When a Kona Champ Laughs, You Know It's Bad

On Saturday Chris and I joined Jake (a friend doing IM France as well), his father, and a group of his father's friends for a 40ish mile ride into West Marin. This ride was our last longish taper ride before Wildflower next weekend.

As soon as we arrived I was informed that one member of the group, Rich, has won his age group at Kona - the Ironman World Championship Event - five times. Yikes. My first thought - am I going to be able to keep up with this group?

Answer, no... but I did have an opportunity to talk with Rich in Nicasio as the group refueled. I asked him about his events and he shared that he had just completed Ironman Australia a few weeks prior. I then asked him the question I have been asking everyone who I think might know - was he familiar with the Ironman France course? He asked why. I told him that Chris, Jake and I were all training for the event. At first he didn't seem to believe me and then he started LAUGHING as he said, "It's really hard." GREAT.

I also found out today that the "hill" on the IM France bike course is 13 miles (21 km) long, not 6 miles as I had originally been told. I am almost speechless... Now I know why Rich was laughing. The Tierra Bella Coe Park climb is starting to look easy at this point...

(My friend Christopher Kautz wrote a story about Rich last year in the local newspaper, which you may view here. Rich is quite an accomplished athlete.)

Another Ultramarathoner...

Many tell me they think I am crazy when they find out I that I am an Ironman.

I like to respond that I am not crazy, my ultramarathoning friends are crazy!

Well, another friend has just joined the club... Congratulations to Dana on her first ultra distance event!!!

Tierra Bella Century

I started the Tierra Bella Century completely blind. I had not researched the ride at all. I assumed it would be just like any of the centuries I had complete in the past.

While looking back at it, it really wasn't that bad, I would not have said that on Saturday, particularly after having summited a MOUNTAIN that I was not expecting to climb.

Just today, while writing this post, I finally read the 100 mile course description:

"Goodbye Metcalf, Hello Henry Coe! After a quick ride north past Uvas and Calero Reservoirs, you will turn south and east for a (new this year!) challenging climb up Thomas Grade and Dunne Ave to Henry Coe State Park headquarters. Then you descend back down the same roads and continue south for an afternoon climb up to Gilroy Hot Springs. Then descend Cañada Road before returning to Gavilan College."

"Challenging climb?" The "challenging climb" consisted of a 10+ mile adventure up the side of a mountain. The worst part - the arrows on the road made it clear we were climbing only to come right back down. This fact made me think of Jessica and Sam on Rangsiwan's IM Brazil Century send-off ride. (I thought of that ride many times while ascending the mountain.)

Before I continue my commenting (aka complaining) regarding the Coe Park hill climb, I should back up and start from the beginning.

Chris and I were supposed to do this ride together as a training event for IM France. However, Chris was pulled away to attend another event and I decided to do the event on my own, as one does IM on his or her own and I thought it would be good practice. Besides that, I needed to do at least 80 miles.

I departed the house at 5 am Saturday morning to make my way to Gilroy. A bit after 7 am I got on my bike and started the ride. Just a few miles into the ride I realized I had done parts of the course before - first I realized I was on the UVAS Triathlon course. A few miles later, I again had moments of deja vu when I found myself on a long, windy stretch of road that are the final miles of the I Care Classic that Chris and I had completed last May. (I had flashbacks to those final miles, as we were ready to kill ourselves at that point as it was 97 degrees outside and we had bonked many miles before).

As the course made its way to the East side of Highway 101, I started to wonder if the course was going to follow the same route as the I Care Classic. If that was the case, I recalled that there was a hill in front of us, but one that wasn't too daunting, so I didn't think much about it.

As soon as we hit the first 3+ mile ascent (switchbacks through a residential neighborhood) I realized the course was indeed very different. At the very start of the residential ascent I spotted a sign that indicated "Coe Park" was 10.5 miles away. Ah, maybe we were headed there. Had I only known.

The 3+ mile climb through the residential neighborhood reminded me of portions of climbing Mt. Tam from the Alpine Dam side, but instead of climbing through the trees, we were climbing amongst homes lining the side of a very steep hill. It wasn't too bad and when we made it to the top I hoped we were done for a bit. Ha. A very short time later I spotted another sign that indicated Coe Park was now 6.5 miles away, along with a yellow curvy road sign... wait... uh oh... it finally started to click.

I asked the random man riding next to me, "Do we ride to Coe Park?"
"Yes, ma'am, we do."
"Is it all uphill?"
"Yes, ma'am, I am afraid it is."

My disappointment was fleeting, as I reminded myself that there is an infamous 6 mile hill climb in IM France and this would be good training. I kept pushing forward and made my way towards the remainder of the climb. (It was actually quite beautiful.)

You know it's a steep climb when there are people on the side of the road "resting." That's always a bad sign. Or when the event organizers have to post signs letting you know a really steep grade is coming up to allow you the ability to brace for an even steeper climb - one that is so steep you must stand up to make your way. Regardless, I pounded out a good climb and made it to the top without too much trouble. I wish I had looked at my watch to see how long the ascent took so I could compare it to the descent (32 minutes).

At the top, there was a rest stop where lunch was being served. This was about mile 50. I didn't stop for long, as I was looking forward to having the ride behind me. It was about two miles into my descent when I wished I had stayed a bit longer at the top, as I spotted fellow GGTCers and friends Tina and Troy climbing their way up to the top. I contemplated either waiting for them or turning around and climbing back up with them (which is really what I should have done), but I continued on, reminding myself that there was work to be done and I had a LONG run the following day.

I was so excited when I reached the valley floor, as I knew most of the remainder of the ride would be relatively flat (at least compared to the climb behind us). The remainder of the ride was relatively uneventful. I met a very nice woman from San Carlos who is a veteran double century rider who was out for a training day. We chatted for a bit as we made our way back in. I also had the pleasure of riding in a very face pace line of a local women's riding club.

When I finally made it back to my car I was thrilled to be done and just wanted to go home - so much so I threw my bike on the car and left, skipping the post event meal (an action I would rethink later in the evening).

By the time I made it back home I was starving and I hit the local taco shop for some fuel. While I was hungry the moment I got home, it surprised me a few hours later as I headed to bed that I hadn't eaten more. Usually after rides like that I am ravenous and ingest enough food for two or three people. This should have been a sign of things to come.

Alas, just after midnight I awoke and knew something was wrong. I didn't quite make it to the sink before the vomiting began. I thought to myself that I hadn't eaten enough and that this is what happens when you don't refuel properly! I felt just horrible. I was so sick I couldn't even make it back to bed. After spending an hour being sick and gathering strength, I finally made it back and went to sleep.

I awoke the next morning, sick yet again, feeling like death. I slept 31 out of the next 36 hours. (Missed my run.) It wasn't until midday Sunday that I realized I was sick because I had the flu, not because I hadn't refueled properly (although my lack of appetite due to the flu certainly did not help my recovery from the ride).

I am all better now (finally!), and am left wondering which is worse -- the Tierra Bella Coe Park climb, or the infamous climb in Ironman France. Time will tell.

Small Craft Advisory?

"Is there a small craft advisory?"

Mind you, this question was posed by one of my crew teammates when were already about 5,000 meters from the dock during practice this morning.

It was so windy, it was almost impossible to row. The wind turned our blades into little airplanes.

It made for an interesting morning.

Ironman California 70.3

The California 70.3 Half Ironman event held in Oceanside, California was my favorite event in 2008. My race just came together perfectly that day and that stuck with me when I decided to sign up for this year's event last fall.

Oceanside is a problematic half, in that it's VERY early in the season - meaning one has to train over the winter months in order to be ready for the event. I had good intentions this winter -- however the training just didn't happen due to crew, work and life.

As the race weekend I approached I wondered if it was possible to fake a Half. This weekend I learned that it is not - at least not for me.

I had swam two, yes two, times since last September prior to race day. I had not been in my wetsuit since the Malibu Triathlon. Sad, I know. However, I was hopeful that my rowing three times a week would somehow replace my swim workouts and I was curious to see how the two coincided. While I have been good about my long weekend rides and runs, my weekday workouts have suffered and have been rather non-existent, as work has taken over the daylight hours. I knew this was going to be a factor heading into the race.

Oceanside is a Saturday event, requiring registration the prior day. Accordingly, we departed for Orange County early on Friday. Ashli and I were racing, with Chris serving as our private photographer, as he didn't sign up for the event quickly enough and wasn't able to procure a spot. Bummer.

We arrived before registration had even opened, so we checked into our hotel in Carlsbad and did a little shopping and enjoyed lunch before heading off to registration and a little Ironman gear shopping. (I don't know why I always find I have to purchase more gear!) While picking up our bikes at TriBike Transport (bless this company for transporting my bike to and from the race site so I didn't have to deal with taking a bike on the plane!), we ran into Brian, Dana and Kara, friends who were also racing. Always good to see them - at a race or at home.

After registering, we headed back to the hotel and I did a final check on my tri bag to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. (Of course I did - my lip balm with SPF - which I am very much regretting.) Afterwards, we all enjoyed an early dinner with my sister and her family, who live nearby. My sister joked that triathletes and three year olds are on the same dining schedule - dinner at 5 pm. It was so fun to see my sister and her family, as I hadn't seen them since last year at the same event, and at the time my nephew was only a few months old. Now he's walking around and is a little adorable person. My niece is three and entertaining as ever.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to try to turn in early, as we had to head out for the race the following morning at 5 am. I don't often sleep well before events, particularly ones I don't feel well trained for. Sleep did not come easily and I don't think I slept much that night - maybe a few hours.

4:45 am came early and I jumped out of bed to head to the race site to set up my gear in transition. Transition was lively and full of participants and spectators when we arrived, with Ashli and I pointing out all the professionals we passed along the way.

It was so cold at the start that my teeth chattered as I waited for the start of my wave in the swim coral. I was sure the water was going to be ice cold, but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was rather pleasant as my wave headed into the water for the start. We headed off the the start and all of a sudden, it was time to go.

7:29 am. Off I went for my 1.2 mile swim. The swim course consists of a swim in the harbor along a buoy line. My swim out to the turn around went smoothly and quickly without much excitement. I just swam. Swimming along a buoy line can be difficult, as you have to frequently make sure you are on course by sighting on the buoys. I was thrilled that I kept a perfect line on the way out. Further, I was surprised that few from following heats "swam through" while I headed out to the turn around, as usually I am bombarded by super fast boys who swim right over me. Alas, they decided to wait until after I had reached the turn around, which made the swim back in challenging, on top of the fact that it was impossible to sight on the way back in, as the buoys were lined up directly with the rising sun. The second half of my swim was a challenge, but ended quickly enough.

I was thrilled to discover upon my exit from the water (after thinking to myself how WONDERFUL it was not to have to go do another loop like I had to in Coeur D'Alene last year!) that my swim was faster than last years! Ha! No swim workouts for me!

I ran into transition while shedding my wetsuit and came upon Ashli, as she was set up in the next row. We both geared up for the 56 mile bike ride and headed out.

On my way out of the Harbour I spotted my former coach, Torsten, who I had not seen since last May. I was happy to see him and yelled out a hello as I zipped on by.

The ride heads north from the Oceanside Harbour towards San Onofre along the coast, towards the lovely nuclear plan that I, among others, refer to as "The Boobs.) (The two nuclear towers looks like breasts.) The first miles ZIPPED by. Just flew. I passed person after person and was thrilled with my time, especially when I hit the half way point at 1:07. Was I going to take FIFTEEN MINUTES off of my bike time from last year? I would have been thrilled! Ha! Not. Within a mile after the half way point, as we began to make our way back south, through the foothills of Camp Pendleton, the headwind attacked and my speed plummeted. BUMMER.

Riding on the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is fun, is there is very little traffic. Further, seeing the Marines on base doing obstacle courses carrying ammo boxes and huge backpacks full of water makes a Half Ironman seem easy.

At mile 30, the first hill of the day loomed. Last year, I remember recalling as the hill came into sight thinking that it wasn't a hill, rather it was a mountain pass. I still think it looks like a mountain pass. It's a really big hill.

As we summited the pass, many cheered with joy. It was nice to have the hill behind us, but unfortunately there were a few others awaiting us,on top of the headwind that just would not let up.

It was shortly after summiting that first hill and the following descent that I came upon a woman lying on the street, still attached to her bike. It was a horrific sight and many base locals were assisting her. It looked as is she had passed out and just crashed. I thought of that woman many times during the remainder of my day and this week. I hope she is alright.

As I continued on, I saw the possibility of a 3:15 bike slip away, but was happy with my bike performance overall, as I was just a few minutes behind my time from last year.

The run was a different story. It was about a mile into the 13.1 mile run that I knew I was in trouble. My legs began to cramp. It is a rare occasion when my legs cramp. And, I just felt tired. At this point my lack for training caught up with me and I knew it. But, I reminded myself I was out there to have fun, and I pushed on.

There were highlights of the run -- hearing "Go Aunt Jennie, Go!" and seeing my boyfriend, my sister and my niece cheering me on. The words of encouragement and sassy exchanges with my GGTC teammates were uplifting as well and made the LONG run go just a tiny bit faster.

I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the locals on the run course last year and they did not disappoint this year either. A family with a home along the run course stocked bottles of water and ice for those of running by. That ice was a lifesaver, as it was 80 degrees out on the course. It hasn't been that warm up in the Bay Area yet this year, so the temperature was tough to deal with (hence the cramping).

I wished and wished and wished when I was done with my first loop of the run that I was done, but sadly I was not, and I headed out for the second loop. (It's almost cruel - you run almost all the way to the finish line only to have to turn around and head back out.)

My second loop was more of a walk/run, or what I like to call the Ironman shuffle. It wasn't too bad, however, as I was in good company and I met some very nice people on my way back in.

Finally, the finish line was in sight. Crossing the line didn't bring me the same joy I felt last year with a strong performance, but rather a sense of determination regarding my training for the next few months. I have a lot of work to do, and my performance (or lack there of) highlighted this fact. But, it was exactly what I needed to be reminded of -- one must put in the time to excel. It's time to get moving.

The rest of the weekend was perfect. After returning my bike to TriBike Transport, we headed north to Orange County to visit with Chris' family and to enjoy a day off lounging by the pool at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, randomly with Billy Bush from Access Hollywood. (Whoa! Did you know Billy Bush is George W. Bush's first cousin?) Better yet, Lil Wayne almost took us out with his Bentley. It was an entertaining weekend.

I returned home sunburned, but happy, particularly in light of the fact that I had been carded for drinks at the Montage, yet Chris had not. Ha!

WFTW 2009

Each year, our triathlon Club, Golden Gate Triathlon Club, heads down to Lake San Antonio outside of Paso Robles, California, for a weekend of training on the Wildflower course.

It's always a crazy weekend full of friends, laughter and lively conversation, and this year proved to be no exception.

We arrived late Friday afternoon and settled into our "cabin" for the weekend - Cabin 1. The cabins are trailer homes, which serve their purpose for the weekend and actually aren't too bad. The sleeping accommodations are always interesting. For example, our room had two double beds in it, which meant two people were to sleep in each bed, which can prove interesting when you go down on your own! There were 11 of us assigned to Cabin 1, including a good friend and sorority sister, Susie, who I was excited to catch up with, as we hadn't seen one another in quite a while. Also staying in Cabin 1 was a woman who I had only met over email who is also doing Ironman France this summer.

As the afternoon progressed, our cabin mates began to arrive and most set out for short runs prior to our cabin dinner. I set out for a 30 minute run and found myself laughing out loud when I noticed one of the houseboats on the lake was a trailer literally mounted on a floating base. Nice and trashy. Just what you expect down on the lake.

I always enjoy the Friday night dinner, as you get to catch up with old friends and meet new people. One of our cabin mates was someone I had heard about for years, but had not yet had the pleasure to meet. I was kicking myself as I had forgotten to pack the perfect board game for the weekend - 25 Words or Less - so we ended up making our own version, which served as a great icebreaker after our group dinner. It was a fun way to send the evening.

While WFTW ("Wildflower Training Weekend") is a fun, social weekend, there is also work to be done, so people headed off to bed at a relatively decent hour, as our training the following day consisted of an 8 am swim workout, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, and then a post bike transition run. I went to sleep, thinking about Nasty Grade (the infamous hill of the Wildflower Long Course), wondering if I would find it to be as nasty as I have in the past.

I wasn't sure I should be doing the entire long course bike ride, with a race the following weekend, so I decided to do the distance, but not go crazy. I was frustrated with my time, as it took me 3:50 to ride the course, where I typically do 56 miles in about 3:30. Bummer. But, it was a beautiful, sunny day, so I enjoyed being outdoors and procured my first sun burn of the year. (Nasty grade proved to be less nasty than in the past, but it sure is long!)

Saturday evening's festivities included the annual coaches transition challenge (always entertaining), consisting of a brief run, the required pounding of a beer in T1, taking off on the bike, returning for T2 (and maybe pounding another beer?) and then running in. While Jan didn't flip his bike this year, it was still funny as for a brief moment it appeared that Ed might follow in Jan's footsteps.

Our club enjoyed a group outdoor BBQ that evening and everyone headed off to their respective cabins or off with friends to enjoy the evening. Brian, a veteran WFTWer explained that it's tradition to play "The Bag Game." We didn't know what the bag game was, so Brian educated our cabin. The bag game consists of placing a typical grocery bag on the floor. Participants must pick up said bag with their teeth, without using their hands and may only have one foot on the floor while doing so. Those who prevailed without touching the floor with their hands moved on to the next round. Between each round an inch or two of the bag was torn off the top of the bag. It was a HILARIOUS competition.

I managed to make it until the fourth round, when I face planted and took home the prize of carpet-burned knees. Chris and my sorority sister Susie battled it out for the championship, with Susie taking the title. The bag was about an inch tall for the finals. Those of us spectating were dying of laughter.

Sunday morning Chris and I decided to forgo the insanity of the Wildflower run course and headed home to do our run on a flat surface, since I had my first half Ironman of the season the following weekend.

I always love Wildflower Training Weekend, as it allows an opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends. This year was no exception.