Mental Recovery

After returning from Canada with a 19 hour drive to make it to work on time I needed some rest. So, my first weekend back I went on a 3 day solo (just the dog) backpacking trip into Desolation Wilderness (west of Tahoe). It was amazing and perfect to recharge the mental battery. Physically carrying a pack for 3 days probably wasn't the best, but I loved it anyway.

I found this sweet little camp spot above the lake. It was on a little ledge overlooking the lake. Kona loved her new found freedom in the day, but nights were a different story. She sat in alert the entire time growling at every bump in the night.

Just some of the amazing views.

The view from the climb up to the campsite from Lake Tahoe. 

On day 2 we did a 14 mile hike to the top of Talac for the views.

 
There was one particularly bold chipmunk that decided to torment Kona.  It kept running around Kona's legs. She'd stand perfectly still and hold her breath. After about 15 minutes of this Kona couldn't take it any more and half heartedly chased the chipmunk away.
The stare down. 

We are about 1500 feet above the lake here. We camped at the one that is further away.

The poor puppy was traumatized by the chipmunks and the dark. She stayed awake most of both nights with every bump in the dark eliciting a low growl. 

The best way to go backpacking. No tent, just a sleeping bag, food, UV light to treat the water, and a dog in case things get desperate. :)

Ultraman Day 2 & 3

The trip home was amazing, but went by far too fast. We got home just after midnight Saturday, and I had to work at 6 am the next day. I guess I'm trying to squeeze as much life as possible into 24 hours and it's not quite all fitting. 

Anyhow, day 2 of Ultraman started with stiff legs. Climbing down the stairs of the hotel I wasn't sure what would be in store for the day. 170 miles is a long way to go. Did I overcook it the day before? As soon as I hoped on my bike all my fears were gone. My legs felt great! I took it fairly conservative the first 60 miles which is a flat out and back. There was a bit of a headwind on the back part, but I tucked into my aero bars and started reeling in the men's field. 

The top 3 ladies going into day 2. Such great competitors!

After the out and back there was a section called the wall. I had heard about it through the competition, but I love the hills. Actually the tougher the course and conditions the more I enjoy it. The wall fell a little short of expectations after climbing the "walls" that surround Reno. It was a great chance to get out of the saddle, and I quickly flew up the hill. At the top I was surprised my support crew dressed in interesting garb. I don't know when they had the time to stop and purchase their attire, but it kept me laughing. 

I'm looking back in disbelief. I couldn't quite grasp what I was seeing. 

After the wall was a rolly section through beautiful grassland. There was another short hot climb and then we were at Yellow Lake and ready to descend the climb we had completed the day before. 

After the descent was a 40+ mile false flat with a pumping headwind. Conrad trying to be encouraging yelled from the car that it was all flat, but I had looked at the profile and knew better. I was folded as low as I could get and was still only averaging 14 mph. The wind kept on pumping, but no one from behind was catching  me. Weather is weather and we all have to deal with it.  

Near the end of this stretch the boys disappeared for about 30 minutes. I was beginning to get panicky. Did they get a flat? Run out of gas? Then I saw the river to my right and guessed that they went fishing. Conrad had snuck his fly rod into the team car that morning. That night when I was downloading photos I found a couple of them playing in the river and Conrad fishing. 

Much ado was placed on the cattle guards in the race briefing. Everyone was told to dismount and walk and that there was a hole in one of them. When I would get close all the other team crews would yell "CATTLE GUARD".   I couldn't quite wrap my head around walking my bike across (I mountain bike over scary stuff), so I rode them...... all of them. Anyhow, this is how  you ride a cattle guard. 

This is the men's winner who was just behind me on the bike demonstrating the other way to cross a cattle guard. Conrad couldn't resist snapping the photo. 

The last 40 miles of the bike were an out and back. 20 miles of rolling climbing and 20 miles of flying. This is my flying past one of the incredibly beautiful lakes that I wished I could stop at for a quick swim. I was surprised to find myself finishing the bike leg in 3rd place overall. What a day! As I tried to hobble up the stairs to the hotel room I became slightly worried about day 3.  53 miles of running...... I couldn't even imagine it at this point.

DAY 3

I stiffly rolled out of bed about 1hr 15 minutes before the day 3 start. I immediately knew I wasn't going to be taking in any solid food today.  The legs were stiff, but the stomach was not happy. I stuck with taking GU flask with me on the run and taking little hits every 10-15 minutes. Pedialyte turned out to be my beverage of choice until we ran out. 

 The start was cool and crisp which was a nice change to the 100 degree days we had been having. For the first 5 minutes I just kept thinking left, right, left, right. Then the legs loosened up and felt..... springy. Amazing what the body can do! I really enjoyed the run for the first 20-25 miles, but then I started feeling a pain in my left shin. Shin splints.... really. I had been having knee problems for the past 2 months, so knee pain I was expecting, but shin splints. Super thanks go to Mark DeJohn in Bend, OR for doing ART on our quick stop on the drive to Canada. The knee felt great. The shin had other plans in mind. Every down hill turned into a torture session.  

The course was rolling hills the entire way, and I don't really remember running on anything flat. There was a dirt road for about 25 miles which was gentler on the legs, and the scenery was incredible. 

At about 45 miles, the shin pain started getting out of control and my stomach started to revolt. I couldn't take in another sweet or sugary thing. When it got really tough I tried to focus on something inspiring. The first thought that came to my mind was Jamie Whitmore. I've been truly inspired by her courage and attitude. I kept moving forward. 

I looked down at my Suunto watch and the mileage stated that I was done, but I didn't see a finish line anywhere in sight. I asked Graham how far it was, and he drove up a little to find out. When he came back he said 4 km. Yikes! 4 km seemed like a marathon at this point. I guess I didn't calibrate my foot pod correctly. The last bit lasted an eternity, but eventually the finish line was in sight. Conrad, Graham, and I ran across the line together. 

This race was more fun and more rewarding than anything else I have finished. It was amazing to have my crew with me. Thanks so much Graham and Conrad for your support..... I couldn't have done it without you. It also meant so much more to be able to share the entire experience with them. Usually your family just gets to see you at the start, transition, and finish. They got to see me through the highs and lows. Like life there are good moments and bad, but it's the journey that is important.

Ultraman Canada Day 1

Just waiting for the ferry now to go to Olympic National Park in Washington, so just time for a quick blog.  

The drive from Reno to Canada was uneventful. Graham, my friend that was to be my 2nd crew member, met us in Bend, OR and we completed the drive to Penticton together. The boys rode together swapping stories...... 

The night before the race we drove to the swim exit and did a little 30 minute spin together to loosen up the legs after the long drive. The boys wanted a longer ride so they carried on and I drove back to the hotel. After a good nap I woke up to find them still gone. It was 8pm the night before the race, we hadn't packed a thing in the van, and my entire crew was missing. About 30 minutes later they showed up. It turned out that they had split up while riding so that Conrad could get in some mountain biking. Graham had come back to the hotel only to get a call from Conrad to come and pick him up. Conrad's mountain biking adventure involved getting lost, running out of water, drinking lake water, running into both mama and baby bear, getting further lost, and finally having to retrace his steps back to the main road.  

We ended up getting the bike and van ready in the parking lot at 10pm by headlamp light. Typical Conrad!

The morning of day 1 arrived and I was all nerves. What had I gotten myself into? A 10 km swim!!!! I looked across the lake and couldn't even see the buoy that was 8 km away. 

Graham goofing around prior to the start. 

We swam all the way across and then around the corner that you can't quite see. My longest swim by far.
The taper apparently worked and I swam a 2:52. My goal for the day was a sub 3:30. Conrad was my super straight paddler escort. Our plan was that he would whistle every 25 minutes to signal me to stop and get fluid and nutrition in the tank. The plan seemed to work well, and I felt strong most of the day. My right hand started cramping up at about 8 km and I couldn't quite control 2 of my fingers anymore.   Weird.....  Finally the swim finish came, and I was super stoked to get out of the water 3rd.  It was amazing to find out that the two people in front of me were both women. Awesome! I fumbled through transition, but I guess that's what happens when you spend nearly 3 hours being horizontal.

Because the swim was so short, a 90 mile bike seemed appropriate. The first 30 miles were basically flat with some small rollers. I was loving it. Even better was the big climb up Richter Pass. I passed the 2nd place female about 10 miles into the ride and heard that I was about 5 minutes down on the super swimmer (also super biker) Barbi Brochu. I was chasing, but also staying in my comfort zone. The heat was starting to build, but the guys were dowsing me with water and putting ice down my jersey. I passed Barbi when she stopped for a quick refill just before the climb to Yellow Lakes. I held the lead for a short time before the first male passed and then Barbi passed me back. My head felt like it was baking. I later heard that temperatures had topped 100F that day. I was also missing my support crew for a while. We had miscalculated the amount of water and ice I would need and they had stopped at a store to refill. Unfortunately for me they were gone just as I was imploding. As Barbi passed me she gave words of encouragement and her support crew was amazing and they super soaked me! At the top of Yellow Lakes we had finished the climbing, and were in for a quick descent to the finish line. Even with my mini implosion I held it together to post a new bike day 1 record of 4:58 and managed to finish just 2 minutes behind Barbi. So happy!

Barbi and her crew with the super soakers.

Post race burger and fries. It just sounded really yummy after eating GU all day. 
Ice bath..... as if hanging out in spandex all day wasn't weird enough.