IMLT - Just call me "Crash"
I wasn't going to write a RR since I didn't finish the race, but I sat down this morning and just started writing. It helped, so for a short time racing, it's rather long...but I picked up a few things writing it.
My husband and I arrived in Tahoe on Thursday after a short drive up from Sacramento. Our racing buddy, Nick was with us. We got to Squaw, registered, did one loop of the expo and went grocery shopping and then headed to our cabin in Tahoma. I unpacked and realized I had forgotten my booties and squid lid. I called my kids and they brought them up on Saturday as they were going to spectate (1st time watching me race for 2 of them!).
Nick and I went for a swim (not at the venue) at a private little beach on the north shore. It was spectacular. The water was very comfortable and so clear you could read bouy anchors sitting on the floor of the lake. The water was a beautiful hue of blue which was much different then the murky, kiwi colored water I trained in all summer. So happy!
Went home got ready to get to the Team Dinner. Met some new folks and some some others I had met in Tucson. The salmon was delicious. Thanks to Simon for arranging this! After dinner it was team photo and it was a little chilly outside! Headed home to bed!
Friday morning was pretty relaxed, had breakfast and then packed up stuff for a swim and ride at Kings Beach. Due to construction and traffic got to the beach in time for the 4 Key's Talk. It really helped to drive home my execution plan. Rich did a great job and Riley was there sportin his Team EN jersey. As we left the center, we decided to bag the swim...white caps! So we donned our bike clothes and went for a ride to $$$ hill and back. I had forgotten my watch at the cabin so rode very easy. We chose not to ride Brockway as we had done a few training rides on the course earlier in the summer. Plus, I had been having some knee issues that flared up the tissue and I didn't want to take a step back. (was due to seat change 4 weeks prior). Headed back to cabin for lunch and relaxation.
Great dinner of homemade lasagna, then off to the mandatory meeting. It was better that prior meetings, it was short, sweet and gave us the information we needed. Walking out of the tent they had the IM logo projected on the rocky mountain at Squaw Village. It was pretty cool.
Slept great, getting 10 1/2 hours Friday night. Next morning it was misty and cooler. Went for a big breakfast with pancakes, eggs and bacon. We returned to the cabin to p/u our special needs bags and bikes and headed to Squaw for the 1st of the drop offs. It was now pouring. The rain was running under the tent walls and flowing down the parking lot through the tent. I'm glad they had tables for our bags. We then headed to King's Beach to drop off bike and swim to bike bags. I double bagged my clothes with a plastic grocery bag and then put them in the supplied transition bag. I also taped the top of the opening with duct tape. Glad I died as this transition bag was on the ground! Now that this was done,we met up with some of my kids and had a great lunch. Then it was off to Martis Camp for the 3-5PM drive thru. It looked doable but daunting at the same time. Said goodbye to the kids and headed back to our cabin. Before hitting the sack at 9 looked oustide and it was snowing...oh well, it is what it is....can't control the weather and everyone has the same weather!
Didn't sleep worth a darn, up at 3:30, ate a bit of oatmeal and applesauce, a banana and a mini bagel and some tea. Headed out at 4:15 to get to transition by 5ish. Arrived at T1 and had to walk about 1/2 mile. But...there was a great bathroom on the way, which was open, warm and had TP. What a bonus.
Got to T1, dropped SN bags off and into transition we went. Added an item to my bike bag, one more stop at porta potty (no line!), got body marked...why, no one will see it with all the clothes I'm putting on. Added fuel to my bottles on the bike, warmed up the zipper on my bento box, pumped up the tires and rubbed them to get the crystals off and removed bag from seat. Did I say it was COLD....29, low fog lying on lake...very pretty but cold! Sipping on IM Perform, hit the porta potty line, took care of last stop. Returned pump to my hubby and gave him a kiss goodbye! Saw some ole friends from the early days (lots of Sacto contingent there as it was so close). Grabbed my swim gear and headed to the Event Center to change where it was warm. I chose to wear a latex cap under the provided cap and my booties. Ate a power gel, drank some water and IM Perform and it was time to head to the beach and find my corral. (1:15 to 1:20) Thumping music was playing, Mike Reilly was talking, I was jumping up and down to the beat of the music to get warm and get the blood flowing. I was excited for the swim, I knew it would be warmer than the air temp. I was calm but anxious..I told myself to trust in the training I had done and relax.
Into the water we went. It was cold for the 1st 100-150 yards in the shallows, but the deeper it got, the warmer it got and the color of the water was a soft light blue. The sun just starting to come over the mountains shone on the snowy peaks, it was stunning. I still got grabbed, pushed and kicked in the swim, but I liked it better then the mass start. I was a little slow getting into my stride, but then started counting and it all came together. Seeing the bouy's was a little more difficult on the 2nd loop turn due to sun placement.
Swim goal was 1:20; Actual 1:19:18 (1st in AG 60-64)
Out of the water, grabbed my bag and headed to wet suit stripper....love that! Into the tent...or maybe...it was packed. I was able to get a corner just inside the door that I shared with 2 other ladies and a volunteer. Thank GOD for the volunteer. As we stripped ourselves down she helped dry us off saying.."HMM, I've never done this before" which brought a chuckle out of all of us. Once I was dressed in shorts, knee warmers, shoes with booties, singlet, jersey and a thermal vest and arm warmers and gloves and glasses in hand, I headed to porta potty only to realize I had one glove..ran back about 10 feet and volunteer had the other one. Into porta potty, did my thing, but dropped my glasses and a lens popped out. Replaced it, out the door through a sea of men sitting on the pavement changing...got to shoot heading to bike and saw my lens was missing. Retraced my steps through the sea of men and couldn't find it. Oh well...it was one eyed jack for me unless I could find my hubby and bum his glasses. Ran down the lenght of the transition, saw my son-in-law...asked for glasses...he said hubby was right around corner - found him and some glasses! Cheers from the family and off to get my bike...out of transition, mounted my bike and off I went to cheers from everyone.
I was riding easy...JRA...hit dollar hill and everyone went past me. Okay I'm doing the right thing, take it easy. Power went up on this hill but not terribly. Once over dollar hill I tried to settle in (goals was 98 watts during this phase) but my watts were in the teens. I eased back and just felt like I was tooodleing along. At Tahoe City I noticed I was colder and continued to get colder as I went. At one hour I was shaking out my arms and hands trying to get the blood moving. There was low cloud cover starting at Squaw and it only broke up a bit for some sun. When the sun hit me I felt so good.
I was approaching mile 21.5 and it was time to eat 1/4 of my pre-cut power bar. Riding along on the right, attempting to get a cold power bar out of my bento box...another rider came up along side me, I glanced over and when I glanced back and I'm heading towards the edge of the road and the dirt. My speed was about 17 MPH at this time. The thought in my head was "oh no"..my wheel hit the edge and next thing I knew I was slammed into the pavement. I won't tell you what I said....I pride myself on having good handling skills, but I think it was so cold, my reaction time was compromised. In hindsight, I should have gone into the dirt shoulder and come to a stop.
Someone came to my aid and asked if I was okay.."no, I'm not okay..it hurts to move". They stopped a motorocycle official, who called the paramedics, who call IM command. I used their phone to call my husband so he wouldn't worry (which he did anyway) and let him know I was out and on the way to the hospital. Outcome...break in the left distal clavical, chest wall contusion, ligament/tendon strains, gouges on my knuckles knee and left cheek and chin (real pretty bruising now too).
I scared my husband and my kids. I was mad at not being more careful...(I don't think I was being a "dick" as Coach Rich says), it was just a combination of things that happen. I'm disappointed I couldn't execute the race plan I had laid out. Out of the 10 women in my age group that started the race...one finished in 16 and some change. My goal was 14:30-15:30. I wonder if I could have finished this race...my answer is "Yes, definitely".
Some good things about this race, my husband who trained with me and supported me, along with my children who showed up to watch me race, beautyof the course, swim was cool, friends were great, race officials and the volunteers were awesome, paramedics were cool and let my bike ride with me in the ambulance. ER staff was wonderful and caring and let my bike share my space with me! And I'm really glad I had on all those clothes, cause if I didn't I don't know how much skin I would have left!
Thanks for all the concern during the race ( I read the team feed) and the encouraging words from everyone. Thanks....keep the rubber side down is my new motto!!
I may have to thumb my nose at Tahoe and sign up for next year! 
Comments
Take some time, rest up. It heals really fast and then it starts to snow ball. Presto. You are healed.
Then, get back to Tahoe! I would see you there next year, but I am already committed to Chattanooga.
Great meeting you!
I was confused on the messages though .... So you did break your clavicle? But you do not require surgery? The bones must be lined up pretty good then?
Having recently crashed , broken clavicle , recovered with surgery, I feel your pain.... I also have a previous crash where I was looking at my garmin310xt on my wrist and rode off the rode ( I never said I was smart ).... Two things I have done since then to minimize my distractions while riding are 1. bike computer between wrists 2. I pre-wrap all my clif bar , and cliff block pieces in rice paper and then stack them in my bento box so that I can open the box take a piece pop in mouth and keep riding without wrappers etc....
sorry to hear about your misfortune , heal fast , and come back stronger
@Kathleen; Thanks Kathleen, I so proud of you finishing! Way to go!
@Dino, Again you make me smile and laugh...I can see Bobke doing something like that! Thanks
@Tim, I had the same thought while waking up this morning...I'm gonna get a 510 or something this year so I don't have to keep looking at my watch...also, I thought of the rice paper. I read about it in one of your posts, but with the wet weather, I thought it would disolve
. I also think of you quite a bit when I'm out on my rides...how in God's name do you get your power output so steady? Your intervals look like table tops! Mine on the other hand look like a rapid EKG! I want to grow up and ride like you. Heck we are the same weight afterall! Glad you are healed up and back at it and thanks for the encouragement from everyone! I feel the love...
And hey, after all that- if you go back for a revenge tour, you should get the tough cookie of the year award!!
@Nemo, I feel like I have unfinished business for sure, ill be a tough cookie if I can stay away from the cookies!
So we will see you go to Kona next year.
What qualifying race next year for you?
Sorry how things ended. After I finished I had heard you crashed and was glad to hear you were ok. Good to see you are in good spirits. And you were right, the team dinner was good ;-)
@Peter...Thanks for the kind words..
@Patricia...Thanks, and if we have to be positive, that's what keeps us goin!!
@Robin...Was hoping for Kona next year with the IMLT race, looking at trying my hand at LT again for a 2015 Kona slot! At my age, one a year is good!
Thank you for posting and hope you can continue to keep a positive attitude about the whole thing despite the setback. Best of luck in your recovery and I hope to see you guys again at a race or event soon.
J - thanks for the report, it felt so familiar hearing you describe the calm of the swim, the chaos of T1!
Revenge IM, getting to Kona: IM CDA is still open! Seriously, come race there with me next year, you can certainly rock that course. I'm aiming for top spot on the 65-69 podium, would be cool to have two ENers over 60s do that. When you wrote " Out of the 10 women in my age group that started the race...one finished in 16 and some change." That was like in the mens side (my AG) - less than half finished, and most of them were over 15 hours.