Sorry I've been so behind in updating my blog. I'm packing once again to be on the move to Boulder and back home for a bit. But without further ado, here is my 2/3 Wildflower 1/2-Ironman Rac-Repo!
Wildflower is an amazing weekend and it was a race I was gunning for, for the first part of the season that is. Deciding half-way in the run to not finish was a hard decision, but a smart decision. The three weeks between Wildflower and Superfrog had my left calf feeling a bit mangled. I wasn't running all that much and was worried the epic run for Wildflower would leave me crawling. I'm happy I did 2/3 of the race and even more happy that I'm OK in the run department!
My swim was OK but unfortunately I had 3 dead-weights impeding my process: my left and right arm, and the big one, my head! I was hesitant to start this race and it showed up dramatically at the start-line. I'm still trying to hit myself in the head (to fix it and) to improve my open-water swimming (this is on the list of to-do's and scheduled as soon as I head to Boulder with the BAM Open Water Swim Practices). When the gun went off, I did what any competitor would do and started moving forward. 6 strokes in I start to site?! That was the start of my demise. Why do you need to site in a mass of chaos? (Chuck pondered this one after the race and waited for me to give a valid reason...)
I found my own groove and managed to swim (on my own) behind a 4-women pack. This is not the ideal situation but at least I didn't lose ground to them. Coming out of the water, I was 3-minutes behind the likes of Sam Mcglone and 5 down from the leader (and eventual winner), Julie Dibens. My work was cut out for me!
In T1- I was slow running up the boat launch but the leg, as it always works out, felt great! I slipped out of the wetsuit, snapped my helmet on and grabbed the bike. I was out fast and prepared to catch everyone ahead of me.
On the bike, I don't hesitate. I don't worry, I don't think! I'm 100% comfortable on two wheels and red-line without worry. In the first 2-miles (including the infamous 1-mile hill at the start of hte course), I passed 5 competitors. Between the 10-15-mile mark, I passed 4 more. By mile 25-30 I was in 4th place.
In this race, the actual start of the bike is just before nasty grade (a 1.2+ mile climb at 9%). at mile 40. I knew this is where I was going to make my mark. 5-miles before the climb, I caught up to third place and flew by before she could tell who I was. In the near distance was 2nd, Melanie Mcquaid at the time. I held back, took in the last of my fluids (made my bike light!) and waited for the climb. (In retrospect, I wish I gunned it here because I think I could have had that fastest bike split I wanted!). I punched it up Nasty Grade and that was the last I saw of any competitor...
And that's because Julie Dibens was out of sight, killing everyone behind her! I was pushing hard to make any gains I could on the last 16 miles of the bike.
I made it into T-2, 5-minutes down from Julie, and 3-minutes ahead of 3rd place. It was a great spot to be in. (I have to give credit for my bike time to the new race wheels I was riding, the TdF58 Carbon Race Wheels by Rolf Prima! I've never been on a fast set-up of wheels and it literally made me feel like I was flying. NO joke. I've used training wheels in every other race I've been in. I'm 100% confident I now have the fastest wheels going in this sport!) I got into my run shoes and headed out.
Hesitancy hit me again, I didn't want to hurt my calf. I kept telling myself, "I want a season this year!" After a mile or two I felt OK but it wasn't 100%. I wasn't in a groove but I was happy to be running. I saw Chuckie on course and he quickly waved me down. My day was done - As planned. I was hoping that these plans would change but a good pupil must listen to her body...and coach!
Looking back, now 7 days post-race, I think, what was I thinking?! My leg felt a bit gammy but it's fine! I keep going back and forth on the decision but have now just realized, I made a good choice because I can gear up toward the season - knowing full well what I have to work on. My shin/calf needed the rest. And more importantly the culprits I need to work on before the next race are blatantly hitting me in the eyes:
1) SWIM AGGRESSION
2) SWIM
3) SWIM
4) MY HEAD - hesitancy kills
5) RECOVERY
6) TAKING CARE OF MY WEAK CALVES
7) #$%^ SWIM!
Worth noting is how much fun the weekend was at race-site! I camped - which next year, I will not be doing! I didn't get much sleep the night before the race. but the atmosphere was a blast. Sleeping outside in a tent with ear-plugs doesn't quite do the job. Car horns, car lights and noisy campers make for a rough night. With that said, it was a great experience and the night after the race was worth it. For next year, I'll be in a room and in a bed for a full nights rest.
I met up with Brian Roddy, owner of Rolf Prima. I had a blast getting to know him and can't wait to head out his way (Eugene, Oregon) sometime. Brian, I hope you have a spare room and will want roommates for awhile! I've always wanted to head to Eugene ever since I heard about their amazing run trails.
AVIA did it well with their amazing after-race party - as always! We had great food, great company and a lot of laughs. Kevin Koresky and Joe Barrus from Finish-line Multisports joined us. Great things are in the works!
Meeting up with Paul from Sable Water Optics is always a great laugh. My goggles do the job better than any I've tried and I was able to grab a new pair just before the race start. Thanks Paul!
And of course, I want to say a huge thanks to all my sponsors not mentioned yet, especially TYR for putting me in a fast wetsuit! I promise, open water swimming is on the agenda and my lack-luster swim times will be improving! Rudy Project had me in stealth mode with my aero-helmet and shades on the bike. And Standard Process had me fueled and ready for the race. Thanks to Hammer Gels, Oval Concepts (fastest bar set-up on the bike!), the Right Stuff (hydrated all-day!), Beaker Concepts, Raw Revolutions and of course, Larabar. And a special shout out to Kryn Miner! Thanks for the support!
Boulder, CANADA, upcoming races....here I come!
Wildflower is an amazing weekend and it was a race I was gunning for, for the first part of the season that is. Deciding half-way in the run to not finish was a hard decision, but a smart decision. The three weeks between Wildflower and Superfrog had my left calf feeling a bit mangled. I wasn't running all that much and was worried the epic run for Wildflower would leave me crawling. I'm happy I did 2/3 of the race and even more happy that I'm OK in the run department!
My swim was OK but unfortunately I had 3 dead-weights impeding my process: my left and right arm, and the big one, my head! I was hesitant to start this race and it showed up dramatically at the start-line. I'm still trying to hit myself in the head (to fix it and) to improve my open-water swimming (this is on the list of to-do's and scheduled as soon as I head to Boulder with the BAM Open Water Swim Practices). When the gun went off, I did what any competitor would do and started moving forward. 6 strokes in I start to site?! That was the start of my demise. Why do you need to site in a mass of chaos? (Chuck pondered this one after the race and waited for me to give a valid reason...)
I found my own groove and managed to swim (on my own) behind a 4-women pack. This is not the ideal situation but at least I didn't lose ground to them. Coming out of the water, I was 3-minutes behind the likes of Sam Mcglone and 5 down from the leader (and eventual winner), Julie Dibens. My work was cut out for me!
In T1- I was slow running up the boat launch but the leg, as it always works out, felt great! I slipped out of the wetsuit, snapped my helmet on and grabbed the bike. I was out fast and prepared to catch everyone ahead of me.
On the bike, I don't hesitate. I don't worry, I don't think! I'm 100% comfortable on two wheels and red-line without worry. In the first 2-miles (including the infamous 1-mile hill at the start of hte course), I passed 5 competitors. Between the 10-15-mile mark, I passed 4 more. By mile 25-30 I was in 4th place.
In this race, the actual start of the bike is just before nasty grade (a 1.2+ mile climb at 9%). at mile 40. I knew this is where I was going to make my mark. 5-miles before the climb, I caught up to third place and flew by before she could tell who I was. In the near distance was 2nd, Melanie Mcquaid at the time. I held back, took in the last of my fluids (made my bike light!) and waited for the climb. (In retrospect, I wish I gunned it here because I think I could have had that fastest bike split I wanted!). I punched it up Nasty Grade and that was the last I saw of any competitor...
And that's because Julie Dibens was out of sight, killing everyone behind her! I was pushing hard to make any gains I could on the last 16 miles of the bike.
I made it into T-2, 5-minutes down from Julie, and 3-minutes ahead of 3rd place. It was a great spot to be in. (I have to give credit for my bike time to the new race wheels I was riding, the TdF58 Carbon Race Wheels by Rolf Prima! I've never been on a fast set-up of wheels and it literally made me feel like I was flying. NO joke. I've used training wheels in every other race I've been in. I'm 100% confident I now have the fastest wheels going in this sport!) I got into my run shoes and headed out.
Hesitancy hit me again, I didn't want to hurt my calf. I kept telling myself, "I want a season this year!" After a mile or two I felt OK but it wasn't 100%. I wasn't in a groove but I was happy to be running. I saw Chuckie on course and he quickly waved me down. My day was done - As planned. I was hoping that these plans would change but a good pupil must listen to her body...and coach!
Looking back, now 7 days post-race, I think, what was I thinking?! My leg felt a bit gammy but it's fine! I keep going back and forth on the decision but have now just realized, I made a good choice because I can gear up toward the season - knowing full well what I have to work on. My shin/calf needed the rest. And more importantly the culprits I need to work on before the next race are blatantly hitting me in the eyes:
1) SWIM AGGRESSION
2) SWIM
3) SWIM
4) MY HEAD - hesitancy kills
5) RECOVERY
6) TAKING CARE OF MY WEAK CALVES
7) #$%^ SWIM!
Worth noting is how much fun the weekend was at race-site! I camped - which next year, I will not be doing! I didn't get much sleep the night before the race. but the atmosphere was a blast. Sleeping outside in a tent with ear-plugs doesn't quite do the job. Car horns, car lights and noisy campers make for a rough night. With that said, it was a great experience and the night after the race was worth it. For next year, I'll be in a room and in a bed for a full nights rest.
I met up with Brian Roddy, owner of Rolf Prima. I had a blast getting to know him and can't wait to head out his way (Eugene, Oregon) sometime. Brian, I hope you have a spare room and will want roommates for awhile! I've always wanted to head to Eugene ever since I heard about their amazing run trails.
AVIA did it well with their amazing after-race party - as always! We had great food, great company and a lot of laughs. Kevin Koresky and Joe Barrus from Finish-line Multisports joined us. Great things are in the works!
Meeting up with Paul from Sable Water Optics is always a great laugh. My goggles do the job better than any I've tried and I was able to grab a new pair just before the race start. Thanks Paul!
And of course, I want to say a huge thanks to all my sponsors not mentioned yet, especially TYR for putting me in a fast wetsuit! I promise, open water swimming is on the agenda and my lack-luster swim times will be improving! Rudy Project had me in stealth mode with my aero-helmet and shades on the bike. And Standard Process had me fueled and ready for the race. Thanks to Hammer Gels, Oval Concepts (fastest bar set-up on the bike!), the Right Stuff (hydrated all-day!), Beaker Concepts, Raw Revolutions and of course, Larabar. And a special shout out to Kryn Miner! Thanks for the support!
Boulder, CANADA, upcoming races....here I come!
1 comment:
Being smart is sometimes hard to do but will be worth it in the end.... Am proud of you chica!
Post a Comment