worst drought conditions in West Tx in recent history, combined with28-30mph sustained winds that began before day break, combined with record heat for the region all came together to make this years BSLT 1/2 Iron the hardest yet.
I was ready for heat, I was ready for wind or so I thought... Race morning started 30 mins earlier than planned due to extreme conditions-NOT a good sign. Laura Bernal and i rolled into town on Friday, played at the lake Saturday a.m. while we watched friends BobbyG., BrooksV, and TommyT compete in the sprint race. Cherie joined us for a pre-swim on the course and we were all being swamped by wind driven waves straight to the lungs on the long backstretch return of the course... we all prayed for calm water race morning
9th wave: 6:40 am start- I started well, was 5th to the first buoy, felt fast and strong, swam straight but they had jammed all the swim waves so close together and put us next to last so I immediately swam into all 8 waves of slower swimmers-ugh-didn't get clear water till the backside of the course and the water was pretty calm, not flat but not like yesterday! Came out of the water as last year-30 mins and then proceeded to fight with my wetsuit and the wetsuit stripper! DANG IT! that took a huge chunk of time before I crossed the timing mat as I had a virgin wetsuit stripper who got all stuck in my suit! brush that off... jammed on the bike, perfect gear selection for the 6% grade climb immediately out of transition but then full force wind in the face on top! I worked my way through the course despite the winds, being careful of my hydration and electrolytes but I didn't account for the extra calories spent fighting the mostly cross winds! yes, I got out my course map and plotted the wind to prove to myself that yes it was THAT bad! mostly 40+ miles of the course was crosswinds with the remaining 16 head/tail-JIMMINY! but this meant that I hit the run with nothing in the tank, I felt like nothing could save me; it was HOT, I was HUNGRY and I was facing 13.1 miles of more hills, wind and heat. I was passing people but was running aid station to aid station getting as much drink and gels as I could-once on top of the lake well into the "heat stroke" energy lab section I began putting ice EVERYWHERE! jog bra, down the shorts, down the coolsleeves, under the hat. At 6 miles I began to feel some part of myself coming back into proper pace and form but I still stopped at every aid station. Coming down the hills into the lake area again I felt like I was flying; I ran up on a girl that had really out run me in the beginning, although now, as we both stopped for COKE, and commiseration we decided to take the last 3 miles back in company, encouraging the other to get back on pace and that yes, we ideed were gonna FINISH! we picked up 2 more runners and the vibe was powerful- I began to flow as we ran and talked and suffered... 1 mile to go, my new friend from Colorado, a mom of 3 boys, 36 yrs old fell off the pace, she yelled at me to GO and I yelled at her to stick to my back. I flew that last mile, feet never touched the ground. I have never been so happy to finish a race in order to get right back in that lake and cool off, eat, have a beer and CHILLAX! I avoided the medical tent thank you God and had no cramping but i have never seen so many people struggling, walking, in the med tent, so many ambulances. Later at the awards ceremony the RD did say dispite the conditions this yrs race had the most finishers-wow and, He said "hottest race on record". I felt completely puny when I saw my friend Jessica Jacobs, a pro who ROCKED the 70.3 with the fastest bike and 2nd fastest run!
Laura and I went straight to the hotel and legs up, room temp set to 62* until the awards ceremony that night. We decided that yes, next year, we will be back :)
the rest of the summer is sprint distance racing; it's redline and whole lota quick f un!
1 comment:
You are a beast Gretchen!! The whole time during the sprint on Saturday I kept telling myself, "Those poor souls are going to go through hell tomorrow!". You rocked the course and showed what a "gut check" is all about.
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