Rev3 Part 2

or, If I could just dive through it, it'd be so much easier.

We left as I got out of the lake with a minute or so PR.  I trotted into T1 and in 4 minutes and 56 minutes I was on my bike (a PR by 30 seconds ... ha, ha. Go me!) ....

THE EPIC BIKE

And I peddled and peddled and peddled and then peddled some more.  We drove the course the day before and I obviously looked at the elevation profile but nothing prepares you for being at the base of a mountain on your bike until you are in fact at the base of a mountain on your bike with nowhere to go but up.  

Strangely, it reminded me of playing in the ocean. You're having fun and then a big wave comes and you think "Ok. It was fun but now I'm ready to be done.  I'd like to get out of this ocean."  But you can't because the wave would crush you, so you take a breath and dive through the wave.  It tosses you around a bit but you come out the other side and then ride the next manageable wave home to shore.  On the bike however you would wind a corner and there would be a huge mountain and I'd think "Ok.  I'm ready for T2 now.  Getting off the bike would be great."  But alas, mountains separated me from T2 so I took a deep breath, peddled (very slowly) up the mountains, got beat up a bit and then came out the other side.  And eventually, just shy of 4 hours and 20 minutes later I was done (although, in my defense that included a 2-3 minute pottty break).

And even though it took about 37 minutes longer than the last race of this distance, the course was SO MUCH harder so I still call it a victory.  For example, I initially decided that my goal for the bike would be 4 hours which is only a 14 mph average which considering that I was either going 4 miles up hill or 30 miles down hill for the whole race, was actually aggressive ... I was right on pace though through 2 hours/28 miles and at 3 hours I wasn't too far off at 40 miles.  The next 10 miles were mentally challenging, but I got through them in 45 minutes ... which meant that 4 hours wasn't going to happen but I should have been close.  Except that the last 6 miles is when the course goes from hard to brutal.  The math reveals that the last 6 miles took over 30 minutes and I can tell you that nothing unusual happened in that time - no mechanicals, cramps or bonks.  It was just brutal, grueling, hot, achey and ALL UPHILL and I was so done ... 

I remember early in my college career after one of the first home football games my roommate summed up the day by saying she was hungover before she was even done tailgating.  And sort of, that's how I felt in the last 6 miles of that bike.  Except I was sore before I even stopped working out.  Grinding to the finish my legs just ached.

But I made it and while it wasn't a PR it was a victory.

T2

4 minutes and 13 seconds.  A minute longer than last time but I think its because I had to apply my own sunscreen and wow, thank goodness I did because the few spots I missed were crispy!

THE "ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME?!?" RUN

If only the whole run had been downhill ... the first 2 downish/flatish miles were great and ticked off in 9:42 and 9:52 and I thought "this might not be so bad."  And then I rounded the corner and the course became totally ridiculous.  When it was flat or down I ran and I ran well but there were SO MANY portions of the course that were up bizarrely steep hills it was ridiculous.  I held on for mile 3 coming in at a respectable 10:26 but after that finishing became the name of the game.  The miles ticked off in 12-14 minutes each and the goal of finishing under 7 hours and 30 minutes was replaced with the goal of beating my previous Half IM run time.  I ultimately missed this goal by 2 minutes and 30 seconds but the fact that I continued the run after it took me by the finish with 3 miles left is a small victory in and of itself (seriously, that was the cruelest part of the run ... seeing the finish and knowing you still had well over 30 minutes left ... but we got a cool finishers tee shirt so I'm glad I kept going ...).  The last mile of the run was probably the only truly miserable part of the day - I remember seeing some rocks in the shade and thinking that they were probably cool and if I could just sit down and cuddle up to them and close my eyes it would be a nice nap ...thank God I didn't do that;)  

I finished up (finally) in 7 hours and 51 minutes and just wanted for someone to please take me somewhere not in the sun with a place (rocks or otherwise) available for sitting.  Sara was like a mirage bounding (or so it seemed) down the hill and directing me to the shade (and the seats and the food).

And that was that.  Post race thoughts, what I've been doing for the past week and what's next (unlike last year, I actually have some races I intend to participate in on the horizon) are yet to come.  I will tell you now that next year there are going to be some  flat races on the schedule.  Or at least one.  Its pretty much an order from Liz!

Rev3

or, It appears I AM actually doing a Half IM today.

Before I can tell you about Rev, we need to talk about Harriman.  The race in and of itself would really warrant no attention at all, except that it messed with my head right up until the gun went off at Rev.

I thought about discussing Harriman in a typical race report format but I never got much beyond the alternate title of "or, At least I got a bathing cap."  So in summary, I was excited and ready for that race and then they cancelled the swim due to fog.  That sucked because I like swimming.  It sucked more because they made it a duathlon.  And that change threw me for a loop, so to speak.  Desperately hoping the fog would miraculously disappear and refusing to accept that I would have to run 1.5 miles BEFORE I biked 26 miles and ran 6.2 more, I somehow failed to warm up.  My day thus began with a 1.5 mile sprint instead of a warm up followed by a swim (ie, a TRIathlon).  This might not seem like such a big deal, and in some circumstances it would not have been a big deal but, on a tough course with a smaller field it left me in almost last place from the start.  

So, even though I PR'ed the bike and the run (despite some pretty scary fog situations on the bike) and even though I remember (thanks to my race report from last year, which is why I'm writing this down now) to bring extra water on the last run and had pretty decent race execution, the race was frustrating to say the least and left me grumpy.  And no matter what I did, I could not shake the triathlon grumps.

The fact that 2 weeks before Rev I hurt my neck and didn't do much of anything didn't really help matters.

I wasn't grumpy enough to bail on the race, but I was grumpy enough to be unable to accept that it was really happening.  It was just not something I could get my head around.  Maybe because I've just been busy, or because I've raced at this site or because the field was smaller so things were less hectic, but even after the practice swim on Saturday and witnessing the insanity that was going to take up 69.1 miles the next day, it all seemed kind of pretend.

The morning of the race was like clockwork.  With just me and Sara in the room (ie, no non-racers) we got ready and fed and out the door without worrying about waking others at 5 am.  We got to the race site easily and did the normal bathroom, transition, body marking stuff.  I even went for a quick practice swim.  And before I knew it I was standing on the beach waiting for the gun to go off ...

The Swim

I was pretty much as calm as could be.  Per usual I waited for everyone else to go before finding some calm water to call my own.  I think I need to be more aggressive in these swims and not be so afraid of getting touched.  I have some less than 1/2 IM open water swims coming up and I think I'm going to have to try getting in there.  When the guys from the wave behind us (2 minutes back) caught us, things got a bit crazy and I survived.  I never freaked out, so I should be able to handle some 30-34 yo girls, right?

Eventually, after cruising along and feeling like the swim would never end, I decided to go faster.  Funny how that works, right?  I never really went fast, per se, but I went faster.  My average HR for the swim was 142.  I'm not sure how swimming HRs work, but I feel like I can go faster if I get over my fear of getting hit in the head or stranded in the middle of the lake/ocean/river.   Regardless, in 42ish minutes I was done.  It was a swim PR of roughly a minute, but I know I am capable more than a minute faster than I was in RI (even without any waves to bring me home).  Buy bygones kids.  We'll get that one next time.

And on that note, while I'd love to tell you about the bike and run, I'm tired.  So, to bed I go.  More later.