[Race Report] Bolder Boulder

Man. I realized I didn't post anything about my race yet. At least I'm only two days late.

This will be short and sweet because... it was a pretty "smooth" and middle-of-the-road performance.

I headed up to Boulder to start the race with some close family friends/cycling buddies/my aunt & uncle of cycling. They were starting only one qualifier wave ahead of me so I thought it a perfect situation.

We walked/jogged to the start from their house which offered a nice warm up. I had just enough time to get to the bathroom and stand around in my wave for a little bit.

As we approached the start line, the announcer said we were the last "under an hour" 10k qualifier wave. The last of the "real runners." A) I feel bad for those over an hour, because you can do a 10k over an hour and still be under a 10 min/mile (which I generally regard as the jogging/running threshold). B) LAWL.

We started off and because there was open road people gunned it off the start line. I was like "for real people? you qualified in just under and hour and you're doing a 6 min/mile off the start line? stupid." So I settled in to what my watch said was about a 9:05 pace.

My watch has been chronically showing the distance of my races to be over the actual distance (lovely) so my watch splits and race splits were different. Please forgive me if I am off a few seconds in recounting time. While my chip time and watch time were both 59:23 to finish, my watch showed 6.33 miles, so a 9:23 pace, whereas for a 10k - that is 9:33. Important nuance.

Anyway, so my first mile was pretty good. I believe my chip time was 9:15 or something like that. I was happy with this. It wasn't a particularly hard mile and I didn't feel like I blew it up. My second mile included a large hill, so I believe my chip time on that was 9:44 or something like that. 3rd mile was solid middle-of-the-road at around 9:30.

This whole time, my friends had started about 1 min ahead of me so I was looking for them to chase them down. They guessed they would run it pretty slowly so they thought I would pass them sooner than I had. Finally I spotted them at mile 2. It was kind of fun to play the chasing game. Just before the 5k point (I believe) I passed them, swung into a water stop and went up another BIG OL hill. Mile 4, with said "big ol' hill" again was slower, in the 9:40s. Mile 5 was fast and flat again. We hit some sun, but it was the first part of the course where I'd really felt like I was combating anything but perfect weather and some hills. I believe that was my fastest mile, around 9:13 or something like that. Mile 6 was pretty mediocre. A little hilly, until I got to the big hill at the bottom of the stadium and it dropped my pace drastically. Oh well, it happens. Once I was done telling myself to "keep running" up the hill, I bounded into the stadium.

I was pretty happy with my time. It certainly wasn't my best 10k but it sure could've been worse. A solid performance given where I am with running and the course.

Now for Elephant Rock Ride this weekend (only 2300 ft of gain...PHEW) and Boulder Sunrise on June 7! I'm not..ya know, panicking or anything, but I will say I'm practicing transitions tonight and trying to get in open water this weekend.

[Review] Half the Road film

Last night I convinced Joel into a "date night" that really...further encouraged his role as my professional sherpa and made me more excited about my new jump into women's road racing.
Half the Road website

A fellow rider on my company's road cycling club sent out an email about a screening of a new film called "Half the Road" about the world of professional women's bike racing. The event included two elite rider speakers and a viewing of the movie (and a raffle, where I won a cannondale co2 flat kit, woo hoo! but that is beside the point).

Joel, as an outsider, felt the movie was interesting but long, especially with the two speakers, but I had a different perception. As a female cyclist, I don't really have any delusions of pro-cycling. I think I could escalate to cat 2 and play with the big kids, but I don't imagine I'd ever be hanging out with pros. I knew the field of women's cycling was small but I had no idea of the history behind it.

I had no idea of the equality that had existed in the sport. It disappointed me to hear about the issues with the UCI maintaining the inequality. As a woman who dreams of creating a career in the industry, this was a call to arms. I believe fervently in the value of a woman's voice in the industry. I've walked into stores with tons of road bike knowledge and been jokingly offered a job three times. Gosh, one of these times, I've got to take it.

I've been to one store that had two female employees there. One of them was kind of the "uninformed" mechanic that only worked on basic stuff on commuter bikes. The other was more informed, but less of a presence. One thing I truly love about Tribella, my local go-to bike store, is there promotion of women's cycling and being a smart female cyclist. When I was in college, I was one of the best flat tire changers on the team and I was proud of that!! I wish cycling stores in general were more female friendly. We'd all use our barrel adjusters to tweak our shifting with the best.

Anyway, back to the film. My favorite female cyclist is Evelyn Stevens so I kind of wish she got more camera time, but I'm so glad she was included. Emma Pooley was freaking hilarious and awesome. She's like the Jennifer Lawrence of cycling - I think we would be best friends. It was nice to relate to one of the speakers on that level. I thought her comments were both poignant and funny.

On that level, I think the film really succeed. The combination of poignancy and relevant information mixed with comedy kept the audience engaged. I enjoyed hearing the stories of many professional cyclists and how they've done what they've done. Furthermore, the film is about so much more than cycling - it includes triathlon, running, and sports in general. Chrissie Wellington herself plays a major role! It was cool to listen to hear after hearing Mirinda Carfrae speak live just last week.

My only draw back was that the film felt very long. Perhaps this is because I am the worst about sitting through movies as is (the ultimate multitasker) and I probably would've done better if I were also sitting on my trainer and texting during my easy spin out intervals. ;)

One aspect I felt torn about was the depiction of Brian Cookson. I think he meant well, but is stuck in his ways and didn't want to make promises he couldn't make about changes in the UCI. I agree, he has the power to make changes, but in any business, it's not always up to one person. In my own office, I see how if one of our key directors supports something, the VP can be swayed towards or away something. It really isn't about one man. Yes, it is strongly influenced by one person, but the entire UCI isn't Brian Cookson, nor was it Pat McQuaid. Like anything, they are figureheads for an entire organization. Just because they run it, doesn't mean they can be blamed for everything. It's like the president of a democracy - (or, ya know, a democratic republic... or some might call our government an oligarchy) - just because the president's "board" or "party" does something, it doesn't mean it is entirely his downfall. I guess, that is what comes of being the leader though. You always take it on the chin for the whole group you represent.

Other takeaways, fire round:
- So excited about Le Tour Entier, Le Tour de France Feminine, etc.
- Women's Cycling Association. GET IT GIRLS
- This reaffirmed my decision to be supportive of people getting into cycling. I've been doing a lot of "learning" training rides for people on my company's club (a lot of them women). I'm so happy that, even if they'll be recreational riders, I feel like I'm helping.
- I think this is a place I belong. I hope I can find a team I really want to join next year.
- Crashing is so scary. I haven't done it in a number of years now, but as I get more into racing I know it will happen, even if it isn't my fault. I need to brace myself for the blow. :'( Let me call my insurance company real quick like.


Key takeaway for you, the reader: if you are a woman endurance athlete or a woman who believes in girl power (so...everyone, I hope!) go see this film if there is a screening coming up near you (see the link at the start of the entry)! It's worth it to think about the equality of female athletes and women in general. We are strong and we can be powerful. Take a seat at the table! OH, and remember to teach your daughters to ride a bike.

Here's the trailer (hope it works! if not, click on the website link and you'll see it there!!)
"Half The Road" trailer from kevin tokstad on Vimeo.

[Race Report] Colfax Half Marathon - Birthday Race

I knew going into this race I had a lot going against me. I hadn't run distance since April, in spite of all my best efforts to do so. Then I'd gotten sick... it was all just a big mess.

Still, I felt pretty refreshed earlier in the week after a few days of rest while being sick. I noticed over the weekend my legs began to feel tight which was definitely not exciting. I also didn't feel very excited for this race because I hadn't been doing well with distance and half marathons are getting to be kind of unexciting for me. As we got out of the car, I told Joel I wished I was doing the full, or even capable of doing it, because I'd be so much more excited.

At the start line with friends, I didn't feel very nervous. My friend Hannah was anxious with nervous energy. I'm normally like that, but instead I was sort of happy-go-lucky and not very focused. I tried to stretch out my hamstring a few times to no avail.

As we took off, I set out at solid 9:30 pace. My goal was 2:05. 9:30s were actually feeling really good! We ran through a few miles and I could feel my legs tightening up. The tightness started in my hamstrings and calves. I still felt like I had a good stride though. As we approached the uphill into the zoo I felt great! I'd never felt so much adrenaline and comfort surging up a hill. My knee drive was forward and I felt relaxed.

As we turned into the zoo, the tightness grew worse, now in my quads. I kept pushing - watching for animals, I saw an elephant, hippo, ostrich, donkey, camels... and then the zoo was over. As we set out to mile 5, I told myself this was all flat, but it didn't feel flat. Joel was supposed to be between miles 4 &  5, but I didn't see him. That threw me off. The running felt uphill and the ground uneven. I took a gu before mile 6.

6-8 felt ok, but I felt the tightness moving into my quads, hips, and IT bands. I was starting to breakdown.

As I looped around through 9, this was when I finally fell below 10 min pace. I came through 8 miles at 1hr 20 and I never saw it again. The last time I had water was about 7.6 miles, we had gone through 9 and still no water stop in sight. Up a hill, in the sun, I felt defeated. I remembered this was where I felt defeated last year too. Finally, at mile 10, there was water. I walked. I took a minute just past the stop to bend over and stretch my legs, now painfully tight.

I ran until my Garmin said 11 miles, which was 10.8 by the markings on the course. I walked to the mile 11 marker from there. I told myself only 2.1 miles to go and again started to run. It was horrible. It was painful and slow and some of the worst running I've ever done. As I came into the park, with about .1 mile to go (by my watch...it actually was more like .3) I started to walk again. My legs were falling apart.

I pushed into the finish, finally finding Joel near the shoot - I was holding back tears.

I hardly cared about the medal as I stood around to get through the crowd. I barely had the energy to make it through the end. I grabbed a bottle of water and a protein shake, skipping everything else. Finding Joel, and saying goodbye to some friends, I limped out of the crowds. A few feet through the park I started crying in pain. I usually don't cry from pain. I told Joel I had to sit and take a break from walking. We sat in the grass for a few moments while I wiped my face and tried to stretch my legs.

We got up again and made it to the car. Joel drove home and made me a small breakfast once we got there. I drank water and put ice on my legs. It genuinely hurt to move.

In the end, it was just a really rough day. I hit the wall and it was my worst half marathon time to date.

I have a sport massage/torture session this weekend potentially followed by BolderBoulder on Monday. Let's hope  - if I am recovered - that that goes MUCH better :)

[Race Report] Wheels of Thunder Criterium

A quick and dirty race report:

I did my first criterium bike race today. For those of you who don't know, that involves lots of cyclists doing lots of laps around a rather small course (usually between 1-2 miles long, but it varies).

I chose to do this race because it is not too technical - the corners are pretty round and there are only three, and it is a women's mentoring race, which means a group of seasoned riders ran us through the course before the race to give us an overview.

During the mentoring lap, I couldn't hear a whole lot, but at least I got the gist of what lines to follow and where to avoid different bumps/holes on the course. It also gave me the opportunity to remember what it meant to ride nice and tight in a group as well as a try at starting before the actual start.

Through the first lap, I wasn't having a hard time. I managed to stay with the group. I was glad to find the corners and the start were not as bad as I imagined in my head. We weren't taking it too hard and we just sort of coasted through it.

As we came around through the first lap, I was coming towards the back but not too bad. There were still a number of girls behind me. All of a sudden, the two girls in front of me bumped into each other, the one on the right bumped into the one next to her and before I knew it...everyone was crashing. The two in front of me went down and I didn't know whether to stop, but after a moment of hesitation and seeing they were both down, I biked between them and sprinted up to the group.

That sprint took the wind out of me. Coming off a head cold, I could feel burning in my chest and labored breathing. Still, I really wanted to catch these girls before we hit the corner that took us into an uphill, so I did. I was huffing and puffing in the uphill trying to recover. I just sat on the group, telling myself to breathe to recover.

We made it through the second lap and as we were coming through, they slowed us and pushed us to the left into a single file line because they were not yet finished clearing some of the girls who had gone down. I felt really bad still racing knowing that someone had likely broken an ankle. Stringing us out like that really made for an interesting race because it meant we had to...get back together. Again, we were headed to the corner into the uphill, so I put in a little effort to hold on to the pack, and I did. Still, wheezing a little.

As we started into the last straight of the third lap, this was our first prime (pronounced "preem," meaning a lap in which if you finish first you get something) for $20 and a hat. The front group started to sprint up the hill. Some for the prime, some just to not lose the front of the group. As I was still wheezing, I didn't have it in me and the group lost me. Before I knew it, I was dropped.

I tried my hardest to push and catch them through the next lap. I could see the group the whole way, but that uphill was so much harder on my own. As we came down the back stretch, I lost them and I knew there was no hope of catching them, so I did the last two laps on my own.

catching up to some girls after I got dropped to hang out on the last lap

I came off the bike, worried about the girls who crashed, but happy to be done because I'd gone so hard that my chest hurt. I was coughing hard for a while afterwards.

All in all - I'd call it a success. I didn't crash. I know I can hang with these girls. I do blame getting over my cold. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be AND my legs don't hurt so I know I have more strength. It was also really awesome to have a nice group there spectating and cheering for me. I rarely have anyone at my races there just for me, so that was super cool - especially since it was my first (non time trial) bike race.

Until next time...