Xterra Lory 2011

'It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.'
-Andy Warhol

1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 4.8 mile run
6500' elevation, Lory State Park, Fort Collins area

I love this race.  It's a beautiful course, well organized, fun atmosphere, a great way to finish out my triathlon season.  My main goal for this race is to take some time off the bike.  I did the course at a pace of 9.0 mph 2 years ago (bike course was different last year) and the realistic goal is for 9.4 mph but my secret stretch goal is 10 mph.  I know it'll be a hot day, predictions are for 90's and the sun is already blaring at 7:00 a.m. so I don't want to push the swim for maybe a minute or two of time gain.  I know the run will be tough in the heat but I'm going to keep my focus run it as hard as I can.  I'm frustrated with my running this year and this is my last chance to improve.

I don't have any goals for placements.  There are 12 people signed up in my age group and I know 2 are way faster than me but I don't know about the rest nor do I know who will actually show up so setting a placement goal is pointless.

For the second weekend in a row I'm headed north up to Fort Collins in the pitch black and hoping not to run into any drunks or deer.  Or drunk deer.  I start off the journey by watching a guy next to me start to turn into oncoming traffic on a 55 mph highway as I wait at a red light.  I honk at him not knowing what else to do and this works in that he stops but he doesn't back up out of harm's way and I can see cars starting to come at him off in the distance.  He sits there for a bit sticking out in traffic then finally decides to do a U-turn in front of me on the red light with the oncoming traffic getting ever closer.  Thankfully he pulls this off and takes off in the opposite direction.

I arrive to the race 15-20 minutes later than I normally do (6:40 a.m.) and while I still have plenty of time I arrive at the same time as everyone else and the busyness is a little on the frazzling side for my sleepy brain.  I get a nice spot in transition but it's crowded and eventually a guy with a huge bike racks next to me and his giant handlebars block me in.

Busy Busy

I'm #97

Then I go down to the end of the transition area to take a picture of the swim course and see a ton of empty racks so I grab my stuff  and relocate.  The transition area is neutral meaning it doesn't matter where you rack, the only advantage is being on the main row and not in a row that's off the main runway.  I can't believe my luck and as people head down to the water they comment that they should have come down here too.

This never happens in a triathlon

Last year I didn't wear socks and got horrific blisters on the arches of both feet.  They were horribly painful and took weeks to heal.  So this time I'm planning on wearing socks but nonetheless I glob a ton of Bodyglide and Aquaphor onto my feet and especially on my arches.  It seems like ridiculous overkill but no way I'm getting blisters this year.

I had originally planned to leave a cooler in transition with 2 big bottles of ice water but the cooler was too heavy to carry on my bike the long way from my car to transition so I grab the small cooler packs out of the cooler and place them on top of the bottles then put my backpack over that in transition.  If not for this simple thing my race would have had a much different outcome.

There are lots of dogs milling about with spectators.  This one reminds me of Lola a bit.  She's wagging her tail at anybody who'll pay attention to her.

Swim (880 yards)
The water temp. is a balmy 75 degrees but I stick to my guns and wear my wetsuit. I'm glad I have it and I don't get hot at all.  I'm in the 5th of 7 waves and they're putting around 6 minutes between waves so I have plenty of time to warm up.  There's a huge area to warm up in right next to the start line so I'm able to swim right up until the start of my wave.  This year the waves are organized by a combination of our swim times and biking ability so instead of being in the old lady wave at the end of the race I'm in a wave with all manner of hooligans.  Men, 20 year olds, a mish mash of everybody and most of us supposedly close to each other in swim ability.  This is a good idea to eliminate congestion on the single track trails for the bike.  However it means I'm swimming in a mass of humanity for about half the race.  I get bumped and swum into a bit and I've got to swim around all manner of people breast stroking, back stroking, etc. and no way to pass them but to swim into the mass.  Normally this would send me into a panic but I've been working on this outside of the water, and I'll write more about that later, and I'm not the least bit worried, just keep siting to find an opening somewhere and keep moving forward.  I try to find feet to draft off of but they all end up being way too slow and I have to pass them.  I'm so preoccupied with managing the crowds that the turn-around buoy comes up before I know it.  And once I turn and head back to shore there's suddenly no one in front of me.  So weird.  After a minute or two I feel like I've somehow drifted way off course but after looking at photos of the buoys I realize it's just the way they positioned the buoys.  I make it back to shore without incident and stop for a moment in the water to take off the top part of my wetsuit and get my clothes underneath as wet as I can.

Swim (880 yards):  16:44 mins. (1:54/100 yards), 2/8 in age group, 150/273 overall

Dash to T1:  58 secs.

T1:  2:03, 5/8 age group

Bike (12miles advertised, 12.3 miles by my cyclometer)
My brain is a bit muddled after coming out of the water and I think I can get on the bike as soon as I cross the timing mat out of transition but I see a bunch of people running way past the mats so I start to get on then think I can't and get off and run a bit more then realize, duh, I can, I don't know what these people are doing.  And I was supposed to be working on quick, cyclocross style bike mounts this summer but I can't even figure out when to get on the bike.

There is only one woman in my swim wave that's also in my age group and though I'm out of transition before her she quickly passes me on the flat road before the single track.  I plan to at least keep her in my sights but she's way too fast for me and I have to abandon that strategy early on.  The race is a little crazy for the first lap with people trying to pass me as well as me trying to pass other people but for the most part it works out o.k.  There's only one woman who gives me a little bit of a hard time about letting me pass because she's already fallen once trying to let people pass.  But there's soon a group of people built up behind her and she's going to have to let us by at some point.  She eventually slams on her brakes to a stop in the middle of the trail with no warning then makes her way to the side.  I have enough time to stop but the guy behind me nearly runs into me.  Everybody else is really nice about letting me pass or nice about passing me so for the most part it's not a big deal.  It always seems there's one person that you pass back and forth several times and for me it's a tall skinny 24 year old woman who I'm guessing might be doing her 1st triathlon because she did the swim with no wetsuit and wore a swimsuit for the whole race.  So I try to be extra nice to her when I need to pass and at a couple points I get caught up behind her and don't try to pass because it seems more trouble than it's worth.  But at some point near the start of the second lap I pass her and take off and get way ahead and that's the last of my passing difficulties.

My average speed for the first lap starts out at around 10.1 mph then goes down to 9.8 at the slower part of the course with the hills.  With a possible 10 mph ave. speed in my sights and the course a bit more clear I attack the second loop, using my new bike handling skills to works around the turns and get as much speed as I can on the downhills.  I can't ride the switchback/drop on the first loop because someone's in the way and there's also someone there off her bike on the second loop but she steps off the trail to let me by and I cruise down it no problemo and the person I pass is from my age group.  I pass one other person from my age group on the bike but there's no sign of the person from my wave that passed me at the start.

I get over the final hill before transition and there's a mile, maybe more, and I'm at 10 mph ave. speed so I try to go even faster on the remaining downhill because maybe I'll exceed my stretch goal!  I get off the bike and my cyclometer reads 10.1 mph!  I'm so happy and I realize I've taken 10 minutes off my bike time from 2 years ago.  But when I see my official results my time is only 8 minutes faster and my ave. speed is 9.8.  I realize my cyclometer only records time and distance when the bike is moving so the time I wasted mounting the bike at the start and stopping to let people pass is about 2 minutes.  But still, I know my actual riding time was 10.1 mph, can't help the stoppage time for letting people pass, and I'm very very happy about it.

Bike (12 miles advertised, 12.3 miles by my cyclometer):  1:14:48, 9.8 mph official time,
                                                                                              5/8 age group, 184/273 overall

 T2:  1:29 (ouch), 5/8 age group

Run (4.8 miles)
T2 took a little longer than normal because I had a hard time racking my bike with no other bikes to weight the rack down and the rack moving all over but also because I took the time to dump one of my ice water bottles over my head.  I was already starting to overheat on the bike, temps. were high eighties pushing into 90 degrees for the run.

I carried my other large size water bottle with me on the run.  The ice packs had kept it cold enough that there were still loads of ice cubes even without the cooler.  It's heavy though and throwing off my stride.  After only half a mile my hip is starting to ache and I consider abandoning it on the road by the cars before I hit the single track up the steep hill.  I'm cool enough from the water I poured on my head in transition and it feels like it's slowing me way down.  But I remember how badly I struggled in the heat last year and I was already overheating on the bike this year.  In the end I decide to keep it.  And I'm so glad I do.

My plan is to wait until mile 2 then dump half of it on my head and take the rest as I need it.  But soon after the 1 mile mark I'm already struggling with the heat.  The hill is steep and goes on for 2 miles or so and there's no shade, the sun is beating down and I start to see how valuable this water will be to me.  I end up squirting small amounts of it on my head, face, arms, chest, etc. every time I start to feel myself overheat.  I take the occasional sip as well.  I ration it out and it lasts until maybe the 3 1/2-3 3/4 mile mark.  The heat effects me for sure but the water makes it possible for me to run the entire course unlike last year where I was sick and dizzy and had to walk a good portion of it especially at the end.  My race would have been miserable without it.

Lots of Runners pass me on the uphill but no one from my age group.  I used to be a Runner and it kind of makes me sad that I'm not anymore but I can't worry about that and I focus only on the trail in front of me and moving up the hill and forget the heat and the other people.  Somehow despite the heat and my diminished running abilities this year the top of the hill seems to come faster and easier than any other year I've done this.  But I notice what feels like a blister starting on the arch of my left foot.  I can't believe it but what can I do but head down the hill?  At least it's only 2 miles or so to the finish.  I pick up some speed going down and pass back some of the people that passed me on the way up.  The downhill seems longer this year though, I think I'm slower on it than 2 years ago because of the heat.

I get to the bottom of the steep downhill part and after a bit I can hear and see the finish line but it still looks so far off that it's actually discouraging.  I hit the 4 mile marker, only .8 mile left, but somehow this is discouraging too.  Can I hold on for that long?  I'm so hot and tired.  But again I forget all that and look only at the trail in front of me and next thing I know I'm off the single track and at the last water station.  The volunteer dumps water on my head and I take another quick glass even though I'm minutes from the finish.  It only costs a few seconds and it tastes so good and gives me a little boost for the finish.

That last stretch down the dirt road to the finish seemed so cruel last year but this year it zips by and soon I see the finish and the ridiculous Slip-n-Slide with the filthy tub of water at the end.

Thankfully there is not a little kid blocking my way at the finish.  I think I probably would have thrown him out of the way if there was I was so thankful to be done.

I'm planning on avoiding the Slip-n-Slide this year but I'm so hot and I see a woman spraying a hose down the ramp.  The announcer tells me that I'd better go faster than that or I'll never make it to the end and he's right but I don't care.  I make it about halfway down and lay there in the spray of the fabulous hose.  Feels.  SO.  Good.  I get up and climb over the side to get out so I don't have to get in the horrible filthy brown pit of doom.

Yes I do know how funny that looks, didn't take the photo on purpose but oh well.

Run (4.8 miles):  1:09:21, 13.53 min./mile (not great but better than I though it would be given the heat)

Finish:  2:45:19, 5/8 age group, 56/99 women, 199/273 overall.

So very happy with this race given the conditions.  My finish time 2 years ago was 2:44 but the swim was maybe 100-150 yards shorter and it was overcast and in the high 50's.  My bike was 8 minutes faster and run was only 5 minutes longer.

Compared to last year's race the swim was exactly the same time (freaky!), bike was 8 mins. faster this year, run was 9 mins. faster this year in similar hot conditions but the bike course was much harder last year so I'm not sure it's fair to compare those 2 races.

No hardware this time but it's o.k., this race was better for me than any of the races that I did manage to place at.  The woman from my wave that passed me on the bike right out of transition ended up in 3rd and it was her first off-road triathlon.  First and second place went to the 2 super fast people.  I was only 7 1/2 minutes behind 4th place and 5th place was over 1/2 an hour behind me.  I was 46-47 minutes off of first place and 1/2 an hour off of 3rd so nowhere close to placing.  But I'm happy about the improvements over previous years and holding up physically and mentally in that heat.  Fun day out on the trails despite the hot run.

The only downside to the day, aside from the heat, was the finish line food.  No food at all for vegetarians, just fish tacos and chicken burritos, some gross puffed fries and oreo cookies.  Funny thing was I asked if they had any vegetarian options and when they said 'no' the 2 girls standing next to me also groaned, 'This is Fort Collins, how can there be no veggie food?!!'  The caterers were apologetic and said they did have veggie burritos at their restaurant but weren't told to bring any.  They kindly gave a coupon for a free veggie burrito to the women but this didn't help us right then and there.  I did have energy bars in my car but my key was about 1/2-3/4 mile away back in the transition area.  I missed the raffle and a good portion of the awards going back to transition then coming back to my car and the finish area.  I did get to see the sides and roof of the Slip-n-Slide collapse though and it is a beautiful finish area.  Can't complain too much when there's blue skies and red cliffs.

Was tired and bonky on the way home but I eventually made up for the lack of finish line food no problem once I got home.  I wonder if I can spend the next week just sleeping and eating?


FINAL STATS

Swim (880 yards):  16:44 mins. (1:54/100 yards), 2/8 in age group, 150/273 overall


Dash to T1:  58 secs.

T1:  2:03, 5/8 age group

Bike (12 miles advertised, 12.3 miles by my cyclometer):  1:14:48, 9.8 mph official time,
                                                                                              5/8 age group, 184/273 overall

 T2:  1:29, 5/8 age group

Run (4.8 miles):  1:09:21, 13.53 min./mile, 6/8 age group, 255/273 overall

Finish:  2:45:19, 5/8 age group, 56/99 women, 199/273 overall.

Xterra Lory Triathlon 2010

I'm hard pressed to remember ever doing a race that hard and that includes 4 marathons.  This was already promising to be a difficult day for me but the blazing heat and sun pushed it to a whole new level.  Temps. were maybe in the high 80's, low 90's?  I don't know, it's hard to make an accurate judgment when it feels like your head is about to melt.  It was in the mid-90's in Boulder by 4:00 anyway.  Plus the course has not a single moment of shade.  And it seems I can't get through a triathlon this year without suffering the indignity of some stupid ass embarrassing situation.

Is there anything more cheery than the sight of the bright orange swim buoys on race morning?  At least the swim went well.

Ready for action

SWIM
800 meters/875 yards
I have a bit of wetsuit panic in the couple weeks before my race when both my wetsuits-full suit and shorty-get holes and/or start falling apart.  I loudly proclaim to anyone who'll listen that there's no way I'm getting into Horsetooth Reservoir on the last weekend in August without a wetsuit.  Because last year it was freezing, at least the air temp. was.  Hands up who likes trying on bathing suits?  Trying on wetsuits is even more humiliating.  It's like trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube.  Plus do you know what those things cost?  It's even more fun when it's 97 degrees outside and the triathlon shop has marginal air conditioning.  Let's just say I set a record for longest amount of time to put on a wetsuit.  A customer comes into the shop and unawares that I'm sweating it out with a rubber octopus in the fitting rooms proclaims, 'Boy, you can really smell those wetsuits can't you?'  Wetsuits have to fit precisely in order to work effectively and not chafe you to a blistery hell so it takes many tries and a custom order but finally I get my suit the Thursday night before my race.  I take it for a test drive out at the Rez on Saturday and it's so fabulous, better than my old suit.  Fits better, more buoyant, comes off easier, I will fly in my race for sure.  Plus it has cool pink racing stripes, I'll look fabulous as well and maybe less like a whale but it still says 'Orca' on it.

What do you suppose the water temperature was on race morning?  74 degrees.  Yeah, I didn't need a wetsuit at all after all that fuss and bother and the Elites weren't even allowed to wear one.  Lucky I'm not an Elite because I wore it anyway as did most people.

Couple lessons learned from my little tri last week-mirrored goggles for one.  Those helped with the glare because once again I was swimming into the sun.  Also, I kept to the inside of the pack this time rather than the outside.  I was in perfect line with the buoys so got to swim the shortest line and for some reason everybody kept wide so I had a nearly clear shot the whole way.  Had to swim around a few people who were stopped and treading water, couldn't figure that out but people do it out at practice at the Boulder Rez too.  Wetsuit feels great and I turn in a time of 17:44 which includes the run to transition.  Take off a minute for the run and that comes out to 1:55/100 yards which is on the fast side for me.  Thank you fancy pants wetsuit.

The only other excitement during the swim comes at the start of my wave when 2 men from another wave who are heading for the finish swim directly towards us as the announcer say '30 seconds to start'.  Everyone starts yelling and they finally realize they're about to be mowed down by 50 or so women and make a hasty change of course.  I'll bet one was following the others feet and never noticed how far off course he was being led astray.  That's a lesson for you kids, be sure to look where you're going every once in a while.

BIKE
12 miles
Here's the fun part and the part I most fear.  I never make it back to Lory to practice the course.  The Daisy Peel seminar was a mere 15-20 minutes drive from Lory but what would I do with the dog while I was riding?  And who would want to sit next to me?  So I did a lot of riding other places but mostly cool places, up in the mountains, in the nice shady woods.  Why torture myself with riding in the heat when there's little chance that my race will be hot?  Last year I was going hypothermic on the bike and I think I even had some fingers turn white.

See those hills in the photos above?  That's where we're riding.  They don't look like that much but when you add up all swimming/biking/running they take their toll.  The big hill part that they've added is at the start of the bike.  You get a bit of a warm-up, 1.5 miles or so, but then it's up the steep singletrack for 2 miles then a 3/4 mile descent.  That first 4 1/4 miles takes 45 minutes and the next 7 3/4 miles take 32 minutes so that gives you an idea of what I'm up against.  It's not ideal to be working so hard at the start of a race but you can only go so slow before you topple over so I have to grunt my way up.  I pass some people, some people pass me and it's not as big a problem as I thought it would be.  There's a chatty woman at the start of the singletrack and she stays behind me for most of the way.  I ask her if she wants to pass but she says no, then she couldn't watch my streamers and they are an inspiration.  I resist the urge to overexert myself to pull away from her-she's trying to be nice but I don't like wasting precious energy on chatting during races especially when I'm fighting for every breath on a bad ass hill.  I answer her with grunts and wheezes and finally she stops trying to talk to me.  Then I feel bad about being grumpy.  I lose her somewhere near the top of the climb.

I'm already too hot by the time I make it to the top of the hill and I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown at the thought of having to come back here and run up this bastard.  How hot am I going to be by then?  I'm not sure how that's going to work but I can't dwell on it because now I have the dreaded descent to deal with.  Steep.  Sharp switchbacks.  A few rocky technical bits.  Oh joy.  A couple of guys in their 20's pass me right near the top of the hill and as they start their descent they let loose with a loud, joyous 'Woo Hoo!' and fly down the hill out of sight.  My first thought is 'Crazy.  Those boys are crazy'.  My second thought is that there are pretty much only 2 approaches to this descent.  The 'Woo Hoo' approach of flying down with wild abandon and the 'Holy Sheet' approach of death grip on the brakes.  I say to myself, 'Do you want to be a Woo Hooer or a Holy Sheeter'?  O.k., o.k. I'll try the Woo Hoo approach.  So  I say it in my head-woo hoo.  No, let's try it again.  Woo Hoo.  Better but not there yet.  WOO HOO!  and I let go the brake and down I go.  Woo Hoo, Woo Hoo, Woo Fucking Hoo.  Then a few bits of 'Dirty Old Town' by Ted Leo which is a cover of a Pogues song which probably isn't really a Pogues song but rather an old traditional song but if you've heard it it's probably the Pogue's version that you've heard.  But this situation calls for the Ted Leo version over the Pogues because if I think of the Pogues sooner or later I'll start envisioning Shane McGowen's teeth and you go ahead and google that (I dare you) and tell me if you think that's a good visual to have on a scary mountain bike descent.  Anyway, wouldn't you know it, the Woo Hoo approach works.  I pass a buncha people, ride some stuff I know I had to walk last time and it's actually fun instead of scary.  Who woulda thunk it?

Rest of the bike goes down without a hitch.  I end up in a group of 4 other women for a while.  I pass them on the flats & downhills, they pass me back on the uphills.  I pass them again on the really steep rocky uphills because they have to get off to walk and somehow I've unexpectedly turned into a mountain goat.  Then they pass me back on a more moderate climb with a couple miles to go and I never see them again.  Oh wells.

Bike time is 1:22:07 or 8.8 MPH.

RUN
4.8 miles/8K?
The run goes up the same bastard hill as the bike but at least when I'm done I get to go back to the finish.  The cruel thing about the run is that on your way out to the hill you run right past the finish area.  You can hear the cheering for all the people who are done and it seems horribly unfair that they're done and you have to climb a big bastard hill.  In the searing heat.  Aid stations on the run are sparse because there's no way to set one up on the singletrack.  There's one at the start of the hill and I pour a couple cups of water on my head and guzzle what I think I can keep down.  I didn't drink nearly as much as I should have on the bike.  Here's a tip kids, if you're going to dump water on your head, take off your sunglasses first.  Trust me on this.

Last year I was able to run nearly the whole run, even up the hill, but not so this year.  Trail runners/racers will tell you it's more efficient to 'power hike' rather than run in many instances, especially if the hill is steep.  I put this to the test and it does feel faster but I can't help wondering if it's wishful thinking and I go back to running.  There's a woman behind me for a good distance.  She runs, catches up to me then walks and falls behind.  Then I have to start walking because my stomach is getting a little queasy and the heat is getting to me.  I walk a bit, run a bit and eventually the woman passes me.  She's not in my age group and even if she was I can't chase her in the heat.  The passing out in Chipotle episode has me on the cautious side these days.  For the most part I put it down as a weird, one-off occurrence but I'd be lying if I said it isn't in the back of my mind especially as I feel my brain starting to melt in the heat.

Nobody in my age group passes me until nearly the top of the hill.  Then a woman goes flying by and I try to convince myself that the number on her calf indicating her age says 40 and not 46.  When I received the starters list for my age group I noticed there were 6 people, 2 of which are crazy fast.  One of them won last year, coming in 3rd overall of all women and beating me by 45 minutes.  The other woman is even faster, coming in 1st or 2nd in my age group at Xterra Nationals last year.  I have no idea about the other women.  I know if only one person passes me I'm out of the money because those other two are far ahead.  Not that I'm banking on making the podium anyway.  Since the race is an official Xterra race this year and the bike portion is way more challenging it's attracted a fairly competitive crowd compared to previous years.  So I'm not sure if my chances for hardware have flown by with this woman or even if there are 2 other women already ahead and I have no chance anyway but chasing this woman is out of the question.  Aside from feeling bad from the intense heat I also start to feel the blisters on the arches of both feet and for some bizarre reason my middle toe on my right foot is killing me.  I've stumbled a few times and fallen once, is it possible I jammed it on a rock and sprained it?  The elastic laces on my shoes are too tight, something which didn't come up at the shorter race, and though I stop for a moment to loosen them it's a more complicated fix and I can't do much about it.  Should have had some longer practice runs with the elastic laces.  Also should have worn socks.  I race sockless all the time, not sure why I suddenly have blisters despite all the Body Glide and Aquaphor I globbed on my feet but oh well.  Nothing for it but to keep plugging along.

Last year I remember flying down the hill, not so this year.  The various pains in my feet and debilitation from the heat keep me at a slow steady pace.  The last 2 miles are a sheer test of will because I'm starting to get dizzy from the heat.  I have to alternate walking and running to keep from overheating.  I don't think I've ever had to walk in a race but I don't want to get heat stroke.  Those people who crawl over the finish line at the Ironman?  Yeah, that's not me.  I think it's 12 ways to stupid and I have no intention of crawling or passing out.  It's just a stupid race, let's see if I can finish it without needing medical assistance. 

Somehow, someway, I finally get off the trail and turn onto the road to the finish.  People standing around tell me 'Keep going, you're SO close', but I keep not seeing the finish.  I say to one of them 'Am I really close or are you people all lying to me??!!'  She laughs and tells me no, I'm really close.  Then I see it, the finish line, I can hardly believe it.  I cross it, stop, click off my watch then notice the people yelling at me that I haven't actually crossed the line yet.  Doh.  How I miss the timing mats and giant inflatable gate that says 'FINISH LINE' on it I don't know.

But hold on kids, we're not done yet.  There's a giant inflatable Slip-n-Slide thing just past the finish line and they tell me I have to do it.  I really really really don't want to and if my brain wasn't melted into a puddle of pudding I would have said 'No I don't think so' but without thinking it through I say o.k. and take a running leap onto my belly onto the slide.  Then I notice how absolutely filthy the thing is.  Then I come sliding to a halt about halfway down the slide, like a gutter ball except I'm at a dead stop.  I get on my hands and knees to crawl the rest of the way but it's hard work and humiliating so I manage to stand and take another leap and this one gets me to the end.  Which unfortunately is a huge tub filled with disgusting, filthy brown water that has been landed in by over 200 other sweaty filthy athletes before me.  I realize the horror too late and I'm helpless to prevent it.  All I can do is helplessly yell 'Oh how gross!  How GROSS!!!' before I fall victim to the laws of physics and plunge head first into the muck.  I climb out of the tub and I'm thoroughly soaked and grossed out and have a nice wet t-shirt contest look going for the post race food and raffle hanging out.   And yes folks, there's a photographer right there to capture the whole thing.  Because who doesn't want to look like Swamp Creature in a wet t-shirt for their finish line photo?

I manage to get down a reasonable amount of food and water so hopefully I won't get sick and pass out in front of all the people at the finish line because wouldn't that be a great end to the day?  I check the results board and I'm shocked to see that I'm 3rd out of 4 in my age group.  Guess 2 people didn't show up.  For the first time ever I'm nearly in tears at the thought of an age group award.  Normally it's not such a big deal and certainly not something I expect but it was such a monumental effort for me and such a tough race it would be so cool to come home with an award.  Then I notice they haven't posted the run portion yet, I was 3/4 off the bike.  Was the woman that flew by me in my age group?  I guess I'll have to wait and see.

I have some more food, see someone I know, Melissa, and have a little chat.  She's got her dog, a mini Rottie mix, with her and I give her some skritches.  The dog goes along with her and her boyfriend a lot when they bike and she's a solid chunk of muscle, even more so than most agility dogs.  And such a nice girl.  Melissa's relay team won the relay last year and her team wins again this year, beating the second place team by 27 minutes.  This is hardly a surprise because the swimmer is some phenom of a teenager, son of the woman who won my age group last year, and Melissa is one of the top mountain bikers in Colorado.  She used to race Xterra triathlons as a pro and was ranked 4th in the country.  But today she's just here for fun.

Finally they post the updated results and start the awards ceremony.  As I'm scanning the sheets they call my name for 3rd place.  I can hardly believe it.  I don't know that I've ever been so happy to receive an award at a race.  In past years they hand you your award and that's it but this year, perhaps because it's an Xterra, they have me stand on stage with the other winners for a podium photo.  I feel like a fraud up there with those women and I'm hoping my shirt has dried enough that the photo won't be too embarrassing but still it feels good.

Edited to add podium photo.  That's me on the left in the blue.  Big thanks to Melissa for posting it on Facebook.

Then I have the not so fun part of walking 1/2 mile in sopping wet shoes with my blisters rubbing away back to the transition area to pick up my bike then another 1/2 mile back to the car but at least I have dry sandals and socks in the transition area.  Blisters on the arches of your feet are problematic because how are you supposed to stay off them to let them heal?  They were horribly sore yesterday but doing better this morning.  Do NOT use Bactine on blisters.  The bottle, which says 'No sting' and 'Relieves pain on contact', lies.  That stuff does the exact opposite.  Did you hear my screams yesterday?  No agility practice for a few days at least and how will I exercise the dogs?  Guess it's a chance to brush up on some tricks training.  I've got some impressive bruises as well but those might have come from falling off a log into the creek in Crested Butte.  Too bad I'm not as agile as my dogs.

My award - an Xterra bronze belt buckle.  With a big X on it because I'm so extreme.

 Let me tell you, there are a lot easier ways to get a belt buckle.  And I don't even wear belts.


FINAL STATS

Swim:  800 meters/875 yards - 17:44 (includes run to transition), 1:55/100 yards not including run to        
                                                transition (estimate 1:00 to run to transition)
           Placement 196/268 overall

T1:  2:09 - 2nd fastest in age group

Bike:  12 miles - 1:22:07, 8.8 MPH
          Placement 203/268 overall

T2:  1:46, 3rd fastest in age group.  I took a few swigs of water and ended up choking a little so that wasted
                some time

Run:  4.8 miles/8K ?* - 1:18:11, 16:17 mins. per mile for 4.8 miles
                Splits:  Mile 1 - 15:21
                           Mile 2 - 18:12
                           Mile 3 - 15:09
                          Mile 4 - 14:35
                          Mile 4.8 - 14:45
         Placement 253/268

Nothing surprising there Mile 2 was the worst of the hill, I'm surprised Mile 4 was the fastest.  It was a slight downhill but it seems like I remember walking a lot of it because that's when I was really starting to get dizzy.
I did the run in 1:04/13:19 mins. per mile last year, the heat and bike course took its toll this year.  2 minutes per mile is a huge difference and my knee felt better this year, no complaints from it whatsoever.

*Race website says 8K/4.8 miles but 8K is really 4.96 miles so who knows how far it really was.  I'm guessing 4.8 miles.

Final Time:  3:01:56
                   Placements:  3/4 Age Group
                                     60/84 Females
                                     225/268 Overall

Fat Tire Triathlon-Lory State Park

Fat Tire Triathlon-Lory State Park-Fort Collins, Colorado
750 m/648 yard swim, 12 mile mountain bike, 4.8 mile trail run

In short, had a great race. Knee was fine and though I was slow I didn't have to walk any of the run course.

Weather was perfect for racing-high 50's and cloudy (I'm guessing. Thermometer on a bank in a town at the bottom of Lory read 59 degrees on my way home at 12:30). Weather was not great for standing around in a wetsuit for 45 minutes on the shore of a windy lake at 8 a.m. I was in the very last wave and they kicked us out of transition around 45 minutes before my wave so I couldn't stay bundled up in my toasty down vest and fleecy hat. I was so cold I was starting to shiver so I tried running back and forth along the beach but it was too rocky and I was hurting my feet. So I tried running in place and this helped a wee bit but still by the time I got in the water to warm up my left index finger was white and had lost feeling. Water almost felt warmer than the air and once I started swimming to warm up I felt better.

Even my bike looks cold.


Eltuck Bay-swim out to the last orange buoy, turn the corner, head back and you're done.


Eltuck Bay and transition area


SWIM
My wave was the last and very small and spread out so I had plenty of room. I found a pair of feet to draft off of for a bit but the woman was swimming a crazy line and finally went so far off course that I had to let her go. I felt good through the whole swim and for once the turn-around came much sooner than I thought it would. I turned tightly around the buoy while a woman on my outside swam wide and I couldn't believe how much space I gained on her with that one turn. Up until today I never thought it made all that much difference. Swim was over before I knew it with no drowning or panicking. 13:45 for 648 yards/750 meters (advertised distance, race morning they claimed 1/2 mile or 880 yards but I seriously doubt it was that far based on my time).

T1 (1st transition) was 3:52 and this included an uphill run of maybe 75-100 yards from the lake to the transition area. I took my wetsuit off while still in the water and it took 48 seconds which was disappointing since it had taken me 37 secs at masters the other morning. The timing chip that I had to wear on my ankle was so huge-are they timing my splits or putting me under house arrest? I wanted to take the suit off while it was wet in the water since I thought it would be easier to get over the chip. I always have such a problem getting my wetsuit off as it is once I'm out of the water even with copious amounts of body glide. The run plus wetsuit removal took 2:11, the time in actual transition was 1:41.

BIKE
The bike course was 2 loops and for the first loop there were plenty of people to chase and I found myself pushing myself to try to keep up with and pass people. By the second loop the course had thinned and I had a scant few people to pace off of. I found myself losing focus and slowing down for the last 1/4 or so of the final lap as I'd lost sight of anybody in front of or behind me. I passed a few very slow people at the end but coming up on someone significantly slower than you and having someone going close to your pace just up ahead of you to chase are not the same.

The course was nice smooth single track with lots of twists and turns and switchbacks. A little bit of climbing but nothing too crazy. Lots of little ups and downs. Beautiful scenery and a lot of fun. I love off-road tri's. Passing is a bit of a nuisance on the single track but except for a very few instances people were polite and it was no problem.

I didn't see anybody crash or fall in front of me, something that usually happens a few times in front of me at an off-road tri but I did see a guy sit down on the side of the trail with his bike. Some people ahead of me passed him so I assumed he was o.k. but asked him anyway just to be sure. He replied, 'Uh, sort of. Yeah, I'm o.k.' and smiled and waved me on. I didn't see any blood or obvious sign of impending heart attack but I felt a bit bad leaving him there. I could easily have summoned help for him if he needed it, he was right near a place where the trail crossed a road.

By the end of the first bike loop I was ready for the race to be over. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of another loop and then a 4.8 mile trail run. I realized I wasn't even near 1/2 way done. Had one of those 'why did I sign up for this, now?' moments then started the second lap and had a great ride. By the end of the second lap I was dreaming of my nice warm jacket in transition as it was misty and a few little rain droplets and I was getting cold. Then I forgot to put it on in transition. Turned out the rain never amounted to anything and I didn't need it but still, doh.

Lots of people jealous of my handlebar streamers. Except for maybe the guys I passed. Bad enough to be passed by a gimpy old lady with jiggly thighs who started maybe 18 minutes after you; the streamers are just a final indignity.

Bike time was 1 hour, 22 minutes for 12 miles (advertised, my bike computer was on the fritz as per usual during a race so I couldn't measure it for myself).

T2 Time was 1:12. Stupid socks cost me a sub 1:00 but for such a long run I thought it was worth the extra seconds and it was.

RUN
This was the big unknown. Would I have to walk? Would my knee hold up? Haven't run more than 3 miles since foot surgery a year ago last February and now I have to run 4.8 miles on a singletrack trail up a mountain? After all that swimming and biking? I've not been timing my training runs so I have no idea what pace I'm currently running at. Doesn't matter anyway because the trail is so steep for so long that normal pace doesn't apply.

The start of the run goes right past the finish area, you can hear all the cheering as people come in. It makes me want to cry. 4.8 miles. It seems an impossibility.

The first 2 1/2 miles or so are up a steep trail. You switchback your way up the mountain and just when you think you've reached the top you turn a corner and see not only more hill but the other racers way up high above you and you realize you are nowhere near the top and you want to cry all over again. This happens at least a half dozen times. But it's a beautiful trail, gorgeous views from up high of Lory State park and the red cliffs surrounding Eltuck Bay. Last gasps of colorful wildflowers lining both sides of the trail. I'm not moving quickly but my knee is good and I'm able to run the whole uphill. There's a guy in a white shirt who I passed on the bike then who repassed me on the start of the run and who's walking now so I try to catch up. Eventually I pass him then set my sights on a guy in black who's walking. He's way up ahead of me though and he pulls me up to almost the very top before I manage to pass him. I figure he'll go sailing by me on the downhill because here is where I need to be super careful of my knee. But as it happens when we hit the steepy downhill bits I go sailing down myself and put some distance between us. With each switchback I'm further ahead. I'm taking teensy steps and controlling them with my quads so I don't pound my knees and somehow this propels me down the hill faster than I thought it would. No time to enjoy the views now or I risk plunging ass over tea kettle down the mountain.

Soon the road at the bottom seems to be within reach and I can start to hear the cheering from the finish line. I hit the 4 mile mark and I'm surprised to find some strength still left in my legs. I go a few more minutes then pick up the pace a bit more because I so want to be done than to try to improve my time. I pass one more person but then there's no one in sight for the last 1/2 mile or so and no one anywhere near coming up behind me. Still I try to finish as strong as I can and when I hit the finish area I pick up the pace a bit more. I don't feel like pushing my knee to a sprint and there's no one to race to the finish anyway.

As I cross the finish line I hear them announcing the age group winners at the awards ceremony. How depressing is that? I've barely caught my breath and they announce the winner for my age group. But it's weird, they only announce first place and for the other age groups they give out awards to third. I get some food and cool down some more. I see someone I know who was in the relay and chat with her while she waits for her awards to be announced. Her team wins of course. She's a former Xterra pro triathlete, ranked 4th in the country at one point, and the swimmer on the team is some phenom of a 14 year old boy. Did a relay at another tri and got beat by just a couple of pro's.

I'm getting chills sitting around so I check the posted results before I head back to transition to pick up my bike but my name's not there. It's cold so I don't want to spend too much time getting to the bottom of it but I take a quick look around to see if I can see someone official looking. Next thing I know they're announcing that they have some more age group winners and I'm shocked to hear them reading my name off for 2nd place! They read off a 3rd place name too so no there were not just the 2 of us. When I get home and see the final results it turns out there was 1 more. I don't care all that much but the award seems a little more special if I don't get it for merely showing up. The first place woman was 2nd woman overall and came in 45 minutes ahead of me. Third place came in 7 1/2 minutes later and 4th came in 15 1/2 minutes later.

OVERALL RESULTS
Swim: 13.45 mins./secs
T1: 3.52
Bike: 1:22 hours/mins. (9.0 mph)
T2: 1.23
Run: 1:04 hours/mins. (13.19 mins/mile)
Overall: 2:44 hours/mins.

Run Splits:
mile 1: 14.23
mile 2: 15.29
mile 3: 12.50
mile 4: 10.29
"mile" 5: 10:32
Gives you an idea of the impact of the steepness of the hill. Course changed from uphill to downhill about midway through mile 3.

Placements:
2/4 age group
33/53 women
155/184 overall

For the individual events my swim place was highest, next was the bike, run was third. No surprises there.

View of Lory State Park


Pretty glassware award for the gimp.

Off to the races

After much internal argument and debate about what if anything to do about a triathlon race schedule this summer I decided on the Fat Tire Triathlon at the end of August. I did this race as part of a relay back in 2005 and as a solo effort a year or two before that. The year I ran the full tri it had rained so much before the race that they had to reroute the bike course off of the single track so that the trails weren't trashed. The course went out and back on a dirt road. So I thought it would be fun to finally get to do the single track course as part of the race. I pre-rode the course before race day so I've ridden it before and it's beautiful. The race organizers put together a nice little video of the course so you can see the trails if you're interested:



I'm surprised more races don't do this, especially the off road ones. It gives you a great feel of what you're in for and is a good selling point for your race if you've got a nice scenic course.

I wanted to do the Indian Peaks Triathlon that I did a couple of years ago but decided against it for a number of reasons. The main reason being that the race is now run by a different guy and I don't like the new race director for a number of reasons. Also he raised the price of the race and given the state of the economy this really really pissed me off. I thought that took some nerve especially since many race directors are lowering their prices this year or at the very least not raising prices. So this year I'll go to a USDAA trial instead. That's the great thing about summer in Colorado, there's always plenty to do.

I'm hoping to have the discipline to log all my training and report it here on a weekly basis. It's funny to think that the main reason I started to blog was to force myself to record my training regularly and somehow that went right out the window. But record keeping is important and here's why. When I went to the Rez on Thurs. for my morning swim workout I got about 1/4 of the way and realized I was getting out of breath. At first I thought I was being silly and tried to talk myself into continuing but I soon felt like I had no business being out there and headed back to shore. I made it back no problem but it took me a while to catch my breath. When I got into work I checked the calendar and realized it had been over 4 weeks since I'd last been swimming! In my head I was thinking it had been maybe 2 or 3 so I need to keep track of things better. If I'd realized that I'd been off for so long I would have done a few pool workouts before heading back to the open water.

Hopefully now with money invested in a race I'll be more disciplined with my training and record keeping. The good thing about this race is that I don't have to follow any strict training program. I can do all the stuff I would do in the summer anyway and as long as I get in 7-9 hours a week I should be fine but the added pressure of the race should ensure that I get my butt out of bed to go to the Rez rather than rolling over and sleeping in when I feel like it.

Fat Tire Tri-Beerware for the Gimp & Rookies

Had a blast at the tri, couldn't have asked for a more perfect day or race. The race took place in scenic Lory State Park, a beatiful area nestled in the foothills above Fort Collins. The swim was 750 yards (a bit short from the 825 yards last year since the water level was lower and we started further down the beach) in quiet Eltuck Bay off the larger Horsetooth Reservior. The bike was 12 miles on some tight, twisty singletrack and the run was 3 miles including a brutal 500 yard climb in 1/2 mile up a steep trail then a twisty descent down the other side of the hill with steep swithbacks every 4-6 steps or so in some places. I did the full Monty last year but for obvious reasons I only did the swim portion this year and left the hard work to my relay teammates, Jeanne and Leslie.

Last year the swim had a mass start with all 300 people in the water at once. Looking down on the narrow bay I couldn't believe we all fit in there and I felt like maybe my panic attack was justified. This year there were 4 waves and I was in the last wave which was perfect for me since it meant I wouldn't have to worry about fast people coming up behind me. For some bizarre reason everybody lined up spread out across the width of the bay rather than in a tighter pack nearer the buoys. I wasn't going to complain though since it meant I got a spot right next to the line of buoys with only 2-3 people in front of me. The water was beautiful, 70 degrees or so and I was plenty toasty in my full wetsuit. I warmed up a bit before the start and felt pretty good about things. The course was an out and back and my plan was to start off slow to avoid panicking, get into a rhythm on the way out then pick it up on the way back. This worked out great, I passed some people right at the start, found someone to draft off and relaxed into a nice pace without any major freak outs. After a few minutes I decided to pick it up and I had to weave a bit to pass people but it wasn't too crowded. I swam a fairly straight line right next to the buoys and the turnaround came up way quicker then I thought it would. On the way back I picked it up as much as I could, passing people from the previous wave and then the wave before that. By the time I was near the shore I could see about 15-20 people from the very first wave! For those of you that struggle with the swim as I did when I first started out you can imagine what a cool feeling that was. I went tearing up the beach while everyone else was struggling with their wetsuits or just catching their breath and passed even more people but that's the advantage of being in a relay. Still, I usually run into transition, I'm not sure why so many people were walking. Leslie ran the final stretch up the beach with me, urging me on and I passed the chip off to Jeanne, our cyclist. Final swim time was 16:46 and that included a run up the beach to the timing mat (time for the swim only was around 16:35 by my watch I think). This was good for 8/16 of all the relay people, including the men, and around 103/269 for the people doing the full tri. Not amazing but not terrible either, all things considered, and right about where felt I would be in a best case scenario (ie no panicking or getting kicked/blocked in).



This was the first time Jeanne had ever done a tri and I could tell she was a bit nervous about all the logistics of it. In fact, Jeanne had done a few mountain bike races some years ago but that was it for race experience so she wasn't sure at all what to expect and begged us not to be mad if she was slow. I told her we were all here for fun and not to worry about it. I passed the chip off to her in the transition area and yelled after her to 'have fun'. In her excitement she started riding her bike in the transition area, a big no no, but she caught herself right away and dismounted before exiting onto the course. Several other people were making the same mistake. Well, long story short, Jeanne was a madwoman on the bike. I missed taking her picture on the first loop because she was so much farther up in the crowd than I expected her to be. By the time she finished she'd worked her way up to around 20th woman overall, and that was with me starting in the last swim wave! She was totally amped up after her ride, excitedly telling me and her husband all the details of her allegiances and rivalries out on the trail and how she finally started getting aggressive about asking people to let her pass on the single track. Her final time was 1:06:09, good enough for 3/16 for the relay people (including men) and 15/119 for the women doing the full tri.

Our runner Leslie is a coworker of mine who decided to start getting in shape and training for triathlons last fall after she volunteered in her kyak for the swim portion of a tri and decided it looked like fun. She started with spin and weight training classes last fall with a bit of swimming thrown in. This spring she started up with running but was focusing most of her time on the bike. She did her first tri just a couple of weeks ago and had a great race. The run is only 3 miles but extremely challenging because of the steep trail portion and Leslie doesn't really do much trail running, certainly not on trails like that. I warned her ahead of time but she was still game. I didn't tell her about the 2 rattlesnakes and bear that a race employee saw while pre-running the course last year until after the race was over. I had convinced her to bring along Ernie, her Jack Russell Terrier because Ernie is always good for comic relief and the day is always so much better when there's a dog hanging around. Ernie is a bit of a momma's boy and he cried his head off the entire time Leslie was on the course. I found that if I rubbed a certain spot on his chest he would go quiet but as soon as I stopped he was crying again. I kept having to explain to people that he was missing his mommy who was on the race course so they wouldn't think I was torturing him. Leslie looked strong coming into the finish and as soon as she crossed the line little Ernie leapt into her arms and started licking her face much to the delight of the crowd. Leslie's time was 35:27, good for 11/16 of the relay people and excellent for someone who only started running a few months ago and doesn't really run all that often.

In the end we got 3rd place out of 16 relay teams and that included the men's only and co-ed teams! Not too bad for the gimp and rookies, never mind our ages (39, 41 and 45). Hardware was a bottle of Fat Tire beer with our placement on it but they only gave us one which I thought was pretty tacky. Jeanne let Leslie and I have it to display at work so I decided to make up an award for Jeanne and got a 3-d picture frame from Target. I'm going to make a little montage of all her photos and put the race/placement in there too.

I've never done a relay before and it was pretty fun though I was wishing I could have done the whole thing. I was still pretty tired when I got home, probably from being in the sun all day and I did do a lot of walking around. I fell asleep on the couch at 7:30 pm, a new PR for me.