Tour of Battenkill
Race Date: April 14, 2012

Everyone that's into cycling knows about the Tour of Battenkill…no need to explain the background and history of this race. Think of it as our version of Paris-Roubaix. Anyway, I went into this race kind of in an awkward position. I tapered for 70.3 nat's, which meant less miles on the bike, especially the week leading up to the race. Having to build back up after the race was tough because I was still recovering. Walking normally was a chore for a few days…running does wonders on your legs, as all of you know. Oh, I guess that's why cyclists typically avoid it at all cost (not in a bad way, I totally understand). My best bet was to recover well and ride with moderate intensity until my legs felt "normal" again. I had two weeks to do this; in the end, I think it worked out pretty well for the most part. After Battenkill, I think all the running was shaken out of my legs…it was truly an epic day.

If you've ever seen my bare right shoulder, it has a pretty neat scar. Shown below is the aftermath of crashing a few years ago while riding through gravel; ever since then I've always had a fear of riding through such terrain. For whatever reason, I got talked into doing Battenkill last year, and I remember swearing to myself that I wouldn't go back. But, I went back this year only to give myself another shot at this race with a better approach…not only physically and tactically, but mentally, as well.  

Pre-race: I got to Cambridge, NY on Friday around 3:30 PM, checked in with registration, went to my hotel, settled in, and eventually got in an hour pre-race spin. Unfortunately, due to my tight schedule, I wasn't able to recon the course…which I slightly regret. 

Race: The gun went off and the neutral start began. Legs were feeling good, it was a beautiful day, everyone was enjoying the first five miles or so. Then the pain started to knock on the door. On the first climb of the day, a steep one, Canadian Veronique Fortin of TIBCO, attacked. For those of you that don't "know" her, let's just say that she's the Queen of Blue Knob (of the infamous Tour de 'Toona), let alone practically the Queen of all mountains. I aspire to climb like her one day…someday. Anyway, going back to Battenkill…of course for her, she was just testing the field to see who would go with her, etc. This caused a lot of pain on the field, causing the first split of the race. I was one of few ladies that attempted to go with her, but then immediately slowed it down a notch after realizing two things: one, we've got a long ways to go; two, there were two teams that had numbers. You get the idea. The rear end of the pack got shelled, but eventually got back on after a few miles of chasing. It definitely was a wakeup call for me and the other gals. 

Fast forward to mile…48ish. This is when things started to really unfold. We got to a long, loose stretch of dirt and gravel. OMG. I think it was about 2.5 miles long (correct me if I'm wrong); I knew going into it that this part was going to make or break your race. However, I realized that a bit too late. I saw Marti Shea (if you don't know her, you should read up on her) head towards the front of the pack before we got to the stretch. I thought to myself, hmm…I should probably go with her. But instead, I decided to chill in the back thinking it couldn't get worse from here on out. Going back to not being able to recon the course the day before, I paid the price. The stretch was flat and people were getting shelled…that's how crazy this section was. No matter how hard I tried to ride through to get closer towards the front, I continued to fish-tale through, dirt and dust anywhere and everywhere. I felt like I was riding through a friggin' desert. Is there a special trick to this, or am I just an amateur when it comes to this stuff? Maybe I'll figure it out someday. 

A little bit of chaos from then until about mile 58 I want to say, when my chase group finally caught back on to the lead group. I was a bit disheartened when I realized that a few key players were missing; to find out that five had gotten away. I'm not saying that if I had positioned myself better on that long stretch of dirt/gravel, that I would've made it with them, but the thought of the possibility was frustrating. So, I had to accept the fact that we weren't going to catch them with a few miles left. I had to settle with what was left for us. The finish wasn't that exciting, our group finishing together in a bunch sprint. My heart had been left at the mile marker where I found out the five girls had gotten away. 

Reflection: Others might look at the results and say it was a solid performance, but in my eyes it was acceptable but not quite satisfying. It's definitely a good gauge for my fitness. Given that I've officially geared all my focus to cycling for a few months, I now know what to work on and tweak for my next focus race. I'm hungry. And no, not for food. 

US Pro Championships
April 1, 2012

United Airlines and US Airways SUCK!!! Just sayin'...

Race morning: The body is an amazing thing. I woke up a few minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. I got my usual coffee, bagel, and Honey Stinger energy bar down while I gathered my stuff to head out.  

1.2 mi swim: Your mind is very powerful. The gun went off and by default, a group of gals made their lead pretty distinctive. A few were trailing in front of me, but not even close enough to get a draft. I ended up swimming alone for the entire swim, not realizing that there was another group of gals behind me. They were far enough behind that I couldn't see them; that totally played with my head. I thought I was dead last. I exited the swim and headed to transition. It was smooth sailing...getting off the wetsuit quickly, putting on my helmet and sunglasses, heading out to the bike exit.

56 mi bike:  I forgot one thing though…clipping on my race number belt. They were laying across my aerobars; I realized this after I got on the bike and started pedaling. I looked down, said, "sh*t" and decided to keep soft pedaling while I tried to get the belt on. If you've ever ridden a TT bike, it's not exactly friendly for "hands free" riding. I eventually managed to get my number on after a minute or so. For those of you that do triathlons, just use your imagination…it was pretty entertaining. 

After I finally got situated, it was time to get going on the flat, out-and-back course. Of course, it was complete cross-headwind on the way out, making slow times on the way out inevitable. Being the smallest one there, by default I was at a disadvantage on this course--flat and windy (power output/energy exertion). It's simple science, but I wasn't going to let it get to my head. On the way out, I didn't start feeling good until after about 10 miles, and I managed to hammer down a handful of riders that seemed to lose their focus in the headwind. The thing about flat bike courses, not only is it mentally challenging, it also puts a different kind of strain on your body. When compared to a course like Boulder, let's say, there isn't much going on but you in a TT position for the entire 56 miles. So, I decided to take the initiative to trigger some different muscles by getting out of the saddle every once in a while, about 20 pedal strokes at a time. I might have lost some time doing this, but I would rather do that and prevent any cramping of the quads (it's happened to me before on flat courses).

13.1 mi run: By the time everyone started the run, the temperature had risen. The run course, just like the bike, was out in the open. Thankfully, we were fortunate to have a water/nutrition station approximately every mile (some races don't do that). Ironman was also very considerate for giving out sponges soaked in water. Those are my favorite and key to keeping core temperature down as much as possible. I started the run not feeling that great. I thought to myself, either I'm going to keep feeling this way the entire run and it's going to suck, or my legs are going to open up at some point of the run. I headed out for the run; I got passed by Christie Sym of Australia and Nina Kraft of Germany, about a mile and a half into the first lap (3-loop run). I told myself that I could either continue going at my pace, or try to stay with them. I stuck with Christie for the first half of the run while Nina picked up the pace. Christie and I passed a few gals on the way that seemed to be affected by the heat. It was even too hot for Jenny Fletcher, who had stopped on the first lap. I think the momentum of picking people off and the consistency of the pace did my legs good. At the halfway point with about six miles left, my legs had opened up and I started to feel really good, so I took off at one of the water stations, opening up a gap and eventually catching Nina.    

Getting back to PA: I crossed the finish line with limp legs, waited around a bit, gave a couple high-five's, shook Nina's hand, and went off to gather my things. At this point, I had about 90mins to get to my hotel, take a shower, and pack my luggage/bike. The only good thing that came out of this was that I wasn't "suffering" from any GI issues thanks to GU Energy Gels, and I got to the airport on time. I got to PHL at a quarter to 11pm, only to find that my bike never made it. I spoke with a very nice lady named Tanya at the baggage claim office, asking her if this was some kind of April Fool's prank. It turns out that the guy who tagged my bike in Houston via US Airways, put the wrong tag on! I was technically "Diane" at that moment; my bike was on its way to Jacksonville, FL. By the time we got all the paperwork done to ensure that the bike would arrive safely at some point within the next 48hrs, it was 11:30pm and I had another 80mins of my travels left. By the time I got home and in bed, I had about 4hrs until I had to get back up for school. I wish I could've stayed an extra day to enjoy Galveston Island. Life.

Reflection: On a side note, TO (Tim O'Donnell) had a stellar performance...he didn't get "Lanced." But, as Lance said, this race was a different ball game. The USA field alone was deep. Kelly Williamson, Caitlin Snow, Heather Wurtele, Amy Marsh were just a few of them. And when you've got other champions from different countries fighting for a big prize purse and points towards qualifying for Worlds (World Triathlon Corporation implemented a point qualification system last year only for the pros), it really changes up the dynamics. PS, I'd love to see an American win Worlds...whether it be at Nevada or Hawaii. No pressure or anything, Williamson. Overall, I was quite pleased with my performance, finishing 10th for the US. It's amazing how much talent is out there; my hat goes off to Williamson for having a kick-ass season thus far. As for me, although I can only improve upon this result, I am taking nearly a 5mo break so I can race my bike. I can really use this mental break; it will give me a chance to rejuvenate my mind for the sport, and really focus on putting all of my energy towards another big passion of mine. 

Kudos: I'd like to thank Erica Sheckler (for being my swim partner and keeping me level-headed at the airport Friday night) and Craig Sheckler of Endurance Multisport for hooking me up with some training partners, Cyndi Roberts, those individuals that dealt with my irritableness leading up to the race, the cycling community here in the Lehigh Valley, Bike Line of Allentown, Honey Stinger, Gu Energy Gel for keeping my GI normal during and after the race, and those that have encouraged me along the way. 

I'll be back in September! For now...