Sunday, June 2, I did my first race of the
season – Rev3 Quassy. A 70.3 mile race made up of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile
bike, and 13.1 mile run located on Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury, CT. I signed
up for this race a year ago as a tune-up for Ironman Lake Placid. The timing
was perfect (8 weeks out from LP) and the course profile was colored with
climbing, climbing, and more climbing. Sign. Me. Up.
My best friend, Jolene, was taking a weekend off from being
the best Mom/wife in the world, and was going to be my cheering squad, gear
hauler, chauffeur, photographer, and moral supporter for the weekend. I took Friday off from work to get
ready. And by get ready I mean haul out the mountain of race gear that had been
tucked away since last fall. I had a lot to do to get ready and I barely pulled
it off. Thankfully I had already degreased and lubed my trusty steed earlier in
the week.
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| Check out that de-grease job! |
I never did get in my run or swim that day, but soon enough,
Jolene and I were jamming to the TNT tunez at the Speeding Tahoe Lounge. We
arrived at the Crowne Plaza Southbury, most appropriately located on Strongtown Road. Sounds about right… We
checked in, confirmed the beds were fit for two queens, and then set out for beer
dinner. Pasta with chicken, a side salad, and even the roll….and yes, one beer!
Back to the hotel to fret about gear, logistics, my first open water swim, and
everything else that was far too late to worry about. Off to bed.
I got up Saturday morning and banged out a short brick – 30
minutes on the bike and a 2 mile run – just to get the travel out of the legs
and loosen things up. All went well and I was back at the hotel ready for my
shower and a day of pre-race activity just in time for Jolene to be sipping
coffee in bed. We drove the bike course. It was hilly for sure, with 4200 feet
of vertical gain. Huge props to REV3 for having a course marked so well we
navigated it without a map the day before the race. I’m glad we drove the
course, as it helped manage the effort race day. We went to Quassy Amusement
Park, home base for the race. The park is older and doesn’t have the thrill
rides we adrenaline junkies prefer, but they had a wooden roller coaster….and
let’s be honest, you can never go wrong with a wooden roller coaster. In fact,
the older the better!
I did the practice swim (my first time in the open water
this year…in a new wetsuit). I went to athlete check in, got my goodie bag,
checked the bike in, and went to the mandatory athlete meeting. It was hot.
Really hot. So….it seemed fitting to have an ice cream cone. Everything went smoothly and my pre-race jitters were nowhere
to be found. Probably because I was too busy moaning about the pink swim cap…
I. Hate. Pink. (But I love P!nk. Let’s not confuse the two.) Back to the hotel
for some respite from the sun and an afternoon of staying off my feet. We dined
at the hotel, I applied my race tattoos, and settled in early(ish) knowing I
had a 5AM alarm.
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| Never pass up an opportunity to ride a roller coaster! |
Race morning…..I was up and in the shower before the alarm
went off. Why? Because racers never sleep the night before a big race. Why do I
take a shower before a race? I’ll let you in on a little secret…I lube my body
head to toe with lotion (it’s the secret to my silky smooth skin!) and that
lube serves me well when peeling off my wetsuit! I’m not joking. Plus I have to
shave my legs, but I digress…. I had a plain bagel and some applesauce and
drove the couple miles to Quassy. Secured a prime parking spot and proceeded to
transition. I hadn’t setup a transition area since last fall, so I was
indecisive. It was nice to have assigned spots, but they were tight and I was
forced to lay things out a bit different than I was used to. I got things
situated just in time to get kicked out when transition closed at 6:30. The
cannon was going off at 7:00, but my swim wave was at 7:35, so a lot of time
for anxiety to build. I ate a CLIFbar and went to the portapotty line. Sorry,
but this is a very important pre-race step. Made my way down to the beach and
proceeded to get very nervous about the swim while sucking down a caffeinated
gel. The swim is the hardest part of the race for me. My approach is simply to
manage the swim and begin my race on the bike. While my swim was far from fast,
it went better than predicted. I swam steady, focusing on my breathing,
technique, and counting buoys. 11 buoys to be exact. I only got clobbered once
(many thanks to the dude that swam over me!) and for the most part I was able to
have some space of my own on the buoy line. Nothing special to report because
the mere fact that I’ve already said the swim went better than I expected is
success for me. I hit the beach, stood up, and like every racer immediately
glanced at my watch. There staring back at me was a horrible sight – 00:00.
Great. I never started my watch. After a long run to transition, I started the switch to the bike. Asked the girl to the left of me what her swim time was (knowing
it was close enough to mine because we arrived in transition at the same time)
and she also forgot to start her watch. Asked the girl to the right what her
time was and she was laughing before I could finish the question because…yup,
you guessed it….she forgot to start her watch. Nothing I can do about it,
so out of transition I go ahead of my competition. Although I did take my time
to make sure I got everything right. My time on the swim was 46:23.
Out on the bike I am immediately happy. For any of you that
follow my training (which really means if we’re Facebook friends I bombard you with
boring details of my training which you probably care very little about….sorry
‘bout that!), but I love to be on the bike. I spent considerable time training
on the biggest hills in Vermont, so the hilly course of Quassy which has a
scary reputation, wasn’t of huge concern to me. My plan was to go out and be
more conservative than normal. Ride one gear easier and save the legs for the
run. It proved to be a winning strategy for me. More on that later. My bike was
a bit slower than I had hoped, but I must give credit to the 4200 feet of
climbing I had done. Everything went as well as it could have on the bike. I
passed so many people. (That’s a foregone conclusion when your swim wave is
second to last and you happen to be a sucky swimmer, but a decent biker). So
I’m passing people left and right. Well….left only, because USA Triathlon rules
say I can only pass on the left, but you don’t care about that. Passing passing
passing. Oh how a girl loves to pass boys like they’re standing still.
Especially on the hills. Even sweeter on the BIG hills! Very few people passed
me on the bike. One guy made a $hitty pass and I wanted to share some words
with him, but I just brushed it off. (NO, I didn’t gloat when I buried him at
mile 5 on the run. Take that, Bastard Buddy!). I executed a great pacing
strategy and nailed my nutrition. It was hot, so hydration was key. Water,
Gatorade, and Fig Newtons were my friends out there. 3:20 minutes later I was
pulling back into transition, happy to see no bikes from the girls around me. A change of
the shoes, on with my visor and hydration belt, a quick application of
sunscreen, and off I went on the run course.
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| Starting the run…13 miles to go. |
There was Jolene, offering up a huge smile and tons of
encouragement to fuel my run. 13.1 miles to go. When you get off the bike, you
realize just how hot it is. In this case….it’s really hot. And I’ve got 900
feet of climbing to do. The first three miles are flattish, but then come the
hills. More hills. And more hills. The only torture I endured out there was at
mile 8 when the run course had you go right by the park. Yup, there’s the
finish line. And I’ve got 5 miles to go. Not nice, REV3…not nice!!! But the
final five miles were flat or downhill, so no more climbing (except for that brutal little hill at mile 12…). The key to
managing the run for me was to walk through each aid station and take in as
much fluid as I could. One cup of water, a second cup of water, sometimes Gatorade, salt tablets, and two cups of ice down the back of my shirt. There
were 11 aid stations on the course. I walked every one of them. This cost me a
lot of time, but in the end, managing my nutrition and hydration was critical
and I believe it paid huge dividends. Why do I say that? Because my last half
iron run was 2:34. This time I ran 2:09! Unbelievably even splits, never
slowing down.
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| Crossing the finish line. |
For the first time at this distance, I crossed the finish
line with gas in the tank. A lot of gas in the tank. In two previous 70.3 mile
races, I was spent. Empty. Couldn’t wait to reach the finish line. This course
was by far the hardest I’ve ever raced. I PR’ed by 12 minutes and had tons of
gas in the tank. What does that mean? It means I could have raced harder. Next
time I will. But on that day on that course with that heat and humidity, I’m
pleased. It is the first time I executed according to plan. I nailed every
piece. But…I’m never satisfied. I want nothing more than to go out and have my
chance again at this distance on a more forgiving course to see what I'm capable of. Sub-6:00 baby! But that’s not in the current plan. This was an important
step on my journey to Ironman Lake Placid. The pacing strategy for Lake Placid
doesn’t allow for Nytro to put the hammer down. If she does, she’ll likely get
a ride in a sag wagon to the medical tent….game over. No thanks. Follow the
plan, Nano. Follow. The. Plan.
Post race, Jolene took charge and did everything I needed her to do without having to ask. She met me at the finish line and gave me the best hug. She made sure I had cold water. She ushered me to the timing trailer to get my official time (since I forgot to start my watch). She brought me to the ice baths which I wouldn’t have even known were there. I took off my sneakers and plunged. Fully submerged Penguin Plunge style! Upon plunging, my visor came off and was floating in the bath with me. I looked at her in all seriousness and said, “Where are my sunglasses?” Thinking they had been atop my visor. She just looked at me with a smile and said, “on your face.” The only response, “oh….” And then the roar of laughter from both of us. She carried my gear. She brought me to food. She made sure I got a shower and proceeded to drive me home. Jolene, you are the best tri-sherpa, a real pro. And more important, you are the best friend a girl could ever have. Thank you for being mine. I. Love. You!
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| NO and JO |
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| Post Race Plunge |
And lastly, many thanks for Coach Dave for building the plan
that got me this far. Your support and encouragement sometimes surpasses my own
beliefs. Having been sick for two weeks not once, but twice this winter and
spring, I am amazed at my level of fitness. I know 140.6 is a different beast,
but I look forward to the rest of the journey.
What did I learn in this race?
- Trust in the process. Trust in my ability. I anticipated a mediocre performance. I raced a personal best on the hardest course I’ve ever tackled.
- I will not die on the swim!
- Even though I had an electronics failure and had no idea what my race time was throughout the race, I paced appropriately based on feel and NAILED IT!
- Hold back a little to be able to gain a lot. I was a bit conservative on the bike and took my time walking through every aid station on the run, yet I shaved 12 minutes off my previous best HIM and 25 minutes off my last HIM half marathon.
- My fitness is exactly where it is supposed to be. Despite illness and missing more training than I ever have in a training season, I am stronger then ever. It’s more about consistency over time than any individual workout.
- Take in the entire race experience. Even eat ice cream and ride a roller coaster!
- Get my electronics in order. Start my watch at the beginning of the swim and make sure to zero offset my Joule. Ugh….stupid.
- Follow the plan. It is built based on performance during training and will lead to a successful race.
- I could have pushed harder. I ended with too much gas in the tank. Good simulation for Lake Placid. Confirms I can go longer distances at the paces I was working.
- Nutrition and hydration are game changers. I nailed it at Quassy. I’ve never bonked, but I always get depleted during races out of shear laziness. Here I was deliberate about hydration and nutrition. Water, Gatorade, and salt tablets. Fig Newtons are the bomb!
- My bike and my run are considerably stronger than my swim. I was 33rd out of 47 coming out of the swim. Not a surprise to me. But after the bike I was 21st, and after the run 19th. That’s a significant improvement. Overall, I finished 108th out of 270 women. If I can just get my swim in line with my bike and my run, I can work my way out of the top of the mid-pack and into the bottom of the top pack. Yes please!
- And while it pains me to admit it….the ‘effen pink swim cap had no negative effect on my race. There. I said it.
Power. Performance. Possibilities. Yup…we do that here. Next stop….Lake Placid. 54 days and
counting.
A friend recently shared a mantra a friend had shared with him. Do Epic Shit. I am adding it to my short list of favorites, which also includes Shut Up Legs. It's good to have mantras to help anchor yourself when the going gets tough. DO EPIC SHIT. Yup, makes sense to me…
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