Here’s a fun little Instagram tag I completed recently. 15 random things you may not know about me. 1. I am a California girl born and raised. 2. I will be getting married this September to my fiance, whom I have been with for 9 […]
Finish and Afterthoughts I came up on the chute, adjusted my kit, picked up the pace and prettied my form (My finish pics were gonna look nice okay). I booked it though the chute and finished with a time of 7:33:43. Final run time of […]
I click clacked my way down my row in T2 to rack my bike. T2 was full, but not quite as full as last year. I was happy I wouldn’t be out alone on my run again. Transition was uneventful. I doused myself with another layer of sunscreen, chomped down a honey stinger waffle and another applesauce pouch, grabbed my hydration and headed out. Total Transition time, 6:59, which was actually not recorded on the IM tracking for some reason, but oh well.
I left T2 a little too hot. It’s always so hard for me to gauge exactly how fast I am moving, when I run off a long bike. My legs turnover just fine, but it’s almost like I can’t feel them. They feel like they’re moving on their own, lol. I slowed my pace and found my nice HIM turtle rhythm @ 155 bpm. Everything was going great. I had energy, I was upbeat, there were lots of people on the course, good crowds, great weather… and then it hit, GI Distress.
About a mile in, I started cramping and not muscle cramping, although I had a bit of that in my calves. I couldn’t believe it. Why?! Why me?! I remember my coach telling me a terrifying story involving GI distress and Kona, and I was scared shitless (ha, I WISH) it would happen to me.
I slowed my pace and focused my mind. This would NOT happen, lol. I got control over myself, but had to stop at the port-a-potties 4 times. I’ve never had to use the bathroom during a race and was so happy they weren’t too disgusting. I began making emergency plans in my head. There was a little creek that ran along the course, if the worst had happened, you could bet your last buck, that I was gonna go down there and sit in it. Thankfully it didn’t happen.
As the run went on, I continued to battle GI issues in waves. Sometimes I could run at my HIM pace, other times I had to slow to my IM pace. I walked the aid stations to get water and peruse the snack bar, lol. Nutrition wise, over the course of the run, I took in nearly a full orange, a few pretzels and the greenest banana I’ve ever had in my life.
Gi issues aside, the run course itself was wonderful! There were plenty of aid stations and a ton of shade. We ran on a dirt trail for the majority of the run, under large trees, along a quiet little stream. The rest off the run, weaved through a park, over a couple of bridges and along the main road. There were plenty of spectators along the main road and a bunch of volunteers along the trail. And best of all, I wasn’t running alone! Running alone was the final straw that broke the camel’s back in Arizona. Thankfully, Santa Rosa had plenty of athletes along the course. I was nowhere near the tail end of the race and I was so thankful for it.
Mile 12 came and went and I was still running. I don’t know if the mile markers were correct or if I was just done, but that last mile felt like forever! After what felt like an hour, I finally rounded the last corner and ended up in the chute.
The Bike I headed to the mount line, my cleats making that familiar click clack noise as I hobbled along. Rounding the corner out of T1, I saw the mount line. There was a huge jumble of athletes, at least 20 at the base of […]
Race Start – The Swim and T1 My teammate and I headed down the hill to the water’s edge. Our feet hurt with each step. In the athlete guide, it was stated that the run from the swim exit to T1 would be carpeted, well […]
Check-in on Friday went smoothly, I got my packet picked up, my bike racked, my bags checked and best of all I got to meet some of my Coeur Sports Teammates! I could not be happier with the team I’ve been blessed with this year or prouder to represent such a wonderful brand! I saw so many badass Coeur kits on the course on Saturday! If you were wearing one and I mumbled something to you, it was probably a compliment on your kit!
Friday night, I had In-n-Out for dinner, not the best choice I’m sure. I didn’t feel like doing a sit down dinner so obviously, the typical California girl that I am, I went straight to In-n-Out. I had spotted it earlier that day. We have a radar for these sorts of things, it’s built in at birth. One cheeseburger (animal style of course), one fries with extra salt (pre-load) and half a milkshake later, I was back in my motel.
Getting back to the motel I noticed that my room smelled of pot and my neighbors were super noisy. Weed is legal here in Cali and I’m sure they were smoking it on the landing. I shrugged it off thinking things would quiet down by bedtime. The motel was fully booked, so I couldn’t move even if I had wanted to. The entire town was packed with the influx of athletes and their friends and families.
Well our wall-mates did not quiet down. In fact, they got louder and because the walls were so paper thin, I could hear every minute detail going on in that room. Guess what, that wasn’t an ordinary motel guest (or maybe it was…?), it was a prostitute with her pimp. I know what you’re going to say, “Lindsey, what did you expect from a Motel?” And all I can say is, I just didn’t think about it. I knew it wouldn’t be nice, but hey I just wanted a place to sleep right? Learn from me, lol. Never stay in a motel for a race, or for that matter, any reason.
I couldn’t believe it. Is this real life? Yes, yes it was. I heard everything, EVERYTHING and was fuming. I deal with anxiety often, even during non-race settings, but this just sent me through the roof. We couldn’t move because the motel was fully booked and I didn’t want to cause some sort of scene and have to deal with police or god knows what else (crazy pimp, gun?), so I endured. That’s what this weekend was about right? My race just started early, lol. We turned the TV up and tried to let the sounds of the Matrix drown it out. She had many “visitors” that night and I finally succumbed to sleep at about 2:30, only to wake up at 3:45.
I got my butt ready and jammed out of there as fast as possible to get down to the buses, eager to shrug off the slime of that motel with a nice cold refreshing dip in Lake Sonoma. I boarded the school bus (haha I know right!) and headed up to Lake Sonoma with a few thousand athletes. I ate my breakfast on the bus, one Hawaiian Roll and a quarter of a croissant, not ideal, but that’s all I could stomach.
The ride took about an hour before we finally arrived at T1. It was a twilight and the flood lights were on, excitement and nerves hung heavy in the air, as hurried athletes, spectators and volunteers rushed to and fro. The lines to the bathroom were probably 20 persons long for each stall, but I had noticed a huge line of stalls down at the water’s edge that had no lines, so I ran my butt down the hill (warm-up!) and took care of business.
T1 was ablaze with athletes, some already donned their seal-like gear, others were still shoving themselves into their wetsuits and looked like half-stuffed sausages. There really is no elegant way to get into a wetsuit. If you’re a self-conscious person, tri isn’t for you. I got T1 set-up, sausaged up and looked for my teammates. It’s really hard to tell people apart in a wetsuit. We all kinda look the same with the cap, goggles and suits on. All equals, getting ready to start a long, hard day, each with their own hurdles to overcome. I finally found a teammate, we checked our morning bags, with our flip flops inside (BIG MISTAKE) and headed down to the water to line up.
