Last weekend I finally had the chance to race down in the Valley of the Sun. The Valley lived up to its name and I couldn't have been happier spending a whole day in perfect weather. It was definitely worth the 2:50 am wake-up call and 6-hour round trip.
I am not used to showing up at a race and not knowing a single soul.* It makes the pre-race routine go more smoothly but it's just not as much fun! So instead of chatting with everybody and their dog, I decided to get in a good warm-up and check out the Professionals that showed up. It's great to have a relatively small race and get big names like Linsey Corbin, Ben Hoffman, and Josef Major.
* Except for one friend from Flagstaff, Jason Pedersen, who is racing is first full season as an ITU Pro, and ended up winning the whole thing! Congrats, Jason!
Can we just get this party started?
After two (small) waves of professionals and two (large) waves of men, it was finally our turn to head out on the course. However, there was one more wave 3 minutes after us with the ladies age 35+ and we all know how fast those girls are!
Don't let these pictures fool you: We did start out on the road (uphill) but it only lasted for a few minutes. Then we were off on the trails weaving our way around Giant Saguaros. I knew everyone would start out (too) fast and I focused on running my own comfortably hard pace. No need to blow up on the first run but I also did not want to get stuck behind too many people on the single-track.
Any guesses on who the real runner is in this picture? Jason mentioned that his girlfriend, Mo, was competing in her first multi-sport race, so I was determined to find her and chat with at least one person before the start. All I knew was that she is a runner, so once I spotted a really skinny, really fast looking girl in short shorts and a sports bra - bingo! She was super nice and, of course, took off like a rocket!
I think once we hit the trail I was in 5th place which seemed like a good spot to be in. Mo was flying up there with another skinny little runner and I was just hoping to see them at some point on the bike. I eventually ran my way into 3rd place and kept entertaining myself by passing the guys. It was not too tricky to pass in most spots and, I have to admit, the boys were rather nice this time. One shirt said:
Time to Drop the Hammer!
and I decided, while still early in the race, that this was going to be my mantra. I was not about to drop the hammer quite yet but it's really never too early to pick up the pace in a race that only lasts about 2.5 hours.
The first run went by way too quickly. I was having so much fun, I was not quite ready to get on my bike yet. The trails were great to run on and, although it was anything but flat, I felt like I was running a good pace. Right before T1 I caught up to the next girl but decided to just stay right behind her and hopefully pass her in transition.
My mission on the bike: Reel in Mo. I was pretty sure I was in 2nd by now but had no clue how far ahead Mo was. I passed her surprisingly soon at mile 2. Mission accomplished. Now what? Coach declared that if I leave it all out on the bike course, I get to go swimming after the race. If I don't, I need to bike more. I really wanted to swim in an outdoor pool, so I figured I'd better drop the hammer right now.
Going as hard as I can for 30 miles is not an easy thing to do for me. But I was able to keep my head in the game and use the guys around me for extra motivation. The first 20 miles are hilly but rather straight and on nice roads. The last 10 - not so much. It was rough and tough but I felt like I was able to sustain my effort and finally broke away from a group of guys that did not want to let me go. In case you are wondering what I was thinking during those 90 minutes, here it is:
dropthehammerdropthehammerdropthehammer.
dropitdropitdropitdropit.
dropitnowdropitnowdropitnow.
Yep. That pretty much sums it up right there.
I had heard that the second run was going to be much hillier and more difficult than the first and - it lived up to its expectations. There were not a whole lot of guys around at this point and those I could see ahead of me I was not able to catch up to as fast as I would've liked. I would start to think: Just settle in... And then quickly remind myself that there was going to be no settling in. I wanted a hard effort all the way. So I kept pushing and reminding myself that I can do anything for 3.6 miles. Even climb a 20% grade mountain for part of that.
This is my I-am-digging-deep face:
Of course I was running scared of the girls behind me. With the wave start you have no clue how things are going to play out in the end. So anything but our very best effort might not be enough. Of course I wanted to win but if I cross the finish line completely spent and I don't win, then I am still a happy camper.
The final few yards:
Mission accomplished. I was done and done!
No way was I going back out on that bike!
After the race I enjoyed a nap in the park and a beautiful swim outdoors. What more could a girl want? I was even home in time to put the kids to bed. Or maybe I was just watching as Karl was putting the kids to bed. Or maybe the kids and Karl put me to bed... I can't remember. I think I was in a coma at that point...
Huge thanks to my sponsor TriSports.com and HT Training!
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