Oozies and Auras: Boise 70.3

We arrived in Boise, ID a few days early to scout out the race course, relax a little and get acclimatized.  Three aspects of the race concerned me - the crazy north winds that gusted out of nowhere for the three days leading up to the race (notably in the early afternoon when I would be on my bike), the brutally cold water temperatures in Lucky Peak Lake (which were rumored to be between 10 and 12 degrees depending who you spoke to) and the noon wave start.

Unlike last year, I had not actually raced any triathlons leading up to this "A" race but had trained solidly since January.  My goals were twofold - to go under 5 hours, and to earn a qualifying spot to the 70.3 championship in Las Vegas in September.  Lofty goals?  Yes, I suppose they were, but why aim low when you can go big.  I have been running well in the last few months and feeling comfortable on the bike, and although swimming is still mostly about survival, felt that these goals were in my reach....of course the weather, competition and nutrition are always the wildcards.

Boise is set up as a two-transition race, with the swim and T1 at Lucky Peak Reservoir, a partial out-and-back bike course back to town, T2 smack in the middle of downtown, followed by a double loop, flat as a pancake run along a green belt.  Due to inclement weather and cold water in previous years, the start time is an anomaly for 70.3 races....high noon.

You would think that the noon start would afford some sleep in time and a relaxing morning, but it was not to be.  The two-transition set up and bus shuttle made for a long morning, and it was honestly a little disorganized. Some people were even pushing athletes out of the way to get their kids on the shuttle!  (Um, remind me again why your three kids need to be in transition three hours before the start?!)  We ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes for the drive up to Lucky Peak and had way too much time before the race, in the sun with limited shade. The 5 hour, totally unnecessary wait is somewhat suspect to my later issues, and my tummy was not happy before the race. 

The start was definitely interesting. Everyone stands like lemmings baking in the hot sun in the holding areas.   One by one the groups jump off the dock for an open water start, with 4 minutes between waves.  My AG was the 6th wave out and the sound of 100 women hitting the cold water was pretty funny....lots of squealing!  The water was a very fresh 11 degrees and  took my breath away, but we had about 2 minutes to tread water and get used to it. The small wave start was quite civilized but the 4 minute offset was not enough to string everyone out, by 800m we caught the groups in front (each wave had different color caps).  I felt that I had a better swim than the time reflected and felt pretty decent considering the water temp (11 degrees), but was surprised to see how slow I was. All in all, kind of disappointed with the 38 min swim.

The W35-39 swim lemmings lining up for our chance to jump off the dock

T2 was very long - we had to wind our way up a boat ramp to the wetsuit strip area, then into the bike area. Had an uneventful transition, although the mount line was very congested and one poor girl even flatted coming out of T2.

The bike course was surprisingly fast. After having treacherous north winds for the days leading up to the race (which essentially creates a lot of cross wind on the partial out and back), there was only wind enough to create a little bit of sail with my spanky new Shimano C50s. Despite my heartburn on the deep dish wheel choice, the gamble paid off.  The temperature was warm, but not uncomfortable, although it was definitely a dry heat that I am not accustomed to.

I took a salt tab + gel at 30 min, drank regularly (GU Brew + carbo pro), and then started a schedule of gel every 30 minutes.  This has worked in the past....but not today.

At 30k into the bike, I started having vertigo and a visual disturbance, like looking into bright light. I had to focus really hard on my peripheral vision to see the road and could not see clearly straight in front of me. This went on for about an hour, and I seriously thought about getting off the bike. The visual disturbance moved around to the far outside after 15-20 mins, so I was able to focus on a point in front of me but it was still like looking into bright sun and not being able to get rid of the flash.  I have had migraines in the past, and they are always preceded by this "aura", so I stayed on the bike betting that a headache was coming but that my vision would improve. Took one tylenol at this point, but was scared to take another salt tablet as I was worried that the sodium may affect the headache. 

In retrospect, dehydration may have been the problem and I should have probably taken the sodium.  I also should have been a big girl and got off the bike, because I was in no condition to stay on.   I was unable to look at my garmin for this period and rode entirely by feel, mostly in my aerobars while focusing on a point in front of me.  I'm shocked at how decent my ride was in these conditions, just kept the legs moving in a fairly easy gear.  Maybe not knowing is the key?

The race officials were all over me from about 35 miles on, and I spent a lot of time passing so as not to get penalized.  I actually thought I might be riding erratically and that they were watching me (hmm...paranoid much?!), so finally asked if everything was OK and they said yes, that they were just keeping an eye on the AG leaders. I was totally floored that in my state I was leading the bike in my AG - very odd position for me to be in.  I rode into T2 and my entire rack was empty, confirming what the officials had told me.  Being the sole person on my rack afforded me the luxury of 2 volunteers in T2, so I got to leave a tornado of gear in my wake and had a pretty good switch.  The long T2 time reflects a much needed potty stop, at which time the vision cleared up a little and I decided to give running a shot.

The first 2k on the run felt awful. My legs were cramping and it was hot.  I stopped at the first aid station to collect myself, then plodded along.  I eventually started feeling so-so on my feet, but never good.  The headache started and the vision disturbance was off and on.  It seemed to improve when I would stop moving, so there was a lot of walking through aid stations.  Cold sponges were money.

My run time was poor, but I can't expect much better for the amount of time I spent nursing myself.  One girl in my AG passed me at 8k in, and there was nothing I could do. There was another behind me, but I was able to pull off a decent enough last 4k to fend her off. While I was running, my pace was decent - 4:30 or so - so the tempo work seems to be paying off. Trouble was that I had to stop so much to allay the cramping, headache and sight issues that I never managed to get any consistency in my pacing.  I didn't see the clock at the finish (or really anything on the last 3 block stretch!) and just made a beeline for the chairs at the finish and relished sitting down.  The blurred vision and dizziness persisted for about 15 minutes after I finished, the headache for hours.

Props to the friendly volunteers in Boise who put on a great race (apart from the shuttle issues).  The transitions were well organized, the aid stations were frequent and the volunteers were fantastic.  Our drop bags were organized and ready for us to pick up less than 30 minutes after the finish, and the awards were promptly and efficiently managed.  Great small town vibe, fantastic finish area, tough but good race course.  


There are a number of aspects about the race that I am happy with.  My bike split was the second fastest in my AG (by a mere 30 seconds) and I felt really comfortable on my bike.  I was pleased with my run pace (while I was moving) and feel that the tempo work is paying off.  And my sunscreen worked! :) 


I am disappointed at barely missing sub-5 with my 5:00:55 finish, but extremely appreciative of the fact that I finished so close to my goal. Was very, very close to my first DNF and probably had no business being out there in the shape I was in - this was the hardest day I have had in a race in a long time.  


In retrospect, I think that mild head stroke and/or dehydration could have been the cause of my woes.  I'll never know for sure, but think that the hours in the sun preceding the race, dicey pre-race nutrition and the shock of the cold water contributed towards making my head really unhappy.  Several the other racers I know had serious, serious stomach / dehydration issues and really rough days that took mine on a run for its money. 

Posing with our unbreakable trophies - Rachel with an incredible 3rd place pro finish in her first 70.3

My suffering and effort, however, was good enough to earn myself the right to do it again at the Las Vegas 70.3 championship, as I finished 2nd in my age group and earned my slot.  Less than 2 hours later, with my forehead oozing from helmet chafing, I had handed over payment for my slot....we are funny creatures, aren't we?   

Rule #5

We Vancouverites are a demanding lot.  We have the pleasure of living in what is (arguably) amongst the least harsh of Canadian climates and yet, the weather is a constant source of dismay.  I find it funny.

As a transplanted Albertan, I am quite appreciative of the fact that I can enjoy the outdoors year round. Sure we have to endure some rain, but a little rain (and sometimes even a lot of rain) is a heckuva lot more pleasant than six months of snow.  Hell, we are such lightweights when it comes to weather that people in the lower mainland think a "snow day" is justified at half a centimeter!

So I was totally amused this morning with a conversation between two guys at my office who were lamenting about the awful weather on their Saturday ride.  When asked if they were geared up properly, they looked perplexed.  I repeated the question - were you dressed for the weather?  Did you have rain jackets and booties?  No, they did not.

So perhaps this is intrinsic proof, not that "Vancouver sucks" as these two had so quickly concluded, but perhaps that there is no such thing as "bad weather"....just bad clothing choices and bad attitudes.  :)

We hardly live in an geography of extremes.  It gets rainy, but rarely snows.  It gets warm, but is rarely scorching.  I would totally understand the complaining if we lived in heat ravaged desert or in permafrost.  But seriously guys, we live in Vancouver.  It was probably 8 degrees with a little rain.  So you got wet.  My guess is that you probably dried out.  Oh, and there is this really fantastic stuff called "Gore-Tex".  Check it out sometime.

I'm not saying that it is pleasant to be stuck in nasty weather.  In fact, just a couple weeks ago, I was caught in a torrential downpour while riding on the Sea to Sky.  Although that ride was definitely hypothermia inducing and was not something I would want to repeat on a daily or weekly basis, the truth is that we really don't have it all that bad.  There is a solace and peacefulness about riding or running in the rain that I just cannot explain.  It reminds you that you are alive, and that you have the ability to move.  Of course, when you stop moving it gets cold but it teaches you to just keep moving.

I read a poem about weather in Running Times a while back that really resonated with me.  I repeat it every time that I try to justify skipping a workout because of rain:

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather,
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.

Usually I find that repeating this is enough to get me out in rain, wind, whatever the weather.  Hell, if I waited for perfect weather, I would be hard pressed to do most of my workouts!

Scotia Half 2007 in a deluge.  Lucky for me, I am waterproof.

I have also realized that as challenging it can be to motivate myself to get going in suboptimal weather, it is rare workout that I am not glad I have done once I am into it.  More often than not, I find that there is an unspoken joy to be found in those rainy day experiences.  The childish delight of stomping through muddy, wet trails.  The solace of being the only person on the seawall in the rain.  Watching the mountains meet the mist.  Laughing at how ridiculous it is to ride sideways in the wind.  You learn to buck up and get it done, and I believe, you learn a little about yourself in the process!

Shhh.....training in progress

Swim, bike, run, repeat.  Throw in work, sleep, eating, dog walking and lots of laundry and you pretty much have a synopsis of the past few weeks.  I honestly feel sometimes like I have 3.5 spare minutes a week!

Yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It is my last build cycle before the taper into Boise 70.3 and although I've been admittedly negligent at blogging, I feel very focused on the workouts.  With a few more weeks of hard work left, focus will soon shift to recovery and race day preparation.  My run and bike workouts have been challenging me as of late, with more attention to strength and speed than last year.  Training for my first Ironman last year was about survival.  This year, with my goal race having only half the distance, the focus is on speed, endurance and fine tuning.

(Well, except for the swimming part....which is still about survival.)

Interestingly, I have noticed some adaptations to the training schedule.  Even with the number of hours I am putting in, there is definitely less a** dragging than last year and more tail wagging.  Whereas at the same time last year I was battling fatigue and constant hunger, the biggest challenge this spring has been the incessantly brutal weather...rain, rain, cold, wind, rain, hail, yeeeeech.  Waking up to my long ride last Saturday and hearing the rain pounding off the work required more than a little mental game to get going.  Thank goodness for training partners....that ride was definitely brutal to get through!

I have also realized that I have now sunk pretty far into the triathlon lifestyle and think it is pretty amusing.  Can't imagine the last time I bought myself some jewelry or new non-workout shoes, but I did get pretty excited about a spanky new torque wrench that I just treated myself to.  Yes, a torque wrench.  Manicures and lip gloss?  Ha.  Let's talk chamois cream and SPF anti-chafing lip balm instead.  Wednesdays are hill repeats, Friday evenings are bike maintenance and Sunday afternoons are about compression socks.  Carbon, not diamonds, are this girl's best friend.

May long weekend will mark my second pilgrimage to Penticton this year (we had an incredible training weekend over Easter).  Fingers are crossed for more Okanagan sunshine and I'm looking forward to a fun weekend with friends, perhaps the first lake swim of the year and some great riding and running!

Keep pedaling, more giving!

This week I met my fundraising goal for the 2011 Ride to Conquer Cancer!  Yay!!  With much thanks to some very generous friends and clients, I am now able to participate in the ride for the second year in a row and have raised over $5,700 during the last two years for the benefit of the BC Cancer Foundation.  But it is not time to sit back....there are still two more months until the ride and lots more fundraising to do!

This year, our corporate team has 33 members and has an aggregate fundraising goal of $133,500.  We've been busy planning fundraising events and getting our team ready for the two-day ride down to Redmond, WA.  We have ordered some awesome new custom ride Sugoi kits so our team will stand out on ride day (props to the folks at Speed Theory and the custom design team at Sugoi for helping in the process)!

What has been really inspiring about being involved with the corporate team is hearing the stories as to why people do the ride - hope, optimism, philanthropy and determination really do spring eternal to efforts like these.  The acts of fundraising and riding a bike for two days is nothing compared to the struggle to beat cancer, and in my mind, the very least we can do.  Cancer affects so many - it is a disease that strikes young and old alike, and every personal witness to it has a heartwrenching story to tell.

Survivors who participate in the ride can chose to ride with a flag on their bike and it was really astounding to look around the crowd of riders and see all the flags.  It was a testament not only to the power and conviction of the human spirit, but makes you feel grateful for every day you have to live.  Survivors are role models to us all, and those that have experienced loss are equivalently relentless in their determination to make a difference.

The reason I have chosen to support this particular charity is because I believe that they are also equally determined to make a difference.  The BC Cancer Centre is focused on advancing treatment and research, developing new therapies to save lives and very boldly seek a vision of a world free from cancer.  I'd like to believe that this is possible, for the sake of us all.

Although there are no more ride spots open for this year, if you have time to spare, you can get involved as part of the crew or by supporting one of the riders.  As for me....I think that with two months to spare, that perhaps I need to increase my fundraising goal!

April Fools!

On Sunday, a group of us journeyed over to the inappropriately named Sunshine Coast for their April Fool's Half marathon.  It was a very early morning, starting with a 5am wake up and journey to Horseshoe Bay to catch the ferry over.  Good thing Starbucks has an April special on grande cups of brewed coffee, because I needed it!

The ferry was a little late, so it was a bit of a scramble to take care of all the pre-race necessities and I was not able to get an adequate warm up.  I barely made it to the start by gun time!  I was not fussed, however, because this was really a "C" priority race for me.

The low priority also gave me the opportunity to experiment a little because I didn't really care about the outcome.  It was essentially a race pace training run and an opportunity to change a few variables, try out a nutrition plan and mess around with pacing.  I was not particularly rested and my diet was not very angelic in the days preceding the race, and two cups of pre-race coffee is totally uncharacteristic given my history of tummy troubles in races.  As it turns out, the experiment was a good one....but could have gone very wrong!

The start was moved this year so it was downhill and the pace was a little hot from the get go. After a couple of kilometres of a very fast pace, I settled into a pack of a few runners and found myself running alongside the venerable Rachel Kiers.  Rachel is an athlete whom I very much admire and respect - she is incredibly strong, a remarkable triathlete and is one of the most lovely and cheerful people I know. I knew I was probably out too fast if I was in the same group as Rachel, but I let it ride.  I felt good, the downhills were fun and I had nothing to lose, although she was probably tired of me sticking around!

Checked my watch at 10k and realized that I was under my open 10k time by almost 2 minutes.  Again, shrugged it off and accepted that a blowup was imminent.  And yet, by the time the hilly section around 16k arrived, I realized that I could hang on for the finish.  The last half was not as fast as the first, with some challenging uphill and rolling sections, but it was a very fast course for me.  I usually struggle at the half marathon distance and for some reason, on Sunday, there was just no struggle.  The last three kilometers were rolling and downhill and at this point Rachel got away on me (she presumably had gas in the tank, and I did not), but I was too happy to care.

A week ago, if someone had told me I would break 1:30 on the half, I would have shrugged it off as an April Fool's joke indeed....but my finish time was 1:27:39 (no fooling!), a full four minute PB.  Reflecting on the race, it was really gutsy to go out so hard, but the gamble paid off.  I guess that's what C races are for....to play around with something and see how it turns out.  The 2 cups of coffee stayed put, the nutrition plan of a gel every 30 minutes seemed to be fine and for reasons unbenownst to me I was able to hold what was essentially my 8k pace for a full 21.2.  Hopefully I will figure out the "how" very soon because whatever it was, worked!

Train-cation in Maui!

By train-cation, I don't mean rail travel....I mean training while on vacation!  One of the reasons I chose to spend a couple weeks in Maui, apart from escaping the incessant winter rain, was to help motivate my training.  Although I realize that packing lycra and spending copious amounts of time exercising while in tropical paradise is not for everyone, for me it was a chance to re-invigorate my love of running and riding while not worrying about how to effectively cram 14 hours of workouts into a busy work week.

And what a train-cation it was!!  Highly recommended!  Despite the lack of a formal workout schedule I managed to trample over 400 kilometers of pure Aloha fun by foot and pedal.  There was lots of interesting new terrain to explore, some amazing weather and stunning scenery - hence, most of the rides and runs involved a lot of stopping to gawk and take pictures (I will tell you it was to take pictures, but mostly it was to catch my breath).

I was also able to participate in two fun road races to remind myself how hard it is to run fast in Hawaii!  The headwinds, heat and humidity are certainly very challenging and not something that I have been accustomed to during the cold, wet, soggy Vancouver winter.

One of the other *best* parts of train-cation is that the third required triathlon activity known as "swimming sucks" was relegated to fun swims only. Aimlessly following black lines in pools is strictly prohibited while on vacation.....only beach swimming with turtles and dolphins allowed!!  And let me tell you, swimming doesn't suck nearly as much in lovely clear, blue water.

Some favorite pics from traincation!

Amazing ride in Upcountry Maui with sweeping views over the west coast of Maui...

Stunning vistas from the Munro trail in Lanai

Our dolphin greeting in Lanai, hello hello!

Awesome views of the West Maui Mountains

Aah, the red dirt you can never remove from your runners....but worth it!

Sometimes even P2s get beach breaks!

Awesome place for a rest stop in Kapalua!

Although Maui has some incredible beaches, I personally cannot imagine not exploring past the obvious tourist destinations and trying to capture a bit more of the personality of the island.   Certainly the most incredible parts of the island, in my opinion, are those that take a little more effort to pursue - and admittedly I have probably not even scratched the surface of everything that Maui has to offer in the several times I have visited!  The misty forests of Makawao, the rolling greenery of the Upcountry, the vast lava fields in the south and the desolate beauty of Lanai, all taken in by foot or by cycle, are quite the wonder to behold indeed.  The smell of the sea air, the eucalyptus, the birds....what an amazing way to experience the land of Aloha.

Beantown shines again

The buzz in the running world today was around the announcement made by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) over its registration and qualifying process.  Last October, entry to the 115th Boston Marathon filled last October in just over 8 hours, leaving many qualified runners shocked and in the lurch.  It was my opinion that the beantown 26.2 lost a little of its lustre with this stampede approach to registration...and apparently others shared this view.  There were calls for drastic changes to qualifying times - the question was, how would BAA respond?

And now we know.  Not only will the fastest runners receive preference in the registration process, but runners will also need to post faster qualifying times across the board (5:59 to be exact).

It has been interesting to read blog posts and message boards in response to the BAA's decision.  A clear message has been sent - the BAA wants the Boston Marathon to retain its prestige and competitiveness, and it wants the entry procedure to reflect this mission.  

I agree in principal with the changes being made.  If you want to run the Boston Marathon, you need to run the fastest time possible. If the race fills with people who bettered their BQ by 20 minutes, then so be it (we know that is theoretical...it won't happen).  But in my view, the race could conceivably fill with runners meeting their quals by 10 minutes or more. The faster time you post, the better chance you have of getting in - it is no longer strictly a case of meeting a qualifying standard and getting automatic entry.  

Notably, the BAA has failed to address concerns of gender preference in its adjustment of the qualifying standards.  The difference between male and female qualifying times at any given age remains 30 minutes, and I tend to agree with the view that this gap may be too wide.  

If the new qualifying standards had been in place when I started running marathons, I would not have qualified for Boston on my second marathon.  Indeed, it would have taken me several more attempts but in retrospect that would not have been a bad thing.  Running marathons is complex and even after 17 marathons, I am still learning.  I think the motivation to run faster, smarter and stronger drives us to train faster, smarter and stronger.  Entry into the Boston Marathon should be a reward for success and not a rite of passage.  (Nice way of saying it is supposed to be hard to qualify!!)  

It also seems to me that the BQ is not necessarily the benchmark we should seek.  Seeking continuous improvement and betterment is the goal (well, perhaps with some fun thrown in there!) and the new registration process aims to capture that.  If you meet your BQ, you run the risk of not getting in.  If you want to guarantee the BQ, you need to knock that PR outta the park.  And after all, isn't that what we are supposed to do?

So, thanks to the BAA for listening to the runners and for introducing a systematic and performance based entry process that will enable the Boston Marathon to be competitive and retain its distinctive and legendary qualities.  The new process, coupled with the more stringent qualifying standards, should once again make qualifying for entry into the Boston a goal and achievement in and of itself.  

I am very proud to say that I am a four time finisher of the Boston Marathon, each year > six minutes faster than the last (3:44, 3:36, 3:30, 3:24).  While I am a little disappointed to be miss the opportunity to be at the start line in Hopkinton this year, I look forward to the challenge presented by the new qualification and entry process....and I look forward to the opportunity to do a 3:18 in Boston to keep the tradition alive!