login
 Swim
Comments: This was the best IM swim, ever. LOVED it. Take a breath, look around at the snow-capped mountains, sun coming up over the fog-shrouded lake. The water was clear - could see all the way down, most of the way out. The rolling start made for a relatively low contact swim. A bit congested at the turns. Lots of people in booties - didn't see the need, myself. Finish the first lap - people are walking around the turn. I stand up, realize that it's not THAT shallow, dive back in and swim - going WAY faster than the walkers! Fun!! What would you do differently?: More time to set up - HATE rushing. More warm clothes in the morning.  Transition 1
Comments: Wow. Just, wow. Beat my T1 worst time by, oh, 20 minutes?!?! LONG run through frozen sand. Stripped on the concrete - needed help to get back up. Held up outside the changing tent - no room inside. Finally made it in - CARNAGE. Naked, shivering women everywhere, no chairs or volunteers free. Stood up and tried to do the complete change. Helped 4 women get their bras on, someone helped me. Discovered that DZNutz Bliss freezes......yikes. Thanks to the girl that told me early to trigger my hand warmers and put them in my shoes - that helped! Not sure WHAT happened in there to take 29 minutes - but I was dry and covered when I left, and that was a good thing. Thanks to the volunteers that warned me that pedals were frozen - took that clip-in slow. What would you do differently?: Move faster?!?  Bike
Comments: This is one BadAzz course. In retrospect, I should have gone out harder, but I was really concerned about the run. Ended up cutting it too close to the cutoffs, but it worked. Lost my chain four times - not sure why, but need to fix it. The first time I almost REALLY wiped out, and that guy on my wheel - almost took him down, too. I was VERY well hydrated, and all thoughts of peeing on the bike were gone - wearing long pants, this didn't seem like a good time to try this out. I had to stop for nutrition, too - double gloves didn't leave me well coordinated. Stripped off the beanie one layer on top at Martis the first time, another layer on top and the pants at SN. Lots of time on this ride for peripheral stuff, but it worked. Random thoughts: *Saw Kyla and Zach a couple of times - what a boost that was. *Not too much drafting, but LOTS of blocking and crossing yellows on the climbs. *Fans were so helpful on this race - especially speedo guys on Brockway! *Smiling really does help *volunteers should get PAID. *Cheering on other riders pays off in SPADES. *Body marking is irrelevant in a cold race!! *Honey Stinger chews freeze HARD. * chapstick lids are really hard to take off when double gloved. What would you do differently?: Ride faster. Pack better winter clothes so I could have less stuff layered. Wear a face mask. Fleece target gloves inside bike gloves = not such a good idea. Transition 2
Comments: Well, I improved my T1 time! Much emptier tent. Cut this one short. Girl on the chair next to me fell off the chair, and curled into a fetal position. Called for help, and she went out on a stretcher. Feeling better, here. Spent way too much time trying to figure out what to wear on the run. What would you do differently?: Need to do better planning/packing for the weather, and thinking my nutrition through.  Run
Comments: I really enjoyed this run - with a couple of exceptions. f I was a 12 hour IM, it would have been perfect. It was TRULY beautiful for the first 8 miles, and then it got DARK. Really, really dark. Like fall over your own feet dark. Headlamps didn't help much, and oncoming lights were blinding. I did get cold - went out in my tri-top, with a wicking LS tee tied around my waist. Put that on at mile 8. Picked up a jacket and Kyla's gloves at SN. Was still VERY hydrated, and had a few GI issues - as in 9, count 'em, 9 porta-potty stops. For the first time ever in a run, I drank the soup - and it was good, and WARM! The volunteers were amazing. I skipped through one station - at their request. Danced through three others, music HELPS!! Last 2 miles were great - ran lots, especially through the village to the finish. Best finish chute ever!! My time wasn't great, but given the conditions, I beat my race-day plans/goals. HAPPY! What would you do differently?: I could have ran, more, I think. Just based on how my legs are feeling the week after. Warmer clothes early on. Better nutrition plan. Post race
Warm down: Really? Warm-up was the game plan. What limited your ability to perform faster: cold. altitude. climbs. training. ?????? Event comments: Wow. So happy to have toed the line at this inaugural event, and to have finished. Not my goal time, 1.5 hours slower than my slowest, but I'll take it! Last updated: 2012-09-21 12:00 AM
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
27F / -3C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 1353/2700
Age Group = W50-54
Age Group Rank = 25/79
Out of bed at 3:45...standard poptart and pepsi, but added in some oatmeal and berries. May need it today! Loaded everything up, and made the 20 minute drive to Squaw Valley. Parked, walked through the dark fog, in 27 degree weather, to the athlete busses. 40 minute drive to the swim start at King's Beach. Literally, freezing cold. Wearing my swimsuit, sweats, parka, ski gloves, ski cap, wool socks. Long walk from bus to SN drop off. Borrowed a bike pump. Scraped the ice off of my bike, tore off the bags that I had taped to the seat and bars. Pulled off the tape that I had used to tape it the rack. Whew. Headed over to put my race sunglasses in my T1 bag - discovered that a volunteer had knotted it shut. And the knot had frozen. Closest I came to tears - could NOT get it untied!! Teeth, fingers - on the ground, in my wetsuit - ARGH. I'm running out of time now. And it is SO cold. I'm wearing socks and slippers!
RUN through the long bike area, and around to the swim start. For the first time EVER, I'm moving around while the anthem is playing.....I'm LATE!! The sand is icy/crunchy and my pink race cap isn't going on over my neoprene cap! YIKES! A miracle - I find Jeff for a quick kiss before he heads out to the faster group, and one of my training buddies who I hang with as we make our way down to the start. I start with the 1:30-1:40 group - should have spent more time thinking about this, but it worked. My IM swims have ranged from 1:18-1:35. I felt strong, but was worried about the cold and the altitude.
I'm on one of the race videos dancing through the start - singing along with Pink!