Race Report: Bassman Fall Half

Or Mother Nature is a bitch!  Let's see, Mooseman had cold and rain, NYC Tri had record heat and humidity, Danskin threatened rain and poured right at the end and Bassman was windy and gusty with slight rain during the run.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  Why must I be challenged further than I am already challenging myself?  It will be my demise as was almost demonstrated yesterday.  

This will probably be long so here is the Cliff Notes version:  I improved my time over Mooseman by 21 minutes on a longer course.  Ok, you can go back to doing whatever it is you were doing or you can read the rest of my blathering post.

 Usually I don't like to do pre-race info because, let's face it, you just want to hear about the race.  However, there are a few important things that factor into the race directly or may influence your future participation if you should be so lucky to find yourself in lovely NJ state (I'm a NY snob, what can I say).  I somehow managed to stave off whatever plague my husband and son had last week (actually hubby still has) by mega dosing vitamins which left me nauseas and headachey all week.  Unless, I was actually fighting off what they had, who knows. My neighbors were kind enough to offer us their beach house for the weekend which was lovely and allowed us to do a little kayaking the day before.  My son and I were on the back deck (we weren't kayaking then, in case you were wondering) and I got a huge freakin' splinter in my foot.  My 4 year old was kind enough to point out that I should have been wearing my shoes while outside.  Thank you well meaning child.  This splinter would haunt me on my run the next day.  

Picking up my race pack the night before was a test in patience.  I had to wait in a rather shortish line for half an hour.  There were not enough volunteers and the process was disorganized.  When I asked if there would be chip pick up the next morning (because we were not getting one with  our pack) the guy replied, "I hope so." This does not inspire confidence.  

Race morning our stupid GPS took us through the back roads to get to the race site.  Meaning, I was fully expecting Sasquatch to jump out in front of us.  We were in the middle of this huge state forest riding the back (read: dirt) roads at 5 AM...creepy does not begin to describe it.  Note to future participants:  DO NOT use the transition area as your destination on the GPS if you do this race or you will be sorry.

Brrrrrrrrrrr......

OK, I'm ready to begin now.  It was freezing race morning.  Not literally, but in that "we have had record highs all summer and 53˚F makes it seem like the Arctic Circle" kind of way.  While waiting around I watched them start the Duathlon, the Aqua Sprint and the Sprint races.

Swim:

This was too hilarious not to include.

Coach! Look at that exit from the water!! (click to enlarge)

You could see the steam coming off the lake since it was so much warmer than the air temps.  I wish I had a good picture of that; it was lovely and eerie all at the same time.  Speaking of eerie, remember that little bit I found about the lake from my pre race post?  It was spot on!!  I don't even know how to describe the plant life that I was standing on, it was extremely thick, soft and warm.  And true to fact, there were tree stumps in the water that people were standing on.  The entire lake was shallow.  Imagine swimming along, sighting and seeing people walking the swim.  So bizarre.  I guess this is a nice venue if you are still getting over OWS issues, but it was strange to look down and see the bottom so close and occasionally graze it with your hand.  I also kept getting whatever this stringy plant life was across my face and tangled on my arms.  Nothing that held me back, but just weird.

The swim felt really good for me (ok, except for the kick in the face that almost sent my goggles flying and slight panic until I realized I could stand if I wanted to, ha!!).  Sighting was spot on and since we were swimming clockwise the buoys were always on my breathing side.  I was in the third and last wave and managed to pass people in the two waves ahead of me including catching up with some folks in my wave.

T1:

I was warmed up from the swim and toyed with the idea of skipping my go-light jacket, but thought better of it and grabbed it last minute. I knew I would cool down on the bike fast and the wind was starting to pick up (do you sense and foreshadowing here?).

Bike:

 I got out on the road and just let me legs spin steady for about 15-20 minutes.  The course is lollipop shaped and you do it twice for a total of 58 miles.  It is flat or relatively so.  I stashed and ate two Cliff Bars and three GUs on the ride along with some Amino Vital.  I also had on board some e21.  In the interest of full disclosure, Michelle had asked me to try them out, as they are kind of her sponsor.  I have been using them in training a couple of times and  then on race day.  They are all natural capsules that you take to stave off muscle cramping.  I can say that they seem to do the trick in training and helped me out on the bike.  Here is where things get ridiculous.  I took two when I started on the bike.  I hit a bump and half my stash went flying.  By some lucky coincidence one pack of 4 got stuck on my bike shoe (there is a God) and I still had 4 in my tri top.  I tried to wedge it back in my bento, but thought better of it and stashed it in my sport bra.  I took two more half way through the bike and they seemed to be working their magic.  How do I know?  Because I was riding through the pit of hell.  

Most of the roads were pretty well paved, however, there are different kinds of road top.  A very good majority (and the open stretches) were paved in something that looked like this:

This surface sucked!  Especially when the wind blew in.

As the morning went on the day got windier and windier.  Then the gusts started blowing in.  There was no escaping it anywhere on the course; it was everywhere.  I kept my cadence steady, but I was working for what little I could get.  I actually lost it a couple of times when I got hit with a gust of wind and started screaming, "Come on!!!  Give me break here!!!"  Then I almost cried. ...twice. I had to talk myself out of it.  My legs were cramping, they hurt so bad and I knew the run was going to kill me, literally.  All I could think about was those guys that do that Race Across America on bike?  Where they start hallucinating and slowly lose their minds.  I get it now.

Let's just say this, I am not a runner.  I really don't like running, never have, it isn't my thing, but I try anyway.  I wanted to be off that bike so badly that I was looking forward to running.  I wanted to run even though I knew it was going to be really tough, I was not disappointed.

T2:  

Let's just say I was not in a hurry to start my run.  I did forget however, that I had to pee and set off without using the facilities.

Run:

I started off slow letting my legs get used to running.  It was something like 2 minutes before I was on trail.  Ugh!  My legs were cramping right away, my adductor was starting to twinge. I popped a couple more e21 and it seemed to subside.  This course is a combination of paved, trail and sand, my legs were already trashed from fighting the wind and I still had to pee.....badly.  At every aid station I asked, "bathroom?"  Everyone shook their head and by some stroke of luck I saw a porta john at mile 3 and I was not to be stopped, aahhhhhhhhhh.......  I managed to push myself until right between mile 8-9 and then whatever the muscle is that runs parallel to the shin on the outside started to seize.  If only I had more e21, but they all flew out of my bento (this is really very sad, because as you may remember I stashed a pack of 4 in my sport bra, but I didn't remember that...I kept wishing I had them and I did, but I forgot completely.  There is a word for this, it is called idiocy.

 

At about mile 8ish I got to the part where I had to run on the sand.  Granted it wasn't a really long stretch (and I would have to repeat the task on the way back), but my legs were so jacked up by this point I was hating the RD.  between mile 9 and mile 12 I had to walk off my cramps a few times.  My everything from the waist down hurt.  Every twinge or pain I have ever felt in training, I felt today all at once: shin splint; check, ITB; check,  hip labral tear; check, behind the knee pain; check, lower back with herniated disc; check, everything else cramping: check and check.  Oh!  And that huge fuck-off splinter?  Triple check!  I was a running (barely) piece of crap.  At mile 12 I decided I was going to run the last 1.25 (yes, the run was a tad longer at 13.25) and I wouldn't stop, mission accomplished.

When I saw my husband at the finish line I literally fell into his arms.  He was lovely enough to have already packed up my bike and all my stuff (yes, that is how relaxed this race venue is; good or bad).  So we headed to the food so I could get water and once my thirst was quenched I wanted salt and lots of it; a salami sandwich and some corn chips did the trick (oh and a McDonald's Filet O'Fish and fries later..I know, I never eat that crap, but I had such a craving for it).

So what do I make of all this?  A few thoughts.  I improved my time on a longer course by 21 minutes.  I pretty much lost this race on the run.  After seeing the splits I didn't do as badly as I thought on the bike despite it being very hard with the wind and all, but the run was abysmal and I got passed......a lot.  In the overall scheme of this race I didn't do so hot.  Michelle asked me if I gave 100%.  I told her I gave more than 100%.  I really had nothing left at the end; my tank was empty despite getting my nutrition right and my muscles were tapped completely.  This was the hardest race I have done to date and I can truly say it is the race where I felt like I couldn't have given anymore than I did.  

I also realized that I will not plan another race this late in the season again.  I would also say that I may have taken my training for granted a bit towards the end.  If I am going to be honest with myself, and who am I fooling if I am not, I put in the work in training, but I think I could have worked harder.

I must give a huge thanks for my husband who took the photos and schlepped my stuff all while he was sick this whole weekend, you are the best!!!  Thanks to my folks for traveling far to come stay and watch my son so hubby could take photos (I am sure they didn't mind spending time with their only grandchild...eh em.....and never showed for the race...he he). Thanks to my super awesome coach, Michelle, who scraped me off the ceiling or the floor depending, helped me to believe in myself  and has started to mold and shape me into something that slightly resembles a triathlete.  And my son, who in the car ride home said to me out of the blue, "Mommy, I'm sorry I didn't make it to your race today."  No problem, baby.  I hope you had fun with grandma and grandpa.