Sunday, August 17, 2008

70.3 Despite My Ovaries' Best Efforts (Again)

As I mentioned with my last race report, I am trying a "highlights-only" version of ye olde race report as I have neither the time nor the patience to recount all the minutiae. I figure I've got about five worthwhile things to say about any race, so here it is: the inaugural Five Spot Race Report (it's like a threat down, only race-related).

Five Spot: Pigman Half-Iron Triathlon

1. Play of the Week: MY FIRST SHERPA!

On Friday, Veg*Triathlete Jen called me up and offered to sherpa for me today. "You got it!" I said, even though I wasn't really sure what it meant. Turns out, it means letting the racer blast Britney Spears (playlist forthcoming) and talk a mile a minute at 5am while she burns off nervous energy, and then, when aforementioned racer has a disastrous run, still meets her a mile from the finish to tell her she's her hero and bouys her spirits enough to get her to run the last 100yds to the finish.


2. Inner Swim Kicker (46:19)
With the breeze, I got a taste (I think) of what it might be like to swim upriver for Iron Louie. A little disconcerting; a little sputtering. Hmph. Good thing I get to go with the current after about .8 mile of that. Other than that, not too shabby for swimming a squirrely line and getting swam over for the first time (that didn't even happen at IMAZ!). And, according to Jen, there were plenty of people behind me.


3. Inner Bike Kicker (3:52; avg 14.7 mph)
I was *hoping* for a 4-hour ride. Then there were hills. And a slight headwind. So this really was out-friggin'-standing. That, and the part where I sang My Prerogative OUT LOUD, alternating with "Who rocks the mic? Krissy rocks the mic. And when Krissy rocks the mic, she rocks it all the way down" for the first 30 miles. Oh yeah, I spent my formative years at cheer camp.

4. Inner Run Kicker (3:32 -- walking 16:11/mile)
Oy. A fatal error in T2 meant that not only would I not finish under 7:30 (which was my goal), the potential 7:00-7:15 finish I had set up on the swim and bike also evaporated. Thanks, ovaries. (But also thanks for doing this today and not at Iron Louie.) Let's just say that I forgot to pause for bladder/ovary maintenance before I left T2. Also, the cramps started at Mile 2. And the only portajohn on the course was at Mile 4, which didn't matter anyway, because I didn't procure a tampon until the turnaround. Then another 2.5 miles back to the portapotty. I don't know if you've ever tried to run while cramping and having to pee, but it's pretty much impossible. And this is how I learned that (1) these shoes weren't made for walking (two huge blisters) and (2) my running muscles are definitely MUCH better trained than my walking muscles.


5. What Made Me a Gutsy Broad Today
You know what takes guts? Insisting on walking all the way to the finish even when the sweep vehicle (AKA DFL-Wagon) pulls up behind you at Mile 4 of a half-marathon. Had this exact thing with my ovaries not stopped me from finishing Buffalo Springs 70.3 in 2006, I might have thought seriously about getting in that car and calling it a day.

But I had a bone to pick with both the distance and my ovaries. TAKE THAT BIATCHES!

P.S. So...doubling this distance in two weeks? It's a little unsettling, to put it mildly.

8 comments:

Gonzo said...

Might not have met your goal, but I still say congratulations. You endured, and that says a lot for your spirit. So point 5 is a totally accurate assessment. And to top it all off, you finished!

Good work. Keep it up for two more weeks.

00badness said...

Way to feed your ovaries some shut-the-hell-up! I think it's great you do this wacky stuff, just reading about it makes me tired. But thanks for giving me a reason to nap. Now go recover too!

Go Mom Go said...

You are going to be fine!!

Rest up and have a great taper!

Peace!

Brent Buckner said...

Gutsy event day.

Taper hard!

Danielle in Iowa in Ireland said...

I thought by now you'd just be carrying tampons in your bra the entire day :-) Good job finishing it up though! And are you still coming out this weekend to race your nemesis?

Mary Sunshine said...

I love that question:

"What made me a gutsy broad today?"

What a great thing to ask yourself each and every day!

CONGRATS on your toughness!

Lou will be no problem for you. The swim is quite gentle. There are beautiful horses to look at while riding and coke and chicken broth at the marathon aid stations. WHAT could be better?!

Mary Sunshine said...

I love that question:

"What made me a gutsy broad today?"

What a great thing to ask yourself each and every day!

CONGRATS on your toughness!

Lou will be no problem for you. The swim is quite gentle. There are beautiful horses to look at while riding and coke and chicken broth at the marathon aid stations. WHAT could be better?!

Unknown said...

Way to persevere! (Stupid ovaries.)