Viva Las Vegas!

[Allyson]

Good luck this weekend, Ginny!
Race hard and party harder!!!!
Have fun!
Ally

[misha]

Ally from what I see Ginny came 2 nd in 5 -13 !

 Water temp 57 F !!!!!

      Fantastic job,

                            Al.

[GinnySellars]

I'm sitting in the Vegas airport waiting for my flight home....listening to the jingle jangle of slot machines as people off-load their last bucks. This was a whirlwind weekend. I came down to visit my oldest friend, whom I met the first day of kindergarten, and race the RAGE IN THE SAGE! Here's my race report.

I came home from New Zealand 5 weeks ago, and felt that I needed to 'get back on the horse'. I was so disappointed with the way I handled that race, that I wanted to give it another whirl. I had specific goals....1)swim hard, and not fear working hard in the water 2) improve my nutrition on the bike 3) push the boundaries on the run ie. risk a little more. It sounds like I don’t have fun racing, but I truly LOVE it. I just like to be racing at my limits.

The race was at Lake Mead, created by the dam which collects water for the desert that Americans insist on making livable land. The landscape is absolutely stunning. The arid mountains contrast with bright blue water. I woke up race morning at 4am, and had my usual oatmeal and tea for brekkie. The race venue did not open until an hour before the race, as it’s set in a conservation area and the gate attendant came out before dawn to grant access. The sky was pitch black with a sliver of a moon. The pumping music in transition was a fun contrast to the isolation of the area.

OK…I’ll admit it. I didn’t warm up for the swim. The water was officially 56 degrees, and I honestly felt that I would get too cold. I did arm circles on land, and didn’t even take my socks off until 5 minutes before the gun. Sean and Juliann of BPR were also racing, and Sean did due diligence and completed his warm up. I set off with the group and swam like hell. The cold water was a shock to the breathing, and after 100 meters, I had a brief episode of gasping for breath. The buoys were a mess. With different colours for 3 different event distances, it was really tough to navigate. The wind picked up and the chop threw me around. I tried to keep focused and keep up the intensity. I realized I was a mid-packer when on the final stretch I saw a really old man swimming next to me with a terrible stroke. Unfortunately, we were stoke for stroke. I saw 41 minutes on my watch, and did not beat myself up. I gave it the effort, but did not see the results. I feel there is a disconnect between my pool swimming and open water. I can’t wait until our lake is warm enough to get more practice.

I got on my bike and changed mental gears. I said aloud, “You came here to win. Hunt them down. The race is on.”. I felt fantastic on the bike, and was exhilarated by the stunning desert terrain. The road was perfectly smooth, and it was an out and back, hilly and challenging course. As I approached the turn around, I was delighted to see Sean in 4th place overall. I counted 4 women still ahead of me, and made it my mission to close the gap. My goal was to fuel well, and the CarboPro/Gu combo was bang on. The hills were non-stop, and I could feel the strain on my hamstrings and hip-flexors, but reminded myself that I always run well off the bike. I felt like a pro in transition, because the announcer had probed me the day before at the water’s edge, and now used all my chit chat to tell all about NZ IM and my mission to swim well here. He was obviously unaware that I was trying to make up for a 10 minute swim deficit today.

The run course was the hardest of any ½ Iron I’ve done….but SO COOL. We climbed up from the lake towards the hills on a mix of black tarmac and rocky paths. Once on railway grade, I began to take in gels and water. The temperature was creeping up to 80 degrees, so the brief reprieve from the sun in the old railway tunnels was wonderful. I kept up a really fast cadence and tracked down one woman at about 3km. Sean and I crossed paths as he was on his final leg towards home. He flashed me the peace sign, which he later told me was 2nd place….duh….low sugar brain. As I approached the turn around, guys were telling me the first woman was only a ¼ mile ahead. As I began the leathal descent into the canyon of the turn around, I saw her, and unfortunately she looked really strong. Once I dug my way out of the hot canyon, it was all downhill home. I took all the water I could at aid stations, but sure wished they had coke. I was really pleased with my focus on the way home to keep up the quick cadence but realized the 1st place woman was out of sight. Juliann was heading out onto the steep hill out of the lake as I came back in, and she looked really fresh. Maybe one day I’ll do a race with no agenda, and just enjoy the views and chat with Juliann. She looked so happy. I came back to a really low key finish, and went straight to the freezing lake to cool my legs.

S: 41:26 B: 2:41 R: 1:45 Total 5:11 (5:13 on their site) 2nd woman, 1st in age group
In summary, I’m disappointed with my swim time, but not with my effort. I’m pleased with my nutrition on the bike, and consistency of effort on the run. The venue was superb.

[sean]

 Just finished reading Ginny`s very thorough race report.  I`ll try not to give all the same details over again but will add my perspective.
 We had a very full weekend. My wife juliann and I were both racing the Rage in The Sage 1/2 iron just outside Boulder City , Nevada set within the confines of the starkly beautiful Lake Meade National Recreation Area. We flew overnight directly from Kelowna , BC to Las Vegas and got to our first hotel in Vegas about 2 am. I slept well on the 2 1/2 hour flight and went right to sleep at 2 am- Juliann didn`t sleep as well.
  The next morning dawn bright , sunny and warm. This weather would hold for the weekend and get hotter each day. It was a wonderful treat after our very long, cold, snowy winter.. We drove the short 30 minutes out to Lake Meade where we investigated the swim start at the aptly named Boulder Beach ( mostly small stones formerly on the bottom of Lake Meade). The rest of the day involved checking into the very close ( 5min drive) Hacienda Hotel , assembling our bikes and taking a quick 10 min ride on the course.We meet up with Ginny about diner time and after she got he bike ready we went for a pasta diner. The day finished at 9pm when Juliann and I feel asleep.
  Race day began in the dark at 4am. It was a smooth race day morning getting us down to the race site about 5 :15 for a 6:10 race start. Parking was as close as you could wish for.The weather looked great but the news on the water temp was all bad - 56 deg F. I was in no rush to get started.However at 5:55 am my face hit the water and I spent the next few minutes just trying to breath. This unpleasant 10 min swim did aclimatize me and spared me  what proved to be a very unpleasant swim start for juliann who struggled to get her breath after opting out of a warmup swim.
  The race started at 6:10. I started on the front on the inside with Ginny right behind me. I normally start on the front but on the outside where I have space to get away from people. It was a very short distance to the first turn and this made for a crowd at the first marker. The rest of the course was reasonable and ran counter clockwise. I felt very good on the swim and was concentrating on good technique. I felt like I had put in a good effort but judging from my 32 and change time I`m either too comfortable or not really improving my swimming ( likely a bit of both).
 On to the bike. I was looking forward to the ride as a good test of my training. The course was challenging with some 6000 feet of climbing. Well there are no long steady climbs there are plenty of challenging steep gradients. It took me an hour to settle in on the bike and start feeling good. This lasted about 30 min and saw me in fourth place at about the half way point. Shortly there after 4 guys riding close together went by me. I let them go. I wasn`t feeling bad but I wasn`t feeling great.I could feel my legs burning on some of the climbs and this was discouraging me a bit. I was breathing 3 and 3 on the bike ( 3 revolutions for each inhale /exhale). This felt like a pace that was hard but not uncomfortable.My heart rate monitor wasn`t working which proved to be a blessing as I was able to race by feel and not be controlled by my HR or time. I found this very liberating and reduced the stress of trying to hold some predetermined HR.By the end of the bike i was in about 9th or 10th place and my left quad was cramping. I took in 1000cal of carbo pro on the bike but had left out any extra eload( partly to see what would happen). I still have to work on nutrition as I`m probably not getting enough in and keeping my electrolytes balanced. When it came time to get off the bike my left quad was seized and I had to limp to my bike rack. Well actually I had to limp about 5 bike racks past mine and then back as I failed to notice my rack the first time by.
 The run didn`t look promising with my quad cramped. At this point I took a bit of extra time to strech out my quad and then thought _ let`s just go and see what happens. As I ran out of transition I could fell some twinges but with each step I felt a little better. The first part of the run is over loose rocky terrain for about 1.5 miles( forgive the miles but there are no Km on the course) and steadily climbs.By now I was feeling good and starting to pass the guys who had passed me on the bike.It was steady climbing until about the 3-4 mile mark much of it on rocky trail.Finally you reach a relatively level old rail way bed high above the lake with great views - although some what discourageing as the finish is barely visible far away and well below.I continued to run well and had moved into 5th by the turnaround. The turnaround has a few steep ups and downs leading into it and a steady climb coming out of it. I could see the fourth place racer ahead of me but that was the best i could do as he steadily opened a gap between us.I had taken in only water on the run so far and by mile 9 I could feel I was low on fuel.I got a bit of gel and banana in at  mile 10 and 11 but the aid stations where a bit difficult to get something without stopping. I had one competitor in sight behind me and I wanted to hold onto my top 5 spot. This is probably the best thing I got out of this race- not to finish top five but to actually make a determined effort to prevent someone from catching me. This is the first time I have every actually raced a triathlon even though I have been more then a dozen now.I saw Juliann heading out on the run with about 2miles to go. As always she looked happy and gave me a big encouraging cheer- she later told me that I didn`t look very good. However in the end I finished strong and felt fine- likely as I quickly consumed a significant amout of fruit at the finish line. The race really could have used some coke at the aid stations and the finish line.
Overall I was satisfied with my race. As always I likely raced at an easier pace then I should and I felt my bike was not very strong but my run was. The numbers tell the real tale( I can`t remeber them exactly but they`re online( s- 32,bike 2:31,run 1:35 total 4:44:55 something like that).Well the numbers could improve I am happy with my race attitude in the closing stages.
Juliann struggled through the swim start suffering from the shock of the cold water. It took her a good 5 min or more before she could really start to swim. She went on to post a bike time she was very happy with on a tough course. The run however proved not to be in her this day. She walked and jogged her way home in the heat of the afternoon but still finished feeling good and with a smile.
  Thanks to Ginny for her ever present enthusiasim and drive. We had a fantastic weekend enjoying her company. Congradulations on her strong performance.
  A very special thanks to my lovely wife whose encouragement and support could not mean more to me.
lastly- I did not take the time to read this over so please forgive me for what I am sure are many typos etc

[Rebecca]

Great race reports Ginny and Sean!!

Loved reading your race reports; they left me feeling very inspired and very impressed!
...Ginny your comment about the old men swimming made me laugh... I remember running my last marathon and about mile 20 watching this old guy limping/hobbling along and thinking what a terrible running style he had....took a while to sink in that he was still ahead of me!! 

[misha]

Hey guys great reading and well done all of you, but the comment from Ginny about the OLD MAN made me smile but the bit from Rebecca  about the old guy being ahead of her really made me laugh !

                      Al.