Blog Entry by the wifer:
Okay, so I admit that my husband is a much better blogger than I am. However I promised a race report from the Oliver Half Iron last Sunday. Hard to believe it was 84 degrees Fahrenheit as I look outside at the rain coming down today. So this race was my second half-iron distance ever, the first being Boise last year. I was disappointed with my bike last year (and the 2pm start and headwinds) so decided I would head to Canadian wine country for my next one. That way even if I had a bad race I could drown my sorrows in some vino. Coming across the border, the views did not disappoint.
The Okanagan valley is gorgeous- miles upon miles of fruit trees and wineries nestled next to some beautiful lakes with some of the warmest open water swimming I have ever done. (which granted, is not saying much). I checked into the Adobe Rose B&B and was met by Dwight and Amy. They were a true delight and I pretty much had the downstairs to myself, meaning plenty of peace and quiet before the race. I went off to Best of India to recover from the long drive, where I had a fantastic dish of Dal Tharka (spelling?), then back to get some sleep before the pre-race activities in the morning.
Saturday I awoke to a homemade Mexican omelet with organic vegetables, homemade bread and jam, and the most incredibly fresh fruit I have had in a town that wasn't on an ocean. Packed up my things and headed out for an early morning swim, bike, and run- nothing hard, just enough to try out each event and make sure the muscle memory was still working. It also helped to calm the pre-race jitters being able to ride and run part of the course, and helped me decide on the sleeveless wetsuit since the water was perfect temperature- luckily I have a two piece wetsuit that allows me to change my top to full sleeves or sleeveless depending on the weather. I finished my workout just as the heat of the day was starting, and filled up my Nalgene to start hydrating while I went to pick up my race packet. Along the way I ran into several people, mostly Canadians, all of whom were exceedingly nice. The vibe was very different than the tri scene in the U.S., where it tends to be more of a muscle-flexing, gearhead gathering where intimidation is part of the racing plan. (The exception being the off-road tris, the XTerras, my personal faves)
So I picked up my packet, scored a pre-race massage, dropped off my bike in transition, and headed out to the wineries. As they asked if I wanted to taste I hesitated-- spend the afternoon tasting phenomenal wine, or race well in the morning? -- but I had only a few sips and bought some bottles of quality reds to take home as a souvenir. Another stop at the Indian restaurant (yes, it borderlines on addiction- because Naan counts as carb loading, right?) Then a netflix movie, some yoga to stretch and an early bedtime.
Race morning was sunny and warm already when I woke up at 5am. As I was getting ready in transition, plenty early, I figured, since I got there when it opened, I made one last stop to get in line for the port-a-john. 45 minutes later it was finally my turn, and as I grabbed my wetsuit to head down to the beach they were announcing 4 minutes left until transition closed. Luckily I was able to put my wetsuit on quickly (again, gotta love the two-piece) and swim a little to get the face used to being in the water. Now as our group started it was the usual kicking and elbows, trying to breathe and fight for your life at the same time. My goal is always to survive, and as I had a few close calls with being drowned, I had to hold back a little and let everyone pass before I could start again and find my rhythm. Unfortunately it always takes me a while (usually the first 1000 meters!) so the swim is usually ending just as I feel I am finding my groove. Not a very impressive swim time- 45 minutes, but as long as I survive without too much energy lost I am not concerned.
After a leisurely transition, (because realistically, like a few minutes are really going to matter for someone like me?) I am on the bike and feeling good- the course is mostly flat with one good size hill about 30 minutes in- perfect to get warmed up. And warm up I did- after training in Montana temps with the few outside rides I was able to muster being in 50 degree weather and often raining, I was sweating profusely and starting to cramp by the half-way point. I thought I was hydrated because I actually had to stop and use the port-a-john, so kept going thinking maybe it was because I was not used to being in the aero position so long. Still, I felt I kept a consistent pace, but started slowing as the bike went on. I realized electrolytes might be the culprit, and started taking my endurolytes, but the last half hour was rough and I came in at 3:07 for the bike leg, well over what I had been hoping for.
Another slow transition (and had to use the loo again!!) and I started off in the now intense (for me) heat, sun beating down as I came up the first hill. The crowd support for this race was outstanding, and the town really came together to provide great aid stations, with sprinklers and hose spray-downs included! I was happy to see there were cold sponges at the aid stations, and as I plodded along with ever-continuing cramping in my left side I went through all the usual phases of a long endurance event-- the "why am I doing this again?" followed by the "this hurts so freakin' bad I don't know if I am going to finish" to the "well, I suffered through the first 7 miles so may as well finish the run now- I don't care what my time is"
To my surprise when I looked down at my Garmin I was actually maintaining a better than 10 minute mile pace, so that helped get me through. That and chatting with those who run at the same pace helps pass the time. Misery loves company! The most impressive were the man with the cane who I believed walked the entire course (though did miss the time cut-off) and the girl from the states who had trained 3 years for this because the swim was so intimidating and was doing so well she put me to shame! Somehow I finished, with a better run time than last year, and quickly proceeded to grab some food and a shower. I did not win the beautiful Orbea bike that was given away in the post-race activities, but hey, there's nothing better than passing people on an expensive pimped-out bike anyway. The scenery was definitely amazing, the people were super friendly, and all-in-all, it was a really well-organized race. Plus I scored a great tech tee as part of the race packet (though it is a dreadful light pink!) Best of all, I didn't finish last (this is an improvement for me) as I solidly placed mid-pack. Though I have to give props to the over-60 year olds who kicked some serious ass on the course as evidenced by their times!
As I drove home I forgot about the pain, and by Wednesday of this past week actually started feeling like I was ready to start training again- a much quicker recovery than last year. I am now in shape enough to start the mountain biking/Xterra season- my goal for doing the half in the first place. Oh wait- it's pouring rain outside. . . at least I did some maintenance on my mountain bike so it can look pretty in the garage while I wait for the great flood to end.
Okay, so I admit that my husband is a much better blogger than I am. However I promised a race report from the Oliver Half Iron last Sunday. Hard to believe it was 84 degrees Fahrenheit as I look outside at the rain coming down today. So this race was my second half-iron distance ever, the first being Boise last year. I was disappointed with my bike last year (and the 2pm start and headwinds) so decided I would head to Canadian wine country for my next one. That way even if I had a bad race I could drown my sorrows in some vino. Coming across the border, the views did not disappoint.
The Okanagan valley is gorgeous- miles upon miles of fruit trees and wineries nestled next to some beautiful lakes with some of the warmest open water swimming I have ever done. (which granted, is not saying much). I checked into the Adobe Rose B&B and was met by Dwight and Amy. They were a true delight and I pretty much had the downstairs to myself, meaning plenty of peace and quiet before the race. I went off to Best of India to recover from the long drive, where I had a fantastic dish of Dal Tharka (spelling?), then back to get some sleep before the pre-race activities in the morning.
Saturday I awoke to a homemade Mexican omelet with organic vegetables, homemade bread and jam, and the most incredibly fresh fruit I have had in a town that wasn't on an ocean. Packed up my things and headed out for an early morning swim, bike, and run- nothing hard, just enough to try out each event and make sure the muscle memory was still working. It also helped to calm the pre-race jitters being able to ride and run part of the course, and helped me decide on the sleeveless wetsuit since the water was perfect temperature- luckily I have a two piece wetsuit that allows me to change my top to full sleeves or sleeveless depending on the weather. I finished my workout just as the heat of the day was starting, and filled up my Nalgene to start hydrating while I went to pick up my race packet. Along the way I ran into several people, mostly Canadians, all of whom were exceedingly nice. The vibe was very different than the tri scene in the U.S., where it tends to be more of a muscle-flexing, gearhead gathering where intimidation is part of the racing plan. (The exception being the off-road tris, the XTerras, my personal faves)
Race morning was sunny and warm already when I woke up at 5am. As I was getting ready in transition, plenty early, I figured, since I got there when it opened, I made one last stop to get in line for the port-a-john. 45 minutes later it was finally my turn, and as I grabbed my wetsuit to head down to the beach they were announcing 4 minutes left until transition closed. Luckily I was able to put my wetsuit on quickly (again, gotta love the two-piece) and swim a little to get the face used to being in the water. Now as our group started it was the usual kicking and elbows, trying to breathe and fight for your life at the same time. My goal is always to survive, and as I had a few close calls with being drowned, I had to hold back a little and let everyone pass before I could start again and find my rhythm. Unfortunately it always takes me a while (usually the first 1000 meters!) so the swim is usually ending just as I feel I am finding my groove. Not a very impressive swim time- 45 minutes, but as long as I survive without too much energy lost I am not concerned.
After a leisurely transition, (because realistically, like a few minutes are really going to matter for someone like me?) I am on the bike and feeling good- the course is mostly flat with one good size hill about 30 minutes in- perfect to get warmed up. And warm up I did- after training in Montana temps with the few outside rides I was able to muster being in 50 degree weather and often raining, I was sweating profusely and starting to cramp by the half-way point. I thought I was hydrated because I actually had to stop and use the port-a-john, so kept going thinking maybe it was because I was not used to being in the aero position so long. Still, I felt I kept a consistent pace, but started slowing as the bike went on. I realized electrolytes might be the culprit, and started taking my endurolytes, but the last half hour was rough and I came in at 3:07 for the bike leg, well over what I had been hoping for.
Another slow transition (and had to use the loo again!!) and I started off in the now intense (for me) heat, sun beating down as I came up the first hill. The crowd support for this race was outstanding, and the town really came together to provide great aid stations, with sprinklers and hose spray-downs included! I was happy to see there were cold sponges at the aid stations, and as I plodded along with ever-continuing cramping in my left side I went through all the usual phases of a long endurance event-- the "why am I doing this again?" followed by the "this hurts so freakin' bad I don't know if I am going to finish" to the "well, I suffered through the first 7 miles so may as well finish the run now- I don't care what my time is"
To my surprise when I looked down at my Garmin I was actually maintaining a better than 10 minute mile pace, so that helped get me through. That and chatting with those who run at the same pace helps pass the time. Misery loves company! The most impressive were the man with the cane who I believed walked the entire course (though did miss the time cut-off) and the girl from the states who had trained 3 years for this because the swim was so intimidating and was doing so well she put me to shame! Somehow I finished, with a better run time than last year, and quickly proceeded to grab some food and a shower. I did not win the beautiful Orbea bike that was given away in the post-race activities, but hey, there's nothing better than passing people on an expensive pimped-out bike anyway. The scenery was definitely amazing, the people were super friendly, and all-in-all, it was a really well-organized race. Plus I scored a great tech tee as part of the race packet (though it is a dreadful light pink!) Best of all, I didn't finish last (this is an improvement for me) as I solidly placed mid-pack. Though I have to give props to the over-60 year olds who kicked some serious ass on the course as evidenced by their times!
As I drove home I forgot about the pain, and by Wednesday of this past week actually started feeling like I was ready to start training again- a much quicker recovery than last year. I am now in shape enough to start the mountain biking/Xterra season- my goal for doing the half in the first place. Oh wait- it's pouring rain outside. . . at least I did some maintenance on my mountain bike so it can look pretty in the garage while I wait for the great flood to end.
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