Just came across this today...

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I have posted and since I have done any kind of racing. Over the past two weekends we have done two masters meets. It was our first swim meets in probably over three years. It was fun to get back into the pool for some shorter events.

PAY Winter Freeze
2.15.09 - Short Course Meters

Xterra Regional Champion - 2008

This year I am Xterra Regional Champion for my age group. Last year I missed it by one point. I am excited to have the honor. I wish I could travel out to Tahoe for champs, but it is just not feasible this year. Thanks for a great season and wonderful adventures! Everyone who puts time into the series does such a great job.

LIVESTRONG Challenge Philly

On Sunday I rode the 100 mile LIVESTRONG Challenge in Philly. It was a great experience. Shawn and Mike went to pick up our packets the day before the ride, so when we all arrived in the morning we just had to get our bikes together and go. Bruce met up with Shawn, Sara, Otmani, Mike and I in the parking lot right when we arrived. We geared up, put on the sunscreen and went to the start. We all waited 40 minutes past the start time for the opening ceremonies. Finally, it began and Lance gave a short speech and we were off.

The first ten miles were congested and we all separated. We gathered again at the first stop. At this time we saw a girl in a pink dress and sandals, riding the ride. Off we went for the next 13 miles, easy as cake so far. Otmani and I had some fun riding together trying to see how fast we could go on the downhills. The second stop came and this one was huge, and really congested. I thought this is going to be horrible, too many people everywhere, and commented how it was like being in New York City. As the day went on though the masses really spread.

Bruce had been riding pretty fast and ahead of us. I decided to stick with him and see how it went. I began with him on the next leg, but with the crowds, eventually got boxed in and lost him. Again, we regrouped at the stop. The next time I was able to stay with Bruce and we rode fast through all the downhills and continued up hills while people all around us were cramping and walking. I lost Bruce at one point in the cornfields, where the wind was bad, I found him at the stop just after I rode the biggest hill of my life. Bruce and I were pretty far ahead at this point, so we waited, I ate and ate - mostly oranges, they are key for me in long events. When the last of our group arrived, we found out that Otmani had broken a spoke. There was a bike tent, which was fixing it for him, but our time was running low. They set the cut-off for 4 p.m. and we were only 57 miles out. Shawn urged Bruce and I to take off, so eventually we set off. I was worried, we had been in the rest stop for at least 45 minutes just after a huge hill.

Right away another hill came to torture us, no cramping though. I was good and kept on behind Bruce. At the next stop we decided to skip it and just go for the cut time. We both took a swig of our Gatorade as we pushed on. Somewhere in this section we were coming up to a red light, but the cops stopped traffic so we would not have to stop. Next thing I know, Bruce said something like I will catch up. I continued up the hill and continued on. I figured he was right on my wheel as there were still plenty of people around. When I came to the next stop, I stopped. No Bruce. I waited and when he came in he was feeling it. Looked pretty pale, but as I was calculating we had 1 hour to do 19 miles, we had to move. So I urged him to eat something, and as he did he said let's go.

19 miles to go, with one hour. They told us they were going to pick people up even if they were one mile out. I rode as hard as I could, but the time was slipping by and the hills kept coming, though much smaller at this point. However small, 80+ miles into a ride they felt big enough. I started to see signs every 5 miles counting us down. I rode alone for the rest of the ride, just hoping to make it in. I skipped the last stop, which I heard was filled with the best treats, cake and soda. I had 15 minutes to ride 5 miles, I kept glancing at my watch. Skipping the last rest stop really hurt. I hit the wall in those last 5 miles and they were the longest 5 of the entire ride. People were riding past and it was all I could do to ride up the last hills. Where was this stupid college? It seemed at every traffic light we should be entering to the finish, but it was not there. Finally, I saw some yellow balloons and came up next to a man I had seen at the start. I told him great ride, and then he rode his way down the cancer survivor lane at the finish. I came in 7 minutes past 4 p.m., but no one ever came out to pick us off the street. Ten minutes later Bruce came in, I was so thankful they let him finish. All the others were allowed to finish as well, their threats meant nothing in the end. All of the volunteers waited out so the riders could finish their days.

It was an amazing experience. At the 57 mile rest stop I met a woman who was doing the ride for her second time, this time after beating cancer, last year in between her chemo and radiation. The people out there were brave and strong. Bruce could barely ride two laps of a parking lot five months ago and was now kicking our ass on a 100 mile ride. I had so much fun, and have a new respect for hills. I rode every last inch of that ride and it was a good feeling in the end. Over 3 million dollars were raised on that day alone for the fight against cancer. It is a nasty disease and I hope one day we will have a world free of it.

Xterra Charlottesville, Aug. 17, 2008

With a lot on my mind, I had not thought much about this race. We had pre-registered a few weeks in advance so we went down to race even though we were not too ready for it. I was glad since this is my favorite venue for the xterra races.

Unfortunately, the race begins way too early so we had to get up at 4:30 a.m. We got to the race sight before the sun even got up, another sign it was way too early. Shawn and I got premium spots on the far racks, they were filling up fast, by the time the last athletes arrived there was only room along the fence. This race must have doubled in size from last year.

They changed up the swim wave starts and I ended up in the first wave. This was fine because last year I was in the last wave and people from the first wave had already made it around and lapped us before we even got to start. So I had clean water this year for an entire lap, and did not run into people until about half way through the second lap. The swim went easy, surprisingly since I have not swum in about a month, two guys took off from the start and I hung back. I was third out without a problem, first female, with the pro Alisha Lion not too far back.

Transition went well, got everything on, but I made a huge mistake. I forgot to find out where the exit was and ran my bike pretty much all the way around the perimeter before I got out. I saw Alisha in transition and new she would be coming along very soon.

The bike was awesome. It has a lot of twists and turns, roots and rocks. The trails are similar to our own, but much rootier and rockier. The first half flew by, a lot of it was fun downhills. Alisha passed me early on, but then I never saw another female until 8 miles in. I had clean trails that entire time. I must have put enough time on the men on the swim that they were pretty far behind. But it all came crashing down in the last four miles of the race, they all caught up at once and I had to continually pull over to allow streams of five men pass. It got very frustrating after feeling so free and fast for the first half.

Some fun firsts happened on the bike:
1. I did my first ever jump in a race. I am not sure what came over me and why I did it. I just think I was having so much fun riding it was like an everyday ride and I wanted to feel some air.

2. I rode the biggest log pile of my life. I remember coming up to it and hesitating, thinking I am not sure what is on the other side, but then just went for it. I think I might be ready for some middle run log pile action.

The other cool thing that was running through my head at this point, this specific log pile, was that two years ago at that point it was me, one other man and the sweep. We were out there together just trying to survive. I remember getting off my bike there thinking there is no way, and the guy reacting, saying that we had made it this far lets live and walk over. Also having the sweep there is a memory I will never forget. I told him good job, and he was like...ummm, no I am just out here to make sure everyone gets in. Shawn was not racing and I had been out there so long that he starting walking the trail backwards to make sure I was ok. This made me realize how far I have come in two years as I rode successfully over these logs in third place.

The run came and was not too bad, though I only took one gu on the bike and had decided I would rely on the cliff blocks on the run. Out of transition I grabbed the opened bag upside down and they all fell out except for one. I ate the one immediately and later on choked down a gu after two gags from the water tent. I ran steady, walked some hills. A couple girls passed me and towards the end I came up on a guy who was cramping. I stopped for about 30 seconds to give him the rest of my water I was carrying. He downed it. Then I started back up the final hill, about a quarter mile to the finish. At the very end a girl passed me who was in my division. I did know this, let her pass and then when she got about ten feet ahead I could see the finish line so I kicked it in as fast as possible. I sprinted and thanks to all the track practices I have done this year was able to beat this girl. Shawn was there at the finish, I had not heard him cheering.

I would love to get back there to just ride the trails one day. They are a lot of fun. I think I was like fifth overall female, third in my age-group and 79th total. We left before the official results came out, I had a nap before we drove home. I was most sore from my Wii playing, though my legs felt that final sprint in.

Morning Fog

CIMG0184.JPG, originally uploaded by fishy_outawater.

CIMG0188.JPG, originally uploaded by fishy_outawater.

I had so many comments throughout the entire race about being number 1, including just after the two woman passed me when the volunteer told me I was ALMOST number one. I thought that was a bit harsh! Read the race report below.

Xterra Appalachia - 8.03.08

The drive to xterra Appalachia out in Indiana, Pennsylvania is beautiful. Through the mountains on the PA turnpike we encountered some severe thunderstorms and had a wonderful show Saturday afternoon. By the time we arrived, it was sunny and not humid, a perfect evening. We picked up our numbers - I was number 1. Wow!

The evening went fast and we tried to get some sleep, but the hotel hosted a bunch of party animals so the night was restless. In the morning we had a quick breakfast and made our way through the fog. We were so close to the race site we got there with plenty of time to stake our space in an odd transition area. Before I did that, I went down to the lake for some neat photos.

I picked a spot close to the entrance from the swim, not the best location, but I ended up only sharing the rack with one other person so it was fine. I set up my gear, got my number 1 plastered on my arm and got in for a swim. We had enough time to swim the entire course which was an out and back on the warm lake.

When the race director shouted go we were all wading chest deep in the water, off we went. Shawn sprinted ahead, I have never seen him take to the swim like this. I was too far out away from the line of buoys that would be so easy to follow so I decided to cut in. It was Otmani I was cutting in front of, but I decided to go for it so I could have a straight line throughout the swim. It was a very short swim and I wanted to hold back as much as possible. Going out some dude in a wetsuit took off with Shawn. I was still surprised Shawn was going this hard, on the way back they died off a bit and I pulled up beside them. Shawn and I dropped the wetsuit dude and swam together. Shawn started pulling way left and I tapped him on the shoulder and he got back on track. I timed my stroke so we were stroke for stroke, we came in together. It was fun. Shawn got up before I would normally, because the water was so shallow. I got up with him and then immediately fell back down, but caught back up to him and ran in while having conversation back to transition. Headline should read - Husband and wife finish swim together. At least Shawn won the swim, because the rest of the day did not go his way.

Out on the bike, I got out of transition first, and Otmani soon came up behind. I pedalled with him for a while and then Shawn and Fortmann came up as well. We all went into the single track together. I was last in, Fortmann stopped at one point and I passed by him. Right after that I was behind Shawn and he was getting up a steep hill where you had to dismount. He was trying to get back on and to get started when he got off balance and ended up perpendicular to the trail with his back tire covering the trail, upright pretty much leaning on the tree. A man came around me riding and was trying to pass Shawn's bike, but ended up riding directly into the tire. It tore Shawn's tire right of the rim, and I completely witnessed the entire incident. The man thought he had a flat and I said no Shawn you have a flat - knowing that was it. There was nothing I could do to help him. Fortmann was with us, we all stopped, said sorry and had to go on, I felt soooo bad and so did Fortmann.

The rest of the ride was composed of steep hills that you had to push, push and push. And then some fun downhill sections, a water crossing and some more fire roads. At one point I was by myself and I thought I had gone off track. I stopped to ask a man and woman walking their dogs if they had seen riders going by, they confirmed I was on course and I picked my speed back up. I never saw a female, I was in first the entire bike section until the very last mile. Two females came by at once. I got off the bike not too far behind them, though they dropped me on the last hill coming in.

On the run I felt good going out, and passed two men right away. The run starts out with some huge winding hills. At the bottom of the hill you can see way up and I saw second place female. I tried to catch her, and ran hard when I could, but I had a side cramp the entire run. I never caught her and both the men I passed, passed me later on in the run. I did pass one other guy and overall had a fairly strong run.

The results are not posted yet, but I did end up in third female - free entry into next year's race (pretty cool perk.) I think I broke two hours and last year I was 2hrs 9 minutes at this race. I will post the results when they are up. The race director is so enthusiastic and runs a great race, I will return for more in the future!