Running Mommy
04-16-2007, 05:31 AM
First things first... THANK YOU from the bottom of my weary heart for your kind words on that last thread. And YES you were the first ones that I wanted to let know what was happening when I pulled the plug.
So here is the long winded version of what happened. YOu may need to make a sandwhich cause this may get long..:p
First of all the water was great. I came out just a bit ahead of last year. But I'll take any improvement in that department. And both my transistions were MUCH faster than last year. Last year they were each 11 minutes. This year t1 was 9:48 and T2 was a smokin 7:55. I didn't daudle (sp?). Also my bike time was a bit faster, but not at all what I had hoped.
Ok so this is where it all went awry....
On the bike! Remember those winds that I posted so much about last week. Well they were there in full force.
Here is what weather underground had as Tempe's wind yesterday. Now keep in mind that the bike course is out on open land that tends to be windier than alot of other places in the valley. Well actually any open desert areas are prone to wind, so my guess is that the wind was actually alot higher out there.
11:51 AM 77.0 °F WSW 17.3 mph / 27.8 km/h / 7.7 m/s gusts 27.6 mph / 44.4 km/h /
12:51 PM 77.0 °F / 25.0 °C 26.1 °F / WSW 16.1 mph / 25.9 km/h / gusts 29.9 mph / 48.2 km/h /
1:51 PM 77.0 °F / 25.0 °C WSW 18.4 mph / 29.6 km/h / gusts 26.5 mph / 42.6 km/h
2:51 PM 75.9 °F / 24.4 °C 26.1 °F / West 21.9 mph / 35.2 km/h / gusts 28.8 mph / 46.3 km/h /
3:51 PM 75.9 °F / 24.4 °C WSW 20.7 mph / 33.3 km/h /gusts 28.8 mph / 46.3 km/h
4:51 PM 73.0 °F / 22.8 °C 17.1 °F / West 19.6 mph / 31.5 km/h / gusts 25.3 mph / 40.7 km/
5:51 PM 71.1 °F / 21.7 °C West 21.9 mph / 35.2 km/h / gusts 28.8 mph / 46.3 km/h /
So yeah, it was WINDY. Basically it is an out and back loop of around 18 miles each way done three times. On the out I had for the most part a tail wind with some crosswinds. I was cruising these portions at WELL over 16 mph. Sometimes 17-20. But then I hit the turn around..... And it was 10 miles down the beeline hwy with viscious cross/head winds. At times I could go around 14-15 mph, but most 13 and under. And then I would hit the right turn and go straight into a full on head wind. Here I could barely manage over 11, sometimes as low as 7mph. :eek: that would last for about a mile then I took a left turn and headed south where I got a break because it was only a cross wind so I could get up to 13 again. But that only lasted for about a half mile. Then I got another right turn right into the head winds again. This stretch is probably around 3-4 miles and it was BRUTAL!!I was only able to average maybe 10 mph through here. And the pavement was HORRIBLE (just to add to the misery). But then I got another half mile break with another left turn. This section also has an overpass, so that kinda sucked. But then again I got another blast by a right turn into the wind to head back to the turn around. And when I hit town I got to go over a bridge twice so I could really feel the crosswinds before heading back out for more fun...
So yeah, I was miserable. I wanted to quit on the first loop, but I willed myself to the second. I wanted to quit again but talked myself into the third loop. The third loop was defintely the worst! Around mile 107 my neck started spasming and I had a hard time holding up my head. It was not so fun...
So then I hit transition and told the guy to take my bike and burn it. These are immortal wordds from my friend Joe Moya from the IMAZ race in 05. That race had equally brutal winds. Oh- and I was dodging tumbleweeds out there- and getting sand blasted by blowing dust..
Ok, so I hit the transition and the girl helps get me out of there pretty quick. I try to start running, and I actually trot for a while. I stopped at the aid station and grabbed some coke and chicken broth which USUALLY settles my stomach. I walked up a hill and realized that my stomach wasn't right. By the time I hit the bridge I had to puke. I made it to a porta pottie and let fly. This became a trend on the run. I couldn't keep anything down and if I tried to run it only made it worse. Imagine trying to run a marathon with a stomach bug. That was me. So I told myself that if I made the first loop by 7:30 I would go on. Once again I knew this would be a midnight affair. I made the first loop and wanted to have the second one down by 9:30. I knew that anything over 9:45 and I wouldn't make it. Well I had to stop and puke a few more times, so I didn't make it. I didn't go over the timing mat to start the third loop, but I would have hit it at 9:50. I was walking a 2:20 loop, and I only had 2:10 to complete the last loop. So I consulted with Tony and our friend Kevin who was out to video tape the race, and I pulled off the course. It was SUCH a bummer! I think it was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. As I said in my title I've never DNF'ed before, and I thought I never would.
But I think the wind just got to me and I got behind on my nutrition. That is all I can figure.
When I got home I continued to heave, and I started shaking uncontrollably. Tony says I was white as a ghost under my sunburn and my lips were a combo of white and purple. I took a hot shower and curled up in bed. But sleep didn't come. I laid there thinking "what if"... But I know I made the right decision, and yeah I WILL be back. Next year? I dunno, but maybe in 09. I need to work on my swim. If I had cut even 15 minutes off my swim that would have given me enough in the bank to finish.. So yeah, I have things to work on.
Well, thanks again for all the well wishes. You guys ROCK!!
Denise
Oh one last thing. As I said before, I had people stopping me left and right this week asking me if I was Denise from the You Tube video. It was cool. Well yesterday a girl came and found be at the bike racks and told me that I inspired her. This was her first, and she looked at my times and she knew that she could do it too.
And then on the run (err walk) I had a guy ask me if I was the one with the video. He told me that he LOVED the video and watched it a ton of times to get him ready for the race. He also said that it changed his buddies perception of the race and he was out there racing too!
So I guess something good has come from all of this!
So here is the long winded version of what happened. YOu may need to make a sandwhich cause this may get long..:p
First of all the water was great. I came out just a bit ahead of last year. But I'll take any improvement in that department. And both my transistions were MUCH faster than last year. Last year they were each 11 minutes. This year t1 was 9:48 and T2 was a smokin 7:55. I didn't daudle (sp?). Also my bike time was a bit faster, but not at all what I had hoped.
Ok so this is where it all went awry....
On the bike! Remember those winds that I posted so much about last week. Well they were there in full force.
Here is what weather underground had as Tempe's wind yesterday. Now keep in mind that the bike course is out on open land that tends to be windier than alot of other places in the valley. Well actually any open desert areas are prone to wind, so my guess is that the wind was actually alot higher out there.
11:51 AM 77.0 °F WSW 17.3 mph / 27.8 km/h / 7.7 m/s gusts 27.6 mph / 44.4 km/h /
12:51 PM 77.0 °F / 25.0 °C 26.1 °F / WSW 16.1 mph / 25.9 km/h / gusts 29.9 mph / 48.2 km/h /
1:51 PM 77.0 °F / 25.0 °C WSW 18.4 mph / 29.6 km/h / gusts 26.5 mph / 42.6 km/h
2:51 PM 75.9 °F / 24.4 °C 26.1 °F / West 21.9 mph / 35.2 km/h / gusts 28.8 mph / 46.3 km/h /
3:51 PM 75.9 °F / 24.4 °C WSW 20.7 mph / 33.3 km/h /gusts 28.8 mph / 46.3 km/h
4:51 PM 73.0 °F / 22.8 °C 17.1 °F / West 19.6 mph / 31.5 km/h / gusts 25.3 mph / 40.7 km/
5:51 PM 71.1 °F / 21.7 °C West 21.9 mph / 35.2 km/h / gusts 28.8 mph / 46.3 km/h /
So yeah, it was WINDY. Basically it is an out and back loop of around 18 miles each way done three times. On the out I had for the most part a tail wind with some crosswinds. I was cruising these portions at WELL over 16 mph. Sometimes 17-20. But then I hit the turn around..... And it was 10 miles down the beeline hwy with viscious cross/head winds. At times I could go around 14-15 mph, but most 13 and under. And then I would hit the right turn and go straight into a full on head wind. Here I could barely manage over 11, sometimes as low as 7mph. :eek: that would last for about a mile then I took a left turn and headed south where I got a break because it was only a cross wind so I could get up to 13 again. But that only lasted for about a half mile. Then I got another right turn right into the head winds again. This stretch is probably around 3-4 miles and it was BRUTAL!!I was only able to average maybe 10 mph through here. And the pavement was HORRIBLE (just to add to the misery). But then I got another half mile break with another left turn. This section also has an overpass, so that kinda sucked. But then again I got another blast by a right turn into the wind to head back to the turn around. And when I hit town I got to go over a bridge twice so I could really feel the crosswinds before heading back out for more fun...
So yeah, I was miserable. I wanted to quit on the first loop, but I willed myself to the second. I wanted to quit again but talked myself into the third loop. The third loop was defintely the worst! Around mile 107 my neck started spasming and I had a hard time holding up my head. It was not so fun...
So then I hit transition and told the guy to take my bike and burn it. These are immortal wordds from my friend Joe Moya from the IMAZ race in 05. That race had equally brutal winds. Oh- and I was dodging tumbleweeds out there- and getting sand blasted by blowing dust..
Ok, so I hit the transition and the girl helps get me out of there pretty quick. I try to start running, and I actually trot for a while. I stopped at the aid station and grabbed some coke and chicken broth which USUALLY settles my stomach. I walked up a hill and realized that my stomach wasn't right. By the time I hit the bridge I had to puke. I made it to a porta pottie and let fly. This became a trend on the run. I couldn't keep anything down and if I tried to run it only made it worse. Imagine trying to run a marathon with a stomach bug. That was me. So I told myself that if I made the first loop by 7:30 I would go on. Once again I knew this would be a midnight affair. I made the first loop and wanted to have the second one down by 9:30. I knew that anything over 9:45 and I wouldn't make it. Well I had to stop and puke a few more times, so I didn't make it. I didn't go over the timing mat to start the third loop, but I would have hit it at 9:50. I was walking a 2:20 loop, and I only had 2:10 to complete the last loop. So I consulted with Tony and our friend Kevin who was out to video tape the race, and I pulled off the course. It was SUCH a bummer! I think it was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. As I said in my title I've never DNF'ed before, and I thought I never would.
But I think the wind just got to me and I got behind on my nutrition. That is all I can figure.
When I got home I continued to heave, and I started shaking uncontrollably. Tony says I was white as a ghost under my sunburn and my lips were a combo of white and purple. I took a hot shower and curled up in bed. But sleep didn't come. I laid there thinking "what if"... But I know I made the right decision, and yeah I WILL be back. Next year? I dunno, but maybe in 09. I need to work on my swim. If I had cut even 15 minutes off my swim that would have given me enough in the bank to finish.. So yeah, I have things to work on.
Well, thanks again for all the well wishes. You guys ROCK!!
Denise
Oh one last thing. As I said before, I had people stopping me left and right this week asking me if I was Denise from the You Tube video. It was cool. Well yesterday a girl came and found be at the bike racks and told me that I inspired her. This was her first, and she looked at my times and she knew that she could do it too.
And then on the run (err walk) I had a guy ask me if I was the one with the video. He told me that he LOVED the video and watched it a ton of times to get him ready for the race. He also said that it changed his buddies perception of the race and he was out there racing too!
So I guess something good has come from all of this!