Bear it All Tri er Du -postponed

-
Or Winter picked the wrong weekend to make an appearance. I was supposed to race in the Bear it All Triathlon on Sunday. It sounded like a fun race to close out the season with a 1500 swim, a 24m bike and 5.6 mile run. Well, as the forecasted morning low temp started plummeting the race director made the call to change to a run/bike/run duathlon instead. A smart move - I know how hard it was to try and run after swimming in 53 degree water when the air temp was mid 40s. I could not imagine trying to ride in those conditions. I like feeling my fingers and toes while riding! So I was looking forward to a du - since swapping swim for run wouldn't affect my race that much. Then winter moved in with snow and rain all along the front range. Nick and I loaded up the turtle and headed north, hopeful the weather would improve.

Got my packet and a campsite and headed out to preride. It was fun - a little mud and some puddles, but nothing I couldn't handle. Especially since I was on my single speed. For the first 20 minutes of the ride, the trail was fast and smooth, made tight by the rain and snow. Then we hit mud - deep mud, bad clay mud. I was doing good, then I couldn't pedal the bike. I just watched the tires expand - so caked in clay that I couldn't even turn the wheels. The melvin on the rear wheel was was also coated in clay. I tried a few times to clean off the wheels and frame so I could ride, but it was a loosing battle. Besides, I couldn't even get going because my shoes and cleats were covered in gunk. I eventually picked up my bike and carried it until the clay diminished. Cross racer I am not! I like riding - not carrying my bike! There were three more sections of just atrociach clay on the trail. Finally, about halfway through the lap, we threw in the towel and got on the road. Not worth it. When we got back to the camper, it took over an hour to get the bikes clean. Yuck. My only hope was that the temperature got cold enough for the muck to freeze. Then the course might be ridable - at least for the first lap. Then as the sun rose and the air warmed...

So I was not surprised to get the email stating that the race was postponed. I just couldn't imagine trying to race under those conditions. And I knew that the trails would get really damaged if we tried to race. I have to applaud Tom with Bear Events on making a tough call. I'm sure it wasn't easy - he had put a lot of work into making this first year event a success. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and the race will go on as planned (as a duathlon still) on October 30th. I'm still planning on heading up there for a fun, fast race. That course looked like it would be fun!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A long way on foot - Sheep Mountain Endurance Run

-
Image
Fifty miles is a long way - regardless of how you travel. As I was training and preparing for Sheep Mountain Endurance Run, I knew that it would be a long day - I knew that there would be ups and downs, that the plan would have to be fluid and goals adjusted mid-race. That is the nature of endurance sports and the people who achieve are the ones who can go with the flow and find the ability to turn things around if they do go south. Obviously, for my first 50, I was hoping for nothing but smooth sailing - with no dark spots, no demons and smiling the whole way. A girl can always hope, right? Runners assembled for the start Photo - Human Potential Running The sun was just starting to brighten the clouds as we walked to the starting line with nearly 100 other runners. The race director went through a few things, noting that there had already been some DNS's due to the elevation and to be smart. Smart... Most people would say smart would mean not doing something like a 50 mile ...
the full story...

Mortality

-
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!'” - Hunter S. Thompson It seems such a trite quote, but true at the same time. Life is about the journey - the adventures along the way, the failures and successes. A life well lived is a person with stories to tell, taking the chances along the way that will provide fulfillment. You don't realize how close we are teatering to the edge until something happens that affirms our mortality.  In eleven years of practicing physical therapy in a nursing home setting, I've had my share of experiences with death. Never close though - far enough removed to be touched by the passing but not affected. Sometimes it's expected and everyone says "it's for the best. They are happier now." Other times, it's not and we are all shocked...
the full story...

Regaining my mojo

-
Image
I'll be honest. The two months between the middle of July and middle of September just about crushed me. Tired all the time, unable to muster more then a slug pace for most rides, and shuffling my way through my runs. It was the worst two month I've had - made worse by my continuing to try to push through the fatigue. So after Vapor I made sure that I would listen to my body and not pressure myself into training until I felt ready. No matter how long it would take, I would take the recovery I needed. Two weeks of minimal activity - short swims that were mostly just paddling around, very short runs where I didn't look at my watch at all and the easiest of rides imaginable. After those two weeks, I was still tired, but feeling better. Getting more like myself again, with a little more energy. That meant I needed at least another week of easy recovery! It was not the time to succumb to FOMO and start up with the big rides and hard runs again. So I behaved even more, knowing ev...
the full story...

Friends with the Monsters..

-
And the voices inside of my head.  As Saturday approaches, the voices - the demons - have begun talking to me. Sometimes a whisper, sometimes a scream. 54 miles. It's the distance from Colorado Springs to Lake Pueblo State Park. Or the top of Wilkerson Pass... A long bloody way to cover on two wheels, let along two feet! Yet that is my goal. Traverse the trails and roads west and east of Fairplay, covering more then the distance of two marathons. Theoretically, it should be nothing. After all, I've run back to back marathons many times - once getting both under 3:10. Fifty two miles, in just shy of 24 hours at a pace much faster then I'm planning. But in this ventures, I had time to recover between races and took the recovery seriously. Here, nothing but continuous forward movement. One step in front of the other, no breaks between efforts and the the clock doesn't stop ticking.  As Saturday approaches, those voices are getting louder. Ever doubting, ever questioning - ...
the full story...