Grady Williams Redueax. Race Report.

NOTE added 7/20 If you're reading this because a guy named Jeff linked to this race report and was freaking over this race, just ignore him, and move on. He loves to start trouble.

One year ago today I showed up for a little triathon called the Grady Williams Freedom Days Triathlon. In case you weren't around then, follow this link to read about it.

It's the only letter of complaint I've ever written, to USAT and the Farmington Champber of Commerce. In return, the race director accused me of being rude to volunteers, when, in truth, I never got to meet the volunteers. I became lost, along with the other Athean, on the run course (the event is swim-run-bike) and never made it to meet most of them. I always make it a point to thank volunteers, because I want them to have good associations with athletes and racing. Which means that she seems to be seriously mistaken in her facts.

But anyway.

SO here's my take on the whole thing.

~~PROS:

1. There is some bee-u--tiful scenery on this course. On the bike, you get a look at Shiprock from a distance, and on the run, you're doing a trail run through the high desert.

2. Bling, bling, baby. The prizes are gorgeous hand-painted Navajo pottery, which you can see at the end of this post.

3. Small field. There were a little over 60 participants there this year.

4. The lake is great for swimming, calm with just the right temperature for a wetsuit swim, although there were a couple of people without one, and the walk into and out of the lake is easy and comfortable. They mark off each person leaving the lake to make sure nobody is left behind, and then they transport your stuff to the finish line in another location.

5. The trail run to T2 was kind of fun (this is a swim-run-bike course). Although it's advertised as an Olympic, with a 10K run, the run was short by about a mile.

6. They don't lie about the course. They say challenging, and it is. Here's a picture of the bike course (top) and the run course (bottom): It is as ugly as it looks. I walked a couple of the hills, because I ran up the side of a mountain with Pirate a couple days ago (more on that later). That was my fault. My legs were trashed.

7. Low race entry fee: $30.

~~CONS:

In the words of a local race director, this is an "industrial strength" race. Support is minimal. For instance, after my letter last year, it was promised that cones would be put out to mark the turns. They were not. They used the exact same chalk technique as last year. This year, most of it could be seen. Only one person I knew of got lost this time.

All aid stations(3 on the run, 1 on the bike) had clear water dispensers sitting in the sun, so the results is bathtub-temperature water. It was around 97 degrees out when I finished, and on the last 3 miles of the bike I started getting goosebumps and nausea that signals heat exhaustion, despite finishing off the three bottles of ice water I brought with me. For people who are out on the course for a long time, cold or even room temp water is useful for bringing down core temp. I've been informed by veteran triathletes that this race has always been this way.

Sweet Baboo thinks I'm going on about this too much, but the course markings and warm water really need to be remedied, because it's crazy dangerous not to.

My advice: If you want a challenge, x-terraesque with plenty of hills, and very cool Navajo pottery awards, then do this race. It draws some of the more talented athletes from Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and beyond.

and if you do...

• Bring your own ice, food, sport drink and plenty of water; keep an ice chest at your transition area and perhaps even use a hydration pack for extra cold water. Only warm water is offered at the stops, and there's only one stop on the bike, despite more being indicated on the map they handed out.
  
• Know the course. Course marshals may point you in the right direction or just watch you go by. One racer sailed right on by a corner marshall, who never got up to tell him to turn. Drive the bike course and walk the run course the evening before, to be familiar with it. Carry a garmin, just in case.

There. I finished. I feel that I essentially erased my DNF from last year. It's a shame, because this race could be so great!

RESULTS:
My finish time: 4 hours and some change.
Sweet Baboo's finish time: 2:39. He placed first in his division. I was one of two athenas, so I placed 2nd.

Holy cow, my hubby is getting scary fast!

I'm considering being a volunteer at this race the next time Baboo wants to do it.

Meanwhile, we'll be shopping for a new "anniversary" triathlon to do. (Oh, yes, we will.)

...

It's official: I've lost my mind.

Sweet Baboo has requested that I state for the record that he did not talk me into this. (He only helped me with the rationalizations after I signed up.)

Rationalization numero 1: What the hell, I'm going to be there anyway, right? I might as well give myself something to do while he and the rest of the Outlaws and blogger community are running amok doing their ironman.

Rationalization numero 2: If I do Ironman Louisville and have a sucky time, I'm going to want another crack at it.

Rationalization numero 3: If I do Ironman Louisville and have a great time, I'm gonna want to do it ragain.

Rationalization numero 4: I'll have ample opportunity to learn how to spell Cour C'Arlene properly.

...

Good News, Bad News, and random pics.

The Good News:
I'm sticking with my training plan, mostly. I did a six mile run today faster than I've ever done a six mile run. For some reason, although my Garmin was telling me my pace, it didn't record it. So you'll just have to take my word for it that it was around 11:30 or so per mile. Then I did a 2000 meter swim. Then I forgot my coffee. I'll sleep well tonight. But I'm happy.

The Bad News:
The conversation I had recently with an administrator at my school. This is the third time I've applied for the same position, which keeps opening up for various reasons, and it's the fifth application I've made for a counselor position at MY SCHOOL. Where I've been teaching For. FIVE. YEARS.

Me:
"I was wondering the status was on the school counselor position?
I sent in a letter of interest and resume last month, but never heard anything."

Administrator:
"Which counselor position? oh, you mean the one that was filled last week?"

$hit.
(Note to those of you with the R and NC-17 blog ratings: it is the substitution of symbols for actual letters that keeps the rating of my blog down...)

Random pics

As anyone with a new digital camera can attest, it is necessary to bore those around you with pictures from time to time. BTW, why is it that whenever you upload a picture to blogger it makes all the spaces between each paragraph double? Weird.

← This is Maria "go-go" Ladd and hubby Mark. Maria is scary fast. She did IMAZ in twelve-something. Yeah. On the day that they shut down the Phoenix airport because of heavy winds, Marie was something like third in her age group. She's going to the 70.3 IM championship in Clearwater in November.

Mini-baboo → demonstrates the requisite enthusiasm of 16-year-old at 6 am. Forgive his grumpiness. He hasn't had his coffee yet. Mostly because mama won't give him any. Anyway, he's 5'10" or so and around 190 pounds. He may qualify for Clydesdale soon if he doesn't get off his butt and start training.

On any given weekend, you never know what people are doing. While we were picking up our BSLT packets and racing around a Texas canyon, these ← guys were racing around land that their organization had purchased just for the purpose of dressing up as cowboys from the old west and running around with single action pistols. It's kind of cowboy creative anachronism.

Ah, the triathlon family. →
Eleven water bottles, 2 LARGE coffee cups, and an aerobottle.


...

msivonrpq

You may have noticed that I've started adding a note to my comments. on some of your blogs. Things like: Today's word: msivonrpq

I figured if I have to type it in, I'm going to share it. With everyone.
Annoying, isn't it?
Yep, it's annoying when I had to type if the first time. Hint, hint.

It's 5:25 am, and I'm headed out for a 6-mile runrun. Ironman training ramps up this week.

...

How has exercise changed you?

So, the other morning I was sitting in the office of the director of my graduate program, fleshing out how exactly I was going to graduate and get the hell out of there before it's time for me to retire and I become the oldest graduate ever at New Mexico Highlands University.

I dragged out my internship far beyond the time in which I had met all the hours' required of me, but now it was time to go. If I don't graduate soon, I'll have to start retaking classes. Aieee!

My paper, which I'm currently writing and actually made an enormous headway on today (with the help of espresso and the background noise of what appeared to be an all day RENO 911 marathon) is on how exercise improves mental health, particularly depression and anxiety. Much of it will be supported with research findings, published case studies, et cetera.

However, in the last section of this paper, I'm given some lattitude in expression personal feelings. I would like to be able to include personal feelings of others about how training and working out has changed their emotional state.

SO, I have questions that I need answers to. The ideal person to respond to this would be the following:

1. You've started (or returned to) training and working out. In other words, it hasn't been your lifelong interest and lifestyle.

2. You have made some observation that working out, training, and exercise improved your anxiety and/or depressed feelings. In addressing this, you can answer the following: What is different now? What are you doing now that you aren't depressed, or anxious, that is different from when you were depressed or anxious?

In addition, I would like to know

1. How did you become involved in the fitness lifestyle? Did you decide on your own or were you partners with someone else who was in it?

2. How has this positively impacted your life?

3. What difficulties do you face in following through with exercise plans?

4. Has exercise made feelings of depression or anxiety worse?

5. How has this negatively impacted your life?

If I use your comments, you'll be referred to "JaneDoe1," and JohnDoe7" and so on,

and,

if you send me your answers, I'll take that as your willingness to participate.

If interested, email me with your observations and comments.

And thanks!

...

The Luddite Sprint (Race report)

It was gorgeous, with little wind and even lots of CLOUDS. Here's my report on the Tri-Raider Sprint; I'll let the folks that did the long course do theirs. (Links below)

I have to say, "about" a lot because I brought 2 heart strap monitors for some reason, but not a single watch, and I still don't really know how to use my Cateye wireless, including resetting it. I suppose I could find out, but then I'd have to readdddd. From my tentative experiments, it's clear that there are at least three buttons involved. AARRRRrrrrrgggghhh.

This means that I didn't know how fast I was going, how far I had gone, how much time had gone by or how long I had to go. I just went when they said "go" and stopped when I saw a finish line. Which actually, is much more satisfying than one might think. You swim, you pedal, and you run, and you're not quite as obsessive as you usually are.

500 meter Swim
I've always counted to five when they they yelled GO! This time, however, I said to myself, "Screw 'em, if they have to pass me, that's their problem," and when the air horn sounded I ran in and dove. Last year, my swim didn't get recorded for some reason, so my T1 was the first time and listed as 17:43 for 2006. 2007 swim time: about 9 minutes. I've never done a swim that fast before. My 100 meter pace was 1:55

T1 here is a bit long - you have to run up out of the lake and around, strip your wetsuit, and run the entire length of the 70.3 transition area before mounting. Took me over 4 minutes.

17.4 mile Bike

The bike comes out of a long curved shoot, then a 90 degree left turn and head up the first hill, the same one I did a month ago at the Buffman and Squeaky. These are hills that climb up out of the canyon, and they are gut-wrenching, heart-pounding, throw-uppy kinds of hills. Cursing up out of your saddle kind of hills.

After you clear the first two, there's a slight upgrade, about 1-2 percent, and then you're out on a flat where there may or may not be wind. This year, there was a slight breeze, and CLOUDS. Oh, you KNOW I love me some clouds in a Texas triathlon!
I passed a few people on the bike, including one woman who seemed to take it personally because she passed me back. Then I passed her again, and she passed me back. Whatever. It wasn't like I was speeding up; she would pass me and then slow down. Finally she passed me at the top of the last hill and stayed ahead of me.

At some point on the sprint pros start blowing by and that's when you have your first brush with greatness for the day. Just after the turnaround I heard the WHHOO-WHHOO-WHHOO-WHHOO of a disk coming up behind me and was passed so fast that I could barely make out the "P" on the calf.
My bike time and average speed this year were about the same as last year, 14.7 mph for a bike time of a little over an hour for this 17.6 mile bike.

5K Run
This is mostly flat with a few knolls here and there. My pace last year was 13:20. This year it was about 11:40. The woman from the bike was about 50 yards ahead of me and kept looking back over her shoulder at me. WTF? We weren't even in the same division and I didn't know her. But what the hell. We were both pretty slow runners, but the chase was on, and it was reminicient of the chase scene in Seinfeld when they were on electric wheelchairs.
The pros and REALLY fast amateurs continue to blow by you on the run, as the first part of their run is our run.

One female ran by me so fast that she created wind. I'm not making this up. And that's your other brush with greatness.

Overall, I did it (the sprint) about 8 minutes faster than last year. I'm pretty pleased with that. Once again, I was the only Athena so I got the first place award. Mini-baboo did beat me this time, about 11 minutes, and characteristically lorded it over me, because it's a banner day when you, the sixteen-year-old Athlete, can beat your 42-year-old Mom.

After you're done, you get to walk back up that hill and put up your bike, being careful to stay over to the right because of the 70.3 folks careeing down the hill, and eventually have a cold beer and sit in the lake. Ahhhhh.

From my spot in the lake I could see the finish line on the 70.3 and could also walk about 10 yards and yell encouragement as they went out on the run. So, I could watch out for the peeps who were there with me, including Pirate, Debi, and of course, Sweet Baboo, who I KNEW was having a good race judging by the juiciness of the kiss I got on his way out to the run. Maria "Go-go" Ladd finished 4th in her age group in the 70.3 and got a slot to the national championships in Clearwater. Mike and Time had pretty good races. Pirate's beloved and Debi's hubby both did the sprint. There be Outlaws all over those courses today!

I didn't get to see Greyhound or Triboomer finish. I did, however, see them at the hotel

lounge later as Kona Shelly donned them with all manner of Canadian regalia. We missed his final performance of singing "Oh, Canada," though. I think she filmed it. There will be more on that here.

Shanna "Banana" Armstrong did this madness: She wore three timing chips. She did the swim for the 70.3, tagged off with someone for a relay, then ran and won the sprint, and then came back, tagged off with someone else, and did the 13.1 miile bike for the 70.3 relay again.

Pirate and Debi have both assured me that I can do this. I will do this. In two years, they will have their 20th annual Ironman 70.3 at Buffalo Springs, and Mini-baboo will have graduated from high school. I will do this. But not next year, because Sweet Baboo is doing Ironman Cour d'Arlane next year.

Next up: the BOTTOMLESS SPRINT TRIATHLON, home this year of the New Mexico State Team championship.

...

Wish 'em luck

Like to give a shout out to the peeps who are doing Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 this weekend. This is a challenging half iron that I'm hoping to do some day. Sunday is not that day.



When you get a chance, if you haven't already, send them some

{{{{{{{comment love}}}}} Rumor has it that some of them are nervous.



Sweet Baboo

Tri-Greyhound

Pirate

Ironmaiden Debi, aka SW Tri-gal

aLSO: Mario "go-go," Mike M., Tim

If I've left you off the list, email me so I can put you on it!



Mini-baboo has decided to do the sprint. He and I will be doing the Tri-raider sprint which starts after the 70.3 start and finishes at the same place at the same time, and then hanging out in the lake and taking pictures.