IMC 2010

The day before -

Eh, Saturday morning I woke up feeling like I got rocked by a hurricane. I am not good on a little sleep depravation, 4-5hrs is just not enough. A little dose of HTFU and I got my tail down to the lake side for a wake/sober the hell up open water swim. Equipped with my trusty Helix I attacked the water. Ahahahahaha! That was an exaggeration at best. I was lucky I didn't drown as I was still hung-over/semi-drunkly swimming. The water started out feeling pretty good. Cleansing I might say. 10 mins in I got hot and started to over heat. Due to limited timing I cut my planned 40 min OW down to 30 and returned safely to shore. I had a date and I was going to be late!!!!

Date IE training part 2 - 100 miles of IMC Bike course
That was what was on my training schedule from my coach...along with a few zone/power rpm directions. Really though she said I could ride the IMC bike course and not to exceed 100 miles....I took that as I'm not racing this year and mileage was up to me as long as I didn't exceed the maximum. If it wasn't for my commitment to ride with two others I probably would have crawled back into bed.

I picked up Micah at the Lakeshore hotel and we drove to Okanagan Falls to meet up with Alanna. On the drive there I forced in as many caramel rice cakes shellacked with PB and chia seeds as I could get down. I didn't eat much if at all the night prior (does wine calories count?) and caloric intake in the AM was only an Odowalla Bar. I prayed that the chia seeds would hold on to all the h2o I was guzzling down my throat. Hydration was at an all time low. I was fully prepared to suffer.

Thankfully for me this was the longest ride Alanna had been on in some time as she would normally hand me my tail on a silver platter. If all else failed I could draft. Micah was also new to the distance and the course. At least I was amongst good company.

We started a tad bit late as I got lost finding Alanna's place. Then it took me what felt like forever and a day to get my s*** together. As a last resort I threw down a 5hr energy. B vitamins and caffeine - elixir of the Gods. We were off.....

The ride out from Okanagan to Osoyoos was forgiving. A slight downhill and wind at our backs was comforting. I'd like to express my thanks to the grueling hours of core support from the TRX suspension. Without a strong core/abs I would have surely eaten dust one too many times. Not paying much attention I ended up riding over a lot of road bumps and random crap in the road while aero. At times I soared through the air only to land wobbly back on the ground clutching my aero bars. Whew! That was close one. I repeated this over and over again.

At Osoyoos we turned to climb up Ritcher Pass. It was time to gear up and hit this baby in the big ring - slowly grinding away. The wind that was once at our backs was now hitting us straight in the face. 5hr Energy, chia seeds and malto is a powerful combination. Ritcher was not difficult at all. In fact it was rather enjoyable as Alanna and I were able to catch up on life.

The notorious 7 b****es lived up to their reputation. Nuff said.

Rehydrating took place at a fruit stand. I found comfort in riding this course and not racing. Saying it is beautiful doesn't give it enough justice. Breathtaking - literally :)

Mile 50 and I was feeling pretty good. Time to tackle up Yellow Lake!

The wind was now blowing down pretty hard on us. Ugh. I was starting to grow annoyed with my big ring. Muscular wise I felt fine but the lack of sleep and copious amount of alcohol was catching up. I was not in the mood to battle the force that was being pushed upon me. Alas I pushed forward....one positive pedal stroke in front of the other while my head hung down.

Alanna and I reached the top! And check this this out - we're smiling YO!


That didn't last long because we got pissed upon (rain) the climb up and waiting around at the top made us chilled. Enough with waiting we had to make our descent down. It would have been quicker if Casper the Ghost aka brutal wind wasn't trying to push us back up the mountain or off the side of the cliff. F***ing wind!

The descent was more energizing than taxing and we both rolled up to the house feeling done - but good.

Later I was able to analyze my wattage data vs my race in 09.
For the 77 miles I ended avg'ing 15w higher then race day. This was without a race taper. Massive built up fatigue. A hangover. Sleep depravation. Caloric deficient and dehydrated. AND riding at a comfortable pace. I'm also 10lbs lighter which I think is a sign of power/weight ratio growth. Does this show signs of growth in my riding strength? :) If anything I'm not as clumsy! I didn't fall of my bike once!

I'm happy to report I did not die into the night.....I just caught some zzzz's a little early.

Race Day - 8hrs of blissful sleep makes a WORLD of difference!!!

Another early morning - volunteering started at 6:30am. T1 bag and gear check - easy peasy as I've done it before.
My favorite part of the IM race is watching the swim start. It always brings chills down my body. So exciting!
It was a ton of fun to see most of my friends get wetsuit stripped and run off to the changing tent.

Post volunteering Alanna and I got to tag along with TYR to spot the female pros on the bike course. This was a new point of view for me - very cool! Then we raced down to the run course to spot the lead Pro men. Another cool adventure! Time was limited for fuel/food between spotting which started to invoked "Oscar" my evil head. The Bear fruit stand was a saving grace. Not only did I stock up on fresh oh-so delicious Canadian fruit but I also go a massive Bavarian sausage! And an "O" bite sized piece of rocky road fudge.

Sitting in the car tucked Alanna and I out so we decided to replenish our senses with endless wine in the VIP tent. Those little cups start to add up. Too much vino down the road and I lost my ID and credit card again! Mother%^#%$! I was lucky I didn't lose my passport or I'd be stuck in Canada. We finished the day off by cheering on friends at the finish line and talking with some old guy -(pretty sure he was a Kona qualifier) long into the night. The quote of the night goes to old dude - "If I sprint my pop will bust". Ahahahahahaha!

AND THE DAY AFTER -
I signed up for IM Canada 2011....I'm going to pin this on the hang over from the vino. As I walk out of the sign up tent the volunteer ladies ask me if I'm excited. I reply "Eh...it's just another day" Maybe I should have more excitement? Maybe I've lost my mojo? The WTC IMs are so commercialized it's hard to get excited. Maybe an INDY is in my future as well....Hmmmmmm.
I'm hoping for a healthy 2011.......