Las Vegas Triathlon ~ 9-19-15

On September 19th, I raced in the 18th annual Las Vegas Triathlon at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It was put on by BBSC Endurance Sports (http://www.bbsctri.com/), who took it over this year. This was not my first time racing at Lake Mead but it was my first time racing this race.

I competed in the sprint distance and my wave was scheduled to start at 7:40 am. We arrived at about 6:45 am. That gave me enough time to set up transition, go to the bathroom, talk with some friends, and get to the swim start on time.

The swim is a water start. I crossed the timing mat as I walked into the water. We were standing about thigh/waist deep for the start. The race director gave some last minute swim instructions, made a short countdown and then we were off.

I do all of my open water swims in Lake Mead so this swim was very familiar. We went straight out for the first section of the swim and then turned left at the 1st green buoy. We then swam to the next green buoy and turned left again (always keeping the buoy on our left shoulder). At the large orange buoy we turned left again and swam to the final orange buoy. At that final buoy, we kept it on our right shoulder as we made our final turn towards the beach. The swim was easy and quick. I completed the 750 meter swim in 15:42.

I exited the water and ran up the shore to the transition area. My bike was about 3/4th of the way up. The racks are semi-assigned so I didn't really have a choice in where my bike was placed. Fortunately, I prefer to have my bike near the bike out area so there is less running in my bike shoes. Transition went smoothly and I completed T1 in 2:19.

The bike course is an out and back along Lakeshore Road. The beginning of the course is the worst. You immediately leave the transition area and have to climb up a steep 0.5 mile hill. Remembering to have your bike set in the easy gear is a must! Once on Lakeshore Road, the ride has several small ups and downs. There are some good areas to get into the areo position and other areas that are challenging climbs. The final push up a long hill towards the turnaround is another spot that tests the quads. Once you turn around, you are greeted with a lovely, fast downhill to rest the legs for the next climb. As you can see by the elevation map above, the return ride is a lot easier and faster. I had a good ride and finished the 12.4 miles in 44:17.

I entered the transition area and quickly ran to my spot and did what I needed to do. My transitions are pretty simple. I don't keep a lot of stuff there which makes the transitions go really smooth. I made it through T2 in 1:47.

The run ended up being a little different than the map they provided (above). Once I left transition, I turned right onto the rock/dirt Boulder Beach. The run was along a road that allows access all along the water so it was fairly flat but pretty difficult to run on. It makes keeping or hitting a good race pace very hard. The new course had us run parallel to the water until the right hand turn up the hill. This was a less confusing course so I was okay with it. Once you turn right and start climbing, the run really becomes hard. I was still on the rock/dirt road but now had a steep climb to battle too. At the top of the hill, I made another right hand turn onto a nice, flat paved road. I was on this road until the turnaround. The return run was an exact retrace of the first half except for the final 1/4th mile. At that point, there was a fork in the road and finisher's were directed to the left towards the finish line. I was really tired but was able to muster up a slight sprint to the finish. I completed the 3.1 mile run in 32:05.

After I finished, I was handed my finisher's medal, gave my timing chip back and grabbed a water. I then made it over to the results table to check out my times. I was pleased to see that I placed 1st in the Athena division 40+ and overall Athena as well. I spent the time waiting for the awards ceremony with friends. Several of them had also placed in the race so it was really fun to watch them get their medals too. 

It was a beautiful day for a race and I can now say that I have completed the Las Vegas Triathlon!

Receiving my 1st place medal. The 3rd place girl had just finished and didn't make it to the podium in time for the ceremony.

My friend and me with our podium medals. She finished 3rd place female overall in the sprint distance.

With my friends and our podium medals. 

Kokopelli Olympic Triathlon at Sand Hollow State Park ~ 9/12/15

On September 12th, I raced in the olympic distance at the Kokopelli Triathlon. It was held in Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah. We drove up on Friday night in order to pick up our race packets. It was held at the Hurricane Community Center from 3:00-8:00 PM. We were able to get there at about 7:00 PM and packet pick-up was quick and easy. We then stopped at a local cafe, Triple TJ's Cafe, for a good dinner. After dinner we went to our regular hotel for races at Sand Hollow, Holiday Inn Express in Washington, Utah. There wasn't much time for relaxation because it was almost 9:00 PM by this time. I took a quick shower and got my gear ready for the morning. 

We woke up at 5:15 AM to get ready. We stopped by the hotel breakfast room at 5:45 AM and were glad to see that they had set breakfast out a little early for us. Transition opened at 6:00 AM and we arrived at 6:30 AM. My wave was scheduled to start at 7:15 AM. My husband was racing the duathlon and his wave started at 8:00 AM. 

I quickly set up my transition space and was then able to socialize with some of my friends who were also racing. I made my way to the swim start at 7:00 AM. They were running a little behind schedule because they had to start the kid's race later than planned due to the sun not being up yet. Finally, at about 7:25 AM, my wave was directed to enter the water. 

Me with my husband and youngest son before the race. 

Me with some of my good friends from the Las Vegas Triathlon Club.

The swim start is a floating start so we walked down a pier and jumped in the water. The sun was still tucked behind the hills which was a good thing since we were swimming straight towards it. After a few last minute instructions, we were off. I started towards the front and was quickly out of the main pack. With the sun not in my eyes, I was able to sight easily and stay on course. The swim course is a long rectangle. By the time I was about to make my first left hand turn, the sun made it's way over the hills. I felt like I was swimming well and began to pass people from the previous two waves. That is always a good feeling. At the final stretch of the swim, I started to merge with the sprint waves so it became a bit more congested. I finally reached the boat ramp and was able to run out of the water. There is a bit of a climb from the water's edge to transitions but it is on concrete and some of it is carpeted so I was able to go without my flip flops. My 1500 meter swim was done in 31:22.

I ran into transition and made my way to my bike. I was towards the back near the bike exit which is where I prefer, less distance to run in your bike shoes. I was in and out in 2:06.

The bike course starts out with a nice downhill which gives me time to clip in and get adjusted before I need to start powering. It also let's me find my legs. Once at the bottom of the hill, we make a sharp left hand turn and begin a slight climb. At about the 1 mile mark, there is a small, steep hill. It is tough but short so that is good. At the top of the hill, there is another left hand turn. Then you remain straight for several miles. At about mile 4, "The Beast" begins. It is a 1 mile climb of about 500 feet. It is a killer. I have to just put my head down and grind it out. At the top of the hill, after you thank the good Lord you made it, you begin a downhill section. At the bottom of the hill is a right hand turn. This next section is about 2 miles and flat. The road condition isn't the best but I was able to pick up some nice speed. Then there is another right hand turn and then you begin a slight climb until the turn around. This is an out and back course so you retrace your route back to the transition area. There is one aid station that you pass on the return ride at about mile 14.5. I always grab a water bottle and put it in my seat bottle holder to drink later on the run. The back side of "The Beast" is not as steep so the climb is no problem. Then you get to fly down the front of the hill. I get going FAST! There is a cattle guard near the bottom of the hill so I slow down to go over that. There is a hill to end the bike course on which is no fun. I powered up it and was able to finish the 20.4 mile bike in 1:13:02.

I ran into transition, racked my bike, changed my shoes, took my helmet off and put on my visor, grabbed my sunglasses and water bottle and headed out on the run. T2 was 1:48. 

The run is my hardest thing but I focus on keeping a decent pace. I sipped on my water for most of the run. This lets me skip the aid stations and continue to stay hydrated for the whole run. The run is mostly on a separate course. Only the very beginning and end run on the same road as the bike but they are separated by cones and a rope so there should be no accidental collisions. The run goes along the water's edge. There is a downhill out of transition and then a short uphill to get onto the run course. Once there, the run stays mainly flat with minor up and downs. There are three aid stations, one every mile. It was also an out and back so once you pass the last aid station, you turn around and start heading back. At about mile 4, I finished my water and finally threw my bottle away. At the final aid station, I grabbed a small cup of water and poured it over my head. One of the volunteers also threw a cup of water on me. I then made the final push up the hill to the finish. I pushed with all I had left and tried to sprint out the final stretch. I finished the 6.2 mile run in 1:01:33.

I finished the entire race in 2:49:53. This was good enough for 1st place Athena overall. It was a great day for a race and I had a lot of fun. There were many friends from the Las Vegas Triathlon Club racing and it is always fun to have cheering throughout the race from fellow racers. 

Sharing the podium with my friend!

Many of my friends were also podium finishers!

Me with my husband and youngest son after the race. 

My husband placed 1st in his age division for the duathlon!

Me with my finisher's medal and gold podium medal.

After the race, a few of us had a post-race snack of Pumpkin Spice Oreos!

Hike to Kolob Arch in Zion National Park ~ 9-7-15

My friend and I decided that Labor Day would be the perfect day to tackle the 14.8 mile round trip hike to see the Kolob Arch in Zion National Park. We had recently found out that tucked in the back country wilderness of Zion was the world's 2nd longest natural arch, measuring 287.4 feet. 

We met at a gas station on the NE outskirts of Las Vegas at 4:50 am to carpool to the trail head. We took I-15 North to Utah and turned off at exit 40. The Kolob Visitor Center is just off the highway. We arrived at 7:50 am and it opened at 8:00 am so we had a few minutes to wait before we could go inside. Once inside, we showed our park pass, grabbed a park map and asked a few questions about the trail. Then we were off. 

The trail head parking lot was a few miles from the Visitor Center. We parked, grabbed our gear, asked a ranger to take our picture and then walked the 100 yards to the actual trail head. The sun wasn't over the mountains yet so it was a little chilly but not too bad. We had seen rain and lightening on the drive to Utah so we were worried about rain but it stayed clear for the entire day. 

The first few miles of the trail were downhill. The trail was nicely maintained with wooden steps in several areas. I brought my hiking poles with me but didn't feel like I needed them at any point along the way. 

As we neared the valley floor, the sun began to peak over the mountains. It was beautiful!

 

Once on the valley floor, we began to walk through deep sand. It made it a little difficult to walk. We began to hear water and shortly we were hiking along the La Verkin Creek. It was small but clear. The sound of rushing water was such a beautiful sound. This portion of the hike was pretty exposed so it began to get warm.

On our way to the turnoff, we passed campsites 1-10. The first three were higher up but 4-10 were along the creek and would be my choice in campsites. I don't remember seeing campsite 10 but the map showed that it was right by the turnoff. 

 

Just when we were wondering if we had somehow missed our turn, we saw the sign directing us to the Kolob Arch. It said that we were 0.5 miles from the arch. Once we turned, we began to walk along a small creek bed. This required a small amount of scrambling but not too much. If the water was higher, it would have been more difficult. 

 

Finally, we could see the arch. There was a sign saying that we were at the end of the trail and to not go beyond that point. The arch was high above us along the cliff wall.

 

We decided that this was a great time to stop for lunch. We sat on a fallen tree and enjoyed our lunch in the shadows of the arch.

After lunch, we made our way back along the creek bed to the main trail. The sun was high and it was warm. We had come prepared and had plenty of water. There was no clean water along the trail so if you needed drinking water, you would have to filter the creek water before drinking it.

 

We made our way back through the sand and along the La Verkin Creek again. The several miles of sand hiking made our legs sorer than normal. We were almost happy to see the trail begin the ascent because that meant we would be on solid trail again. 

 

The final climb was steep but not too bad. The hike details had said to expect to take 10-12 hours to completed the hike. We were able to finish in about 7 hours. We were both very happy to see the end of the trail and our car. 

We loaded up the car and decided to drive to the end of the scenic road to see the overlook. It provided an amazing panoramic view of the area that we had just hiked through.

It was a fantastic day and a hike I'd recommend. It wasn't the most spectacular thing I've ever seen but the fact that it was something that so few people actually see, made this a very special hike.

Toughman Utah Half Triathlon ~ August 22, 2015

On August 22, 2015, I raced in my third half iron distance triathlon. It was the Toughman Utah Half, near Provo, Utah. My husband had done some research on the Toughman brand and had heard good things. It was a 70.3 race only with 291 participants and they offered an Athena division. 

Provo is six hours away which is our max radius of races to drive to. We left Las Vegas on Friday morning so we could get to packet pick-up and hopefully drive the bike course before race day. The GPS took us to the wrong location but we were luckily able to find the right location without too much difficulty. Packet pick-up was at a local running store, Utah Run. There was a small table set up in the back where I was able to get my timing chip, shirt and swag bag. They did not have any race details like course maps or athlete lists. After that was finished, we went to our hotel and checked in. We stayed at a location about 10 minutes from the race location. 

Once the luggage, gear and kids were safely unloaded in the hotel room, my husband and I went out to drive the bike course. I was able to print up the MapMyRun directions at our hotel's work station. The first several miles of the course were in the city of Provo so there were a lot of turns. We were able to follow the directions for about the first 8 miles but then got lost. We couldn't figure out where we were on the course so we gave up. We went back to the hotel and picked the kids up and went to dinner. 

After dinner, we returned to our hotel. I needed to get a quick workout in and contemplated swimming, biking and running at the hotel fitness center but decided on an outdoor run instead. My husband and I went out for a 10 minute run around the block. Once we returned, I made sure all of my gear was ready for the morning, took a shower and went to bed.

Transition opened at 5:00 am and the race was scheduled to start at 7:15 am. We got up at 4:30 so I had time to get ready. I put on my sunscreen, got dressed, ate my breakfast, and finally woke up the kids. We were on the road by 5:15 am and arrived at the race location by 5:30 am. The swim and transition area was just inside the Utah Lake State Park. We unloaded the car and walked about 1/4 a mile to transition. 

The transition was nicely lite so I was able to find a good spot near some friends and quickly get set up. Once that was done, I was able to socialize. At 7:00 am, the race director held a briefing near the swim start explaining the course and some last minute details. As he was nearing the end of his speech, I ran to the bathroom and then went back into transition to get my wetsuit on. I was borrowing a friend's sleeveless suit since the water was just barely wetsuit legal at 78 degrees. My full sleeve suit would have been too warm. 

My wave was set to start at 7:23 am. The race director's talk went a little long so we all started about five minutes after our scheduled start time. I was in the last wave which seems to be the normal. I stood on the boat ramp talking with my husband until the wave before me went and then I entered the water. I made my way to the middle and front of the pack and waited for the countdown to start. 

As the air horn blew, I dove in and was off. I immediately popped my head back up because the water was completely black and I was taken back by that. It was so dark, I might as well had my eyes closed under the water. I realized that I would have to sight with every stroke in order to see where I was going and to not run into other swimmers. The course was a one loop, out and back within the harbor. It was very shallow and my hands hit the bottom for almost the entire swim. It was so shallow that several racers actually walked/jogged the swim. It was really strange to be swimming along and look over to see the person next to you walking through the water, many times even faster then I was swimming. I thought about walking but decided against it since this was the swim portion of the race and I wanted to do it right. 

I exited the swim and made my way towards transition. I looked at my Garmin as I crossed over the timing mat and was amazed to see 32:55. That was a new 1.2 mile PR. 

Once in transition, I chatted with my rack neighbors about the water condition as I took my wetsuit off. Everyone was grossed out with how dark and murky it was. I quickly dried my feet, got my socks on, put my biking shoes on, put my race bib on, put my helmet on, grabbed my bike and was off. T1 time was 2:14. 

Once on the bike, I was cold but I knew that it wouldn't last long. I passed a few people while still in the park, waved to my husband, exited the park, and entered Provo. The first few miles were through nice neighborhoods. I had been worried about getting lost but I had other racers around me so I was able to follow the leaders through the city. We had to cross a few stop lights but there were police officers controlling the intersections so we were able to ride right through them. That is always a nice feature to have at a race. 

Once we were out of the city, we were on farm roads. There were still officers controlling intersections so we didn't have to stop at stop signs either. The scenery was nice but we did have a long section that smelled like manure so that kind of stunk....literally. As we neared the 20 mile mark, we started to have worse road conditions. It became really rough which made it a lot harder to hold speed. There was also a slight climb for the final several miles before the turn around. Even though it was probably the hardest part of the ride, it was definitely the prettiest. It skirted along the southern edge of Utah Lake. The turn around was at a dead end. I made the turn and was looking forward to the decent but it wasn't what I expected. Due to the road conditions, I wasn't able to reap the reward that a downhill usually grants. I continued to push to try to keep my pace up. My legs were starting to burn and my lower back was starting to throb. The racers were starting to get thinner so there were sections that I seemed to be on the road by myself. Luckily, I was able to make my way back without any problems. I was glad when I returned to the smoother section of the road and was able to pick my speed back up. I weaved my way back through the city of Provo, making sure to thank all the officers for their time and help. As I approached the park entrance, I saw my husband and he cheered me on as I passed. I finally finished the 56 miles and saw that I did it in 2:54:48, an average of 19.3 mph.

I ran into transition and was so happy to be upright again. I had spent almost the entire bike ride in the aero position and my back was tired. I racked my bike, took off my helmet and bike shoes and grabbed my running shoes and hat and took off. My T2 time was 1:48. 

I was on par to reach my time goal and obtain a PR until I started my run. Within a few minutes of running, I realized that it was going to be hard. I was running in new shoes (I know, I was breaking rule #1 of never doing something new on race day) and the balls of my feet felt like knifes were stabbing me with each step. I had this happen before but the pain had gone away after a few miles. On this day, it stayed the entire time. Add that pain to my lower back pain and my run was not going to be as I had hoped. I started to do a run/walk regiment to break up the discomfort. The run was a two loop path that took us through the park. Some of the path was in the sun and other parts were along a river in the shade. I found that I needed to walk through the aid stations and through the sunny areas. I was able to run in the shaded parts. As the time went on, my goals began to change. At first, I had wanted to complete my run in 2:15. It slowly moved to 2:30 then 2:45. I even had times when I wanted to quit or cheat. Neither of those were real options because that's not who I am but the thoughts did cross my mind. 

On the second loop, I caught up to one of my friends. He was having a lot of knee pain so I decided to walk with him for about 1.5 miles. This ended up being the highlight of my race. As we were walking and talking a women asked us if we were on our first or second loop. We told her that we were on our second. She was bummed to hear that because she was on her first. She said that she hated to think that she was going to be the last person on the course. As we were chatting, we saw my husband standing ahead with the camera. I said that we needed to start running so we looked good in the pictures. She said that we should give him a true action shot. With those words, she dropped to the ground and started to crawl. I was surprised that she did that and it made me really laugh. Me and my friend continued to run and we left her on the ground. We smiled and waved at my husband as we ran by. Later that night, I looked at our pictures and discovered that my husband captured the funniest set of pictures during that event. I still laugh when I look at them!

After I left my friend, I walked a little more through the sunny area and then started to run. I was able to run for the rest of the race. It was slow but at least it was forward motion. As I made my way through the shaded path I was proud of myself for continuing through the pain even when I knew that my PR was out the window. I tend to struggle with issue of feeling like I have pressure on me to do good at my races. I have had some success and I think others expect me to do that good all the time. It was kind of freeing to lose that pressure as I came to the realization that this was just going to be a race to finish. 

As I approached the finish chute, I tried to pick up my pace. My husband had told me to finish strong so I did. I ended up finishing the 13.1 mile run in 2:50:56, my slowest half marathon to date.

I was met at the finish line by my awesome, supportive family. They untied my shoes for me as we sat and talked for a few minutes. My husband walked back to the transition area and picked up all my gear and met us back at the finisher area. I signed up for a free stretching session while we waited to see the race results. After a few minutes, my son was able to look them up online and saw that I had placed 1st in the Athena division. The race director wanted to wait until another Athena finished before he did the award ceremony. I was fine with that so we sat around and talked with friends, I drank some water and ate an ice cream cone, and I got my stretching session done. 

Finally, they held the award ceremony for the Athena division. I won with a total time of 6:22:40. 

This was not my best race but I learned a lot about myself on this race. I tried new things that didn't work out to well. I learned that deep down, I do this for me and me only. Instead of quitting and taking a DNF or cheating I choose to push through the pain and finish. When I started this sport in 2012, I only raced for myself and the satisfaction it brought. As the years have progressed, my mindset shifted a little. I needed this race to remind me the real reason of why I race. I enjoy pushing myself beyond what I think I am able to do. I enjoy the comradery I have with fellow racers, friends and strangers. I enjoy the support of my family who love me no matter how I do on a race. Winning is always nice but the rewards I get from the sheer enjoyment of racing are much greater.