Had probably the best bike ride of my life today. Started out around 10 a.m. after pre ride camp meeting and grouping. A group of about 20 of us left the Slumberlodge and headed out to Ok Falls. At the falls we battled a headwind to Husky Station which was our first aid station. Loaded up on gatorade and cookies and off we went. We were about 2 hours in at this point and began the long climb up Richter Pass. It was a long slow slog but nothing in steepness to what I have been doing back home. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself up at the top with not too much effort. I did a good job at this point regulating my salt pills and hydration. The day was starting to heat up and I sweat buckets of salt. Started the rollers and they seemed to go on for quite awhile. Kept in an easy gear and tried to spin as much as I could. At the 60 mile mark we hit the next aid station and again I took the salt tabs, loaded up on water and electolytes and downed a few cookies an off we went. Down to the turn, climbed up through the false flats to the base of Apex mountain. This is where the famed climb to Yellow Lake begins. The climb is short (a few miles) and steeper than Richter but is difficult after such a long day. Just when I started to really feel it I was done. Top of the hill, another aid station. More salt tabs and a magic cup of coke. Arm warmers and gloves back on for the steep descent. A few more rollers, some screaming downhill and then we were pushing back into Penticton. Got to the hotel, grabbed food, threw the bike in the room an went across the street to Lake Okanogan to sit up to my waist in 50 degree water. A great recovery habit!
I am so happy I was able to do this and have a positive experience. I feel like Ironman is in reach.
Final numbers
95 miles
5:50 hours
16.2 mph
Tomorrow we carpool out to the turn around of the marathon course and run back. The run is NOT flat and I suspect I will have legs of lead but I will do what I can.
Will post more tomorrow night.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ironman Canada Camp Day 1
I am sitting in my hotel room waiting for the others to wake up. Paul and I drove from Bellevue to Penticton yesterday. We met at 10 a.m. which is just about the time I looked down at my bike and noticed that my rear brake pads were almost worn through. I usually am not one to ride the brakes so my guess is that they were never replaced during my last tune up..grrrr. Shame on me for not noticing. Paul was kind enough to cart us to Sammamish Valley Cycle where they replaced the pads in 2 min. Thanks guys!
The rain was coming down pretty hard as we climbed the pass but tapere off as we got into eastern Washington. Stopped for lunch, crossed the border around 4:30 with no issues. Paul has done this camp for 4 years now and this will be his 3rd Ironman Canada so he knows his stuff. He drove me almost the entirety of the bike course so I could finally see Richter Pass, the rollers. the out and back and Yellow Lake. The course looks tough but it is not as scary as I thought it would be. Soooo glad we drove it.
Checked in to the famous Slumberlodge right across from the Peach and the race start. We bought a ton of food from Safeway and then Paul and I walked down Lake shore to a mediocre Mexican restaurant. After dinner we got our bikes set up for the following morning.
Had a good nights sleep. Tried hard to sleep until 8 but woke up at 6:45 ready to go. Took a shower and walked to Starbucks. It is a gorgeous morning. Sunny and should be close to 70 today!
Pre-ride meeting/welcome to camp happens at 9:30 and we will depart on bike at 10. Today is about riding steady and just getting through the 100 miles. I will practice more of a race day scenario while riding the whole course on Sunday.
I am looking forward to tucking into that steep descent off of Yellow Lake with shiny new brake pads!
Will post more later
The rain was coming down pretty hard as we climbed the pass but tapere off as we got into eastern Washington. Stopped for lunch, crossed the border around 4:30 with no issues. Paul has done this camp for 4 years now and this will be his 3rd Ironman Canada so he knows his stuff. He drove me almost the entirety of the bike course so I could finally see Richter Pass, the rollers. the out and back and Yellow Lake. The course looks tough but it is not as scary as I thought it would be. Soooo glad we drove it.
Checked in to the famous Slumberlodge right across from the Peach and the race start. We bought a ton of food from Safeway and then Paul and I walked down Lake shore to a mediocre Mexican restaurant. After dinner we got our bikes set up for the following morning.
Had a good nights sleep. Tried hard to sleep until 8 but woke up at 6:45 ready to go. Took a shower and walked to Starbucks. It is a gorgeous morning. Sunny and should be close to 70 today!
Pre-ride meeting/welcome to camp happens at 9:30 and we will depart on bike at 10. Today is about riding steady and just getting through the 100 miles. I will practice more of a race day scenario while riding the whole course on Sunday.
I am looking forward to tucking into that steep descent off of Yellow Lake with shiny new brake pads!
Will post more later
Monday, March 23, 2009
First race 2009 Mercer Island Half Marathon
I went into this race feeling well trained but with a bit of trepidation regarding some persistent hip soreness. The week prior I had backed off a bit from the more intense training and was starting to feel a bit better but it was still there in the back of my mind.
My coach had given some excellent advice for all of us on the team to make peace with the idea that the race was going to hurt. Tell yourself that at some point you are going to want to stop and try to convince yourself to just go one minute more..and then another.
Got to the race site early and without the kids which is unusual but good. I knew they were home sleeping and not standing in the cold waiting for me to finish. I was able to meet up with the team, drop my gear with them, warm up and get in line in plenty of time. I had about a 10 min warm up and lined up with the pack of 9-10 min per mile pacers.
Gun wet off and it took me over 2 min. to actually cross the start line due to the thousands in front of me. Race plan said to run 9:10's for the first 3 miles then off of HR for the rest of the race. I started out too fast since the first mile has a nice downhill stretch, ran about an 8:30 for the first mile and then pulled back to try to get back to the plan. I felt absolutely great until about mile 6 when the hip pain came back. It was at this point that the voice Coach Jill told us about started to talk to me and tell me to quit then and wait for medical. I reasoned that this was a bad idea as I had not seen any medical around and would therefor need to stand in the cold rain waiting. I was still holding a good pace and talked myself into staying in the race until mile 7 to see how I felt. Mile 7 and 8 came and went and then I convinced myself that even thought 8 is not particularly close to "being done" with 13.1 miles that I was almost finished and it would be silly to stop now.
At mile 9 the pain increased and I reminded myself that I had an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's coffee flavored frozen yogurt at home. I could eat all of it if I just kept at my pace and ran the race according to plan. I started to fall apart at mile 11-12 but had enough in the bank from some faster miles to give a little wiggle room.
The last hill was a killer but when I saw Jill and then Zot and the kids I pushed up and over and finished strong.
Goal was to break 2 hours and official time puts me at 1:59:51!!
Things that are good
1. Nutrition was spot on. 2 fuel belt bottles in my pockets with 175 calories each
2. Stuck with the race plan
3. Dressed just right..not to cold or warm
4. Broke 2 hours!
Things that could be better
1. I need to build up my pain threshold to get through Ironman
2. I still can barely walk almost 36 hours (and several ice baths) later
All in all a great race.
My coach had given some excellent advice for all of us on the team to make peace with the idea that the race was going to hurt. Tell yourself that at some point you are going to want to stop and try to convince yourself to just go one minute more..and then another.
Got to the race site early and without the kids which is unusual but good. I knew they were home sleeping and not standing in the cold waiting for me to finish. I was able to meet up with the team, drop my gear with them, warm up and get in line in plenty of time. I had about a 10 min warm up and lined up with the pack of 9-10 min per mile pacers.
Gun wet off and it took me over 2 min. to actually cross the start line due to the thousands in front of me. Race plan said to run 9:10's for the first 3 miles then off of HR for the rest of the race. I started out too fast since the first mile has a nice downhill stretch, ran about an 8:30 for the first mile and then pulled back to try to get back to the plan. I felt absolutely great until about mile 6 when the hip pain came back. It was at this point that the voice Coach Jill told us about started to talk to me and tell me to quit then and wait for medical. I reasoned that this was a bad idea as I had not seen any medical around and would therefor need to stand in the cold rain waiting. I was still holding a good pace and talked myself into staying in the race until mile 7 to see how I felt. Mile 7 and 8 came and went and then I convinced myself that even thought 8 is not particularly close to "being done" with 13.1 miles that I was almost finished and it would be silly to stop now.
At mile 9 the pain increased and I reminded myself that I had an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's coffee flavored frozen yogurt at home. I could eat all of it if I just kept at my pace and ran the race according to plan. I started to fall apart at mile 11-12 but had enough in the bank from some faster miles to give a little wiggle room.
The last hill was a killer but when I saw Jill and then Zot and the kids I pushed up and over and finished strong.
Goal was to break 2 hours and official time puts me at 1:59:51!!
Things that are good
1. Nutrition was spot on. 2 fuel belt bottles in my pockets with 175 calories each
2. Stuck with the race plan
3. Dressed just right..not to cold or warm
4. Broke 2 hours!
Things that could be better
1. I need to build up my pain threshold to get through Ironman
2. I still can barely walk almost 36 hours (and several ice baths) later
All in all a great race.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Winter Pineapple Classic 2008
Fueled on chocolate chip oatmeal cookies I baked this morning and fear I lined up with my 3 JFT2 compadres at the 2008 Winter Pineapple Classic 5k for a rough and tumble 3.1 miles. Decked out in out gorgeous mumu's we were obviously in it to win it. Teams of 4 in waves of 20 left every 60 seconds to tackle the obstacle course of doom while maintaining possession of the team pineapple for the duration of the race. The layout of the course and tropically adorned elite competitors made for an formidable set of opponents but in typical fierce JFT2 style we brought it and crushed the competition passing dozens of teams with a cry of "MUMUS ON YOUR LEFT"...ruffles and flowers flying. We were passed by no one and feared by all.
We did not all survive unscathed..there were band aids on knees..oh yes. But no crying..none!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Base Training Update
It has been a long time since my last post. I spent a good week recovering from Nationals and planning out the rest of the year. Mid October found me at the Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah running the 10k. The morning did not start well. I woke up covered in hives for some reason..nice. Took a few swigs of Benadryl on the way to the race and met up with fellow JFT2'ers. Started too fast of course. HR up to 197...yikes! Ran pretty much balls out the whole way and crossed the like in 57:02..sprinted to the porta potty and hurled. Yuck.
Next up is the Seattle 1/2 Marathon November 30th.
I have been taking a bunch of tests to get ready to start with the coach full time in January. Swim tests, bike testing and most recently..a visit to Seattle Performance Medicine for their "triathlete testing package"
Got to the facility at 8:00 a.m. where I handed my bike to a lab tech and got dressed for the bike. I was put into a room where I laid on a table while they put a bunch of electrodes on me as well as an oxygen/co2 mask. I had to lie there for 30 min so they could calculate my resting metabolic rate. That was the easy part.
Next up was the Vo2 max and blood lactate tests on the bike. They had removed the pedals from my bike and measured the distance of the pedals to the floor and then placed these on their ergometer bike. They measured my seat height and reach as well. Got on the bike with the oxygen mask thingy and they basically would increase the tension on the bike until I was pushing 250 watts in order to gauge my VO2 max. This was really freakin' exhausting but it only took 15 min. I had a rest, drank some calories and did a second lactate test to determine at what point lactate seeps into my legs and makes them feel like lead. Fun!
I got off the bike and after a 10 min. break I changed into run shoes and hit the treadmill. The mask was still on and I was put at a very slow jog (4.9 m.p.h.). They started the test and began to increase the incline every 3 min. by 3%. The test ended when we reached 15% and I gave the thumbs down that I was going to die.
Another break and again on the treadmill for the last test. I was started at 5.0 m.p.h and kept on a flat run with just an increase in speed every 2 min. 5.5,6.0.6.5.7.0, 7.5....DONE!!!
I was told to shower and change while the tester prepared a report. I showered and changed and had enough time to eat before meeting with Brady to go over the results.
Briefly went over the tests with Brady and then met with Dr. Cooper who analyzed the results and gave me some great information.
This had to be the most valuable tool I have ever used in triathlon. They were able to tell that my Vo2 max is good for both the bike and run and that I am definitely at the level of an athlete which is cool! They determined what my AT (aerobic threshold) is at both the bike and run. These numbers will be critical going forward for my coach to design my program. These numbers also showed that I am really pushing at much too high an intensity and I need to slow way down to build up my base. I have been ordered to spend the next 17 weeks swimming, biking and running at nothing greater than zone 2-3 or roughly 10 below my AT. I need to build this long slow distance base to prepare my body for what will probably be a 14-17 hour race in August.
I also learned that my Resting Metabolic Rate is ok at 1759 calories but that I am burning waaaay more protein than I should be. This is due to several factors. I am not consuming enough calories to sustain my training. The doctor wants me to increase calories by at least 1000 and eating before and after the workout is critical. My body is basically running out of carbs and converting my lean muscle mass to carbs to use for fuel which is obviously not good. I am also not burning fat since I am working at such a high intensity.
The report was forwarded to my coach who will use all these numbers to set my intensity levels from here on out.
So while I am still doing 12-15 hours of training per week, the difference is that I will be doing 3 hours of weight training and the rest will be a swim, bike and run an a slow and boring pace. Hopefully after 17 weeks I will have a good base of fitness and be able to start adding speed into the mix.
I sat on the trainer for 2 hours today spinning fast and dreaming about climbing those hills that I love so much. All in good time.
Next up is the Seattle 1/2 Marathon November 30th.
I have been taking a bunch of tests to get ready to start with the coach full time in January. Swim tests, bike testing and most recently..a visit to Seattle Performance Medicine for their "triathlete testing package"
Got to the facility at 8:00 a.m. where I handed my bike to a lab tech and got dressed for the bike. I was put into a room where I laid on a table while they put a bunch of electrodes on me as well as an oxygen/co2 mask. I had to lie there for 30 min so they could calculate my resting metabolic rate. That was the easy part.
Next up was the Vo2 max and blood lactate tests on the bike. They had removed the pedals from my bike and measured the distance of the pedals to the floor and then placed these on their ergometer bike. They measured my seat height and reach as well. Got on the bike with the oxygen mask thingy and they basically would increase the tension on the bike until I was pushing 250 watts in order to gauge my VO2 max. This was really freakin' exhausting but it only took 15 min. I had a rest, drank some calories and did a second lactate test to determine at what point lactate seeps into my legs and makes them feel like lead. Fun!
I got off the bike and after a 10 min. break I changed into run shoes and hit the treadmill. The mask was still on and I was put at a very slow jog (4.9 m.p.h.). They started the test and began to increase the incline every 3 min. by 3%. The test ended when we reached 15% and I gave the thumbs down that I was going to die.
Another break and again on the treadmill for the last test. I was started at 5.0 m.p.h and kept on a flat run with just an increase in speed every 2 min. 5.5,6.0.6.5.7.0, 7.5....DONE!!!
I was told to shower and change while the tester prepared a report. I showered and changed and had enough time to eat before meeting with Brady to go over the results.
Briefly went over the tests with Brady and then met with Dr. Cooper who analyzed the results and gave me some great information.
This had to be the most valuable tool I have ever used in triathlon. They were able to tell that my Vo2 max is good for both the bike and run and that I am definitely at the level of an athlete which is cool! They determined what my AT (aerobic threshold) is at both the bike and run. These numbers will be critical going forward for my coach to design my program. These numbers also showed that I am really pushing at much too high an intensity and I need to slow way down to build up my base. I have been ordered to spend the next 17 weeks swimming, biking and running at nothing greater than zone 2-3 or roughly 10 below my AT. I need to build this long slow distance base to prepare my body for what will probably be a 14-17 hour race in August.
I also learned that my Resting Metabolic Rate is ok at 1759 calories but that I am burning waaaay more protein than I should be. This is due to several factors. I am not consuming enough calories to sustain my training. The doctor wants me to increase calories by at least 1000 and eating before and after the workout is critical. My body is basically running out of carbs and converting my lean muscle mass to carbs to use for fuel which is obviously not good. I am also not burning fat since I am working at such a high intensity.
The report was forwarded to my coach who will use all these numbers to set my intensity levels from here on out.
So while I am still doing 12-15 hours of training per week, the difference is that I will be doing 3 hours of weight training and the rest will be a swim, bike and run an a slow and boring pace. Hopefully after 17 weeks I will have a good base of fitness and be able to start adding speed into the mix.
I sat on the trainer for 2 hours today spinning fast and dreaming about climbing those hills that I love so much. All in good time.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
I wasn't last!!!
USAT National Championship Race Report
Got to Hagg Lake on Friday at 1:00. Zot dropped me off and took the kids to lunch so I was able to pick up my race packet and listen to some of the talks in peace. I was able to get one of my bike jerseys signed by 4 members of the Olympic team which is really cool!
At 2 I was able to get into transition to rac my bike and take a look at where I would come in from the swim, exit on the bike and then exit after T2 for the run.
The vibe was very unlike any race I have been to thus far. It was VERY competitive and I felt compelled to lose 15 pounds and buy a $4000 bike before the race the following day.
By 3 I left to go back to Amber's house for home made cupcakes (so delicious) and an early bedtime.
Saturday 5 a.m.
Up after a pretty good sleep, downed coffee, emergencee, 2 toaster pastries and a bananna and Amber drove me out to the race site. Into transition by 6:30. Loaded the nutrition onto the bike, set up the transition area, grabbed my wetsuit and checked in my bag into the security area. I was then body marked and given my timing chip. Ready to go!
The race started at 7:15 with the older age group and waves went every 4 min. until 7:30 or so when they had a 30 min break and then restarted to let the older people head out on the bike. My wave went off at 8:28. I warmed up a bit and then before I knew it we were in the water and the airhorn blasted and we were off! The buoys looked far away but the water was clear and felt great. What didn't feel so great was my ever stretching size too big wet suit pulling my legs down to the bottom of the lake. Angela, bless her, stood in line at Triumph, this morning and got a smaller size suit for me but this did not help me out in this race. I tried to just stay calm and get into a rhythm and I did fine. Not fast but I survived. Out of the water in 34 min.
Up a long hill to the transition area. Pretty easy, wet suit off, helmet on, glasses on, shoes on..GO!
Bike: Bike was HARD. This course kicked my ass. The first loop was ok. I tried to keep the heart rate in check but stay fast. On the second loop after about the 4th or 5th mile I felt a "something" happened with my left hip flexor which has been giving me issues lately. I had a lot of trouble after that point climbing with a lot of power. It just hurt. Got through the second loop and managed to pass a few people. Bike 1:24
T2 Uneventful
Run: A long slow slog. Up a hill, down a hill, up a hill, down a hill. All the while I was feeling it in that left hip. Started to old man shuffle up those last hills on the way back. Run took 1:04 which is about a 10 min mile. Not too impressive but good for how I was feeling.
Crossed the line and went right to the medical tent for ice which is the first time I have visited a medical tent after a race.
Total time 3:08. Pretty sure I was at the bottom of my age group but I was 864/1200 overall so I for damn sure was not last.
I would love to go back to this race again and blow it out of the water, qualify for Team USA and go to Worlds but for now I was really just thrilled to be there. Got a sweet National Championship jacket at the finish and my kids think I am a rockstar!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Ironman Canada
What an amazing experience. Hands down one of the most emotional races I have ever attended.
Amber and I headed up to Penticton on Friday afternoon. Border crossing sucked as it was reduced to one lane. Got into our marginally acceptable hotel room early evening and drove into Penticton for dinner.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early to meet 2 team mates at the swim start for a 45 min. swim and run. The whole beach area was just electric with nervous athletes getting in their last swim before the race on Sunday. The water was clear and the beach was not rocky at all. It stays shallow for quite awhile so I was able to walk out a ways and get used to the cold water gradually. I was able to see the marker for the turn buoy far in the distance. 2.4 miles is just a really long distance to swim!
Got out, dried off and slipped on some shoes for a fun 5 mile run with friends. Running through Penticton and seeing all the hoopla surrounding an Ironman weekend was really cool. Met up with many members of the team who were racing the following day. I began to feel sick to my stomach at this point seeing how nervous they were.
After a nice lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant Amber and I headed to the local park near the expo to meet Lyle the Finish Line Captain and about 200 people who also volunteered along with me to "catch" athletes after they cross the finish line. We were instructed in the best way to offer support to the finishers without touching them unless they need to be touched.
Out to dinner an back to the hotel for an early night or so I thought. Sleep eluded me. I was so nervous for the team and anxious to see the race begin that I didn't fall asleep until midnight.
Up at 5. Got to the race site by 6 and staked a place along the waterfront for the 7 a.m. start.
Cannon boomed at 6:45 and the pro men and women surged into the water. Cannon boomed again at 7 a.m. and 2400 athletes piled into the water. It was just chaos. I left after the swimmers headed out and put myself on main street to see them as they came out of T-1 and out on the bike. 45 min. later the first pro male screamed by on his bike headed south out of town. The streets were covered in chalk with messages for the departing athletes. The streets were packed 4 deep with fans cheering the athletes as they started their long day.
I saw a few team mates leaving on the bike and then later(5-7 hours) I saw them come back in and begin the run. The 112 mile bike course winds through wine country and is relatively flat and/or rolling hills for the first 30 miles. The road then heads west for a sharp and long climb up Richter Pass, through more rollers and another even longer climb to Yellow lake. It was windy as hell that day and I know the bikes were getting blown all over the road.
At 4 p.m. I started my job as "finish line catcher" just in time to see one of my heros, Belinda Granger (a pro triathlete) I was in a tent directly behind the finish line with about 100 other people. Each of us paired with a partner and as the athlete crossed we ran to either side of them. I would gently put my hand on their back and tell them they could lean on me. 95% of the time they would practically collapse on my partner and I. We would have to keep them moving and walk them toward the medical tent and athlete recovery area. We tried to assess them on the walk over to see if they needed medical. Some people seemed just fine and could go get food and sit down. Some were in obvious pain or were incoherent at best. We handed them off to medical and got back in line to catch more.
I got to tag out other catchers and catch 10 people I knew who were racing. 5 of them were completing their first Ironman and I was honored to be there to support them. One woman on my team who raced faster than she expected nearly killed herself on the marathon and burst into tears after she crossed the line. It was so emotional. I have been training with these men and women for 8 months now and to see what they are able to do and how each one of them crossed that line within the 17 hour cutoff is so inspiring.
It started to get cold and rainy towards the end which did not runners out in the dark trying to reach the line. The crowd and finish line was pretty crazy with music blaring and the jumbotron showing the last little stretch before the finish line chute. And Mike Reily the announcer calling each athlete by name as they crossed the line and telling them that they were an Ironman.
Home late, freezing cold from rain I took a shower to heat up, emailed my coach with all the race details and passed out in bed.
Monday morning I woke early and headed down to the race expo to stand in a GINORMOUS line with 8 million other people to register for Ironman Canada 2009. When the line started to move I got put in a really short line with other volunteers for priority registration. I showed my passport signed on the dotted line and just like that I am in.
Amber and I could have a good time anywhere..but it was really nice to share this with her. Seeing the mad enthusiasm of the entire town for this race make me totally stoked. Next year it will be my turn and I will be the one being caught at the finish and becoming something a few years ago I would never have believed.
Amber and I headed up to Penticton on Friday afternoon. Border crossing sucked as it was reduced to one lane. Got into our marginally acceptable hotel room early evening and drove into Penticton for dinner.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early to meet 2 team mates at the swim start for a 45 min. swim and run. The whole beach area was just electric with nervous athletes getting in their last swim before the race on Sunday. The water was clear and the beach was not rocky at all. It stays shallow for quite awhile so I was able to walk out a ways and get used to the cold water gradually. I was able to see the marker for the turn buoy far in the distance. 2.4 miles is just a really long distance to swim!
Got out, dried off and slipped on some shoes for a fun 5 mile run with friends. Running through Penticton and seeing all the hoopla surrounding an Ironman weekend was really cool. Met up with many members of the team who were racing the following day. I began to feel sick to my stomach at this point seeing how nervous they were.
After a nice lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant Amber and I headed to the local park near the expo to meet Lyle the Finish Line Captain and about 200 people who also volunteered along with me to "catch" athletes after they cross the finish line. We were instructed in the best way to offer support to the finishers without touching them unless they need to be touched.
Out to dinner an back to the hotel for an early night or so I thought. Sleep eluded me. I was so nervous for the team and anxious to see the race begin that I didn't fall asleep until midnight.
Up at 5. Got to the race site by 6 and staked a place along the waterfront for the 7 a.m. start.
Cannon boomed at 6:45 and the pro men and women surged into the water. Cannon boomed again at 7 a.m. and 2400 athletes piled into the water. It was just chaos. I left after the swimmers headed out and put myself on main street to see them as they came out of T-1 and out on the bike. 45 min. later the first pro male screamed by on his bike headed south out of town. The streets were covered in chalk with messages for the departing athletes. The streets were packed 4 deep with fans cheering the athletes as they started their long day.
I saw a few team mates leaving on the bike and then later(5-7 hours) I saw them come back in and begin the run. The 112 mile bike course winds through wine country and is relatively flat and/or rolling hills for the first 30 miles. The road then heads west for a sharp and long climb up Richter Pass, through more rollers and another even longer climb to Yellow lake. It was windy as hell that day and I know the bikes were getting blown all over the road.
At 4 p.m. I started my job as "finish line catcher" just in time to see one of my heros, Belinda Granger (a pro triathlete) I was in a tent directly behind the finish line with about 100 other people. Each of us paired with a partner and as the athlete crossed we ran to either side of them. I would gently put my hand on their back and tell them they could lean on me. 95% of the time they would practically collapse on my partner and I. We would have to keep them moving and walk them toward the medical tent and athlete recovery area. We tried to assess them on the walk over to see if they needed medical. Some people seemed just fine and could go get food and sit down. Some were in obvious pain or were incoherent at best. We handed them off to medical and got back in line to catch more.
I got to tag out other catchers and catch 10 people I knew who were racing. 5 of them were completing their first Ironman and I was honored to be there to support them. One woman on my team who raced faster than she expected nearly killed herself on the marathon and burst into tears after she crossed the line. It was so emotional. I have been training with these men and women for 8 months now and to see what they are able to do and how each one of them crossed that line within the 17 hour cutoff is so inspiring.
It started to get cold and rainy towards the end which did not runners out in the dark trying to reach the line. The crowd and finish line was pretty crazy with music blaring and the jumbotron showing the last little stretch before the finish line chute. And Mike Reily the announcer calling each athlete by name as they crossed the line and telling them that they were an Ironman.
Home late, freezing cold from rain I took a shower to heat up, emailed my coach with all the race details and passed out in bed.
Monday morning I woke early and headed down to the race expo to stand in a GINORMOUS line with 8 million other people to register for Ironman Canada 2009. When the line started to move I got put in a really short line with other volunteers for priority registration. I showed my passport signed on the dotted line and just like that I am in.
Amber and I could have a good time anywhere..but it was really nice to share this with her. Seeing the mad enthusiasm of the entire town for this race make me totally stoked. Next year it will be my turn and I will be the one being caught at the finish and becoming something a few years ago I would never have believed.
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