Today was kind of an exciting day in the world of sports for this girl! It started off with a ride up to Jamestown, where I set a new PR from stop sign at the bottom to restaurant in Jamestown (for those familiar with the area): 31 and change! yes I had a riding partner, but I still had to do the work! It burned a bit, but I am starting to learn to push through that. We were going to do a second repeat but then I got the bright idea of jumping into the West End 3k tonight. Plus it was starting to get windy and rainy, tehe. So we cut our ride short by 30 min but still ended up with almost 50 miles.
When I got home later I finally saw the e-mail I'd been looking for all week: The final selections for the Duathlon World Championships in NC this September. I had sent my resume in for consideration a while back and 3 spots were still to be filled for the team. Today I saw my name on top of the list of those selected! Yay! I am pretty excited to be representing at the World Champs as an Elite for the sport of Duathlon! I don't think it gets all the respect it deserves, and it is such a tough discipline! I will be getting more details soon, but in the mean time I need to find a) a road bike! (no TT bikes in draft legal racing), b) some rides with people around me (practice drafting, which is super foreign to me) and c) run, ride, run like I stole something! It will be an all out race from the gun I am sure, consisting of a 10k run/ 40k crit style bike/ 5k run. Oh boy, more time to be had in the pain cave!
Following through with my earlier plan, I did head out to Pearl Street for the race, met up with Morgan, a pretty fast runner (used to run for CU) and couldn't help but smile when I saw myself surrounded by so many other runners. It felt just like old times, when I "only" ran! PLus it had a sense of familiarity to it as Barry and Jodee from 5430 sports ran it for the final time this year.
By the time I did my warm-up I could feel the heat (85 degrees), I was dripping after just 10 minutes. Still, I wanted to get a good warm-up in as I knew my body was going to receive quite a shock with the pace I was trying to run it. After what seemed like forever, our "elite" wave, which had about 35 people in it, took off. I was up front. What? I wasn't planning on leading, and certainly wasn't running a super fast pace. After about 20 seconds, people started passing me and my body was starting to protest, as this is not the pace it is used to! I kept myself in about 7th position for the first lap, which consisted of an out and back, which was repeated for the second lap. I was hurting bad! I haven't run a 3k since college, and then it was on a track, at sea level! And I wasn't so crazy as to do it for my second or third workout of the day...
Lap two I actually started passing a few girls and found myself in 5th place meters from the finish. Completely filled with lactic acid in every ounce of my body, I crossed the line. 10:49.9. I stood folded over a table for a few long seconds to try and catch my breath. It took a while. My throat was so dry it felt like it was bleeding, whew. What a shock to the system, but what a race! For some minutes before the start I doubted my abilities to keep up with these runners, especially since I can count my track workouts this year on one hand. Nonetheless I am so glad I did it because I know it will help my longer runs get faster, and who wouldn't want that!? The course was lined with people cheering, I even ran into my neighbor was was having dinner and thought she might see me racing. She did see me, but not racing:-)
Colleen De Reuck, Olympian and super athlete (she is 45!) won the race in fine fashion. For a slow course with 3 180 degree turns, I'll take my time. Especially during long course training.
Happy training and even happier racing!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Redemption
To be honest, the last few races had me down a bit, although I know they weren't that bad. After all my mediocre race finishes lately I was due for a better result. Yesterday I achieved a small victory, even if at just a small event. It helped turn my focus back to "believing in the dream"! :-)
Brandon and I participated in the Barkin' Dog Duathlon back in May, missed the one in June due to racing Boise, but made it back for the final race in the Mile High Duathlon Series for the Cabbage Head Du in Wiggins (tehe) yesterday. Since both our cars probably wouldn't have survived the haul out to the plains of Colorado, our friend Kevin came through for us and let us carpool. Departure was at 5.15 a.m. and we got to enjoy the sunrise all 80 minutes of our ride.
The race would be the same format as Barkin' Dog: 5k run/30k bike/5k run. With me recently deciding it was time to put some miles back in my legs (There might just be an IM on the horizon after all- that's a story for another post:) I wasn't so sure if I had any speed in my legs for this distance, so I simply hoped to just hold contact with people around me. Turns out only 3 of us girls started as Elites, guaranteeing all 3 of us some prize money! (always a plus!) I would be racing two of the girls who placed wayyyyy up ahead of me last weekend at the Peak. Before I had any more time to possibly place any doubts in my mind, we were off to tackle the first 5k.
What I like about this race is that it is pretty much FLAT. The runs are in an "L" shape out and back and have just a small uphill around the turn. It hurts but is manageable. The bike is pretty much a hammer fest the entire way with just one part that is a false flat for about 2 miles or so. I came in 1 second behind the women's leader after the first run and got lost for a few seconds in T1 trying to find my bike. Seems to never get old :) I was down about 40 seconds after that and it took me a good 5 miles or so to catch up and make a pass. After that it was hammer time; I now know what it feels to be in the "pain cave". As I didn't want to get re-passed, I put my head down and rode so hard I couldn't even catch my breath to get my water bottle. I did manage it eventually, good thing it was a relatively short race, otherwise hydration issues would have ensued. Brandon passed me as expected (he started 2 minutes after me with the rest of the AG'ers) and we exchanged a quick "good job". Then, off he went into the distance going on to post the 3rd fastest overall bikesplit of the day, pros included. (25.7mph avg, whhhhhaaaaat??)
Coming into T2 I wasn't sure how the legs would feel for the second 5k, considering my quads had turned into concrete during the bike. I once again ran to the wrong bike rack (there wasn't a separate "Elite" rack this time, which would have helped out 'transition challenged individuals' like me a ton) and lost some precious seconds. I was probably over a minute in the lead at this point and told myself I could probably just "cruise" in if my legs should fail me. Having barely done any transition runs (especially fast ones) I was relatively surprised at my turnover and focused on the few guys ahead to take my mind off the immense pain that comes along with racing events like these. I had super heavy breathing and felt like I was going to explode my lungs (it was humid and warm, but I think there might be a deeper issue to my breathing issues- hopefully not inhaler related) and missed returning all the cheers flying my way from racers heading out on the run as I passed the turn- around. Thank you all, it carried me home for sure!
I reached the finish with a 2+ minute lead over second and 4+ minutes over third place. Very exhausted but pretty sure of having left everything out on the race course for sure. I'm not going to lie, it does feel good to win, even if it's not an "A" race. The cash also helped lift my spirits :-) Brandon was 4th overall, first amateur and should definitely start as an Elite next year! Our other two drive mates were winners as well, with Julie being the first amateur and Kevin winning the Clydes. We drove home with a car full of winners, and me with a well- deserved slurpee! Since it was also Kevin's birthday we all met up again for a night out on the town later on, making for a very exciting, yet exhausting day! Photos to follow when the respective photogs send them to me :-)
Big thanks to Jill for holding down the fort and organizing this race as well as the volunteers who gave up their beauty sleep to be out there with us! Next is three weeks of solid training before the 5430 Long Course on August 9th. And I have to say, I really enjoy the run/bike/run. There is something so pure and yet so painful about this discipline, it really tests what you're made of. Hopefully the sport of Duathlon can make a comeback and rival its brother Triathlon!
Results are here. (I'm kind of psyched about that bike split of mine!)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Boulder Peak Pro Race 2009
Another pro race, another set of experiences. The following were my first thoughts after the race: I was slower than last year by almost 5 mins, wow I suck!, I cannot believe how SLOW that swim was for me, do I even belong with these women?
I have had some time to reflect and think about it all, and after seeing the actual results and splits I am more content than I thought I’d be after another disaster swim leg. Clearly, I was toeing the line with some of the very best athletes in the sport, intimidating enough to not let me get more than 3 hrs of sleep last night. My race didn’t start until 8.45, whereas all age groupers started before that. The pro race is put on as a spectator friendly race, using the same swim and bike course but doing a 2mile out and back run three times so that spectators could watch and cheer.
Brandon got up at 5 since his race started at 7.20. He made his way over to the race around 5.30 and sadly I could not take advantage of my later start time as I was now up too. Feeling a bit weird about sitting at home and feeling like I was going to miss the race (ha) I left the house at 7 (commuting to the race by bike- being as green as possible!) and was the second pro in transition (yea!) by 7.15. This gave me enough time to do my business about 10x over…, do a nice warm-up jog and even get in the water to do a 10min warm-up swim, which I thought would help me feel better in the there today. (This would be my first non-wetsuit swim at altitude.)
Before I knew it, we were off, all 15 or so of us. I lined myself up near the “back”, the second line of the more “timid” swimmers, whom I hoped to swim with. Immediately, kicks everywhere- think washing machine- I tried my very best to be aggressive and hold pace, but when the bubbles cleared a short 30 secs later, I found myself once again in that damned no-mans land. There was one other swimmer to the right off me but she kept steering badly off course, so that once again I was on my own for this leg of the race. I swam hard, I was wheezing and barely getting air in. My only company was a kayak to my right, letting me know that yes, I was indeed the very last swimmer in the water. I wanted to cry. Staying positive, leave alone competitive when you are dead last 5 min into the race, is mentally really hard to deal with as I have come to find out.
Starting the bike
I finally made it out of the water, dared not even look at my watch and tried to unzip the back of my swim skin while hobbling into T1. My zipper was stuck and I couldn’t get it down… ahhhhh. Finally I got it down and stripped down. I came back to find my bike completely alone, with not even another person changing. DFL. Again. At this point I pondered quitting, but then quickly remembered my rule about quitting. Under no circumstances will I ever allow myself to quit, unless life threatening. So off I went to conquer Olde Stage. Again, the ride felt pretty lonely as we were all so spread out. Finally I passed a few girls and then got passed by most of the pro guys, who started their race 15 minutes after us. This brought with it a motorcycle (ref), who would be by my side for a while, since I was in the midst of the men’s race. I needed to make extra sure I was staggered correctly (a pro rule) or risk a penalty. Since lanes were open to traffic, this made things a bit tricky, not to mention dangerous, as I needed to stagger myself way out in the road at times. Finally I came into the home stretch and was able to catch up to and pass another woman pro, pushing me up 4 places on the bike. This helped instill a bit of promise in me as I knew my strongest leg was still ahead. The goal was to pass as many people as I could, given the distance between us.
Returning to transition. Note the perfect stagger!
Heading out on the run.
Sufferfest
I shot out of T2 (or so I thought, T2 time says otherwise) and knew one of the strongest runners was right behind me. I didn’t expect to hold her off for long; she had one of the, if not the best run split last year. The sky had magically clouded over now, making things a bit cooler for this part of the race. Crowds lining the course were cheering and watching us, wish I hadn’t had such tunnel vision so I could have actually enjoyed it. I completed two of my three loops without getting passed by any women, but faded and eventually let 9th place pass me, as I knew my reserves were close to being up. I didn’t manage to make any passes, as most women were too far ahead at this point in the game. I crossed the finish line and felt a huge sense of failure. I had tried my very best, swam so hard, but set myself up for a poor performance all thanks to such a poor swim. I shed a few tears of disappointment and retreated to the shade to digest what just happened. I knew I fought the best fight I could, but I set myself up in a bad way. Thank goodness Olympic Distance is not my specialty! ☺
Loop 2 maybe?
"Sprint" to the finish
...and done
After looking at the results, turns out I didn’t fare nearly as bad as I thought I had. Well, except for that swim ofcourse. My bike split was right in the mix with some of the women who placed in the top 5, and so was my run split (although by no means blazing, interestingly only the winner ran sub 40) Each race is a humbling experience, and today was no different. I was 10th out of 12 pro finishers, and although I would have loved to have placed lower (say top 5), I know I will get there if I figure out my swim. Apparently when I can’t wear a wetsuit, I fall off the back so much faster than with one. Had my swim been faster, I could have been in contention for some prize money.
The goal from now until the next big race (5430 LC in August) is to seriously figure out my swim and see what I am doing that makes me so much slower than others. If that means going to punish myself at Dave Scott’s acclaimed suicide sessions twice a week, then that’s what I will do. Today, a mere 2+ minutes separated 5th through 10th place. That is a lot of motivation for me to improve on my problem area.
Thanks to everyone who was out there cheering, volunteering, handing me water, Gatorade over and over again, and believing in me. It helps a lot to keep me going! I am determined to make it back on that podium!
Also, I just wanted to voice my congrats to the new WR record holder for the 140.6mi distance- 8.31!!! Chrissie is simply beyond comprehensible! ☺ WOW.
I have had some time to reflect and think about it all, and after seeing the actual results and splits I am more content than I thought I’d be after another disaster swim leg. Clearly, I was toeing the line with some of the very best athletes in the sport, intimidating enough to not let me get more than 3 hrs of sleep last night. My race didn’t start until 8.45, whereas all age groupers started before that. The pro race is put on as a spectator friendly race, using the same swim and bike course but doing a 2mile out and back run three times so that spectators could watch and cheer.
Brandon got up at 5 since his race started at 7.20. He made his way over to the race around 5.30 and sadly I could not take advantage of my later start time as I was now up too. Feeling a bit weird about sitting at home and feeling like I was going to miss the race (ha) I left the house at 7 (commuting to the race by bike- being as green as possible!) and was the second pro in transition (yea!) by 7.15. This gave me enough time to do my business about 10x over…, do a nice warm-up jog and even get in the water to do a 10min warm-up swim, which I thought would help me feel better in the there today. (This would be my first non-wetsuit swim at altitude.)
Before I knew it, we were off, all 15 or so of us. I lined myself up near the “back”, the second line of the more “timid” swimmers, whom I hoped to swim with. Immediately, kicks everywhere- think washing machine- I tried my very best to be aggressive and hold pace, but when the bubbles cleared a short 30 secs later, I found myself once again in that damned no-mans land. There was one other swimmer to the right off me but she kept steering badly off course, so that once again I was on my own for this leg of the race. I swam hard, I was wheezing and barely getting air in. My only company was a kayak to my right, letting me know that yes, I was indeed the very last swimmer in the water. I wanted to cry. Staying positive, leave alone competitive when you are dead last 5 min into the race, is mentally really hard to deal with as I have come to find out.
Starting the bikeI finally made it out of the water, dared not even look at my watch and tried to unzip the back of my swim skin while hobbling into T1. My zipper was stuck and I couldn’t get it down… ahhhhh. Finally I got it down and stripped down. I came back to find my bike completely alone, with not even another person changing. DFL. Again. At this point I pondered quitting, but then quickly remembered my rule about quitting. Under no circumstances will I ever allow myself to quit, unless life threatening. So off I went to conquer Olde Stage. Again, the ride felt pretty lonely as we were all so spread out. Finally I passed a few girls and then got passed by most of the pro guys, who started their race 15 minutes after us. This brought with it a motorcycle (ref), who would be by my side for a while, since I was in the midst of the men’s race. I needed to make extra sure I was staggered correctly (a pro rule) or risk a penalty. Since lanes were open to traffic, this made things a bit tricky, not to mention dangerous, as I needed to stagger myself way out in the road at times. Finally I came into the home stretch and was able to catch up to and pass another woman pro, pushing me up 4 places on the bike. This helped instill a bit of promise in me as I knew my strongest leg was still ahead. The goal was to pass as many people as I could, given the distance between us.
Returning to transition. Note the perfect stagger!
Heading out on the run.
SufferfestI shot out of T2 (or so I thought, T2 time says otherwise) and knew one of the strongest runners was right behind me. I didn’t expect to hold her off for long; she had one of the, if not the best run split last year. The sky had magically clouded over now, making things a bit cooler for this part of the race. Crowds lining the course were cheering and watching us, wish I hadn’t had such tunnel vision so I could have actually enjoyed it. I completed two of my three loops without getting passed by any women, but faded and eventually let 9th place pass me, as I knew my reserves were close to being up. I didn’t manage to make any passes, as most women were too far ahead at this point in the game. I crossed the finish line and felt a huge sense of failure. I had tried my very best, swam so hard, but set myself up for a poor performance all thanks to such a poor swim. I shed a few tears of disappointment and retreated to the shade to digest what just happened. I knew I fought the best fight I could, but I set myself up in a bad way. Thank goodness Olympic Distance is not my specialty! ☺
Loop 2 maybe?
"Sprint" to the finish
...and doneAfter looking at the results, turns out I didn’t fare nearly as bad as I thought I had. Well, except for that swim ofcourse. My bike split was right in the mix with some of the women who placed in the top 5, and so was my run split (although by no means blazing, interestingly only the winner ran sub 40) Each race is a humbling experience, and today was no different. I was 10th out of 12 pro finishers, and although I would have loved to have placed lower (say top 5), I know I will get there if I figure out my swim. Apparently when I can’t wear a wetsuit, I fall off the back so much faster than with one. Had my swim been faster, I could have been in contention for some prize money.
The goal from now until the next big race (5430 LC in August) is to seriously figure out my swim and see what I am doing that makes me so much slower than others. If that means going to punish myself at Dave Scott’s acclaimed suicide sessions twice a week, then that’s what I will do. Today, a mere 2+ minutes separated 5th through 10th place. That is a lot of motivation for me to improve on my problem area.
Thanks to everyone who was out there cheering, volunteering, handing me water, Gatorade over and over again, and believing in me. It helps a lot to keep me going! I am determined to make it back on that podium!
Also, I just wanted to voice my congrats to the new WR record holder for the 140.6mi distance- 8.31!!! Chrissie is simply beyond comprehensible! ☺ WOW.
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