Boulder Peak

I originally planned to race in Minneapolis this weekend, but made last minute changes and headed out west after glancing at the Hyvee standings.  Better give 5150 another shot... now for some quick trip planning:

Flight reserved: direct flight.  Bikes fly FREE with Frontier Airlines!!!  Boom-shaka-laka!



Pudgy the dog..he's under
the fur somewhere

 Airport pick up... $19 Super Shuttle to my cousin's place.  Wait..no.  They charge $175 for a van ride across town with a bike.  Really?  My good friend from OSU, Celeste (recently engaged - congrats!) offered to pick me up.  So I spent the morning putting my bike together with her 3 dogs.  So good to catch up with you Celeste!!


View from Keith's condo-
can't beat this one!


Lodging: The rest of the weekend I spent with my cousin Keith.  Just like my recent trip to DC it was so good to spend quality time with out-of-town family.  He spent most of his efforts showing me Denver/Boulder (within my pre-race limits) and convincing me I should move out west... though I don't think it will take much convincing :)

The participant list was exciting to me- there were the handful of racers expected to be out front, but then there would be about 7 of us who would most likely end up close to one another.  And that's exactly what happened.  Gun goes off, we're all fighting for position heading to buoy #1 and like a ton of bricks I feel the sweet effects of the elevation difference.  I knew it was going to be an issue, but hadn't felt it until I started pushing at a higher intensity.  That was the longest 1500m swim I've ever done.  I thought I was in last place but the person touching my feet along the way reminded me otherwise. 

Onto the bike... I was excited for this course.  It has a section at mile #6 that takes you up a 15% grade for about 2/3 of a mile.  I love hills.  Let me rephrase that..."I love hills when I have full lung capacity".  I was breathing hard, but going nowhere.  All the more reason to move out to to Colorado, right?  Get used to the altitude training and hilly terrain then crush it when you race at sea level.  Hmmm.... the wheels are turning. The most interesting portion of the bike (sadly enough) was when a rider - not another racer, just a man on a bike ride - decided it would be a good idea to sprint up the incline just as I was passing him.  I gently informed him (from the other side of the lane) that I could get penalized if he kept riding close to me and he apologized and backed off.  Good thing- a referee on motorcycle passed just after.  Thank you sir :)

The run was a 3x out-and-back course that took you up a hill and onto a gravel path with no shade.  At first I didn't think I would like the course, but ultimately enjoyed knowing where the other racers were and kept pushing to stay ahead of those I could.  I attempted short surges when I felt good, but ultimately returned to my previous pace.  My run split was equal to those at sea level... does this mean I had a better run?  Who knows...

11th place overall.  I was hoping for a top ten, but was happy to improve my placing for a chance at Hyvee.  It's going to be close...  



Keith knew the right T-shirt to wear
race day :)

 Thanks again Celeste and Keith for all the help this weekend!  It was good to spend time with you- I'm certain I'll be out for a longer trip soon :) 

BTW: I postponed my "Top Ten" list from my recent DC/Philly trip once I knew I was heading out west... Coming soon!

miss