Well I survived the dreaded fear that everyone around here seems to have about racing in Boulder. I never really understood the big deal. I mean, it's not like people don't just go online and stalk you when you race somewhere else! I actually enjoyed racing here and felt 5430 (The soon to be 70.3) was one of my favorite 1/2's to date.
The race was actually very eventful for me. I had more things come up than I would in an Full Ironman. I suppose that is a good thing considering I felt like I raced well. Handling adversity always leaves me feeling good.
The fact that the race was just down the street from me threw me for a loop in the amount of time I would need before hand. I left with enough time to get ready but didn't realize that T1 would close at 6:30 on the DOT! I almost wasn't allowed to set up and then forgot to put my running shoes in. I had to use the force to convince them to let me back in! It almost didn't work...
After that rush I got the "call". You know, "the call"....I had to poop. And in a big way. Well 90% of the porta loo's were in T1 making them useless. The 4 or so that were available had a line around the parking lot. That was not going to fly. I found some TP (it was like a sign from god) and took matters into my own hands. Literally. Circling around like a dog looking for a spot to crap, I found one and then once done my hand fell into it. I know this is getting way too gross for the average reader but hey- Shit happens. I fell into it because as I was in mid poop a lady walked up on me. If you can't laugh at stuff like this you really need to check your outlook on life. Just my opinion....
Anyway, at this point I am now rushing to get my skin on ( I opted out of wearing a wetsuit as the water was just too hot) and head to the water. Don't worry, I got my hand cleaned ;-) Cicely was there and was no help as she was still laughing at the fact that I had gotten shit all over my hand.
Once down to the water I got in and did a flash warm up. I like to get the heart rate nice and high before I start and didn't have that much time to do it. Then I realized I forgot my pre swim Gel and also noticed that I seemed to have a "round two" of crap wanting out. SHIT!
I have never gone to the start of any race, any distance with the feeling of needing to take a crap. I have heard of this happening and knew, at this point that there was nothing I could do. I was going to have to hold er in.
I had lined up next to Shane hoping that I would be able to use his feet. He has been swimming well and I figured it made sense. So I just looked at him and said "Go out hard. I want your feet." Why try and be slick about it??? I saw Drew Scott across the way and he seemed like he picked a better position to the far right but it was too late for us to change. We were dead center like a bunch of idiots.
When the gun went off I blasted and Shane did not go out hard enough. I was scrambling to try and figure out who was in front, but again, was having issues seeing. I was boxed in pretty bad but was remaining calm about it until I went to sight and got whacked in the back of the head pretty hard. It caused my ears to start ringing and then of course I panicked. Fuck!!! I have had issue with panicking in the water before so it wasn't anything new, but combine it with the altitude and the fact that I only had my skin on, I was being swamped and felt like I couldn't breathe. This is probably the worst way to start a race and I knew that I needed to recover from it or I was going to have problems. I had to slow down and try and find some open water. It took way longer than I wanted to get calmed down. Eventually I was able to find a rhythm and not be so freaked out. Although, I knew my swim was going to be a shit time even though I was back on some feet.
The whole rest of the way was spent climbing over AG swim wreckage. I was actually in a good mood about it because I felt accomplished that I survived the panic. It was the worst one I have had in the water and getting through it made me feel stronger. I wanted to quit at first.
Exiting the water I was just glad to be done with it. I was in shock that Shane was out just behind me. I was in even more shock to find out later that Drew got our 90 seconds ahead of me. I swim circles around Drew in the pool and Shane has been swimming circles around me. We were all mixed up!
In transition Shane and I had all our friends there heckling us. It was pretty funny as we were both trying to get out first and having issues with our stuff. I exited first but Shane came up on me and passed me pretty quickly on the bike.
Shane has been ridding very well so I thought I would use him as a gage. If I can keep him in sight and have my numbers not too high on the meter I think I will be fine. I passed him a few times on the downhill sections as I had more gears than he did, but for the most part he was off the front. We chatted quickly a few times during a pass just to see if we both felt okay. I made sure to keep twice the legal distance between us as much as I could. The fact is that we are both very similar in ride ability and started together. We were going to be near each other for the whole ride and I did not want to get pegged with a penalty. I could have rode in front but I think Shane gets a bit "antsy" in the back LOL.
The whole ride felt really easy except for the fact that I still had that major poop in me. I wasn't able to take much in on the bike. I got about 200 calories total but didn't have a choice. I guess I could have stopped but I wasn't willing to do it. I figured I would just have to when I got on the run.
Once I rolled up to T2, Shane was about 45 seconds up and I ran passed him right away. He dropped some encouraging words telling me to go smoke the run but I was a bit unsure as I had this poop issue to figure out.
I was running at a good clip and things felt okay in the stomach so I thought I would just wait until it felt different. I was a bit dizzy in the head from lack of calories so I went right to the coke plan. I think I felt that if I went to the bathroom or took in anything major, that I was going to have problems. The coke seemed to help the dizzy head right away.
As I ran along I saw a guy running up the road that looked to be moving at a decent clip and thought I would try to catch him. As it turns out, it was David Thompson, who was in 4th overall. Catching up to him made me feel that I was probably running well. It is hard to tell with that run course because the gravel is so loose that you feel like you are going nowhere.
When we got to the back side of the course, I was running a bit faster so he tucked in to avoid some of the wind that was out there but as we came closer to the finish he picked it up. I had another loop to do so I tucked in behind him. He is much taller than I am and makes for an excellent draft! It's funny that I was running with him as the same thing happened on my first loop at Lifetime.
Starting the second loop, I wasn't sure how I felt but I just decided to keep plugging away, and if I crapped out at some point I would just have to accept that. I did roll up on Keri Wvlad who was on her first loop. She is a quick runner and went with me for a bit of the back side. I told her to tuck in but she fell off the pace after a min or two.
I finished in 4:11:35 ( I had said 4:10 but when looking at results I didn't follow the line across properly LOL! I guess I do need to get these glasses!) and was very happy with the effort. I ran straight across the line to the bathroom and FINALLY dropped the kids off at that pool. OMG what a relief that was haha! I can't believe I did that race with that much in me and taking in only 400 calories. Who knew???
Confidence is up a bit more and I think I have gained some fitness from the event. I was only 4 min down from the top AG'er who with no surprise was Tim Hola. I love having that guy out there. He is an excellent marker for top Age Group racers. I won't lie, I want to take him down once this year! All in good sport of course!
I have 2 Olympic distance races coming up. Not sure how they will go but I have to remember that this whole season is just about prepping the bod to be able to handle the Ironman run load. I really feel like I am getting there and am excited to put an Ironman on the calender. It may come sooner than we predicted....
Good job to everyone that raced and thanks for all the support from those spectating. It was a really fun and challenging day!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Vineman 70.3 Race Report
Well I am back in Boulder after a successful trip to California. The weekend involved my second 1/2 Ironman of the season as well as my Dad's and friend Brett's first 1/2 Iron race. I also found out after the race the my friend Roberta raced her first 1/2 too. I was so honored when she told me that it was I who inspired her to do this a few years back when she watched me race my first triathlon in LA. Go Robbie!
So the week before the race was not the greatest. I wasn't in the best head space. In fact, Thursday before the race, JZ, Billy and I went out to do some intervals on the bike and I couldn't even do them. Billy was doing 2x20 getting ready for Ironman Lake Placid (which he will probably kick ass in this weekend) and JZ was doing 2x10 in prep for Vineman. All I had to do was 4x5min. I got SO dropped by both of them. JZ and I had to have a quick chat about weather or not doing this race was going to be a good idea. The issue was that I was not having consistently strong workouts and just raced like crap the weekend before. The whole thing was stressing me out and I honestly didn't know what the right answer was.
I believe that if you are going to race you need to be ready to give it. Granted, you won't always be able to, but you should have the ability to put your best effort out there on the course. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do that. My fear was that I was going to get out there and have nothing from the gun and then have to "get through it". I'm not a big fan of dropping out. Haven't ever done it and really don't ever want to. I am not in the league of folks that can go to a race and make $5,000.00 dollars so I also don't qualify myself as someone who can drop out so I don't "waste the effort" and go make money the next weekend.
Anyway, I had to figure out what was in my control and start making decisions based on those items. The ability to make a decision is very underrated. You can't have athlete ADD. You need to sit down, evaluate and make your decision. So that is what I did. I decided that while things haven't been going as well as I wanted since I got the infection, I did still have fitness in me and would go into the race relaxed and try to pace it a bit slower so that I can hopefully have a strong complete day. I think I also had to come to terms with the idea that my best effort right now may not place me as I high as I like but it doesn't translate as a bad race. I want to race Clearwater this year and in order to do that I need to do a 70.3 and get a slot. Not a hard task as there are plenty of them and they roll down like a fat kid on a grass hill. But none the less I would have to do the race and finish.
Saturday before the race, JZ and I went to the river to swim 20 min, then bike 1/2 the course and run 30 min. Quite the opposite of what I did the day before Lifetime which was nothing. When we got into the water I was surprised that I could hang on her feet. Granted, she wasn't swimming super hard, but JZ doesn't really have a "slow" speed. So that made me feel good. Then we got on the bike and things felt "crisp". The run also seemed fine. I really needed that boost. Just to know that I didn't feel like dog pooh on Saturday made me excited to race.
Race morning I woke up with a freaking kink in my neck. Honestly I had to laugh. I was pretty much of the mind set "Big fucking deal. I'll just breathe to the other side or something." It was the lamest thing that could be happening but I will say that it is almost the following Saturday as I write this and I still have a bit of kink so it wasn't some "pre race" fake injury thing.
When I got to the water I opted to not use my wetsuit. The water was too hot and I would overheat for sure so I used the Speed Suit instead. My wave started at 7:10. 40 min behind the pro wave. We would have a ton of people to climb over on the way back. While I was floating in the water waiting for the gun I was really just trying to relax and cut myself some slack. No pressure, just see what happens. Oh and remember now you are breathing on the left side!
When the gun went off I hit it hard and scoped out the fastest guys in the wave and got on their feet. it turns out there were only 3 of us. We had a 3 way line going with me on the back. It was fast enough to drop our wave but those two guys were not fast enough for the kind of feet I wanted. It was so relaxed and enjoyable but I had no desire to go around and try and swim harder. The energy to do that would be wasted.
When we hit the turn it was so shallow and crowded that we had to stand up. The guy in second started to walk slow while the guy in first took off. I had to give him a slight push and said "Yo! Get on yellow caps feet!" He picked it up and we were back face down. They were pretty good at navigating all the Tri Wreckage. There were a lot of slow swimmers from the prior wave. It was a mess.
Once out of the water I was very happy with how it went and got on the bike and started rolling. I finally got my SRM to work again and had it for the race. JZ told me not to look at the numbers as we don't totally know what they should be but after a while I just tried to keep it around 275 and 315 for the climbs.
Around 8 miles into the bike I was getting ready to pass a women from an early wave and at that moment it looked like she was going to pull over for something. She went in the middle of the road and started to stop. I was passing on the left and was like "What are you doing!! Don't stop there!" I went around her on the right as I was going pretty fast and as soon as I turned the corner a big "OH FUCK!" came out of my mouth. I slammed on my brakes as a decent sized Oak Tree had fallen into the road. It was blocking the entire course and as I got off my bike I realized that a rider was under the tree and two others were also down on the ground. The one rider was actually hit by the tree. The back end of his bike was smashed and he was in bad shape. The other two looked like they ran into it after it feel. This was a bad situation.
There was one spectator there already and I wasn't sure what to do. There was nothing I could do for the injured riders and to be honest I thought that the race was going to be canceled or majorly delayed. I knew that all the people in my age were already up the road. There were two waves in front of mine and the one I was in was the last and I was in second place. I had to think fast because I didn't want to be out of the race. I looked at the tree and noticed that I could crawl under it. So I did that and then dragged my bike under and just said "I will tell the very next person that I see what has happened and send help". The one women there was tending to the hurt riders so that was the most effective thing I could do for them.
Off I went as I tried to get back into my groove. Kinda hard after what I just saw! The rest of the ride was uneventful. I never got passed and was solo except for the slower riders on the right. The whole ride felt great. Complete opposite of last weekend. I think part of that was that I raised my saddle height. My quads were not loading up at all. The mistake I made on the ride was that I didn't get enough fluid in. AND I had on a camel pack on. 100% my fault. I had a minor stomach cramp so that may have been the reason I wasn't taking in the fluids.
When I got off the bike my SRM had me at 2:18 for the ride. "Damn! Where did that come from???" It felt so easy. However, the lack of hydrating left my legs a bit flat. I was behind the 8 ball and thought I could make it up on the run. I peed as I ran through transition and it was a short stream of yellow jello. Not a good sign but doesn't mean that it is game over. The legs were a bit heavy and maybe I rode too hard? But I settled into my pace and tried to get fluid in. It was blazing hot out and the run turned into a shuffle for me. I still had an okay run time of 1:25. I thought it was going to be a 1:32 but it wasn't that bad.
There was a bit of comedy on the run. I'm sure JZ doesn't think it is funny but she did bring it up today so I figure it is fair game to write about. People that know us understand we are a harsh crowd. I made jokes about her IM AZ dnf about an hour after it happened. To her face! Anyway, I dropped my salt when I was on the bike and didn't have any. About 4 miles into the run I see JZ in the distance on the ground. It was disappointing to see this happen again but I kinda knew something was up as I had not seen here on the way back yet. The funny part is that I didn't say "are you okay?" or make any reference to what happened. All I did was yell a bit before I was going to pass her. "Joanna! I need your salt!" If you could only see the look I got. Dropping your salt pills on the bike: $12 dollars. Asking JZ when she is on the ground dropping out of a race for hers: PRICELESS!
So the run didn't go well but I gutted it out and was happy with the overall race. Plus, when you take the tree into account I don't get chicked! A goal this year was to not have slower times than any pro women. I think the tree covers that! And I don't plan to do any races with Chrissie in it! hah!
I also think that even though I was only 6th overall armature, that I made a mistake giving back the pro card. While I am not as fast as the top pro guys, when you are in the AG waves you aren't even in a race. None of the guys that beat me were in my wave. If you look at the pro guys times, the swim and bike are all the same for so many of them. And not THAT much faster than what I did. Granted they ran me into the ground but I know in the end, I am actually a runner.
It's not that I think drafting is going on, but they are able to sit legal and see the competitors. It makes a difference. It's too bad that they don't have more races with elite AG waves to allow a race for fast AGer's that want to make the jump. But I made the decision to stay AG this year and I have make the most of it.
I look forward to my next race here in Boulder (5430 1/2 Ironman). It will be my first race at altitude. Should be fun!
I will post my Dad's race report up here in a few days. Very proud that he has been so committed to this since the initial motivation in Hawaii. Amazing to me that he got it done on such a hot day!
good times,
bdc
So the week before the race was not the greatest. I wasn't in the best head space. In fact, Thursday before the race, JZ, Billy and I went out to do some intervals on the bike and I couldn't even do them. Billy was doing 2x20 getting ready for Ironman Lake Placid (which he will probably kick ass in this weekend) and JZ was doing 2x10 in prep for Vineman. All I had to do was 4x5min. I got SO dropped by both of them. JZ and I had to have a quick chat about weather or not doing this race was going to be a good idea. The issue was that I was not having consistently strong workouts and just raced like crap the weekend before. The whole thing was stressing me out and I honestly didn't know what the right answer was.
I believe that if you are going to race you need to be ready to give it. Granted, you won't always be able to, but you should have the ability to put your best effort out there on the course. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do that. My fear was that I was going to get out there and have nothing from the gun and then have to "get through it". I'm not a big fan of dropping out. Haven't ever done it and really don't ever want to. I am not in the league of folks that can go to a race and make $5,000.00 dollars so I also don't qualify myself as someone who can drop out so I don't "waste the effort" and go make money the next weekend.
Anyway, I had to figure out what was in my control and start making decisions based on those items. The ability to make a decision is very underrated. You can't have athlete ADD. You need to sit down, evaluate and make your decision. So that is what I did. I decided that while things haven't been going as well as I wanted since I got the infection, I did still have fitness in me and would go into the race relaxed and try to pace it a bit slower so that I can hopefully have a strong complete day. I think I also had to come to terms with the idea that my best effort right now may not place me as I high as I like but it doesn't translate as a bad race. I want to race Clearwater this year and in order to do that I need to do a 70.3 and get a slot. Not a hard task as there are plenty of them and they roll down like a fat kid on a grass hill. But none the less I would have to do the race and finish.
Saturday before the race, JZ and I went to the river to swim 20 min, then bike 1/2 the course and run 30 min. Quite the opposite of what I did the day before Lifetime which was nothing. When we got into the water I was surprised that I could hang on her feet. Granted, she wasn't swimming super hard, but JZ doesn't really have a "slow" speed. So that made me feel good. Then we got on the bike and things felt "crisp". The run also seemed fine. I really needed that boost. Just to know that I didn't feel like dog pooh on Saturday made me excited to race.
Race morning I woke up with a freaking kink in my neck. Honestly I had to laugh. I was pretty much of the mind set "Big fucking deal. I'll just breathe to the other side or something." It was the lamest thing that could be happening but I will say that it is almost the following Saturday as I write this and I still have a bit of kink so it wasn't some "pre race" fake injury thing.
When I got to the water I opted to not use my wetsuit. The water was too hot and I would overheat for sure so I used the Speed Suit instead. My wave started at 7:10. 40 min behind the pro wave. We would have a ton of people to climb over on the way back. While I was floating in the water waiting for the gun I was really just trying to relax and cut myself some slack. No pressure, just see what happens. Oh and remember now you are breathing on the left side!
When the gun went off I hit it hard and scoped out the fastest guys in the wave and got on their feet. it turns out there were only 3 of us. We had a 3 way line going with me on the back. It was fast enough to drop our wave but those two guys were not fast enough for the kind of feet I wanted. It was so relaxed and enjoyable but I had no desire to go around and try and swim harder. The energy to do that would be wasted.
When we hit the turn it was so shallow and crowded that we had to stand up. The guy in second started to walk slow while the guy in first took off. I had to give him a slight push and said "Yo! Get on yellow caps feet!" He picked it up and we were back face down. They were pretty good at navigating all the Tri Wreckage. There were a lot of slow swimmers from the prior wave. It was a mess.
Once out of the water I was very happy with how it went and got on the bike and started rolling. I finally got my SRM to work again and had it for the race. JZ told me not to look at the numbers as we don't totally know what they should be but after a while I just tried to keep it around 275 and 315 for the climbs.
Around 8 miles into the bike I was getting ready to pass a women from an early wave and at that moment it looked like she was going to pull over for something. She went in the middle of the road and started to stop. I was passing on the left and was like "What are you doing!! Don't stop there!" I went around her on the right as I was going pretty fast and as soon as I turned the corner a big "OH FUCK!" came out of my mouth. I slammed on my brakes as a decent sized Oak Tree had fallen into the road. It was blocking the entire course and as I got off my bike I realized that a rider was under the tree and two others were also down on the ground. The one rider was actually hit by the tree. The back end of his bike was smashed and he was in bad shape. The other two looked like they ran into it after it feel. This was a bad situation.
There was one spectator there already and I wasn't sure what to do. There was nothing I could do for the injured riders and to be honest I thought that the race was going to be canceled or majorly delayed. I knew that all the people in my age were already up the road. There were two waves in front of mine and the one I was in was the last and I was in second place. I had to think fast because I didn't want to be out of the race. I looked at the tree and noticed that I could crawl under it. So I did that and then dragged my bike under and just said "I will tell the very next person that I see what has happened and send help". The one women there was tending to the hurt riders so that was the most effective thing I could do for them.
Off I went as I tried to get back into my groove. Kinda hard after what I just saw! The rest of the ride was uneventful. I never got passed and was solo except for the slower riders on the right. The whole ride felt great. Complete opposite of last weekend. I think part of that was that I raised my saddle height. My quads were not loading up at all. The mistake I made on the ride was that I didn't get enough fluid in. AND I had on a camel pack on. 100% my fault. I had a minor stomach cramp so that may have been the reason I wasn't taking in the fluids.
When I got off the bike my SRM had me at 2:18 for the ride. "Damn! Where did that come from???" It felt so easy. However, the lack of hydrating left my legs a bit flat. I was behind the 8 ball and thought I could make it up on the run. I peed as I ran through transition and it was a short stream of yellow jello. Not a good sign but doesn't mean that it is game over. The legs were a bit heavy and maybe I rode too hard? But I settled into my pace and tried to get fluid in. It was blazing hot out and the run turned into a shuffle for me. I still had an okay run time of 1:25. I thought it was going to be a 1:32 but it wasn't that bad.
There was a bit of comedy on the run. I'm sure JZ doesn't think it is funny but she did bring it up today so I figure it is fair game to write about. People that know us understand we are a harsh crowd. I made jokes about her IM AZ dnf about an hour after it happened. To her face! Anyway, I dropped my salt when I was on the bike and didn't have any. About 4 miles into the run I see JZ in the distance on the ground. It was disappointing to see this happen again but I kinda knew something was up as I had not seen here on the way back yet. The funny part is that I didn't say "are you okay?" or make any reference to what happened. All I did was yell a bit before I was going to pass her. "Joanna! I need your salt!" If you could only see the look I got. Dropping your salt pills on the bike: $12 dollars. Asking JZ when she is on the ground dropping out of a race for hers: PRICELESS!
So the run didn't go well but I gutted it out and was happy with the overall race. Plus, when you take the tree into account I don't get chicked! A goal this year was to not have slower times than any pro women. I think the tree covers that! And I don't plan to do any races with Chrissie in it! hah!
I also think that even though I was only 6th overall armature, that I made a mistake giving back the pro card. While I am not as fast as the top pro guys, when you are in the AG waves you aren't even in a race. None of the guys that beat me were in my wave. If you look at the pro guys times, the swim and bike are all the same for so many of them. And not THAT much faster than what I did. Granted they ran me into the ground but I know in the end, I am actually a runner.
It's not that I think drafting is going on, but they are able to sit legal and see the competitors. It makes a difference. It's too bad that they don't have more races with elite AG waves to allow a race for fast AGer's that want to make the jump. But I made the decision to stay AG this year and I have make the most of it.
I look forward to my next race here in Boulder (5430 1/2 Ironman). It will be my first race at altitude. Should be fun!
I will post my Dad's race report up here in a few days. Very proud that he has been so committed to this since the initial motivation in Hawaii. Amazing to me that he got it done on such a hot day!
good times,
bdc
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Lifetime Report/Pre Vineman
Well I am not totally sure what to say about Lifetime. I want to view the race in a way that is accurate and addresses some of the things that went wrong without it sounding like a list of excuses. It was by far my worst race in about 3 years and I am not going to say that it wasn't disappointing.
I think all my races in triathlon have been pretty good for the most part. Even races that didn't go as well as I wanted still had a decent result. Lifetime was the first race where everything from start to finish was off. Looking back I think there were a few things stacked against me that I probably could have prevented. And of course, as in all races, there were some things out of my control.
With that said, the first thing that I thought about after the race was "Did I push it too soon after the infection"? During the race I had NO top end and felt crummy from the gun to the line. No matter what I did I couldn't get the legs or engine going. It is hard to say if the infection played a role because there were so many other things that could have attributed to the poor race. Not to mention, I had some decent workouts the two weeks prior. I do know that I haven't felt "the same" since the infection and am not sure if that is physical or mental. Hard to explain how the experience of the infection has left me feeling in a general sense.
So infection aside, here is how the trip and race to Lifetime played out. For starters, it was the fastest trip I have ever been on for a race. My buddy Jim who raced as well went with me and we decided to make it a fast drop in trip. We left Friday, raced Saturday and then packed it up for a flight right after the race. I think that was a bit of a problem for me as I didn't really do anything Friday. JZ felt that I was too tapered and that is what left me feeling flat. I am not a fan of the big taper. I did an Epic Camp and then 2 days later did the swim and bike of an Ironman as a relay and felt fine. I swam a PR and rode in close proximity to the pro field. I think your body needs to be moving a decent amount up to the race. Mine was the opposite prior to Lifetime.
Mentally, I was feeling insecure. I hadn't raced since WF, which went well, but that was so long ago. Also, this was my first Olympic race in about 2 years and while the distance is no big deal, the pace can be. And it was a qualifier for Dallas and I really wanted to get a top 3 slot. I had a great race last time I did it and I think there was a part of me that just felt it wasn't in me right now. What came first? The belief or the reality? Maybe I psyched myself out?
The swim was going to be wetsuit legal and I stand firm in protesting that. The pros didn't get to wear them and I think if you are going to have an Elite AG wave you should apply the same rules. The water was WAY too hot. I understand wetsuits make it less risky for the majority of the racers but we don't constitute the majority. Why didn't I just not wear it then? Well if everyone else is and I am not, while I won't be hot, I swim a lot slower without one. A bit of a Catch 22.
When the gun went off I ran in and felt the bottom of my foot get cut on something. After what I just went through I had a hard time not thinking about that. I could feel the cut and was like "I'm in a disgusting swap like lake". Then I started to overheat and this is going to sound crazy but we were swimming right into the sun and you couldn't see anything and that seemed to make me feel claustrophobic. Not to mention the wave start was quite large. I was not enjoying myself, trying to stay calm while I continued to heat up thinking that if I can just relax to the first turn the sun will be out of my face and I might feel better being able to see. Unfortunately, the dialogue had started and I couldn't turn the "commentary" off for the rest of the race....shit, I couldn't even turn it off after the race!
Once I made the first turn, I was having shallow breathing and did not feel like I was in a race. Of course, wanting to do well, I knew I was going to have to have all three portions go very good. It was a fast field and the swim I was having was not going to cut it. I tried to let it go and assume it wasn't going as bad as I thought but it just dragged on and on and on....
When I finally got to the end Patrick Baldwin got out with me and that gave me a slight sign of hope. He is a fast guy and we have had similar swim times in the past. He just said "Get going. We can't let these Midwest boys get too far ahead." I was so hot I had a hard time running up to transition.
I wasted no time and once on the bike realized that I had some sand in my shoe. I could only feel it because of the cut. No joke, I was so paranoid of this cut I almost stopped. I got the infection from my shoe and was not looking to make the sequel. None the less I kept going and thought I would just keep Patrick in sight for a while and then try and turn it on.
Patrick started to pull away and I couldn't respond. My legs felt like shit and my inner quads just burned. Turns out I had my saddle height a bit low. Something that should not have happened in the first place. Every two min or so I would try to rev it up but it just didn't happen. As well, god somebody call the Whammbulance, I wasn't dealing well with the road surface and the sunlight and shadows was really making it hard for me to see. I am in denial about my eyes. I need contacts and just keep putting it off....
I had one bit of hope on the ride which was that the pro men passed me going the other direction in the exact same spot they did last time I raced here. Maybe the other guys were riding too hard??? I know that I can run so I was starting to think that I might have a shot when I get off the bike. If in fact this train wreck of a ride ever ends.
When I got to T2 I knew the shot at a top 3 was over by the number of bikes on the rack. No matter how fast I was able to run that day it was out of the picture but I still blasted out of T2 to try.
Right as I exited, Crowie and David Thompson were coming by on the second loop from their race. I was able to hop in behind David for most of the first lap but every step just felt like crap. It was pretty windy but David made a decent block for a while. I couldn't believe that I was going to have to work this hard for another 5K loop.
The second loop felt the same effort wise but was slower. I got passed by people that just shouldn't be running by me. My run time was 36 something. Ouch. Don't get me wrong, I know that is quick for some but it is not even close to what I want to be doing.
When I finished it was kinda funny because as soon as I stopped I was fine. I didn't even really feel like I did anything. I was just like "that sucked". At this point I am done debating what went wrong and just deciding that I had a crap day and hopefully I will still gain some fitness from it for Vineman 70.3 this weekend.
On a positive note about Lifetime, my buddy Jim Moriarty, that I can take credit for coaching, had a BRILLIANT day! He had a 15 min PR and was second in has age. 2:48 overall time. He is one fast 62 year old! Seriously, you should see this guy run on the track. Talent.
We both packed it up extremely fast and hit the airport for our return to Smurf Village. I shall be packing up once again this Friday to go give it another shot at the 1/2 Ironman distance.
Cheers,
bdc
I think all my races in triathlon have been pretty good for the most part. Even races that didn't go as well as I wanted still had a decent result. Lifetime was the first race where everything from start to finish was off. Looking back I think there were a few things stacked against me that I probably could have prevented. And of course, as in all races, there were some things out of my control.
With that said, the first thing that I thought about after the race was "Did I push it too soon after the infection"? During the race I had NO top end and felt crummy from the gun to the line. No matter what I did I couldn't get the legs or engine going. It is hard to say if the infection played a role because there were so many other things that could have attributed to the poor race. Not to mention, I had some decent workouts the two weeks prior. I do know that I haven't felt "the same" since the infection and am not sure if that is physical or mental. Hard to explain how the experience of the infection has left me feeling in a general sense.
So infection aside, here is how the trip and race to Lifetime played out. For starters, it was the fastest trip I have ever been on for a race. My buddy Jim who raced as well went with me and we decided to make it a fast drop in trip. We left Friday, raced Saturday and then packed it up for a flight right after the race. I think that was a bit of a problem for me as I didn't really do anything Friday. JZ felt that I was too tapered and that is what left me feeling flat. I am not a fan of the big taper. I did an Epic Camp and then 2 days later did the swim and bike of an Ironman as a relay and felt fine. I swam a PR and rode in close proximity to the pro field. I think your body needs to be moving a decent amount up to the race. Mine was the opposite prior to Lifetime.
Mentally, I was feeling insecure. I hadn't raced since WF, which went well, but that was so long ago. Also, this was my first Olympic race in about 2 years and while the distance is no big deal, the pace can be. And it was a qualifier for Dallas and I really wanted to get a top 3 slot. I had a great race last time I did it and I think there was a part of me that just felt it wasn't in me right now. What came first? The belief or the reality? Maybe I psyched myself out?
The swim was going to be wetsuit legal and I stand firm in protesting that. The pros didn't get to wear them and I think if you are going to have an Elite AG wave you should apply the same rules. The water was WAY too hot. I understand wetsuits make it less risky for the majority of the racers but we don't constitute the majority. Why didn't I just not wear it then? Well if everyone else is and I am not, while I won't be hot, I swim a lot slower without one. A bit of a Catch 22.
When the gun went off I ran in and felt the bottom of my foot get cut on something. After what I just went through I had a hard time not thinking about that. I could feel the cut and was like "I'm in a disgusting swap like lake". Then I started to overheat and this is going to sound crazy but we were swimming right into the sun and you couldn't see anything and that seemed to make me feel claustrophobic. Not to mention the wave start was quite large. I was not enjoying myself, trying to stay calm while I continued to heat up thinking that if I can just relax to the first turn the sun will be out of my face and I might feel better being able to see. Unfortunately, the dialogue had started and I couldn't turn the "commentary" off for the rest of the race....shit, I couldn't even turn it off after the race!
Once I made the first turn, I was having shallow breathing and did not feel like I was in a race. Of course, wanting to do well, I knew I was going to have to have all three portions go very good. It was a fast field and the swim I was having was not going to cut it. I tried to let it go and assume it wasn't going as bad as I thought but it just dragged on and on and on....
When I finally got to the end Patrick Baldwin got out with me and that gave me a slight sign of hope. He is a fast guy and we have had similar swim times in the past. He just said "Get going. We can't let these Midwest boys get too far ahead." I was so hot I had a hard time running up to transition.
I wasted no time and once on the bike realized that I had some sand in my shoe. I could only feel it because of the cut. No joke, I was so paranoid of this cut I almost stopped. I got the infection from my shoe and was not looking to make the sequel. None the less I kept going and thought I would just keep Patrick in sight for a while and then try and turn it on.
Patrick started to pull away and I couldn't respond. My legs felt like shit and my inner quads just burned. Turns out I had my saddle height a bit low. Something that should not have happened in the first place. Every two min or so I would try to rev it up but it just didn't happen. As well, god somebody call the Whammbulance, I wasn't dealing well with the road surface and the sunlight and shadows was really making it hard for me to see. I am in denial about my eyes. I need contacts and just keep putting it off....
I had one bit of hope on the ride which was that the pro men passed me going the other direction in the exact same spot they did last time I raced here. Maybe the other guys were riding too hard??? I know that I can run so I was starting to think that I might have a shot when I get off the bike. If in fact this train wreck of a ride ever ends.
When I got to T2 I knew the shot at a top 3 was over by the number of bikes on the rack. No matter how fast I was able to run that day it was out of the picture but I still blasted out of T2 to try.
Right as I exited, Crowie and David Thompson were coming by on the second loop from their race. I was able to hop in behind David for most of the first lap but every step just felt like crap. It was pretty windy but David made a decent block for a while. I couldn't believe that I was going to have to work this hard for another 5K loop.
The second loop felt the same effort wise but was slower. I got passed by people that just shouldn't be running by me. My run time was 36 something. Ouch. Don't get me wrong, I know that is quick for some but it is not even close to what I want to be doing.
When I finished it was kinda funny because as soon as I stopped I was fine. I didn't even really feel like I did anything. I was just like "that sucked". At this point I am done debating what went wrong and just deciding that I had a crap day and hopefully I will still gain some fitness from it for Vineman 70.3 this weekend.
On a positive note about Lifetime, my buddy Jim Moriarty, that I can take credit for coaching, had a BRILLIANT day! He had a 15 min PR and was second in has age. 2:48 overall time. He is one fast 62 year old! Seriously, you should see this guy run on the track. Talent.
We both packed it up extremely fast and hit the airport for our return to Smurf Village. I shall be packing up once again this Friday to go give it another shot at the 1/2 Ironman distance.
Cheers,
bdc
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Back To The Races
Well I am feeling a million times better than the last time I blogged. It seems I have moved passed the whole Staph infection crap. The last week I have really been trying to get things back up to speed and find some confidence for the next two weekends. I leave this Friday for Lifetime Fitness and then next Friday for Vineman 70.3
The race this weekend will be my first Olympic distance in a long while. I think the last one I did was actually Lifetime. Back then it was the Elite Champ race that you had to qualify for in one of the other races in the series. I qualified at the LA Triathlon by getting 4th. When I got to the Champ Race I was pretty sure that I was going to get my ass handed to me but ended up getting second. So a quick lesson in "don't discount yourself until it's over".
This year the race is a qualifier as they moved the Champ Race to Dallas on the same weekend as the Hawaii Ironman. I am hoping to make top 4 this weekend so I can go to Dallas as I am not doing Hawaii. If you qualify they pay your way and hook you up. It was a really fun experience last time. If I don't make top 4 I will have one more shot when I race the Chicago Triathlon in Aug.
The funny part about this trip is that I am leaving on Friday Am, racing Saturday AM and flying back to Boulder Saturday at 2:30. That will officially be a "Travel PR" for me. Luckily I will be traveling with my buddy Jim who is also doing the race. He rolls in style so I think this should be a smooth trip!
Once back I just need to keep things moving until the next weekend as I leave that Friday to go race Vineman 70.3. I had to back out of Racine because I missed Buff Springs due to the infection and need a race that has 70.3 slots. Hopefully it will go well. I mean I have done the 1/2 once and the full twice so I can't say I don't know the course. Knowing a course is such an advantage in my mind.
I think it was all meant to be as my dad is racing the 1/2 and now I can be there for it. As well, my friend Brett will be doing his first 1/2 there too. Not to mention JZ is racing to defend her title. Seems like this is the race I am supposed to be at.
That is the update. Hopefully I will have good news to report back this weekend.
cheers,
bdc
The race this weekend will be my first Olympic distance in a long while. I think the last one I did was actually Lifetime. Back then it was the Elite Champ race that you had to qualify for in one of the other races in the series. I qualified at the LA Triathlon by getting 4th. When I got to the Champ Race I was pretty sure that I was going to get my ass handed to me but ended up getting second. So a quick lesson in "don't discount yourself until it's over".
This year the race is a qualifier as they moved the Champ Race to Dallas on the same weekend as the Hawaii Ironman. I am hoping to make top 4 this weekend so I can go to Dallas as I am not doing Hawaii. If you qualify they pay your way and hook you up. It was a really fun experience last time. If I don't make top 4 I will have one more shot when I race the Chicago Triathlon in Aug.
The funny part about this trip is that I am leaving on Friday Am, racing Saturday AM and flying back to Boulder Saturday at 2:30. That will officially be a "Travel PR" for me. Luckily I will be traveling with my buddy Jim who is also doing the race. He rolls in style so I think this should be a smooth trip!
Once back I just need to keep things moving until the next weekend as I leave that Friday to go race Vineman 70.3. I had to back out of Racine because I missed Buff Springs due to the infection and need a race that has 70.3 slots. Hopefully it will go well. I mean I have done the 1/2 once and the full twice so I can't say I don't know the course. Knowing a course is such an advantage in my mind.
I think it was all meant to be as my dad is racing the 1/2 and now I can be there for it. As well, my friend Brett will be doing his first 1/2 there too. Not to mention JZ is racing to defend her title. Seems like this is the race I am supposed to be at.
That is the update. Hopefully I will have good news to report back this weekend.
cheers,
bdc
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Curve ball.
Well there were actually 7 days on the ALC ride and I only wrote about 6 of them. Deal with it. If you want to know what Day 7 is like you should sign up and do the ride. Maybe, just maybe, you will get to experience a full police escort on PCH through Malibu with 5 other fast riders. Awesome!
My time in LA after the ride was pretty fun and I let loose a bit with some old friends. However, I think my immune was down as it seemed like I was always on the verge of getting something. I thought for sure that alcohol kills all that stuff....
I never really came down with anything and once I got back to Boulder I went back to Tri Dork and gave up the fun juice and got back to training. I had to start putting my head on about Buffalo Springs 70.3. After loading up on a big week of riding I figured I would be in great shape for it if I played my cards right in the next few weeks.
I had a nice recovery week and felt back on top of my game. SBR was all going very well and JZ and I decided to go hit Magnolia for a nice long run. My foot had been behaving and I was going to actually try and hit 1:45-2 hours. It had always been our plan to get me back up to longer runs if the foot did not act up.
JZ and I started out together and then I kinda ran off. I was feeling good and I don't seem to notice the high altitude up there that much. In fact, I think I would do quite well in a race that high. Anyway, I was moving along and had noticed that I had a slight blister on my heel. Nothing major but I could feel it. When I hit my turn around point I decided I would re tie my shoe to see if I could maybe make it not hurt at all.
Five steps later and I was not able to walk. Something happened after I stopped and the blister just went bananas on me. DAMN! JZ had gone on as she was running further and now I was up at Mags stranded about 7 miles from my car. The road up there is not heavily trafficed so getting a ride might be hard. I did try to run on it but that was not in the cards. I had my shoe off and the blister was massive.
I was so pissed that I was missing this run. It was my best to date and now I am trying to hitch hike. Several cars went by me like I was some kinda of mountain man rapist. Not even an "are you okay"? Finally some guy picked me up and it turns out that we had met on the track a week ago. He was coached by a friend of mine and I met him at a session on the track. Small world.
Once back at the car I waited for JZ to return. My foot was actually throbbing but I had nothing safe to pop it with so I just had to wait till I got home. Being a "picker" that was the first think I did when I got to the house. Needle to flame. Lance!
I was impressed with how much blood came out. It seemed like it was going to be okay now but I wasn't sure how it would fair on the long ride the next day. None the less, my buddy Billy Edward's was getting married and I had to cram it into a dress shoe and get to his wedding.
Seemed okay until I woke up the next day. It was extremely sensitive. So what do I do? Cram it in my bike shoe and ride to Estes Park of course! It was going to be a fun ride as we had a good group going. Denny and Matt were going to join and Belinda and Justin Granger were in town and I had not seen them in long while. Also, Marlyin McDonald was joining us and of course training wife JZ. I really didn't want to miss the ride with this fun group. So I grunted it out but every pedal stroke it just got worse.
The pace was a bit slow for a good while and I decided, in all my pain, that I would just get her done. I went off the front and started on my own pace. I was riding great minus that fact that my foot felt like it was going to explode. When I hit Glen Haven I was wondering where the hell Denny and Matt were. I wasn't riding that hard and I figured they would catch back up. Eventually they did and the three of us hit the Devils Gulch climb which is pretty damn steep. Nothing new to us, but a hard effort for the fittest rider.
Once at the top I almost passed out with pain. The foot was done. I must have used up all the endorphins on the climb. I couldn't even put the foot on the ground. I tried to ride into Estes with my feet on top of my shoes but even that hurt too much. Finally I had to stop. Eventually JZ and Marlin came up on me. I had a minor moment and then they helped me hitch a ride into Estes. From there my good buddy Jim Morriarty was on his way to come get me. He started with us but was only doing 2 hours so he was already home. A friend that will drive out to pick you up in Estes Park because you are too fucking dumb to not know when you shouldn't start a ride is A GOOD FRIEND!
Jim took me right to Urgent Care where they had to cut out the heel and inform me that it was loaded with Staph. Lab results would later confirm all this but they went right ahead and gave me two shots in the ass and some orals to start taking. The blister really looked bad now and it would appear that I was going to be out of everything for a good week. I was NOT happy.
The next day I went back to urgent care to get it re wrapped and checked out again. It seemed a bit better but I was feeling "off". I had a massage that day with Kim so I went up there but the massage was horrible. Not because of Kim, but because something was not right with me. My skin was hurting lightly all over. Long story short, I was having severe chills and fever within hours.
Cicely was at my house and had dinner with me but I made her come back when all this started. My fever was getting really high and I could not move. My legs had this ache in them that I had never felt before. I figured I had the flu but was curious about the feeling in my leg.
I made it through the night but around 5 AM all Hell broke loose and I started vomiting. I knew then that something was really wrong so we went to the ER and sure enough they were telling me that I had an infection that had now gotten into the rest of me. It was not pleasant and they said I was gong to have to be admitted to the hospital for a few days. Fun.
They took good care of me and the funny thing was that my first nurse had just had dinner with Belinda and Justin that night. Small world again! Not to mention that I had her as a nurse when I did actually have a severe case of the flu last January. When a gay guy gets sick like this twice in 6 months you go into a bit of a panic. Nobody likes to talk about it but I made those people give me an HIV test STAT and I wanted results ASAP. I was starting to go a bit mental at this point. My fever was so high and the drugs they were giving me was making any rational thought go out the window.
Once they admitted me I started to feel like things were getting under control. I had some test results back now and we were getting closer to an explanation. The big guns, HIV, Swine Flu etc were ruled out. However, they thought I might have West Nile because of some exposure to bites and I had all three of the major signs. That test takes longer to get back so we had to wait on it.
I thought I was feeling better. JZ, Carole and Cicely had all come by for extended periods of time to basically watch me sleep. When I was awake I thought I felt better but as soon as the PM rolled around things took a really bad turn. My fever went way up again and all the pain in my legs was back in full force. I was developing a migraine type headache and was starting to get a bit scared.
The night nurse started me on a Morphine, Vicodin, Fentinol cocktail. I am not a fan of these drugs at all but within a few more hours I was begging for them. It all sounds so dramatic but the pain I was getting in my legs was now traveling up my my body, into my arms and eventually was in my head. My eyes would move on their own when I would close them so sleeping was out of the question. All I could do is sit there and take it. My nurse had to come in and put me on ice and started mopping me down as the fever just would not break. 106 for 6 hours is pretty much the worst thing I have ever experienced.
3:30 AM rolls around and I had had the Morphine pumped in every hour since about 11PM. That is a lot of drugs for someone like me who doesn't even like Advil. Lucklily something magical happened. I exploded! Literally for 10 min I went into a sweat that was out of control. The bed looked like buckets had been poured on it. And just like that I felt 90% better. I took advantage of it and got up for a few, took a shower and tried to have some food. The window of freedom lasted about 2 hours and then it all came back. I spent the rest of the day with a mild form of the pain I had in the night. It was pretty bad but nothing like what I went through that night. Then later I dumped water again and the fever never came back. The leg pain was still there and all I did was sweat for the next day, but I was definitely out of the woods.
So two nights in the hospital and then another two days of bed rest at home. I was feeling better but totally out of it. Depressed and tired. The infection felt like it ruined everything. I was doing the best I could not to go to the "dark place". JZ is really good at those kinds of talks so she was on "dark place" watch LOL. The nurse did tell me that I would have some withdrawl from the narcotics I had. And that was the truth. I threw out the bottle of Vicondin they gave me to take home. I know myself well enough....
As I started to come back over the next few days I was eager to try and do something but at the same time my motivation was pretty much gone. Makes no sense I know. I had a 70.3 race lined up less than 11 days away and knew that wasn't going to happen now. It felt like my season was over. Everything hurt.
Getting a curve ball happens. The people that can still hit one have excellent control over how they react to it. I know that I have some weakness in that department so I decided that this would be the perfect time to work on that side of life. Curve balls come in all forms. Ask anyone screwed right now by the economic climate. I know that if I am to achieve any of my goals in life I am going to have to be stronger in this department.
Did I bitch about it? Sure. But that helps me. I like to express it and then try and let it go. Did I feel like it was over when I tried to go for a ride and had to sleep 5 hours after? Sure did. But after each "episode" I just let it go. I think it is good that I have all these feelings but I needed to make sure that they are kept in check and that I am the one in control. It can be hard to do when you are a crazy OCD triathlete.
As of now, each day is better and better and I think I will be fine. Did I have to get out of the pool this AM after 1K because my body hurt? Yes. Did I bark at Carole? Yes. Did I let it go and then have a great ride and run? Yes! Not so bad after all.
I think it all comes down to stress. I have Lifetime Fitness on the 11th and then Vineman 70.3 on the 19th. I want these to go well and now that I had a major curve ball it is uncertain how they will go. Really all that means is that the expectation needs to be lifted and just take it one day at a time and see what happens. There is less chance to do well when you think you have been screwed.
So we will see what happens in a week. I think I will get stronger and stronger and be in top form by my races. Then I can write about how all us crazy triathletes need more rest LOL! That is what I am banking on!
To sum up a long story- Don't pop your blisters. And if you do and end up in the hospital with an infection; don't come crying to me! haha.
Cheers,
bdc
My time in LA after the ride was pretty fun and I let loose a bit with some old friends. However, I think my immune was down as it seemed like I was always on the verge of getting something. I thought for sure that alcohol kills all that stuff....
I never really came down with anything and once I got back to Boulder I went back to Tri Dork and gave up the fun juice and got back to training. I had to start putting my head on about Buffalo Springs 70.3. After loading up on a big week of riding I figured I would be in great shape for it if I played my cards right in the next few weeks.
I had a nice recovery week and felt back on top of my game. SBR was all going very well and JZ and I decided to go hit Magnolia for a nice long run. My foot had been behaving and I was going to actually try and hit 1:45-2 hours. It had always been our plan to get me back up to longer runs if the foot did not act up.
JZ and I started out together and then I kinda ran off. I was feeling good and I don't seem to notice the high altitude up there that much. In fact, I think I would do quite well in a race that high. Anyway, I was moving along and had noticed that I had a slight blister on my heel. Nothing major but I could feel it. When I hit my turn around point I decided I would re tie my shoe to see if I could maybe make it not hurt at all.
Five steps later and I was not able to walk. Something happened after I stopped and the blister just went bananas on me. DAMN! JZ had gone on as she was running further and now I was up at Mags stranded about 7 miles from my car. The road up there is not heavily trafficed so getting a ride might be hard. I did try to run on it but that was not in the cards. I had my shoe off and the blister was massive.
I was so pissed that I was missing this run. It was my best to date and now I am trying to hitch hike. Several cars went by me like I was some kinda of mountain man rapist. Not even an "are you okay"? Finally some guy picked me up and it turns out that we had met on the track a week ago. He was coached by a friend of mine and I met him at a session on the track. Small world.
Once back at the car I waited for JZ to return. My foot was actually throbbing but I had nothing safe to pop it with so I just had to wait till I got home. Being a "picker" that was the first think I did when I got to the house. Needle to flame. Lance!
I was impressed with how much blood came out. It seemed like it was going to be okay now but I wasn't sure how it would fair on the long ride the next day. None the less, my buddy Billy Edward's was getting married and I had to cram it into a dress shoe and get to his wedding.
Seemed okay until I woke up the next day. It was extremely sensitive. So what do I do? Cram it in my bike shoe and ride to Estes Park of course! It was going to be a fun ride as we had a good group going. Denny and Matt were going to join and Belinda and Justin Granger were in town and I had not seen them in long while. Also, Marlyin McDonald was joining us and of course training wife JZ. I really didn't want to miss the ride with this fun group. So I grunted it out but every pedal stroke it just got worse.
The pace was a bit slow for a good while and I decided, in all my pain, that I would just get her done. I went off the front and started on my own pace. I was riding great minus that fact that my foot felt like it was going to explode. When I hit Glen Haven I was wondering where the hell Denny and Matt were. I wasn't riding that hard and I figured they would catch back up. Eventually they did and the three of us hit the Devils Gulch climb which is pretty damn steep. Nothing new to us, but a hard effort for the fittest rider.
Once at the top I almost passed out with pain. The foot was done. I must have used up all the endorphins on the climb. I couldn't even put the foot on the ground. I tried to ride into Estes with my feet on top of my shoes but even that hurt too much. Finally I had to stop. Eventually JZ and Marlin came up on me. I had a minor moment and then they helped me hitch a ride into Estes. From there my good buddy Jim Morriarty was on his way to come get me. He started with us but was only doing 2 hours so he was already home. A friend that will drive out to pick you up in Estes Park because you are too fucking dumb to not know when you shouldn't start a ride is A GOOD FRIEND!
Jim took me right to Urgent Care where they had to cut out the heel and inform me that it was loaded with Staph. Lab results would later confirm all this but they went right ahead and gave me two shots in the ass and some orals to start taking. The blister really looked bad now and it would appear that I was going to be out of everything for a good week. I was NOT happy.
The next day I went back to urgent care to get it re wrapped and checked out again. It seemed a bit better but I was feeling "off". I had a massage that day with Kim so I went up there but the massage was horrible. Not because of Kim, but because something was not right with me. My skin was hurting lightly all over. Long story short, I was having severe chills and fever within hours.
Cicely was at my house and had dinner with me but I made her come back when all this started. My fever was getting really high and I could not move. My legs had this ache in them that I had never felt before. I figured I had the flu but was curious about the feeling in my leg.
I made it through the night but around 5 AM all Hell broke loose and I started vomiting. I knew then that something was really wrong so we went to the ER and sure enough they were telling me that I had an infection that had now gotten into the rest of me. It was not pleasant and they said I was gong to have to be admitted to the hospital for a few days. Fun.
They took good care of me and the funny thing was that my first nurse had just had dinner with Belinda and Justin that night. Small world again! Not to mention that I had her as a nurse when I did actually have a severe case of the flu last January. When a gay guy gets sick like this twice in 6 months you go into a bit of a panic. Nobody likes to talk about it but I made those people give me an HIV test STAT and I wanted results ASAP. I was starting to go a bit mental at this point. My fever was so high and the drugs they were giving me was making any rational thought go out the window.
Once they admitted me I started to feel like things were getting under control. I had some test results back now and we were getting closer to an explanation. The big guns, HIV, Swine Flu etc were ruled out. However, they thought I might have West Nile because of some exposure to bites and I had all three of the major signs. That test takes longer to get back so we had to wait on it.
I thought I was feeling better. JZ, Carole and Cicely had all come by for extended periods of time to basically watch me sleep. When I was awake I thought I felt better but as soon as the PM rolled around things took a really bad turn. My fever went way up again and all the pain in my legs was back in full force. I was developing a migraine type headache and was starting to get a bit scared.
The night nurse started me on a Morphine, Vicodin, Fentinol cocktail. I am not a fan of these drugs at all but within a few more hours I was begging for them. It all sounds so dramatic but the pain I was getting in my legs was now traveling up my my body, into my arms and eventually was in my head. My eyes would move on their own when I would close them so sleeping was out of the question. All I could do is sit there and take it. My nurse had to come in and put me on ice and started mopping me down as the fever just would not break. 106 for 6 hours is pretty much the worst thing I have ever experienced.
3:30 AM rolls around and I had had the Morphine pumped in every hour since about 11PM. That is a lot of drugs for someone like me who doesn't even like Advil. Lucklily something magical happened. I exploded! Literally for 10 min I went into a sweat that was out of control. The bed looked like buckets had been poured on it. And just like that I felt 90% better. I took advantage of it and got up for a few, took a shower and tried to have some food. The window of freedom lasted about 2 hours and then it all came back. I spent the rest of the day with a mild form of the pain I had in the night. It was pretty bad but nothing like what I went through that night. Then later I dumped water again and the fever never came back. The leg pain was still there and all I did was sweat for the next day, but I was definitely out of the woods.
So two nights in the hospital and then another two days of bed rest at home. I was feeling better but totally out of it. Depressed and tired. The infection felt like it ruined everything. I was doing the best I could not to go to the "dark place". JZ is really good at those kinds of talks so she was on "dark place" watch LOL. The nurse did tell me that I would have some withdrawl from the narcotics I had. And that was the truth. I threw out the bottle of Vicondin they gave me to take home. I know myself well enough....
As I started to come back over the next few days I was eager to try and do something but at the same time my motivation was pretty much gone. Makes no sense I know. I had a 70.3 race lined up less than 11 days away and knew that wasn't going to happen now. It felt like my season was over. Everything hurt.
Getting a curve ball happens. The people that can still hit one have excellent control over how they react to it. I know that I have some weakness in that department so I decided that this would be the perfect time to work on that side of life. Curve balls come in all forms. Ask anyone screwed right now by the economic climate. I know that if I am to achieve any of my goals in life I am going to have to be stronger in this department.
Did I bitch about it? Sure. But that helps me. I like to express it and then try and let it go. Did I feel like it was over when I tried to go for a ride and had to sleep 5 hours after? Sure did. But after each "episode" I just let it go. I think it is good that I have all these feelings but I needed to make sure that they are kept in check and that I am the one in control. It can be hard to do when you are a crazy OCD triathlete.
As of now, each day is better and better and I think I will be fine. Did I have to get out of the pool this AM after 1K because my body hurt? Yes. Did I bark at Carole? Yes. Did I let it go and then have a great ride and run? Yes! Not so bad after all.
I think it all comes down to stress. I have Lifetime Fitness on the 11th and then Vineman 70.3 on the 19th. I want these to go well and now that I had a major curve ball it is uncertain how they will go. Really all that means is that the expectation needs to be lifted and just take it one day at a time and see what happens. There is less chance to do well when you think you have been screwed.
So we will see what happens in a week. I think I will get stronger and stronger and be in top form by my races. Then I can write about how all us crazy triathletes need more rest LOL! That is what I am banking on!
To sum up a long story- Don't pop your blisters. And if you do and end up in the hospital with an infection; don't come crying to me! haha.
Cheers,
bdc
Friday, June 5, 2009
ALC Day 4,5,6
Hello Hello from the road. Well actually right now I am in a hotel room of another rider. It is day 6 and I am not on my bike which is turning out to be a VERY good thing. I had started to feel a bit of a cold coming and last night while trying to sleep in the tent, it began to rain. The rain did not wake me up because I wasn't able to sleep in the first place as there were some extremely vocal frogs. They kept it up ALL NIGHT!. My super sonic NASA ear plugs couldn't even stop it. As well, Cicely and I had to set up the tent on a bit of a slant and I kept rolling into her. Long story short, is was a rough night in the tent and I woke up at 5am feeling pretty congested. Did I mention the tent wasn't water proof LOL! Wet pillow, wet feet, wet suitcase.
Luckily for me I have a friend on the ride that is working for a few other riders. He is helping them with all there stuff and they are in a hotel. One call and the Land Rover was on the way to pick my wet ass up. I was a bit bummed that I didn't feel up for riding because in all honesty the weather was not my issue. It was that I felt sick. However, Cicely just called me from camp (she is working bike parking) and told me that CHP has shut down the ride for the day because the rain in the mountains is so bad that they do not want riders descending. Obviously for riders at my level, the rain would not be an issue, but they have to make decisions based on the slower, less experienced riders. Boy am I happy that I am not stuck out there! That would not help my situation.
The last two days have been pretty good. We had a nice long day starting out of Paso Robles that took us up a pretty sweet climb they like to call the "Evil Twins". The Dope Peddlers and I had gone to coffee first and about two miles into the ride I realize I left my Camel Pack at Starbucks. That had a good majority of my calories in it. Mike waited with me as I tried to get a hold of someone at camp that could get it and take it to the next camp. By the time I found someone we were now way back and would have to pass a gazillion people. We did the majority of the passing on the climb which let me see how the other riders handled it. Lets just say I now understand why ALC gave the name "Evil Twins" to the two hills. There was some suffering going on and I am sure that having me fly by them wasn't exactly "encouraging".
I dropped Mike on the climb and ended up riding solo for most of the ride. I had waited at a rest stop after the descent but he ended up breaking his seat post and had to deal with all that. The ride was a bit uneventful. I was too far back to catch up to my crew so I just enjoyed the foggy day.
The next day was a shorter day and we made sure that we rolled out first so we could just get er done. 67 miles of some of the best riding So Cal has to offer. We went through Solvang which is very nice town. We didn't stop because we all had our sights set on South Side Coffee shop in Lompoc. We got there in just over 3 hours and then proceeded to sit there for about 4 hours LOL. It was nice and sunny and we all just soaked up the day. I could feel that cold coming though. I think it is allergies but no matter what, I definitely do not need to ride 85 miles in the rain today.
Xavier has gone out to rescue the other guys. I am going to take advantage of the hotel room and clean up. We will drive to Ventura in a bit and depending on the weather and how I feel I shall either be back in a tent or I may get a room. If I start to feel really crappy I am going to pull from the ride and have someone come get me and take me to LA. I am racing Buff Springs 70.3 at the end of the month and want to be sharp for it. Getting sick won't do me any good. Other than that I feel awesome. The riding is making me stronger and my feet are holding up. Like I said before....GAME ON!
You can still donate to the cause at: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/bdc
Cheers!
bdc
Luckily for me I have a friend on the ride that is working for a few other riders. He is helping them with all there stuff and they are in a hotel. One call and the Land Rover was on the way to pick my wet ass up. I was a bit bummed that I didn't feel up for riding because in all honesty the weather was not my issue. It was that I felt sick. However, Cicely just called me from camp (she is working bike parking) and told me that CHP has shut down the ride for the day because the rain in the mountains is so bad that they do not want riders descending. Obviously for riders at my level, the rain would not be an issue, but they have to make decisions based on the slower, less experienced riders. Boy am I happy that I am not stuck out there! That would not help my situation.
The last two days have been pretty good. We had a nice long day starting out of Paso Robles that took us up a pretty sweet climb they like to call the "Evil Twins". The Dope Peddlers and I had gone to coffee first and about two miles into the ride I realize I left my Camel Pack at Starbucks. That had a good majority of my calories in it. Mike waited with me as I tried to get a hold of someone at camp that could get it and take it to the next camp. By the time I found someone we were now way back and would have to pass a gazillion people. We did the majority of the passing on the climb which let me see how the other riders handled it. Lets just say I now understand why ALC gave the name "Evil Twins" to the two hills. There was some suffering going on and I am sure that having me fly by them wasn't exactly "encouraging".
I dropped Mike on the climb and ended up riding solo for most of the ride. I had waited at a rest stop after the descent but he ended up breaking his seat post and had to deal with all that. The ride was a bit uneventful. I was too far back to catch up to my crew so I just enjoyed the foggy day.
The next day was a shorter day and we made sure that we rolled out first so we could just get er done. 67 miles of some of the best riding So Cal has to offer. We went through Solvang which is very nice town. We didn't stop because we all had our sights set on South Side Coffee shop in Lompoc. We got there in just over 3 hours and then proceeded to sit there for about 4 hours LOL. It was nice and sunny and we all just soaked up the day. I could feel that cold coming though. I think it is allergies but no matter what, I definitely do not need to ride 85 miles in the rain today.
Xavier has gone out to rescue the other guys. I am going to take advantage of the hotel room and clean up. We will drive to Ventura in a bit and depending on the weather and how I feel I shall either be back in a tent or I may get a room. If I start to feel really crappy I am going to pull from the ride and have someone come get me and take me to LA. I am racing Buff Springs 70.3 at the end of the month and want to be sharp for it. Getting sick won't do me any good. Other than that I feel awesome. The riding is making me stronger and my feet are holding up. Like I said before....GAME ON!
You can still donate to the cause at: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/bdc
Cheers!
bdc
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
ALC Day 1,2,3.
DAY ONE:
I was way behind the eight ball in terms of sleep most likely due to travel and excitement to get this ride going. Cicely and I had been in San Francisco the two days prior and all I really wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately that did not happen as there was much to do with checking in, seeing friends and taking care of all the last minute things that come with a training trip like this. Still, the alarm went off at the ripe hour of 4am. The thing with rides like this is that you have to start really early so the riders that who take all day have all day. Being fast, you still have to start first or you spend too much of the day saying "on your left".
Opening ceremonies takes place now at the Cow Palace. Much better way to start the ride since it cuts out any riding through the actual city. The ceremony is always a bit touching especially when they bring in the rider-less bike. The bike represents all of the people that are not as fortunate to ride because of HIV/AIDS. The bike is presented by all of the riders that are currently HIV positive. They each carry ALC flags that have been signed by people in honor of those they have lost. I signed one in honor of Doug Blasedale who was my first spinning instructor before I ever rode and my buddy Derek who passed this last month. He was 38.
Once the ceremony is over we all file out like sheep to where the bikes are parked. I got stuck behind a huge crowd and was going to have to ride out almost last. I wasn't bothered by that but I knew that it meant I would be passing people for a good part of the AM. That can be a bit annoying. More on that later.
The ride out was pretty cold and overcast as it always is in SF. The scenery is fantastic after about an hour into it. Then you end up on the PCH which is also a very nice view. I was cranking away and prepared to not have to stop at any aide station. I had made it past the majority of people and wasn't sure if there was anyone else ahead of me. Soon enough I saw some dude up the road appearing to be stopped. As I got closer it turned out to be Ben Armstrong who I met the first time I did the ride. He rides like his last name.
I was glad to see him and helped him fix the flat. He told me that there were some other fast guys up the road. I have to admit, I thought "they can't be that fast" since I was the last one out and I was pretty sure that they knew better and got out first. I had been told by some other friends that these guys called "Dope Peddlers" do the ride and that they are fast and kinda dicks. I didn't make any judgments about them as I don't know them. But I do know that in rides like ALC, the fast guys are always thought of as dicks. I was happy they were there because I knew that once we all find each other it will be GAME ON!
Ben and I rode together for a while. I had to test his fitness and see if he had progressed since I saw him last. Well, lets be honest, I had to show him how much I had progressed since he saw me last. I let him take a pull and he made it a good one. Just not good enough. I took my turn and had to drop him. The ride was on the Big Kahuna course at this point so I knew how far we had to go etc. It wasn't far.
Back in camp it turns out that we were the first ones in. We never passed the Dope Peddlers so they must have pulled into an aid station and we didn't see them. When they did arrive they were a bit shocked to see that there were two bikes parked. The butt sniffing was about to begin and you can guarantee that tomorrow the tape measures would be pulled out. We all sat on the grass and had some lunch getting to know each other as best we could. I had my bias of them from my friends but so far they didn't seem like dicks to me. They are just straight and fast.
Camp life was going to be fine for the week. I made friends with my gear truck so that they would put my luggage in last so I wouldn't have to wait. Cicely would be working bike parking so it looked like I was going to be setting up shop every day. That was fine with me as I didn't have anything better to do. I would, however, have to take camp down in the AM because she was going to be out super early to work. That was a bit of a bummer but I would deal.
DAY 2:
I got up early so that I would be ready to get out first. Ben was waiting at bike parking for me. We were going to ride together as it was a big day. 107 miles of rolling hills and wind. Normal you get some nice tail winds on this route but the forecast was opposite and we did end up with some nasty head and cross winds. There would be a lot of casualties today.
Ben wasn't feeling so hot and I ended up dragging his ass around all day. He goes out too hard. I tried to tell him that so that he would be of some use late in the day but I couldn't make contact with his brain. JZ would have a field day with him!
We blew all the aid stations and just pounded out the ride. It was probably the hardest I have ridden that far in training in a good while. Our ride time was 4:35 min. On a course like that with the wind that we had, I would have to say we were working. We still had not connected with the Dope Peddlers. At this point it was a bit like "Race For Your Life Charlie Brown". If you haven't seen that a portion of your childhood was robbed. Anyway, one in camp we did all get together and had a proper chat on the grass. We had to wait for our gear for over 2 hours as we beat the whole "city".
We decided that the next day we would all ride together. It was a shorter day (66) and I think we could all use the group. I knew there would be no break. These environments are not new to me.
I got my 9 mile run in a bit later and then proceeded to pass out by 8pm. Maybe earplugs and a tent are the key to my sleeping problems? It's probably just being down from altitude. I always sleep better low.
DAY 3:
I decided to get up really early because I wanted the help from Cicely to get the camp taken down. I was ready to ride by 5:45 but we can't head out until 6:30. Ben and I met up with Dope Peddlers and we were all ready to take the 66 miles as a group. The ride would include "Quad Buster", a hill that apparently busts quads. I have done it before. It's no big deal. Then we would end up on the back side of the Wildflower course. Kinda funny that day one and two I would be on sections of races that I have done.
Anyway, like I said before, the ride was not very tame. Quad Buster became a KOM and the rest of the ride was pretty rowdy. It was a fast pace but when you have a line going it is manageable. I like riding like that and don't get to do it that often. We all had a great ride and bonded a bit. I think tomorrows ride of 95 miles will be easier as we now have a clear group. We have to go over the "Evil Twins" which in my mind are a bigger deal than Quad Buster.
I am off to go swim now and then have some dinner with the rents. We are in Paso Robles so I get to score some more parent points! Dad was going to ride tomorrow but ended up with too much to do at work.
More to report later. Limited Internet from the road.
Cheers,
bdc
I was way behind the eight ball in terms of sleep most likely due to travel and excitement to get this ride going. Cicely and I had been in San Francisco the two days prior and all I really wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately that did not happen as there was much to do with checking in, seeing friends and taking care of all the last minute things that come with a training trip like this. Still, the alarm went off at the ripe hour of 4am. The thing with rides like this is that you have to start really early so the riders that who take all day have all day. Being fast, you still have to start first or you spend too much of the day saying "on your left".
Opening ceremonies takes place now at the Cow Palace. Much better way to start the ride since it cuts out any riding through the actual city. The ceremony is always a bit touching especially when they bring in the rider-less bike. The bike represents all of the people that are not as fortunate to ride because of HIV/AIDS. The bike is presented by all of the riders that are currently HIV positive. They each carry ALC flags that have been signed by people in honor of those they have lost. I signed one in honor of Doug Blasedale who was my first spinning instructor before I ever rode and my buddy Derek who passed this last month. He was 38.
Once the ceremony is over we all file out like sheep to where the bikes are parked. I got stuck behind a huge crowd and was going to have to ride out almost last. I wasn't bothered by that but I knew that it meant I would be passing people for a good part of the AM. That can be a bit annoying. More on that later.
The ride out was pretty cold and overcast as it always is in SF. The scenery is fantastic after about an hour into it. Then you end up on the PCH which is also a very nice view. I was cranking away and prepared to not have to stop at any aide station. I had made it past the majority of people and wasn't sure if there was anyone else ahead of me. Soon enough I saw some dude up the road appearing to be stopped. As I got closer it turned out to be Ben Armstrong who I met the first time I did the ride. He rides like his last name.
I was glad to see him and helped him fix the flat. He told me that there were some other fast guys up the road. I have to admit, I thought "they can't be that fast" since I was the last one out and I was pretty sure that they knew better and got out first. I had been told by some other friends that these guys called "Dope Peddlers" do the ride and that they are fast and kinda dicks. I didn't make any judgments about them as I don't know them. But I do know that in rides like ALC, the fast guys are always thought of as dicks. I was happy they were there because I knew that once we all find each other it will be GAME ON!
Ben and I rode together for a while. I had to test his fitness and see if he had progressed since I saw him last. Well, lets be honest, I had to show him how much I had progressed since he saw me last. I let him take a pull and he made it a good one. Just not good enough. I took my turn and had to drop him. The ride was on the Big Kahuna course at this point so I knew how far we had to go etc. It wasn't far.
Back in camp it turns out that we were the first ones in. We never passed the Dope Peddlers so they must have pulled into an aid station and we didn't see them. When they did arrive they were a bit shocked to see that there were two bikes parked. The butt sniffing was about to begin and you can guarantee that tomorrow the tape measures would be pulled out. We all sat on the grass and had some lunch getting to know each other as best we could. I had my bias of them from my friends but so far they didn't seem like dicks to me. They are just straight and fast.
Camp life was going to be fine for the week. I made friends with my gear truck so that they would put my luggage in last so I wouldn't have to wait. Cicely would be working bike parking so it looked like I was going to be setting up shop every day. That was fine with me as I didn't have anything better to do. I would, however, have to take camp down in the AM because she was going to be out super early to work. That was a bit of a bummer but I would deal.
DAY 2:
I got up early so that I would be ready to get out first. Ben was waiting at bike parking for me. We were going to ride together as it was a big day. 107 miles of rolling hills and wind. Normal you get some nice tail winds on this route but the forecast was opposite and we did end up with some nasty head and cross winds. There would be a lot of casualties today.
Ben wasn't feeling so hot and I ended up dragging his ass around all day. He goes out too hard. I tried to tell him that so that he would be of some use late in the day but I couldn't make contact with his brain. JZ would have a field day with him!
We blew all the aid stations and just pounded out the ride. It was probably the hardest I have ridden that far in training in a good while. Our ride time was 4:35 min. On a course like that with the wind that we had, I would have to say we were working. We still had not connected with the Dope Peddlers. At this point it was a bit like "Race For Your Life Charlie Brown". If you haven't seen that a portion of your childhood was robbed. Anyway, one in camp we did all get together and had a proper chat on the grass. We had to wait for our gear for over 2 hours as we beat the whole "city".
We decided that the next day we would all ride together. It was a shorter day (66) and I think we could all use the group. I knew there would be no break. These environments are not new to me.
I got my 9 mile run in a bit later and then proceeded to pass out by 8pm. Maybe earplugs and a tent are the key to my sleeping problems? It's probably just being down from altitude. I always sleep better low.
DAY 3:
I decided to get up really early because I wanted the help from Cicely to get the camp taken down. I was ready to ride by 5:45 but we can't head out until 6:30. Ben and I met up with Dope Peddlers and we were all ready to take the 66 miles as a group. The ride would include "Quad Buster", a hill that apparently busts quads. I have done it before. It's no big deal. Then we would end up on the back side of the Wildflower course. Kinda funny that day one and two I would be on sections of races that I have done.
Anyway, like I said before, the ride was not very tame. Quad Buster became a KOM and the rest of the ride was pretty rowdy. It was a fast pace but when you have a line going it is manageable. I like riding like that and don't get to do it that often. We all had a great ride and bonded a bit. I think tomorrows ride of 95 miles will be easier as we now have a clear group. We have to go over the "Evil Twins" which in my mind are a bigger deal than Quad Buster.
I am off to go swim now and then have some dinner with the rents. We are in Paso Robles so I get to score some more parent points! Dad was going to ride tomorrow but ended up with too much to do at work.
More to report later. Limited Internet from the road.
Cheers,
bdc
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