Vineman Full Aquabike Race Report

Race morning
At 3:15 am, my alarm reminded me of how stupid this sport is sometimes.  But then again, I'd rather arrive to transition with plenty of time versus being rushed and not find parking and miss my wave start (I know, I'm soo dramatic), so 3:15 am it was.  I changed, sunscreened, Body Glided, Booty Buttered, internetted, coffeed, and breakfasted.  I decided 2 days prior to the race that I would (again) change my pre-race breakfast and stick with the tried-and-true: oatmeal, a scoop of BiPro protein and 2 Tbs. ground flaxseed.  Arriving at Johnson's Beach at 5 am gave me first dibs at my transition rack position and plenty of time to pump tires, encourage the first-timers who were racked next to me, get body-marked, and visit the portapotties like 12 times.  I sucked down an Accelerade gel 30 minutes prior to my wave start at 6:44 am and sipped on MRM.  

Everyone's favorite part of triathlon.  Clearly.

Swim: 2.4 miles (1:06:47) 4th place 
We were ushered into the swim corral and had 45 seconds to line up.  I was scanning my competition to see who looked fast.  I was having major decision paralysis since no one caught my eye, then all of a sudden, everyone started swimming!  I didn't even hear the horn!  I started my Garmin and put my head down and started swimming.  Soon enough, I was swimming over the earlier waves.  I was swimming through pink caps, then caught up to blue caps, gray caps, green caps and orange caps.  I kept running into people and getting kicked, so I resorted to a semi-breastroke/freestyle swim that allowed me to sight without getting my goggles knocked off.  I knew this was wasting energy, but it was my only choice!  Imagine driving fast on a highway and getting cut off by cars who are going 30 mph, where you have to screech to a sudden stop, adjust positioning, and continue driving.  This is how the swim was.  I remember looking up at the colored caps all around and thinking, "This is the picture of MASS CHAOS."  Why weren't our wave starts separated by more minutes??  I accidentally kicked someone hard and felt really bad.  My foot hurt badly, so I can't imagine how their face felt!  Sorry!  I exited the swim and saw my time.  Considering how congested that river was, I was happy to be out of that water.  I saw my parents and Roena as I ran up the ramp, and that made my day!

I'm the white cap in the center. I think hearing my parent's commentary is even more entertaining.

T1: 6:10

This was a real sh*tshow. I thought I had counted racks correctly, ran down the aisle, and couldn't find my stuff.  I heard someone else screaming, "Where the F is my bike?" and all I could do was laugh because I was thinking the exact same thing.  I ended up running back to the main aisle to check signs, found my bike, but I was positioned on the opposite side.  I stripped off my wetsuit and managed to shimmy between my bike and the girl's next to mine without knocking it over, and got my stuff on.  There was so much dirt and gravel and mud everywhere, so I spent extra minutes wiping off my feet well so I didn't have rocks in my shoes for 112 miles.  T1 and the finish are miles apart (don'tcha just love a logistical nightmare?) so I threw all my stuff into the bag they provided, cinched it shut, and prayed it would make it back to the finish.  I grabbed my bike and went on my way.

Ready to roll!

Bike: 112 miles (6:15:45) 5th place
I settled into a nice groove and found my rhythm.  I love this course- the rolling hills, the wineries- but man, there are some roads on that course that need some serious work!  Ever since my crash, I am now hyper-vigilant about scanning the roads for potholes that can potentially take me out.  There were areas that were so bumpy that my CO2 cartridge came unscrewed and I lost a water bottle after hitting a hard pothole.  The whole time I stayed at a steady and harder-than-normal pace.  Sometimes I got distracted by the wineries, and then would have to refocus and remind myself that I was racing!  Thinking back to what what going through my mind is quite comical- I remember telling myself, "You didn't come all this way to chalk this one up as a training ride!" and "Don't phone this one in!" (This is a total Jillian Michael's line, for those of you who are also "Ripped in 30"...lol).  Also, lines from friends' emails were running through my head that kept me focused and strong.  When I found myself relaxing a bit in my pace, I would look down at my wristband and see "FEARLESS" and then I'd pick it up again.  It was about risk; I went out harder and faster than I normally ever would on the first loop, and I had to be fearless and trust that my body wouldn't cramp on the second lap.  The second time climbing up Chalk Hill at mile 102 was hard, I won't lie.  Everything hurt and it seemed longer and steeper than it did the first time around.  It was silent around me and some people were even walking their bikes up.  One guy shifted down and it didn't sound good.  He shifted again, and his entire chain broke.  His race was over.  My heart went out for him; I knew he had sacrificed so much to be here, and now he couldn't finish.  I just hope he comes back one day and completes it.  We were slogging along, and I said, "C'mon boys, let's make this hill our b*tch!"  (I know, this is more comical coming from a girl).  When I first started riding, this was a line someone told me everytime I saw a hill and would freak out.  Something about that made me want to conquer the hill, like I owned it.  The guys around me  laughed, and we did eventually crest the top of Chalk Hill.  The rest of the miles flew by.  On the course, I had only seen 2 girls in my age group ahead of me, but their pace was blistering and I knew I could only do what I was capable of doing.  I guess there were 2 others who snuck ahead of me (maybe when I stopped to refill nutrition/use the porta-potty at mile 57??).  But at the end of the day, I was pleased with the performance I had put together, knowing that I had finished strong, finished smiling, and finished fearlessly.

Bike nutrition was spot-on and I had no issues:
-1.5 bottles customized Infinit Nutrition mix (450 calories)
-3 Accelerade gels (300 calories)
-1/2 sleeve Clif Shotblocks (100 calories)
-Udi's blueberry muffin (250 calories): This was so good, but so messy to eat while riding aero! I smashed it up as much as possible, but it still crumbled and blew all over the rider behind me.  Sorry!  Better than snot rockets, though, I'd imagine!
-2 mini Clif Bars (200 calories)
Total: 1300 calories

Finishing time: (7:48) 5th place AG
All I could think of when I got off the bike was, "Thank God I don't have to run a marathon after that!!"  I suppose Lake Tahoe IM training/motivation will come in due time.  But for now I was happy to be done, and to have beat my previous time by over an hour.  I guess this proves that we can get faster with age.

Fearless.

There is comfort in the familiar.  As I was driving and saw signs for "Old Redwood Highway" and later turned into the parking lot of the hotel I've stayed at every single time I've come here for a practice ride and actual Vineman race, I sighed a sigh of relief.  It felt like home.  I've come home.

All checked in and now ironing out my pre-race mental tactics

Today during my last easy 20-minute swim, I reflected on my race plan and my mantras.  You know how Chrissie Wellington writes her mantra on her wristband?  I thought I'd give that a shot this time around. 


Last weekend, I was paralyzed with fear.  Fear of the future, fear of others' opinions, fear of not making a difference in the world, fear of dying alone and not being found for a week... I was fearful that I would crash again on my bike, not be able to fix a mechanical, and that all these hours of preparation and training would be worthless.  I came to my senses finally and realized I could choose fear or I could choose courage.  Because there is only room for one.  Everyone has fears, but we have the choice to confront them and face them head-on.


So I decided I am going to write "FEARLESS" on my wristband.


Today was filled with other pre-race traditions:

Pre-race mani: I thought red was the most "fearless" color.
Plus, it matches my bike and tri kit. Win win!

Stopped at Starbucks on the drive up for a Cool Lime Refresher. I'm clearly addicted.
 I was gonna buy another can to go, but today they were having a special so I got it for FREE!

Whole Foods for dinner.  Again, this is tradition.
 I'd rather eat quinoa and beets for carbs over rice/pasta any day!

I've heard that if you write down your goals, you are more likely to attain them.  So here you have them, folks, my "general" list for blogland:
-Finally meet Roe's friend Dana (she's heard enough about 'my' Dana).
-Find fast feet during the swim start and stay with them as long as I can, even if it means using my "get the heck off of me" wide swim stroke in the beginning waves of chaos.
-Swim the 2nd loop harder than the first. 
-Have my bike set in the easiest gear so I don't eat it while trying to get up that first hill (unfortunately have witnessed far too many people crash coming out of T1 because they couldn't clip in!).
-Thank the volunteers.
-Follow my nutrition plan on the bike.
-Encourage fellow bikers on the course who pass me.
-But chase down the girls who are in my age group.
-Stay in the moment and realize how much of a privilege it is to be able to physically and mentally race.
-To pee, or not to pee, that is the question (only I'll answer that for myself)
-If mechanicals happen, accept them. Deal with them.  Fix them.  Move on. 
-Finish strong.
-Finish smiling.
-Finish fearlessly.


Thank you to those who mentally got me back into the game this week. All the emails, hugs, and pep-talking was perfectly timed.  I've got my mojo back, just in time for Saturday.  I just found out a friend hid a bag of dark chocolate mint M&M in my freezer as a return-from-my-race present.  Seriously?  How did I get so lucky?  We race individually as athletes, but we do not get to the start line alone.  Thank you to Dana, who happily accompanied me for my long training days, to my Intrepid Motion coaches for life (!), and to all my friends who intuitively know me better than I ever thought and knew the perfect words to lift my spirits.  And BBB, if you're reading this, thank you too.  You have been a part of this journey and good memories of you are etched in so many parts of this race course.  I'll never forget you running back to the car to get the camera at my swim start, and then having to run back to the car a second time after I realized I didn't have my goggles!  Thank you for all you contributed to my triathlon journey.


Tomorrow is the pre-race expo and the mandatory meetings.  Tomorrow the sherpas arrive.  Excitement is all around, and I'm finding the perfect balance of calm and adrenalin.  And that, my friends, is one of the best feelings in the world.

Storytime. Have You Told Yours?

One week until my big "A" race of the year.  This is the time when most prepared athletes consider tapering.  This is when underprepared athletes cram like scared little 10th graders taking the AP History exam.  I've done more crying and yoga this weekend than I did all year.


I'm not too sure where I fall, since my preparation for this was self-coached.  Like a total unplan plan.  Ever since I switched races from the Full Vineman to the Aquabike, all I've wanted to do is run.  Go figure.  I've learned that 10 miles feels normal now.  My mile splits are now consistently 30 seconds faster than they were before. My swim and bike are probably the same, if not slower than before.  Life is funny like that. 


Yesterday was my grandma's memorial service.  My uncle presented a 'brief' personal history of her 105 years; most of it was pieced together through stories and confirmations by the children.  There were 3 marriages and 11 children.  Some of the overlapping dates and gaps in time were a little fuzzy, but who are we to judge? In between those pieces of objective information, I knew there was a much more intricate and deeper layer of love, loss, rebuilding, fear, resilience, betrayal, strength, and overcoming.

It made me think about my own life story; for the random chunks that people know, and for all the fuzzy areas that I leave no one to judge except for myself.  People will always have their own opinions, but at the end of the day, you are the one who understands the intentions and truth.  I remember how someone who knew of the "chunks" had once asked me in the most lovingly way possible, "With everything you went through, were you ever suicidal?"  


I think about how my close friendships have been built upon the sharing of our own life stories, and how strong connections were founded upon vulnerability and transparency.  Yet few have the faith and strength to venture into that realm.  This makes me sad.  If only we could be bold enough to share the "in between" lessons with others, and not just the big pieces- perhaps we could positively influence the outcomes of their own stories...


Speaking of pieces- I'm hoping they all come together on Saturday.  Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this Vineman journey a success so far-  Thank you for understanding how much I love this sport, for those encouraging emails when most weekends were a party for one on the bike and in the pool, for not guilt-tripping me over missed late-night game/movie nights, for not fighting the early wake-up calls to go swimming, and for supporting my experimental pre-race diet plan and eating my sushi rice and letting me eat the fish on top.  Love you all.  May you all know how unique and significant your own life stories are, and how each of you has impacted my own journey that takes place off the bike and out of the pool.  xoxo.

100 miles.

It's good to have stuff on the training schedule that scares the sh*t out of you.  Like riding 100 solo miles.  Everyone is out of town racing Vineman 70.3 this weekend, and I'm 2 weeks out from my event, so I penciled this one in.  In order to taper, you must peak. 


I knew this would be a mental and physical challenge, but challenges allow me to feel the most alive.  Really, they test my commitment.  Just like you can't be partially pregnant, you can't be partially committed. 


I chose a hilly route, and looped around part of it twice to mimic having to mentally tackle climbing the same hill twice.  Just like I will have to ride during Vineman.  There's something about that second time that can break you if you don't have your mind in the right place.  Like Charlotte Bronte said, "I feel monotony and death to be almost the same."  I needed to practice my mental tactics, because I know when my mind and motivation goes, everything else follows suite. (So unfortunate, but so true.)

Kinda looks like a dinosaur with a tail, huh?

I also practiced some new fueling strategies, which worked out perfectly.

Udi's gluten-free BB muffins. 2 of these bad boys kept me adequately fueled.

At the beginning of my ride, I passed a family along the side of the road holding baskets and picking fruit.  After looping around Cull Canyon, I came back and saw what treasures they were collecting...

I had to hunt hard to find a tree that they didn't yet 'harvest.'

Yellow plums!!

I rode this entire ride sans heartrate monitor; Caveman style.  Before, I used my heartrate to dictate everything.  Now I'm learning to be more like a body whisperer, tuning in and finding that place where I could ride steady and hard all day long, yet still hovering close enough to that razor-sharp edge where, if crossed, everything could shut down.  Sometimes I feel like the machinery has replaced our own intrinsic understanding of our own bodies.  So I'm trying to go without and look within.  It is simple but not easy.


At mile 75, I stopped at Starbucks for some caffeine.  I'll be honest, I was 0.5 miles away from home and was SO tempted to chalk this one up as a 75'er.  But then it went back to the commitment I had made to myself.  So I kept riding. 

First time drinking these. Hit the spot. And the "green coffee extract," whatever that is,
helped get me through those last 25 miles.

Before today, the most I had ever ridden solo was 70 miles.  Reaching 100 miles solo was another item I could check off my bucket list!  

100.79 miles brought to you by Udi's muffins, NUUN tabs, Accelerade, Starbucks, and
 a wholelotta commitment

Two years ago, I would have never fathomed being able to complete this.  Challenges are life giving, they help us grow and make us braver and better than we think we are.  So whether it's completing your first 5K or running a sub-5:00 mile, keep believing and look within.  Dance upon the edge.  You will be pleasantly surprised.  

Pumpkin Chia Pudding.

I know what you're thinking.  This recipe is so seasonally inappropriate.  Here we are in the middle of summer, and I'm pulling out pumpkin recipes.  But if Target can get away with bringing out bikinis in early February after the biggest binge season of the year, and start stocking the shelves with back-to-school items during the prime-time of summer (ahem, the end of June), well, I can post pumpkin recipes in July.


And everyone knows that I'm borderline inappropriate most times, so here goes nothing:

My new favorite snack/recovery food.

Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
-1 c. pumpkin puree
-1 c. almond milk
-1 scoop vanilla or unflavored whey protein 
-2 Tbs. chia seeds
-3 small scoops of glutamine powder
-2 tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice 
-sweetener of choice: maple syrup, agave, Splenda, sugar, high fructose corn syrup (kidding, just checking to see if you were reading carefully)


Directions: Mix the above ingredients together and let the mixture sit for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.  This will allow the chia seeds to expand and absorb the liquid, creating a pudding consistency.

I add this to all of my recovery smoothies. It's like Wellbutrin for my muscles. Keeps 'em happy.

I glammed this recipe up and am now using this as a "recovery" pudding- hence the addition of protein powder and glutamine.  I used Bipro protein powder since it was unflavored and dissolved well.  I love how this is brimming with superfoods- 

• Pumpkin puree: contains high amounts of the antioxidant beta-carotene
• Chia seeds: contains omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein
• Whey protein powder: has branch chain amino acids to help strengthen, build and repair muscles
• L-Glutamine: helps support muscle growth and recovery, immune and intestinal health, and preserves muscles after intense training and during times of stress
• Cinnamon: helps control blood sugar, reduces LDL cholesterol levels, and reduces pain linked to arthritis

It's like the modern-day pumpkin pudding version of the Showtime rotisserie...you set it and forget it.  I mixed all the ingredients together and put it in the fridge.  After doing some weights/core work, and sweating through a Sufferfest trainer video, my pudding was done!  Boom.


*Btw, I used to think Spinervals were the gift from the cycling gods. I used to think Coach Troy Jacobson was the man, and I would secretly try not to hate him from my stationary trainer, as he would hold his timer in his hand and "coach" you.  Then Dana told me about Sufferfest videos, and my life has been forever changed.  Instead of watching other sweaty people as miserable as you are on your trainer, you are instead in a simulated "race."  So much more fun.

From Sufferfest's "Hell Hath No Fury" video...how can you not hammer when you see THAT on the screen?

So go ahead and train hard and celebrate summer.  Go big.  Eat pumpkin chia pudding.