I'm not using this as an excuse, but I do need to preface this report with a disclaimer. Craig asked me last weekend if I was okay with training through Lake to Lake. And since Wisconsin is what I'm focusing on and since Wisconsin is right around the corner and since I don't feel like I'm close to being ready, I said yes. That was before I got my training schedule. *Since the disclaimer is really long, I put it at the end so that this still seems like it's a race report as opposed to a history of my week. Read at your own discretion.
The nice thing about this race was that it was on Saturday, which meant that I could still enjoy part of the weekend. The bad thing about this race is that it's on a Saturday so I felt like my pre-race routine was all thrown off. So after coming off of a full day of work, I had to get up at 3:30a on Saturday morning. Yes. That's really early. I tried to force myself to go to bed early, but when it doesn't get dark until 9:30 it's sort of hard to do. I wouldn't say I slept great, but I did sleep for a bit without the horrible OMG I forgot my bike sort of dreams. I woke up at one point half convinced I had overslept. But I was pretty sure I had set the alarm correctly and was afraid that if I looked at the clock, it would say that I only had 15 more minutes to sleep. In which case I would have not gone back to sleep and have just counted down the minutes. But on the other hand, if I had not set the alarm right, then I might oversleep and miss the race. Of course, it's insanely early, so maybe I'd be okay with that. In the end I talked myself out of checking and the alarm went off as planned however many minutes later.
When we did this race 2 years ago, we were one of the first to get to the site and had no line to contend with for packet pickup. Except that they didn't have Matt's registration for whatever reason. And we had to wait until Someone Important showed up to clarify everything. Well, Someone Important was really late and by the time he finally got everything squared away, the transition area was pretty full and we had to squeeze our way in. I didn't want to run the risk of dealing with that again, so I was out the door at 3:45.
Which was way too early.
I got to the race at 4:30. There were all of 2 other people there. At least I got a good parking spot. But packet pickup didn't open until 5 and transition until 5:15. I tried to sleep for a bit, but it wasn't really working. Around 4:50, people were starting to see if the building was open, so I headed over as well. There were no lines and no issues and I was back at the car 10 minutes later. I dawdled for quite some time getting stickers on and what not, so by the time I headed over to transition, all of the front racks were taken. Knowing that I would have a very difficult time finding my bike (since racks were not numbered, not that that helped me last weekend) so I headed towards the middle so that I could get the end of a rack and be able to see my bike as I was running up the aisle. It did mean that I'd have to run more with my bike, but I figured that was still better than running around looking for my bike. I got everything set up and put my running shoes on for a light warmup. It was already getting hot and it's wasn't quite 6 am. It was going to be a hot one. After one last pit stop, I double checked transition, grabbed my wetsuit, and headed down to the beach.
Okay, so here was the problem. If you've read previous race reports, you know that I really struggle to eat in the morning. I had brought a plain bagel with me, thinking I'd have plenty of time to wake up and struggle through it before the race. Well, getting up at 3:30 threw me all out of wack. Or maybe I hadn't eaten enough the night before - I was so tired making dinner that I almost gave up. I don't know. But I started picking at the bagel during the drive, maybe around 4. Only I wasn't really picking at it. I was actually eating it. I had eaten most of it before I had gotten to the race, finishing up the rest of it while applying stickers and dawdling. By 6a, I was starving. I had a gel and figured that would do the trick. It did for a while. About 20 minutes into the ride, I was starving again. And since the first part of the ride is all uphill, I really needed to eat now rather than wait. I had a few Honey Stinger fruit chews and some water. Wasn't doing it. I had some Hammer Perpetuem. Still wasn't doing it. I didn't want to eat too much at once, but I needed something. I finally broke down and had another gel and lots more liquid. All of this caught up with me on the run when I really thought I was going to throw up. *Grossness alert* At one point, something started to come up and somehow I fought it but I had just passed a water stop and now had to wait another mile with this awful taste in my mouth. Lesson learned: eat before a race, but not 2.5 hrs before a race. Find a happier medium.
The Swim:
The waves weren't so much age groups rather than age buckets. They squeezed a whole lot of people into 6 waves. I was in the first wave (nice and early at 6:30), with all the other 35-39 (men and women) and the elites (men and women), and possibly some others thrown into the mix. It's a beach start and I don't remember how I worked it two years ago, but I couldn't figure out where I wanted to be. Starting with the elites, I certainly wasn't going to be front and center. And not knowing where the elites ended and the age groupers began, I ended up hanging back a bit. So I was stuck in the chaos up until the first buoy. I found someone to draft off of, but they were a little too slow so I kept running into their feet. Unfortunately my wetsuit was really rubbing against the back of my neck and it was starting to get painful. So I stayed with my draftee so I wouldn't have to turn my head so much. Heading back to shore, my swimcap felt like it was coming off. I reached up and sure enough, half of my head was exposed. So I kept trying to pull it forward, thinking I didn't have much farther to go, but clearly it was bothering me. I slowed down even more (as though that would keep it on). It was also really hard to figure out where we were supposed to get out of the water until we were pretty close to sure, so for a while, I really wasn't sure where I was going and decided to leave all my trust in the swimmers ahead of me. The problem with this particular swim course is that it's about 1/4 mile from transition, so it's a really long run up the beach, across the field, and then into transition. So not only are you going suddenly from horizontal to vertical, you now have to run 1/4 mile in a rubber suit. But so does everyone else...
T1:
I didn't have any issues finding my bike this time (I would have felt really stupid if I had). I've been practicing my sockless rides and this was going to be the inaugural race. I figured it would save me so much time because I wouldn't have to dry my feet and try to put socks on wet feet. However, my feet were covered in grass and I felt like I had to get most of that off before putting shoes on or something was going to start poking me. I think I saved a total of 5 seconds. Maybe a little more because the transition area is on grass, which is awesome, because you can actually run on it in bike shoes and not really have to worry about wiping out. The thing is that you exit down a short little hill and then onto the parking lot to mount - so you can't be going too fast or wipeout is inevitable.
The Bike:
I remember the bike course being awful for the first half. It took me a while to get into a rhythm. But I was hoping for something different this time. Things seemed to start of better. The first few miles are some ups and downs and I seemed to be handling them okay. But once out of town, there's a long gradual climb until you get to the two big hills. This is where I died. I just couldn't find a good pace and was being passed right and left (well, left and more left). This was also where I got really hungry. My legs ached and I really didn't feel like I had it in me. My "training through" had caught up with me. I was really hoping that I'd be able to pull through and get at least the same or faster bike split during this race. I really wanted something to show that I was improving (my 1 second PR from last weekend wasn't quite what I was looking for). But I felt like I was starting giving up, and I just couldn't get my legs to move. I kept reminding myself that I was tired and that I had a really long week, but it just seemed like an excuse. And so I plodded on with this argument in my head. Once I got to the big climbs, I did feel better and was able to pick up my cadence and eventually my pace. I remember passing people on the climb two years ago and put that image into my head. I don't remember if I actually made it happen again, but I did get passed towards the top of the final climb, but I was sort of expecting it. The rest of the ride was much better - maybe because it's mostly downhill. But even the rollers felt pretty good. I wouldn't say I felt strong, but stronger than I had started. There would be no PR today - it was just a matter of hanging on. Once past the rollers, the rest of the ride is fast and the testosterone kicks in and the guys go flying past. It's a little weird on the final stretch because they close the entire lefthand side of the road. So do I ride on the right, which is actually the middle of the road, or stick to the curb. It wasn't quite as much of a dilemma as before, but it does make you think. Someone had crashed on the turn into this road and we had to swing wide around them. It's sort of unsettling to see someone sprawled out on the ground with paramedics on their way. It's also not a good picture to have in your mind. So I backed off a bit and let the testosterone through and started mentally getting ready for the run.
T2:
The dismount was fine, though a little slippery. But I struggled trying to push my bike up the short little hill into transition. Tiredness had clearly set in. I had put my bag at the front of the rack facing outwards so I'd know where to stop on the run back. I knocked one of my water bottles off while racking my bike and had to pick it up. I know I should have left it, but it was all of 5 seconds. I did have to take a little extra time as well to put on socks - I'm not sure I'm ready to try running sockless anytime soon. And then off again.
The Run:
The run starts off cutting across the field and down a steep hill out of the park, with the steep hill sort of catapulting you out of the park and onto the road. It's an out and back course, which is great because you get to see and cheer on the winners. And it's no so great in that you can see everyone that is ahead of you, but that really doesn't matter for me as there is always someone ahead of me. I don't really love the course. The options are to run on the road, which is banked, or to run on the sidewalk, and deal with all of the ups and downs of people's driveways. The last little bit by the turnaround is the only level surface, but a good deal of it is totally exposed. But it's only 6 miles, right? Things started off well - better than last week with no cramping. But I was really full at this point. Big surprise considering all I had eaten. I saw Adam around mile 2 and he was heading home. Suddenly 4 miles felt like a lot. I made it to the turnaround without any issue, but heading back, I started to feel like I was going to throw up. If you're reading from the beginning, you already know what happens so I won't go into it again. But it wasn't pleasant. I just took it one step at a time and soon I was back in the park, approaching the world's cruelest finish line. Recap from two years ago: as I was entering the park, a volunteer directing us was cheering everyone on and said "only 1/2 mile left". And I thought "yeah, right". She doesn't how far a 1/2 mile is. Besides, we're back in the park, close to the beach, so it's what, maybe 1/4 mile. Time to start kicking it. Well, she was right. Every bend I went around, there was always a person still in front of me. I could hear the finish line, just couldn't see it. At one point, we ran along this waterway and I looked across it and saw people still running, but the other way. Needless to say I was dying - when would it end. And then, shortly before the actual finish line, they put a timing pad and then have someone standing there yelling at you not to stop because it's not the finish. And then you finally hit the finish line gasping for air. End of recap. Well, even know what the finish is like didn't make it any less cruel this time around. And this time, the announcer and spectators were trying to get races to sprint finish. If they were anywhere near someone else, they'd be goaded on to try and beat each other. I picked up the pace a little on the final turn, but didn't really have it in me to go much harder. It's one thing to almost throw up somewhere out on the course. It's entirely different to do it right at the finish line. So I let the older guy that I had been tailing go flying past me at about a million miles per hour and gave him the "win". And then I saw the clock turn over from 2:59 to 3:00. Aaggghhh! If only I had known sooner, I would have tried to find something.
swim: 30:19
T1:
I didn't have any issues finding my bike this time (I would have felt really stupid if I had). I've been practicing my sockless rides and this was going to be the inaugural race. I figured it would save me so much time because I wouldn't have to dry my feet and try to put socks on wet feet. However, my feet were covered in grass and I felt like I had to get most of that off before putting shoes on or something was going to start poking me. I think I saved a total of 5 seconds. Maybe a little more because the transition area is on grass, which is awesome, because you can actually run on it in bike shoes and not really have to worry about wiping out. The thing is that you exit down a short little hill and then onto the parking lot to mount - so you can't be going too fast or wipeout is inevitable.
The Bike:
I remember the bike course being awful for the first half. It took me a while to get into a rhythm. But I was hoping for something different this time. Things seemed to start of better. The first few miles are some ups and downs and I seemed to be handling them okay. But once out of town, there's a long gradual climb until you get to the two big hills. This is where I died. I just couldn't find a good pace and was being passed right and left (well, left and more left). This was also where I got really hungry. My legs ached and I really didn't feel like I had it in me. My "training through" had caught up with me. I was really hoping that I'd be able to pull through and get at least the same or faster bike split during this race. I really wanted something to show that I was improving (my 1 second PR from last weekend wasn't quite what I was looking for). But I felt like I was starting giving up, and I just couldn't get my legs to move. I kept reminding myself that I was tired and that I had a really long week, but it just seemed like an excuse. And so I plodded on with this argument in my head. Once I got to the big climbs, I did feel better and was able to pick up my cadence and eventually my pace. I remember passing people on the climb two years ago and put that image into my head. I don't remember if I actually made it happen again, but I did get passed towards the top of the final climb, but I was sort of expecting it. The rest of the ride was much better - maybe because it's mostly downhill. But even the rollers felt pretty good. I wouldn't say I felt strong, but stronger than I had started. There would be no PR today - it was just a matter of hanging on. Once past the rollers, the rest of the ride is fast and the testosterone kicks in and the guys go flying past. It's a little weird on the final stretch because they close the entire lefthand side of the road. So do I ride on the right, which is actually the middle of the road, or stick to the curb. It wasn't quite as much of a dilemma as before, but it does make you think. Someone had crashed on the turn into this road and we had to swing wide around them. It's sort of unsettling to see someone sprawled out on the ground with paramedics on their way. It's also not a good picture to have in your mind. So I backed off a bit and let the testosterone through and started mentally getting ready for the run.
T2:
The dismount was fine, though a little slippery. But I struggled trying to push my bike up the short little hill into transition. Tiredness had clearly set in. I had put my bag at the front of the rack facing outwards so I'd know where to stop on the run back. I knocked one of my water bottles off while racking my bike and had to pick it up. I know I should have left it, but it was all of 5 seconds. I did have to take a little extra time as well to put on socks - I'm not sure I'm ready to try running sockless anytime soon. And then off again.
The Run:
The run starts off cutting across the field and down a steep hill out of the park, with the steep hill sort of catapulting you out of the park and onto the road. It's an out and back course, which is great because you get to see and cheer on the winners. And it's no so great in that you can see everyone that is ahead of you, but that really doesn't matter for me as there is always someone ahead of me. I don't really love the course. The options are to run on the road, which is banked, or to run on the sidewalk, and deal with all of the ups and downs of people's driveways. The last little bit by the turnaround is the only level surface, but a good deal of it is totally exposed. But it's only 6 miles, right? Things started off well - better than last week with no cramping. But I was really full at this point. Big surprise considering all I had eaten. I saw Adam around mile 2 and he was heading home. Suddenly 4 miles felt like a lot. I made it to the turnaround without any issue, but heading back, I started to feel like I was going to throw up. If you're reading from the beginning, you already know what happens so I won't go into it again. But it wasn't pleasant. I just took it one step at a time and soon I was back in the park, approaching the world's cruelest finish line. Recap from two years ago: as I was entering the park, a volunteer directing us was cheering everyone on and said "only 1/2 mile left". And I thought "yeah, right". She doesn't how far a 1/2 mile is. Besides, we're back in the park, close to the beach, so it's what, maybe 1/4 mile. Time to start kicking it. Well, she was right. Every bend I went around, there was always a person still in front of me. I could hear the finish line, just couldn't see it. At one point, we ran along this waterway and I looked across it and saw people still running, but the other way. Needless to say I was dying - when would it end. And then, shortly before the actual finish line, they put a timing pad and then have someone standing there yelling at you not to stop because it's not the finish. And then you finally hit the finish line gasping for air. End of recap. Well, even know what the finish is like didn't make it any less cruel this time around. And this time, the announcer and spectators were trying to get races to sprint finish. If they were anywhere near someone else, they'd be goaded on to try and beat each other. I picked up the pace a little on the final turn, but didn't really have it in me to go much harder. It's one thing to almost throw up somewhere out on the course. It's entirely different to do it right at the finish line. So I let the older guy that I had been tailing go flying past me at about a million miles per hour and gave him the "win". And then I saw the clock turn over from 2:59 to 3:00. Aaggghhh! If only I had known sooner, I would have tried to find something.
swim: 30:19
t1: 1:33
bike: 1:35:31 (18.8 mph)
t2: 1:19
run: 51:49 (8:21 pace)
total: 3:00:34
age: 10/64
female: 72/317
overall: 282/715
*Disclaimer
When I got my schedule, I almost cried. Monday off. Tuesday 25 mile ride, 13.5 mile run. Wed 4 mile run, 3200 meter swim. Thursday 18 mile ride, 7 mile run. Friday off. Saturday race. What?!? Um, I wasn't exactly sure how all of that was going to happen. But somehow it did. Most of it. It works out better for me (and the dogs) if I take Tuesdays off, so I decided to swap Monday and Tuesday. But of course, Monday was the day after the Sprint, so it was the ideal rest day. I decided that it was only a sprint, so I'd be fine. So Monday I rode at lunch and it was actually a really good ride. I felt really solid, and actually started to think that I could get through this week. I was going to run after work but around 3:00 or so, I started getting stomach pains. I think I had bad salad dressing. Anyhow, they were getting worse throughout the afternoon and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball. Running under such conditions really didn't seem like a good idea. It probably wasn't even possible being that I was struggling just to walk. So I set the alarm for 4a Tuesday morning. I woke up and still felt sick. But Tuesday was supposed to be really hot in the afternoon (90s) so the odds of me going after work would be slim. I felt exhausted, and I needed to get this run in, so I decided to take a Wellness Day and called in sick. I slept for another few hours and then headed out for my run around 8:30. It was 75 degrees. It quickly heated up and it was high 80s when I finished. It didn't quite go according to plan. I had to stop a few times and run through some sprinklers as well as stop to walk for a bit. At one point, I figured I'd just stop and then try and get in a few more miles later in the day. But I decided that it would be better to just get it over all at once and so I plodded on. Overall I finished faster than I was expecting, so I was pretty happy with the results. I wasted the rest of the day buying new running shoes, running errands, and other general nothingness. It was a much needed day away from work, even though I did have to put in a few hours from home. Wednesday's 4 mile run went fine. I was surprised how okay my legs felt. Of course, I had been living in compression socks since Sunday's race (and would continue to do so for the rest of the week). The combination of compression socks, my massage stick, arnica, and some cooling metholy creme seemed to help tremendously (and there was an ice bath thrown in there after the long run). I was pretty dead for Wednesday's swim and just tried to hold on, which I can't really say I did. It was a good effort though. Thursday was another long run, but at a very easy pace, which was good considering I went out in the heat of the day at lunchtime. I ran with 2 people from work, which was probably a good thing as I may not have done the whole thing without them. It was getting damn hot out there, but fortunately Boulder Creek was right there and I stopped twice to dunk my hat (which felt SO GOOD!). The run ended up being roughly the same pace as my long run, which was decent considering it was much warmer out and I was way more tired. I also rode to and from work, not quite getting in my 18 miles, but pretty close. I was going to go longer, but figured Thursday night was my important night of sleep and figured it would be better to get home and rest instead. Friday was the long awaited for day off. It would have been great had I not had to work. But I guess I have to to support this lifestyle. Anyhow, I made it through the week and was just hoping for the best on Saturday.
*End Disclaimer
2 comments:
Good job in the race Jessica! Sounded like you had some tough moments but stuck them out like a true Iron-Woman! And what's this talk about the IM being here in no time? Mine's 2 weeks sooner and I'm just getting into the long training. You'll be fine!
And so will you! At least you've done 2 halves, whereas I have barely even run 13 miles. But I'll muddle through as always.
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