Well, others have evidently posted their C'ville race reports, so mine will be brief. Harder than I thought, seriously rethinking the whole IMUSA thing with the hills, swimming better but not by much, need to concentrate more on my running.
But, it was fun to finish with my IMFL training partner and finish my first Olympic tri. I realized that IMFL is less than 100 days away, oh crapper.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
7/22/2008
After this weekend, I may have to revise the name of this blog to IMFL and LPIM adventure. A bunch of us crazy TGs and Maramarc dudes drove or flew up to Lake Placid for the IM weekend of fun, sun, rain, riding, swimming, running, volunteering, eating, drinking, singing up for next year....you get the picture. Five TGs rode together with our 5 bikes, crammed in Cyndi's car. Fun trip up, we stopped in Saratoga Springs for the night, meanwhile BlakeE and crew (Rick and Susie) drove all night. Crazy people. We had rented a house just outside of Keene, about 10 miles or so from LP. So the house was not what one would call "prinstine", having some cleanliness issues and kind of damp downstairs, but given the weather Sunday, it was much better than camping.
Several people rode one loop of the LPIM course on Friday, I rode about 20 miles since I was supposed to ride 1 hour and run 12 miles. They said the course wasn't as hard as Blue Ridge, and it rained on us all, with some juicy thunder and lightening thrown in. Saturday was MyKaren and DeannaB's turn at volunteering, so we all got up early and did a little wet suit swim in Mirror Lake. Great swimming. The famous white line was ok, but I don't think I'm going to try to swim along it, since everyone else will be there as well.
Our volunteer place was bike checkin, but we really ended up doing bag check and questions. Wow, people are so funny before the race. The older women's bags ended up on the ground and not on racks, and some of them were PISSED off about that. Not that it mattered in the end. Our shift ended and the crew headed back to Keene. A couple of us then went for a trail run for 1 1/2 hours, it was wet, overgrown in some places, and hilly, but fun. Sunday was race day and the remainder of the crew had to work, so we all (again) got up at the crack of dawn and went to LP. Shelley got to be a peeler, BlakeE was men's transition, Cynid was bike catcher, Susie and Rick were bike check-out, Jeff was at a run aide station, and the rest were medical tent. We all watched the swim start, and it is as scary as it looked on TV. Just a sea of white splashes, with black arms, colored swim caps flailing about in the lake. The pros were flying.
The rain started about the time of the start gun....and didn't stop for the rest of the day. The conditions were described as "epic" and I think that holds true. It was like a monsoon, the rain was so heavy they were calling for flash flood warnings. The bike course must have been really scary since it is kind of hilly with some crazy long descents. All I could think was that it didn't matter if the bags were hanging or on ground, everything was soaked once it one walked out of the changing tents. And the athletes kept going.
The rain was dumping down and we were all soaked. We finally found some trash bags for rain coats and went to see the last swimmers get out of the water. The last guy out was a local guy with a head injury and everyone was screaming and cheering for him to make it. It was a teary moment whe he barely made it, but then he looked so bad we were all sure he wasn't going to be able to continue. We checked the results and he did finish. Wow. We got Shelley and walked around all day with a brief stop at a bar for some food and drink. We also went to the bike in location for the bike cut-off. A woman came in about 1 minute after the cut off, just tearing up the chute, but it was too late. She fell over with her bike, and then they told her it was over and took her chip. She sat there and cried. It was the saddest thing I saw all day and I never want to be her. Other people were relieved, because the rain NEVER stopped.
The bike are became a mud pit, people who worked there were covered in mud up to their knees. The whole thing was crazy. We saw the top finshers then went back to the house after being in the rain all day. Monday was sign-up day. We had decided to leave at 6:30 am, so we all packed up and went back to LP. The line was already 1/2 mile long and it got to be much longer than that. I felt sick to my stomach but it turned out ok. The line was a combination of finisher store, volunteers and non-volunteers for 09 sign-up. They seperated us at the gate, and all the volunteers in line got in the 09 race. Not many of the non-volunteers got in, and the race sold out on site. Trip back was uneventful. More fun for sure next year....
Several people rode one loop of the LPIM course on Friday, I rode about 20 miles since I was supposed to ride 1 hour and run 12 miles. They said the course wasn't as hard as Blue Ridge, and it rained on us all, with some juicy thunder and lightening thrown in. Saturday was MyKaren and DeannaB's turn at volunteering, so we all got up early and did a little wet suit swim in Mirror Lake. Great swimming. The famous white line was ok, but I don't think I'm going to try to swim along it, since everyone else will be there as well.
Our volunteer place was bike checkin, but we really ended up doing bag check and questions. Wow, people are so funny before the race. The older women's bags ended up on the ground and not on racks, and some of them were PISSED off about that. Not that it mattered in the end. Our shift ended and the crew headed back to Keene. A couple of us then went for a trail run for 1 1/2 hours, it was wet, overgrown in some places, and hilly, but fun. Sunday was race day and the remainder of the crew had to work, so we all (again) got up at the crack of dawn and went to LP. Shelley got to be a peeler, BlakeE was men's transition, Cynid was bike catcher, Susie and Rick were bike check-out, Jeff was at a run aide station, and the rest were medical tent. We all watched the swim start, and it is as scary as it looked on TV. Just a sea of white splashes, with black arms, colored swim caps flailing about in the lake. The pros were flying.
The rain started about the time of the start gun....and didn't stop for the rest of the day. The conditions were described as "epic" and I think that holds true. It was like a monsoon, the rain was so heavy they were calling for flash flood warnings. The bike course must have been really scary since it is kind of hilly with some crazy long descents. All I could think was that it didn't matter if the bags were hanging or on ground, everything was soaked once it one walked out of the changing tents. And the athletes kept going.
The rain was dumping down and we were all soaked. We finally found some trash bags for rain coats and went to see the last swimmers get out of the water. The last guy out was a local guy with a head injury and everyone was screaming and cheering for him to make it. It was a teary moment whe he barely made it, but then he looked so bad we were all sure he wasn't going to be able to continue. We checked the results and he did finish. Wow. We got Shelley and walked around all day with a brief stop at a bar for some food and drink. We also went to the bike in location for the bike cut-off. A woman came in about 1 minute after the cut off, just tearing up the chute, but it was too late. She fell over with her bike, and then they told her it was over and took her chip. She sat there and cried. It was the saddest thing I saw all day and I never want to be her. Other people were relieved, because the rain NEVER stopped.
The bike are became a mud pit, people who worked there were covered in mud up to their knees. The whole thing was crazy. We saw the top finshers then went back to the house after being in the rain all day. Monday was sign-up day. We had decided to leave at 6:30 am, so we all packed up and went back to LP. The line was already 1/2 mile long and it got to be much longer than that. I felt sick to my stomach but it turned out ok. The line was a combination of finisher store, volunteers and non-volunteers for 09 sign-up. They seperated us at the gate, and all the volunteers in line got in the 09 race. Not many of the non-volunteers got in, and the race sold out on site. Trip back was uneventful. More fun for sure next year....
Monday, July 14, 2008
7/11/2008
Whoopee-Blue Ridge Ride #2 was Saturday! Most of us went 50 miles, and even though it was only 4 miles more than last time, it was harder with more climbing, especially towards the end of the second leg. Oh well, my legs were very tired, and I spent a lot of time wishing I had just one more easier gear to go to, but alas, no matter how many times I checked, no magic gear appeared, so I was left with head down, legs pumping, heart pounding until the hills were done and the parking lot was reached. I have found that I now LOVE going fast. There was a straight downhill section that I totally cranked down and reached 44.09 miles an hour. I was shocked when I saw my fastest speed since last year I was riding the brakes so much they were smoking.
There was a 4 mile downhill with lots of curves that was also a blast. I figured it was going to hurt like a motha coming back up, so I was darn sure to enjoy the downhill. Everyone did great, a few mechanical issues arose this time, but people dug down and through creative cursing, managed to finish to ride. But the best part of the day was fresh blackberries on the side of the road! I actually stopped and ate a bunch, and that was truly some sweet action. Props to those hardy souls that rode 80 and 100+ miles that day. You people totally rock!
Sunday was the Muddy Buddy and I had agreed to fill in for Cyndi as Derick's partner in grime. I must confess that when the freakin alarm went off early (much, much too early) I was wishing I had not said yes. I had done Muddy Buddy races in the past, but it had been a few years and holy crapper, the race has gotten HUGE! The line into the park stretched for miles! Anyway, MyKaren and I finally got to the race and found Derick and Cyndi. MyKaren was going to go for a trail run so she took off for that as we made our way to the start line line. (yes, I meant to have two "lines") The porta-potties at the race were among the foulest I've ever smelled. Just wanted to throw that in there.
The race was a blast, I biked the first leg and low and behold, evil mountain-bike Shawn appeared (that would be the mean Shawn that screams at people when she raced mountain bikes...not a pretty nor happy Shawn, but sometimes very effective in freaking out the competition-and yes I am referring to myself in the third person) as I blasted past poor pedlars who seemed afraid of the gravel pathway, I think I may have passed everyone in my start because I ended up alone for a quarter mile or so before the first obstacle. I nearly finished my first run leg before Derick passed me on the bike. We leapforgged our way through the course,
I was concentrating on biking as hard as I could so my slow run wouldn't mess us up and then trying to run a steady pace. We actually did well on the timing part and finished the last leg pretty much together for the final task, crawling through the mud pit! The mud was really thick, and we passed a team in the pit itself (we are such studs!) and finished in 52+ minutes. MyKaren and I left after the race so we didn't wait for the results, but Derick called later and told us that we had come in third in our age group! All-in-all, a great weekend!
There was a 4 mile downhill with lots of curves that was also a blast. I figured it was going to hurt like a motha coming back up, so I was darn sure to enjoy the downhill. Everyone did great, a few mechanical issues arose this time, but people dug down and through creative cursing, managed to finish to ride. But the best part of the day was fresh blackberries on the side of the road! I actually stopped and ate a bunch, and that was truly some sweet action. Props to those hardy souls that rode 80 and 100+ miles that day. You people totally rock!
Sunday was the Muddy Buddy and I had agreed to fill in for Cyndi as Derick's partner in grime. I must confess that when the freakin alarm went off early (much, much too early) I was wishing I had not said yes. I had done Muddy Buddy races in the past, but it had been a few years and holy crapper, the race has gotten HUGE! The line into the park stretched for miles! Anyway, MyKaren and I finally got to the race and found Derick and Cyndi. MyKaren was going to go for a trail run so she took off for that as we made our way to the start line line. (yes, I meant to have two "lines") The porta-potties at the race were among the foulest I've ever smelled. Just wanted to throw that in there.
The race was a blast, I biked the first leg and low and behold, evil mountain-bike Shawn appeared (that would be the mean Shawn that screams at people when she raced mountain bikes...not a pretty nor happy Shawn, but sometimes very effective in freaking out the competition-and yes I am referring to myself in the third person) as I blasted past poor pedlars who seemed afraid of the gravel pathway, I think I may have passed everyone in my start because I ended up alone for a quarter mile or so before the first obstacle. I nearly finished my first run leg before Derick passed me on the bike. We leapforgged our way through the course,
I was concentrating on biking as hard as I could so my slow run wouldn't mess us up and then trying to run a steady pace. We actually did well on the timing part and finished the last leg pretty much together for the final task, crawling through the mud pit! The mud was really thick, and we passed a team in the pit itself (we are such studs!) and finished in 52+ minutes. MyKaren and I left after the race so we didn't wait for the results, but Derick called later and told us that we had come in third in our age group! All-in-all, a great weekend!
Monday, July 7, 2008
7/7/08
Shoot, over the weekend, I nearly completed a 1/2 IronMan over 3 days. Thanks to Jeff and Denise, a bunch of us had a lovely 40 mile ride in King and Queen County, followed by a cookout and pool time! What a great way to celebrate the 4th. The Route 14 ride is not easy, but not too hard, and you can always count on a head wind for practice. OK, now my preaching for the month of July...TriGirls have GOT to learn how to ride in groups AND as close to the side of a road as possible. People get all crazy and ride all over, sometimes three abreast, and someone is going to get hurt. Everyone needs to practice riding the white line (the white line that lines the road edge), especially in West Creek since there is a nice concrete gutter to wobble into if need be. When riding on the road, any road, ALWAYS ride within 12 -18 inches from the edge, even when there is not a car, b/c a car can come at any time. Ride in single file, and if the road is really untraveled, no more than 2 a breast. Wheeew. Please pay attention on the road, communicate with those around you, practice a pace line, it will make you a better cyclist. Practice bike handling, go to a parking lot, and ride in tight turns, circles, and try to stay still on the bike. OK, enough of the preachy-preach.
Some of us ran our 12 (well, BlakeE run, so more like 13-14) on the trails at Pocahontas on Saturday, which was nice. I love trail running, and hope to do it as much as possible during this year. Then I swam 1.5 miles in a secret location on Sunday. Again, very nice, and that was as far as I have swum since White Lake, guess I better get on the swim stick! Hope all had a great 4th weekend!
Some of us ran our 12 (well, BlakeE run, so more like 13-14) on the trails at Pocahontas on Saturday, which was nice. I love trail running, and hope to do it as much as possible during this year. Then I swam 1.5 miles in a secret location on Sunday. Again, very nice, and that was as far as I have swum since White Lake, guess I better get on the swim stick! Hope all had a great 4th weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
