I have not been good about posting! Sorry peeps, things get going and I forget to make this a priority. In March I did Galveston 70.3 and while I raced hard I did not have a good race. I had a middle ot the road bike, nothing great. Then came the run, or the jog from Porto potty to Porto potty. I was miserable, and exhausted. Unreasonably tired. So I went to the doctor, and found a bunch of "stuff " was way off. Bottom line I have had to go Gluten Free and feel amazing! I am no longer walking around in a gluten covered fog. I have energy for workouts and my mom life! Fast forward to this weekend.
After being Gluten Free for a few months and just getting used to menu options and eating the best foods for me, it was time to travel and race. Lucky for me a friend's sister lives in Boise and was able to direct me to the best restaurants and stores for GF eating. That took alot of the stress out of what I was going to eat pre-race. The day before the race Larry and I drove the bike course. It looked challenging and fun, but very exposed. The winds were bad and we were driving in a car. I was getting a bit worried as the National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for Saturday from 9am to 8pm, along with a forecast of rain, all day! We made a quick stop at Sierra Trading post and picked up a few windproof and waterproof jackets to use on the bike.
Race Morning was a treat. We were able to wake up at a normal time and eat a normal breakfast. Our shuttle bus to the start did not leave until 10am, which turned out to be a blessing. We made our way to the bus in the rain and I was freezing already. As our bus approached the reservoir you could see the rain pouring down and the wind picking up. The last thing I wanted to do was leave the shelter of the warm bus for the open exposed parking lot of T1. I quickly set up my nutrition and placed my bike gear bag on my bike and headed for cover. We found a huge pine tree and huddled in a close as we could get to have some protection from the wind. I was able to quit shaking for a bit and eat some food and a bit of drink. I needed to place my extra fleece that I had on in my bag and get my wetsuit on but I was unwilling to once again leave the shelter of the tree to go back to T1. Soon they announced that the 41* temps, the pouring rain and the 45mph winds were too dangerous to risk a
ace even started. People had been bused out to the start at 9am and the race didn't start until noon. That is a long time to be cold and wet. This was honestly the coldest I have ever been in my life. I debated even starting, and people were taking their bikes and leaving. People were being treated by medical, things were bad.
The swim was supposed to start at noon, and they had closed transition and were calling everyone to the start. I kept on a pair of socks but they became soaked immediately and offered little protection. By 12:12 they still had not started the pro men and the longer I stood there the worse I felt and the more I thought it was a really bad idea to get into the 57* water when I was already near hypothermia. I debated not even starting. But then things got rolling and we were the next group to go. My plan was to get in the water and start swimming HARD. I did some butterfly to really get the heart rate and heat going and made my way to the front, far left. I could see the buoys had been blown all over and I had a straight line to the last turn buoy. As soon as the gun went off I was no longer cold. The weirdest thing happened. My hands froze into a bizarre claw like grip and I could not pull the water or bring my fingers together. I knew I was loosing ground but just kept swimming. I felt very disconnected from my arms and legs and could no longer feel any of my limbs.
Out of the water I could not tell where I was in my AG. I had no function in my hands or feet, and was grateful for the volunteers and fellow racers who all helped me get dressed and ready to ride. Yes I had a nearly 8min transition but given how cold I was I thought it was good. I should have just ridden in my wetsuit like so many pros did! I seriously debated not getting on my bike. Who the heck can ride a bike, downhill in the rain, without functioning hands? Well apparently I can. I could not use my brakes so I just focused on not crashing and going downhill fast. I passed a lot of people on that downhill! As I came into T2 the sun was just coming out and I felt like I was in an Alanis Moriset song. I knew it would come down to a running race!
The run was never part of the plan for me at Boise. I have had a hamstring injury and not been able to run for 4 weeks. The plan was to swim and bike and then pull out when the hammy gave out. I started the run and could not feel my feet, or my legs, arms, hands etc. I was just running. I passed a few girls, but with the compression gear these day's no one's age is visible anymore. There was one girl who was running right on my shoulder the entire race. Finally around mile 9 I asked her what age group she was in and she would not tell me! I figured our age group would have a good number of slots for Vegas, but I had no idea what place I was in. The hammy finally gave out at mile 10 and I just walked/limped into the finish. I was 5th!! Not only a podium spot but a Vegas spot as well, as our age group had 7 spots to the World Championships! What made it even better was that my husband got a rolldown spot and he is going to Vegas too!! It was well worth the cold and misery of the morning to know we will be competing together in September!
Cheers!
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