Torturefest 2009 - Day 2 - The Looong Bike

Saturday morning was an early rise and shine day. Ironwoman Canada formed three groups to make sure everyone would have someone looking out for them.

I had ridden the course last year when signing up for the race - but we had started in Keene vs. Lake Placid, so my orientation was a bit thrown off as to where we would be beginning.

My group, including TRIgirls KO, SS, LD and Barracuda BL headed off. The first mile or so was slow and easy as we made our way through town. But soon, we were huffing it up one rather significant climb. Just like most of the climbs on the course, some parts were steeper than others, but it was mostly uphill for a good 7-8 miles. What a way to start the course - on a long hill that hadn't even earned a name! TRIgirl SS took care of that detail, by christening it the "Bastard" (the "Bastard" would soon become part of the famous trio - the Bastard, the Bitch and the Wench). While these nicknames may never be spray painted on the roads, they'll bring me some comic relief on race day.

After the last few rolls of the Bastard, the first steep hill traffic sign came into view:



I knew what that meant.

The descent.

(Ask Barracuda BN how many of these signs there were on the descent - and he'll tell you 2. I thought there were 6-7 - but turns out there were over 10!).

TRIgirl SS had shown us a few key tips for surviving the 9ish miles. It was time to try those out, plus see if some of the work I'd done since last year would make a difference in my confidence.

TRIgirl SS headed off first. I took a deep breath and tried to keep her in my sights as we flew down the hill. Having her ahead of me helped me gauge how to tackle the downhill. I sang songs in my head, trying to spend time in aero and refrain from using the breaks. Overall, it was a big improvement. I was more relaxed than last year - and even had moments of enjoying the exhilaration of gaining momentum down the mountain.

We gathered at the bottom, for one of the many SAG stops. Sherpa Extra K was waiting for us - and we were able to strip off layers. The day was warming up and we had some serious climbing ahead.

First though, was the lovely, relatively flat stretch. My favorite part of the course, where you can gain a little (non-downhill) speed and enjoy the pretty scenery. Unfortunately, it probably lasts less than 10 miles

I remembered the left turn from last year - the one that signified the start of the climbs. The Bitch is one of the steeper uphills. We climbed the Bitch. For most of the rest of the loop, even when the climbs leveled off, the course was still slightly uphill. We skipped the Haselton out and backs for this ride.

As we finished the first loop of about 43-44 miles, we rode through town again, including a few very short, but very steep downhills. On race day, one of these downhills actually is lined with haystacks to cushion out of control crashing riders.

We started the climb up the Bastard again. My legs felt strong and I was happy with how the first loop had went.

This time, dark clouds, rain and wind decided to meet us just as we were approaching the descent.

Creating one of the scariest bike experiences of my life.

The rain was cold and the wind was unpredictable. I felt my bike being pushed one way or the other across the road. Sometimes the wind gust direction seemed to change within seconds. Needless to say, I braked more this time down - and was much more tense. I still tried to force myself to maintain a fairly fast speed - and felt a sense of comfort when TRIgirl SS passed me and I could focus on her vs. the rest of the hill. It was hard to believe this was the same descent from a few hours ago - it seemed much, much longer.

At the bottom, Sherpa Extra K and TRIgirl SS were there. I got off the bike and was shivering and quivering, not only from the cold and wet conditions, but also from a major surge of adrenalin - a fight AND flight response to make it down the hill. I put layers back on as we waited for the other riders - but I still had goosebumps and was shaking like a leaf.

The downhill seemed to scare most of us to some degree. But we all agreed it, in a way, it was a good experience - we'd be better prepared to deal with tough conditions on race day if needed. We were not thrilled with the rain that was still coming down - and decided we'd check in after the flat stretch to determine if we'd finish the entire ride.

The rest of the second loop seemed much harder - though we did it all. Maybe because it was the second loop, maybe because of the weather and maybe because my energy had been sapped a bit by the descent. We plugged through the rest of the ride, ticking off the climbs.

While I would have happily skipped the 20 minute transition run at the end of the bike - Ironwoman Canada would have none of it. So I put my sneakers on and headed out for about 2 miles of running in the rain.

After the run, it felt awesome to walk about into the house - and smell the delicious aromas of appetizers and dinner awaiting - thanks to the efforts to TRIgirl DL and her BF.

It was time for refueling. The next day would be another major workout - and my longest run since the stress fracture.