Well it's a bit late to go into all the details of the last 3.5 weeks but I'll give you a short recap! This whole season for me is to gain experience in racing and build that base for the future – an ongoing process!
Boulder Peak was a solid race for me. The bike course is exactly what I need to make gains in an Olympic-distance event. The hill on Olde Stage Road is about a 9-10% percent climb for over a half mile. Coming out of the water near last was not what I was hoping for but later smashing the bike course and heading into T2 in 2nd place (behind the infamous Joanna Zeiger) helped save the day. I put my head down and did my best to gain some time on Joanna and stay in 2nd. I loved every minute of it!
5 days later I was off to California for Vineman 70.3. I met up with one of my good friends Cindy and her husband, Phil Rach (who hosted me for the weekend). I was also able to hang out with TYR and AVIA at the expo. It was a great weekend seeing everyone.
I was feeling great after Boulder Peak and wanted to try some experimentation with a harder effort bike/run on Wednesday of race week. Unfortunately I think I tanked myself a bit too much! A solid 4.5-hour effort ride and run at altitude is not too entirely smart between races. Coach knew best, as he told me to relax, but I wanted to see for myself. So he left me to my own demise! And that it was. It was the first time I wasn't able to grab the fastest bike split in a race and I barely held onto a 5th place finish. It was an all-out sprint at the finish line for the last spot in the prize money! I don't think I felt so worked at a race before until this one. It was a good feeling but showed me what NOT to do when racing back-to-back weeks! Trust coach.
Thanks to Cindy and Phil I had an absolute blast in California. They treated me like a daughter and I have to say, Phil's cooking is to die for! I had gourmet omelets two days in a row, the best salmon meal I've ever wolfed down, and never-ending snacks! And Cindy is one of the toughest ladies you'll see doing Ironman. She's 65 years-old on paper but 29 in reality. She took me out for a run the day before the race and blew me away! She ran herself into an awesome 2nd place finish herself!
After an easy flight home and a bit of a rest, Chuckie and I headed to the Mount Evans Hill Climb Colorado Championships (cycling). I love climbing and absolutely LOVED this race. I borrowed a road bike from one of Chuckie's athletes (thanks Michelle!) and tweaked it so it would fit. It was an epic 2-hours and 16-minutes (the race, not the bike mechanic work, which took MUCH longer!). We started as a group and after a FAST 6-miles a gal named Grewal (of the famous bike racing family) punched it a bit. One-by-one the ladies were spit out the back. There was only myself, a Colavita member and Grewal left. We rode hard for the next 3-miles until this Grewal gal punched it again and the two of us were left in the dust. We worked hard together but eventually the Team Colavita gal cracked and I kept gaining on first. By the end, I was about a minute down and never felt better on a bike, despite 7,000 feet of vertical and the 14,100-foot summit! My element is definitely pedaling two wheels uphill!
Next up: Boulder 70.3. I'm excited to test out my new Rolf Prima disc wheel. It's my first time on a disc...newbie, I know!
Boulder Peak was a solid race for me. The bike course is exactly what I need to make gains in an Olympic-distance event. The hill on Olde Stage Road is about a 9-10% percent climb for over a half mile. Coming out of the water near last was not what I was hoping for but later smashing the bike course and heading into T2 in 2nd place (behind the infamous Joanna Zeiger) helped save the day. I put my head down and did my best to gain some time on Joanna and stay in 2nd. I loved every minute of it!
5 days later I was off to California for Vineman 70.3. I met up with one of my good friends Cindy and her husband, Phil Rach (who hosted me for the weekend). I was also able to hang out with TYR and AVIA at the expo. It was a great weekend seeing everyone.
I was feeling great after Boulder Peak and wanted to try some experimentation with a harder effort bike/run on Wednesday of race week. Unfortunately I think I tanked myself a bit too much! A solid 4.5-hour effort ride and run at altitude is not too entirely smart between races. Coach knew best, as he told me to relax, but I wanted to see for myself. So he left me to my own demise! And that it was. It was the first time I wasn't able to grab the fastest bike split in a race and I barely held onto a 5th place finish. It was an all-out sprint at the finish line for the last spot in the prize money! I don't think I felt so worked at a race before until this one. It was a good feeling but showed me what NOT to do when racing back-to-back weeks! Trust coach.
Thanks to Cindy and Phil I had an absolute blast in California. They treated me like a daughter and I have to say, Phil's cooking is to die for! I had gourmet omelets two days in a row, the best salmon meal I've ever wolfed down, and never-ending snacks! And Cindy is one of the toughest ladies you'll see doing Ironman. She's 65 years-old on paper but 29 in reality. She took me out for a run the day before the race and blew me away! She ran herself into an awesome 2nd place finish herself!
After an easy flight home and a bit of a rest, Chuckie and I headed to the Mount Evans Hill Climb Colorado Championships (cycling). I love climbing and absolutely LOVED this race. I borrowed a road bike from one of Chuckie's athletes (thanks Michelle!) and tweaked it so it would fit. It was an epic 2-hours and 16-minutes (the race, not the bike mechanic work, which took MUCH longer!). We started as a group and after a FAST 6-miles a gal named Grewal (of the famous bike racing family) punched it a bit. One-by-one the ladies were spit out the back. There was only myself, a Colavita member and Grewal left. We rode hard for the next 3-miles until this Grewal gal punched it again and the two of us were left in the dust. We worked hard together but eventually the Team Colavita gal cracked and I kept gaining on first. By the end, I was about a minute down and never felt better on a bike, despite 7,000 feet of vertical and the 14,100-foot summit! My element is definitely pedaling two wheels uphill!
Next up: Boulder 70.3. I'm excited to test out my new Rolf Prima disc wheel. It's my first time on a disc...newbie, I know!
1 comment:
Angela,
Good luck at the 70.3, we will be cheering you on from Eldora! Andy is racing up there this Sunday so not able to make it to Boulder in person to cheer everyone on.
Have a great race!!
Annie and Andy Fox
Post a Comment