5+ hour rides, one which included a climb up Mt. Diablo. On a mtb ride the week before my friends had assured me I was prepared for Death Ride. I went into the ride feeling adequately trained (thanks Coach Thomas) and confident.
We started the day much later than originally anticipated. We arrived in Markleeville and were ready to roll at 6:30AM, much later than the official 5:30AM start and much, much later than the first rider who started at 3:30AM. I wasn't even up at that gawd awful time! The weather was clear with temps in the low 60's to start, perfect riding weather! Micah, Roland and I agreed to ride at our own pace and meet up at the aid stations. My goals for the day were to take it easy, eat at every aid station and make sure I took in every minute of the ride. Each pass holds some spectacular Sierra views and I wanted to remember the awesomeness of the day and not the pain. I set an easy pace heading out to the base of the first two passes. It felt so much easier than when I rode in during a training ride! At the base of Monitor I stopped to take off my jacket and snapped my first picture. Against the rules, I had brought my iPod with me to help with any tough grinds.
I didn't remember Monitor being a tough climb until the final pitch where you questioned where the top was. My easy pace had me passing people and being paced and I reminded myself this was not a timed event nor a race. I took in the views, said hi to almost everyone, chatted with some folks and enjoyed the first climb. I got several comments about my pink ensemble and had a good time with it. At the first aid station I stopped to fill my water bottle and ate some Fig Newtons. The aid workers and I joked about my pinkness and how it would make me go faster.
I continued on, passing people who were breathing really hard. Not a good sign half way through your first pass! I took in the views and continued to chat with people and held a nice easy pace. The next aid station was at the top of Monitor pass. As you neared the aid station a crew would put a sticker on your bib marking your first earned pass. I took in the amount of people there, ate fig newtons, filled the water bottles and chatted folks up. The pink get-up continued to be a conversation starter. The first time I had ridden Monitor I was much more tired than I was today. I still felt fresh and ready for more.
As we headed down the backside of Monitor the folks who started near the official start time were coming back up. Waves and waves of people pedaling. It was almost annoying since they were taking up the entire road way on the left and folks were breaking out of the pack to pass. As we were flying down a straggler would break away into our lane so you always had to keep your speed slightly in check for the unpredictable behavior. Although I had wished we had started earlier I was glad not to be in a crowd like that. I found Thomas in a wave of people and waved to him.
At the base of Monitor I ate again, filled water bottles and made jokes about my pinkness. They placed another sticker on my bib for a second pass earned (officially earned once you got back to the top). I remembered the backside of Monitor being a hot slog the first time I did it. I also more than vaguely remembered the 3 miles at 8% grade. Micah and I took off together and chatted as we rode. The views aren't as spectacular going up the backside of Monitor so it was nice to have a buddy as well as my iPod to keep me entertained. We saw very few people coming down and it almost felt like we were the last riders out there since I knew we were behind the early starter pack. I thought back to the training ride where I kept hitting a false summit and was mentally breaking down because I just wanted it to be over. This time up Monitor I didn't even feel the 8% grade and enjoyed the whole climb.
Coming down the front side of Monitor you can reach crazy speed. Since very few people were climbing and the road was closed to traffic it was like having the whole road to yourself. I tried to keep my eyes on the road but also look down at the GPS. The fastest I saw (which was the fastest I was comfortable going that speed and looking down at the GPS) was 44.7mph. At that point I thought to myself that it wasn't really necessary to be going this fast and backed off. Two guys passed me and I was following closely until one of the guys water bottle flew off his bike and began bouncing right in front of me. Visions of this literally becoming my own personal death ride flashed before me as I was riding at 38mph. Fortunately the bottle bounced just out of my line just in time for me to avoid hitting it. At that point I decided it was better to keep things well in check and take it easy on the descents.
At the bottom on Monitor I made the left turn to begin Ebbetts Pass. I hadn't pre ridden Ebbetts so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The lower half of Ebbetts was a nice grade and I could sit back and really enjoy the riding. Micah was starting to cramp and hung back with me as Roland continued on at his own speed. I was told that Ebbetts was not as steep as Monitor but longer with short but steeper grades. We stopped at the aid station and thought of just continuing on but a man and his daughter said this was the one stop that he never missed to refill his water bottles since he ran out of water in a previous year. I questioned this a little when he said it was six miles to the top since I knew the climb was much longer than that. Most of Ebbetts has nice grades and was easy riding but it wasn't long before the steeper grades made their appearance. Ebbetts had some of the most spectacular views and I couldn't help but stop and snap a few pictures. The epicness of this ride is partially comprised of distance and elevation gain but also the sheer awesomeness of the views.
As we were riding up Ebbetts I saw Rand for a second time and he screamed a hello as he descended down It's pretty easy to spot someone all decked out in pink. Another friend stuck out his tongue as us and then some random guy made another comment. Roland made the comment he felt like he was riding with a celebrity. There were several steeper grades on Ebbetts but I never really felt the 12%. I could feel that I was starting to get a little tired but not nearly as tired as I expected myself to feel. The top of Ebbetts was a huge cluster with people crammed into a much smaller space. Riders were laying down on the dirt taking naps and resting, riders were trying to ride through in each directions, bikes littered every available inch of space. We stopped to refuel and get Micah some salt to help his cramping. The aid stations were well stocked with watermelon, oranges, baked fingerling potatoes, PB&J on bagels, cookies, potato chips, gummy bears, the typical gu and shot blocks, soda, V8, water and Cytomax. We refueled and then headed down Ebbetts. The backside of Ebbetts is a narrow one lane road so you couldn't pick up speed on the descent since there were too many people out. It was only 5 miles down before the turn around. I had gotten a bit chilled at the top of Ebbetts so I wore my jacket for the descent. As I was rolling through the check point the young girl couldn't see my bib and ran after me yelling 'where is it, where is it?' I stopped so she could place my 4th pass sticker on me.
There wasn't a need for more water at that point so we quickly turned our bikes and headed back up. Many folks were in survival mode just slowly spinning their wheels to make it up. Again, the views were just amazing and I took it all in. I was listening to my Ipod and enjoying the experience when I passed a male rider who was struggling. As I passed him I heard him say "you look entirely too relaxed this far into the ride". At that point I thought back to 2005 when I had taken a job 12 miles from my home. On the drive into work that first day I saw several cyclists riding the roads and thought that was something I could do, ditch the car and commute via bike. I hadn't been on a bike since high school when I bought my first road bike and attempted the commute. Although I was active with hiking, I wasn't fit enough to do the full 24 mile commute. I was fortunate to have two cars so I would shuttle the commute, taking the bike to work in the morning and riding home that evening then riding to work the next day and driving back home the next. It took a few months to gain the fitness to do the 24 mile round trip commute 4 days a week. 4 years and thousands of mile later I was riding Death Ride! I had come a long way and cycling had taken over as my sport of choice. All sorts of thoughts cross your mind as you share the road with 2800 cyclists on an epic cycling journey. It was a good day to be alive.
The V8 had really helped Micah and his cramping and him Roland had grow wings and flew up Ebbetts. At the top I overhead someone say that the cut off time was 4PM at Woodfords. If you had not made it to that point by the cutoff time you were not allowed to attempt the final pass. It was 2:15PM and I began to get concerned about making the cutoff. The final cutoff was 5:15 at the base of Carson Pass. Given how windy the day had been up to this point and from hearing past experiences I knew Carson would be a grind and that we'd be blessed with a strong headwind. It was the final stage of the ride and we would be tired to boot. I found Micah and told him that I was going to continue on since I wanted to make sure I made the cutoff times. Fitness wise I still felt good and was confident I would make the final pass. I did not want this day to end with us missing a cutoff time and being pulled off the ride. We went back and forth on cutoff times and what we should do but the only option for me was to get rolling. I didn't want to be pushed for time and didn't want to ride with stress looming over me.
On the way back down Ebbetts and into Markleville I just let it fly. I passed many people on the way down and began to push on the hills and flats. I frequently checked my watch to see how we were doing on time. Micah yelled that it was in the bag and there was no need to push but I was still uneasy and didn't want to take any chances. Roland and Micah wanted to stop at the truck to drop off their cold weather gear before going up Carson. I tossed them the key and kept rolling. I that point I was confident I'd make the Woodford's cutoff but I hadn't ridden HWY 88 to know what the roads were like to the base of Carson. I reached Woodford's with 40 minutes to spare so I knew I had time to get to the last aid station by the cut off time without pushing it. As I started off I saw people coming down HWY 88. Many were smiling but some had a look of wanting this day to be over. The road had a very minor grade for a long way out on HWY 88. I had driven this section of road countless times. It was interesting to be taking it in on a bike. Unlike the other passes, HWY 88 was not closed to road traffic. In addition to watching the erratic cyclist we now had to watch for impatient drivers. The cyclists were tired and began making poor decisions like making unannounced stops or pulling out to pass just as a car was coming. It was very unsettling. I continued up with an easy pace being very aware of my surroundings.
I saw Thomas on his way down and we exchanged greetings again. I had stopped to change water bottles and he made a turn and caught up to me. He asked me where I was going - to the top of course! He gave me the details of what lay ahead and had asked how I was feeling. Up until Carson I was feeling good but I could tell I was tiring. Although my legs still felt strong and that they still had something left in them my upper body was killing me. My right shoulder hurt the worst and would go dumb at times. After our brief conversation Thomas, now a 5 pass finisher, headed back into town and I continued the climb.
At one point I looked back and had 10 riders behind me following my lead. Not being a real roadie I wasn't comfortable with being in the lead. Had I known at any time, I could of pulled out to the side and let someone else lead. Instead I pretended to ignore their presence and focused on myself. I reached the aid station and found a spot for my bike. A male rider came up to me and thanked me for leading him up the climb. In the past he would go out to hard and end up blowing up on the climbs. He liked my steady pace and said it helped him save something for the final stretch to the top of Carson. Another rider came up to me to compliment me on my matching outfit. He was responsible for his teams kits and prided himself on his ability to put together attractive ensembles but said I put him to shame. I noticed his hair wasn't dyed red to match their black and red kits and mentioned he might want to consider that. :-)
I took a potty break, stretched my arms and then headed back out. As I looked up ahead I saw a very dark and angry sky. Riders began to come down wearing plastic bags and ponchos and I heard someone mention snow. Uh oh, this was about to get ugly. Thomas had said it was 9 miles from the aid station to the top. I began counting down miles. With 5 miles to go the GPS battery quit and it started to rain. Oh sure, why not! I'm a strong woman but I don't do rain. I didn't do a triathlon because I was concerned about rain and I easily bag workouts if there is any chance of precipitation. However this was Death Ride and I was almost there. The rain was gentle and warm at first. One guy made a comment about it and I told him it would just make our stories better. The rain had to be accompanied by a strong head wind, the story wouldn't be complete without that right? At times the wind was so strong I felt like I was being pushed backwards. Head down and just keep the pedals turning. Folks were littering the side of the road and frantically putting on their warm weather gear. My core temp was still high enough that I felt fine in just my jersey. I wanted a dry jacket for the descent which I expected to be very cold. As the rain continued it grew more steady and got very cold. My focus was on the 10 feet of road directly in front of me but I'd periodically look up to see how much farther we had to go. Without the GPS I had no idea how many more miles lay ahead. At one point I looked up and saw another steep stretch of road. I stared at the section hoping to not see any cyclists coming down it. I was losing my mental wherewith all and was questioning if I had it in my to make it up that grade. The guy behind me must have done the same thing because I heard him yell "Fuck this!". I would guess that every rider had that same thought run through their mind at least once while looking at that stretch of road. I reminded myself that sometimes the grades look steeper from a distance and that I WOULD make this ride no matter what. At this point it was as much a mental challenge as it was physical. I would not come this far and not earn my bragging rights! As I started the turn up the final grade a woman had stopped. She made mention of my outfit and rode next to me for a while. We chatted and I mentioned that we couldn't have much farther to go. Her famous last words were "oh no, it's just around the corner". At that point I knew I would soon become a 5 pass finisher. We continued on and caught up to another woman rider. She yelled 'where the hell is it' and I couldn't help put laugh. It was one really long continuous corner we were riding. As I crested the final part of the corner I saw the familiar cabin for cross country skiers and knew I was there. On our ride into Markleeville the tents were already erected at the top so I knew just how little more I had to go. As the tents came into view a huge smile broke out across my face. I still have 20+ miles to ride back into Markleeville but I was a 5 pass finisher!! I turned into the aid station and placed the final sticker on my bib. Micah and Roland were already there and Micah and I exchanged congratulations. Somewhere in the crowd was ice cream with my name on it. Micah and Roland had dropped their cool weather gear off at the truck so they had nothing but jerseys. They were cold and shivering and wanted to head down. We made plans to meet at the truck and they headed down. I signed the Death Ride poster, sat and ate my ice cream and reflected on what I had done. The rain had stopped at this point but the sun was hiding behind clouds so the temps had dropped. Many folks were not prepared for the rain or cold temps. The Schwan's driver had plastic bags with him and people we grabbing the bags to wear as another layer. Once my ice cream had sat in my stomach for a while my internal temp dropped and I began to feel the chill. I put on my arm warmers and jacket just as the shivering began. I had expected a cold descent and really wanted to get off the mountain and down to lower elevation as soon as I could. Fully clothed I grabbed my bike and took off. My first thought was to go as fast as I could to reach the valley the quickest but the wind chill was taking it toll on me. My jaw ached from the chatter and I bit the inside of my cheek, my lips and my tongue several times. I couldn't control the shivering and was convinced I had a 50% chance of biting off my tongue since I was losing control of my ability to move body parts. I checked my hands several times to make sure I could still control my braking. I slowed down hoping the ease the affects of wind chill but it didn't help the shivering any. I knew once I got down in elevation it would warm up but it seemed to take forever to get there. Once I finally hit the valley floor the shivering still did not stop. I changed gears and began to push to get the blood flowing and hopefully warm up. It took several minutes but finally I could feel the warmth spreading through out my body. I was happy to have this experience finished and hammered my way back to the truck to meet Micah and Roland. Death Ride 2009 had been completed.
Several times on the ride I reflected to places I was in my past. I thought about all the times I pushed past the point of pain or continued on a difficult journey (mentally or physically) long after I had thought it not possible. My theory of when you are in a difficult spot you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and soon enough you'll be in an entirely different place continues to be a motto for me and has gotten me through some of the toughest parts of my life. I am the fittest I have ever been in my life and I've learned to enjoy each minute of the life I lead. Death Ride will go down as one of the best days of my life, marking a journey I would of never fathomed I would ever start yet one I'm happy to say I've completed. I can only wonder - what's next? Oh yeah, Everybody to Everst with the Challenged Athlete's Foundation on April 16, 2010! Come on, if you know me you know I would never complete an epic adventure without already have planned out the next one! :-)
We started the day much later than originally anticipated. We arrived in Markleeville and were ready to roll at 6:30AM, much later than the official 5:30AM start and much, much later than the first rider who started at 3:30AM. I wasn't even up at that gawd awful time! The weather was clear with temps in the low 60's to start, perfect riding weather! Micah, Roland and I agreed to ride at our own pace and meet up at the aid stations. My goals for the day were to take it easy, eat at every aid station and make sure I took in every minute of the ride. Each pass holds some spectacular Sierra views and I wanted to remember the awesomeness of the day and not the pain. I set an easy pace heading out to the base of the first two passes. It felt so much easier than when I rode in during a training ride! At the base of Monitor I stopped to take off my jacket and snapped my first picture. Against the rules, I had brought my iPod with me to help with any tough grinds.
I didn't remember Monitor being a tough climb until the final pitch where you questioned where the top was. My easy pace had me passing people and being paced and I reminded myself this was not a timed event nor a race. I took in the views, said hi to almost everyone, chatted with some folks and enjoyed the first climb. I got several comments about my pink ensemble and had a good time with it. At the first aid station I stopped to fill my water bottle and ate some Fig Newtons. The aid workers and I joked about my pinkness and how it would make me go faster.
I continued on, passing people who were breathing really hard. Not a good sign half way through your first pass! I took in the views and continued to chat with people and held a nice easy pace. The next aid station was at the top of Monitor pass. As you neared the aid station a crew would put a sticker on your bib marking your first earned pass. I took in the amount of people there, ate fig newtons, filled the water bottles and chatted folks up. The pink get-up continued to be a conversation starter. The first time I had ridden Monitor I was much more tired than I was today. I still felt fresh and ready for more.
As we headed down the backside of Monitor the folks who started near the official start time were coming back up. Waves and waves of people pedaling. It was almost annoying since they were taking up the entire road way on the left and folks were breaking out of the pack to pass. As we were flying down a straggler would break away into our lane so you always had to keep your speed slightly in check for the unpredictable behavior. Although I had wished we had started earlier I was glad not to be in a crowd like that. I found Thomas in a wave of people and waved to him.
At the base of Monitor I ate again, filled water bottles and made jokes about my pinkness. They placed another sticker on my bib for a second pass earned (officially earned once you got back to the top). I remembered the backside of Monitor being a hot slog the first time I did it. I also more than vaguely remembered the 3 miles at 8% grade. Micah and I took off together and chatted as we rode. The views aren't as spectacular going up the backside of Monitor so it was nice to have a buddy as well as my iPod to keep me entertained. We saw very few people coming down and it almost felt like we were the last riders out there since I knew we were behind the early starter pack. I thought back to the training ride where I kept hitting a false summit and was mentally breaking down because I just wanted it to be over. This time up Monitor I didn't even feel the 8% grade and enjoyed the whole climb.
Coming down the front side of Monitor you can reach crazy speed. Since very few people were climbing and the road was closed to traffic it was like having the whole road to yourself. I tried to keep my eyes on the road but also look down at the GPS. The fastest I saw (which was the fastest I was comfortable going that speed and looking down at the GPS) was 44.7mph. At that point I thought to myself that it wasn't really necessary to be going this fast and backed off. Two guys passed me and I was following closely until one of the guys water bottle flew off his bike and began bouncing right in front of me. Visions of this literally becoming my own personal death ride flashed before me as I was riding at 38mph. Fortunately the bottle bounced just out of my line just in time for me to avoid hitting it. At that point I decided it was better to keep things well in check and take it easy on the descents.
At the bottom on Monitor I made the left turn to begin Ebbetts Pass. I hadn't pre ridden Ebbetts so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The lower half of Ebbetts was a nice grade and I could sit back and really enjoy the riding. Micah was starting to cramp and hung back with me as Roland continued on at his own speed. I was told that Ebbetts was not as steep as Monitor but longer with short but steeper grades. We stopped at the aid station and thought of just continuing on but a man and his daughter said this was the one stop that he never missed to refill his water bottles since he ran out of water in a previous year. I questioned this a little when he said it was six miles to the top since I knew the climb was much longer than that. Most of Ebbetts has nice grades and was easy riding but it wasn't long before the steeper grades made their appearance. Ebbetts had some of the most spectacular views and I couldn't help but stop and snap a few pictures. The epicness of this ride is partially comprised of distance and elevation gain but also the sheer awesomeness of the views.
As we were riding up Ebbetts I saw Rand for a second time and he screamed a hello as he descended down It's pretty easy to spot someone all decked out in pink. Another friend stuck out his tongue as us and then some random guy made another comment. Roland made the comment he felt like he was riding with a celebrity. There were several steeper grades on Ebbetts but I never really felt the 12%. I could feel that I was starting to get a little tired but not nearly as tired as I expected myself to feel. The top of Ebbetts was a huge cluster with people crammed into a much smaller space. Riders were laying down on the dirt taking naps and resting, riders were trying to ride through in each directions, bikes littered every available inch of space. We stopped to refuel and get Micah some salt to help his cramping. The aid stations were well stocked with watermelon, oranges, baked fingerling potatoes, PB&J on bagels, cookies, potato chips, gummy bears, the typical gu and shot blocks, soda, V8, water and Cytomax. We refueled and then headed down Ebbetts. The backside of Ebbetts is a narrow one lane road so you couldn't pick up speed on the descent since there were too many people out. It was only 5 miles down before the turn around. I had gotten a bit chilled at the top of Ebbetts so I wore my jacket for the descent. As I was rolling through the check point the young girl couldn't see my bib and ran after me yelling 'where is it, where is it?' I stopped so she could place my 4th pass sticker on me.
There wasn't a need for more water at that point so we quickly turned our bikes and headed back up. Many folks were in survival mode just slowly spinning their wheels to make it up. Again, the views were just amazing and I took it all in. I was listening to my Ipod and enjoying the experience when I passed a male rider who was struggling. As I passed him I heard him say "you look entirely too relaxed this far into the ride". At that point I thought back to 2005 when I had taken a job 12 miles from my home. On the drive into work that first day I saw several cyclists riding the roads and thought that was something I could do, ditch the car and commute via bike. I hadn't been on a bike since high school when I bought my first road bike and attempted the commute. Although I was active with hiking, I wasn't fit enough to do the full 24 mile commute. I was fortunate to have two cars so I would shuttle the commute, taking the bike to work in the morning and riding home that evening then riding to work the next day and driving back home the next. It took a few months to gain the fitness to do the 24 mile round trip commute 4 days a week. 4 years and thousands of mile later I was riding Death Ride! I had come a long way and cycling had taken over as my sport of choice. All sorts of thoughts cross your mind as you share the road with 2800 cyclists on an epic cycling journey. It was a good day to be alive.
The V8 had really helped Micah and his cramping and him Roland had grow wings and flew up Ebbetts. At the top I overhead someone say that the cut off time was 4PM at Woodfords. If you had not made it to that point by the cutoff time you were not allowed to attempt the final pass. It was 2:15PM and I began to get concerned about making the cutoff. The final cutoff was 5:15 at the base of Carson Pass. Given how windy the day had been up to this point and from hearing past experiences I knew Carson would be a grind and that we'd be blessed with a strong headwind. It was the final stage of the ride and we would be tired to boot. I found Micah and told him that I was going to continue on since I wanted to make sure I made the cutoff times. Fitness wise I still felt good and was confident I would make the final pass. I did not want this day to end with us missing a cutoff time and being pulled off the ride. We went back and forth on cutoff times and what we should do but the only option for me was to get rolling. I didn't want to be pushed for time and didn't want to ride with stress looming over me.
On the way back down Ebbetts and into Markleville I just let it fly. I passed many people on the way down and began to push on the hills and flats. I frequently checked my watch to see how we were doing on time. Micah yelled that it was in the bag and there was no need to push but I was still uneasy and didn't want to take any chances. Roland and Micah wanted to stop at the truck to drop off their cold weather gear before going up Carson. I tossed them the key and kept rolling. I that point I was confident I'd make the Woodford's cutoff but I hadn't ridden HWY 88 to know what the roads were like to the base of Carson. I reached Woodford's with 40 minutes to spare so I knew I had time to get to the last aid station by the cut off time without pushing it. As I started off I saw people coming down HWY 88. Many were smiling but some had a look of wanting this day to be over. The road had a very minor grade for a long way out on HWY 88. I had driven this section of road countless times. It was interesting to be taking it in on a bike. Unlike the other passes, HWY 88 was not closed to road traffic. In addition to watching the erratic cyclist we now had to watch for impatient drivers. The cyclists were tired and began making poor decisions like making unannounced stops or pulling out to pass just as a car was coming. It was very unsettling. I continued up with an easy pace being very aware of my surroundings.
I saw Thomas on his way down and we exchanged greetings again. I had stopped to change water bottles and he made a turn and caught up to me. He asked me where I was going - to the top of course! He gave me the details of what lay ahead and had asked how I was feeling. Up until Carson I was feeling good but I could tell I was tiring. Although my legs still felt strong and that they still had something left in them my upper body was killing me. My right shoulder hurt the worst and would go dumb at times. After our brief conversation Thomas, now a 5 pass finisher, headed back into town and I continued the climb.
At one point I looked back and had 10 riders behind me following my lead. Not being a real roadie I wasn't comfortable with being in the lead. Had I known at any time, I could of pulled out to the side and let someone else lead. Instead I pretended to ignore their presence and focused on myself. I reached the aid station and found a spot for my bike. A male rider came up to me and thanked me for leading him up the climb. In the past he would go out to hard and end up blowing up on the climbs. He liked my steady pace and said it helped him save something for the final stretch to the top of Carson. Another rider came up to me to compliment me on my matching outfit. He was responsible for his teams kits and prided himself on his ability to put together attractive ensembles but said I put him to shame. I noticed his hair wasn't dyed red to match their black and red kits and mentioned he might want to consider that. :-)
I took a potty break, stretched my arms and then headed back out. As I looked up ahead I saw a very dark and angry sky. Riders began to come down wearing plastic bags and ponchos and I heard someone mention snow. Uh oh, this was about to get ugly. Thomas had said it was 9 miles from the aid station to the top. I began counting down miles. With 5 miles to go the GPS battery quit and it started to rain. Oh sure, why not! I'm a strong woman but I don't do rain. I didn't do a triathlon because I was concerned about rain and I easily bag workouts if there is any chance of precipitation. However this was Death Ride and I was almost there. The rain was gentle and warm at first. One guy made a comment about it and I told him it would just make our stories better. The rain had to be accompanied by a strong head wind, the story wouldn't be complete without that right? At times the wind was so strong I felt like I was being pushed backwards. Head down and just keep the pedals turning. Folks were littering the side of the road and frantically putting on their warm weather gear. My core temp was still high enough that I felt fine in just my jersey. I wanted a dry jacket for the descent which I expected to be very cold. As the rain continued it grew more steady and got very cold. My focus was on the 10 feet of road directly in front of me but I'd periodically look up to see how much farther we had to go. Without the GPS I had no idea how many more miles lay ahead. At one point I looked up and saw another steep stretch of road. I stared at the section hoping to not see any cyclists coming down it. I was losing my mental wherewith all and was questioning if I had it in my to make it up that grade. The guy behind me must have done the same thing because I heard him yell "Fuck this!". I would guess that every rider had that same thought run through their mind at least once while looking at that stretch of road. I reminded myself that sometimes the grades look steeper from a distance and that I WOULD make this ride no matter what. At this point it was as much a mental challenge as it was physical. I would not come this far and not earn my bragging rights! As I started the turn up the final grade a woman had stopped. She made mention of my outfit and rode next to me for a while. We chatted and I mentioned that we couldn't have much farther to go. Her famous last words were "oh no, it's just around the corner". At that point I knew I would soon become a 5 pass finisher. We continued on and caught up to another woman rider. She yelled 'where the hell is it' and I couldn't help put laugh. It was one really long continuous corner we were riding. As I crested the final part of the corner I saw the familiar cabin for cross country skiers and knew I was there. On our ride into Markleeville the tents were already erected at the top so I knew just how little more I had to go. As the tents came into view a huge smile broke out across my face. I still have 20+ miles to ride back into Markleeville but I was a 5 pass finisher!! I turned into the aid station and placed the final sticker on my bib. Micah and Roland were already there and Micah and I exchanged congratulations. Somewhere in the crowd was ice cream with my name on it. Micah and Roland had dropped their cool weather gear off at the truck so they had nothing but jerseys. They were cold and shivering and wanted to head down. We made plans to meet at the truck and they headed down. I signed the Death Ride poster, sat and ate my ice cream and reflected on what I had done. The rain had stopped at this point but the sun was hiding behind clouds so the temps had dropped. Many folks were not prepared for the rain or cold temps. The Schwan's driver had plastic bags with him and people we grabbing the bags to wear as another layer. Once my ice cream had sat in my stomach for a while my internal temp dropped and I began to feel the chill. I put on my arm warmers and jacket just as the shivering began. I had expected a cold descent and really wanted to get off the mountain and down to lower elevation as soon as I could. Fully clothed I grabbed my bike and took off. My first thought was to go as fast as I could to reach the valley the quickest but the wind chill was taking it toll on me. My jaw ached from the chatter and I bit the inside of my cheek, my lips and my tongue several times. I couldn't control the shivering and was convinced I had a 50% chance of biting off my tongue since I was losing control of my ability to move body parts. I checked my hands several times to make sure I could still control my braking. I slowed down hoping the ease the affects of wind chill but it didn't help the shivering any. I knew once I got down in elevation it would warm up but it seemed to take forever to get there. Once I finally hit the valley floor the shivering still did not stop. I changed gears and began to push to get the blood flowing and hopefully warm up. It took several minutes but finally I could feel the warmth spreading through out my body. I was happy to have this experience finished and hammered my way back to the truck to meet Micah and Roland. Death Ride 2009 had been completed.
Several times on the ride I reflected to places I was in my past. I thought about all the times I pushed past the point of pain or continued on a difficult journey (mentally or physically) long after I had thought it not possible. My theory of when you are in a difficult spot you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and soon enough you'll be in an entirely different place continues to be a motto for me and has gotten me through some of the toughest parts of my life. I am the fittest I have ever been in my life and I've learned to enjoy each minute of the life I lead. Death Ride will go down as one of the best days of my life, marking a journey I would of never fathomed I would ever start yet one I'm happy to say I've completed. I can only wonder - what's next? Oh yeah, Everybody to Everst with the Challenged Athlete's Foundation on April 16, 2010! Come on, if you know me you know I would never complete an epic adventure without already have planned out the next one! :-)
Monday, June 22, 2009
Silicon Valley Mountain Bike Sprint Tri
It's done, my first real triathlon is done. Leading up to the race I wasn't nervous or even thinking much about it. The butterflies didn't hit until late on Friday afternoon. I wasn't nervous about the bike or running leg, just the swim. 500M is not that long unless you have never done a 500M open water swim before.
I had a nice pasta dinner followed by frozen yogurt and my favorite froyo shop. BJ and I chatted with Thomas and did a final Q&A session. Any nervousness I was feeling was concentrated in my stomach. I kept reminding myself that this was just a training day that involved all three sports. I told myself it was my first race, all I had to do was try my hardest and we'd work from there. I practiced breathing. Nothing worked. I lay awake at night listening to the crickets and thinking "omg do I really have to swim with a herd of other people?". When I eventually did fall asleep I had a nightmare that my racing buddy had failed to complete the one task I has assigned him, print the directions to the park. We had to run back home and find them on the computer. While I was busy looking up directions he made himself a sandwich and sat down to eat it. I was flabbergasted and he said he was hungry. I checked my watch and it was after 9AM, we had missed the race. Is there a training plan for dealing with pre race anxiety? I need it!
The alarm clock went off, we ate a wholesome race breakfast of oatmeal, packed and we're on our way without issue. As we checked in I tried to not focus on the two buoys in the water. Those large yellow blow up pyramids looked really far away! It'll be over in no time, just like in the pool. That was my mantra for the swim and I began repeating it early on along with a bunch of other self motivating thoughts. There was a lot of confusion about which way we were running in and out of the transition area for each leg. They announced the plan for the swim but not after that. I'd just follow the person in front of me and hoped they had a clue what they were doing. Once you are checked in and your transition area set up it's a bunch of sit and wait....
Finally the gun went off for the first group. Melle and I were in the old lady group so we'd be going last. 5 minutes between each leg, more hurry up and wait. When the wave before us went off I got in the water to warm up. It would be a deep water start and many gals were at the buoys treading water immediately. I stood at the back just like my friend Chris has suggested and fought for the last position with another two gals. We laughed about starting in deep water, how far the buoys were and other nervous talk. Once the announcer did the final 10 second count down I paddled out and started swimming. It never fails, when I put my face into open water and see green murk my technique goes to hell. I could not breathe out my nose and couldn't find a rhythm. "just like in the pool, just like in the pool, oh crap is that a leg in front of me". Even with my horrible technique and rhythm I began to catch girls. I kept forcing myself to not give up and stay calm. I felt a hand brush up again my thigh so I swam faster, not to beat her but so that I could find a spot where no one would touch me. I looked up once to make sure I was on track for the yellow pyramid and was surprised I was swimming in a straight line. Head down off again... It was windy that day and the buoys moved 5-8 feet. Many girls had reached the buoy and were hanging onto it. As I set myself up to swim around it I had several girls on my left, I would be on the inside position to make the turn. As I began to change strokes to get around the buoy a gust of wind forced it 5+ feet out of the way. The girls on my right had already begun the turn and were going to swim over me. It appeared we all had assumed the buoy would stay in the same position. It felt like cheating but I swam to the inside of where the buoy was currently but what would have been the outside of the buoys original position. But I had several cheaters with me so my race karma is equal right? ;-)
I kept going and going. I wasn't tired but my breathing wasn't as calm as I would of liked. Adrenaline was certainly pushing the HR up. I was a race of patience and stick-to-it-ness. I made sure to properly round the next buoy and headed for the dock. Mid way there I couldn't get my breathing to calm down and settle into a nice rhythm so I began a side stroke. I noticed I was swimming faster than the girls around me doing this so I just kept at it. I was relieved to reach the sand and be done with that!!
I hustled to transition and geared up for the bike. This part I'd like. I immediately took off and began passing girls. The course was pavement, fire road and singletrack. Each time I saw someone in front of me the thought of 'there is your rabbit, go get the rabbit' was in my mind. One by one I picked the women off until I began catching men. The only significant hill was a paved climb and many folks were walking up it. HR follows exertion, don't blow up on the climb. I geared down and focused on strong pedal strokes without pushing super hard. Next up was a steep downhill so into big chain ring I shifted. There was a car following a male cyclist who appeared terrified of speed. Damn it this is where we FLY! Once I saw it was safe I hammered it passing the car and the rider. There was a male in front of me as we approached the dirt. The minute his tires hit dirt he about launched himself off the bike. I'm convinced this might have been his first time riding dirt! Now I was scared, passing a newbie can be dangerous. I called out to give him plenty of warning and gave him a 3 foot wide birth riding off the trail and into the tall grass. Not the safest option but I was not getting stuck behind this guy! Ah dirt, my favorite. I was sailing on the course when we came to a stream crossing. The guys in front of me screamed like girls over a little bit of water. Following polite racing etiquette I screamed "I'm riding it" and the boys scattered like cockroaches. More singletrack with tight turns and few quick climbs, really poor sight lines and some annoying tree that jumped out in front of me. Okay, I went into the turn way to hot and it was a bit sharper than I expected. :-) I especially enjoyed the kickers that someone built on the track and nailed some nice jumps! Back onto pavement for a bit. I manualled off the curb and heard the officer say "I guess she knows what's she's doing". LOL! Then we had to ride up a curb. As I watched the guy in front of me attempt this it brought back memories of how scary high those curbs look. I sailed up the curb past him as he said 'you should go in front'. Thanks buddy! :-) There were several spots on the trail where people were walking their bikes. One was a short but steep downhill section. Again, "I'm riding it". :-)
I came into the transition area where we had to slow down and dismount. You know that competitive monster that resides in me? Well, he makes a grand appearance at this point and decides to attempt a cyclecross dismount. WTF? It's been a year since I practiced that. Fortunately I managed to pull it off without leaving a DNA sample on the pavement and embarrassing myself in front of the support crew.
My main goal during T2 was to make sure my shoes were tied!! It's not uncommon for my shoes to come untied once, twice, half a dozen times on a run. I took the few extra seconds to focus on my shoe tying, grabbed my hat, water bottle and I was off. Ack! It always takes me some time to find my face legs. I had one gal in front of me that I immediately passed and then reminded myself to run my own race and find my pace. It wasn't long into the run that my left side began screaming at me. The ankle was tight as well as that pea that has been living in my left glute for the last 6 months. The upset stomach I had had since yesterday afternoon now became apparent. I asked myself if this was bad pain or just discomfort. I decided on discomfort and kept going but I knew my pace was off. Eventually there was a dirt shoulder and I began to run there. It was like floating on clouds compared to running on pavement. The men who had already made the turn made eye contact with me, smiled and yelled encouragements. I kept my eye out for BJ and other women. I knew I has passed a significant amount of women on the bike leg and I hadn't seen any for quite some time. I saw BJ running at me. He was all smiles and we exchanged encouraging words. Shortly after him was the first woman. She was RIPPED and obviously had done this before. She looked strong. A few minutes behind her was the next woman. Ok...I can handle that. I made the turn and decided I'd really push hard the last mile. At the aid station I dropped my water bottle since it was annoying me and I went for a kick. I was passing men and they yelled out encouraging words. I hadn't seen another woman but I knew there was a girl pretty close behind me. I kept imagining my crazy fast runner friend Molly behind me and told myself whatever discomfort I was feeling would be gone shortly. As my breathing became more rapid I was letting out little squeaks on the exhales. As I crossed the bridge and made the final turn I really pushed hard to cross the finish line where BJ was waiting. The announcer, as typical, said my first name followed by a "ummmmm". If you say it phonetically it ain't so bad mister! When he announced I was the fourth woman in I was a bit disappointed. I thought I had seen all the women in front of me.
At that point my stomach was still bugging me and I wasn't feeling too great. I knew I needed to get something in me so I walked back to the TA to get my favorite recovery drink, chocolate milk specially packed and waiting for me in the cooler. Ah...that hit the spot.
Overall a good first race. I'm glad I waiting until I was more mentally and physically confident.
Results : Overall 47/177
Woman 3/57
F35-39 1/14
Official finish 01:25:54
Swim : 00:12:29
T1 : 02:41:4
Bike : 38:59
T2 : 1:51
Run : 29:52
I had a nice pasta dinner followed by frozen yogurt and my favorite froyo shop. BJ and I chatted with Thomas and did a final Q&A session. Any nervousness I was feeling was concentrated in my stomach. I kept reminding myself that this was just a training day that involved all three sports. I told myself it was my first race, all I had to do was try my hardest and we'd work from there. I practiced breathing. Nothing worked. I lay awake at night listening to the crickets and thinking "omg do I really have to swim with a herd of other people?". When I eventually did fall asleep I had a nightmare that my racing buddy had failed to complete the one task I has assigned him, print the directions to the park. We had to run back home and find them on the computer. While I was busy looking up directions he made himself a sandwich and sat down to eat it. I was flabbergasted and he said he was hungry. I checked my watch and it was after 9AM, we had missed the race. Is there a training plan for dealing with pre race anxiety? I need it!
The alarm clock went off, we ate a wholesome race breakfast of oatmeal, packed and we're on our way without issue. As we checked in I tried to not focus on the two buoys in the water. Those large yellow blow up pyramids looked really far away! It'll be over in no time, just like in the pool. That was my mantra for the swim and I began repeating it early on along with a bunch of other self motivating thoughts. There was a lot of confusion about which way we were running in and out of the transition area for each leg. They announced the plan for the swim but not after that. I'd just follow the person in front of me and hoped they had a clue what they were doing. Once you are checked in and your transition area set up it's a bunch of sit and wait....
Finally the gun went off for the first group. Melle and I were in the old lady group so we'd be going last. 5 minutes between each leg, more hurry up and wait. When the wave before us went off I got in the water to warm up. It would be a deep water start and many gals were at the buoys treading water immediately. I stood at the back just like my friend Chris has suggested and fought for the last position with another two gals. We laughed about starting in deep water, how far the buoys were and other nervous talk. Once the announcer did the final 10 second count down I paddled out and started swimming. It never fails, when I put my face into open water and see green murk my technique goes to hell. I could not breathe out my nose and couldn't find a rhythm. "just like in the pool, just like in the pool, oh crap is that a leg in front of me". Even with my horrible technique and rhythm I began to catch girls. I kept forcing myself to not give up and stay calm. I felt a hand brush up again my thigh so I swam faster, not to beat her but so that I could find a spot where no one would touch me. I looked up once to make sure I was on track for the yellow pyramid and was surprised I was swimming in a straight line. Head down off again... It was windy that day and the buoys moved 5-8 feet. Many girls had reached the buoy and were hanging onto it. As I set myself up to swim around it I had several girls on my left, I would be on the inside position to make the turn. As I began to change strokes to get around the buoy a gust of wind forced it 5+ feet out of the way. The girls on my right had already begun the turn and were going to swim over me. It appeared we all had assumed the buoy would stay in the same position. It felt like cheating but I swam to the inside of where the buoy was currently but what would have been the outside of the buoys original position. But I had several cheaters with me so my race karma is equal right? ;-)
I kept going and going. I wasn't tired but my breathing wasn't as calm as I would of liked. Adrenaline was certainly pushing the HR up. I was a race of patience and stick-to-it-ness. I made sure to properly round the next buoy and headed for the dock. Mid way there I couldn't get my breathing to calm down and settle into a nice rhythm so I began a side stroke. I noticed I was swimming faster than the girls around me doing this so I just kept at it. I was relieved to reach the sand and be done with that!!
I hustled to transition and geared up for the bike. This part I'd like. I immediately took off and began passing girls. The course was pavement, fire road and singletrack. Each time I saw someone in front of me the thought of 'there is your rabbit, go get the rabbit' was in my mind. One by one I picked the women off until I began catching men. The only significant hill was a paved climb and many folks were walking up it. HR follows exertion, don't blow up on the climb. I geared down and focused on strong pedal strokes without pushing super hard. Next up was a steep downhill so into big chain ring I shifted. There was a car following a male cyclist who appeared terrified of speed. Damn it this is where we FLY! Once I saw it was safe I hammered it passing the car and the rider. There was a male in front of me as we approached the dirt. The minute his tires hit dirt he about launched himself off the bike. I'm convinced this might have been his first time riding dirt! Now I was scared, passing a newbie can be dangerous. I called out to give him plenty of warning and gave him a 3 foot wide birth riding off the trail and into the tall grass. Not the safest option but I was not getting stuck behind this guy! Ah dirt, my favorite. I was sailing on the course when we came to a stream crossing. The guys in front of me screamed like girls over a little bit of water. Following polite racing etiquette I screamed "I'm riding it" and the boys scattered like cockroaches. More singletrack with tight turns and few quick climbs, really poor sight lines and some annoying tree that jumped out in front of me. Okay, I went into the turn way to hot and it was a bit sharper than I expected. :-) I especially enjoyed the kickers that someone built on the track and nailed some nice jumps! Back onto pavement for a bit. I manualled off the curb and heard the officer say "I guess she knows what's she's doing". LOL! Then we had to ride up a curb. As I watched the guy in front of me attempt this it brought back memories of how scary high those curbs look. I sailed up the curb past him as he said 'you should go in front'. Thanks buddy! :-) There were several spots on the trail where people were walking their bikes. One was a short but steep downhill section. Again, "I'm riding it". :-)
I came into the transition area where we had to slow down and dismount. You know that competitive monster that resides in me? Well, he makes a grand appearance at this point and decides to attempt a cyclecross dismount. WTF? It's been a year since I practiced that. Fortunately I managed to pull it off without leaving a DNA sample on the pavement and embarrassing myself in front of the support crew.
My main goal during T2 was to make sure my shoes were tied!! It's not uncommon for my shoes to come untied once, twice, half a dozen times on a run. I took the few extra seconds to focus on my shoe tying, grabbed my hat, water bottle and I was off. Ack! It always takes me some time to find my face legs. I had one gal in front of me that I immediately passed and then reminded myself to run my own race and find my pace. It wasn't long into the run that my left side began screaming at me. The ankle was tight as well as that pea that has been living in my left glute for the last 6 months. The upset stomach I had had since yesterday afternoon now became apparent. I asked myself if this was bad pain or just discomfort. I decided on discomfort and kept going but I knew my pace was off. Eventually there was a dirt shoulder and I began to run there. It was like floating on clouds compared to running on pavement. The men who had already made the turn made eye contact with me, smiled and yelled encouragements. I kept my eye out for BJ and other women. I knew I has passed a significant amount of women on the bike leg and I hadn't seen any for quite some time. I saw BJ running at me. He was all smiles and we exchanged encouraging words. Shortly after him was the first woman. She was RIPPED and obviously had done this before. She looked strong. A few minutes behind her was the next woman. Ok...I can handle that. I made the turn and decided I'd really push hard the last mile. At the aid station I dropped my water bottle since it was annoying me and I went for a kick. I was passing men and they yelled out encouraging words. I hadn't seen another woman but I knew there was a girl pretty close behind me. I kept imagining my crazy fast runner friend Molly behind me and told myself whatever discomfort I was feeling would be gone shortly. As my breathing became more rapid I was letting out little squeaks on the exhales. As I crossed the bridge and made the final turn I really pushed hard to cross the finish line where BJ was waiting. The announcer, as typical, said my first name followed by a "ummmmm". If you say it phonetically it ain't so bad mister! When he announced I was the fourth woman in I was a bit disappointed. I thought I had seen all the women in front of me.
At that point my stomach was still bugging me and I wasn't feeling too great. I knew I needed to get something in me so I walked back to the TA to get my favorite recovery drink, chocolate milk specially packed and waiting for me in the cooler. Ah...that hit the spot.
Overall a good first race. I'm glad I waiting until I was more mentally and physically confident.
Results : Overall 47/177
Woman 3/57
F35-39 1/14
Official finish 01:25:54
Swim : 00:12:29
T1 : 02:41:4
Bike : 38:59
T2 : 1:51
Run : 29:52
Monday, May 25, 2009
Catching Up
It's been almost a month since my last post. Too much to catch up on. I ended up not doing Wildflower for a variety of reasons. I don't regret the decision to not attempt it. In my 'old' age I've settled into a pace of doing things for fun. Rain, camping in rain, riding in rain, running in rain...none of is sounded fun. I stayed home and started checking things off the 'to-do' list that sits on my fridge and constantly reminds me of all the things I don't get done. First thing on that list was my garage. I can't go in or out of it without stepping on something, having something fall on me or having to move something before I can reach what I'm after. Two hours later the garage was spotless, the new bike rack hung with an extra space for the new Cervelo R3 and the shiny cement floor was smiling up at me. It's not triathlon but it made me grin from ear to ear. So much so that I would just open the garage door to peep inside and remind myself how nice it looked. I'm happy to report it's stayed that way all month!!
With the Australia trip postponed we crammed in a trip to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I wouldn't get to ride but I had hoped to swim and run. Running became hard after stepping on a sea urchin and having him firmly implant a few spines in my big toe. I did manage to get some swimming done in the condo's uber small swimming pool. I did register for the SVMBT in June so the training continues. I also purchased a full wetsuit so I guess I'm committed to at least a triathlon and some OWS!
Now that I'm back it's been all about riding and training for Death Ride (129 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing over 5 passes in one day!!). Memorial Day weekend was spent at the Ranch. Thomas, Rod and a few of Thomas' friends came up with me. I've had the road route map for almost a year now and I finally had some victims to help me scout routes. Friday we did a shorter ride of 25 miles. Unbeknowst to us we rode up and down the two steepest roads in the county. Rand melted his carbon rim on the descent. It was scary and not worth doing again!
Saturday we loaded up and headed to Markleeville to ride Monitor Pass and Ebbetts. We started in downtown Markleeville so we had a warm up before hitting Monitor and its 7% grades. My plan was to take it slow, ride my own pace and test out climbing for that long. It would have been the longest sustained climb I've ever done. There were points along the way where is was just as much a mental challenge as it was a physical challenge. I kept reminding myself that this was making me stronger and would enable me to do Death Ride. The scenery was beautiful and although warm, it wasn't raging hot. We had a quick regroup about half way up. Greg told us the second half was easier than the first half and that was good news. I kept grunting away reminding myself that all I had to do was keep the pedals spinning. There were a few spots where I thought we had reached the top only to find the road continuing up. I saw a tower on a hill with a road and it looked STEEP but mentally prepared myself to climb it. Slow and steady like a turtle will get ya there! I was pleasantly surprised when I found the group resting at the summit marker and realized I didn't have to climb my way to the tower.
We rested, took pictures, chatted and dawned our jackets for the descent down. The roads will be closed for the ride but on Memorial Day there were groups of motorcyclists out and other cars out for a nice drive. I'm not a fast decender and a few turns scared me but I took my time and practiced my fast turns. The descent is steep and not one you can really relax on. It goes on and on and on just like the climbing but it's way easier.
We descended down to 395, regrouped, refilled out water bottles, ate some food and then headed back up. Ugh! The legs had tightened up and I mentally had to prepare for another 2500 feet of climbing. Slow and steady, keep the wheels turning. I was glad I had a triple!! I kept reminding myself that climbing on the new bike would be so much easier too.
I counted turns as I climbed, reminded myself to enjoy the view and kept the pedals turning. Another seasoned Death Rider rider caught up to me and we chatted about the ride. He advised me that if you could do two or three passes now then you'd be more than ready to do the whole thing in seven weeks. That was refreshing.
I had set a goal of reaching the top at 1:30Pm. It was a goal I pulled out of thin air since I hadn't really paid much attention to how long the first climb too, the mileage or my speed. I've ridden without a bike computer for a few years now. I just ride. As I completed the third hairpin turn I thought I was close and my spirits picked up. I started pedaling faster thinking I was close and could hit my time goal. I kept pedaling and pedaling and the wind picked up. I saw the steep hill with the tower and knew I had to get there to be at the top. I was still on the backside of the hill and had a few minutes to go till 1:30. Realizing I was not going to make it I wondered how much longer I had to go and told myself I need a bike computer for the actual day so I could plan my progress. It seemed endless but finally I met the group at the top. I was tired and hungry and eating just didn't seem to satisfy me.
I knew we had planned on two more days of riding so on the descent I asked myself if I wanted to do Ebbetts or do some exploring on the roads right from the house. The owner of the bike shop had told us about a ride around Pardee Dam that I was excited about. By the time I got down Monitor Pass I was tired but not entirely dead. I opted to head back to Markleeville and save the legs for another two days of riding. Ebbetts would be there for another day.
I have a lot more training to do but I'm getting more confident that I can complete all five passes. Gels and shot blocks no longer satisfy me so I'll have to start taking some real food on these long rides. Most of the ride today around Pardee Dam I was starving and my stomach kept begging for food and more food. The burger, fries and milkshake really hit the spot!!
Weekend totals are hard to calculate without a bike computer but we guessed I did about 150 miles of riding with around 10,000 feet of climbing. Next Sunday we'll be back up to do Ebbetts and Carson Pass. I'll have ridden the entire Death Ride and can mentally imagine myself riding it!
With the Australia trip postponed we crammed in a trip to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I wouldn't get to ride but I had hoped to swim and run. Running became hard after stepping on a sea urchin and having him firmly implant a few spines in my big toe. I did manage to get some swimming done in the condo's uber small swimming pool. I did register for the SVMBT in June so the training continues. I also purchased a full wetsuit so I guess I'm committed to at least a triathlon and some OWS!
Now that I'm back it's been all about riding and training for Death Ride (129 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing over 5 passes in one day!!). Memorial Day weekend was spent at the Ranch. Thomas, Rod and a few of Thomas' friends came up with me. I've had the road route map for almost a year now and I finally had some victims to help me scout routes. Friday we did a shorter ride of 25 miles. Unbeknowst to us we rode up and down the two steepest roads in the county. Rand melted his carbon rim on the descent. It was scary and not worth doing again!
Saturday we loaded up and headed to Markleeville to ride Monitor Pass and Ebbetts. We started in downtown Markleeville so we had a warm up before hitting Monitor and its 7% grades. My plan was to take it slow, ride my own pace and test out climbing for that long. It would have been the longest sustained climb I've ever done. There were points along the way where is was just as much a mental challenge as it was a physical challenge. I kept reminding myself that this was making me stronger and would enable me to do Death Ride. The scenery was beautiful and although warm, it wasn't raging hot. We had a quick regroup about half way up. Greg told us the second half was easier than the first half and that was good news. I kept grunting away reminding myself that all I had to do was keep the pedals spinning. There were a few spots where I thought we had reached the top only to find the road continuing up. I saw a tower on a hill with a road and it looked STEEP but mentally prepared myself to climb it. Slow and steady like a turtle will get ya there! I was pleasantly surprised when I found the group resting at the summit marker and realized I didn't have to climb my way to the tower.
We rested, took pictures, chatted and dawned our jackets for the descent down. The roads will be closed for the ride but on Memorial Day there were groups of motorcyclists out and other cars out for a nice drive. I'm not a fast decender and a few turns scared me but I took my time and practiced my fast turns. The descent is steep and not one you can really relax on. It goes on and on and on just like the climbing but it's way easier.
We descended down to 395, regrouped, refilled out water bottles, ate some food and then headed back up. Ugh! The legs had tightened up and I mentally had to prepare for another 2500 feet of climbing. Slow and steady, keep the wheels turning. I was glad I had a triple!! I kept reminding myself that climbing on the new bike would be so much easier too.
I counted turns as I climbed, reminded myself to enjoy the view and kept the pedals turning. Another seasoned Death Rider rider caught up to me and we chatted about the ride. He advised me that if you could do two or three passes now then you'd be more than ready to do the whole thing in seven weeks. That was refreshing.
I had set a goal of reaching the top at 1:30Pm. It was a goal I pulled out of thin air since I hadn't really paid much attention to how long the first climb too, the mileage or my speed. I've ridden without a bike computer for a few years now. I just ride. As I completed the third hairpin turn I thought I was close and my spirits picked up. I started pedaling faster thinking I was close and could hit my time goal. I kept pedaling and pedaling and the wind picked up. I saw the steep hill with the tower and knew I had to get there to be at the top. I was still on the backside of the hill and had a few minutes to go till 1:30. Realizing I was not going to make it I wondered how much longer I had to go and told myself I need a bike computer for the actual day so I could plan my progress. It seemed endless but finally I met the group at the top. I was tired and hungry and eating just didn't seem to satisfy me.
I knew we had planned on two more days of riding so on the descent I asked myself if I wanted to do Ebbetts or do some exploring on the roads right from the house. The owner of the bike shop had told us about a ride around Pardee Dam that I was excited about. By the time I got down Monitor Pass I was tired but not entirely dead. I opted to head back to Markleeville and save the legs for another two days of riding. Ebbetts would be there for another day.
I have a lot more training to do but I'm getting more confident that I can complete all five passes. Gels and shot blocks no longer satisfy me so I'll have to start taking some real food on these long rides. Most of the ride today around Pardee Dam I was starving and my stomach kept begging for food and more food. The burger, fries and milkshake really hit the spot!!
Weekend totals are hard to calculate without a bike computer but we guessed I did about 150 miles of riding with around 10,000 feet of climbing. Next Sunday we'll be back up to do Ebbetts and Carson Pass. I'll have ridden the entire Death Ride and can mentally imagine myself riding it!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Less than a week to go...
I'm actually not nervous or anxious yet about the triathlon but it's Monday. I expect as we inch closer to the actual date the butterflies will appear. In the meantime I continue to slam whatever training I can into my schedule. I did another OWS at Del Valle on Friday. My goal was to make it to the white buoy that was pointed out to us at our first Del Valle swim. As with anything outside, the conditions had changed some. Instead of balmy summer temps with minimal wind we were hit with another cold snap and a raging head wind. It made for choppy waters. The water temp wasn't too bad and I actually got in with ease (ah the benefits of a wetsuit). The swimming was tough. I tried to control my breathing and focus on the target but all I kept noticing that was, despite my efforts, I was getting no where. The timing of my breathing perfectly matched the waves so instead of air I kept inhaling water. Wonderful. I managed to fix the problem of the lake draining into my ear by pulling my swim cap down more but now I had water draining down my throat. The head wind took it's toll on me and I opted for some breast stroke and back floating. I managed to make it to the buoy and then, after popping my head up to spot to the boat dock, floated 10 feet back to the start. I would appreciate the push home. :-) I did discover that floating on my back in choppy water results in sea sickness. I've been sea sick twice in my life thus far. Once on a shark dive at the Farllon Islands and once diving in Hawaii. Apparently it happens in local waters too. I managed to keep breakfast down but did have to sit a bit after exiting the water to regain my balance and stomach muscles. My friend asked if I wanted to do the swim again. Thanks but I think I'll pass. I'm barely prepared for 400m of swimming on any given day right now.
After beating no world record times for the 400m I got the bike ready for a spin on Mines Road. The headwinds hadn't let up so it made the bike ride a challenge as well. In two days I would be doing a century ride so I didn't want to go to hard or too long on the bike. Mostly I just wanted to get the body acquainted with the change in activity. It took some time for the legs to warm up but otherwise was just like any other ride.
Next up was the Diablo Century on Sunday. The group opted to do the metric century since Thomas was struggling with a hamstring issue, Rod was still recovering from Monday's ride and Thomas thought me doing a brick workout would give me more of a fitness boost for WF. He wanted me to go harder on the 60 mile ride and follow it with 20 minutes of running. We met some of Thomas' friends at the JCC and headed out. One of the guys was a 30 year old CAT 2 racer. His warm up pace on the flats was a push for me. At the first rest stop Thomas told me to grab someones wheel and hang on. Yeah, nice in theory but I couldn't stay on someones wheel once I grabbed it anyway plus we had the hill coming up. I was pushing hard just to keep the group in sight which was nice since I appreciated the motivation to push harder than I would on my own. Micah and Rod hung back a bit with me but once we got to the hill Micah wanted to 'bite into it'. He and Rod took off. I used other cyclists as targets and pushed until I caught up and passed them. It was a good challenging climb, relentless at times but nothing too hard. At the top we met up again and prepared for the 9 mile descent. I'll appreciate a new road bike because I don't like descending on my current Trek. I gave the boys permission to go as fast as they wanted and I'd slowly poke my way down. We met up at the stop sign at the bottom on the hill and continued on to the next rest stop. Thomas set a nice pace and the group drafted. It was a good hard push on my part without killing me.
As we came to the finish I stopped at the car to put the bike away and take off on the run. I wasn't really sure where I was so I stayed local and ran the streets around the JCC for 20 minutes. That's about how long it takes for the legs to realize we are no longer cycling and should be running. Unfortunately, that's a longer time than I'll be (hopefully) running at WF.
Outside of trying to stay calm on the swim, I haven't decided what a realistic goal is for WF. I've looked at the times from last year and expect that my bike leg will be my strongest of the three. The hard swim at Del Valle took me about 17 minutes which will leave me about 5 minutes behind the last person to leave the water last year. Lots of time to be made up. I guess I can hope for a second to last place finish then. :-) Whatever happens I hope to have fun, learn a lot, meet some new folks and just enjoy the fact that I have a body that goes along with these crazy ideas my mind comes up with.
After beating no world record times for the 400m I got the bike ready for a spin on Mines Road. The headwinds hadn't let up so it made the bike ride a challenge as well. In two days I would be doing a century ride so I didn't want to go to hard or too long on the bike. Mostly I just wanted to get the body acquainted with the change in activity. It took some time for the legs to warm up but otherwise was just like any other ride.
Next up was the Diablo Century on Sunday. The group opted to do the metric century since Thomas was struggling with a hamstring issue, Rod was still recovering from Monday's ride and Thomas thought me doing a brick workout would give me more of a fitness boost for WF. He wanted me to go harder on the 60 mile ride and follow it with 20 minutes of running. We met some of Thomas' friends at the JCC and headed out. One of the guys was a 30 year old CAT 2 racer. His warm up pace on the flats was a push for me. At the first rest stop Thomas told me to grab someones wheel and hang on. Yeah, nice in theory but I couldn't stay on someones wheel once I grabbed it anyway plus we had the hill coming up. I was pushing hard just to keep the group in sight which was nice since I appreciated the motivation to push harder than I would on my own. Micah and Rod hung back a bit with me but once we got to the hill Micah wanted to 'bite into it'. He and Rod took off. I used other cyclists as targets and pushed until I caught up and passed them. It was a good challenging climb, relentless at times but nothing too hard. At the top we met up again and prepared for the 9 mile descent. I'll appreciate a new road bike because I don't like descending on my current Trek. I gave the boys permission to go as fast as they wanted and I'd slowly poke my way down. We met up at the stop sign at the bottom on the hill and continued on to the next rest stop. Thomas set a nice pace and the group drafted. It was a good hard push on my part without killing me.
As we came to the finish I stopped at the car to put the bike away and take off on the run. I wasn't really sure where I was so I stayed local and ran the streets around the JCC for 20 minutes. That's about how long it takes for the legs to realize we are no longer cycling and should be running. Unfortunately, that's a longer time than I'll be (hopefully) running at WF.
Outside of trying to stay calm on the swim, I haven't decided what a realistic goal is for WF. I've looked at the times from last year and expect that my bike leg will be my strongest of the three. The hard swim at Del Valle took me about 17 minutes which will leave me about 5 minutes behind the last person to leave the water last year. Lots of time to be made up. I guess I can hope for a second to last place finish then. :-) Whatever happens I hope to have fun, learn a lot, meet some new folks and just enjoy the fact that I have a body that goes along with these crazy ideas my mind comes up with.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Pushing when you don't think you can
First off, official results of the Shortest Triathlon are up http://onyourmarkevents.com/results.asp?id=2174
00:34:49 Not to bad for a first go. No where near the women's record holder of 17 minutes (how is that humanely possible!) but I'm pleased with the effort and mainly the learning experience.
Yesterday a friend and I headed out for a secret training mission on the Wildflower course. I started the day with what I think was close to a 400 meter swim. The buoy in the swim area looked a lot closer while standing in the parking lot than it did once I got to the shore. My arms were tired and I didn't freestyle the whole way but I did manage to swim it without stopping for any breaks. Fortunately the water temps were fine for swimming. Unfortunately it was HOT!
We suited up for the ride. After doing our first climb out of the beach area we both commented on how hot it was. We're still in the middle of heat stroke here in the Bay Area. We slugged along the course which is a bunch of rolling hills. No brutal climbing but pretty grueling. Rod was out in front of me. I haven't been on the bike much since the month long trip to the Philippines and I was worried about making all 56 miles. I took it easy and just kept at my "I could go all day at this pace" pace. The heat and rollers started to take their toll on us. We'd stop for brief breaks to chat and stopped at a little store for a bathroom break and to refill water bottles. I told Rod he could ride at whatever pace he wanted for training, I just needed to ride at a pace that I was comfortable with so that'd I'd complete the mileage. He mentioned he wasn't feeling well. We trucked on and on and on.... We continued to stop, suck gels and drink but the course and heat were relentless. If there wasn't a wind tossing your bike to the side it was dead still and the sun baked your skin. It was HOT!
As we made the turn onto Interlake we opted for a shade break. We were just passed mile 40 with another 16 to go. We knew we had a good climb ahead too. We continued on. With the swimming I had done the last three days my upper body was sore and I couldn't get comfortable on the bike no matter what position I was in. I kept watching the mile markers on the road and quietly counting down how many more we had to go. As I approached the bridge Rod had stopped on the other side. He had scoped out the possibility to getting down to the creek but the ranchers fencing prevented it. There was a homestead a few hundred yards away and I voted for asking for a lift. Rod seemed a bit worried we wouldn't get one. Two passengers cars passed and then a big white truck that could easily haul us and bikes. I flagged the driver down. He was a young kid back heading back to his ranch. He could get us to the junction for Lake San Antonio. We took it.
After we got dropped off at the junction I offered to ride the 12 miles back to the car while Rod sat under a tree. He thought he could make it so we headed off again. More rolling hills, a good climb...relentless. We opted to not do the entire course and head back Beach Road and take the, what we thought, route with less climbing. I knew we were close to the car and the idea of a swim in the lake sounded so refreshing. After a while things still didn't start to look familiar. I could see the lake but we were in Harris Campground which we hadn't passed on the way out. Eventually the road just ended. Physically I was done but with no options left we had to mount the bikes and find our missed turn. I knew it was a ways back as I saw the sign for the beach access but just followed Rod. Our route back involved some more climbing and we eventually hit the right road and headed back to the car. That was the most brutal 56 mile ride I've ever done. I couldn't wait to get into the water, which turned out to be too cold for a non-wetsuit swim. We relaxed on the beach, ate some fruit, drank water and then headed home.
A bit demoralizing when a ride doesn't meet your expectations but it was a lesson in just how hard riding in heat can be. We saw the thermometer in the drivers truck, it read 94!! Even with the lift we rode 56 miles which took us just over 5 hours without any long stops. On a positive note, my summer cycling tan is off to a good start.
00:34:49 Not to bad for a first go. No where near the women's record holder of 17 minutes (how is that humanely possible!) but I'm pleased with the effort and mainly the learning experience.
Yesterday a friend and I headed out for a secret training mission on the Wildflower course. I started the day with what I think was close to a 400 meter swim. The buoy in the swim area looked a lot closer while standing in the parking lot than it did once I got to the shore. My arms were tired and I didn't freestyle the whole way but I did manage to swim it without stopping for any breaks. Fortunately the water temps were fine for swimming. Unfortunately it was HOT!
We suited up for the ride. After doing our first climb out of the beach area we both commented on how hot it was. We're still in the middle of heat stroke here in the Bay Area. We slugged along the course which is a bunch of rolling hills. No brutal climbing but pretty grueling. Rod was out in front of me. I haven't been on the bike much since the month long trip to the Philippines and I was worried about making all 56 miles. I took it easy and just kept at my "I could go all day at this pace" pace. The heat and rollers started to take their toll on us. We'd stop for brief breaks to chat and stopped at a little store for a bathroom break and to refill water bottles. I told Rod he could ride at whatever pace he wanted for training, I just needed to ride at a pace that I was comfortable with so that'd I'd complete the mileage. He mentioned he wasn't feeling well. We trucked on and on and on.... We continued to stop, suck gels and drink but the course and heat were relentless. If there wasn't a wind tossing your bike to the side it was dead still and the sun baked your skin. It was HOT!
As we made the turn onto Interlake we opted for a shade break. We were just passed mile 40 with another 16 to go. We knew we had a good climb ahead too. We continued on. With the swimming I had done the last three days my upper body was sore and I couldn't get comfortable on the bike no matter what position I was in. I kept watching the mile markers on the road and quietly counting down how many more we had to go. As I approached the bridge Rod had stopped on the other side. He had scoped out the possibility to getting down to the creek but the ranchers fencing prevented it. There was a homestead a few hundred yards away and I voted for asking for a lift. Rod seemed a bit worried we wouldn't get one. Two passengers cars passed and then a big white truck that could easily haul us and bikes. I flagged the driver down. He was a young kid back heading back to his ranch. He could get us to the junction for Lake San Antonio. We took it.
After we got dropped off at the junction I offered to ride the 12 miles back to the car while Rod sat under a tree. He thought he could make it so we headed off again. More rolling hills, a good climb...relentless. We opted to not do the entire course and head back Beach Road and take the, what we thought, route with less climbing. I knew we were close to the car and the idea of a swim in the lake sounded so refreshing. After a while things still didn't start to look familiar. I could see the lake but we were in Harris Campground which we hadn't passed on the way out. Eventually the road just ended. Physically I was done but with no options left we had to mount the bikes and find our missed turn. I knew it was a ways back as I saw the sign for the beach access but just followed Rod. Our route back involved some more climbing and we eventually hit the right road and headed back to the car. That was the most brutal 56 mile ride I've ever done. I couldn't wait to get into the water, which turned out to be too cold for a non-wetsuit swim. We relaxed on the beach, ate some fruit, drank water and then headed home.
A bit demoralizing when a ride doesn't meet your expectations but it was a lesson in just how hard riding in heat can be. We saw the thermometer in the drivers truck, it read 94!! Even with the lift we rode 56 miles which took us just over 5 hours without any long stops. On a positive note, my summer cycling tan is off to a good start.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Fish swim, I don't.
Good or bad news first? My blog so it's my choice. :-) Mid day yesterday, while suffering through the Rotary District Conference, I got the news that I had come in third place in my AG at the triathlon. Official results and times aren't up yet but I heard from Mike who must have been there for the awards ceremony. Melle took first in her AG. Not too shabby for a couple newbies.
Now the bad news...coming off of yesterdays high we headed out to Lake Del Valle for an open water swim practice with the Silicon Valley Tri Club. I asked the leader how long of a swim we'd be doing. 'Just over a mile, about 40 minutes' he says calmly. I keep waiting for the punch line and I'm sure the look of terror on my face is obvious. 'But you can go as long as you're comfortable with.' I'm only slightly relieved. The last time I swam in open water was at Ally's birthday houseboat weekend which prompted this whole "I wanna do a triathlon" fantasy. It was prompted not because I easily swam across the lake and back but because I COULDN'T! There is something wrong with the wiring of people who attempt something, fail and then think they can/should sign up for crazy events to prove they can. Commit me now because I am that wrongly wired individual.
We suit up, slap a condom on our head and shove our eyes behind two clear teaspoon shaped bowls. Real athletes call these goggles. We giggle. This all feels a bit silly when the other 10 people are going to swim a mile and I'm going to prove just how fast I'll sink. The water is cool but not horrible. Even a temperature lightweight like me can get in. It helps that everyone is moaning a bit about the temperature. We float, or they float as my feet are still firmly planted on the earth where I like them to be. A moment later they are off. Melle and I just sort of look at each other questioning how far we'll go. "Until I'm tired" Melle says. I suggest she turn around before she's tired as my CPR skills are not current. We head out on our own. Swimming in a lake is nothing like swimming in a pool. There is no lane line to direct you, in fact you can't see anything but green murk. There is no side of the pool for security and there are these fish that just seem to be laughing at my every attempt to swim. It's not long before the majority of the group has dropped me. I'm starting to feel my shoulders from yesterday and realize I'm a bit more drained than I had thought. Besides, it's a big lake and a bit intimidating to be in it. I can't get my breathing right, my legs seem to think working on Sunday is a sin and I swear the lake is draining into my right ear. I stick close to the shore. I would have apologized to the fisherman but there are fish right beneath me and I don't think anything I was doing was scaring them off.
I'm tired and have no way of judging how far I've actually swam. Melle is tired. Yeah, I have a tired friend, I'm not alone in this disaster. We opt to do short laps out and back to the boat dock. If I start to drown at least a kayaker will hear my screams and come get me.
A couple arrives back in. We chat with them and ask them how far they think 200 meters is. The gentleman says 'out to the white buoy'. Melle can't see the buoy. I do and decide that I have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks. If all I have to do is swim to the buoy I'll be fine but if I have to swim to the buoy and back for a total of 400 meters (the swim distance for WF) I'll be floating belly side up like a dead fish in no time. Melle and I just giggle. What a demoralizing start to such a beautiful day. At least we know we now need to get out of the pool sometimes and get into open water. I'm guessing the two weeks is going to fly by in a blink of an eye because I am now really dreading the swim leg of this looming event. I was only partly joking when I said I was going to clear my schedule and be in the water every day this week.
Tomorrow Rod and I are driving down to Lake San Antonio so he can test ride the Long Course bike route. I'm packing my wetsuit and my estate plans so friends won't have to fight over who gets Rutzie. I need to see exactly how far this 400 meters is and just how drained it's going to leave me before I have to complete two more activities before earning bragging rights to say I've done Wildflower. Right now, if I actually complete the swim leg I'll be thrilled.
Now the bad news...coming off of yesterdays high we headed out to Lake Del Valle for an open water swim practice with the Silicon Valley Tri Club. I asked the leader how long of a swim we'd be doing. 'Just over a mile, about 40 minutes' he says calmly. I keep waiting for the punch line and I'm sure the look of terror on my face is obvious. 'But you can go as long as you're comfortable with.' I'm only slightly relieved. The last time I swam in open water was at Ally's birthday houseboat weekend which prompted this whole "I wanna do a triathlon" fantasy. It was prompted not because I easily swam across the lake and back but because I COULDN'T! There is something wrong with the wiring of people who attempt something, fail and then think they can/should sign up for crazy events to prove they can. Commit me now because I am that wrongly wired individual.
We suit up, slap a condom on our head and shove our eyes behind two clear teaspoon shaped bowls. Real athletes call these goggles. We giggle. This all feels a bit silly when the other 10 people are going to swim a mile and I'm going to prove just how fast I'll sink. The water is cool but not horrible. Even a temperature lightweight like me can get in. It helps that everyone is moaning a bit about the temperature. We float, or they float as my feet are still firmly planted on the earth where I like them to be. A moment later they are off. Melle and I just sort of look at each other questioning how far we'll go. "Until I'm tired" Melle says. I suggest she turn around before she's tired as my CPR skills are not current. We head out on our own. Swimming in a lake is nothing like swimming in a pool. There is no lane line to direct you, in fact you can't see anything but green murk. There is no side of the pool for security and there are these fish that just seem to be laughing at my every attempt to swim. It's not long before the majority of the group has dropped me. I'm starting to feel my shoulders from yesterday and realize I'm a bit more drained than I had thought. Besides, it's a big lake and a bit intimidating to be in it. I can't get my breathing right, my legs seem to think working on Sunday is a sin and I swear the lake is draining into my right ear. I stick close to the shore. I would have apologized to the fisherman but there are fish right beneath me and I don't think anything I was doing was scaring them off.
I'm tired and have no way of judging how far I've actually swam. Melle is tired. Yeah, I have a tired friend, I'm not alone in this disaster. We opt to do short laps out and back to the boat dock. If I start to drown at least a kayaker will hear my screams and come get me.
A couple arrives back in. We chat with them and ask them how far they think 200 meters is. The gentleman says 'out to the white buoy'. Melle can't see the buoy. I do and decide that I have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks. If all I have to do is swim to the buoy I'll be fine but if I have to swim to the buoy and back for a total of 400 meters (the swim distance for WF) I'll be floating belly side up like a dead fish in no time. Melle and I just giggle. What a demoralizing start to such a beautiful day. At least we know we now need to get out of the pool sometimes and get into open water. I'm guessing the two weeks is going to fly by in a blink of an eye because I am now really dreading the swim leg of this looming event. I was only partly joking when I said I was going to clear my schedule and be in the water every day this week.
Tomorrow Rod and I are driving down to Lake San Antonio so he can test ride the Long Course bike route. I'm packing my wetsuit and my estate plans so friends won't have to fight over who gets Rutzie. I need to see exactly how far this 400 meters is and just how drained it's going to leave me before I have to complete two more activities before earning bragging rights to say I've done Wildflower. Right now, if I actually complete the swim leg I'll be thrilled.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I tried my first tri!
A friend and I had dinner last night. All was good until the last of the ravioli was sitting in my belly and then that familiar feeling of 'oh this isn't going to be good' hit. It started with one little cramp, progressed to a larger one, then that grumbling sound followed by a pregnant belly look. Nope, not good. I questioned attempting the tri as I bundled up in bed and set the alarm. It was a painful and restless sleep. I wasn't anxious about the tri. I was anxious about keeping the pasta in it's in proper spot.
6AM comes earlier than necessary no matter what is on the agenda for the day. I hit the snooze button twice as the thought of 'why do we do this' circled my brain. I flopped out of bed and started pulling things together. The dog danced around me as I tied my shoes. I hate not being able to explain to her the meaning of 'not now, later'. Her look of disappointment always breaks my heart but truly, later I will take her for a walk. She never understands or cuts me any slack.
I left 10 minutes later than expected but that was due to the snooze button. Otherwise I'd be right on time. My friend calls to tell me that she's left her swim gear at the gym and we're changing our plans. Lots of shuffling, getting lost, cell phone calls and finally I find her, load the bike and we're off. Mental note - it doesn't matter if you care about the event or not, just leave yourself plenty of time to stay cool, calm and collected.
Parking was easy. We get our numbers and then I attempt to meticulously arrange my T2 spot but time is now ticking so I just sort of toss it into a nice pile and head off to the pool. No wetsuit, too far behind in time and nobody around to have a conversation with. We get instructions for the swim and I see my friend Mike with his camera. He's photographer for the day. Stop and say hi, chat a bit and then stand in the sun to keep warm. Four laps in a warm pool - no problem! Then the gun goes off for the first wave of men and OMFG! I see the term washing machine in live action. I have a big fear of drowning. My brother sat on my head preventing me from coming up from air and about killed me. I don't like being with people in water so that huge fear is now swirling in my stomach. For I minute I consider backing out but I tell myself I've done worse and if someone sits on my head I'll do exactly what I did to my brother and bite the hell out of the inside of their thigh.
Melle and I dash off to the bathroom and then I line up with a bazillion other wave 3 women in my age group. This is not going to be fun. The announcer promises that next year they will have seven waves instead of three and everyone cheers. Our gun goes off and I hang out for second to let people get in front of me. That works for about 1/2 a pool length as I start overtake them. Wait, I'm not a good swimmer this must mean I'm going to too fast but my head is in the water, my arms circling and I'm breathing like I practiced (what little of that there has been lately). The first two laps aren't bad. The third lap there are people flying in all directions going all speeds and I see feet, arms, breasts and all sorts of body parts no matter where I look. Mostly my head is in the water when it's not getting knocked by another person. Lap 4 I got that feeling of I'm going to die right here in the pool starts but fortunately I was 1/2 through the last lap and there really wasn't a way to easily swim to the finish so I dog paddle, breast stroke whatever to get to the end. Crawling out of the deep end of a pool, not so easy.
T1 - Attempting to put shirt on while wet - not so easy. Attempting to put any clothes on while wet - not so easy. Helmet first then shoes? Hell I don't know! Just get the right shoes on the right feet and go. Learned a lot from that few minutes.
I'm off on the bike. This is where I'm comfortable and a good majority of my competition are on hybrids or cruisers. I begin passing people from the start and continue to do so. My heart is racing and I'm practicing the breathing techniques my pilates instructor has taught me. It's all coming together. I feel great until I see a large tour bus turn into my path taking out a few orange cones. WTH?! This is a closed course and now a bus is going to kill me. I manage to get around the bus without a scape and things are getting back on track. I feel great I've passed the last girl in sight there's my turn. I rail the turn and am up 3 blocks when I hear "no, no, no, not that way". I look behind me and 5 girls sail past the marshall and head straight. Nice, one marshall at a junction where some people need to turn and some go straight. Not the best planning but whatever. I turn around and the marshall directs me to the right which is the opposite direction I know I should go this time. She screams, I scream. At this point I'm standing on the bike and pedaling hard. I just lost anything I gained and that competitive monster comes out. I remind myself that this was to practice my transitions and that I'm not truly over the flu. Monster doesn't care.
T2 - I find my transition spot easily and grab my running shoes. Yep, forgot to leave them untied like the SB lady suggested. Oh well, next time. I leave my cycling gloves on since I know I am behind. Grab my hat, my water bottle and I'm off. My friend Mike is there with his camera and yells, you were the fifth one in! Oh nice, I think I counted all those five when I made the wrong turn. I remind the monster that this was to practice transitions.
I take off running and immediately pass a few people. I'm sure my pace is just crazy and I try to find a nice running pace but the legs are still unsure of what I'm putting them through. It's a two mile run, I can do this in my sleep so why does this hurt so bad. Calm down, find a nice pace. My won't my hat stay on my head? I take it off and just run with it in my hand. I see the hill. There's a hill, actually an overpass but it seems like mountain at this point. I mentally beat myself up for not training harder despite traveling and being sick. I realize I am in no shape to do WF in a few weeks. The men scream motivational words as we pass in opposite directions on the overpass. I get to the top and start the descent. My right shoe lace comes untied. I stop to tie it. I begin again. My left shoe lace comes untied. Seriously!!! I stop to tie it. I continue on and see the marshall flagging a right turn. I take it only to be told that isn't the right direction and I need to go straight. OK really!!! Fortunately I don't run nearly as fast as I bike so this is only a 3 second penalty. I make the turn for the run and joke with the marshall about a bus to take me back. I finally fall into a nice pace and am pretty sure I'll finish this thing and then....have you seen the "Sex in the City" movie where Charlotte is in Mexico after she's drank the water? I begin to live that scene out. I'm not sure if it's a ravioli or oatmeal that is protesting this whole thing but my stomach bulges like a pregnant women, I cramp, I feel swirling and hear groaning. Oh man, NOT NOW! I'm not far from the finish line but I'm not feeling good. A bed sounds just about lovely right now, right here in the middle of the street and if there is a toilet attached to the bed even better. The gal I passed on the overpass does her kick at the end and passes me with 50 yards to go. I don't care. My right shoes comes untied again. Seriously, all we need is that tour bus to come along again and this day will be complete. But all I care about is keeping breakfast, dinner or whatever else is stuck in my gut down. I cross the line and get a high five from my photographer friend. I walk off by myself and drink my water. The brain talks with the stomach and let's it know this is now over and I'll be heading to a bed soon. The stomach is pleased by this and begins to calm down.
After I gain my composure, or the composure of my stomach, I head back to the finish line to cheer on the other two gals who did this with me. I'm feeling better, the stomach is no longer fighting me (though I'm sure I will eventually pay the price later and when it's least expected like during my performance at the Rotary Conference today). I have just done my first triathlon and I'm ecstatic. Melle crosses the line and I cheer her on. Despite how poorly I felt I'm so glad I pushed through this. I learned so much from this small event and I'm glad I have some knowledge of how to make Wildflower happen a tad bit easier. Yep, triathletes are a little insane but even for a small event it was pretty damn fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!
6AM comes earlier than necessary no matter what is on the agenda for the day. I hit the snooze button twice as the thought of 'why do we do this' circled my brain. I flopped out of bed and started pulling things together. The dog danced around me as I tied my shoes. I hate not being able to explain to her the meaning of 'not now, later'. Her look of disappointment always breaks my heart but truly, later I will take her for a walk. She never understands or cuts me any slack.
I left 10 minutes later than expected but that was due to the snooze button. Otherwise I'd be right on time. My friend calls to tell me that she's left her swim gear at the gym and we're changing our plans. Lots of shuffling, getting lost, cell phone calls and finally I find her, load the bike and we're off. Mental note - it doesn't matter if you care about the event or not, just leave yourself plenty of time to stay cool, calm and collected.
Parking was easy. We get our numbers and then I attempt to meticulously arrange my T2 spot but time is now ticking so I just sort of toss it into a nice pile and head off to the pool. No wetsuit, too far behind in time and nobody around to have a conversation with. We get instructions for the swim and I see my friend Mike with his camera. He's photographer for the day. Stop and say hi, chat a bit and then stand in the sun to keep warm. Four laps in a warm pool - no problem! Then the gun goes off for the first wave of men and OMFG! I see the term washing machine in live action. I have a big fear of drowning. My brother sat on my head preventing me from coming up from air and about killed me. I don't like being with people in water so that huge fear is now swirling in my stomach. For I minute I consider backing out but I tell myself I've done worse and if someone sits on my head I'll do exactly what I did to my brother and bite the hell out of the inside of their thigh.
Melle and I dash off to the bathroom and then I line up with a bazillion other wave 3 women in my age group. This is not going to be fun. The announcer promises that next year they will have seven waves instead of three and everyone cheers. Our gun goes off and I hang out for second to let people get in front of me. That works for about 1/2 a pool length as I start overtake them. Wait, I'm not a good swimmer this must mean I'm going to too fast but my head is in the water, my arms circling and I'm breathing like I practiced (what little of that there has been lately). The first two laps aren't bad. The third lap there are people flying in all directions going all speeds and I see feet, arms, breasts and all sorts of body parts no matter where I look. Mostly my head is in the water when it's not getting knocked by another person. Lap 4 I got that feeling of I'm going to die right here in the pool starts but fortunately I was 1/2 through the last lap and there really wasn't a way to easily swim to the finish so I dog paddle, breast stroke whatever to get to the end. Crawling out of the deep end of a pool, not so easy.
T1 - Attempting to put shirt on while wet - not so easy. Attempting to put any clothes on while wet - not so easy. Helmet first then shoes? Hell I don't know! Just get the right shoes on the right feet and go. Learned a lot from that few minutes.
I'm off on the bike. This is where I'm comfortable and a good majority of my competition are on hybrids or cruisers. I begin passing people from the start and continue to do so. My heart is racing and I'm practicing the breathing techniques my pilates instructor has taught me. It's all coming together. I feel great until I see a large tour bus turn into my path taking out a few orange cones. WTH?! This is a closed course and now a bus is going to kill me. I manage to get around the bus without a scape and things are getting back on track. I feel great I've passed the last girl in sight there's my turn. I rail the turn and am up 3 blocks when I hear "no, no, no, not that way". I look behind me and 5 girls sail past the marshall and head straight. Nice, one marshall at a junction where some people need to turn and some go straight. Not the best planning but whatever. I turn around and the marshall directs me to the right which is the opposite direction I know I should go this time. She screams, I scream. At this point I'm standing on the bike and pedaling hard. I just lost anything I gained and that competitive monster comes out. I remind myself that this was to practice my transitions and that I'm not truly over the flu. Monster doesn't care.
T2 - I find my transition spot easily and grab my running shoes. Yep, forgot to leave them untied like the SB lady suggested. Oh well, next time. I leave my cycling gloves on since I know I am behind. Grab my hat, my water bottle and I'm off. My friend Mike is there with his camera and yells, you were the fifth one in! Oh nice, I think I counted all those five when I made the wrong turn. I remind the monster that this was to practice transitions.
I take off running and immediately pass a few people. I'm sure my pace is just crazy and I try to find a nice running pace but the legs are still unsure of what I'm putting them through. It's a two mile run, I can do this in my sleep so why does this hurt so bad. Calm down, find a nice pace. My won't my hat stay on my head? I take it off and just run with it in my hand. I see the hill. There's a hill, actually an overpass but it seems like mountain at this point. I mentally beat myself up for not training harder despite traveling and being sick. I realize I am in no shape to do WF in a few weeks. The men scream motivational words as we pass in opposite directions on the overpass. I get to the top and start the descent. My right shoe lace comes untied. I stop to tie it. I begin again. My left shoe lace comes untied. Seriously!!! I stop to tie it. I continue on and see the marshall flagging a right turn. I take it only to be told that isn't the right direction and I need to go straight. OK really!!! Fortunately I don't run nearly as fast as I bike so this is only a 3 second penalty. I make the turn for the run and joke with the marshall about a bus to take me back. I finally fall into a nice pace and am pretty sure I'll finish this thing and then....have you seen the "Sex in the City" movie where Charlotte is in Mexico after she's drank the water? I begin to live that scene out. I'm not sure if it's a ravioli or oatmeal that is protesting this whole thing but my stomach bulges like a pregnant women, I cramp, I feel swirling and hear groaning. Oh man, NOT NOW! I'm not far from the finish line but I'm not feeling good. A bed sounds just about lovely right now, right here in the middle of the street and if there is a toilet attached to the bed even better. The gal I passed on the overpass does her kick at the end and passes me with 50 yards to go. I don't care. My right shoes comes untied again. Seriously, all we need is that tour bus to come along again and this day will be complete. But all I care about is keeping breakfast, dinner or whatever else is stuck in my gut down. I cross the line and get a high five from my photographer friend. I walk off by myself and drink my water. The brain talks with the stomach and let's it know this is now over and I'll be heading to a bed soon. The stomach is pleased by this and begins to calm down.
After I gain my composure, or the composure of my stomach, I head back to the finish line to cheer on the other two gals who did this with me. I'm feeling better, the stomach is no longer fighting me (though I'm sure I will eventually pay the price later and when it's least expected like during my performance at the Rotary Conference today). I have just done my first triathlon and I'm ecstatic. Melle crosses the line and I cheer her on. Despite how poorly I felt I'm so glad I pushed through this. I learned so much from this small event and I'm glad I have some knowledge of how to make Wildflower happen a tad bit easier. Yep, triathletes are a little insane but even for a small event it was pretty damn fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Murphy's Law
I don't get sick. I haven't had a common cold in years. Can't even tell you the last time I had the flu. I often jokingly tell friends that I'm above the common illness and injuries since they just don't happen for me but when I go, I go big (you know, like the jammed femur). I always knock on wood after saying things like just in case. I must have forgotten one time because I am sick. :-( I blamed food poisoning but a gf says several other people must have eaten bad food too then. The last time I spent all day in bed was 2004. I remember this because I had given two weeks notice at a job that I hadn't taken a sick day in all four years of employment there. During the two weeks I wasn't feeling well and called to say I would be in a few hours late. I called a few hours later and said I would be in at lunch. I called again and said it might be after lunch. I called again and my boss told me the chances of me making it in sounded pretty slim and I might just want to take the whole day off. I was more disappointed to have broken my record than actually feeling ill.
I spent all day in bed nestled in between two cats and one dog that kept throwing me the 'are we ever getting up today' - proof that laying in bed is not part of our routine. I've finally managed to eat something. So much for that long bike ride I had planned for Thursday and Friday. I'm lucky that I took the dog for a walk today. At least I'm up.
The mini-tri is tomorrow. I'll decide later today if I can actually do it. It's very, very short and I'm only using it to practice transitions but I know me...perhaps if I keep repeating to myself "this is just to practice transitions" I won't go all tits out and end up spending another day in bed.
I spent all day in bed nestled in between two cats and one dog that kept throwing me the 'are we ever getting up today' - proof that laying in bed is not part of our routine. I've finally managed to eat something. So much for that long bike ride I had planned for Thursday and Friday. I'm lucky that I took the dog for a walk today. At least I'm up.
The mini-tri is tomorrow. I'll decide later today if I can actually do it. It's very, very short and I'm only using it to practice transitions but I know me...perhaps if I keep repeating to myself "this is just to practice transitions" I won't go all tits out and end up spending another day in bed.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hip replacement?! WTF?
Welcome to my blog. I've had the addy for quite some time but never found something to write about. I could bore you with the drama I've lived through over the last three years, I guarantee you the TV mini series would have you glued to the tube, but that's mostly behind me now. My new adventure is preventing what my PT said was a 'path to a complete hip replacement'. WTF? I'm 38! He tells me I have the hips of a 65 year old. As I creep closer to that dreaded mid-life crisis number it begins, Caryn's quest to stay active while avoiding a complete hip replacement now or any time in the forseeable future. All right, I'll take off the drama queen crown. My adventure is mostly about having fun with friends and staying as active as I can for as long as I can. Let's face it, I've got some of the world's worst DNA when it comes to health.
What's on tap? This year I am officially registered for two century rides, the Death Ride (126 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing, 5 passes), Muddy Buddy, a mini tri and the Wildflower tri. I expect a few other events will end up on my calendar as well (anyone want a buddy for the Coolest 24 HR?).
A few weeks ago I completed my first event after an injury (jammed and twisted my femur into my hip socket). A beautiful cherry blossom 10 miler in DC with Genta and BJ. Running isn't as much fun as the company that runs with us! I managed to stay injury free (goal 1) and run a sub 1:30 race (goal 2). A visit to the PT confirmed I was ok physically to keep training and to ramp it up a bit.
After a trip to Sports Basement I now have rented a wetsuit for a month and bought my first tri outfit for this weekends mini tri. I got a death glare when I said I was going to try the wet suit during the pool swim this weekend. A lecture on chlorine followed but I promised her it was only a very short swim and it'd be the only time I wore it in a pool. I need the practice getting in and out of it! Fortunately she has been a triathlete for 20+ years so, after the chlorine lecture, she gave me a bunch of useful tips on transitions and gave me a thumbs up on my tri outfit. She said I looked really cute. Hmmm....bad ass or cute? I'm not sure which look suits me better. Probably cute for now until I officially earn the bad ass battle stories.
I thanked her for the latex dressing/undressing lessons and tips to which I got a 'Go all tits out and have fun!'. All tits out huh? I guess that's the feminine version of 'all balls out'. Either way I have friends joining me at the mini tri (the record holder for event has a time of 15 minutes! I did say this was a MINI tri right?!) and expect to continue to write a fabulous story of a life. From here on out you can read about my training rants and rave, race reports, mindless rambles and all sorts of other stuff. I hope you enjoy it and, if nothing else, I hope it motivates at least one person to go all tits out (or all balls out if that suits you better) and have fun time with friends doing something you love!!
What's on tap? This year I am officially registered for two century rides, the Death Ride (126 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing, 5 passes), Muddy Buddy, a mini tri and the Wildflower tri. I expect a few other events will end up on my calendar as well (anyone want a buddy for the Coolest 24 HR?).
A few weeks ago I completed my first event after an injury (jammed and twisted my femur into my hip socket). A beautiful cherry blossom 10 miler in DC with Genta and BJ. Running isn't as much fun as the company that runs with us! I managed to stay injury free (goal 1) and run a sub 1:30 race (goal 2). A visit to the PT confirmed I was ok physically to keep training and to ramp it up a bit.
After a trip to Sports Basement I now have rented a wetsuit for a month and bought my first tri outfit for this weekends mini tri. I got a death glare when I said I was going to try the wet suit during the pool swim this weekend. A lecture on chlorine followed but I promised her it was only a very short swim and it'd be the only time I wore it in a pool. I need the practice getting in and out of it! Fortunately she has been a triathlete for 20+ years so, after the chlorine lecture, she gave me a bunch of useful tips on transitions and gave me a thumbs up on my tri outfit. She said I looked really cute. Hmmm....bad ass or cute? I'm not sure which look suits me better. Probably cute for now until I officially earn the bad ass battle stories.
I thanked her for the latex dressing/undressing lessons and tips to which I got a 'Go all tits out and have fun!'. All tits out huh? I guess that's the feminine version of 'all balls out'. Either way I have friends joining me at the mini tri (the record holder for event has a time of 15 minutes! I did say this was a MINI tri right?!) and expect to continue to write a fabulous story of a life. From here on out you can read about my training rants and rave, race reports, mindless rambles and all sorts of other stuff. I hope you enjoy it and, if nothing else, I hope it motivates at least one person to go all tits out (or all balls out if that suits you better) and have fun time with friends doing something you love!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)