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| Wow! Tim's before a race? What a treat!! |
The morning was definitely cold. I have little to lay out at transition these days, just the basics, and it takes all of 5 minutes. I pumped up the tires, and then tried to figure out how to stay warm. Temps were low, about 40 degrees or so. But it looked like it would be sunny, and so far no wind. The topic du jour in transition was, of course, sooo, whatcha wearin' on the bike??? For me, I had my customized soccer-sock-arm-warmers, and I had one of my lulu long sleeve shirts there just in case. As I wandered around for the next hour, I waffled back and forth, not knowing what to do. By about 7 am, my teeth were chattering badly enough that I could not stop them. But I also knew that if I made the decision based on that, it wouldn't be the right one. I decided I would wait till I was in transition to make the call.
Mum and Leona met me promptly at 730 am, as agreed, and I got my wetsuit on. I felt much better once I did that, and sat inside, managing to get some warmth back into my bones. We walked down to swim start, which I have to say was CRAZY long with a super big hill. Probably the longest run up to transition ever, although possibly San Juan was longer (but it was flat). After the singing of O Canada!, which I proudly sang at the top of my lungs, we pretty much hung out. Watched the pros leave, then the rest of the age groups. I was second to last, and evenutally made my way down, after hugs to Mum and Leona. The pic Leona took shows just how much my Mum was worried (it's what she does), though I don't recall it from the moment.
At the water's edge, sun shining, I tossed the socks I was wearing, and got in the water. Water was warmer than the air, although the initial shock is just simply not any better regardless. Was able to get in a quick warmup, get things a little loose, and then the gun went off and we were off. I felt good. With 6 minutes between waves, and only 1500 athletes all told, it was actually pretty tame compared to most 70.3's. There was a good chop on the water, and I was glad I had swam earlier that week in the rough lake at Mum's. I was using my new April-ized breathing pattern, and it was working very well. I felt very strong. Sighting was going well. Turned the first corner, and I was in a groove. Until I almost ran into the kayaker that is. :( "Over there!!!" she yells at me, pointing with the paddle. I stop, look, "OH SHIT!!" "Ya!!" she replied back. Dammit! I was in such a groove, and there was at least one other swimmer near me. I was heading right for a buoy, it just wasn't the right one. Now I know why they usually have different coloured buoys on corners. With the sun where it was, the chop on the water, and my lack of glasses, I just didn't know. So, off I went in the right direction. Got back into a rhythm, and honestly just felt the best I've ever felt on any 70.3 swim, ever. I absolutely believe it is because I swam every day (barring the day before) for 8 days before the race. (Yes, Luis, you are SO right.)
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| You can't even see the swim exit here anymore, and we are only about halfway to T1! |
I did get kicked very hard about 500 yards before the finish. I'd caught up to the men in front of me, and this guy just belted me. I honestly thought he had shifted my jaw, and 10 days later I still had a sore spot on my chin. Another guy grabbed my ankle and pulled me back. But other than that, the swim was fine. Volunteers were awesome as they pulled us up out of the water and up the steps. Up over the green on the 18th (?) hole, and then the big climb up. Heard Mum shout as I came out of the water, and then Leona was waiting at the top of the hill yelling her head off! By the time I got to transition, my feet were frozen - couldn't literally feel them. But I also had decided that I did not need the shirt. Took for freakin' ever to get the socks on my arms, and on my feet, but finally I was off.
There are a few initial hills on the course that get you good and warmed up. About 4 miles in, some dude passed me and smiled. "I know you'll probably pass me again" he said. I just laughed. By the time I hit about 15 miles, I felt I was really in a groove. Head down, in the moment, riding, happy. Felt strong, and was clicking along at the power prescribed. Sure enough, there he was, and I just smiled and said "There you are!" There was little wind, it was cold but certainly bearable, and the socks were doing their thing. I felt great. Then shifted to head up a slight hill, and the chain dropped. Chain drops, if you have been following me for a while, are my nemesis. We finally got it fixed and I didn't drop a chain for 18 months. Then this summer I put a new chain on, and I've been dropping chains all over the place. Murphy's law for me dictates that race drops aren't your simple run-of-the-mill chain drop either. No hopping off and putting it back on. This thing was JAMMED. Like I've never seen before. The link was literally sideways, jammed in the little groove on my bike that traps it, and I thought "Oh god, here we go again. It's Blalock Lakes all over again." I yanked that MF'er hard, and eventually got it out. Hopped back on. Ch-Chink. Ch-Chink. Every 3rd revolution, my chain was skipping. I looked down and tried to see what was happening, all the while trying to continue riding. I could see something was wrong with the chain, but not quite sure what, and not yet willing to stop again. I rode about 10 minutes like that, passing all the people I had already passed. I didn't know if something was stuck in there, or what. Eventually I figured I gotta jump off again. I did, and was pretty dismayed at what I saw. The link was twisted. I was gonna be lucky to make it back to transition. There was no way to fix it with my fingers. So what could I do but hop back on and hope it a) stayed on and b) tech support came by. Passed all the same people YET AGAIN. My buddy said "Heard you coming that time". It was just so disappointing. I knew there was no way in hell I'd be in contention now, but of course, I was still going to finish. I rode as best I could, watching my average power just plummet. Couldn't get any power on the pedals, every time I tried, the chain just skipped, Finally, after about 20 miles of riding that way, I spotted tech support as they finished changing a flat, and they were able to straighten out the link with a couple pairs of pliers. Good enough to get me back. I booted the last 15 miles, all of which are crazy hills, passing all the same people for about the 4th time, but the damage was done. The chain dropped again, but I was being so cautious, it was an easy fix. So 4 times off the bike. So disappointing. And I'd been feeling so good. Very glad I pre-rode the course, and knew what the last section was like. Also figure that my iron issues were at their worst when I rode it the first time, contributing to the abysmal outlook I had on the course. But make no mistake - this is a tough course!!!
Heading into the run, of course, felt pretty good, since quite honestly I hadn't been able to push much on the bike. It was a crazy hilly course. I swear some of those run hills had a 15% grade on them. And I have to admit, that I was having to do some crazy math to figure out my pace, and where I was. After 7 years of running in the States, I only know miles now for running and cycling. And my garmin was messed up - the GPS wasn't working, and so I had no idea. Thankfully I recalled my pace from my very first half marathon, and was able to do enough math at that point to figure out approximately what I was running. I felt pretty good on the run. I did walk the super steep hills, because honestly I was faster walking them, and my achilles was starting to hurt running them, since I was so far up on my toes. Other than that, it was all running. The turnaround on the out and back course seemed to take forever. My mind remembers km as being so much shorter than miles, but apparently they aren't quite that short. ;) One interesting thing is I really did have to pee, which never happens to me in a half, because it is usually so hot, and I am usually dehydrated. I stopped to try (twice), and although it just never happened, I probably lost 30-40 seconds, and I kick myself now, because that was a spot in the finish. One dude ran by and said "c'mon you can do it" - if only he were right! lol. The girl that passed me with a mile and half left (and got outside assistance I might add) wouldn't have done so if I hadn't stopped for that. Lesson learned ;) And I just couldn't catch her at that point.
In the final analysis, it is what it is. Had I not had the chain issue, there is a strong chance I would have finished top 5 and secured a slot to Mont Tremblant. Between the 4 stops, and the loss of power for 20 miles, it's hard to say exactly how much time I lost. Power was 141 in first part, 130 in last part (partly because I knew I'd lost, which was not the right attitude!), but an abysmal 99 in the messed up middle. I was 20 minutes out of 4th place, and I figure that is what the chain issue cost me. Of course that is all conjecture. And who knows what my run would've been like without the "easier" ride. We can't control what happens on the day only how we deal with it, and what we take away from it.
At the end of the day, I am absolutely ecstatic about the race, and what it says to me about next year. My swim was the best ever, really. I had hoped for 36 minutes, and I finished in 37. Considering the little detour I took, I was right on target. The bike, which I expected to be awful, was not bad at all, and I felt strong. Too bad about the chain, but shit happens on race day. The run, definitely the hardest run course so far, was quite acceptable at just under 2 hrs. Given that I'd only been back training for 14 weeks, I am viewing these results as quite promising for the upcoming year. In the end I finished 10th in my age group, with a time of 6:04. Still have yet to snag a top 5 finish...I think that might be in the works for next year!
Thank you so much for all the support and well wishes. I am so blessed to have such a supportive community around me. And SO HAPPY to be back racing. Love you all.
Happy Base Season!
Kat
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