Race Report: Columbia Tri and other stuff…

I am so looking forward to the upcoming training weekend at Lake Placid. I need a break from reality, I think. Of course, who says running 13.1 miles and biking 112 miles in a weekend is a break? Plus there’s the swim in really chilly Mirror Lake to look forward to with Lindsay, since we’ve DARED each other. Thank goodness for my wetsuit! However, first things first:

Race Report: Last weekend I did the Columbia Triathlon for the fourth time. This was the first time I was using it as a ‘brick workout’. That was probably a good thing because I had missed close to two weeks of workouts due to a family emergency. More on that later. Anyway, I went to packet pickup and mandatory bike racking on Saturday and all went smoothly. I got back home and was catching up on some Facebook posts and saw that fellow Team Zer Brian had been in line behind Chrissie Wellington at packet pick-up. How cool was that! (And I did not even know she was entered.)

Sunday morning, up before the crack of dawn and out the door also before the crack of dawn. Arrived at the race site, also before the crack of dawn. :) I was so early I had a lot of time, except this year I ‘aged up’ (even though I don’t officially age up until June 28…) so I went in the ‘old folks’ wave, Wave 3 which was after the pros in Wave 1 and the Elites in Wave 2. My wave had men 55+ and women 45+ and our start time was 6:55. I think the race announcer said 'we get better with age', or something like that. If I was in the same age group wave as last year I would not have started until 8:09. Isn’t that crazy? Since this was a co-ed wave it was a great opportunity to get jostled by women AND men – just like Ironman but on a much smaller scale. It was definitely different! I seemed to have people around me the whole time, so again, good practice. All in all the swim went well. I just tried to take it easy and do almost catch-up strokes. My sighting seemed to be fine and no goggle issues. Funny – near the swim finish I started swimming into this long grass in the lake – it was gross – getting stuck on my head and in between my fingers. Had to make sure I got rid of that stuff – don’t want any distractions from my official race photographs, or anything.

On to the bike. I swear…I have THE slowest transitions times these days. And fighting with the wetsuit does not help matters. However, it was all good practice. I saw my heart rate was high, probably from going vertical and running to T1…I tried to take it slow walking my bike up and out…however even though I started slow it took quite a while for my HR to settle down. Along the first stretch out on the main road there was a volunteer(?) who was waving folks away from the side of the road…and what looked to be a very sick raccoon walking towards us. Poor little bandit guy!

Anyway, I did not think much about the ride and my wave at first…until I got to the first big hill and realized that the usual bottleneck of riders slowly making their way up the hill wasn’t there. There was hardly anyone around and the ones that were there got to go up in single file - with lots of space in between. It was GREAT! This continued easily through the first half of the course. It wasn’t until I got past the half way point when folks from the next wave started catching me. It took that long because they started 20 minutes AFTER our wave. :) Only one close call on the bike – I was riding along the right and a guy was passing me…someone started passing him and really crowded him out, which ended up crowding me out. That guy was kind of jerky…oh well. Once I got back out to the main drag I tried to start ‘spinning’ more for my legs. Oh, there was some rain during my ride but i hardly noticed. Must be because I've done so much riding in the rain this season!

Got to transition and was heading out on my run and could not decided whether or not to take my bottle of Heed. I left it but then went back for some Luna Moons for the run. I put them in my back pocket and started chugging along. They promptly fell out right after I went through the arch. Some nice person shouted out I dropped them and then another nice person picked them up and handed them to me. Thanks guys! As I’m chugging along my calves were very, very tight. My left especially so. It was actually kind of tingly. I realized I had really tightened the chip strap in T1 (it was very loose after the swim) and had to stop and loosen that. Once I did that I felt immediate relief…but my calves were still pretty tight. I think it took at least 2.5 if not 3 miles for them to feel normal. Not sure why they were so tight...oh well – I just kept chugging along. Oh, and I of course walked all the hills. Say it with my Columbia fans: “I love hills!”

Finally heading back to the finish – I love the finish here – lots of spectators along the way. People with hands out to slap. I make it to the finish and got my finisher’s medal. I did a double take because pro triathlete and two-time Hawaii Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington gave me my medal! I was so surprised. Dork-me asks her for her autograph…she did not have a pen and neither did I! (Note to self: carry a Sharpie in a pocket at all races because you never know who you will see!) She said if I found one to come back and she’d sign something for me though. LOL It was just awesome that she was there handing out medals. I’m not sure what other pros were, but I was temporarily star-struck. So cool!

I got some refreshments and talked to other Z-ers that had finished, Paul and KC, not in that order. Then I headed back to get my shirt to warm up and decided since I had time to get all my gear and load up my car. I accomplished this and went back to the finish area to greet a couple more Z finishers, Jen and Harriet. After Harriet was done we were heading back to our cars and she pointed out Chrissie, after I told her my medal story. I still did not have a pen but had a camera phone…however I felt like a stalker at this point and did not follow her for a picture. Maybe next time...

Anyway, the ‘brick workout’ went ok, though I do not know my actual T1 and bike splits as they are combined. I was 39 out of 59 overall, and finished in 3:26 and change – that works for me. But I definitely LOVED aging up!

Age Group - 39/59
Total 3:26:48
Swim - 16 - 28:32
T1+Bike - 43 - 1:46:23
Run - 50 - 1:08:23 (11:01/mile)

So back to the Lake Placid Training Weekend. I am so excited to get out of town and not think about real life. Last week I was in Massachusetts visiting my ailing mom who has been in the hospital since April 16. She is sadly slowly dying of complications from her cancer treatments. After the weekend I am headed back for what will likely be my final visit with her. The training weekend will be good for me physically AND mentally, I’m sure. Jeff is coming along for the ride (and he probably will do some running and riding). I hope to have some good training with my riding buddies (Linda and Carol) though I don’t think I can run with Carol (she is FAST!) but maybe I can hang with Linda on the run, which would be great. It will be an awesome weekend, whatever happens. Then of course, there is the ‘double-dare swim’ with Lindsay to look forward to! Bring on the weekend!

Just keep swimming...Part 2

Just keep swimming...that is what went through my head more than a few times yesterday during the very rainy and wet 90 mile ride. I actually went 91.56, according to my Garmin...this would be from the slight detour due to a bridge being out on one of the roads we were supposed to go on. It was a tough day out there in the rain, that is for sure. I think the rain stopped in the last 10 or so miles, but by that time I'm not sure it mattered. At times I wondered how I would make it. But I made it! I rode for the most part two of my regular riding buddies, Carol and Linda. Linda got ahead at one point, but we caught up with her with about 25 miles left to go. At the half way point we had to cross some railroad tracks that were at a 45 degree angle to the road. We were encouraged to walk because four people had already fallen trying to ride over them. I actually said, "Well, I'd better walk because I don't want to be number five." I get off my bike and walk across the tracks...and yes, I slipped and fell on the tracks. I was number five anyway. I got a nice little cut on my knee that I think still has road grease and grit in it...but I am fine...and so is my bike (more importantly!).

I guess yesterday, especially, is one of those days to chalk up to working on our mental toughness which I guess is a part of doing an Ironman. Heck, I've used mental toughness to talk myself though other tough events not even close to that distance! Thank goodness I had a change of clothes and food for the ride home - I was starving! And I must have done my nutrition right again because I have very little soreness today. I'm just a bit tired! :-)

Thanks again to my riding buddies and to our great SAG team out there yesterday!