We started our drive on Thursday night after work, hoping to break it up a bit and arrive a little fresher on Friday morning. We spent the night in Blythe and hit the road at 7 am on Friday bound for the harbor. When we arrived in Oceanside I pulled Hope off the bike rack only to find her rear brake dangling. Between the camp in Tucson (can you say "shitty road surface??") and the windy conditions on the drive the bolt had loosened up.
DB offered to take her over to the Dimond booth at the race expo while I got my shake out run done. By the time I met him there she was fixed up and ready to roll. We went through packet pickup and I sat down for a quick meeting with my coach before heading out for an easy spin to make sure everything was good to go. After an early dinner we set up our race gear and fell into bed.
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| Hanging with Dimond athlete Maik Twelsiek. |
Race morning:
Alarm sounds. I get up and immediately want to lie back down. I don't get headaches often, but when I do they are NO fun. I was dizzy, nauseated, and my head was splitting. I wish I could blame race anxiety but I couldn't even begin to get nervous about the race I felt too awful. I forced myself to do my pre-race routine got into my kit and put sunscreen on. I tried my best to eat, but every single bite caused me to gag. I was able to sip on a little bit of water but decided to just pop some ibuprofen and close my eyes until it was time to go.
After setting up in transition, I nibbled on my breakfast and over the hour I had to kill once the race started I actually got most of it down along with a bottle of Osmo Pre Load. I realized in my fog I forgot my bike bottles in the fridge in the condo, but I still had my aero bottle so no harm done- plenty of aid stations along the course to refill, I just wouldn't have my Osmo. By the time I got in the water the ache was down to a dull roar and I was no longer dizzy.
I kinda like the swim at Oceanside. I HATE starting in the back, being a female of 35-39 years my wave is nearly dead last... but I do find it a fun challenge to see how many groups of swimmers I can pass in 1.2 miles. The morning was foggy, and the water was a little choppier than usual which added to the challenge of sighting and passing swimmers. The first half I was with another girl in my age group, nearly side-by-side, but once we made the turn to come back I never saw her again. We had a massive tail current on the way in and I was flying by people! I exited the water 1st in my age group in 29:19, a new PR for the half IM distance. Maybe in Galveston I will break 29 minutes!!
The bike ride is much like the swim. Since I start in the back, I spend the entire ride dodging and weaving around people. It seemed very windy to me and hence there was a lot of drafting going on as no one wanted to fight the winds alone. DB even saw someone get the red card (for drafting) which was a first for him!
I felt decent enough on the bike ride. I was keeping the effort on, and had a certain wattage I was trying to stay above (which I did!). There are a few hills in the middle of the course to break things up a bit, and new for this year-- timing mats on dead-man's curve. Anyone timed going over 25 mph in that stretch would be automatically DQ'd. I understand the purpose, but it was really tough to keep it under 25 mph!! I came off the bike in 2:53:37.
Despite my efforts to get calories in on the bike, I knew coming into T2 I was down a little on energy thanks to my nearly non-existent breakfast. Since starting with Coach Hillary one thing we work on constantly is getting calories in early to keep energy levels up on the run. I was pissed that this was not going to be my best race simulation for Texas as I had already forgotten my Osmo, and didn't eat enough pre-race and on the bike.
That said, I was on a mission. In my pre-race meeting, Hillary reminded me of a few things that were particularly relevant to the run. First, she reminded me that the first race of the season you often forget how hard it is and how badly you're going to feel. It's easy to think, I'm fitter, this should hurt less... but it's the exact opposite. After putting in huge blocks of training, you are fitter... which just means that you're in a position to push HARDER which hurts MORE. She also reminded me of my Thursday morning interval work and encouraged me to chase that feeling the whole way on the run... be on the edge of failure the whole way. She told me that my bike fitness was where it needed to be, that I could handle this. Not to be afraid. Not to back off.
Coming out of T2 I had a pocket full of honey stingers and a mind full of determination. I saw Hillary and two of my Team HPB teammates around 1.5 miles in and they gave me the news that I was in 4th after the bike ride. My goal of podium was well within reach.
The run course is very gradual inclines/ declines with a mile or so of flat along the strand each loop. I kept the effort consistent and monitored my overall pace with each mile. I took 4 gels in the first 8 miles! Chasing that brink I constantly felt like my legs were about to give out, that at any moment bonk would ensue. I got a little boost around mile 6 when I passed a girl in my age group, moving into 3rd temporarily.
Heading into the second loop I kept the pressure on and was surprised to see that I felt the same... not worse. Usually I start to fall apart at this point and lose huge chunks of time to the girls chasing me. When I ran out of honey stingers I switched to coke at every aid station. Around mile 9 I got passed by another girl, and though I didn't know if she was in her second loop I assumed that she was. I tried my best to keep her in sight hoping maybe I could sprint her to the finish. But she was moving quicker than I was and by the time we hit the strand for the final mile I could not see her anywhere.
In the final mile I tried to pick up the pace a bit, wanting to be sure I held onto my 4th place finish. Most of the people out there were heading into the second loop so when the finish chute appeared I was able to run it alone (no sprinting involved!). I finished with a 1:45:46 half marathon to land me on the podium in 4th place for my age group. First goal for 2015 accomplished!
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| 35-39 years Age Group Podium |
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| 4th Place!! |
So back to what I learned at Oceanside:
1. When you feel like shit, it's OK. It might get worse, but it can always get better! Don't quit before giving yourself a chance.
2. Roll with the punches. Yes, I panicked a little when my brake was hanging by a cable, but I had more than enough time and more than enough people to help fix it. (Note: arrive early!!) And, yes, I would have liked to practice my fueling/ hydration strategy for Texas, but when I forgot my bottles of Osmo in the fridge I didn't pack up and leave. I drank water instead. (duh!)
3. In the words of country artist, Jason Aldean: Don't stop till everything's gone. Straight ahead, never turn around. Don't back up, don't back down! Full throttle, wide open. You get tired, but you don't show it. Dig a little deeper when you think you can't dig no more. That's the only way I know! Never back down. Push the edge the whole way. Trust your training.
4. I'm so glad I'm racing Galveston in 3 weeks. I didn't get the opportunity to practice my planned hydration/ nutrition strategy, and I'm super excited to have another shot at nailing in the run effort! Now that I know my bike fitness can support this... it's a whole new world!!
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| Little recovery ride on Sunday. Love my Dimond!! |
And lastly, I have been meaning to talk about my new gem! I have had tons of questions about the bike. Do I like it? Is it hard to ride? How is it different from my old bike? Is it faster? Everyone seems just a little bit intimidated by the beam, and unsure how stable it is. Here are my thoughts...
- I LOVE this bike.
- It is SO comfortable.
- And yet super light and aerodynamic (read: FAST)
- It is not the slightest bit scary or intimidating. The minute I threw my leg over the beam and hopped on it was like, oh yeah, this is home. I don't even notice that I'm on a beam. It doesn't flex, I don't bounce. It is solid as a rock.
- I loved my Trek Speed Concept... but the Dimond... well, it is nothing short of amazing.
- I LOVE di2!! I know there is some controversy over whether electronic shifting is reliable, but let me tell you... it is revolutionary.
- The braking system is amazing. I've never had a bike that was so easy to adjust, so flexible in so many ways.
- When I took my gem to Cyclologic for my fit they were beyond excited... with the Dimond we have so much room to play with and adjust everything just so. There were limitations with the Trek that we don't have with this bike. That means I'm more aerodynamic AND more comfortable because my body is in a better position.
I would love to answer any specific questions you might have about the Dimond... so please comment on this post if there's anything you're dying to know!! Dimond is going to be at quite a few races this year so I encourage you to take one for a test ride!
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