A's race report: IM Canada 2009

Note: I am reflecting on this after writing it and realize it is more highlights and reflection than a race report, but it is my blog and that is what I needed to write right now. Also, it seems a bit dreary, and I am a tad disappointed in the overall outcome of the day, but as I state below, I have a very positive feeling about the fight I fought, too. A final warning, this gets long.....

It is now the morning after and my legs won't let me sleep, so I thought I'd start to write a race update. Yesterday was my 5th Ironman race, and my 4th consecutive time here in Penticton. E and I showed up ready. The most ready we have ever felt. It was almost scary how ready I felt. Our training had been a bit lighter than normal earlier in the year due to work overloads for both of us, but since June it has been business as usual. Only harder. And faster. And I was responding well to that.

With that preface, I'll state that I am pretty disappointed with my race yesterday. After my 4 previous attempts at this distance, I lined up at the start line ready to rock it. Especially the run. I have been dialing in a new nutrition plan, updating the race wardrobe, and was excited to give my best effort. Which I did, it was just not a 3:30-3:45 run, it was a 4:09. In the end, it was my stomach that did me in. Canada has a single out and back run, and by the turnaround at Christi Beach I had stopped in about 10 of the 12 port-a-potties dotted in through the aid stations. Finally emptied out, I got down to the business of running and had an OK race from there in, but the damage was done and I never hit my goal paces even after I found my legs.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start back with our departure prep on Monday when I was chopping veggies for dinner (enough for leftovers on the road the two nights we were traveling, too). I did a good job of slicing my left index finger, right through the nail. This limited some training last week, but being taper, I think that was fine. By Friday I had stopped wearing a bandaid (I hate how soggy they get after you wash your hands a few times) and had the thing super-glued together. The drive up went smoothly. We broke it up into two nights (Casper, WY, Tuesday after work, and Spokane on Wed.). We got in on Thursday and settled (groceries, cooking, visiting with friends, etc.). Friday we spent a bit of time training to flush the legs and check the gear (just a swim in gorgeous Okanagan Lake and a spin up Green Mtn Road for ~35 min) then it was off the feet. Saturday we prepped gear, took a turn through the Farmer's Market on Main Street, found Ivy, Cathy, and Michael, and dropped everything off at the race site. All week, I slept well and felt only mild race anxiety. Mostly, I felt calm and ready to rock. And confident that I could.

Pre-race on Sunday was uneventful, save for the huge port-a-potty line, but I'm glad I waited to use that. E and I seeded ourselves well. I got an OK start, but spent a bit of effort clamping my middle finger onto my index finger to try and save my nail which was flopping now (so much for that super glue). That lasted until the first turn of the swim (we do a single triangle, ~1600 m, 400 m, 1800 m) when it fell off. My swim at 1:01 was a PR and on target (I wanted a 1:00 to 1:03). TI seemed to take FOREVER, as I had to do a few things twice, but the clock doesn't make it look too bad.

The bike started well. I quickly settled in and got to business. I wanted (and think I was easily capable of) a 5:30-5:45, so my 5:50 is puzzling and a bit disappointing, but I felt spot on for the effort I wanted to give, and occasional heart rate checks confirmed my effort was appropriate (though that data is a bit muddied by the fact that the strap was unhooked on the right side and only the shelf-bra of my top was holding it on, and then, only sometimes making contact with me). There was some wind, some heat, some smoke from the nearby forest fires (no smoke in town the days leading up the the race, it moved in during the bike) but nothing really intense, at least by itself. My nutrition went well (only carbopro 1200, nuun made on course from their water, thermolytes, one tums, two gas-x).

T2 was also uneventful. I finally fixed the HR strap, yeah! Got my brand new compression socks on (bought at the expo, so very new) and was off. I took a mile to try and settle in. Felt pretty good, but was already off pace. I decided to let the legs settle for a mile or two and then bring it down to what I had planned on. But by mile 3 I was running for the toilet, and that continued for almost every mile until the turnaround. I was able to run strong after each stop, but they were costing me precious time. My nutrition kept going well (on the top half, at least). I never got dizzy or low on energy like I have when using powergels in training. I just never really ran. I shuffled. Or sprinted for toilets.

All in all, it was close to what I had hoped for, but still.... wasn't. Overall, I have a positive feel about the race. I fought a good fight. I never gave up. I was patient, showed courage, and tried to find joy in the day as it unfolded. I gave what I could, then dug deeper and gave more on the run when it got tough out there. But..... I guess I thought this year would be different. I'd finally come in and race to my potential. I'd be a "competer" not just a "completer." I'd RUN. Not shuffle, not survive, but run, mix it up with the big girls, get to go up for an award, whatever. Maybe, after 5 tries and one sub-11 h (not this year, this was my first non-PR Ironman) it is time to find a new sport, or go back to Olympic distance races, or something. Maybe. First, we have St. George and Lake Placid to do in 2010, though. Maybe I'll learn to emulate my idols by then. Marit, Kerrie, Jenni, what're your secrets?

Now: coffee, maybe a trip to roll down (would 3 slots ever make it to 11th?) and a final "vacation" day before tonight's banquet and we pack up to roll out tomorrow at first light. I think I might finally float the canal......

With patience, courage, and joy,

A

E's Late Night Update

So I'm up late due to an issue at work and I've updated my training log and read other's blogs, so I'm left with having to write a post.

Since I last wrote, A went to Minnesota like she wrote about, I got in a slight bit of an accident with a car while biking to work, we did the longest swim workout I've ever done, and observed a little 5430 long course action during our bike on Sunday.

It was pretty quiet around the Casa de Rydholm the weekend that A was in Minnesota, but I managed to get some neglected housework done since I took Friday off to bike a few hours and run a few more hours with A before she left and had shorter workouts for the rest of the weekend. Hopefully she doesn't want to ride her road bike too soon as I took off the cables and bar tape to move her handlebars up to where she wanted them. Most likely that project won't get completed until after Canada.

The rest of the week was busy after A got back with training and that whole work thing. On Friday, I had a guy drift into me while I was biking to work. Luckily the only damage was a bent rear wheel.

On Saturday, we headed to the pool for a long swim. 5.1km swim to be more exact. I was actually a bit excited for it since the last time we had a 5 k swim scheduled, the weather forced us to shorten it. It took a while (almost two hours) for me to finish, but I felt good to get it done. A had added extra 50's in middle to keep at about the same point as me so she went an extra 300 meters (crazy girl).

After the swim, we headed to Pekeo Sip house for some Americanos, Deli Zone for some breakfast sandwiches, the auto parts store for a headlight restoration kit (huge improvement for the Subaru) among other stuff, and the Styrofoam recycling place. Then, we headed out on our bike ride which included some climbing up Lee Hill.

On Sunday, we headed out early for our long ride. We started on the 5430 long course route but knew we should have around a 15 minute head start from the pro's. We were amazed on how much glass and debris was on the road as they obviously didn't sweep the course this year. Just before we were about to leave the course as it made a turn, Tim O'Donnell passed us with a photographer following along side of him. We then proceeded north to Masonville and headed back south. We got back onto the course for a few miles on 75th after most of the people had finished the bike, but did pass a few racers. It was kind of nice to have police officers controlling traffic for us. We headed through the town of Niwot to add some distance and I managed to get double flats. I thought I had just flatted my front wheel and A thought I had just flatted my rear wheel, but in the end, I had done both. I fixed my rear wheel and A fixed my front wheel and we finished up our ride.

We then headed back to Niwot to use the track to run a bit at our goal paces for Canada. It was warm but we survived and then went to Dairy Queen for dipped cones.

Since the weekend, we've been busy again with work and training, but it would be weird if it wasn't the case.

3 days in MN

This will be quick, but then so was the trip. I spent last Friday doing my weekend IM training with E so I could fly out that night to Minneapolis. First I biked for ~3 h, then did a near-3 h run, caught the bus to DIA at 2:50 pm, plane at 4:50 pm, and shuttle-van at 9:00 pm (new time zone) before meeting my dad at the park-n-ride at ~11:25 pm. Murmurs of a family tri-relay filled my head as I drifted off to sleep.

The next day, I woke to the cutest alarm ever, my new 8 mo. old niece who I was meeting for the first time. I headed out to the country roads for a walk with her (looking cute in the stroller), her parents, and my other sister, Beth. There the plans for the race were fleshed out, as I secretly wondered why the 3 of them were all on one team.

Throughout the morning my amazement and love for my family grew and grew. I was amazed that my cousin Joe was able to single handedly delay a 10 am sharp start to ~noon. I was awed at how each family unit (my dad and his 4 sisters each had a family member participating or assisting in awards and finish line paraphernalia) really got into the idea of racing each other, helping their team, and having fun with the sport. And despite all the banter and small talk, I could sense an excitement and curiosity at the craziness that was about to ensue. Between finding toilet paper and ski poles to mark the finish, discussions over how to size the winners crown when we didn't know who it should even be sized for yet (this was critical for sticker placement), and efforts by a least 3 people to get all bike tires filled with air, their was a steady banter and energy filling the air.

Right before noon, Joe and family arrived and final instructions were given before a prayer for safety was said. Then all of the self-proclaimed non-athletes headed out to their starting areas to wait for their team mates.

In the end, I anchored the final team as their runner. I got to see the exchange of speed and excitement between all other bike-run pairs. And after I crossed the finish line is when I really began to be thankful for the family I have. Only on of them had ever done a triathlon before, but there was already talk of "well, next year I'll......" as plans for training and race strategy were hatched. And there was plenty of warrior stories floating around, too. The moment when my sister was almost finished with the bike and her pedal fell off. The moment my Dad was about to pass my cousin while flying down one of the rolling hills and his chain fall off. The disbelief of those waiting on shore as the 2nd place swimmer was so befuddled by how to navigate a large patch of weeds that his lead was lost to his sister as he elected to go around while she went straight through the middle.

I hung around the finish until the crowd dispersed as another rain shower moved in, then I headed out for another 30 min of running to get in my hour for the day. A quick shower and it was time to set-up for Grandma's birthday party (the triathlon relay was in her honor, a first annual they are saying....). Kids were running around the yard and through the house, turkeys (3!) were frying, potato salad and from-scratch baked beans were being finished off, and the 3-layer chocolate cake was waiting for the celebration.

The on-and-off rain prevented the annual wiffle ball game from commencing, but we did get treated to some wonderful singing by Joe and Em, and a poetry recital from my cousin's middle child, Wesley.

Sunday was breakfast, church, and a visit with Grandpa at the nursing home. I think the highlight of my year was having Grandma try to explain to him who I was and to whom I belong, only to have him respond "I know!" in a voice loud and clear enough for all to hear. He was tired, though, so we moved on to get some groceries and prepare dinner for the crew back at the farm (they brought grandpa out for dinner, later, so the visiting continued).

Sunday was a rainy, sleepy day that was spent inside visiting. Not my favorite type of day at the Farm, but the motivation to get out for a swim or bike or run, or walk when it was 58 and drizzle was not high. Instead we watched my niece try and crawl. She is very, very close, but not quite there yet.

After dinner, my youngest sister and her husband had to head back to the Cities for work and school. My parents, niece, other sister, her husband, and I then headed for the cabin on the south shore of Lake Superior. I got to have the sweet sound of the waves send me of to sleep. The morning brought a walk on the beach, a few bald eagle photos, a wonderful breakfast where I was introduced to June berries (yum!), and a contemplation of a swim in the lake.

Right before lunch time I did pull on the wet suite, cap and goggles and swim out a ways along shore. Then I noticed one of the eagles checking me out, thought of Wesley's "Food Chain" poem from the night before, loudly shouted "I am not lunch!)"and turned back for our beach.

After lunch we packed up and headed back to the farm. My mom and I loaded my cousin and cousin-in-law into the Forester and drove down to Minneapolis so they could make their connections before heading to my youngest sister's house to meet them for dinner. I had not seen their apartment yet and they have been there for ~15 months now, since their wedding. It is small but cute and cozy, just like a newly-married couples home should be. Then we got a short bit of sleep before heading to the airport again, this time for my 6:xx am flight.

When I bought the tickets, this early departure seemed to make sense since I could maximize my time in MN and still get a full day at work, but by this morning, it seemed like sheer craziness. I had a great trip. I had been very worried about taking a weekend off" at this point in our IM Canada build, but in the end, I think I made the best of a balance of family summer-time and training maintenance.

Then I saw the workouts I missed yesterday and today (we get workouts monthly and this was my first glance at August) and panicked. It seems like I missed a lot! Too much ??? Time will tell if this was a good idea or not, I guess. I did have fun, lots of fun, I just hope none of the time and effort already spent in preparation for the IM were wasted with some family down time and travel. Too late to worry now, time to focus forward. August 30th seems very, very close right now. And I am excited to go to Penticton to race again.

-A

Oh, a shout out to Whitney, a swim mate, for her Vineman full course win repeat! Wow! Way to go!

...

E's Quick Update

For a quick recap ...
No racing since Mt. Evans, just a bunch of training.

Before Mt Evans, we both got FUEL testing done. That consisted of lactate threshold testing, carb vs fat utilization, and VO2max testing. Neal at BCSM thought it was pretty amusing how close the numbers were between the two of us for the LT portion. His first statement was "Well, I can see that you guys train a lot together." Not surprisingly, A's VO2 max put mine to shame, but I won for better fat utilization. So, we'll call this round of testing a tie.

One run turned "interesting" when we were supposed to hit certain paces and our Garmins were in disagreement over what paces we were holding. In the middle of the run, I was trying to convince A that she should be running way faster, while she thought she was going way faster than her assigned pace. We had to be reminded by the coach that we should know our paces without the silly gadgets.

Last weekend (after a late evening at some friend's house) we had a bit of a ride up to Estes Park via Big Thompson canyon. Previously, we've always taken the canyon all the way to Estes, but this time we decided to try the side road that goes through Glen Haven. We'd heard that it was pretty steep, which turned out to be pretty accurate. Most of it wasn't steep at all and absolutely gorgeous. After Glen Haven, the road turned towards the sky and I was wishing that I had my compact crank and road bike instead of the normal crank and tt bike. Oh well, we took it as steady as possible and made our way into Estes Park.

Descending Big Thompson canyon on a Saturday in July is not fun with all of the traffic and it started to rain which made it even worse. Eventually we made it out alive, headed back to Boulder, and made it back without getting more rain.

Oh, and it was my birthday on Sunday. A and I: had a crappy swim, made some great waffles, went to Harry Potter 6, had a happy hour meal at Bloom, grilled up some steaks at home for dinner, and had a backyard fire. Nice day. I also set a personal record of facebooking that day.

Peace Out,
Eric

E's Mt Evans Hill Climb Race Report

Okay this will be short.

First, you start riding your bike at an elevation higher than you live at (7500 ft). You then proceed to climb 6600 ft over 28 miles to the top of Mt. Evans. You try to ride with others in your category for as long as possible, but in my case that was only for 5 miles. You may almost catch your wife who started in front of you, but she may see you behind her and speed up (or slow down less) the last mile and you never do catch her. At the top, you are cold and tired, so you turn around and bike down. You experience a head wind on the last section that requires a decent amount of effort to get through. If you're smart, you drink beer afterwards (I am smart) in town.

Fortunately, for the effort, you treat yourself to a dinner and a half at Mountain Sun with plenty of beer.

Peace Out,

Eric

Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon race report

I am sitting here wondering where to start with my return to blog-land and figure that a belated race report is a good place. This past February, E and I headed down to Grants, NM, for the 26th annual Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon. As usual, we had a car loaded with bikes, run shoes (with screws for the snow and ice), skis, skins, poles, and snowshoes. New this year, we brought with some other Boulder athletes and shared our hotel room. It was good to share the race experience with new companions, but it was a break from the tradition we had kept for the last 5 times we have done the race.

Friday we left Boulder early, drove to Grants without issue, picked up our materials at registration, and dropped off all of our gear for legs 2-4 at the fire house before settling into the hotel (away from the 24-7 rail road tracks) and then heading back to town for the complimentary pasta feed. A few last minute bike prep steps back at the hotel, and we headed to bed.

The race started Saturday at 9 am and we made it there in a single trip (years past have seen us rushing back to the hotel for timing chips, forgotten medication, etc. I do not know why, but this seems to be the one race where I can forget something vital and cause a ruckus race morning). We arrived at the start early enough to get great parking spots and with plenty of time for a good bike and run warm up. Unfortunately, as E already mentioned in his post, we had enough time to find some glass on the road's shoulder during our warm-up that led to some drama pre-start.

I didn't know it until I was trying to drop off a few last minute things at the car and ride to the line, but I was getting a flat front tire. I sprinted to the start, found E quickly, told him what was going on, and swapped wheels with him while he made a bee-line to the race mechanic's tent. I was able to stall the starter long enough for E to get the tire changed and head back over to the start. Unfortunately, E now had no spare tire, which cost him later as he had a slow leak in the rear due to more glass.

And with that, the gun was fired and the field was off. We all rode in a pack through town and out towards the county corrections facility. I was with two of the top women, but soon saw a pack breaking off the front and worked to bridge up to them, leaving Lisa and Keri close behind me, but out of site. At ~ 9 miles they reappeared and passed me as we flew down the only down-hill in the first leg and then started the steepest portion of the climb. Lisa was gone in a flash. Keri lingered a little longer due to shifting issues, but was out of sight by the time I moved into the first transition (T1). A few other strong riders (women) where there this year, and I entered T1 in 5th place for the female soloists. Just in time to miss the dirt and debris getting kicked up by the helicopter trying to land next to T1!

I was in and out of T1 quickly, and soon passed my nearest rivals. This year I made some strategic shoe choices for the run that had a positive impact on my race, and I was zipping along nicely through the early rollers and up the steeps. It was a beautiful day for a race. My nutrition was going well, and the legs and lungs were feeling OK, considering we were climbing ~1200 feet over the 5 mile run.

I entered T2 in 3rd, but knew I had a few women close on my heels. I took a final swig from my hand-held water bottle that I carried for the run, threw on my skate boots, clipped into my skis, swung my bag with snowshoes onto my back, and started to quickly walk out towards the timing mat at the end of T2 while strapping my poles on. The amazing volunteers were still loading my rejected run equipment into my bag as I transitioned from trudge to shuffle and skied out of sight.

The ski is always steep and painful at the Quad. 2009 was no exception. By now my muscles are screaming for oxygen and any motion feels like you are engulfed in lactic-acid derived quick sand. I fought on, driven by the thought that the race leaders, the women I emulated, and my own time goals, were within reach if I could stay focused and drive steadily onward.

At T3 I saw the men's race leader leaving to start the ski down as I was ripping my skins off the skis and shoving my feet into my bolted-on run shoes on the snowshoes. As I ran along the flat portion, I saw Brian Hunter ahead. He had passed me on the ski up and we would continue to jockey back and forth for the next 40 min or so, spurring each other on. I had a gel. Declined the whiskey but took water at the edge-of-the-world, and somewhere in there put on the light weight windbreaker that I had been carrying in my jersey pocket since the start. This jacket was a life saver, and the decisions to wear it was one that eventually propelled me to a great total race and 15 min PR (after having 4 of the previous 5 years all be within ~5 min of each other). Keri and Erin were not as fortunate. Both eventually were pulled off course by medical due to potential hypothermia. The winds were brutal at the top of the mountian and we were all very wet due to the efforts we exerted to haul ourselves up the mountain. My jacket (an awesome find at Golite) packs down to a lump smaller than most supermarket apples and weighing less than its volume in marshmellows (its small and light) and had been out of sight and mind until I needed it and quickly remembered having it and threw it on mid stride. Then I passed the Edge of the World and started to assend the steep section that would send me to the half way point distance wise, also known as the top of Mt. Taylor.

At the top I paused briefly for a 2 second look at the view, then followed directions and started down. This year they sent us down a different way than we went up. It was a very fun section to descend, but I missed seeing where everyone in front of me was like I could when the top used to be an out and back.

Before I knew it, I was back in transition trying to stuff my feet into my wet ski boots, attach my boots to my bindings, and plop my snowshoes into my backpack for the ski descent. As I started to shuffle off I was still trying to jam my hands into my poles. I had a few close calls this year when my skis got caught in a rut or when I was maneuvering around other racers on some of the tight hairpin turns, but I made it down in decent time with no falls. Near the bottom, in the middle of the whoop-do-woos, I shot past Keri, much to my surprise. After that section there is a short up and then flat-ish section where I always skate. I pushed on, worried that Keri was just behind me. She is strong and has multiple wins here, and she can run!

By the time I made it over the timing mat and into transition, the volunteers had grabbed my gear bag, removed my skis from my feet, and were directing towards a bench where I could sit briefly and prep for the downhill run. On with my shoes, run hat, and handful of gels, and I was off. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to grab my water bottle in the rush. That ended up not being too much of a problem, but having it with me would have been better. Part way down, after turning off the steep road onto the flatter road and getting ready to cross the second cattle guard, a headwind picked up and nearly blew my hat off. I pulled it loose from my ponytail and stuck it in my race belt. The last bit of the run is rolling and gets ugly. I always think this is the hardest leg of the race because I'm starting to tire, ready to be done, and assuming all is downhill, but it's not. The last mile has noticeable uphill sections and lots of flat that seems to go nowhere. Regardless, keeping one foot in front of the other seems to get one through this part and on to the bike.

The bike down this year was uneventful. The headwinds picked up throughout the bike, but by now I almost expect that (unlike 2005 when I was on par for a significant PR and expecting a 30-35 min decent, only to go 50 min and nearly bonk since I had not grabbed food and expected to be done much sooner). I crossed the line in second place, a major accomplishment! I chatted briefly with the radio station announcers, tuned in my chip, drank copious amounts of gatorade, then turned back to find E. He wasn't too far behind, but was further back than I expected. I soon learned that he had also found glass during our bike warm-up that left him with a slow rear leak. A number of stops to top off the tire with CO2 got him to the finish, but he had ridden the last bit up at the beginning while standing, cautiously descended the steep parts at the top on the way down, and had to stop at the top of the little climb during the end bike to refill.

The rest of our acquaintances drifted in and we learned that Lisa had won, Tom was done in excellent time, better than expected, and both Eric and Keri got to ride down together in a cop car after the medics pulled them off course for hypothermia. We used our meal ticket to have lunch with Keri and catch up on her latest adventures. I think this lunch at El Cafecito was my favorite part of the trip. Keri is a neat person, and we really only see her at races, often only at Mt. Taylor. And the food at El Cafecito is AWESOME, true NM cuisine.

Then it was back to the hotel to start cleaning up, packing gear, packing the car some, vegging out, etc. We headed back in to town for awards that night, then hit the hay. The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, then said goodbye to Eric, loaded Tom and the last things into the car, and turned towards Boulder. The 2009 Mt. Taylor Quad trip was done, but we'll be back next year. You should join us in Grants, NM for the race, it is one of a kind and a true gem.

E's weekend recap

Not surprising, but A and I had a busy, but productive weekend. Since, we are "racing" up Mt. Evans next weekend, we needed to get some climbing in, so Jared assigned a trip up to Brainerd Lake. Fortunately, we got out the door pretty early and missed most of the onslaught of riders that we later saw in Lefthand Canyon as we were descending. I was glad to see so many people out riding on a nice day, but it would have been a bit tricky working our way through them as we did our workout.

A let me lead up to Ward, where we filled up our water bottles. After that she took the lead and put the hurt onto me as we headed to Brainerd Lake. She later asked if she had been going too slow, which is funning since the normal sign of showing that someone is going too slow is not to fall back 30 yards (or meters for any Canadian readers).

The descent was nice except for a dude that apparently didn't like getting passed as he almost ran into A who was on my wheel. Dude then passed us back and flew through the residential area, which opened a gap to us. Sure enough we could have easily caught him back on the lower section, but decided not to play games with him as it would have been hard to drop him with our compact cranks. Anyways, we made it back home and went for a short run.

After lunch and a nap, A and I tried to un-neglect our yard for a while.

Sunday started with a crappy swim for both of us, followed by a run in Eldorado State Park.

We ran from the park to Walker ranch via a pretty hill trail. Once at Walker, we were met with another big hill. We then turned around and hit all the hills in reverse. The trail was difficult, the weather was warm but overcast, and views were amazing, which all made for a very nice run. Hopefully the legs rest a bit today as I'm getting a FUEL test done tomorrow.

Post-run, we got some shoes at Solepepper and then dined at Efrains I. Lunch prompted the second nap of the weekend. We finished the day doing more house chores and dinner.

All in all, a busy, but good weekend.