July 20, 2007
Pacific Crest
SUNRIVER, OR, July 20 — Pacific Crest, June, 22, 2007. It was finally time to test the body, and see what it was made of. I was really looking forward to this race. My last week and a half of training had been consistent and my times had been strong. A friend, Tom Liby, member of another triathlon club in Boise – Boise Aeros – had been posting pre-race workouts for a few triathletes getting ready for Ironman Coeur D’alene and Pacific Crest. He is very knowledgeable, talented athlete, and makes a very good motivator/coach.
Arriving on Friday at Sunriver Resort, we drove to the lake and went for a swim in my new wetsuit from F2R, which I totally love. It is fast in the water, and fast out of the water. We attended the pasta party afterwards and headed home for a good night of sleep…which I didn’t get…I slept off and on all night, I think partly due to the change of altitude, and also because of the race in a couple of days. I woke up early, went for a short 40 minute bike ride with a couple of other ladies, followed by a quick 20 minute run, with short 15secs pick-ups…prescribed by my coach Jenny Tobin. I felt kind of sluggish, and still sore from a massage Mark Dauenhauer gave me the previous Tuesday.
I spent the morning getting my Scott Plasma ready, cleaning it, and getting my transition bags in place. I then headed to the finish line of the Half ironman to see my friends finish…they never came, and I could feel that all the standing around was wearing me down, so I decided to go back to the house and go take a nap. On a side note, they did finish, just not at the time that they were expecting. It was a tough day for them, but I think that they are already brave to be going the distance. I slept 3.5 hours! Felt great, and woke up to a documentary on these 2 great triathletes: Team Hoyt…Inspiring. They will be in Boise on August 1, 2007. I cooked a mean dinner – halibut with a little bit of fresh salsa, paired with some delicious pasta. It is nice to be a French woman and have the flair for good cuisine…my husband will vouch for that I am sure. He is spoiled with delicious meals almost every night. Note to self – I found that halibut pasta is a pre-race meal that works for me. I slept like a rock, despite my 3.5-hour nap. I woke up fresh and ready to roll after some oatmeal and a banana.
As the announcer started the first few waves, I was calm but also feeling anxious…not fear, but anxious to test my body and see how it would hold up…excitement is a better word. The field was deep, around 500 athletes in the Olympic distance race. I started off the swim in the front, and got into a good steady pace. I usually have difficulties judging my effort in open water swims. I believe the swim was a little long, only by a couple of minutes. I couldn’t see many yellow caps in front of me, so I figured that I must have been in the front…it happened that I was…I exited 3rd out of the water. I took my F2R wetsuit off in a split-second. My legs felt good right away on the bike, and I knew I was going to have a strong day when the slight hills on the first part of the loop didn’t feel like hills. I put my head down and pedaled strong along the 25.2 miles all the way into T2 in 1.08. My goal before the race was to be in transition by 1hr30…I was faster. My other goal was to start off the run hard. In the past, I would start easy hoping that I would get some running legs under me, but I would never do. So I focused on quick feet, quick arms, and stay strong mentally. Despite the cold weather, my legs felt amazingly good…my taper had worked… another athlete from a previous wave came out of the transition at the same time. I passed her right away, but she picked up her pace enough to set herself up just one body length in front of me…it was perfect as her pace suited me well…I kept right behind her – she would slow down a bit, I would pass her, and vice versa…pace lining on the run. I was going 7, 7.15 mile pace until mile 4… then my muscles weren’t responding as well and I slowed down until the last 3-10th of the last mile where I finally picked it back up to finish strong. I ended up placing 5th overall, 2 minutes from 2nd place, and 2nd in my 25-29 age group. I was and still am happy about my performance. My overall time was the best I have ever had, and mostly, this was the best I have ever felt in a triathlon. Now the challenge is to make sure that it will happen again, and also, that I will do even better, especially on the run. I think that this helped build a little bit of confidence I was lacking. Jenny Tobin always reminds me that I need to gain some experience and trust that my body and mind can pull it off on race day. A great advice that I repeat to myself a lot so that it becomes second nature! This was my third year at Pacific Crest. I truly enjoy the course, the venue, the volunteers and hope that the race will keep growing every year.
Thank you to my sponsors – Tamarack Resort who every year supports our team from pros to amateurs, Scott…for a fast bike that contributes to faster bike splits this year, F2R…for awesome wetsuits that make for faster swims and lightning fast transitions, Smith Optics – so I can see the world in pink every day, Red Roxx, Micron, Mark Dauenhauer – awesome massage therapist, Focus Physical Therapy, Kenda tires, and of course my husband who puts up with the stubborn French character that I am, every single day.
