Rage in the Sage 2009

It may be hard to guess what the name of this race indicates until you actually arrive at Lake Mead in Boulder City, Nevada. There is NOTHING out there but hot, dry desert, rocks, sand, hills and wind…plenty of wind! Oh and of course…sage. Sadly at this time of year the sage is neither pretty nor inviting…it is seemingly dead and dry like everything else around it. Having said all that, this part of the country really does have its own beauty if you have an open mind. The rock formations, amazing colors and brilliant blue sky definitely help make it more appealing to the occasional tourist.

Last Saturday there were 13 (plus families and friends!) of us from our group in Colorado who ventured down to Las Vegas for this crazy race. There was a caravan of people who drove, trailered our bikes and their kids the 12+ hours in order to get to the race. Then there were a few of us who had to fly because we had to get home before Sunday night. Tyler tried to convince me that the real fun would be had on the drive home but I had gotten off a plane on Thursday and left again on Friday and had to get back on a plane to New Jersey on Monday…no driving for me thank you very much.

The day before the race was pretty standard for me with one exception…relaxing by the pool at the Tropicana on the strip in Las Vegas! Yeah baby! Now that is the way to put your feet up the day before a race. Admittedly, the fruity drink with the umbrella was missing but not for long! John, Nicole and I had decided to stay on the strip to enjoy the people watching, pool lounging and easy access to the airport. We had to leave pretty early for the race on Saturday morning but honestly we are always awake early before a race anyway so it worked out really well.

I want to give a huge SHOUT OUT of THANKS to Tyler Walton for not only transporting GoGo (my Giant bike) but for providing the care and attention she is accustomed to from me when we travel. He covered her with a blanket, kept her safe and secure and packed her back up after the race because I managed to miss him at the trailer. The convenience and ease that afforded me was priceless and I am very grateful for his “Tylerish” class and humor. I owe you one!
So the race…that was interesting. My coach had indicated in my plan that my intention for the race was to stay focused, let the race come to me and ease into it. Hmmm. I would say that I did not have perfect execution but I can identify where I failed and I can fix it so that is the best outcome for the day! The bad part about the race was the swim. 12 months ago this wouldn’t have surprised me or anyone who knows me but even I was surprised at how hard the swim was…1500 meters felt like 150000 meters. Yes it was windy and yes I am swimming fast enough to actually be around other people that make it harder but the real problem was my siting! Half way through the race I was struck by a huge epiphany. Now this is not the best time for an epiphany but I guess I can’t complain because I think with a little work with my coach I can fix it. A little history; 2 years ago at nationals I was swimming in a crystal clear lake, the only waves being created by other swimmers and I managed to swim myself way off course. I actually had to stop, turn around and go back to a buoy. This was devastating to my race and my spirit that day and it showed in my results. Since then I have had shoulder surgery, been working on my swim and really focusing on my stroke. I have NOT been focusing on my open water swim and boy did I feel that on Saturday. You know how a dog that is not a “water dog” swims around with his head forced up out of the water and splashes around like a spaz? Yep, that was me. I swam the first 700 meters or more with my head up and out of the water in order to be sure I didn’t “get lost” and miss a buoy! OMG! This killed my time and more importantly it zaps my energy much faster. It takes a huge amount of effort to swim that inefficiently! UGH!!!! OK, lesson learned. Keep my head down and trust that the buoy is out there and getting closer! Geesh!

The ride is an out and back course of rolling, hot hills. The kind of hills that are just long enough that it is hard to find a rhythm. I was surprised at how sore my hips were as I cruised along in my aerobars. I am still not sure why they were sore and it worried me for the run but I spun along as strong as I could trying to stay relaxed and upbeat. I came off the bike feeling pretty good although it was starting to get hot and I hoped I had sucked down enough water on the ride.

The run is 75% on sandy rocky jeep trail and it is basically up for 3 miles and then down for 3 miles. It is a hard run course but one that suits my strengths. My coach tells me I am a bulldog and others have said I am a billy goat because I am a strong runner and like to run up hills. It’s a good thing! The run was by far the best I felt all day. Now that is a great feeling for sure! I was tired but dug in and kept a steady pace. I wasn’t trying to run fast but steady and strong and I was pleased that I felt so good with 2 miles left to go. With less than a mile to go I saw a woman ahead of me who I had been chasing since I stumbled out of the water. I didn’t know who she was or what her age but I decided it would be good for me to see if I could keep or even push my pace to catch her. As we came down the last hill I wasn’t feeling that confident and the “old Beth” started to try to talk me out of the looming (and very short-lived you big baby!) pain of the chase. A few short years ago I would have talked myself right out of chasing her down…not anymore! As we made the last turn we were together and we both picked it up and started to lay it down and I was thinking “holy crap I can’t hold this to the finish” but I dropped my body down a bit and dug in and then she dropped off and I kept going…what a very cool outcome. It felt good to me to stay focused enough and finish the race to the end.

Everyone on the team had an awesome day! We had 6 teammates complete the ½ ironman! Sonja won 1st for the overall women! Yahoo! Tony, Steve, Doreen and Keith all placed in their age groups and Tyler and Sandy had great 1st ½ experiences! The Olympic was conquered by Andrea, Michele, Michelle, and me while Anne Walton jockeyed 3 kids and managed to kick butt in the Sprint distance! Our group amazes me at how hard we work, how hard we play and the terrific outcomes we all achieve! Once again I was proud to be a Practical Coaching athlete. Congrats to all and many thanks for your cheers on the course and at the finish line.

When all was said and done, I was thrilled John decided to fly down to cheer us on, thrilled to be staying at the Tropicana where the fruity drink did appear after the race and pleased that my efforts race morning afforded me a 2nd place AG finish. Placing is nice but running a sub-8 run in April in the hot sun and figuring out one of my swim demons are equally as important to me.
When you hear from me next I might be reporting on an adventure race or I might be reporting on 2 months without a race and just some kick butt workouts! Time to train!!!