Tenderfoot Mountain Triathlon Race Report

The trip to Salida started Friday afternoon with my parents rolling into town around 1:30 and me skipping out of work with no one noticing after my last meeting at 1pm.

We grabbed lunch at Paninos and headed onto Salida for the awaiting 'Adventure in Pain' for myself and the 'Adventure of Support' for my parents. As a support crew they were troopers I tell ya. Not many parents would give up their entire holiday weekend for their crazy, adult daughter’s goal to torture herself for hours on end, and they get to clap and cheer along the way.

I had made reservations in the swanky Circle R Motel weeks in advance to make sure we all had a place to lay our weary heads.

After much deliberation for dinner we decided to go with an old stand by, consistently good, very vegetarian friendly Twisted Cork. I had introduced my father to this gem of a restaurant this past ski season and he was anxious to take his wife; my step-mother Betty, there. She is a Vegan and me being a Vegetarian, and my father a full on Carnivore, we all were able to find delicious grub for our dinner. We all had a busy day planned for the next day. We needed to get to bed early.

I slept alright considering I had a gazillion butterflies breeding in my stomach. My bike was propped next to my bed, I had images of oversleeping and my alarms not going off (note I said alarms—I set three-just in case). The alarms were set for 4 am in order for me to wake up, eat, ride my bike to the aquatic center, set up my transition area, go to the bathroom—three times, and be ready for my estimated start time of 7:55am.

The plan was my dad and Betty would arrive at the pool around 7:35 am and I would hand my watch to my dad to time my swim and he would hand it back on my way to transition.

I was disappointed and concerned that we were not allowed to warm up in the pool before the initial start. Going in with cold muscles did not make my nerves settle one bit. I was used to the distance of swim (1000 meters), I do it 5 times a week, but never in a hot springs pool (~85 degrees), and I knew the lack of warm up, regardless of my morning bike ride would bite me in the end. And it did.

A lot of people must have had issues getting up or making it to the swim start because my estimated start time was bumped up to 7:20, because so many people were late or no shows. This was only 5 minutes after I ate my Gu, which I calculated to eat 15 minutes prior. Luckily, my parents came in as I was heading to the water so I was able to pass my watch off to my dad ready to start the clock.

Side note: I have a thing for needing data. It’s weird. My friends and family have come to accept it about me. I need to have my times as I am doing things. It is what I do. The watch is a MAJOR thing for me.

I started out with a great set of lane mates, I was the fastest so in the first couple laps I passed to the front and we all kept at an even tempo, then by lap 14 I hit a wall, I had to let them pass and the distance between us grew with every lap. By lap 14 I was ¼ of a lap behind the other two in my lane. Not bad, but I could feel the fatigue.

I was happy to get out of the pool and head to my bike.

As I was running out of the pool I heard my friend Tina yelling and cheering with my Dad and Betty.

As I was drying off and prepping for my bike ride my support team was there to talk to me and calm me down. My dad learned in my first triathlon, I don’t mind being talked to, it was nice that the transition area was open and the idle chit chat helped calm my nerves as I raced to get my cycling shorts, jersey, number and shoes on.

Off I went…

The 25 mile bike ride was a two mile loop that we did twice, it had one large climb, one great decent followed by a sharp right hand turn, and a smaller climb towards the end.

It was during the bike ride I realized what an amazing set of athletes compete in this triathlon. Never have I seen so many encouraging people on a course. Everyone was cheering everyone else on. Later I learned this is one of the harder olympic distance triathlons in the state and the camaraderie was amazing out on course.

I am thankful I didn’t know the difficulty of the course when I signed up, I may have chickened out.

Considering there were only 103 participants, there were many times you would go for a mile or 4 without seeing another rider.

It was a neat surprise to find my parents along the route cheering me on. Almost like “Where’s Waldo?” I didn’t know where they would pop out next. Later I learned that they had seen me on the long climb but did not let me know they were watching me from behind, because it was long, hard and brutal, but I did it, in a sick way liked it, and enjoyed the decent in which I earned.
(my dad at the end of the decent pointing me towards my turn)

As I came in from my last lap on the bike I saw my friend Chery standing near the transition area.
Another cheerleader!
She told me later she had JUST arrived and was afraid she missed me.

I felt great!!! Although there was a bathroom issue brewing in my belly that I didn’t know how to deal with. (sorry, TMI)

Once again I came into transition and I am now feeling all the work I have been putting out, I also needed a potty. (again, To Much Information, I apologize)

I got my running gear on and headed back out on course, Chery gave me a hug as I ducked under the tape for the Porta-potty. Yeah, not gonna happen…time to run. (here my dad is again, cheering me along)

Although my legs were having an issue getting into it. So I trotted the first half mile until I came upon a concrete path that would lead me to the boat ramp in town, then up a mountain.
That concrete path was my nemesis and in the end it won.
I could not run on it without extreme pain in my shins and ankles, knowing I had another race two days later and not wanting to get injured, I gave in and fast walked the first and last 2 miles. I did my best to run up the mountain and back to the concrete path, in which I fast walked again. (we ran around the right side and backside of this mountain, to the top and back down via service road)

There was a water station at the boat ramp that sounded like a good idea until I took a small sip (cold water) and almost immediately barfed. Bad idea

Instead I kept going, and going.
Meanwhile, my support team was napping.

Finally, I came off the concrete path and it was 4-6 short blocks to the finish line. I pushed and gave it all I had, which wasn’t much at this point.

But I gave it, like a junkie handing over their last dollars they earned donating plasma.
I handed over all energy to that finish line.

(If you look closely, I am the little runner wearing the purple swim suit and black skirt)

Which I crossed.

Strong

Still running

(sort of)

Then was greeted by my family and friends.

At this point I was Done, Finit, Spent.

And I cried

Final time: 3:59:19

Betty then said to me “well now you have done it, you never have to do it again”

I replied: “well not until next year at least”


(My Cheering Section)
(Do dead people laugh and smile? I think I will be smiling when I die, I smile all the time while I am alive, why not?