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There were so many choices for the title of this race report that I couldn’t decide which one to use... “Undertrained and Overweight” was my favourite. “Faking It” was another good one. Others included “How to Race a Half IM on a Four Week Taper”, or “How to Race a Half IM on Less than 5hrs a Week”, “The Race I Shouldn’t Have Started”, and of course, there’s the old stand-by, “How Not to Prepare for Your Half IM”. Ah, yes, so many choices. It was far from my best performance for sure, and I was quite disappointed. I felt bad that I was disappointed though – I didn’t feel I had no right to be so. My poor performance was my own fault. I really shouldn’t have even started that race, but I did. I finished what I started – over an hour and half slower than last year’s half IMs. Ever since my bike crash in March, major stresses of April, second bike crash in May along with a whole slew of major life changes in May, I have not been able to train with any real consistency or focus. I lacked motivation and was in denial of burnout. Both my shoulders are still messed up from the bike crashes and I only swam a few times in the few weeks leading up to the race. My first bike ride in three weeks was race day. So... I knew going in that this would not be a PR race. Not by a long shot. But, I was going to do it regardless – it was a good incentive to get me out in the water and on the bike, and really, what better way to spend a day than doing a triathlon? Race morning I woke up well before my alarm clock scared. That was a new one. I’ve been nervous plenty, but never outright scared. I tried to relax myself knowing that by the time I got to the race site it would subside – and it did. I was pretty relaxed going about my pre-race rituals, suited up and got in the water to see what the shoulders felt like in the wetsuit while I waited for my wave to go off. Everything seemed okay – until the gun went off. Right away I had a sharp pain in my right shoulder during the pull-thru phase of my stroke. Great, I thought. This is going to be a long and testing swim. I kept myself at a nice easy pace and not long after the pain in my shoulder subsided to a barely noticeable ache. Then I just swam. It seemed so long to get to the turnaround buoy and back to the beach. As I exited the water everyone around me ran up the path to the transition area... except me. I think I was probably the only one who walked. Took my time in T1 and headed out on the bike with a nice long 4+ minute transition. That’s okay, I wasn’t there to race. I was a actually happy with my swim – all things considered. I had a guesstimated finish time on the swim and came out of the water four minutes faster. So it wasn’t all that bad. On the bike I made a point to take it easy, especially on the first loop, and keep my HR comfortably in my steady zone. I think every single person in the race passed me on that first loop. ;-) On the second loop I started feeling good on the bike and picked it up a little bit. Passed a few folks and was actually enjoying my ride... until the last few miles. Then I just didn’t want to ride anymore. I had guesstimated my ride time as well, within a 15-minute spread, and was surprised to see I’d come off the bike three minutes faster than the fastest guess time. Another leisurely transition and I headed out for the run. I decided I was going to do the Bobby McGee plan – walk the first five minutes, then run 10, walk one for the remainder. Well, seemed my legs and energy had another idea. I tried to run, but it just wasn’t there. I didn’t worry about it though, figured it would come around soon as it always does... and it did... for a while. My runners sucked, too. I could feel every single rock under my feet and it wasn’t too comfortable. My boyfriend was working the last run aid station before the start of the second loop/finish and I made it there in relatively decent shape. He greeted me with a hug that gave me enough of an energy boost to run the next mile and a half at a good pace. Then I walked again. I headed out onto the second loop with my energy rapidly diminishing, the balls of my feet becoming progressively bruised, and my mental strength a mere memory. I just didn’t have it in me. About a mile or so out into the second loop I looked at my watch and had a little chuckle... at this time last year I was finished and eating pizza. This year I still had another five miles to go. Ugh. I just didn’t care at all and walked most of the second loop. Oh, and just to add insult to injury, my knee decided it was going to join the party. Didn’t make any difference if I ran or walked, it hurt just the same. Finally made it back to the last aid station for another hug, but by this time I had nothing left. I only managed to hobble/jog/run a mile from there and once again was back to limping. I was going to walk up the little hill around the boat parking area and then run down the little hill to the finish line. That was the plan. In reality I couldn’t even muster that. I just didn’t care. I was tired. My feet and my knee hurt. And I was hungry. Oh man, was I hungry! So I walked. I walked up the rise. I walked across the top. I walked down the little rise. I walked past the expo area. I walked down the finish chute. And for the first time in my life, I walked across the finish line. I was so disappointed with myself that I pulled my cap down over my nose, lowered my head, and covered my race number so the finish line photographer couldn’t get my photo. I was over an hour and a half slower than last year. But I did finish what I started, and really, I have to be happy with that. It wasn’t my longest ever race, but I was woefully undertrained – physically and mentally. I learned something, too. I do love these races and want to keep doing them, but, I don’t want to do them “just to finish” anymore. This was my 9th half IM and I’m well beyond “just finishing”. I want to do better than the last time... every time. I’m going to keep racing half IMs and IMs, but not without training properly and toeing the line healthy and fully prepared. I know how to train for these and I know how to race these – today wasn’t my day. This year isn’t my year. So, I’m off tris for the season. ‘Loo is resting peacefully in the garage for the rest of the year and I’m all about running the craziest trails I can find. I’ll be back next year... and fit to kick some serious butt! :-)
Trespass Trail Challenge This race was a tough one. I hadn't reconned the course beforehand, so it was a real adventure. I knew it was going to be a tough one, but had no idea what I was in for. Pre-race I was standing in the porta-let line and all the people around me that had done the race before were going on about how hard it was and that they were only doing it for the shirt (they gave out rockin' Soloman technical shirts)... if it weren't for the shirt they'd never do it again. Hmm, what was I getting myself into here. On the start line the race director was giving us a few last minute words of advice and caution and mentioned casually, that when we saw the five-mile marker (the advertised course distance) the finish line wouldn't be there. It was actually another quarter mile from there to the finish. That was good for a chuckle. Three, two, one, and we were off. The first quarter mile was up, the next 1.25 miles was downhill. Straight downhill. Steep straight downhill. Ugh. I love running downhill, but I hadn't been focusing on anything more than just getting back up to frequency and consistency with my running thus far. I took it easy but by the time I got to the bottom of that hill my quads were shot. Great, less than two miles in and my quads are already shot. Gotta laugh. At the bottom of the hill we took a 90-degree turn and then... straight uphill for the next two miles. The deeper into that two miles the steeper it got. I finally had to walk the steepest part leading up to the four-mile marker. Then we had a little flat stretch... like 100 meters, and then it was back to downhill. Fortunately it wasn't steep downhill and I held a good pace while I wondered if the next step would be the one my leg buckled under. Finally the finish line was in sight... downhill... and I was through. Phew. It was definitely a tough run and I was a little disappointed with myself. I ran an average two minutes per mile slower than the 5K the week before and my quads were shot. I also finished at the bottom on my age group -- not last, but pretty darned close to it. It was a quality workout and a good lesson though, and one that I needed. The Danielesque Trail 1/2 Marathon in October is insane. I can run a road half marathon in two hours, Kevin said to plan on taking four hours on this course. Its that tough and its mostly all stair-steps. If I'm going to make it through that race I seriously need to strengthen up these legs of mine. The plan going forward is to do my long runs on a trail I hiked a couple of years ago. I figured I'd start with hiking up for an hour and then running down. Its steep and rugged enough to have your heart rate in your anaerobic zone just hiking up it... without really trying. It took my quads four days until all the soreness was out of them. Four days of sore muscles from a five mile trail run! Yeppers, I need to strengthen these puppies up. I'm looking forward to the challenge!
Spruce Canyon 5K This was just a fun little low-key race near home that I wanted to do to try and get some of my steam back. It was a good way to shake out a few cobwebs, which it did. The race is at altitude – 9,000 feet above sea level with about 500 feet of climbing in it. Not exactly an easy course, but it was a quality workout that I most enjoyed. It was an out and back that started off slightly uphill, a short flat, downhill and then up, up, up. I started out comfortably working up the first little climb and then stepped it up and held a steady pace the rest of the way. I didn’t even book it downhill like usual (being cautious not to reignite recent injuries), but I did pick up the pace. There was this one woman with a rather strange form and stride just ahead of me. She ran with her arms down, hands out at her sides, and with a long loping stride. I don’t know why, but I just had to pass her. I did without any extra effort and had forgotten all about her until she passed me back on the steep hill. I let her go since my HR was sitting pretty at 175 bpm knowing that I could reel her back in once we turned around for the descent. Down the hill, up around the bend, and there she was. We were inside the last mile and I wasn’t going to have her finish ahead of me. Feeling that I was safely close enough to kick it up a little more, I did jus that and within a couple of minutes reeled her back in and put her safely behind me. Or was she? I should have been focusing on reeling in the other two women ahead of me, but instead I was focused only on keeping the loper behind me. I could still hear her breathing over my shoulder when I rounded the corner to the last couple hundred meters to the finish line. It was just around another corner at the end of a short driveway and I remember thinking to myself, “where the hell is that frikkin’ finish line!” Short stuff hurts. ;-) I managed to finish only a few seconds behind then women ahead of me and held to my mission of keeping the loper behind me. I felt good about this race. It was only my second race of the year and it made me want more. A lot more. I came in at 31:59 by my watch. Official time had me at 32:01. Good enough for fourth place in my 30-39 age group – and only six seconds off the podium! Far from my best 5K time-wise, but one of my better finishes. I felt good about my effort, I never backed off even for a second, and most importantly, my hip held up for the challenge. Oh, and the three women that beat me were all under 35. ;-) Next up, another high altitude five-mile trail run next weekend. I’m excited again!
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