The Escape from the Gorge
Cascade Locks, OR
Full Escape: 1.5 miles/18 miles/8 miles as advertised; 0.5 miles/14.5 miles/8.2 miles actual
If you're curious about how I really did, feel free to skip to the end. If you want all the gory details, sit back, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy the ride.
Breakfast Report: The usual honey wheat bagel with peanut butter, coffee, water, and about 16 oz of Gleukos
Fashion Report: Black tri shorts, purple Zoot Tri Swift T, black Transition Girl skirt for the run; Coordinating black Promotion sleeveless wetsuit and purple swim cap for the swim
Race Nutrition Report: Three Gus, water, Gatorade Endurance, and enough Columbia River water to fill many fish tanks
This was my A race out of all my A races this year, a chance for a guaranteed slot to the 2008 Escape from Alcatraz. As a pretty solid MOPer, my hopes were not too high for actual qualification but an additional 8 random slots were up for grabs in an award ceremony raffle. Cool! I'm in!
The alarm was set for 4 AM so that I'd have plenty of time to make the 75 minute drive to Cascade Locks but I didn't need it. After a pretty restful night, I bounded out of bed at 3:45 and went downstairs to turn on the coffee maker and have a leisurely pre-dawn breakfast. I pulled on my tri gear, kissed BrewDad goodbye (he & DS were meeting me at the race at a more reasonable hour), loaded up the last of my gear, and hit the road. First stop, a gas station to top off the tank. Not many are open at 4:45 in the morning. I drove by three before getting lucky. I finally get on the highway shortly after 5. Beautiful morning for a drive. Cool and quiet with the moon sliver setting in the east. I got to the gorge when a sudden gust of wind tossed my CR-V around a bit. Uh oh. I knew winds were in the forecast but they usually kick up around lunchtime. The reprieve I was hoping for was not meant to be.
I get to the race site in plenty of time to get checked in, use the facilities twice, get body marked, and set up my transition spot. I head down to the dock for the pre-race briefing and took a good look at the river. Those aren't whitecaps, are they? I am not hallucinating. There are whitecaps on the Columbia today. A bunch of us chat nervously and manage to convince ourselves that they aren't that big. The RD lets us know about the last minute change in the bike course due to an ODOT permit issue and finally we all board the sternwheeler for the ride out to the swim start.
The Swim: Hellacious
I admit. I am not a sailor. And here I was boarding a boat for a ride on a choppy river that would make any seasoned salty turn green. Oh well, the ride would be short, or so I thought. The captain of the sternwheeler announced that the wind was blowing steadily from the east at 25 knots and gusting up to about 35.
Well that explains the whitecaps which didn't look so small now. We were dealing with 2-4 foot swells. The plan was to let the sprint athletes off and travel further upriver for the start of our race. We all crowded the upper deck to properly send off the sprinters. As we all started to file downstairs to get ready, the RD made a startling announcement. He was cutting our swim short at 1/2 mile for safety's sake. The kayakers had turned back due to the chop and the remaining boats were left rescuing sprinters. Seven sprinters had to be pulled and at least three needed extra medical attention. 
We were also going to stay moored until the last sprinter made it to the beach. There went my sea legs. I started my yoga breathing. An hour after setting off, it was finally our turn. I couldn't jump off the boat fast enough. Unfortunately getting off the boat didn't solve my growing feeling of seasickness. I tried to settle into a smooth stroke but the choppy water made it challenging so I did what I could and tried not to ride up and over the swells too often. Sighting was a challenge due to the size of the waves and I was swallowing mouthfuls of water every time I took a breath. At this rate, I'd need a bilge pump to survive this thing. But survive it I did along with 117 others. We were all grateful to be back on dry land after that.
The Bike: Craptastic
Transition was a 0.2 mile run from the swim finish over painful chip seal. I knew I should have dropped shoes off at the beach. I tore off my wetsuit and got my bike gear on. I exited the park and turned east....straight into a 30 mph headwind. Yes, this was going to suck. I had driven the bike course two days before and the hardest climbs were eastbound. I sucked down a Gu and tucked in mentally preparing myself for a hard slog. I never dreamed how hard it would really be. Halfway up the big climb, my nausea from the swim caught up with me and I started to get dizzy. Fearing a not-so-funny repeat of my clipless incident a few weeks prior, I stopped and clipped out trying to get control of my tummy. I was determined to finish this thing if it killed me so I decided any forward momentum is good momentum. I started to hike a bike all the while contemplating the wisdom of leaving the remainder of my breakfast, two Gus, and whatever river water I swallowed in a ditch. In retrospect, I should have. It probably would have made me feel better faster but I finally got control about 800 yards up the road and remounted my bike to finish the bike course including the tough climb back over the hill from ****. I had kissed any hope for Alcatraz goodbye at this point but it did boost the ego a bit to see people still on the outbound journey on my return trip. Maybe I was farther up the pack than I thought I was. No matter. My next goal was to finish as strong as I could with a solid, quality run. My next A race is a half marathon after all.
The Run: My Saving Grace
I got back to transition after eating away at the last five miles of the course at 21 mph netting a most excellent 14.5 mph average over the whole course.
Not one of my better outings. I pulled on my new running skirt and set out for a good tempo run over the Historic Columbia River Highway. It was a testament to how bad my bike had been that I started passing people on the run almost immediately and continued through the remainder of the race. I felt very strong on the run despite how challenging my race had been to that point and discovered a few things. I love to run hills and I now know how stronger runners like BrewDad and Thor feel. Yes, my run was that good. My tummy had settled enough to allow me to take a Gu at the second aid station and the immense flight of stairs at 3.5 miles did not faze me. Hey, at least it wasn't sand. After an enjoyable romp through a gorgeous forest path, I kicked on the last 1/2 mile and finished strong and smiling at 2:44 and change. I'll take any finish given how rough 2/3 of the race was on me.
Post-Race:
Since there were lottery slots still up for grabs in the random drawing, we stuck around for the awards ceremony to see if I could get lucky. Good things really come in threes and someone was smiling on me today.
One: I won a new Promotion wetsuit in the raffle.
Two: I discovered I came in 3rd in my AG but the first place woman was a pro and didn't count in the AG standings so I really came in 2nd. My first hardware ever! Which brings on....
Three: I QUALIFIED AND AM GOING TO ALCATRAZ NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! (Top 2 in each AG get auto bids)
Official Splits:
Swimck 00:00:20.3 SwimRun1 00:17:37.2 T1 00:02:20.7 Bike 01:04:09.4 T2 00:01:28.9 Run 01:18:32.6 Finish 02:44:29.1
According to the roll-up, I actually was 14/22 OA, 2/3 AG (1/2 if you take the pro out of the mix).
In nine months, I will be joining thousands of other athletes as they plunge into the Bay, test my mettle against the hills of San Francisco, and square off against the infamous sand ladder. How do I feel? I'm TERRIFIED but EXCITED and on top of the world.
I couldn't have asked for a better finale. I learned a lot this second season from all the excellent athletes here. There's always someone to lend advice, share in the good things, and commiserate about the not so good things. You guys are the best!
This last race just set the theme for my off season -- hills and strength. But first I have this little half marathon I need to do in 6 weeks.
ETA: Official Splits
http://This message has been edited by hobey (edited Sep-10-2007).
Cascade Locks, OR
Full Escape: 1.5 miles/18 miles/8 miles as advertised; 0.5 miles/14.5 miles/8.2 miles actual
If you're curious about how I really did, feel free to skip to the end. If you want all the gory details, sit back, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy the ride.
Breakfast Report: The usual honey wheat bagel with peanut butter, coffee, water, and about 16 oz of Gleukos
Fashion Report: Black tri shorts, purple Zoot Tri Swift T, black Transition Girl skirt for the run; Coordinating black Promotion sleeveless wetsuit and purple swim cap for the swim
Race Nutrition Report: Three Gus, water, Gatorade Endurance, and enough Columbia River water to fill many fish tanks
This was my A race out of all my A races this year, a chance for a guaranteed slot to the 2008 Escape from Alcatraz. As a pretty solid MOPer, my hopes were not too high for actual qualification but an additional 8 random slots were up for grabs in an award ceremony raffle. Cool! I'm in!
The alarm was set for 4 AM so that I'd have plenty of time to make the 75 minute drive to Cascade Locks but I didn't need it. After a pretty restful night, I bounded out of bed at 3:45 and went downstairs to turn on the coffee maker and have a leisurely pre-dawn breakfast. I pulled on my tri gear, kissed BrewDad goodbye (he & DS were meeting me at the race at a more reasonable hour), loaded up the last of my gear, and hit the road. First stop, a gas station to top off the tank. Not many are open at 4:45 in the morning. I drove by three before getting lucky. I finally get on the highway shortly after 5. Beautiful morning for a drive. Cool and quiet with the moon sliver setting in the east. I got to the gorge when a sudden gust of wind tossed my CR-V around a bit. Uh oh. I knew winds were in the forecast but they usually kick up around lunchtime. The reprieve I was hoping for was not meant to be.
I get to the race site in plenty of time to get checked in, use the facilities twice, get body marked, and set up my transition spot. I head down to the dock for the pre-race briefing and took a good look at the river. Those aren't whitecaps, are they? I am not hallucinating. There are whitecaps on the Columbia today. A bunch of us chat nervously and manage to convince ourselves that they aren't that big. The RD lets us know about the last minute change in the bike course due to an ODOT permit issue and finally we all board the sternwheeler for the ride out to the swim start.
The Swim: Hellacious
I admit. I am not a sailor. And here I was boarding a boat for a ride on a choppy river that would make any seasoned salty turn green. Oh well, the ride would be short, or so I thought. The captain of the sternwheeler announced that the wind was blowing steadily from the east at 25 knots and gusting up to about 35.
Well that explains the whitecaps which didn't look so small now. We were dealing with 2-4 foot swells. The plan was to let the sprint athletes off and travel further upriver for the start of our race. We all crowded the upper deck to properly send off the sprinters. As we all started to file downstairs to get ready, the RD made a startling announcement. He was cutting our swim short at 1/2 mile for safety's sake. The kayakers had turned back due to the chop and the remaining boats were left rescuing sprinters. Seven sprinters had to be pulled and at least three needed extra medical attention. We were also going to stay moored until the last sprinter made it to the beach. There went my sea legs. I started my yoga breathing. An hour after setting off, it was finally our turn. I couldn't jump off the boat fast enough. Unfortunately getting off the boat didn't solve my growing feeling of seasickness. I tried to settle into a smooth stroke but the choppy water made it challenging so I did what I could and tried not to ride up and over the swells too often. Sighting was a challenge due to the size of the waves and I was swallowing mouthfuls of water every time I took a breath. At this rate, I'd need a bilge pump to survive this thing. But survive it I did along with 117 others. We were all grateful to be back on dry land after that.The Bike: Craptastic
Transition was a 0.2 mile run from the swim finish over painful chip seal. I knew I should have dropped shoes off at the beach. I tore off my wetsuit and got my bike gear on. I exited the park and turned east....straight into a 30 mph headwind. Yes, this was going to suck. I had driven the bike course two days before and the hardest climbs were eastbound. I sucked down a Gu and tucked in mentally preparing myself for a hard slog. I never dreamed how hard it would really be. Halfway up the big climb, my nausea from the swim caught up with me and I started to get dizzy. Fearing a not-so-funny repeat of my clipless incident a few weeks prior, I stopped and clipped out trying to get control of my tummy. I was determined to finish this thing if it killed me so I decided any forward momentum is good momentum. I started to hike a bike all the while contemplating the wisdom of leaving the remainder of my breakfast, two Gus, and whatever river water I swallowed in a ditch. In retrospect, I should have. It probably would have made me feel better faster but I finally got control about 800 yards up the road and remounted my bike to finish the bike course including the tough climb back over the hill from ****. I had kissed any hope for Alcatraz goodbye at this point but it did boost the ego a bit to see people still on the outbound journey on my return trip. Maybe I was farther up the pack than I thought I was. No matter. My next goal was to finish as strong as I could with a solid, quality run. My next A race is a half marathon after all.
The Run: My Saving Grace
I got back to transition after eating away at the last five miles of the course at 21 mph netting a most excellent 14.5 mph average over the whole course.
Not one of my better outings. I pulled on my new running skirt and set out for a good tempo run over the Historic Columbia River Highway. It was a testament to how bad my bike had been that I started passing people on the run almost immediately and continued through the remainder of the race. I felt very strong on the run despite how challenging my race had been to that point and discovered a few things. I love to run hills and I now know how stronger runners like BrewDad and Thor feel. Yes, my run was that good. My tummy had settled enough to allow me to take a Gu at the second aid station and the immense flight of stairs at 3.5 miles did not faze me. Hey, at least it wasn't sand. After an enjoyable romp through a gorgeous forest path, I kicked on the last 1/2 mile and finished strong and smiling at 2:44 and change. I'll take any finish given how rough 2/3 of the race was on me.Post-Race:
Since there were lottery slots still up for grabs in the random drawing, we stuck around for the awards ceremony to see if I could get lucky. Good things really come in threes and someone was smiling on me today.
One: I won a new Promotion wetsuit in the raffle.
Two: I discovered I came in 3rd in my AG but the first place woman was a pro and didn't count in the AG standings so I really came in 2nd. My first hardware ever! Which brings on....
Three: I QUALIFIED AND AM GOING TO ALCATRAZ NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! (Top 2 in each AG get auto bids)
Official Splits:
Swimck 00:00:20.3 SwimRun1 00:17:37.2 T1 00:02:20.7 Bike 01:04:09.4 T2 00:01:28.9 Run 01:18:32.6 Finish 02:44:29.1
According to the roll-up, I actually was 14/22 OA, 2/3 AG (1/2 if you take the pro out of the mix).
In nine months, I will be joining thousands of other athletes as they plunge into the Bay, test my mettle against the hills of San Francisco, and square off against the infamous sand ladder. How do I feel? I'm TERRIFIED but EXCITED and on top of the world.
I couldn't have asked for a better finale. I learned a lot this second season from all the excellent athletes here. There's always someone to lend advice, share in the good things, and commiserate about the not so good things. You guys are the best!
This last race just set the theme for my off season -- hills and strength. But first I have this little half marathon I need to do in 6 weeks.
ETA: Official Splits
http://This message has been edited by hobey (edited Sep-10-2007).
