Rage Triathlon

I was looking at my training schedule after the Buffalo Run to see what I needed to get in before HITS Grand Junction full in May.   I knew I had to squeeze in some long bricks so why not add Rage as a training run.  I was a little hesitant signing up, hoping I would be fully recovered from running 50 miles 3 weeks earlier and not wanting to push it too hard knowing that Boston would be 9 days away.  I asked Chad what he thought and he said to go for it!  So I signed up. Rage would be my 2nd half ironman.  I did the Utah Half clear back in August 2011.  Utah Half is flat and fast.  Looking at the elevation charts, I knew Rage was going to be a tough, hilly course.  A good challenge and perfect for training! 

setting up transition

Race day.  I woke up at 4 a.m. to get ready.  I had my traditional green smoothie (yep, I always bring our blender) and a piece of cinnamon swirl bread with peanut butter.  Then I woke the kids up. They are used to the early morning race days and always get up with no complaints and groggily jump into the car. The race start was at Boulder Beach which was about 30 minutes from our hotel so we left a little before 5 a.m.  It was still dark when we reached the race start, but the transition area was well lit up.   The transition area was a long narrow stretch that went from the lake up a slight incline for a couple hundred yards.  There were 3 race distances - Sprint, Olympic, half.  The half distance athletes were designated spots closer to the water.  I set up transition and then danced a little with the kids to the music playing on the speakers until it was time to head down to the water to start.

The female half distance start time was 6:35 a.m.   The swim was in Lake Mead and was a rectangular course.  Stepping into the water, it felt colder than I expected it to be. The swim started and I warmed up quick, all except for my feet, which were cold the entire time.  The water was a little choppy, so I had to make sure to breathe at the right time so I wouldn't swallow too much water.  I am not a great swimmer, but I love open water swimming.  It is so much better than feeling like a ping pong ball going from one side to another in a lap lane at the pool.  I finished the swim and headed up the ramp towards transition. After strapping on my bike shoes and helmet, I clip clopped up the transition area with my bike.  And then I was off!  It was great to see fellow BAM athletes coming back on the bike course that were racing the different distances. BAM rocked it at Rage! 

Bike Elevation

My plan for the bike was just to maintain a good steady effort.  I was testing out my new aero helmet that Chad got for me for Valentine's Day.  You know the helmets that make you look like you have an alien head.  The bike course was an out and back and you were either going up or down.  Even though the hills were a challenge, I was feeling pretty good at the turn around.  Heading back it started to warm up and there was a headwind.  The wind was good and bad.  It did keep me cooler, but it made for a slower ride heading back.  I had about 20 miles left on the bike and I had to pee.  I was going to see if I could wait until before I headed out on the run, but that wasn't going to happen.  I don't like stopping, so when I do have to stop I try to make it quick. 

At the aid station, there was only 1 porta potty and I was just in luck, it was empty.  20 second pit stop and I was back on the bike.  And then things got a little interesting.  My nose started bleeding.  Thank goodness it wasn't gushing, but it was a slow steady flow.  What to do?!  I only had gel wrappers.  That wasn't going to work.  And I was not even close to the next aid station.  So I held my fingers to my nose so it wouldn't drip all over.  Then I sucked up the water from my front water bottle and would spit it out on my fingers to wash away the blood.   I couldn't use my back water bottle since it was filled with an electrolyte drink.   I did this over and over again for the next couple of miles until it finally stopped.  Let me say, it takes coordination and balance to accomplish this going up and down hills and I was lucky I didn't crash.

With 2 miles left on the bike, there was a rider in front of me who kept swerving into the middle of the road. As I got closer, I noticed the “O” on her leg which meant she was doing the Olympic distance. I couldn’t tell what her age was since the marker was smeared on the back of her leg, but she looked like she could be in high school. As I passed by, I asked her if she was OK? She said yes. She was bright red and looked spent. I asked her if she needed anything and she shook her head no. I told her that she had 2 miles left and that she was almost to transition. She gave me a faint smile and I rode on. A few minutes later, I was regretting that I hadn’t stayed behind and made sure she made it to transition.

Getting off the bike, I am always excited to start the run! It is my favorite! As I unclipped and started down the transition chute I looked for the blue flags which were set up earlier on the sides of the transition chute. My transition spot was somewhat close to the last blue flag. They had taken the flags down so I started looking for my bright yellow running shoes. For a second I thought I passed my spot, and almost turned around and started running back up, but then I saw Chad and the kids and they were standing right outside where I was supposed to be. As I was changing into my running shoes, I knew it was going to be hot. It was 85 degrees outside and I was already feeling a little dehyrdrated – probably too much spitting and not enough drinking of the water on my bike.

Run elevation

The run was an out and back. The first half is uphill and then you get the downhill coming back. The first mile is on a rocky dirt road and almost instantly my head started pounding. I knew I needed to hydrate. I was kicking myself for not packing my handheld water bottle. I almost packed it, but decided not to since the aid stations on the run were a mile apart. At the first aid station, I drank some water and dumped some over my head. My head was still pounding and in just a few minutes after leaving the aid station my throat was parched. I could feel blood running down the back of my throat, most likely from my bloody nose earlier. For a split second, I thought of quitting. This was supposed to be a training run and I didn’t need a dehydrating run a week before Boston. But of course there is no way I would quit.  It’s only 13.1 miles and I only had 12 left.  Just go for it!  The next 3 miles were on a paved trail. At each aid station, I started downing 2 cups of water and a cup of Gatorade. It seemed like the moment I left the aid station I was desperately seeking the next one for more fluids. My pace was slow and I plodded along. It was frustrating since I am usually strong on the run.  My legs felt pretty good, but everything else was shutting down. At around mile 4, the course turned into a dirt trail. There were a few old railroad tunnels that we ran through which provided a short reprieve from the hot sun. Running through the first tunnel, I could hear bats flying overhead. It was pretty sweet in a Halloweenie kind of way! There were also beautiful views of Lake Mead from the trail. 

While running, I saw this older guy who was wearing a KONA 2013 shirt.  I told him that doing KONA was impressive.  He said he had done KONA 26 times!!!!  WOW!!!!  aMAzing!  As I passed other runners I tried to offer words of encouragement.  "Keep it up!"  "Good job!" And as I saw a few runners cruising back down the trail, I gave them a high 5 as they passed.  I finally made it to the turn around point and was looking forward to the downhill. I was able to pick up my pace to a faster plod and made my way back to the start. I passed a few girls and some guys as well, but I was still going pretty slow.  The volunteers at the aid stations were great! They were very encouraging and had the water and Gatorade always ready to go.  There was a poster at one of the aid stations that said, “smile if you are peeing right now.” That brought a smile to my face. And I had to chuckle when a volunteer shouted only 2 miles left until beer! The miles seemed long, but just over 2 hours on the run I made it to the finish where my family was cheering me in. I ended up with a finish time of 6:23:23. 

My AWESOME cheering squad! :)

After the race, at the hotel, I started analyzing the race. I was so disappointed with my run. I didn’t plan on going all out, but I at least wanted a halfway decent run. I could run a marathon at the end of Vineman in 3:35 in 85 degree weather, but today my run sucked and I only ran half the distance. I was about to put on my running shoes and go run another 13.1 in the air conditioned fitness room on a treadmill.  Chad reminded me that I had Boston coming up and that going for another run was probably not the best idea. He told me that I was being way too hard on myself. He was right. I need to take the bad with the good and focus on the positive. 3rd in my age group isn't too bad for a training run. :) And next up is BOSTON!!!