Last weekend, I won the Age Group National Championship for Long Course Duathlon at the Powerman Ohio race.
However, this morning, I couldn’t even fathom myself winning a game of Go Fish, let alone a national championship. Let me explain.
Matt always says that our immune systems are suppressed after a really hard effort. If there was ever a “really hard effort,” it was last Sunday’s race (more on that later). Like clockwork, I started feeling sick a few days later. I can’t shake it. (I’m also wildly impatient, but I’ve got 2 weeks till Worlds in Richmond , and this annoying cold is screwing up my game plan.)
So I had an important workout to do this morning in preparation for Worlds. The race in Richmond should be anything but fun: 9.5mile run, 47mile bike, 4.5mile run. So today’s menu prepared by Chef (coach) Matt entailed an 8mile run, 45mile bike, and then a quick 2mile run off the bike. I planned to do this with my buddy Jay, the duathlete extraordinaire. We drove out to “Silk Sheets,” about 45min outside of town, and an area known for its nice cycling roads (and as I became more intimately aware of today, large roadkill, unruly motorists, and a great place to likely get abducted).
I gave Jay a quick warning about my condition, and by mile 2, he was out of sight. Yep–couldn’t even see him. OK sometimes that might happen on a BIKE, but we were RUNNING. What the heck?!! By the 4mile turn-around I was not only cussing at myself but my ears were popping, my chest was hurting, and I was hacking up whatever was left of a lung. My heart rate was through the roof, and my running pace certainly didn’t justify it.
Duathlon National Champion my ass. This sport has an amazing way of keeping us humble.
So I slowed to a walk, praying that Jay would intercept my mental pleas for him to come pick me up. Sure, Silk Sheets is a great place to ride, but not so much for running. If there were ever a place to get abducted, Cochran Mill Road seemed like a good candidate. I have an overactive imagination, I know, but what a place to take a dirt nap in a ditch. I just couldn’t see it ending this way for me. The cars were whizzing past me super fast. Wow, this seems safe. I wonder how my mom would feel if she knew I was out here. I wonder how safe hitchhiking would be. I did it all through Latin America , so how bad could the country folk out here be? Do you realize how BIG and nasty road kill is when you’re WALKING past it? Do you realize how long it takes to walk 4 miles back to the car!!?
OK Jay and I are definitely not on the same page. He’s got to be wondering where the hell I am, right? No sign of him. Jay come get me!! Save me! No such luck. I guess we are not speaking the “same language.” I finally walk/stumble/gimp my way back to the cars, and apologize to Jay while I really wanted to shred him for not coming to save me! (J/k Jay…) I got back in my car and came home, bike still tucked in the back seat, workout attempted but not even slightly accomplished.
So this is one very humbled national champion.
But back to the race . . . Powerman Ohio (www.powermanohio.com) was a major butt-kicker. By far this was the hardest RUN course I’ve ever done. It was a 5mile run, 35mile bike, then another 5mile run, all in the beautiful Mohican Valley of Mansfield, Ohio.
I’ve become good friends with super-athlete Elizabeth Fedofsky (who happens to have the best blog around—caveat, though: it’s more addictive than crack: http://www.elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/) and after I won Short Course Nationals she planted this nasty little bug in my ear about how cool it would be to win both Short Course and Long Course Nationals. Huh? What? Crap, I was just enjoying showing up and surprising myself. Thanks Liz. Now I had to have this PLAN? I thought about it, though, and did like the sound of it. I wanted to win. I didn’t know if I could, but I really wanted it.
Race morning was cold (about 50 degrees), but I wasn’t worried about it since I knew it’d warm up. I was totally disorganized (again) and Matt asked me where my “transition bag” was on race morning. I pointed to the plastic Wal-Mart bag. I totally didn’t care! One of these days I’ll get a cool-looking transition bag, but so far winging it was worked out ok! We didn’t get a chance to preview the course, but shortly after the gun went off I got more of a preview than I wanted. Powerman Ohio starts with a nasty 1mi hill, and once you get to the top, you just keep going up and down on more hills. It was killer. I tried to get as much free speed as I could by running hard down the hills, which would explain why I was waddling like a duck for 3 days post-race. Anyway, I finished Run#1 in second place, and quickly jumped on my bike and headed out. The bike course had rolling hills, a couple very steep climbs but overall nothing killer. The surface (chipped seal) made it more difficult than anything. It took me 17miles on the bike to catch the #1 girl. She ran a smokin’ fast first 5miles, so I was none to comfortable going into Run #2, especially knowing what was in store. I was literally digging for any shred of mental strength that I could come up with. My mind was ready and willing to shut down my body if I gave it half the chance. My quads were spasming and that freaked me out but I just begged them to hang on! The good news: We did! Matt posted a nice kudos on his website here:
The title makes me feel so Britney Spears!!
I was super lucky to have my mom, dad, Debra, and Mr. Fuller (my high school track coach) there to support me. My family is hilarious and they never cease to crack me up. I don’t even know where to begin to describe them, but those of you who know them know exactly what I mean. I am very blessed!
OK and for those of you who haven’t talked to me in a while on the phone, you may have forgotten what a dork I sound like. If you want to be reminded (and have a good laugh), open up www.enduranceplanet.com. They interview people everyday and post the interviews to be downloaded as podcasts. Scroll down to the October 4th interview, and click PLAY. I think it’s hilarious on a couple of levels: one, that I was the topic of the day (who screwed that one up!?) and two, I sound like a major dork! But I’m amused that I’m on there so you gotta check it out!
Attached are a couple photos from the race (thanks to Alicia’s husband!) along with Matt and Angela Meyer.
Two weeks earlier was Tugaloo Triathlon, which was also the GA State Championship race. Congrats to my teammates Dennis Reardon for placing 3rd overall, Jay Sinclair and Patty Totaro for winning their age groups, and Vicki Cherry for finishing 2nd in her age group. My new “good luck charm,” Rich Klepacz, finished the overall male winner, and I say that because I’ve done well in every race he’s been in! (Got plans in two weeks, Rich? Wanna go to Richmond ?! j/k…) I finished 1st overall and was super excited. This was a big deal for me because Tugaloo was my first triathlon here in GA when I moved to ATL 3 yrs ago, and it wasn’t pretty back then! I wouldn’t encourage it, but if you saw the results from 3 yrs ago vs. this year, you’d understand. It was a much different race for me this year, and I’m very lucky to have such a great coach to help me make these improvements. It was so much fun to race with so many friends around. Unfortunately my teammate Kris Kester wasn’t able to race (and she would’ve undoubtedly wrecked havoc on that course), but we’ll be down in Clearwater together for 70.3 Worlds next month.
Results from Tugaloo: http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/11127_83273_2007.txt
So this is definitely the “black hole season” because it just never seems to end.
Next up: Duathlon Long Course World Championships in Richmond , VA on 10/21/07. This is my first time racing on Team USA and I’m looking forward to the experience. My friend Kristin Villopoto (duathlon legend and my new mentor—like it or not!), has spoken very highly of the whole experience. Unfortunately she had to end her season early so she won’t be joining us. Having Angela and Jay there will be great, as well as all the girls I’ve raced against so far this year (now as “teammates”)—really excited. Three weeks after Richmond is the Ironman 70.3 World Championship race in Clearwater , FL (if I’m still alive). More on that later. Let’s get through Richmond !!
Thanks for all the encouragement.
Love ya,
Amy
PS: Best of luck to Elizabeth as she tackles Ironman Hawaii next weekend. We’ll all be cheering for you, Liz!!
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