Tri-Polar Express

The socks say it all ...

Swim: At the pre-race meeting we were told it would be a two lap swim (which would have been bad, as the duathletes would have been just beginning their swim as I started my second lap - always fun to be overrun by a bunch of anxious, fresh swimmers). But happily, we were told in the morning, that there had been enough water in the lake to allow for the bouys to be set up in a single lap. It was a deep water start, with the women leaving 5 minutes after the men. We treaded water until the horn blew, and then we were off. Even though we comprised a very small field (maybe 50 women) there was still some close quarter swimming to be done around the first and second bouys ... and in the process my hand was cut by another woman's ankle strap. In their wisdom (cheapness?) the race organizers handed out plastic hospital bracelets with which we were to attach our timing chips. They are sharp. Although it stung at first, the pain dissipated. It could have been worse I thought to myself - it could have been my face she kicked.

Speaking of faces, the next issue that came up (and one I would have kicked myself for if I could have) is when my Aqua Sphere face mask began to leak, making it difficult to sight. I could have avoided this problem by electing to use my new pair of goggles instead of my old face mask. But the supposed "comfort" factor won out in that decision making tree. I treaded water twice to try an reseat the mask, but it kept leaking. Eventually I gave up and just swam with water sloshing around in my eyes. I ended up taking wider lines than I should have for the 1st and 3rd bouys, and I felt like I was out there for an incredibly long period of time. I had terrible stomach cramping and gas buildup during the swim. I wasn't hyperventilating. But at one point I almost threw up in the water... I think it was the combination of yogurt and orange juice in the a.m. that didn't sit right with me. (Note to self - do not combine milk products with acidic foods for breakfast, or ever!) I was sure my swim time was way over 40 minutes, but had no way to check on course, as I had decided not to wear my Polar in the lake and there was no race clock at the swim exit. But when I checked the results, my actual time was 36:13, which is about average for me.

T-1+ Bike + T2: T-1 was on the long side (about 7 minutes), as my wet suit wasn't as easy to get off for some reason as it had been during practice, and I had to have a potty stop before proceeding out on course. Once on the bike my stomach really began to ache. The bike course is very technical, very bumpy, and VERY hilly. I began to feel discouraged, thinking I was going to have a long, and painful day ahead of me. To top things off, I had decided to mount my Podium Quest reservoir system the night before, assuming it would fit and work just like it did the last time I used it, which was two years ago at Ironman Canada). (Note to self - test and RETEST your equipment before using it!) It didn't fit right, kept bouncing around due to the bumpy road surfaces, and the drinking tubes weren't long enough for me to reach, even in my aero bars. I began chastising myself, thinking a) how stupid could I have been and b) how am I going to get through this race without my nutrition, 1/2 of which was sitting in the inaccessible Podium Quest.

After fretting for several minutes, I reminded myself that being successful in triathlons is as much about problem solving as it is physical fitness. So, I calmed myself down and started to work on solving my current problems. I figured the first problem would eventually take care of itself, and about 1/3 way through the bike course my stomach bloating eased, and by the 1/2 way point it was gone. I just waited it out, and did my best in the meantime. Problem two was more challenging, and involved some acrobatics.

I had one water bottle with me, in addition to the Podium Quest. But rather than take the time to stop and transfer the contents of one of the reservoirs to the bottle (which would have been messy in addition to being time consuming) I decided to first try and figure out a way to reach the drinking tubes. I discovered if I stopped pedaling and scooted my buttocks forward on the bike getting up and out of the saddle, which I could only do on a relatively smooth part of the road surface, I could steal sips of fluid here and there. It worked. I just had to be really careful about when I chose to do the maneuver, and a couple of times it didn't quite work out as planned. On several occasions I had to abandon my attempts due to rough road surfaces. At the second aid station (mile 26) I picked up another bottle of Cytomax and began to rely more on that, plus the solid food I had brought with me.

After a rocky start, I settled down and focused on the task at hand, monitoring my heart rate the entire time so as not to "burn out" by spending too much time in Z-4. I couldn't avoid Z-4 altogether because of the sheer volume of steep climbs on the course. The course was an out and back with a little loop through a campground at the far end. Although there was a net decrease in elevation on the way back the headwind made it seem like I was working just as hard on the return leg as I did on the outbound leg. I was really hoping to break 4:00 on the bike course, and according to my Polar I dismounted in 3:53:58, so I was happy about that.

Rolling into T-2 I was a little dismayed to see how many bikes there were already in the racks, but took comfort in the knowledge that many of those bikes belonged to Relay team members, and I felt really good going into the run. My T-2 was descent at 2:33, which included lathering on another dose of sunscreen.

The way the timing mats were set up on this course we didn't get individual T-1 and T-2 times. There were no ride out or ride in mats. So T-1 and T-2 are added to the Bike times ... which took me some time to figure out. I was absolutely sure I had finished the bike in under 4 hours, but my official Bike time is recorded as 4:03:19 because it includes my T1 and T2 times.

Run: I knew it was going to be tough, but was not prepared for the extremely rocky terrain, or the long hills. The run course is set up like a figure eight, with the first loop being 7 miles and the second 6.1 miles. On the first loop they inserted a 1.5 mile long climb up from the bottom of the ravine to the top. They call this the Dam road. Believe me, I was swearing the whole way up. On the second loop, at mile 10, they inserted a 1.5 mile jaunt down into the "pit", which of course you have to climb out of again. The best part about the run was the volunteer aid stations at miles 5 and 11. In addition to dousing us with cold, wet sponges and providing food and drink, they were incredibly supportive and positive! The course was hot, dusty, rocky, hilly, lonely (not a lot of people do this race ... you wonder why?).

Oh yeah, and my "run" time, if you can call it that, was 2:39:25 ... I walked a lot! And oh, did I mention how treacherous the course is ... I almost face planted less than a mile from the finish line, and that was on the "easy" part of the course. I don't know how I managed to regain my balance. As I felt my body lurch forward, my legs just spontaneously began to turn over at hyper speed. I felt like the Road Runner in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. But thankfully, other than momentary whiplash, the only injuries I sustained were tiny scrapes on my right fingertips, and a bruised ego. The gentlemen behind me saw "blue" for the remainder of their journey, as I coursed and cursed my way to the finish line in 7:18:58, well within my goal time of 7:30:00. To give you an idea of how small this race is, there's a single chair at the finish line where competitors sit to have their timing chips removed ... one.

The next day when perusing the results, I was proud, and a little surprised, to learn that I had actually placed 3rd in my age group. Here's the kicker though ... if I had been in the next age group, I would have placed like 7th ... those 50+ women rocked!

My race photos are finally up. Check them out by clicking on the hot link.

Overall: It's a small race, with a very relaxed and casual atmosphere. The food at the finish line was great - Chipotle burritos and a variety of fruit. Of course at that point anything beats Cliff Bars and Cytomax. There aren't a lot of spectators, and there's not a lot of fanfare when you cross the finish line, but those who do complete the World's Toughest Half can feel good about themselves just for having done it. It's a really difficult course, and although it is in a beautiful part of California I wouldn't say that the scenery is a draw. The swim is in a nice part of Folsom Lake, the bike is out and back mostly along Highway 80 frontage roads, and the trail run is very challenging, much of it is exposed with little or no shade. The appeal is it's difficulty. I've heard other people say that their Ironman events were less difficult than this 1/2. I hope it's true as IMCDA is a mere 34 days away ... and I need to believe that I am ready. Until yesterday I didn't, now I do.