Volunteering Rattlesnake!!!

I opted not to do the Rattlesnake Back2Back due to time commitment, but then I ended up volunteering for the sprint on Sunday so... go figure that one out? Anyways, it was a real fun time I had and volunteering at a race is always a blast.

The morning started out with Keith and Tom and I hanging by the swim beach soaking it all in. The sunrises out at the res are always awesome!

Another awesome sunrise at the res

Chillin' before the chaos begins

Then it was up into transition to start kicking people out and down to the beach. Here I ran into friends, including Michelle and Jon, whom I haven't seen all season. After catching up with them, I took on my volunteering duties and went to the swim beach to help out. Basically, I was letting people know the swim course and when (approximately) to get into the corral.

One of the best lane buddies a girl can have.

After making sure that everyone was safely in the corral, I headed over to the swim exit to lend my expertise in STRIPPING!!!  Get your mind out of the gutter... think this:

I have only been to 3 races with strippers and the other 2 were quite a lot longer distances, so I think that it is a real novelty to have wetsuit strippers at races and I was happy to help out.

And, boy did I have fun. I really do like to feel useful and this was position that allowed me to do so. Knowing the race mentality of some of the more competitive racers, I was all over helping out those who wanted to be quick and speedy. (Michelle even told me I was the best wetsuit stripper she had ever had. What an honor.) I got it down to a science of where to grab on the wetsuit and yanking just so to get the suits off with the least resistance and all.

But then there were also those racers who were stumbling up the beach, depleted after the swim, barely even able to get their wetsuit unzipped. Those racers I slowed down and helped out every which way I could. From unzipping, to helping get their arms out, to pulling it off. I did everything I could to get them in there and out of there efficiently without making them feel rushed.

It was awesome and I had such a fun time. The one thing I didn't realize about wetsuit stripping is you get COMPLETELY soaked. Like drenched. Water is flying at you from their wetsuits. When all was said and done, minus the mostly dry hair, I looked like I had just done the swim, seriously.

Your Rattlesnake stripper extraordinaires. You can't tell, but we are all soaked through.

After the last swimmer came through, it was onto the run to cheer people out onto the run and then a little bit later to the finish. I was excited to see the Ford family and catch a shot of Michelle as she headed into the finish looking strong!

Michelle finishing strong!!!

Is that a smile?

Then to hang with everyone else as the race finished. It was great to see all the Back2Back'ers and the smiles on their faces that they finished. It is a unique and interesting challenge and the race director always gives the back2back'ers something special. This year it was a very sweet running jacket and I was super-bummed I missed out on that! Next year...

While I didn't get to do the "official" back2back, I made my own back2back racing and volunteering!

Treat I found for the race... I thought it was appropriate.

Time to celebrate a great weekend!

Yum! If only every race could have a shot named after them.

Racing Rattlesnake!!!

This weekend is the weekend of EVERYTHING it seems - Leadville 100, Pikes Peak Ascent & marathon, Warrior Dash, age group nationals and...

 Rattlesnake is a two-day triathlon series out here at the Aurora Reservoir, and olympic on Saturday and a sprint on Sunday. Some people do the Back2back. I considered it, but at the time of signing up, didn't know if I could commit to both days, so I opted for the olympic.  Figured it would be a great training race for the Harvest Moon 1/2 Ironman next month, as HM is also in the res. Plus, our family loves the Aurora Res, our kids could dig in the sand forever.

So, Saturday morning it was off to the res for me. Since it was only a few miles, I rode in on my bike. It was a nice, relaxing ride at 6 in the morning with no traffic and a great little warm-up. I got there, into transition, found a few friends and then it was off on a short warm-up run. I timed it well, maybe a little too close, but it wasn't too hectic or stressed of an atmosphere, so all was good. I got down to the water just in time to dunk in before finding Ross and the kids and getting into the corral.

The swim is a time trial start, which I had never done before. Basically, they lined us up oldest to youngest, women first, then men. Everyone entered the water one at a time in 4-5 second intervals. This was actually very nice avoiding the mass chaos of a wave start. As I swam out, I realized that the buoys were strung together by a yellow rope. Sweet! Since I breathe to my right and the buoys were on my right, this was optimal for me. No need to sight, just keep the yellow rope right there by side. This worked well for the first lap, but then everyone caught on and there was a little more chaos the second loop around as now everyone was in the water. I still didn't mind it though. Looking to my right beat sighting into the sun AND I found some feet. Cool. I practiced drafting - not entirely sure if I was doing it right - but liking it. After awhile, I kept tapping the toes in front of me. I am sure the woman/man was probably annoyed and was thinking "just pass me already!", so I did. Around them I went and on my way. I was pretty happy with the swim as one of my weaknesses is sighting and swimming straight and I seemed to conquer it!

I got out of the water and Ross was there excited and cheering me on! (The boys were digging in the sand, go figure.) I ran up and through transition and off on the bike.

In Loveland earlier this year I realized I don't know how to "race" a bike. I just ride a bike course and when I am done, I am done. My goal for this bike was to be uncomfortable. Not redlining, but a bit out of my comfort zone. Thankfully, this course was FILLED with hills, so it was not an issue getting my heart rate elevated. I just had to keep it that way. And I did, so I was pretty proud of myself for that. Before I knew it, I was back at the reservoir and into T2. {Where I heard my kids screaming. "GO MOMMY!" - it is awesome having a small transition where the kids can watch and cheer!}

On with my race belt, run shoes and out on the course. I didn't really know what to expect, but I did want to run the second half of my run faster than my first, so I settled into what I thought I could maintain for 6 miles. And that I did. As I progressed, I wasn't feeling so good nutritionally. I tried to keep my heartrate in check where I could take on some water and calories without wanting to yack. It was a tad bit hot and my nutrition was off so I just continued doing what I could to make my way through the run. Again, I was on my way back before I knew it. I can do anything for 6 miles, right?

Hit the end and saw the kids in their swimsuits. They ran out to the shoot with me and were able to cross the finish line - all smiles!

I was done, yay! What I realized was that with the time trial start, I had NO CLUE what I had done, what time I had done, where I had placed, nothing. Hmph. And, figuring that I am never the "fastest" at shorter distances and such, I just went along figuring I was somewhere in the middle of the pack - like usual... I got some food, hung out with some friends, the kids, enjoyed the post-party (which was a nice set-up).

It wasn't till the results were posted that I realized I placed - 2nd in my age group! This is fun for me. I haven't placed in anything in triathlon, ever. I have plenty of friends who do. All the time. But, me, well... it's not really a consideration. But today it was. And that felt good and I was proud of my accomplishment for me.

Accepting my award with Yon, announcer and friend.

Krista and I with our age group awards (and Lincoln who wants to be in every pict)

And then, of course, was an afternoon of playing at the beach!!!

All you have to do is bring sand toys and my kids are in heaven.

The two reservoirs + two cities they created next to the big reservoir.

Copper Triangle Ride

It is no secret that biking is my weakness when it comes to triathlon. I haven't been riding it for very long and I have been enjoying it for even less of that time. I have been riding just over two years and not until last summer did I real find a joy in riding, and mostly that is when I am in the mountains. I found that out a little more with all of our training for the Triple Bypass. Give me a spin ride - no fun. Give me a long ride up a few mountain passes - I can't wait to do it!

So when the RMTC announced they were going to do a self-supported ride of the Copper Triangle, I put it on our calendar as a must do. The Copper Triangle is a "classic Colorado ride" that goes over 3 passes - Fremont, Tennessee and Vail, totaling 80ish miles overall.

What a good looking group we have. Who's that handsome fellow in the gray?

 As we got ready for the ride, we were briefed by Peter, who was going to ride along with us, take pictures and be a sag. (Check him out, he is an awesome photographer and all-around nice guy!) We were instructed "not to smile" the whole day, but I wasn't really good at it.

There I am, accidentally smiling. In my defense, so is Julie.

Up Fremont Pass was good. I was worried I might be chilly, as I had forgotten a riding coat, but you start of climbing right away, so I warmed up almost immediately. Fremont is just plug, plug, plug. I was amazed at how well everyone stuck together at the beginning and there was loads of conversation all around - always makes time pass quicker. As the pass got longer, it thinned out a little bit.

At the top of Fremont we regrouped, but I couldn't find Ross. As almost everyone was up, and the group started off again as Ross rode up. He had twisted his ankle a few weeks ago and this was his first real exercise since and he wasn't feeling it. We talked and he decided to go back down Fremont, get the van and follow us as a sag. {This turned out to be a tremendous help and mental relief for the ride.}

Left without the group, I had some serious catching up to do. I went down to Leadville, turned and started up Tennessee Pass. I climbed and climbed, probably pushed harder than I would have had I been with the group, but I just didn't want to be left behind. As I got part way up Tennessee Pass, I started catching some people and that was a relief, plus it was fun having people to talk to. At the top of Tennessee, I found the masses. Yay!

What an awesome picture of the group climbing. Me = still trying to catch up.

Arriving at the top of Tennessee (I think)

Hey! Hey! The gang's all here. Top of Tennessee Pass.

Then it was down to Minturn. Along the way, there were some mechanical failures, a couple cables broke. Joe came along and fixed one, Julie ended up jumping in the Peter's car and along came Ross. I was happy to see him. But I was even happier to be descending!

It's always fun going DOWN!

You can't beat views like this. I LOVE CO!

Once we were in Minturn, it was time to refuel and we descended on a gas station. I am not sure they knew what hit them with that many people coming in, buying Gatorade, using the restroom, refilling water bottles, etc. 

We also took the opportunity to do a group shot for Honey Stinger,
one of our sponsors who gave us plenty of fuel for the ride.

After Minturn, we were off and rolling. Everyone kind of was at their own pace, and I was loosely following Michelle, Bill and Matt through Vail. We came to a roundabout and I lost sight of them. Since they weren't directly ahead, I assumed that they went around the roundabout to the north frontage road. (Side note: I had told Patty I just *knew* I was going to get lost in Vail and she told me to "just stay on the frontage road".) So when I got to the roundabout and saw a sign directing me to the north frontage road, I thought I was money. Took it and off I went, looking for more RMTC'ers. Aways down the north frontage road, I looked over and saw a bunch of jerseys on the SOUTH frontage road. THE OTHER SIDE of 70. Zoinks! How was I going to get over there? Back to the roundabout, around and up. I was certain I was REALLY far behind everyone now. Oh well.

On the east side of Vail, I came across Ross waiting for me. :) I stopped to talk to him and made sure I was on the right route. He said I was. As we were talking, another Michelle passed and I hurriedly kissed him goodbye as I told him "I need someone to follow so I don't get lost". (Have I mentioned how much I HATE getting lost?)

So from there on out, it was plug, plug, plug up the mountain. Now, this was my second time up Vail Pass. The first time was on the Triple Bypass in the rain and I flatted twice on it - it was horrible. This time I was on tired legs and feeling a little down nutritionally, but determined not to make it so bad.

As I made my way up Vail I realized how I really don't like it, but in honor of the promise I made to myself to make it better this time around, I had to learn to love it. Love it like an annoying little brother (which I can say because I don't have a little brother). Vail is a bike path so it is not graded like a road is graded. It has very steep pitches at points, which makes for the "annoying" part, but in learning to love it, I had to realize there is a fair share of not so steep pitches that allow your hear rate to settle down after climbing those steep pitches. So... you take the good with the bad. And I did. I used this opportunity to look around, take some pictures and enjoy what I could. It was hard, but definitely worth it.

View going up Vail Pass.

Could it be? Am I leveling out? Is that the top in sight?

I reached the top of Vail, happy and little depleted on the salt (note to self: TAKE SALT, even on overcast days/not-so-hot days). From the top of Vail it is alllllllll downhill, which is precisely what I like. Ross and I always call it our "reward" for climbing the mountain- the descent!

When I got to Copper, Ross was waiting for me with a cup of soup and a sandwich. I immediately wanted the soup, he told me to wait a minute and I told him, "no, NOW!" (normally not so rude to my husband - I swear). He handed it over and I drank the broth straight from the soup - no spoon or anything. It was the salt. I needed it. And I felt amazingly good after it. Enough to sit around, chill and have a few recovery drinks - Mix1 and Sierra Nevada's - both club sponsors... I ask you can this club get any cooler? Oh, wait, yes they can. Because then it was dinner and drinks at Old Chicago with not only Sierra Nevada, but 109 other beers. :)

Hunter's First Triathlon

Ever since we did the Wisconsin Ironman, Hunter was asking when HE got to do a swim-bike-run race??? {He now calls it a triathlon.}

Being the end of September, there wasn't really out here as the weather was getting cold, so we appeased him by running both the Denver marathon Kid's Run and a kid's Turkey Trot. Both smashing successes.

Kids Run @ the Denver Rock'n Roll Marathon

Then this year rolled around and I noticed that the Boulder kid's tri was going to be when we were on vacation. Bummer. So, I looked around and found the Kid's Tri In July. I talked to the race director who assured me that it was non-competitive, meant to introduce the kid's to triathlon in a fun environment. PERFECT.

I was most concerned about the swim. The swim is a length of the pool (any stroke) and the race director told me he could hold onto the lap line or side of the pool at anytime. Regardless, I was worried about Hunter mentally freaking out, so 4th of July weekend we went to the local pool and I "tested" him to see if he was confident to swim by himself. Boy was he ever! He (and Lincoln) were both up for swimming laps. Lots of them. With that knowledge, I signed him up! (Lincoln is not 5 till next month, so he didn't qualify.)

Race morning rolled around and we were all really excited. Like everyone. Hunter had gotten bodymarked the day before and loaded up his bike in the van and off we went. 

The cool thing about the kid's tri is the anti-hype. It was all really well run and organized and we just got on our way.  Basically, here is how the day went -- check out the video at the end.

Body-marked and ready to go!

Got transition all set and ready to go!

A little encouragement from dad before the start

And he is off!

Swam the WHOLE way without holding onto the wall or lifeguard!

Waving to his fans!

1st stint - DONE!

Into transition

Ready for the bike!

Mounted and riding!

On the run - very intense!

And a strong finish for our little guy!

He got a popsicle and a medal!

Hanging with my favorite spectator

WE're all so proud of Hunter!

And now to the video!

Triple Bypass

Ahhh... the Triple. When we were making our race schedule for this year and I really wanted to do Comrades (Ross didn't), so I told him to pick an event we could do together and he picked the Triple Bypass. 120 miles over 3 mountain passes. That's 10,000+ feet of climbing all at between 7,000-12,000 feet altitude. Oy vey!

Knowing I would have Ross' support for Comrades, I agreed to the Triple. Due to logistics, we decided that he would ride the first day and I the second. (This is the first year they were doing a back-to-back ride, so Ross rode Evergreen-->Avon, while I rode Avon-->Evergreen.) 

Saturday Ross was up on his way. He had a great ride, enjoying himself along the way. After a morning of fun here, I took the kids up to Avon to watch their daddy finish. I do regret not researching the route a little more and being able to see him along the way. When I asked, Ross said that he just wanted us at the finish line to "have something to shoot for". Still, I think it would have helped for us to be along the way.

Ross enjoying his ride along the way!

Sunday came around, I was up, dressed and ready to go. Then we went out to the car... it was raining. And cold. NO! Ugh! As we drove from Vail to Avon, it only rained harder. Great. I hadn't planned for this. This is going to be miserable, I thought. We hung out at the start and I contemplated not going. Really, I did. The volunteer said the forecast was scattered showers all day with thunderstorms in Evergreen. Great, now I really was not going. Then I thought about a group of friends who earlier this summer rode over Trail Ridge Road IN. THE. SNOW. Yes they did. It even made it on the news.

Them riding up Trail Ridge Road in snow

If they can do that, I can at least start in the rain and see where the day takes me.

How my day started

2.5 miles in the day took me to cold, wet, chilled, eyes-watering from the wind and I flatted. Man, what a way to start. And this wasn't even my idea! I called Ross in frustration, told him I flatted and he asked if I wanted him to come pick me up and call it a day. Nope. I changed my flat and was on my way. (Side note: both race people/support and other riders offered much help. That was a high point. Me not accepting it and doing it on my own, another high point.)

Off on my way again, plugging along. The day was starting to get nicer. The rain stopped. I was still wet and chilled, but the wind was starting to air it out a bit.

The sun starting to pop out

I reached back for one of my pb&j sammies (my riding nutrition staple), there were none! They must've fallen out of my jersey pocket. Ugh! I got almost to the top of Vail pass and... another flat. Seriously? So, I stopped, changed that. Now I was out of tubes and CO2. I wondered if I should call it quits at the top of Vail Pass for fear of flatting again and getting stuck. But, knowing that there was excellent support on the course, I knew that would be a cowardly way out.

I got to the top of Vail Pass (no pb&j at aid station- sad) and looked forward to the downhill. One pass at a time, I thought. I can make it to the bottom of Loveland and reassess. Made it there, then halfway up the pass to a water stop. Refilled and received encouraging words from other riders (also looking to pump themselves up, you could tell). "I hear if you make it here, you are good" and "Weather is looking great for the rest of the day". At this point, I didn't care if they were all lies, I didn't. I just wanted to believe them.

Heading up to Loveland

Starting to smile... Last pict I got of the day- camera battery done.

At the top of Loveland, I got a few texts. Nina asking me if I wanted her to come and get me (I had texted her I was struggling when she wanted to know where I was) and Ross telling me he was at the next aid station. I texted Nina back to thanks her and let her know I had Ross to get me if I needed it.

The following aid station was the *big* aid station with actual food, sandwiches, muscle milk, etc. I had a full turkey sandwich and hung out with Ross and the boys for a little bit. Not long, but enough to get me back in good spirits. The next aid station had pizza. PIZZA! Now, I (as I am sure many of you) have read Ultra-marathon Man and when Dean Karnazes talks about eating pizza in the middle of a long, long run, I can't fathom the idea. But for some reason at that point PIZZA is what sounded like the best thing in the world. And the other riders concurred. We started praising the volunteers, telling them they were getting our vote for 'best aid station', and they loved it. I even went back for a second piece.

So, as I was riding down to Idaho Springs, I found my happy place. My really, really happy place. I was full, energized, I had seen my boys, knew I was going to finish it. Everything. Then it started raining... I mean thunderstorming... HARD. Ugh! Earlier in the day I had told myself that if it started thunderstorming, I was bagging it. No use riding in the cold, wet, with a chance of getting struck by lightning. Now, I was telling myself I am doing this EVEN in the thunderstorm. I might sag down from the top (afraid of descending a mountain in the rain-- really unsafe), but I was getting to the top even if I had to suffer in the rain the whole way. I was. 

Word to the Wise: When caught in a thunderstorm in the mountains, seek shelter and wait for it to stop. I didn't, and wish I had. I saw others do it. Smarties.

By the time I got through Idaho Springs the rain had stopped and it was time to climb! 16 miles to the top. I was at mile 92. To put that in perspective, I had already done almost a century that included 2 mountains and now I was going to do the longest pass of the day.  Just keep trucking, I told myself.

It was a long, slow climb, but I felt good doing it. It seems that I tend to draw strength the longer I go in an event. Plus, I kept thinking "Just 16 more miles". Funny how it changes perspective when you put certain adverbs and adjectives in front of things like "just", "only", "little", "short", etc. Plus, I was passing people along the way, so this gave me opportunities to talk with others, which made the time pass by better. I know. Who me? Strike up a conversation? Unthinkable. ;)

The part I probably liked best was the doublers- the people who rode both Evergreen-->Avon and then Avon --> Evergreen. Riding Sunday, a lot of the people were doing the back-to-back ride and I was in awe of them. They were an encouragement, awesome and I made sure I let them know that.

After Echo Lake it was still another 3 miles to the top. I finally reached an aid station, refilled, texted Ross to let him know I was on my way. At the top top, I stopped to put on my jacket for descending, celebrated with a few other riders that we were almost done and then started heading down and... FLAT. No frickin' way! Well, why not. I flipped my bike over and started changing my tire. (Ross had brought me more tubes, but no CO2). Then the SAG stopped to offer her bike pump. I used it and, as I was changing my tire, a thunderstorm rolled in. How opportune, a SAG was right here, I could pop in the vehicle and take a safe ride down the mountain versus chance riding in the rain with wash-out, bumps, wet brakes, etc. So what did I choose? The dumb way down the mountain.

And, as soon as I chose not to get in the SAG, I regretted it. The rain was cold, pelting, brutal. It was horrible. There was so much gravel and washout on the road, it was so, so, SO unsafe. I was miserable. MISERABLE. I rode slow enough not to get out of control, which only prolonged the cold, agony of it all. Not to mention how unsafe and stupid it was.

The only thing that made it slightly better was the view of the rainbow at the end. It was AWESOME! I don't think I have seen a rainbow like that since childhood and that really made me smile.

I crossed the finish and I was done! Chilled, wet, cold, but DONE!

All in all, I know this post may come off as negative, but that is not what I am  meaning for it be. I struggled, I really did. But when I looked back at what I struggled with, it was the mental, logistical, weather-related factors that I did the struggling with. And, in the end,  I conquered them. I expected this ride to be a test of my physical strength, but it turned out to be a test of my mental strength and my will. Looking back, I am so glad I stuck this day out. I learned a lot about myself and fighting through.