All day Friday I obsessed. I regularly applied my favorite injury cream Topricin, self-massage and on and off icings throughout the day. I also wore compression socks all day. Still, the nagging sensation and the ball of tense muscle I felt on my calf was not anything I have ever felt before. Worry set in, as I feared that I'd do more harm then good if I went ahead and participated in the Beaver Freezer. This sprint triathlon was supposed to be a fun race simulation/ practice for my Xterra triathlon in Vegas the following week. This is NOT supposed to be reason for me to be anxious and stressed. UGH!!! I WAS!!
SO, I wake up at 6am Saturday morning after a sleepless night and my calf feels great. I apply the Topricin and feel the muscle as soft and pliable. No golf ball sized knot that I felt the day before. Phew.
Trevor left at 6:45 to volunteer at the transition zone. ( what a guy, eh?) The kids were quietly reading in their beds, and I finally drug them out at about 7:15. Luckily for me, my start time was not until 9:30, and the race begins about a mile from my house! If I was there by 8:30, I should be fine.
It was fun knowing so many of the volunteers. I joined the OSU triathlon club this past summer and regularly swim with the team. One of my swimming pals marked my arms and legs and wished me well. I went to my spot in transition and quickly arranged my things. It was cold, and I was really chilled. As I shivered, my hands didn't work as quickly as I would have liked them to. I hung my wind jacket on the bar and set my gloves on top of my helmet just in case I needed them for the run. I had planned to have a Hammer gel on the bike but could not find it. Oh well, I was cold and wanted to get inside. I overheard someone say that it was 9:00. Time to head to the pool.
I made my way to Langton Hall where the women would be swimming. The energy was high in the locker room and I had fun seeing some friends who would be swimming at the same time. I was still chilled, and found it difficult to warm up. I jumped into the warm up pool along with the 20 other women that were starting at 9:30 and swam a few laps. It probably was only about 10 meters across, with swimmers everywhere, but as I dodged, I was able to get a few strokes in. It felt good. My body felt long and at ease in the water. I was excited!
I made my way to lane 4 and assumed my 3rd position. My teeth were chattering as it was really chilly. I focused on my breath, and tried to calm. It was my turn to go. I pushed off and felt pretty good until I flipped at the wall and missed. I missed the second flip and shit, I was out of breath. A bit freaked out, my rhythm fell apart for the next 50 meters or so and then I feel the tap on my foot. The women behind me needed to pass. A bit deflated, I stopped at the next wall and let her pass. I should have jumped on her draft, but I stalled for a moment to regain my composure. A deep breath, head down and I self-talked my way until the end. I tried to find a rhythm, focus on high elbows and a long reach.
After missing the first two flips, I decided not to try any more since it really taxed my energy. I also had no idea how many laps I had swum. All of my mental energy was going to staying calm and thinking about my stroke. As I came to the wall, I heard a "last lap" called but didn't know if that was directed at me. It was my understanding that there would be a kick board dropped in the water as a visual. Believe me, I wanted that to be my last lap! I came back around and turned again since I still had not seen the kick board. I notice the women behind me gets out though and no one else is in front of me. I turn around a few strokes out and the counter says I am done. A bit frustrated, I pull myself out. Not the swim I had hoped for, but it was DONE!
It felt good to run barefoot on the cold cement sidewalks back to transition. I passed quite a few people here and was excited to get on my bike. As I approached the transition zone I reminded myself to look for the pink bandanna I had tied next to my bike. I headed in the right direction, then passed it! I realized I had gone too far pretty quickly and turned around to see my stuff right where I left it. I was warm now and did not want to mess with a jacket, so I put on my helmet, glasses, shoes and gloves and grabbed my bike. It was fun having Trevor at the transition zone and he yelled words of encouragement as I left. The boys were there with him and I gave them a holler and a thumbs up.
I felt good. This was a course I know well and I was on a sick fast bike. Ok, lets back up a bit and tell you about the bike.
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| Alleck demonstrates just how light this bike is! |
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| Keller tries to convince me that I should trade my mtn bike in for this one! |
My friend Karl Haunold with Felt Bicycles happened to be in town with the demo fleet and said he had the perfect bike for me to use for the freezer. The specs: FETL B-16 Triathlon women's specific carbon 52 inch. This is an early generation FELT tri- bike, but it looked as current as I could have imagined.
I had planned to ride my Specialized carbon Crux cyclocross bike, as I don't own a rode bike or a triathlon bike. I did the freezer last year on the Crux with a good result and I figured I would just to it again. Riding a tri-specific bike sounded like fun, so I met Karl down at Peak about 5:00 the night before the race. I sat on the bike while he made a few adjustments, and then peddled around a bit to check the fit. I have only ridden a road bike once, and never a triathlon bike or with aero bars. As I rode off, I felt as comfortable as I do wearing high heals, which is not at all! I didn't have a helmet on at the time and was wearing flip-flops. I was thinking that there was no way in Hell I would ride this bike in the race tomorrow, I felt out of control and quite honestly like it would be dangerous. The front end felt twitchy and that tiny little tire staring back at me made me nervous. I'm used to riding a mountain bike with huge burly tires!! The shifting at the end of the aero bar was nothing I had ever seen before, let alone used and the brakes were left down on the drops. It seemed like a lot to manage, but I smiled back at Karl's generosity and brought the bike home.
The boys and I ran through a couple "mock" transitions and I was able to get the feel for the bike. A few minutes with the shifters and in the areo position and it all felt familiar. It was a bike, and I know how to ride a bike! So back to the race I go...........
I felt awesome, and having the sun on my back was incredible. The road was pretty congested with other racers but I tried to give ample friendly warnings when I was ready to pass. It felt good to ride at my comfortable pace and continue to catch people. I came upon Trey Jackson, a friend and Local Team Dirt team-mate. I passed him, but he stuck with me and we were able to chat a bit. At the Walnut turn around I reached for my water bottle, fumbled and dropped it. I don't think I have ever heard the thud of a full water bottle hit the cement before, but that sound stuck with me for a while. Luckily, Trey dodged my blue bullet and kept with me. I was thirsty, but told myself that it was a short race and I did not really NEED the drink. Trey and I rode together until the Oak Creek turn where he was hung up by a car. I was fortunate not to have any traffic stalls on the bike course. I loved that bike! I felt so comfortable AND speedy fast! I kept it in the big ring and stood on the climbs, relaxing into the aero position on the flats. I felt great and was excited to turn onto campus way, the home stretch! The energy was good and I loved hearing friends cheering me on.
I hopped off the bike right in front of Trevor and the kids and awkwardly ran to my place in transition. Running in bike shoes on the pavement while pushing a bike feels pretty strange, and I was thirsty. I hammered on the bike and was feeling the adrenaline as I changed out of my bike shoes and into my run. Aha! The hammer gel that I could not find before the race was now found as I stuffed my left foot into my shoe and felt something odd. I ripped my shoe off, turned it upside down and there was the gel. Left shoe back on, then fumbled with the right one. I was feeling very clumsy and did I mention thirsty? I failed to have a water bottle in transition, but I took the hammer gel with me on the run.
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| Lovin the Hammer support! |
My legs felt great right away, and I found a good pace. Spectators were everywhere offering great words of encouragement. I was a bit frantic as I needed a drink and had no idea where the aid station would be. Finally I was told that it was on the other side of the Memorial Union, 1 mile. I decided I would take half of the Hammer gel before I reached the aid station. I was happy to see my friend Lizzy, with a wide smile and 2 cups of liquid! I grabbed one, stopped my run and drank the whole thing. Ah, this felt better. Now I was off, feeling strong. It was then that I realized that my calf felt great! All that worry for nothing! 3 laps around the MU went pretty quickly, then I turned onto the home stretch. I made it!
Its always fun to finish an event, and the energy between the volunteers and the fellow competitors is always great. I indulged in a calf massage by a local chiropractor William O'Donnell with Vertibrata Chiropractic, and relaxed with my family and friends while re-capping the day.
Although I was not happy with my swim, I still managed to improve my 500meter swim time by 7 seconds to post a 8:40. I posted the fastest 12 mile bike split thanks to Karl and Felt bicycles with a 34:52, one minute 15 seconds faster than last year! And the 3.1 mile run was 21:18, twelve seconds faster than last year! I placed 3rd overall with a time of 1:09:18.
What a great day, in the company of good friends and the SUN!!! Vegas, here I come!!
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| Battle wounds on both knees from the aero bar ends! A small price to pay for such a fun ride :) They looked way worse than they felt! |
It was great racing with you. As I'm doing trail work on Saturday I'll be thinking of you - hoping for a clean swim, smooth lines, and fast feet, and placing in the top 2!
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