I arrived home late last night hoping to get started on my race report for the Osoyoos Half Ironman, but I was just so bagged I zonked out on the couch watching Tour de France highlights and munching down some great Okanagan cherries I picked up on the ride home…
So, that brings us to the morning and, after a good night’s sleep, I have the opportunity to look at the weekend behind me and, hopefully, relay some of the feelings and moments in a decent story.
The weekend really began Friday afternoon and evening, as I busily attempted to replace the older tires on the Cervelo with some brand new racing tires that Michael L, my racing buddy for the weekend, had picked up for me from Simon’s Bike shop in downtown Vancouver. Michael had just bought himself a pair and was raving about them to no end. Even though we had really no “rivalry” going on between us, it can’t be argued that there was a secret desire in both of us to challenge each other to be first to the finish. But it was a healthy battle since both of us (appeared at least) to be doing our best to help the other. So, thus enters the race wheels. While putting them on I also put in some lighter inner tubes from Schwalb. I figured if I was going for “light” on the bike, I had mind as well aim for a few extra grams with some lighter inner tubes. In the back of my head I was thinking, of course, that tires had been the main culprit in my DNF in Victoria, so I’d best not take too many chances with this stuff. However, both are new tires and new tubes, so I figure they’ll have at least a weekend shelf life. I tested out one CO2 cartridge by inflating one of the tires using it. Even though these things cost $6 each I figured it was worth wasting one out just to make sure I got it right.
As I was putting the wheels back on my bike I let the Cervelo slip out of my hands, and the big chain ring landed square on my bare pinky toe. It slit a 1 cm cut right into it and I also believed, at the time, that it may actually have crushed a little bone or something. So thus begins a racing weekend…. I bandaged it up as quickly as possible and took the bike out for a quick spin to see how the tires felt. Just having new tires felt amazing and, while I couldn’t really feel the difference in weight I felt a lot more secure and confident.
I got home to discover that the blood from my pinky toe cut had bloodied up the sock (left foot). So, I went to the washroom, washed off my feet, and applied a new bandage. At this point I was thinking I probably needed to at least get some stitches or something but, hey, it’s a pinky toe and I didn’t have time.
So, later in the evening, after a great meal with my parents (a fantastic salad with a couple of slices of pizza for good measure and “just good for the heart”) I went over to Michael’s and he and a few of his friends, his girlfriend Rachel, and I watched the DVD from Ironman Hawaii 2005. There is the inspiration! When you see a few folks overcome great adversity and push their limits to finish that race, you realize your issues are really quite manageable. Of course I thought that as I limped back to my car and drove home.
Saturday morning Michael and Rachel picked me up at 7am and we started our long drive to Osoyoos. It’s about a 4-4 ½ hour drive all told, and we stopped in Hope at the Home Restaurant for a big breakfast. The real mantra of the weekend was eat lots, stay hydrated, and use anything and everything to keep your body temperature cooler. We arrived in Osoyoos around 1pm and went to check into the hotel, and pick up our race packages. Rachel went for a run in the 35 degree heat in the afternoon as she is training for the Stormy Ultramarathon. I couldn’t imagine walking to the beach it was so hot outside, but there and off she went! Michael and I grabbed a pasta lunch at the Owl’s Pub and stayed in the shade. We checked our bikes in to the transition area and Michael played around with some duck tape and a rigged up aerodynamic storage system for his gels, spare tubes, etc. that he’d put about 9 months of thought into. After his performance on the bike, I’m hiring him as my official “bike engineer” for Ironman Canada.
After a short dip in a very warm lake and the race meeting, we went and grabbed dinner at Campo Marina – one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever eaten at – and had an early night. I actually think I fell asleep around 10pm after a couple of quick phone calls with friends wishing me luck. What a great family we have here!
I awoke a couple of times during the night to loud noises of partiers outside in the parking lot. Well, it’s summer, and it’s party time for a lot of teenagers, so I wasn’t too ticked off although I would have enjoyed a deeper sleep. Still, I had been sleeping fairly well all week so I knew this would only be a small inconvenience. I was well hydrated, had eaten plenty, and was in bed, so I couldn’t really be mad at all.
We awoke at 4:30am and I immediately ate a bowl of oatmeal. Michael awoke around 4:40 and had his breakfast, and Rachel was there for support the whole time. It was great to have her around the whole weekend as she was incredibly easy going and kept us both in check most of the time. She’d gotten a little heat exhaustion from her run the day before, too.
Our hotel, the Poplar’s Motel, was about a 10-15 minute walk to the transition area, which was perfect for us. When I went outside in the morning there was a rather drunk teenage guy stumbling around and completely incoherent. I have no idea what he had consumed and I just couldn’t be bothered to find out. But he was not in good shape.
We walked to transition and set up our bikes, and I chatted with a few of the competitors that were around whom I knew. There were a lot of folks from the Ironcops Edmonton team, as well as our BC team, around, as well as some folks from the North Shore Tri Club. It was a great scene all around. Beautiful weather and a lot of athletes. Michael was about to do his first Half Ironman race, as was another friend of mine, Christy, from North Vancouver. I think I had scared her the day before saying “you picked a heck of a hard race to do your first Half Ironman”. Ooops.
Michael and I went for a quick warm up swim in our wetsuits before the race started. The water was, indeed, quite warm. I opted not to bring my watch with me on the swim as I really didn’t want to look at it at all, and couldn’t without breaking my rhythm anyway. So, I had no idea what my pace might be or anything. We came back and the race started. It was a two-loop course and they send the men under-49 out first. All the women and over 50 men would go 10 minutes later. The start of the race was a frenzy, and I believe I started in the wrong spot as I was constantly being overtaken or overtaking other swimmers all the way out to that first buoy. We turned left and then things started to settle down. I decided to use my normal swim goggles this time instead of the Aqua Sphere Seal goggles I had always used before. I wasn’t happy with how they felt anymore from some previous swims, so I thought the normal swim goggles would be better. I had very little sighting problems the whole way and kept my bilateral breathing going as much as possible. I was in a zone turning into the last turn before the end of the first 1k loop. The swim back to shore was mired in seaweed which was quite an experience. You truly felt as though you were navigating through a forest as you got closer in. In a way, it forced me to keep my hands from dropping too low in the water, which meant I believe I had a cleaner stroke. We arrived at the end of the first loop and had to get out of the water, run around a post, and go back in and do the whole thing all over again. By this point the field had spread out quite a bit so there was no problem heading out to that first buoy as there was on the first lap. I got into my rhythm right away and focused on swimming with as good a form as I could and breathing steadily and consistently. And sighting so that I always was hitting the shortest route to the next buoy. I knew I was swimming well, and hoped that what I felt was reflected in my swim finish time. I finished the second lap and jumped out of the water. I noticed a few spectators along the way, Kelly, one of my friends from Vancouver, and Rachel, and I headed towards the wetsuit strippers. This is the fun part, where you lie down on the grass and have two volunteers pull your wetsuit off like lightning. It was awesome.
I had no idea what my finishing time on the swim was, as there was no clock set up to check at that point. No matter, I figured it was under 40 minutes… It had to be. When I checked later, I found out it was 36 minutes 14 seconds... That's 2 minutes faster than Victoria 3 weeks earlier. So, obviously the sighting is getting better!
I ran into the transition area and snuck a peak over to where Michael’s bike was. The bike was still there, meaning that I had finished the swim before he had. I got to my bike, strapped on my helmet, put on shoes (no socks), and my sunglasses and bike gloves and headed out to start the big climb. I saw Michael entering transition as I was getting my bike off the rack, so I knew he’d be a few seconds behind be and I also knew he’d pass me quickly on the bike. I got moving in an easy gear and started the long, 14km climb that started this bike leg. It’s a tough way to start but you definitely can’t push too hard either, which boded well for me. I just spun up the hill and tried, as my goal, to consume one full water bottle before the top of Richter’s Pass, where I knew there would be an aid station. Planning out your water intake by aid stations keeps you more consistent and forces you to drink water more often, I realized. Michael passed me about 8-10 minutes into the bike, which was pretty good I thought. I just stayed steady and tried to keep my heart rate low. It’s a long enough race, I figured. I got to the top of Richter’s Pass and finished off the last of my water, discarded the water bottle, and grabbed a new one from the volunteers. Then started the decent. And oh how fun that was. I got my bike up to 45 mph heading down the hill and, at one point, even was cracking in on 50 mph. Cruising! I had a few riders that I was cat and mousing along this descent but nothing to worry about too much. The first female passed me at the top of Richter’s and that was comforting too… It had taken that long for someone as a pro to catch me (even though I had a 10 minute head start). Then we entered the rollers, and I just focused on quicker cadence and keeping my heart rate around 150-155 as much as possible. And it was working. I was maintaining a good pace but not completely wasting myself. I would pass a person here and there and get passed by another person here and there. In the past, I was almost never passing people, so I know I have become a better cyclist. At the next aid station, around 40km into the race, I finished off my next water bottle and discarded it for a new one. I knew I was on pace to drink 2.25 litres of water on the bike. That I felt was pretty good. I also had the Thermalite salt tablets that I consumed at a rate of 1 every hour, a clif shot every 45 minutes, and one clif bar at the half way point. I also had my e-load water bottles in the back water cage and my goal was to finish 1 ½ of them. At the halfway mark I checked my bike time and I was sitting at 1:32. I had figured I’d be lucky to break 3:15 on this course, a hilly, tough course, and seeing I was that far ahead of my predicted pace had me excited, but also hoping I had not pushed out too hard.
Entering the second half of the race, there was a flat section of about 15km back to the rollers. I got into my aero position and peddled a higher gear, and had my speed at around 24-25 mph most of the way. I was surprised, again, at how comfortable this was feeling. We hit the rollers and I geared up and down appropriately, passed and was passed, and kept it steady. I started the dreaded climb up to the top of Richter’s Pass and realized that I had about 18km to go, and was only at the 2:20 mark of the bike portion. If I really gave it a little more I should be able to break 3 hours. I had a touch climb ahead which would slow me down for sure, but then a straight downhill for 11km into town. That I was looking forward to. So, I really made sure my cadence was strong and I climbed up that 4-5 km hill towards the top of Richters. I passed a couple of people along the way and then was passed by Michelle, one of the members of the North Shore Tri Club. She looked strong and just took off in front of me. I came around the final turn on the hill and looked at my watch. I was at 2:44 and was about to start a straight descent. With 11km to go, and a chance to go about 60km/hour, I knew I had a shot at a sub 3 hour. Again, I felt I’d be lucky with a 3:15. I got into the highest gear and just peddled into the downhill, a 6% grade, and got my speed going. I passed Michelle (I’m a heavier guy, so downhills work better!) and screamed down that last section. I was hitting 45-47mph the whole way. It was exhilarating. I came into town with a burst of speed, about 6 minutes to spare until the 3 hour mark, and knowing full well I had this in my grasp.
Then, I made a mistake.
At the 3rd to last turn ( a left turn) on a town block, I stayed aero, did not slow down, and took the turn way too sharp. I knew, the moment I got into the turn, that I was in trouble. There was no way to escape it, I was going to crash out, and big time. I can’t tell you the speed I took that turn at but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30 miles per hour. Cars have to slow down when making that kind of turn. I pulled up out of the turn and my wheel skidded into the gravel on the side of the road, turning sideways and sending me flying over the bike and onto the gravel. I landed awkwardly and I can’t really recall whether I flew off the bike or if I just landed on the side with my bike, but I slid a good few feet before the bike caught and flipped over (with me) onto the other side…. A moment of trepidation… I settled in, looked up, and realized “I am still awake.” Then I went to see if I could get up. I could. My left thumb hurt like crazy, but nothing was sticking out or bleeding uncontrollably, so I figured nothing was too out of sorts. I had a lot of road rashes… I look around right now and I have scrapes on my left and right legs from my knee to my hip, on my right elbow, my left forearm, and my back and shoulders. I not only kissed the road, I made unruly advances on her… Sorry, just a joke.
I got up and looked at my bike. It still looked like nothing was bent on it. The stem and handlebars were turned 180 degrees and facing the seat, but I was able to twist them back to their original position or, at least, within a few degrees of it.
Then I realized, “I’m okay…” In a split second, I hopped back on the bike and started pedaling again. I was bleeding a little but I just felt if I kept moving I’d be okay. I also looked back at my watch and realized I still had 4 minutes to reach the transition area to break three hours. I got my speed up. Michelle caught up to me and asked what had happened. I told her I crashed and she couldn’t believe I was still riding. I honestly felt like I had no choice. I had to keep going. I had said over and over that I would not let my race end with a bike problem. I had said that for 3 weeks. I had made a commitment to myself and a promise. As Rachel later pointed out, I had to keep going in my own mind. I had not given myself the option of quitting.
I arrived back at transition, a little worse for wear but still moving, still able to run, and still focused on the task at hand. I looked at my watch and I was at 2:59 for the bike. I had made a sub 3 hours – the results later will show a 3:04 but that includes time on both the swim-bike transition and the bike-run transition. The only trouble I had was using my hands to get my socks on. That was a trial, but once they were on I was ready to head out on the run. I grabbed some water, Gatorade and a sponge and took it all in as I started out to the half marathon portion.
This run was a two loop out and back, so it was very easy to see everybody along the way. I thought that was kind of cool, actually. I tried to keep my heart rate below 170 but it was not happening, so I settled on keeping it at 175. I said to myself “fine, if you can’t get it lower, learn to deal with it here and stick to it”. I did. I ran the whole run around that heart rate with a couple of short spikes that I quickly dispelled with some cool water and slowing down. I saw Michael at the first turn and realized he had a six minute advantage on me. Six minutes I can try to make up. I kept my cadence and form strong and just focused on being efficient and smooth with my running. It’s the one thing I know I can control with myself. I hit the first turnaround (about 4.5km) and started back, picking off people with every kilometer. I love being a comfortable runner as I generally do start catching people on the run portion of the race. I came back to the end of the first half of the run and Michael passed me on the other side again. This time I was about 4 minutes back. So, I had gained 2 minutes in about 6km or so. Pretty good pace I felt. My heart rate was climbing a little and the shade from the clouds was gone, so the heat was piling up. I made a point of taking a sponge at every aid station and squeezing it over myself, and that was about the best thing I could have done. I clocked my first 7km at 32 minutes and my second 7km at 33 ½ minutes. So, I was slowing down slightly, but I still felt I could go for a sub 1:40. I hit the last turnaround and Michael was still about 4 minutes ahead. I was matching him now in pace. As I hit the turnaround I saw Kelly and her mom there and they cheered me on. That gave me a huge boost – it also raised my heart rate quite a bit which I joked was because I had two women cheering for me. I picked up the pace until they disappeared in their car, and figured if I could hold this for another 4km I’d break the 1:40 barrier. I kept moving but my heart rate was climbing. I stopped at the aid station and started walking a bit, grabbing 2 water cups, a Gatorade, a coke and a sponge. Lots of stuff to hopefully get me moving again. It did, but I opted to keep the pace a little more manageable until the final 2km. I was bonking.
I ran past the finishing section for the final 2km and started my run up the hill. I finally realized that my heart rate was soring, and I needed a slight break. I walked through the last aid station and threw a sponge and some water on me, then decided to take a 100 meter walk up the hill before starting again. There I ran into Kerri, a girl from Penticton who is on our Ironcops team. She had planned to come out and watch the race – I met her in Oliver at the Half Ironman last month. She walked a little with me and was very encouraging. I have to say that’s what got me running again. She told me it was about a 3 minute run to the final turnaround and I was off. I went up the hill towards the turnaround, and saw Michael coming down the hill. He was still about 4 minutes ahead of me. I wished him well. He was running strong and looked solid. I hit the turnaround and started back on the 1km to the finish. I picked up the pace as I ran downhill and then made that final decision to push for the line. I ran as hard as I could muster, sprinting through the aid station as best I could, coming down the final stretch and turning towards the finish line. I had run a 1 hour 42 minute half marathon, which I was pleased with to no end! I hit the line at 5 hours 23 minutes and 9 seconds. A 32 minute personal best time on a HARD course. I was elated. I also realized that I HAD to have had a great swim if that was my finishing time. But not to worry now. Now I needed water, and to sit down for a bit. I also needed medical attention on one of my scrapes on my arm as it was a lot bigger than I thought at first. I wandered around in a bit of a daze and congratulated Michael and Oscar, who had also finished a few minutes ahead of me. They both had awesome races, as did I. I felt a little lightheaded as I started to talk to people, so I decided it was best to sit down and get the medical attention now. They came by and wrapped my arm in gauze, and took my blood pressure and pulse. My heart rate had dropped to 115 which I was happy with, and apparently my blood pressure was pretty good for someone who had just done this kind of race. Signs like that always tell me that I probably have more potential in me to push things a little harder…
I sat down and one of the medical folks looked at my left thumb. It didn’t hurt to the touch so it doesn’t appear to be broken, but it hurt a lot so they brought me some ice. I decided to stay on the chair for a while, and yelled at people I knew as they passed by after finishing. I saw Christy, Dave Marsh from the Ironcops, and one guy who I had passed on the bike on the downhill leading into town. But, I stayed put and, after getting care, got up and went for a jump in the lake. Ah, did that feel refreshing and a little stingy as my cuts and scrapes got cleaned out.
And that was where I stayed for the better part of an hour or so. Just chilling out and chatting with people about their race. It was amazing. It was, by far, the best race I have ever been a part of. It just felt great all around, from the organization to the feeling afterwards. Everybody being so friendly, and Joe Dixon, the race organizer, shaking everybody’s hand at the finish and thanking them for doing the race. That was an amazing touch! The link to the race site can be found at www.osoyooshalf.ca/deserthalf_home.html
At the awards banquet, a few of our North Shore Tri folks were awarded for placing in their age groups. Sarah, Joe’s wife, took pitty on my for my scrapes and snuck me a door prize of a new Sugoi biking jersey. It’s SWEET. We ate with Terry, who is also on the Ironcops team. Terry had just finished his first (of many, I hope) Half Ironman and had a question that I think a lot of us have… “What the &#^ have I gotten myself into?” It’s a funny thing because doing a Half Ironman really does make you question doubling that and doing a full Ironman. We all get that feeling of “wow, I can’t imagine”. I still got it a little. Could I have done that same thing for twice as long? That’s where it gets fun. It’s where we realize that our limits are only what we decide they are. The truth is, you can. You can swim 2k, that means you can swim 3.8k. You can bike for 3 hours, you can bike for 6 hours. Will it be easy? No. If it was, why train for more than a year for it? But it will be rewarding, it will be an experience, and we’ll all still learn something about ourselves if we are truly open to the conversation. And that’s a promise. When we are willing to let the experience show us something about ourselves and the world, then no experience is a bad one. I crashed hard on my bike (like Bobby Julich in the Tour de France – only no broken bones) and, in a moment of sheer commitment, made no question of the fact that I was going to get to the finish line. Some people experienced their first real open water swim race and found it exhilarating and were actually shocked at how comfortable they were. We are our own worst critics and yet we are capable of so much more than we or anybody will ever imagine. And THAT is what these races are meant to demonstrate. In addition, you truly see character revealed in the folks who are just so happy for others at the finish line, the spectators and supporters who are just as tired from cheering and honking horns, and marvel at an individual’s triumph over a challenge. It’s a beautiful world for one day, where everything is about what we CAN do, and not what we CAN’T.
After all was said and done, goodbyes given, bike rides arranged, etc. we went back, packed up our triathlon gear out of transition, loaded up the car, and started the drive home. But first we stopped for cherries… I know it’s never about getting home, it’s about stopping for fruit on the journey… And this journey had some great friends, a wonderful race, a few testy moments that could have changed everything, and some fine Okanagan cherries…
