Pacific Crest Long Course Triathlon - June 28 2009

Day Before Race

Drove to Sun River from Portland on Friday to pick up my race packet and died laughing when I saw I my assigned race number was 420! If you are reading this and do not get it do not worry about it ;-) I bought a neoprene cap (aka "Squid Lid") from my friends at Athletes Lounge at Sunriver village since I was so paranoid about my brain freezing during the swim. Headed up to Wikiup reservoir around noon to set up my bike and test out the water. Brought the shlong suite (short and long) so I could test the water out then have the full body one nice and dry for race morning. Got in the water with my schlong and and it did not feel like a complete ice bath. It was a "balmy" 60 degrees. By Wikiup reservoir standards this is warm. I jumped on my bike for about 25 minutes and did about 5 1 minute intervals to get the legs nice and warmed up. Jumped in the water for 10 minutes just to get into the "open water zone" and to decide if I was going to switch to the duathlon. I was in the Wikiup/Mt Bachelor area that previous Sunday and it was snowing during my bike ride! I got unnecessarily freaked out and contemplated doing the duathlon (just the bike and run portion) instead. For my run workout I did 10 minutes with a few 30 second sprints. My carb loading strategy was my homemade strawberry rhubarb pie the night before ;-)

Race Morning

Woke up Saturday morning at 5:30. Went into the bathroom mixed my maltodextrin and protein/malto formulas. Here is the deal; the Bend Motel 6 is across the street from an adult novelty shop and strip club. My maltodextrin when mixed with water has an EXACT resemblance to a certain male substance.... As I was packing my bottles and my malto flask I noticed I managed to get malto mix all over the counter, floor, mirror and sink. I did my good deed for the day by cleaning up every last bit o the mix so the housekeeper who would be checking my room later that morning would not be completely mortified. About 6:20 I ended up eating my egg whites, ham, cheese and oatmeal with two apples mixed in. I washed down my breakfast with a powerade zero. About 6:45 I ate my 290 calorie protein bar (again I am a weird freak, my body demands protein for endurance events)

SWIM 1.2 Miles

Arrived at Wikiup about 7:45. My swim start was originally scheduled for 9:01 am but due to road construction and one of the buses transporting athletes getting in a wreck we were a half

hour late starting. This would mean even more heat on the run, great.. I ate 15 minutes later then I wanted to so I was glad the swim was delayed or I may have "fed the fish" my breakfast. I had to have someone show me how to put the neoprene cap I bought the day before. Once the horn went off at 9:30 I started heading toward the first buoy and could not see anything, the glare was awful! I had to trust the other athletes I was drafting off of were swimming in a straight line. When we turned to head toward the 2nd buoy it was clear!! Woo Hoo! I was pretty much in the middle of the pack (getting bumped around etc) until we came upon the 3rd buoy. I turned and looked and saw the Red Bull sign; this meant to swim was almost over. At this point I am experiencing calm for the first time in the swim so I become suspicious... I pop my head out of the water, look to my right, and see a steady stream of athletes heading toward the red bull sign about 50 feet from me; of course expletives came out of my mouth; I knew now I was not going to meet my swim time goal of 38 minutes. $%%$#$. I finally got back on course and was out of the water in a little over 40 minutes. I was glad I had the squid lid, this saved me from an ice cream headache. For some reason I had a mini meltdown in transition and was doing a little bit of the hyperventilating thing. As my mom would say "I finally pulled my head out of my ass" and ran out of transition with my bike. My awesome husband Nick was like "great swim" and my reply was "My swim sucked".

Swim Time: 42:40 Women 30-34 18/28 57% Women Overall 83/148 56%

BIKE 58 miles

Once I got on the bike I had to fight to put my disappointing swim behind me (I LOVE to beat myself up) and thought from this point forward I am going to focus on my 3hr bike time goal. My attitude was immediately adjusted when about 5 miles into the bike two little girls were yelling "girl power". This brought me to tears of happiness; it was overwhelming. The first 24-28 miles of the course were nice rolling hills. I kept my HR mostly in the mid to upper 150's on the rollers/flats. From about miles 28 to 36 is a consistent climb up to the top of Mt Bachelor (there are a few very small dips). This results in about 2000 feet of elevation gain. During the climb I kept my HR mostly in the low to high 160s (lactate threshold). Got this pain in my right glute (butt) so I had to massage it on the ride to get it to relax. People were probably wondering why I was feeling myself up. According to my masseur Jacob who I saw 6 days after the race I did indeed "tear my middle right ass". As I was about 1/2 way through the climb this woman yells (get those boys); I smiled and gave her the thumbs up;-) The 80's song "lets hear it for the boys" kept playing over and over again. As I was on the steepest part of the climb a pair of two guys get right next to me (keep in mind I am almost 6000 feet above sea level at this point, and Portland is at sea level so the air is feeling extraordinarily thin and my heart is pumping out of my chest) so I almost lose my balance. I had to keep it real and inform them "Only one person is supposed to pass at a time and be 3 feet away from the person they are passing". I LOVE testosterone! It was pretty warm climbing Bachelor; the sun was really beating down on my back. By mile 38 the climbing was finally done; now time for the descent. As I was flying down the opposing side of the mountain pushing almost 40 mph a deer runs across the road! That would have left a mark. Was a nice steady descent until about mile 52 then the last part of the bike route as a 6 mile flat back into Sunriver village. I pushed my hear rate into about 170 (above my lactate threshold) for this last portion; I was going to meet my time goal of 3 hrs on the bike and I did!!!! This was my proudest accomplishment of the race; the start of the bike was about 4300 feet above sea level and we gained 2000 feet of elevation to the summit of bachelor peaking at 6,384 feet ;-)

Nutrition: Got through 2 1/2 bottles of my malto/protein and four servings of maltodextrin shots.

Bike Time: 3:00:39

Bike Pace: 18.60 miles per hour

Women 30-34: 6/28 21%

Women Overall: 28/148 19%

RUN 13.1 miles

Got into transition and grabbed my flask of maltodextrin (with the equivalent of 4 servings) and off I went! It very warm on the run (mid to high 80's) and most of the run was on exposed pavement/asphalt with no tree cover. In summary the run was flat and hot. I took 1 enduroylte salt tablet about every 20-25 minutes. I kept my hr mostly in the mid 160's. I tried to push harder on the run but my legs were not having it; this was the price I paid for the decent bike split. My legs were not going to move any faster. At every water stop I took in one cup of water to wash down the maltodextrin and endurolytes and another to pour in my shirt (thanks Katie for the tip!!!) By the third water stop my bladder was screaming and there was no way I was going to be able to bend my legs to sit in the outhouse; I had so much lactic acid build up at this point I feared if I stopped I would not be able to start running again. I had no choice, I just let it flow baby! I tried to be considerate as to not splash on anyone around me. I can guarantee I am not the only one who has ever peed myself during a race. By the last two miles of the run my legs felt like they were going to fall off but with the excitement of the end of the race in sight I was able to push to a heart rate of 170 to the finish.

Nutrition: 1 flask with the equivalent of 4 maltodextin shots, sip of water at every stop, 4 enduroylote tablets.

Run Time: 2:00:34

Run Pace: 9:12 minutes per mile

Women 30-34: 7/28 25%

Women Overall: 39/148 26%

Post Race

Immediately following the race I felt a little nauseous (as I usually do after a half ironman) but knew I had to eat within 45 minutes of finishing. Due to the utter disgust of the post race food Nick and I walked to the market and got some tuna fish and crackers. Fish is the perfect recovery food, I swear! That night for dinner I had a big piece of grilled salmon (Omega 3 fatty acids baby) and by the next day I was fatigued (to be expected) but my body generally felt pretty good considering.

Overall Race Summary:

4200 calories burned (you would think I would be eating the wood off of buildings but it took almost 3 days for my appetite to come back) Average heart rate 159 beats per minute.

Finish Time: 5:47:47

Women 30-34: 6/28 21%

Women Overall 26/148 18%

Race Pics: http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=616&bibnumber=420

Blue Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon June 13 2009

I finally fell asleep at midnight the day of the race. When alarm went off at 4:45 am Nick had to nudge me or I would have slept through it. This was my first race season (since I started doing tris in 2005) for self coaching. In addition, this was my first year of making my own electrolyte/maltodextrin and protein/maltodextrin mixes. Yes, my attempt to make own sports nutrition sometimes resulted in our kitchen resembling a meth lab explosion. I had been feeling crappy and fighting allergy symptoms for a few days leading up to the race so I was not feeling super confident.


I did not eat until about 5:40ish. I had my normal breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and coffee. Yes, I am one of those weird freaks who needs protein even when doing race events. At 6:05 am I ate my Kashi go lean bar and drank a Powerade Zero. My target was to eat 3 hrs before the race but I ended up eating about a 1/2 hr later then I wanted to. Once I got to blue lake I set up my transition area and went out for a 10 min easy jog for a warmup. I came back to transition to take my bike out for a quick spin to make sure everything was working as expected and some super douche took my bike spot! I got a little agro; "April style" but decided immediately the minor indiscretion was not worth the energy; I needed to focus on racing. I was glad I did the warm up for the Olympic distance; this got my muscles nice and warmed up.


Swim 1 Mile
Popped into Blue Lake in my full body wetsuit and it felt like a bathtub! I held a good steady pace and I believe I have FINALLY learned how to swim in a straight line in open water. I hate white buoyes but I managed to find all 6 (or 7) of them. For the first time I started passing green caps from the 30-39 men's wave who started 2 minutes before us 30-39 females. One green cap I passed I inadvertently grabbed his "junk". Thank god for wetsuits! The worse part of the swim was the big glob of food sloshing around in my stomach, I kept thinking "digest damn you". Again, eat 3 hrs before the race and no later! 2009 is the year of the swim for me, it is refreshing to know I do not completely suck in the water. Two years of masters swimming has definitely payed off!


Swim Time 29:53
Swim Women Overall 69/148 45%
Swim Women Age Group 12/25 48%



Bike 24 Miles
During the first half or so of the ride my heart rate was in the high 150’s to mid 160’s range. Did my shot of malto and sipped 1 bottle of my homemade malto/protein mix throughout the ride. Was not feeling that depleted after swim; I think my body was still digesting my breakfast. I tried to get my HR up to 170’s for the last 8 miles but could not, I think my body was telling me to save a little energy for the run. Kept my HR in high 150's to low 160's. My Bike split would have been a minute faster had I not fallen over right as I was coming into the bike dismount area. My right foot got caught in my pedal and over I went. I think some expletives came flying out of my mouth as everyone was asking me if I was okay. Screw me, I thought to myself, how is my bike! My bike escaped wtih just a little scratch on the seat and right peddle, no biggie! It was pretty cool how everyone started clapping when I got up.


Bike Time 1:08
Bike Pace 21:51 MPH
Bike Women Overall 18/148 12%
Bike Women Age Group 4/25 6%



Run 6.2 Miles
During the run my HR monitor was not working right so I relied solely on Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). When the HR monitor would intermittently register my HR was mostly in the mid 160's. It was cool when some of the athletes kids were on the course giving us high fives! I pushed the run and settled in to a nice cruising pace. I did the equivalent of two shots of maltodextrin on run (one in the beginning and one toward the middle). I washed this down with water from the aid stations. At the end of my run I was covered in maltodextrin and my feet were covered in blisters. Another dumb maneuver on my part, running for the first time this season with no socks during a race.


Run Time 48:21
Run Pace 7:47 per mile
Run Women Overall 31/148 21%
Run Women Age Group 7/25 28%

The temperature during the race was about 60 degrees and 70% humidity with overcast. This is about as good as it gets temp wise for a triathlon. My friends from the massage clinic were at the race and had put my on the list without my even having to ask; AWESOME, Jacob rocks! My legs by the next day had felt like they had been beat by a baseball bat, hence my new term "bat legs".



This was the fourth time in 3 years I have done this course and this distance; I had a PR (Personal Record) for this course (beating my 2nd best time by 5 minutes). Woo hoo!



Race Time: 2:30
Women Overall 26/148 18%
Women Age Group 8/25 32%


Race pics http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=612&bibnumber=211

Athlete Resume

ALL RACE RESULTS

http://www.athlinks.com/racer/38069232/April-Shepherd.aspx


Tri Northwest Triathlete Rankings 2007

Best Overall Triathlete http://www.trinw.com/rankings/07rankings/overalls/Overall-Tri.html

Olympic Distance http://www.trinw.com/rankings/07rankings/overalls/Olympic-Tri.html

OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association)
http://app.obra.org/results/racer/6763

Hulaman Half Ironman - August 17th 2008

Woke up at 4am and ate my normal meal of eggs whites and cheese along with oatmeal by 4:30. Left the house at 5am sharp to head to T2 (Bike to Run Transition) at the Hillsboro Stadium. By 5:30 had polished off a kashi go lean chocolate toffee bar. Stuck to my proven strategy of getting my gut full an hour and a half before the race started so a) I would have enough calories to top off my fuel tank b) digest all my food before the nerves set in and all systems locked up. Arrived to Hagg Lake at 6:15. The only thing left to do was to pump my tires, take my bike for a quick spin around the parking lot to make sure everything was working as expected and squeeze into my wetsuit. Was relieved to see the sunrise was blocked by cloud cover. Thank GOD it was not going to be a 100 degree race day!





SWIM
Wow, Hagg Lake was like a bathtub! It had been around 100 degrees in the Portland area for the 3 days leading up to the race. The swim was two .6 mile laps. The first lap was like glass, the water was smooth. During the second lap things changed; out of nowhere waves showed up. I suck at navigation in the open water anyways (as evidenced by my husband telling me I do indeed zig zag in the water). Hmm, was told this during Ocean Shores by another triathlete as well. I actually got overheated in my wetsuit!!! I had to slow my pace down because I was HOT. Could not believe it; usually I freeze my ass off in the water! I wish I would have worn my shlong (nick name I give my sleeveless wetsuit means sleeveless short on top with full body cover long on bottom get it, huh huh). I swear there was cow manure in the water, I could taste it. I have spent lots of time on farms so I know what this smells (consequently tastes) like. Was out of the water in 43 minutes. Was not stoked with my swim time, I am convinced if I could actually swim in a straight line my split would have been 5 minutes faster. In the pool I do not totally suck, I swear!!!

Swim Distance 1.2 Miles
Swim Finnish Time 43 Minutes
Women Overall 16/28
Age Group F30-34 3/6


BIKE
Thanks to lubing myself up like a slithery snake between the “suite juice” and body glide had a transition time of 2:11 between getting my suite off and getting my bike stuff on. This was the most challenging bike course I have EVER faced in a tri. The course was two laps around hilly Hagg Lake followed by a nice route out to Gales Creek Rd. Then took a sharp right and BOOM, I was met with CRAPshaw, I mean Capshaw Hill Rd. I swear the thing was straight up and down! Got into my lowest bike gear, stood up, and made it up the hill. They should have called about a third of this bike route “The gravely tar classic”. I felt like a human vibrator at times as I was pushing along on my 15 pound bike with the skinny wheels. I must have seen no less then 3 athletes on the side of the road with flat tires. I think my tubeless tires are flat resistant because I have not had one single flat on my tri bike all summer.

During the bike route kept my hr in the mid to high 150’s for the most part (z2). Did go into z3 (163-170) on some of the hills. I did not have my normal HR monitor (had to ship it to a service center in Seattle to have the battery replaced). My glutes (English translation = butt) muscles were on fire! Love the tri bike though, makes me use my glutes so my legs are fresher for the run. The monitor I was wearing did not have an average hr feature. Damn it! Without my trusty ANALyzer what was a girl to do!

As far as nutrition goes, the first hour I got through one hammer gel and one bottle of Perpeteum. Between hour 1 and 2 got through another hammer gel and most of the second bottle of Perpeteum Between hour 2 and 3 got through the 2nd bottle of Perpeteum and about a ¼ of the 3rd bottle along with a 3rd gel shot. Total caloric intake on the bike was 560 calories. It was around 75-80 degrees with cloud cover and about 56 percent humidity.

Bike Distance 56 Miles
Bike Finnish Time 3:00 hr
Average Pace 18.6
Women Overall 10/28
Age Group F30-34 3/6



RUN
As I was heading into transition to get off my bike and into my run gear I was met by cheers from my in-laws, hubby, and nephew. It was so nice to have them there cheering me on. My Bike to Run transition was 1 minute! The run was pretty flat. Two loops basically around the Intel campus and though a park. I didn’t know Hillsboro had parks, I thought it just had Winco and the Streets of Tanasbourne. Around mile 1 stopped to use the crapper. I was not going to leave anything to chance at this point. I knew I would not be able to hold it for then next 1:50 minutes or so. It was at least 80 degrees with humidity (around 60%) at this time so I was getting hot. I must have taken in about 5 endorolyte tablets during the course of the run and 3 gel shots. Felt like I needed the fuel. Of course, legs felt heavy and like bricks. Stopped at every water stop (except last one) and took two waters (one for my mouth one for my head). I started to get really nauseous during the last 25 minutes of the run and knew my stomach was not going to be able to hold anything else so what was in me at the time was going to be it through the end of the race. The HR monitor I was borrowing was not giving me an accurate read so I can only guestimate my HR. When I manually took it at the water stops it was around 170. During the last 3 miles of the run tried to push it but my brick legs were not having it!!! Completed the run in 158:00 (with stops in the crapper and 5 water stations). Average 9 min per mile. Was hopping to be in the 8’s but given the hard effort on the bike and the heat and humidity I was happy!

Run Distance 13.1 Miles
Run Finnish Time 1hr 58 min
Average Pace 9 min per mile
Women Overall 11/28
Age Group F30-34 4/6



Overall Finnish time 5hrs 45minutes
Women Overall 12/28
Age Group F30-34 3/6


After the race was really nauseous and felt like whatever I ate might come back up. Did force myself to eat some pork, salad, and a banana about 20 min after the race. I needed to get some protein and glycogen back to my muscles. I was covered in salt after the race (think from sweating out all the endurolytes?). The salt was so thick it was coming through my clothes. Wonder if nausea was caused by electrolyte imbalance? Felt a little nauseated for the remainder of the day (which is unusual for me). By the time I woke up Monday AM the nausea had gone away. Besides the overall muscle tightness, I felt normal.


The day after the race I had an hour and a half massage and a spinal/neck adjustment from my chiropractor. This is the ticket and what I will do from this point forward after completing every half IM! Three days after the race as I write this my body feels great (although my sinus's are on fire from the extreme weather change)

Race season 2008 has officially ended! I feel like I have met my goals for this year and that had a strong season. Besides cutting my finger with a butcher knife resulting in stitches and a freaky bloody nose resulting in packing and carterization (keeping me out of the pool for a total of 3 weeks) I really did not have any setbacks. I am happy and contemplating what my goals for 2009 will be. A full Ironman? Qualifying for the Half Ironman world championships in Clearwater Florida? I will keep you updated ;-)

Black Diamond Half IM Triathlon - September 22, 2007

Tri season 2007 came to a close on Saturday, September 22nd when I completed my first Half Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mile Swim, 57 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in 5:57:58 (hrs, not days ;-) I met my goal of completing the distance in under 6 hrs. At age 30, having no athletic background prior to the age of 25, I never imagined as recent as 4 years ago I would complete a triathlon, let alone a Half IM distance. I am thinking back to junior high were I was last picked in gym class (not a cliché, this was my reality) and my high school days when it would take me 10.5 minutes to run just one mile. The end result - doubled over in the locker room in a fainty/vomity state. Being a heavy smoker from the age of 16 to 25 also was not conducive with endurance athletics (imagine that).

Sometimes I beat up on myself for not placing in my age group but then my husband, coach, friends remind me I do have a life outside of tris (full time job, husband, friends, having a few too many drinks more then on occasion etc.) After all, I did cover 70.3 miles in 6 hours. Most Americans do not even cover this distance over the course of a month.

A HUGE thank you is long overdue first and foremost to my husband for being incredibly supportive of all my weekends consumed with long brick workouts/bike rides and him having to endure many nights of Raisin Bran for dinner (since he cannot grill to save his life). The second biggest thanks is a tie. The first goes to all my wonderful, understanding friends who still talk to me, despite my lack of availability over the last 4 months. The second to my coach for making me the best athlete I can be and being proud of me (despite the elite triathletes she has on her coaching roster – I am not one of these) If you ever need a lesson in humility, become a triathlete. 90% of the athletes at any given event are just as Type A, obsessive, and want it just as bad, if not more, then you do.

The night before the event we rolled into Enumclaw (southeast of Seattle) about 10pm; I was sound asleep by 11pm.

Woke up at 6am and ate piece of ham (from the hotel restaurant), oatmeal and an apple. At 6:30am polished off a Balance bar.

Temperature at the event was about 58 degrees and overcast with slight drizzle at times. Perfect Pacific Northwest race weather! Event start was at 9am. http://racecenter.com/blackdiamond/halftridu/index.htm

Swim
I felt good during the swim (although as I was slow as a turtle and frozen by the end) About ¼ way through this woman grabbed onto both my legs (back of my calves) and started pulling me under I turned around, looked her in the eye, and yelled HEY! I would expect this at a sprint distance event but not a half IM. Who the hell does this at a half IM? Had this women not done a tri before? If my feet were not so frozen I would have kicked her in the head. My feet and hands were ice cubes (tried to find the neoprene booties to go over my feet the week before the event but no avail). I would have been hypothermic had it not been for the full body wetsuit I borrowed from one of my tri friends. Low body fat makes for great running and severe lack of warmth in the water.

Bike
For the bike I took my time in transition (trying to get the full body wetsuit off was tough) and I wanted to be extra sure I did not forget anything (such as nutrition and arm warmers). I did not want to mess around with a 3+ hr bike ride. I was sooo cold after the swim the arm warmers were a life saver. Literally. It took me a good 15 miles on the bike to get my body and my legs warm. I did not wear a bike jersey, just my tri shirt/shorts.

I had 2 16 oz bottles of accelerade on my bike and got through the first one and maybe a quarter of the second one throughout the 3 hr ride. I also took 3 powerbars and cut into 1/3's and rolled in balls and put these in a sandwich bag. I wore the bag o powerbar balls in my bosom inside of my race top. Worked for about 1/2 the ride then the power balls became one conglomerated power blob. Coach says next year when I do this distance (yes, I am doing this again) she wants me to use gels so my stomach doesn’t take energy from my muscles trying to digest solid food. I sipped my accelerade every 10 min and ate a power bar "ball" about every 1/2 hour. Ate a total of about one and a half powerbars on the ride. For the first part of the bike kept HR lower z2 (around 145). During the second half did start building to around 150-155. Toward the last 6 miles did mid z2 to a little z3. I pretty much stayed out of z3 (lactate threshold) because I was paranoid about not having energy for the run. Considering I had to run a ½ marathon after the bike, I thought what I cheezed out on during the bike I would have 13.1 miles to make up for on the run. I was on my aerobars almost the entire time (but do not normally train much this way since I like to have full control of my bike when riding in traffic by myself). As a result, my lower glute/upper hams (English translation: butt and back of thighs) were yelling at me but I kept down on the bars and was glad I did, especially when it came to the run.

My glutes/hams were not the only thing yelling at me when I got off the bike. My hubby was giving me words of encouragement saying “you love the run” to which my reply was “not after almost 60 miles on the bike” His response “you will love the run”. Everyone around him started laughing; if I had one ounce of energy extra energy, I would have started laughing as well.

In transition when I bent over and switch out of my bike to my running shoes my hams/glutes felt like they were going to jump out my skin. This is where the power thoughts/words come in handy. I thought okay, 13 miles w/ a little pain, I can do this! The absurdity of having to run 13.1 miles in pain was too much for me to handle at that moment; I broke out in laughter as I was reaching down to grab the cliff gel shots.


Run
Did a gel shot at the start of the run. I had to pee so I used the outhouse conveniently placed at the start of the course. The hardcore athletes pee on the bike. Yep, you heard right. They stand up, let it go, then rinse off with water. Beings I am not even coming close to placing in my age group, I would look like the biggest jerk/poser/idiot if I attempted this. Maybe in a few years;-) I did 2 additional gel shots on the run (one about every 1/2 hour). Took water at every aid station (had one about every mile) and walked through most. Kept HR around 155 for the first third then for the rest stayed around 165. Pushed into 170-175 the last couple miles (my running lactate threshold). My legs were fatigued and throughout the entire run in addition to my glutes/hams aching but I somehow powered through it. Part of the run course was on trails; toward the end I tripped on a rock (result of dragging my legs from exhaustion) when I was only 1/4 mile from the finish and went flying. In a semi panicked state (from my heart rate being so high) I still managed to pull myself up and make it to the finish line.

Summary of my Results


More race pics: http://www.finishshots.com/racerresults3.php?raceid=506&bibnumber=67
I loved the half IM distance and will most certainly do this distance again next year! 5 days later I almost have my appetite back and my overall body soreness has almost subsided. I now get to reflect on my season, give myself 6 weeks of unstructured training (run and bike at MY leisure, no training plan) then do it all over again next year. Now I can eat dinner w/my hubby and hang out w/my friends; for a couple months at least ;-)

Hood To Coast - August 24-25 2007

Hood to Coast is the largest running relay race in North America. The race covers a distance of 197 miles starting from Timberline Lodge toward the top of Mt. Hood ending at the Oregon Coast in Seaside. The relay distance is covered by about 1000 teams (12 people each team). Each person on a team runs 3 legs with a distance of 4-7 miles (usually covering a total distance of 14-18 miles). The total relay takes anywhere from 23 to 32 hours to complete, depending on how fast the runners are! I was on a corporate womens team. I was not super fast, considering I was lucky to be running at all beings less then two weeks before I had the blown up quad from the St. Helens climb and was barely even able to walk until about 4 days before HTC!

Each team is split into two vans; van 1 will go through their 6 runners then van 2 will meet at a transition area (we are at Fred Meyer in Sandy) to meet van 1 when their runners finish. The BEST part of the race is the crazy decorating! Some of my favorites...

Somewhere is a really pissed off youngster after their favorite stuffed animal has been confiscated to be used a hood ornament....

Barbie Orgy!! Mom, if you read this, I NEVER partook in such vile behavior with my dolls....

You could only imagine the nastiness of these puppies, thank god we were trailing the crap sucking machine almost the entire race! Being a slower team had its advantages.....

Handing off where one teammate gets the pleasure of running though meth alley (springwater corridor in east Portland). Watch out, don't trip on tainted needle or a passed out transient!

Seaside at the finish, too exhausted to even think about celebrating. Sick thing is, I will do this again, maybe not until 2009 ;-)

Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour - Aug 12th 2007

Two days after the Mt St. Helens climb with a strained quadricep to boot , we were heading down to the mid Willamette valley methopolis known as Albany to the start line for the Covered Bridge Bicycle tour http://www.mvbc.com/. Not sure if this is the Albany mascot? German Shepherd sniffing drugs; Chasing crazy hillbilly's...








Larwood Covered Bridge

First bridge we came across during our 75 mile route...

Shimanek Covered Bridge
Bridge #2

The falling bikes lunch stop. Everyone got their bikes knocked over in our group except for me. The worse was when some pre-pubescent boy was aimlessly wandering and knocked over an older gentleman's $5000 Scott. The owner was noticeably PO'd, I am not sure if I had a $5000 bike if I would have been as calm. The boy showed no remorse when scolded by his father. The offenders sister was then crying (for 20 minutes straight) about what I assumed to be nothing. Suddenly I remembered to pick up my birth control prescription on the way home...

Gilkey Covered Bridge

The third and final bridge (we were supposed to see 5 in total).

My competitiveness came out and shortly after I got excited trying to catch a woman who consequently turned off to do the 100 mile route. Result was unexpected climb (which quads needed like a hole in the head) and bike rest stop in Deliveranceville...

Not sure what the yokels in Lebanon thought of the cyclists passing through (note to self - do not EVER, at ANY cost pull off I5 to stop in this town while by myself without toting one or both of the following - Rottweiler and/or hand gun); one guy came up to scroy and angrily asked "is that your bike with the flashing lights". It wasn't but I wanted the light to stop flashing for I could sense a nam or LCD flashback coming on...

Thanks to shortcuts we only ended up adding 7 extra miles to the planned 68. We borrowed hubby's truck, sent on our way with the instructions "to not to lean up against the truck for it might dent the sides". As we were discussing this the guys next to us were making fun of my hubby in his abscence commenting "trucks are meant to be beat up". When we arrived back from our ride this was left as a present for the beloved truck. Happy early b-day Nick!!!

No better place to advertise cock fighting then off the main west coast traffic artery otherwise known as I5..

Stuck in 2 hour traffic jam on the way home; good thing I had my muscle toothbrush.