I began running last winter, starting with 10 minutes. After years with a serious back injury, I hesitated to get my hopes up that I would ever truly be able to run the way I would want to run. To my surprise, I seemed to respond fairly well to running, and very gradually increased my running time. I was thrilled, and terrified, the first time I ran 5 miles.
As I appeared to respond OK to running, I pondered the idea of doing some triathlons, and began hitting the pool. For the first time in years, bike racing took a back seat... and I simultaneously had one of my biggest bike racing wins. My brother told me this was because I was riding my bike purely for the fun of it, rather than for any particular goal... and without any stress or pressure. I gradually increased my running distance, getting up to half-marathon distance. I began to suffer from aches and pains: piriformis problems, sore hips, IT Band Syndrome, black toenails, abdominal pain, and top-of-foot soreness. Everyone told me this was due to my body adjusting to running, as I had never been a runner before. "Running hurts," was a common quote.
Several weeks ago, following my last bike race of the season, I began training for the Portland Marathon. Ted, Rusty, and I have planned to run the race together, and our whole families have planned to travel to Portland to watch and cheer. I was feeling good, though plagued with a steady stream of running-related injuries. My times were improving and I was loving running. Three weeks ago, I began having trouble with my right knee and IT band, which hindered my running for a week or two. I rolled out, iced, and stretched religiously, and the symptoms began to dissipate.
Two weeks ago, I set out to do an interval session (my 2nd running interval session ever) and I was very concerned that my right knee would cause me problems. I was thrilled that my knee was seemingly OK, but I felt a new ache on the outside of my lower left leg, about 4-5 inches above my ankle. I pushed through my interval session, feeling fairly good about my effort and chalking up the new ache to a typical running pain.
The following day, I set out for a long run with Ted. I felt good and was loving running. I had the desire to run and run, but smartly stopped after 10 miles... at Ted's urging. My right knee had not caused any real trouble, but the ache in my left leg was steadily present. I told myself I would take a day or two off and I would feel better.
Two days later, I set out for a very easy 6 mile run. I turned out of the driveway and was alarmed at the sharp pain in my left leg. I decided to jog for a bit, with hopes that it would feel better. It did not feel better. After 3 miles, I was done.
The following night I registered for the first race of a local 5 km race series. Due to arriving late, we had literally no time for a warm-up. My competitive juices started flowing as soon as the I crossed the starting line, and my heart rate simultaneously rose to a high rate. It's amazing how you do not feel pain, other than the pain of exertion, when your heart rate is jacked. I ran and enjoyed my hard effort, though it was not my best. Crossing the line, I eased up, and I realized that my left leg really hurt, to the point that I was limping. I knew I would not be running soon.
Through the next week, I continued to have pain in my leg, so I did not even consider trying to run. After almost a week off, I decided to contact an athletic trainer who had been recommended to me. Meeting with her yesterday, she immediately saw issues with my gait that need correction. Without even running, she was able to point out how much I over-pronate, which is not good for running.While I have very strong cycling-specific muscles, my running muscles are very weak, and I have very poor running form. I had aspirations of competing in tonight's 5km race. Instead, I am typing on my laptop.
I met with the trainer again this morning. She told me to come, "dressed to sweat." She put me on the treadmill first thing, building me from a walk to a run. I was unable to run, due to the sharp pain in my leg, so I had to stop. I asked her if she thought my injury could be a stress fracture. She said she thinks that is a very likely possibility. The only way to confirm a stress fracture is through imaging - usually a bone scan or MR, as they do not show up on x-rays in their early stages. All of my symptoms point to a stress fracture. It is my choice as to whether I want the imaging to confirm the diagnosis, as it really will not alter the treatment. I have decided to have the imaging done, as mentally I will do better with an official diagnosis.
I am trying not to be too frustrated, but I am really sick of being injured. In all of my nasty bike racing crashes (possible broken jaw, possible broken elbow, possible broken hip, possible knee fracture, etc.), I never broke a bone. Yes, I had a herniated disc in my back that prevented me from walking to the bathroom on my own accord at age 25, but no broken bones. I always found it funny that I was the Orthopedic surgeon's kid who never had a broken bone. To this day, I still don't have a cavity in my teeth, but it looks as though I may finally have that broken bone.
I have been through injuries far worse than this. I am still able to be independent, to walk to the bathroom, to dress myself, to walk my dogs. Only those closest to me know how much I suffered with my back. And, that is why I know I will come back from this injury. Compared to what I have been through before, this is nothing. I may not be able to run the marathon with Rusty and Ted in 6 weeks, but I will be back eventually. Time to be patient, and to enjoy the things "normal" people enjoy - like sitting in the sun with my dogs, a beer, and a good book on a gorgeous sunny evening. The sun, and my dogs, are calling....
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Brixie Maize
Brixie Maize, my Treeing Walker Coonhound puppy, officially turned one yesterday. Seeing as I have been a pathetic dog mom and have failed to make even one post about little Brix, here are a few photos of our time with her, beginning September 2011.
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| Baby Brixie, at 8 weeks and 8.5 pounds, when we picked her up from her foster home in DeKalb, Illinois. |
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| Brixie quickly took a liking to Ted |
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| Hitcher was very unsure when he first met Brixie. |
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| Getting comfortable in her new home. |
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| Little Brixie and me. |
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| Starting to play together. |
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| Ted and Brix. |
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| Hitcher and Brixie, officially bonding. |
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| Brix and her best friend, Hitcher. |
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| A true Coonhound, Brixie loves the sun. |
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| Pretty dog. |
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Triathlon
Since Walla Walla, I've taken a step back from bike racing, and I honestly have no real bike racing plans coming up. The number of crashes I've had in the past couple of years have really put a damper on my enthusiasm for bike racing, so I've begun exploring other options.
I did a couple duathlons, which I really enjoyed, and I followed that up with a couple of triathlons. Yes, you read that right. I have entered that realm - a realm I would not have foreseen me joining... for numerous reasons.
After my back surgery in 2010, I never thought running would be something I would be able to do, so I was excited when I began running last November. I was able to run for 10 minutes, which was a major triumph for me. Over the coming weeks, I gradually increased my running time, until I was doing 6 or 7 miles. In February, I decided to commit to doing the Portland Marathon in October with Ted and Rusty, though I still was (am!) unsure of how my back would handle it. While I was at it, I signed up for a couple of triathlons, and I began swimming 2x/week.
I did well in the duathlons I raced, winning both of them. Considering I had no real running training, I was pretty content with that. Swimming, however, added another element.
My first triathlon was the Onion Man Triathlon in Walla Walla. This one was an Olympic distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run). It was windy for the swim start, making the water too choppy for this newbie's liking. I struggled in the swim, having to stop to catch my breath numerous times. The course ended up being short, which was disappointing for my first triathlon, even though I am not a good swimmer. Coming out of the water, I was very far back - my swim time was only 211th out of 241! My first transition did not help, but I had not practiced transitions, so what could I expect?
The bike leg of Onion Man was a big improvement over the swim. I had the fastest female bike split. The funny thing was that I think I held back way too much on the bike portion. My average heart rate was very low, as I was being conservative for the run to follow. In retrospect, I wish I would have pushed on the bike considerably more. I never really drink when I do time trials, but with the run to come, I could have used that bottle I dropped during the bike. Oops.
My 2nd transition was really not much better than my first, so I lost time there. Looking at my pacing for the run, I was not happy. I was sure that my run split was going to put me well back. Imagine my surprise when I had the 3rd fastest female run split! Who knew? I honestly thought my pace was slow. I ended up finishing 5th overall and 3rd in my age group. I had lost it all in the swim and transitions. The good news is, I think anyone can learn to swim, at least decently. I do not think anyone can become a good runner and cyclist. So, I think I have potential, especially considering that I am self-taught for swimming and haven't done any structured running.
Lesson learned in Walla Walla - check your shoes carefully before beginning the run. Yes, I did the entire run with a gel inside my shoe, which explains the foot pain I had! Thankfully, the gel didn't completely rupture.
Last weekend, I did my second triathlon, the Boise 70.3. The course in Boise was to be a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. I was unsure of how this would play out for me, as this would be my longest swim, and I had only run 10+ miles twice before the race (actually, I had only run 10+ miles twice EVER in my life). I was kind of surprised to have someone tell me, "I know I will put at least 10 minutes into you in the swim." Trash talking already? This was only my 2nd triathlon!
Saturday morning was rainy, windy, and cold, which had been predicted for several days before the race. Seeing the forecast, I had made sure to bring a variety of clothing and bike equipment options. From my background in bike racing, races are typically held rain, shine, or wind, and it is necessary to have clothing and equipment for all types of weather. I had brought three types of gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers, a base layer, wool socks, a long-sleeved jersey, spare socks, low-profile wheels, etc. It was 43 degrees and raining at Lucky Peak Reservoir, and yes, it was chilly. The wind was blowing, but it was nothing I considered severe at all, so I was shocked when it was announced that the bike portion of the course had been shortened to 12 miles. The promoters were concerned that racers would suffer from hypothermia on the course. Really? I did not think the conditions seemed that severe. I honestly considered not starting when I heard that the bike had been shortened, but I decided to stick it out and do the race anyway.
The swim was the coldest swim I had ever done. My hands and feet were numb, but I put on my warm gloves, wool socks, and arm warmers, and I was absolutely fine. Yes, I wore arm warmers with a sleeveless top. God help me! A warming tent was set up near the swim exit, but I saw very few people using it. Personally, I did not need the tent, as my bike clothing was sufficient for the conditions. My transition was terribly slow! The bike portion was frustrating. I was so far back from the swim that I was stuck with slow cyclists. I passed hundreds of people, but there were "no passing" zones where I was stuck behind a slow stream of people. This greatly slowed my bike portion, but that's what I get for swimming so slowly! I rode the bike relatively hard, but conserved for the run. Perhaps I conserved too much again, but I am learning. I ended up having the fastest female bike split of the day, which shocked me since I had so much left in the tank. I'm used to time trials where I go all-out, so I was surprised to have the fastest time when I felt I had really held myself back.
My 2nd transition was even worse than the first! Remember that lesson I supposedly learned in Walla Walla? Yeah, well, apparently I didn't learn very well. I had both my running shoes on and double knotted when I realized I was missing my gel. I had to untie my right shoe and take it completely off to get the gel out of the shoe. And, this is something I should probably not confess! Oh well.
I began the run slowly, and felt okay for the first couple of miles. Around mile three, I started to have the worst abdominal pain to the right of my belly button, and I began to feel very sick. I kept running, but had to slow considerably, and I ended up having to stop to throw up at mile 4. The next few miles were very slow, as I struggled with severe pain. I felt a bit better around mile 8 and was able to pick up the pace slightly, though I still was below the pace I wanted to do. Around mile 11, I was again hit with crippling abdominal pain that had me hunched forward at the waist. I ended up walking, unable to run. People were asking me if I was okay. I was so frustrated, as my legs felt fine, but I could not keep going. I watched women in my age group pass me, yet I couldn't run. I jogged the last couple miles, feeling horrible.
I was happy to finish, but was very disappointed in my run, as it was much slower than it should have been. My abdomen is still sore today, so I think I have some sort of muscle strain. I'm not sure how or why my abdomen felt so terrible, but hopefully it is something I can resolve.
Barely hobbling through the run in Boise.
Heading out for the swim in Walla Walla.
Slow swim-to-bike transition in Walla Walla.
I am not currently registered for any other triathlons. I may do some more, but I'm unsure at this point. I was extremely disappointed to have the bike course cut short. Though I am a bad swimmer, I also would have been unhappy if the swim had been cut short, as I came to Boise wanting to do the race I signed up for. I personally feel that it is the individual's responsibility to come to an event prepared, and to make the decision for him/herself as to whether he/she can handle the conditions. The problem is that many people do not come prepared, and do not make the appropriate decisions for what they can handle, which does lead to injuries and problems... and therefore puts race promoters in a tough spot.
The good news is that I was able to run Saturday's half-marathon with no real back pain to speak of! So, it's looking like I can maybe start to do a bit more running.
I did a couple duathlons, which I really enjoyed, and I followed that up with a couple of triathlons. Yes, you read that right. I have entered that realm - a realm I would not have foreseen me joining... for numerous reasons.
After my back surgery in 2010, I never thought running would be something I would be able to do, so I was excited when I began running last November. I was able to run for 10 minutes, which was a major triumph for me. Over the coming weeks, I gradually increased my running time, until I was doing 6 or 7 miles. In February, I decided to commit to doing the Portland Marathon in October with Ted and Rusty, though I still was (am!) unsure of how my back would handle it. While I was at it, I signed up for a couple of triathlons, and I began swimming 2x/week.
I did well in the duathlons I raced, winning both of them. Considering I had no real running training, I was pretty content with that. Swimming, however, added another element.
My first triathlon was the Onion Man Triathlon in Walla Walla. This one was an Olympic distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run). It was windy for the swim start, making the water too choppy for this newbie's liking. I struggled in the swim, having to stop to catch my breath numerous times. The course ended up being short, which was disappointing for my first triathlon, even though I am not a good swimmer. Coming out of the water, I was very far back - my swim time was only 211th out of 241! My first transition did not help, but I had not practiced transitions, so what could I expect?
The bike leg of Onion Man was a big improvement over the swim. I had the fastest female bike split. The funny thing was that I think I held back way too much on the bike portion. My average heart rate was very low, as I was being conservative for the run to follow. In retrospect, I wish I would have pushed on the bike considerably more. I never really drink when I do time trials, but with the run to come, I could have used that bottle I dropped during the bike. Oops.
My 2nd transition was really not much better than my first, so I lost time there. Looking at my pacing for the run, I was not happy. I was sure that my run split was going to put me well back. Imagine my surprise when I had the 3rd fastest female run split! Who knew? I honestly thought my pace was slow. I ended up finishing 5th overall and 3rd in my age group. I had lost it all in the swim and transitions. The good news is, I think anyone can learn to swim, at least decently. I do not think anyone can become a good runner and cyclist. So, I think I have potential, especially considering that I am self-taught for swimming and haven't done any structured running.
Lesson learned in Walla Walla - check your shoes carefully before beginning the run. Yes, I did the entire run with a gel inside my shoe, which explains the foot pain I had! Thankfully, the gel didn't completely rupture.
Last weekend, I did my second triathlon, the Boise 70.3. The course in Boise was to be a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. I was unsure of how this would play out for me, as this would be my longest swim, and I had only run 10+ miles twice before the race (actually, I had only run 10+ miles twice EVER in my life). I was kind of surprised to have someone tell me, "I know I will put at least 10 minutes into you in the swim." Trash talking already? This was only my 2nd triathlon!
Saturday morning was rainy, windy, and cold, which had been predicted for several days before the race. Seeing the forecast, I had made sure to bring a variety of clothing and bike equipment options. From my background in bike racing, races are typically held rain, shine, or wind, and it is necessary to have clothing and equipment for all types of weather. I had brought three types of gloves, arm warmers, leg warmers, a base layer, wool socks, a long-sleeved jersey, spare socks, low-profile wheels, etc. It was 43 degrees and raining at Lucky Peak Reservoir, and yes, it was chilly. The wind was blowing, but it was nothing I considered severe at all, so I was shocked when it was announced that the bike portion of the course had been shortened to 12 miles. The promoters were concerned that racers would suffer from hypothermia on the course. Really? I did not think the conditions seemed that severe. I honestly considered not starting when I heard that the bike had been shortened, but I decided to stick it out and do the race anyway.
The swim was the coldest swim I had ever done. My hands and feet were numb, but I put on my warm gloves, wool socks, and arm warmers, and I was absolutely fine. Yes, I wore arm warmers with a sleeveless top. God help me! A warming tent was set up near the swim exit, but I saw very few people using it. Personally, I did not need the tent, as my bike clothing was sufficient for the conditions. My transition was terribly slow! The bike portion was frustrating. I was so far back from the swim that I was stuck with slow cyclists. I passed hundreds of people, but there were "no passing" zones where I was stuck behind a slow stream of people. This greatly slowed my bike portion, but that's what I get for swimming so slowly! I rode the bike relatively hard, but conserved for the run. Perhaps I conserved too much again, but I am learning. I ended up having the fastest female bike split of the day, which shocked me since I had so much left in the tank. I'm used to time trials where I go all-out, so I was surprised to have the fastest time when I felt I had really held myself back.
My 2nd transition was even worse than the first! Remember that lesson I supposedly learned in Walla Walla? Yeah, well, apparently I didn't learn very well. I had both my running shoes on and double knotted when I realized I was missing my gel. I had to untie my right shoe and take it completely off to get the gel out of the shoe. And, this is something I should probably not confess! Oh well.
I began the run slowly, and felt okay for the first couple of miles. Around mile three, I started to have the worst abdominal pain to the right of my belly button, and I began to feel very sick. I kept running, but had to slow considerably, and I ended up having to stop to throw up at mile 4. The next few miles were very slow, as I struggled with severe pain. I felt a bit better around mile 8 and was able to pick up the pace slightly, though I still was below the pace I wanted to do. Around mile 11, I was again hit with crippling abdominal pain that had me hunched forward at the waist. I ended up walking, unable to run. People were asking me if I was okay. I was so frustrated, as my legs felt fine, but I could not keep going. I watched women in my age group pass me, yet I couldn't run. I jogged the last couple miles, feeling horrible.
I was happy to finish, but was very disappointed in my run, as it was much slower than it should have been. My abdomen is still sore today, so I think I have some sort of muscle strain. I'm not sure how or why my abdomen felt so terrible, but hopefully it is something I can resolve.
I am not currently registered for any other triathlons. I may do some more, but I'm unsure at this point. I was extremely disappointed to have the bike course cut short. Though I am a bad swimmer, I also would have been unhappy if the swim had been cut short, as I came to Boise wanting to do the race I signed up for. I personally feel that it is the individual's responsibility to come to an event prepared, and to make the decision for him/herself as to whether he/she can handle the conditions. The problem is that many people do not come prepared, and do not make the appropriate decisions for what they can handle, which does lead to injuries and problems... and therefore puts race promoters in a tough spot.
The good news is that I was able to run Saturday's half-marathon with no real back pain to speak of! So, it's looking like I can maybe start to do a bit more running.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tour of Walla Walla
In past years, the Tour of Walla Walla has been a major season goal of mine. This year, I went into the race with a few primary objectives: to have fun, to get a good weekend of training, to ride a good time trial, and to finish as highly as my current fitness would allow. I thought I had a good chance of placing well in the time trial, but I was much less confident of my chances in the other stages and for the overall general classification. Afterall, I have followed no real training schedule in 2012, and had less than 1000 miles in my legs prior to last weekend.
This year has me seeking some new adventures, so while I will still be doing some bike races, I will also be doing some other things. I have done a couple 5km runs, a duathlon, and I am registered to run the Portland Marathon in October, alongside Ted and my brother. The three of us are also planning on doing Crusher in the Tushar in July. My training, therefore, has been a mixture of riding and running, with a touch of swimming thrown in for good measure. And, so far, this training approach appears to be working for me! Here are my race results for the year so far:
1st woman/8th overall at Freeze Your Fanny 5km run (20:04)
1st woman/6th overall at the For Love of Maui 5km run (20:48)
1st in the Wawawai Landing Time Trial (women 1-3)
2nd in the Wawawai Grade Hill Climb (women 1-3)
1st woman/9th overall at the Spring Sprint Duathlon (58:54)
1st in the Tour of Walla Walla Time Trial (women 1-2)
1st General Classification at the Tour of Walla Walla (women 1-2)
I was pretty shocked and happy with my Tour of Walla Walla win. Here's my quick recap of how the race played out:
Stage 1 - Waitsburg RR (42 miles)
The first lap of the race was pretty uneventful until we reached the finishing climb. There were QOM time bonuses/$ up for grabs at the top of the climb, so we all knew it was going to be a race to the top. I was feeling decent on the climb and a couple attacks went early. I saw a Canadian girl move to attack up the right side of the road, and before I knew what had happened, she had crashed herself out. She took the girl in front of me down with her, and I was forced to unclip and put my foot down. I felt someone else slam into my rear wheel, but I did not actually go down. How this silly crash happened is unbeknownst to me! I suddenly found myself gapped off from the back of the pack, putting me into chase mode. I chased hard and caught back on, only to be unable to react when the hard move went for the QOM. Again, I was gapped at the top of the climb, and I knew I had to catch back on ASAP. Thankfully, I looked back to see my teammate, Lisa, behind me. The two of us chased hard and caught back on. Meanwhile, I discovered that my shifting was screwed up from the girl hitting my bike in the crash. My derailleur hanger was bent, causing my chain to skip in the rear, and my chain was also shifting to the outside of the big ring. I fiddled with the cable successfully enough to get the chain to stay on the big ring. Our field ended up being neutralized with about 10km to the finish, as the 1-2 men's field caught us. This neutralization allowed the women off the back to catch back on, so we were all together when we reached the bottom of the final climb. I stayed with the leaders until we were within the final kilometer, but then found that my legs felt my earlier chase attempts, and I came across the line 10 seconds behind the leading group. Following this stage, I was in 13th place and 26 seconds down from 1st.
Stage 2 - Criterium
I just wanted to get the crit over and done. I primarily sat in the pack, only venturing to the front a couple times to chase some things down. I got pack time, and was content with that. With time bonuses offered in the crit, I remained in 13th place, but was 36 seconds down after the crit.
Stage 3 - Time Trial (9.3 miles)
I knew I would not be happy with myself if I did not have a good time trial, which meant I had to maintain focus and ride hard. I paced myself well in the TT, quickly beginning to gain on the women in front of me. When I hit the bottom of the hill, I could see two women in front of me: my 30 second girl and my minute girl, and I made it my goal to catch them both as quickly as possible. I caught them both and continued to push over the top of the hill. I could see some women up ahead, and I worked to chase them, catching my 1:30 girl and my 2:00 girl. I was close to catching the 2:30 girl when I hit the finish. I did not know my time or placing when I finished, but I felt that I had to be happy with my effort, as I had ridden hard and maintained my focus throughout. I was happy to see that I had won the time trial by 19+ seconds, which moved me up to 2nd place overall, and 0 seconds down. Yes, somehow, after 3 stages of racing, including time bonuses, two of us were tied, to the second, going into the final stage. The girl ahead of me was beating me by tenths of a second, giving her the leader's jersey.
Stage 4 - Kellogg Hollow RR (67 miles)
The race started fairly conservatively, with no real attacks going until we were on the loop portion of the course. I chased a couple attacks down myself, but then began letting some things go, as I knew I could not chase everything. I sat in for much of the first lap, staying out of the wind and trying to conserve. Upon entering the second loop of the course, a girl was off the front with a gap of 1:25, which meant it was time to start chasing. Several of us began rotating through, and we eventually pulled the girl back in. Over the top of the final climb, the yellow jersey was dropped. She managed to catch back on, but I knew she was having a hard time. Coming into the final 5km, I weighed my options. I could attack and hope to get away, or I could hope to gain time in the final sprint. I decided to wager on the final sprint, as I knew it was highly unlikely anyone would let me go in the last 5km. Plus, seconds separated the top 8 places, and I knew I could end up falling down the results if I blew up or someone counter-attacked. One woman in the race said to me, "Who cares about 2nd place? All that matters is 1st." Yes, 1st place is ideal, but personally, I'd rather be 2nd than 3rd or 4th. My bet paid off, as the yellow jersey couldn't hang on for the final charge to the line. While I got pack time, she finished 10 seconds off the back, giving me the overall win. I had only needed tenths of a second to beat her, so 10 seconds seemed like a large margin!
I was very happy to have won, especially since the win had primarily come down to my own strength in the time trial. Time trials have always been my favorite discipline because there are no excuses and no hiding in time trials - there is only you, your own head, and your own strength.
This year has me seeking some new adventures, so while I will still be doing some bike races, I will also be doing some other things. I have done a couple 5km runs, a duathlon, and I am registered to run the Portland Marathon in October, alongside Ted and my brother. The three of us are also planning on doing Crusher in the Tushar in July. My training, therefore, has been a mixture of riding and running, with a touch of swimming thrown in for good measure. And, so far, this training approach appears to be working for me! Here are my race results for the year so far:
1st woman/8th overall at Freeze Your Fanny 5km run (20:04)
1st woman/6th overall at the For Love of Maui 5km run (20:48)
1st in the Wawawai Landing Time Trial (women 1-3)
2nd in the Wawawai Grade Hill Climb (women 1-3)
1st woman/9th overall at the Spring Sprint Duathlon (58:54)
1st in the Tour of Walla Walla Time Trial (women 1-2)
1st General Classification at the Tour of Walla Walla (women 1-2)
I was pretty shocked and happy with my Tour of Walla Walla win. Here's my quick recap of how the race played out:
Stage 1 - Waitsburg RR (42 miles)
The first lap of the race was pretty uneventful until we reached the finishing climb. There were QOM time bonuses/$ up for grabs at the top of the climb, so we all knew it was going to be a race to the top. I was feeling decent on the climb and a couple attacks went early. I saw a Canadian girl move to attack up the right side of the road, and before I knew what had happened, she had crashed herself out. She took the girl in front of me down with her, and I was forced to unclip and put my foot down. I felt someone else slam into my rear wheel, but I did not actually go down. How this silly crash happened is unbeknownst to me! I suddenly found myself gapped off from the back of the pack, putting me into chase mode. I chased hard and caught back on, only to be unable to react when the hard move went for the QOM. Again, I was gapped at the top of the climb, and I knew I had to catch back on ASAP. Thankfully, I looked back to see my teammate, Lisa, behind me. The two of us chased hard and caught back on. Meanwhile, I discovered that my shifting was screwed up from the girl hitting my bike in the crash. My derailleur hanger was bent, causing my chain to skip in the rear, and my chain was also shifting to the outside of the big ring. I fiddled with the cable successfully enough to get the chain to stay on the big ring. Our field ended up being neutralized with about 10km to the finish, as the 1-2 men's field caught us. This neutralization allowed the women off the back to catch back on, so we were all together when we reached the bottom of the final climb. I stayed with the leaders until we were within the final kilometer, but then found that my legs felt my earlier chase attempts, and I came across the line 10 seconds behind the leading group. Following this stage, I was in 13th place and 26 seconds down from 1st.
Stage 2 - Criterium
I just wanted to get the crit over and done. I primarily sat in the pack, only venturing to the front a couple times to chase some things down. I got pack time, and was content with that. With time bonuses offered in the crit, I remained in 13th place, but was 36 seconds down after the crit.
Stage 3 - Time Trial (9.3 miles)
I knew I would not be happy with myself if I did not have a good time trial, which meant I had to maintain focus and ride hard. I paced myself well in the TT, quickly beginning to gain on the women in front of me. When I hit the bottom of the hill, I could see two women in front of me: my 30 second girl and my minute girl, and I made it my goal to catch them both as quickly as possible. I caught them both and continued to push over the top of the hill. I could see some women up ahead, and I worked to chase them, catching my 1:30 girl and my 2:00 girl. I was close to catching the 2:30 girl when I hit the finish. I did not know my time or placing when I finished, but I felt that I had to be happy with my effort, as I had ridden hard and maintained my focus throughout. I was happy to see that I had won the time trial by 19+ seconds, which moved me up to 2nd place overall, and 0 seconds down. Yes, somehow, after 3 stages of racing, including time bonuses, two of us were tied, to the second, going into the final stage. The girl ahead of me was beating me by tenths of a second, giving her the leader's jersey.
Stage 4 - Kellogg Hollow RR (67 miles)
The race started fairly conservatively, with no real attacks going until we were on the loop portion of the course. I chased a couple attacks down myself, but then began letting some things go, as I knew I could not chase everything. I sat in for much of the first lap, staying out of the wind and trying to conserve. Upon entering the second loop of the course, a girl was off the front with a gap of 1:25, which meant it was time to start chasing. Several of us began rotating through, and we eventually pulled the girl back in. Over the top of the final climb, the yellow jersey was dropped. She managed to catch back on, but I knew she was having a hard time. Coming into the final 5km, I weighed my options. I could attack and hope to get away, or I could hope to gain time in the final sprint. I decided to wager on the final sprint, as I knew it was highly unlikely anyone would let me go in the last 5km. Plus, seconds separated the top 8 places, and I knew I could end up falling down the results if I blew up or someone counter-attacked. One woman in the race said to me, "Who cares about 2nd place? All that matters is 1st." Yes, 1st place is ideal, but personally, I'd rather be 2nd than 3rd or 4th. My bet paid off, as the yellow jersey couldn't hang on for the final charge to the line. While I got pack time, she finished 10 seconds off the back, giving me the overall win. I had only needed tenths of a second to beat her, so 10 seconds seemed like a large margin!
I was very happy to have won, especially since the win had primarily come down to my own strength in the time trial. Time trials have always been my favorite discipline because there are no excuses and no hiding in time trials - there is only you, your own head, and your own strength.
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