Muskoka 70.3 is one of the hardest races I have ever done! (Wildflower still tops them all). It was a very organized event and amazing to race in! The pro field was stacked with some very impressive ladies with race resumes I could only wish for. It was a day that I can say I gave it my all. After two mishaps in the past year (one broken toe and one flat tire), I was determined to get my World’s qualification spot! It was my last chance for 2008!
If you read Chuckie's race report, you read right! It was a whopping $300 one way on Delta Airlines to get my bike up to Canada. When the ticket agent asked me how I would like to pay, I was speechless. I was (am) literally shell-shocked because for one, I had no choice but to pay, and two, I never heard of such an outrageous amount to transport a bike.
I flew Delta because of the great deal I got from priceline.com, which allowed me to visit roughly have the US states en route before I hit Canadian soil! The $300 was more than I paid for the ticket itself! (I shipped my bike UPS on the way home. There was no way I was going to pay that cost again). Note to self: Never fly Delta! They are scoundrels for hidden costs.
The plane trips were interesting, an eye-opener to the reality of America and our species! On my way to Cincinnati, as luck would have it, I was stuck in the very last middle seat, on the right side of the aircraft. On my right was a nice young lady that kept to herself mostly. On my left and partly in the aisle, was a GIGANTIC individual who was literally three times my size and required the use of my seat. We couldn't put the arm rest down because of his size. I was amazed, literally astonished!
After some small chat and a bit of discomfort on my part, we struck up conversation about healthy living. He said he was very active in his youth; he did an Ironman once even! This was all before he had kids. And then, “it all went downhill.” He explained, "I needed to make money to support my family and there was no time for anything else".
Hmmm, life is all a matter of choice.) I have some sympathy for this man; I have no idea how hard it is to have children and support them. It made me realize just how lucky I am to truly live out a dream and stay relatively healthy. But there was (is) part of me that felt disappointed not only in him but our society! I don't understand his sense of giving up on his health. Sure he needs to provide for a family, but at the cost of his health? I am afraid some people will never understand that you need your health to support a family!
On top of this, almost everyone on the plane was overweight, whom I am sure didn’t have to pay for the excess baggage cost. Delta should charge extra for anyone that weighs 250-pounds so they can have an empty seat beside them. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way criticizing anyone who is overweight. I am only criticizing those individuals who don't think health matters. But I guess it all comes down to choice. Health is a choice in most respects. I must be missing the boat on something. What, I am not sure. Money? I guess. But to me, HEALTH is WEALTH!
I have many other gripes about our existence, airplanes, and money costs but I will leave that for another blog. Back to the race report:My home stay was with Phil and Paul from Sable Water Optics, my goggle sponsor. They hosted me with great support! We camped at a local campground, roughly 8-miles from race site.. The weather was a bit of a hindrance (overcast, humid and rain) but it was home for 2 days! I had a great time with these two and enjoyed a lot of good laughs. Thanks Phil and Paul, you guys rock! As do your goggles!! Seriously they are not kidding when they say, “the difference is clear!"
We drove up to Deerhurst (race site) on Friday. The forecast was rain, rain and more rain. I was very tired with travelling but managed to get in a small spin and run, both in the rain. I was a bit worried because my legs felt like weights on the bike and I was very unmotivated by the weather. I did however perk myself up with a great quote I found in a magazine that I changed a bit to make my own. "There will be a day I won't be able to do this; Today is NOT that day!" It worked awesome during the race as well!
The following day, I registered, got my bike in transition, and rested. The rain stopped momentarily, and you could see some blue sky if you closed your eyes and pretended it was there. It wasn't cold, in fact it was very humid. It reminded me of Missouri weather when I went to college. Everyday was humid, and I hated it! I was feeling much better than yesterday but decided to cut everything short in terms of moving my legs and body. I did an easy spin, flop and 30 min run. I needed a nap more than anything!
I went back to the campsite early to get some shut-eye. Phil and Paul later took me out for a quick bite to eat. I was back in bed by 9:30, earplugs in my ears and forced my eyes closed. I was excited to get to sleep, and dream that I was going to dominate in the swim! One can dream, right?
5 AM wake up call! Phil and Paul rolled over from there sleeping bags as I quickly got up, grabbed my race suit, and headed to the bathroom to change. My main priorities on race day morning is to head straight to the bathroom (like every morning) and then, start eating as much as I can, so that I have enough time to digest my food prior to race start. We then headed over to TIm Horton's for a LARGE yummy coffee. (Starbucks will always be #1).
I was the first pro to arrive into transition; the early bird gets the worm (or more wet). It was dark and raining when I began setting up my gear but a whopping 20C, so cold wasn't going to be a factor on the bike. The humidity was like a jacket that kept you warm.
I had to figure out ways to keep everything dry. I used garbage bags and opted to put my bike shoes on the ground so that they could be covered from the rain under a bag. I have only raced once in rainy conditions and that was last year in Vancouver for an age-group Olympic race. For Vancouver, it only rained during the race, so setting things up in this weather was new to me.
After some walking, another bathroom break and a personal pep talk, I headed down to the swim start to start warming up. The water was surprisingly warm. I was excited to race and was determined to swim my hardest to get in good position for T2.
The men went promptly at 8am and we followed 3 minutes after. Joanna Zeiger just looked like a fish when she first entered the water for the start. The horn to go off surprised me because usually there is a count-down or something. Before I knew it, arms and legs were flying everywhere and I was standing in the water, looking at a duck.
I jumped in the mess, put my head down, and started 'swimming'. I could see the bubbles, tried to follow the bubbles and then slowly, just like Nemo's father in the Disney move, Nemo, who tried his hardest to follow the bubbles from the ship to get his son back, they started to fade away. I was swimming alone, once again. I felt like Nemo’s father who knew he couldn’t make up that much ground, no matter how hard he tried.
I was still determined to swim hard. Quickly my focus went to the swimmer, Cynthia Wilson, 50-yards ahead. My goal was to keep her in site and not lose any more time on her. I came out in 11th place, six minutes behind Joanna Zeiger.
There was a 400 meter hill from the lake to transition. It must have grown while I was swimming because it looked huge at this point in the game. I left a pair of running shoes down at the lake so that I could run easier. They helped a lot. Wet-suit strippers helped me with the wetsuit. I ran up the hill with my wetsuit in hand and started chasing down my competitors. I knew once I was on the bike, the real race was on. I always feel 100% confident when riding the bike. I knew I could make up ground, I just didn't know how much.
The bike course was awesome! It was hill after hill with a few quick descents and steep climbs. One part of the course was on a dirt road, roughly 5-miles. I ate it up. Chuckie has had me ride on dirt roads before and it must have helped. Mud was flying everywhere but I loved it. I must have made a lot of ground during this part of the course because I felt like I was flying.
I had a lot of cameras on me throughout the race. I felt like a superstar! I never had that much media around me before. It fired me up. They kept giving me splits and I was slowly gaining time on Joanna. I kept focused on my hydration, fuel and climbing up the next hill.
Heading back, I was in 2nd place at roughly mile 48. I didn't know how far Joanna was up ahead but I kept grinding. Just as I was heading into transition, I saw her heading out. I was stoked! My focus on the run was to keep my place and get up to Joanna as fast as I could. At the out-and-back (mile 3), Rebecca Wassner and Cynthia Wilson were close behind me. 'Come on Angela, you can do it!' I said to myself and focused on each hill.. My right calf was cramping and it was hard for me to climb hills at this point.
By mile 6, Rebecca slowly gained momentum and passed me. Cynthia was out of site. My goal was to keep Rebecca as close as possible. It is amazing, she was obviously running faster than I, but at mile 7 I kept her in site for the rest of the race (roughly 50-meters ahead of me). I did lose a bit more distance on the final kilometer.
The run course took us on an adventure. Part of it was on dirt, highway, and some back roads. At mile 9 we started to head back toward the resort. The run followed golf course paths and winded around the spectators. It played tricks on me because each time I thought I was getting close to the finish line another big loop would be up ahead.
After mile 8, there were no more mile markers - only kilometers. Being away from Canada for a while, I have been training in miles and couldn't rack my brain on how many kilometers were in 13.1 miles. At kilometer 15, I thought I was almost done, but low and behold another hill and windy loop!
I was racing on adrenaline and very spaghetti-like legs at the 18-kilometer mark. I had no idea how much longer I had to go and my drive was lagging. I knew I had to keep up with Rebecca the best I could. After one last loop, I heard the race announcer congratulate Rebecca for a 2nd place finish. Only one more hill to go!
I ran in strong and had a huge smile on my face! I did it! My first podium finish at a 70.3! I wanted to take the banner with me but the volunteers had a strong hold on it. I thought that is what you did...who knew?!
At the finish line, I was handed an awesome medal, flowers and champagne for a top-3 placing. Six of us headed toward a Subaru vehicle for a photo and the champagne toast! This was a first for me. Someone hit Joanna in the eye with their cork and I got soaked with bubbles. I loved it! I was bonking hard though, and my focus was finding food quick!
Overall, I had the fastest bike split and was less than a minute behind Rebecca and around six behind Joanna. If only I could get that swim down, then there would be a race!! My last race with Joanna I was nine minutes behind so I guess we can call that an improvement! At the awards ceremony, Lisa Bentley came up to me and said I was “amazing on the bike”. I guess I flew by here on a risky descent and she thought I was crazy. It felt awesome to have such a compliment from her.
So in the end, I got my spot at Worlds. I am now back in Boulder and ready to start swimming! Muskoka is a race I will definitely be racing next year. It was a great course and I loved the spectators, organization and the fact that I was racing back in Canada!
I'm off to swim... then go swim some more…and follow that with another swim…
If you read Chuckie's race report, you read right! It was a whopping $300 one way on Delta Airlines to get my bike up to Canada. When the ticket agent asked me how I would like to pay, I was speechless. I was (am) literally shell-shocked because for one, I had no choice but to pay, and two, I never heard of such an outrageous amount to transport a bike.
I flew Delta because of the great deal I got from priceline.com, which allowed me to visit roughly have the US states en route before I hit Canadian soil! The $300 was more than I paid for the ticket itself! (I shipped my bike UPS on the way home. There was no way I was going to pay that cost again). Note to self: Never fly Delta! They are scoundrels for hidden costs.
The plane trips were interesting, an eye-opener to the reality of America and our species! On my way to Cincinnati, as luck would have it, I was stuck in the very last middle seat, on the right side of the aircraft. On my right was a nice young lady that kept to herself mostly. On my left and partly in the aisle, was a GIGANTIC individual who was literally three times my size and required the use of my seat. We couldn't put the arm rest down because of his size. I was amazed, literally astonished!
After some small chat and a bit of discomfort on my part, we struck up conversation about healthy living. He said he was very active in his youth; he did an Ironman once even! This was all before he had kids. And then, “it all went downhill.” He explained, "I needed to make money to support my family and there was no time for anything else".
Hmmm, life is all a matter of choice.) I have some sympathy for this man; I have no idea how hard it is to have children and support them. It made me realize just how lucky I am to truly live out a dream and stay relatively healthy. But there was (is) part of me that felt disappointed not only in him but our society! I don't understand his sense of giving up on his health. Sure he needs to provide for a family, but at the cost of his health? I am afraid some people will never understand that you need your health to support a family!
On top of this, almost everyone on the plane was overweight, whom I am sure didn’t have to pay for the excess baggage cost. Delta should charge extra for anyone that weighs 250-pounds so they can have an empty seat beside them. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way criticizing anyone who is overweight. I am only criticizing those individuals who don't think health matters. But I guess it all comes down to choice. Health is a choice in most respects. I must be missing the boat on something. What, I am not sure. Money? I guess. But to me, HEALTH is WEALTH!
I have many other gripes about our existence, airplanes, and money costs but I will leave that for another blog. Back to the race report:My home stay was with Phil and Paul from Sable Water Optics, my goggle sponsor. They hosted me with great support! We camped at a local campground, roughly 8-miles from race site.. The weather was a bit of a hindrance (overcast, humid and rain) but it was home for 2 days! I had a great time with these two and enjoyed a lot of good laughs. Thanks Phil and Paul, you guys rock! As do your goggles!! Seriously they are not kidding when they say, “the difference is clear!"
We drove up to Deerhurst (race site) on Friday. The forecast was rain, rain and more rain. I was very tired with travelling but managed to get in a small spin and run, both in the rain. I was a bit worried because my legs felt like weights on the bike and I was very unmotivated by the weather. I did however perk myself up with a great quote I found in a magazine that I changed a bit to make my own. "There will be a day I won't be able to do this; Today is NOT that day!" It worked awesome during the race as well!
The following day, I registered, got my bike in transition, and rested. The rain stopped momentarily, and you could see some blue sky if you closed your eyes and pretended it was there. It wasn't cold, in fact it was very humid. It reminded me of Missouri weather when I went to college. Everyday was humid, and I hated it! I was feeling much better than yesterday but decided to cut everything short in terms of moving my legs and body. I did an easy spin, flop and 30 min run. I needed a nap more than anything!
I went back to the campsite early to get some shut-eye. Phil and Paul later took me out for a quick bite to eat. I was back in bed by 9:30, earplugs in my ears and forced my eyes closed. I was excited to get to sleep, and dream that I was going to dominate in the swim! One can dream, right?
5 AM wake up call! Phil and Paul rolled over from there sleeping bags as I quickly got up, grabbed my race suit, and headed to the bathroom to change. My main priorities on race day morning is to head straight to the bathroom (like every morning) and then, start eating as much as I can, so that I have enough time to digest my food prior to race start. We then headed over to TIm Horton's for a LARGE yummy coffee. (Starbucks will always be #1).
I was the first pro to arrive into transition; the early bird gets the worm (or more wet). It was dark and raining when I began setting up my gear but a whopping 20C, so cold wasn't going to be a factor on the bike. The humidity was like a jacket that kept you warm.
I had to figure out ways to keep everything dry. I used garbage bags and opted to put my bike shoes on the ground so that they could be covered from the rain under a bag. I have only raced once in rainy conditions and that was last year in Vancouver for an age-group Olympic race. For Vancouver, it only rained during the race, so setting things up in this weather was new to me.
After some walking, another bathroom break and a personal pep talk, I headed down to the swim start to start warming up. The water was surprisingly warm. I was excited to race and was determined to swim my hardest to get in good position for T2.
The men went promptly at 8am and we followed 3 minutes after. Joanna Zeiger just looked like a fish when she first entered the water for the start. The horn to go off surprised me because usually there is a count-down or something. Before I knew it, arms and legs were flying everywhere and I was standing in the water, looking at a duck.
I jumped in the mess, put my head down, and started 'swimming'. I could see the bubbles, tried to follow the bubbles and then slowly, just like Nemo's father in the Disney move, Nemo, who tried his hardest to follow the bubbles from the ship to get his son back, they started to fade away. I was swimming alone, once again. I felt like Nemo’s father who knew he couldn’t make up that much ground, no matter how hard he tried.
I was still determined to swim hard. Quickly my focus went to the swimmer, Cynthia Wilson, 50-yards ahead. My goal was to keep her in site and not lose any more time on her. I came out in 11th place, six minutes behind Joanna Zeiger.
There was a 400 meter hill from the lake to transition. It must have grown while I was swimming because it looked huge at this point in the game. I left a pair of running shoes down at the lake so that I could run easier. They helped a lot. Wet-suit strippers helped me with the wetsuit. I ran up the hill with my wetsuit in hand and started chasing down my competitors. I knew once I was on the bike, the real race was on. I always feel 100% confident when riding the bike. I knew I could make up ground, I just didn't know how much.
The bike course was awesome! It was hill after hill with a few quick descents and steep climbs. One part of the course was on a dirt road, roughly 5-miles. I ate it up. Chuckie has had me ride on dirt roads before and it must have helped. Mud was flying everywhere but I loved it. I must have made a lot of ground during this part of the course because I felt like I was flying.
I had a lot of cameras on me throughout the race. I felt like a superstar! I never had that much media around me before. It fired me up. They kept giving me splits and I was slowly gaining time on Joanna. I kept focused on my hydration, fuel and climbing up the next hill.
Heading back, I was in 2nd place at roughly mile 48. I didn't know how far Joanna was up ahead but I kept grinding. Just as I was heading into transition, I saw her heading out. I was stoked! My focus on the run was to keep my place and get up to Joanna as fast as I could. At the out-and-back (mile 3), Rebecca Wassner and Cynthia Wilson were close behind me. 'Come on Angela, you can do it!' I said to myself and focused on each hill.. My right calf was cramping and it was hard for me to climb hills at this point.
By mile 6, Rebecca slowly gained momentum and passed me. Cynthia was out of site. My goal was to keep Rebecca as close as possible. It is amazing, she was obviously running faster than I, but at mile 7 I kept her in site for the rest of the race (roughly 50-meters ahead of me). I did lose a bit more distance on the final kilometer.
The run course took us on an adventure. Part of it was on dirt, highway, and some back roads. At mile 9 we started to head back toward the resort. The run followed golf course paths and winded around the spectators. It played tricks on me because each time I thought I was getting close to the finish line another big loop would be up ahead.
After mile 8, there were no more mile markers - only kilometers. Being away from Canada for a while, I have been training in miles and couldn't rack my brain on how many kilometers were in 13.1 miles. At kilometer 15, I thought I was almost done, but low and behold another hill and windy loop!
I was racing on adrenaline and very spaghetti-like legs at the 18-kilometer mark. I had no idea how much longer I had to go and my drive was lagging. I knew I had to keep up with Rebecca the best I could. After one last loop, I heard the race announcer congratulate Rebecca for a 2nd place finish. Only one more hill to go!
I ran in strong and had a huge smile on my face! I did it! My first podium finish at a 70.3! I wanted to take the banner with me but the volunteers had a strong hold on it. I thought that is what you did...who knew?!
At the finish line, I was handed an awesome medal, flowers and champagne for a top-3 placing. Six of us headed toward a Subaru vehicle for a photo and the champagne toast! This was a first for me. Someone hit Joanna in the eye with their cork and I got soaked with bubbles. I loved it! I was bonking hard though, and my focus was finding food quick!
Overall, I had the fastest bike split and was less than a minute behind Rebecca and around six behind Joanna. If only I could get that swim down, then there would be a race!! My last race with Joanna I was nine minutes behind so I guess we can call that an improvement! At the awards ceremony, Lisa Bentley came up to me and said I was “amazing on the bike”. I guess I flew by here on a risky descent and she thought I was crazy. It felt awesome to have such a compliment from her.
So in the end, I got my spot at Worlds. I am now back in Boulder and ready to start swimming! Muskoka is a race I will definitely be racing next year. It was a great course and I loved the spectators, organization and the fact that I was racing back in Canada!
I'm off to swim... then go swim some more…and follow that with another swim…
