Race Report for Mt. Taylor. This is a bit long but I like to have a detailed report so I know what to do or not to do the next time I do this race.
Today we woke up to 22* weather and clear blue skies. The forecast was for snow, wind and clouds and a high of 42*...granted, that was in Grants, we really didn't know what it was going to be doing up on the mountain. It sure didn't look like it was going to snow....but who knows, if it's anything like Colorado, the weather can change pretty quick. Good thing we put extra clothes in our gear bags just in case.
We were up by 6:30am and had breakfast in us by 7:00am. The race didn't start until 9:00 so we had plenty of time to still figure out what we were going to wear. I wanted to get in a little spin on the bike and make sure everything was in working order and my clothing choice was going to work for me. I had started out with a jacket warming up but quickly took that off. I ended up wearing 2 long sleeve shirts, (one thin/one medium weight), a vest, triathlon shorts with a thick pair of running tights over the shorts, smart wool socks with baggies in my shoes and toe covers on the outside, long fingered gloves with a thin glove cover over those and a buff for my ears.
We started the Race at 9:00am...in a big pack, there must have been about 100 or so riders. The pace started out pretty fast and I was able to stay with a few different groups for most of the climb. I rode in my big chain ring for the first 9 miles and then it started to get a little steeper. I was feeling pretty good but I knew I had to be a little conservative as it was going to be a long day.
I arrived into the first transition in about :55 min., found my bike but there were no volunteers around to help me...oh well, I didn't really need much anyway. I hung up my bike, took off the helmet, switched out my shoes and gloves, threw my glove covers in my vest pocket and off I went. Out of the transition in :58 min.
The run starts off with a pretty significant hill climb for a couple of hundred yards and then it flattened out a bit. I haven't run in over a week and I was quite concerned with my feet and calves. My calves and Achilles have been so sore and tight all week and I knew I could really do some damage if I didn't take it easy. My breathing was well under control but my legs were tired already. My left foot was partially numb for about 2 miles, not sure what that was all about. I decided on my old orthotics as I have only done one run in my new ones....and today had a lot of running in it so I didn't want to chance it. The run was slow but I was happy with it. I stopped at the aid station at 2.3 miles and did some light stretching of the calves. The last mile I did the run/walk routine as it was starting to get pretty steep, a little icy and I realized I could power walk just as fast as some were running! My run up along with my Ski transition was longer than usual, 1:07 for a 5 mile run and a change of gear.
Coming into the 2nd transition I was hoping that there would be a volunteer available to help me with my gear....as I looked around there was no one available, on my own again. I quickly put the ski boots on, first attempting to put my gortex socks on but there was no room in the boot for my regular sock and gortex sock....couldn't figure this out as it worked just fine 4 years ago when I did it...hmmmm. I bagged the gortex socks and just stuck with the smart wools that I was wearing...knowing I would be okay for the ski but had I thought about it I should have tossed the gortex socks into my snowshoe bag as I really needed them for that portion of the race. Oh well, lesson learned. Tossed on my jacket and another hat as I heard one of the volunteers yell out that it was cold on top with 30mph winds. I decided against wearing my wind pants, I was okay but I would have been toasty with that extra layer!! I threw my thicker ski gloves into the snowshoe bag just in case I needed something warmer as all I was wearing at the time was a thin liner with a nylon glove cover. I grabbed part of a bar, downed that without hesitation and I was on my way.
Out of the ski transition I quickly started passing people. I was wearing some really short ski's that make it very easy to almost run in them. With the skins on the bottom I was really moving. I had passed numerous people who either didn't have skins on or they were loosing the skins...as they can be difficult to keep on. We duct tape the crap out them and they will still have a tendency to work their way off the ski. I was lucky this year, I had no problems.
I arrived into the 3rd transition without any issues, except for the fact that I was thirsty. They did have a water stop but they were serving it in itty bitty cups with chunks of ice. It was pretty cold up there and it was difficult for them to keep the water from freezing. I rushed to my transition spot that was numbered and took off my ski's and then stripped the skins off. Pulled the snowshoes out of my bag and went to put in my right foot into my running shoe (that was directly mounted to the snowshoe) and immediately my calf cramped...BIG time!! I started wimpering and a volunteer came to my rescue to help me stretch and release the cramp...and he even fed me gummy bears, that was awesome. I knew the calf was really going to be sore when this race was over. I took it much easier with the left foot with out too much trouble. I cinched up the shoes, put on thicker gloves and I was out of there.
The snowshoe up was beautiful, at least for the first half...in the trees with very little wind. I was able to do a little jogging and a couple of minutes into the run I saw Andy on his way down. He looked great and had a big smile on his face. I asked him if it was cold on top and he said it was. half way up the climb there is the Liquor stop, whiskey or water....I went for the water! Just around the corner the climb got much steeper and the winds were really whipping, thank goodness they were a tailwind for us. I power hiked to the turn around and was happy to see that they changed the course this year, we came down a different way, just as steep but more in the trees and plenty of powder. My heels were bothering me at this point so I wasn't comfortable running downhill too fast. I have a feeling it was because I didn't have any orthotics in my shoes. My feet were getting a little cold as I didn't have the Gortex socks on but I figured they would be fine until I got down to the run transition where I did have a spare pair of socks if I needed to switch them out.
Back into the Ski transition I quickly removed the snowshoes, threw them in the bag and put my ski gear on and skated away. The downhill ski can be pretty scary when one only has little skate ski's. It's steep in some areas where it's really hard to control your speed, along with being uneven terrain, switchbacks and other skiers to watch out for it is somewhat of a circus. I find myself in a very uncontrolled snowplow, feeling like a weeble wobble...but not quite falling down. Each year I do this I find the ski portion a little more difficult. Some people use their touring ski's or telemark ski's but that equipment is a little heavier for the uphill so I guess I don't mind looking like a total dork for 15 min. of downhill, out of control skiing.
I was so happy to see the run transition, however, I had a tough time getting my boots out of my ski's because I couldn't feel my fingers. I found my gear, had a seat on a bench and a volunteer appears...like an angel...he is there to untie my boots, get my running shoes ready, got me water, put my ski gear away. For some reason, with all this help, it was still a slow transition!! Huh??
As soon as I started the run my heels were killing me. With each step it felt like someone was taking a hammer and pounding on each one. This continued for the next 2 miles, which was also about how long it took for my fingers to finally thaw out. My run was pretty uneventful, I felt pretty good, I was running a nice even pace and not going out of my comfort zone.
Running into the bike transition I ran over to the aid station, had a gel and some water and went looking for my bike. I arrived with 2 teenagers there to help me with my gear. I switched into my cycling gloves (with covers), switched jackets, put on my helmet and shoes and I was off again. The cycling is my favorite part so I was excited to be riding downhill for 13 miles however, I wasn't excited about the 20 mph headwind I was about to face. I only saw 3 people for my entire ride down the canyon, I passed 2 girls and 1 guy passed me. I rode as fast as I possibly could without getting my legs to cramp up. The wind was brutal but I tried to just stay focused knowing it would all be over with soon.
I finished with a smile on my face and both of my calves cramping!!! I headed right over to the aid station to chat with the girls that finished right before me and to get some gatorade in me. I was happy with my time, 5:20:02, 2nd in my age group (was beat out by my friend Vicki by 2 min.), 11th Female overall.
Andy came and found me about 10 min. after I finished. He had a great race as well, 4:30, 10th overall and 1st in his age group. We headed straight back to the hotel for a nice long hot tub, quick dinner and then on to the awards. What a great way to spend Valentines Day!!!!
This was the start of '05, it was a little wet that year.
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