The alarm went off way too soon on Sunday morning. 4 am? Really? Well, it was time to move my butt out of bed for Feat of Fortitude Part II: the Mountain Man Half Triathlon.
Why did I choose to run a Half Marathon one day and do a Half Triathlon the next?
Because the prize for the fastest combined time of these events was free entries to both events next year! Considering our financial situation, I had to give it a shot.
I knew I was not going to have enough time on race morning but I just could not handle the thought of waking up at 3:30 am. And I paid for it. I forgot to tape a couple of GUs onto my bike. Lesson #1: No matter how early the race starts, I need to be there at least 2 hours early. Most people don't need that much time but I do. I always have. I like to get a good spot, set everything up perfectly, take my bike for a little spin (when allowed), run, stretch, chat, etc. Those might be my favorite 2 hours of race day!
The swim was great! I was loving it! Maybe not the extremely murky water or the gas/oil taste in my mouth or the fact that I just could not see those buoys. But, you know, everything else. I actually had some feet to hang onto! It was great until I realized that the girl could either see the buoys even less than I could or she just was not able to swim a straight line. So much for that. I think I ended up pulling her for most of the way until she came around me at the last buoy and exited the water as the 1st girl. Not sure what happened to her after that but she must've been in a relay.
I am afraid that the reason I like the swim so much in a race is that I just don't push hard enough. I remember thinking toward the end of the swim: Dang. Now I have to get out of the water and actually start working. I can't just think of the swim as a little warm-up to the actual race. Lesson #2: Race the swim! I am pretty sure I have never heard of anybody saying they pushed too hard in the swim and therefore fell apart on the bike.
I know the bike course really well. Yep. You guessed it. We biked on Lake Mary Road. Just like we do every day. Hopefully a little faster though... The ride was pretty uneventful. The guys started 7 minutes ahead of us which always provides plenty of entertainment.
Favorite conversation of the day:
Guy, passing me: You should really get an aero helmet.
Me, passing him back a few minutes later: Not as long as I can pass guys with aero helmets.
15 minutes later. Guy passes me again.
Me: You are probably right.
Disclaimer: He was part of a relay!
I will not own an aero helmet. Unless I were a professional. Because I will never be a professional I will never own an aero helmet. But I might borrow one next weekend...
Quizz: What's wrong with these pictures?
Nope. It is not the fact that I am passing a guy on a very nice bike with race wheels, aero helmet, and compression socks who started 7 minutes ahead of me. I actually think that's kind of fun and part of the entertainment.
It is my non-existing aero position! What is up with that? I am not even really in my aero bars. Lame!
Lesson #3: Get in your aero bars. All the way. Stay there!
photo: courtesy of John Lowe
It was wonderful to have my parents at the race! They are great cheerleaders as you can see above. (My dad is the one in the distance with the hat.) They sacrificed a lot of time and money in my youth to support me in various sports and races. Thank you!
As you can also see, I, again, stuffed everything in my chest area at T2 until I had it all sorted out. Good times. Bad pictures. I am not a fan of putting on my Garmin while running but I was glad to be able to keep track of some very long miles.
I was feeling great on the run. At first. Even on the 1.5 mile steep climb and the descent. I could see the other girls and knew I had a pretty good lead. Nevertheless, there was no time to waste and when I had to go pee-pee I went right in my DeSoto Liftfoil. (After stopping a total of about 6 times during Challenge Roth, I vowed I would never stop again to pee in a race.) I am trying to figure out what to wear in Vegas since it might be a non-wetsuit swim. I really like biking and swimming in the Liftfoil but now that I have worn it swimming in the pool, I am not so sure it makes for a great swim skin. We'll see.
Karl and Noah were all over the run course! It as fantastic! Best support crew ever! You can't see Noah very well in this picture but he is pedaling happily behind Karl on his trail-a-bike. They biked 20 miles that day! Thank you for making the extremely boring and deserted run course a little more bearable and way more fun!
Local super star, Paul Brinkman, biked by me at mile 7 and asked: Are you feeling it yet? To which I replied: Not yet! It was the truth a that point but I also knew that I would be feeling it pretty soon. And I sure did!
Miles 8-13 were very challenging. Mentally and physically. It was rough. My digestive system was having issues and so were my legs. I was running out of energy. Looking bad I can't believe how little I drank on the bike. I only went through one small aero bottle and half of my EFS mixture. What was I thinking? I tried to get a water bottle at an aid station but missed it. Not good. Nutrition definitely did not go well that day. Lesson #4: Stay on top of your nutrition! I am usually pretty good at that but this race was a good reminder that you just can't go by feel. You need to take in the calories/water whether you feel hungry/thirsty or not.
Is this race over yet? I am so done!
Then I tossed my flask and electrolytes on the ground. I knew Max would be thrilled to be drinking my EFS. Only one more long mile to go!
If the last 5 miles were bad, the aftermath was worse. I pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in the bathroom. I was completely exhausted and my GI was not very happy. What a bummer! I missed awards and did not get to visit with anybody after the race. I was really hoping to meet some other triathletes from Arizona but that did not happen.
It was not so much the Half Marathon/Half Triathlon combination that did me in. It was my failing to take care of my nutrition. I am sure of that. But: the lessons are learned and I am hoping to be able to cross the finish line in Vegas feeling spent but able to function and enjoy the festivities!
Congratulations to all of my Flagstaff friends! Especially to Karen Haubensak who had a fantastic race in her first Half and won her age group!
Thank you to my family, PowerTri, friends,and HT training! I could not do it without you! You are the best!
Comments
It was a super nice boost of encouragement! Of course, it was all downhill from there...
It was so awesome being at the race with you Sarah, and I feel so blessed that I know you and that I get to train with you sometimes - even when you drop me on the bike and I'm yelling at the top of my lungs WAIT FOR ME!! and you can't hear me because you're working so hard... Love you for that, girl! You're awesome!