This was our only Canadian stop and we had really looked forward to it for some time. Heathers race report covers much of the pre race goodies (Hmmm...roll reversal here??), so I will keep mine to the race.
I would call this one "a long day at the office" as the whole day seemed tough for me….MANY lesons learned on this one! After some great PR before the swim start (including a photo request of those two "from Ontario") we began the walk into the water.
It was super shallow for the first bit but then dropped off nicely and in we went. I found the sighting tough for this one. I am not sure if it was the minimal amounts of markers or if it was sun...but there was a ton of looking around going on. We stood up, out of the water way to soon, and ran through knee deep water which I found really tough. This was the first time we had stripers for a 70.3 event and it was SWEET! All went well into transition. I much prefer the tent transitions then the "bike rack" transition.
Heather and got to the mount line at the same time and headed out on the ride. I LOVE the scenery in Newfoundland BUT I will say this was not my favourite course. It was wide open and pretty flat or false flats (other than the 4k climb at the turn around) which lead to a nice wind in your face for the out part. Sure, you do get a tail wind on your way back, but the tough riding still takes it toll on me. I blew out my legs in the first 15k which made for a very long ride. I was able to see Heather on her way back in and it seems that she was having a great ride.
My only complaint about the ride course was that the water stations provided bottles of Gatorade that had the regular wide mouth openings...no "pull to" water bottle style that most stores carry. All I can say, is that I do believe there was more Gatorade on me and my bike than IN me!
Into transition I go, feeling spent but thinking that I only had a half mary to go....man, I have done too many of these for sure!!! The legs felt ok…no specific aches or pains, just spent. I was hot and was not gonna be setting any PB's today. I took in what I could, and was pumped to see they had ice, so I was able to lower my core temp.
Heather was running strong and looked in great form. I still had one last lap to do as she headed in, but was actually running better by this point than I was on the first lap. Coming in the chute I was quite glad that this day was done.
I spoke to Heather while I was still bent over in pain. She went and got me some water and Gatorade....what a sweetie!!! We also got to see Lisa come in strong....smile and everything!!!
Heathers reports mentions the Awards Dinner and the excitement of her 3rd place…man, you should really have seen it…it was priceless. I have never been so proud. I think was added to it, was that she was SOOO taken by surprise....a genuine show of happiness and shyness ALLLL built into one. All is said and done for Newfoundland 70.3.
Thanks to Q for all the photos he took that day. Also to Meroni and Sons Inc. for all their support for this race...thank you maniac. Not to be forgotten, John (run_longer) for his hospitality...he provided the most memorable "pre-post race" fun we have had yet.
When we got home from the east coast I built the bikes again as we had a press engagement the next day who was doing a "profile" on us. We are off to Antwerp today afternoon, so the bikes were broken down and packed up. Now, if I can just get rid of this post race cold and pinched neck....I would be all set!!!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Heather's Newfoundland 70.3 race report
This Race Report brought to you by Marg Meroni and family. Many, many thanks for your generous support!
Only in Newfoundland can the lake water look like beer! But I'm getting ahead of myself. We set out for the Rock on Friday afternoon. I had been especially looking forward to this 70.3. For years now I've wondered if I'm a "dis-placed" Newf. I was born in Ontario, but have always been drawn to the Rock; perhaps it's because I have yet to meet a Newfoundlander I don't like.
After some flight issues, and a forced overnight in Halifax , we arrived in Deer Lake , bikes in tow, around 09h30 NF time. We made the decision to head straight to Pasedena to build our bikes and do our pre-race check-in. With bike check-in not starting until noon, we were among the first people on race site. Brian managed to chat up a few local tri guys, while we built the bikes and as he always does, did well to spread our message. One of them asked for a card so that he could add us to his Tri club web site. Very cool! By the time we had the bikes built and got our test ride in, the race directors and crew were arriving. We headed to the tent to pick up our registration kit which included among other things, our Race Bib, a Visitor's Guide to Newfoundland , a Tech-Tee and a loaf of bread! Perfect! Having yet to have lunch, we were famished! Check-in required us to leave our bikes and our transition bags behind, but since the forecast was promising heavy rain they gave us the option to keep our transition bags with us until morning. We also did not get a timing chip with our kits, and had to make a mental note that we'd need to pick those up race morning. Just outside of transition we bumped into a couple of friends from Ottawa : Tina, Ron and Cynthia, and we got to gawk upon Craig Alexander (who probably thinks we're now stalking him!) and Mirinda Carfrae. It's not too difficult to see how these 2 Aussies pull off the times they do. I don't think they have an ounce of body fat between them. Mirinda's gear had gotten lost on her trip and the race organizers were doing everything they could to find her replacements. Poor Brian had to watch her change with only a towel to cover herself. I think he's still in shock I have to say, she did impress me though as she seemed to be taking this potential crisis all in stride. With our bikes settled in for the night, we hopped back in the car and made our way to Corner Brook .
Our friend John, a.k.a. run_longer, had graciously opened his home to us, and having not seen him since the 2006 Cabot Trail Relay, I was anxious to get re-acquainted. Awesome guy, awesome host, awesome family! He really did everything in his power to make our trip to the Rock enjoyable; from the tour of the town, to the tour of the local bike shop and river path, to the support on the course and the wonderful meals - John you're a true friend and I miss you already! Q and lonerunner were also in town for the race. Lisa was there to do her first 70.3, and Q was there for the beer and ice cream...and to play camera man. They joined us for dinner on Saturday night, and we shared lots of stories about Cabot Trail and other running\racing events. I must apologize to John's wife, Darlene, how boring we runners are with nothing to talk about, but running stories! After a great meal, and a couple glasses more than my usual one of red wine , we said good-bye to Q and LR until the next morning and headed to bed.
As this 70.3 thing is becoming old hack, pre-race jitters are few and far between....or maybe I have the wine to thank for that. We'd agreed on an earlier than usual rise. It was a 20 minute drive to Pasedena and we would be facing parking restrictions. We headed out the door before 6:30 which would give us a good hour to get things set up in transitions before the race started. Plenty of time to prep our bikes and get our T bags to the rack. We even had time to get into the water for a little warm-up swim before the race started. The swim is a beach mass start. This meant I got to stand and swim beside Brian. My absolute favourite way to start a race!
They played our National Anthem which was a little emotional; it always is for me. Then they blew the horn and we were off. The water is shallow for a good 200 metres. It was truly a running start, and when you can no longer lift your knees out of the water, you dive - hoping the people in front of you are using the same approach. The water was warm and beautiful golden colour (just like Keith's beer!), and for the most part the swim went rather smoothly. I had one bit of panic where I had to stop and tread water, and Brian waited patiently while I collected myself. This was a clockwise loop which makes sighting extra difficult for me since I breathe on my left. I put all my trust in Brian and just made sure I could see him on every stroke. We exited the water together - probably running a little sooner than we should have since by the time we made it to the beach, my legs felt dead.
Swim time: 45:59
They had strippers at the entrance to transition. I had trouble making eye contact with one, but finally did and fell to the ground while they tugged at my wet suit. Suit off, hat and goggles in hand, I b-line it for my bike...except I'm not suppose to head to my bike! I skipped the step of grabbing my Swim-to-Bike bag and changing in the tent! With a little bit of light cursing, I ducked under the bike racks, grabbed my T1 bag and headed to the change tent. All that carfuffle, and I still managed to make it out of the tent before the people who were already inside it. I waited at my bike for Brian (we were racked side by side) and we made our way out of transition together. The plan was to at least start the ride together. The bike course is an out and back that you do 1 3/4 times. There is a 4 km climb at the turnaround where we figured, due to my having to carry less weight than Brian, I'd pull away from him, and then for the exact same reason, he'd catch me again on the descent. Only it didn't work out quite that way.
I rode ahead and when I looked back, I couldn't see Brian anywhere. I spun it out for a bit, thinking he may have dropped a chain, but when he still didn't come into sight, I decided it was time to ride my own race. The course runs all along the Trans Canada Hwy. It makes for a beautiful roll, and not a very technical bike. Some may think that is boring, but I loved it! The scenery is still breath-taking. What a beautiful province; I really could not get enough of it. I played leap frog with a couple of girls - they'd smoke by me on the descents and I'd catch them on the climbs. On the big decent I saw John cheering us on, looking very styling in his TTW vest, and I saw Brian on his climb. I was relieved to see that he was alright and was riding well. After the turnaround, I passed the girls I was playing leap frog with and never saw them again. I picked up a new girl on the second loop - this one was in my age group. We chatted a little as we passed each other. The day was getting hot, and we were both starting to feel it. I mentioned to her that I hoped there was shade on the run. She told me she'd heard it was supposed to be flat. Then, when we approached Pasedena, we started to see runners on the highway and we both noted that the run was neither shaded nor flat! This was going to be a challenge.
Bike Time: 3:06:49
As you entered transition, they had volunteers grabbing your bike, so for a minute, you got to feel a little bit like a pro as you tossed your bike and ran. I grabbed my Bike-to-Run bag and ran into the change tent. I accepted the volunteer's offer of sunscreen and exchanged my bike shoes for my Zoots as she hovered over me with her spray bottle. Again, I beat everyone who was already in the tent, out of transition. I grabbed gatorade and water at the exit and made my way to the run course. As predicted, it was unbelievabley hot. We'd find out later that it was a sweltering 32 degrees.
With no shade and very little wind, I was completely reliant on the aid station sponges to cool myself off. In the discipline that I'm my strongest, I felt my weakest. I struggled to maintain any kind of pace. I played "When the Saints Come Marching In" in my head just to try and keep some rhythm. I felt completely beaten, and the only kick I could get was from the sips of Pepsi I'd take at the aid station. Luckily Pepsi was available at each one. Some of the stations gave me a full can which I didn't quite understand; maybe I should have carried it with me. After the first loop - which I was thoroughly disappointed that you had to run all the way to the finish, see it and then take the right lane instead of the left to head back out for another 10k - I saw that I was very close to coming into under the 6 hour mark.
I didn't really have any goals going into the Newfoundland 70.3. I'd raced pretty hard in Vineman, and we would have 2 more races in 2 week-ends so finishing time wasn't so much of an issue, but when 6 hours was that close, I knew I'd feel better finishing under 6 than over. So, I pushed myself. I pushed through the aches and the pains and the heat, and the unbelievable strong sense to walk. I saw Brian 3 times on the run, and as always that gave me a boost in my step. I saw him for the last time with about 1k to go; we stopped quickly and he told me how beaten up he was and that he'd be at least another 2 hours. I figured it was more like an hour 15 min, but still that was a long time to be out there and my heart went out to him. The final stretch of the run is through a trail in the woods.
You can hear the music and the noise of the finish. You can't help, but push yourself towards it, knowing that in a few moments, it would all be over. I rounded the last corner, and saw the official clock - 5:58 and change. A man was ahead of me and his daughters ran out to join him. I slowed my pace so that they could get a good bit in front of me, and have their finishing moment. I was safely under 6 hours, and I was satisfied. When I crossed the line, the announcer said my name, my city, and continued to summarize Brian's and my story, and why we were here. That made it all worthwhile.
Run Time: 2:01:06
I headed straight to the water that I'd been dreaming about the whole run. The shore was filled with finishers, seated in the water, taking obvious relief from the heat. I saw my friend Tina and her husband, and joined them. They'd both had great races. I'd seen Tina on the bike and the run and she looked strong every time. We then went to check the unofficial results and we saw that Tina placed 2nd in her AG! Which meant she had a spot at Clearwater if she wanted it. I looked at my results and it said I placed 7th. That sounded about right to me. We then parted ways - they were heading back to their cottage to hang out with their kids and I made my way to Q who was waiting at the end of the chute for Lisa and Brian. We hung out and chatted until they came in. As I had thought, Brian was in well before the 2 hours he'd said. I was elated to see him finish, and anxious to talk to him since I'd missed our usual mid-race chat. We cheered Lisa in to her first 70.3 finish! She smiled the whole way down the chute.
We then made our way back to our car, threw in our bikes and drove to Corner Brook. The plan was to shower at John's, hopefully have a beer or two before we headed to the Awards Ceremony.
With 2 of our friends having podium finishes, we wanted to be sure we didn't miss it. They ran through the pro awards; Ottawa's own Cynthia Wilson was 2nd. Then they announced the Age Group winners, starting with the youngest. When they hit F35-39 I wasn't really paying attention, since Tina's AG was F40-44.
When I heard my name, it took a minute to hit me, and then I was in disbelief. They had it wrong, and I told them that. I didn't even want to get on stage because I was so convinced they weren't right. They insisted they were and showed me the results sheet. I figured they’d misplaced the first page. I had placed 3rd. I got a very cool piece of the Rock - literally, and a chance to take a roll down spot to Clearwater . The girl who placed 1st had gone last year and didn't want it. So, when they asked me if I wanted to go to Clearwater , I said "Hell Ya!". Brian was sitting front and centre and I couldn't take my eyes off him. ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS of this venture. I couldn't wait to get off the stage and hug him! I'm going to Clearwater . I still can't believe it! And I can't stop smiling about it!!!!
Final Numbers: Time: 5:58:59 AG: 3/13 Overall: 119/249
In looking at my results, I noticed that the girl who came in 4th was only 3.5 minutes behind me. Our bike times were within 10 seconds of each other and our run times were within 50 seconds (both in my favour); yet she was over 7 minutes faster in the swim! That tells me that this "podium finish" was won and lost in transition...
Only in Newfoundland can the lake water look like beer! But I'm getting ahead of myself. We set out for the Rock on Friday afternoon. I had been especially looking forward to this 70.3. For years now I've wondered if I'm a "dis-placed" Newf. I was born in Ontario, but have always been drawn to the Rock; perhaps it's because I have yet to meet a Newfoundlander I don't like.
After some flight issues, and a forced overnight in Halifax , we arrived in Deer Lake , bikes in tow, around 09h30 NF time. We made the decision to head straight to Pasedena to build our bikes and do our pre-race check-in. With bike check-in not starting until noon, we were among the first people on race site. Brian managed to chat up a few local tri guys, while we built the bikes and as he always does, did well to spread our message. One of them asked for a card so that he could add us to his Tri club web site. Very cool! By the time we had the bikes built and got our test ride in, the race directors and crew were arriving. We headed to the tent to pick up our registration kit which included among other things, our Race Bib, a Visitor's Guide to Newfoundland , a Tech-Tee and a loaf of bread! Perfect! Having yet to have lunch, we were famished! Check-in required us to leave our bikes and our transition bags behind, but since the forecast was promising heavy rain they gave us the option to keep our transition bags with us until morning. We also did not get a timing chip with our kits, and had to make a mental note that we'd need to pick those up race morning. Just outside of transition we bumped into a couple of friends from Ottawa : Tina, Ron and Cynthia, and we got to gawk upon Craig Alexander (who probably thinks we're now stalking him!) and Mirinda Carfrae. It's not too difficult to see how these 2 Aussies pull off the times they do. I don't think they have an ounce of body fat between them. Mirinda's gear had gotten lost on her trip and the race organizers were doing everything they could to find her replacements. Poor Brian had to watch her change with only a towel to cover herself. I think he's still in shock I have to say, she did impress me though as she seemed to be taking this potential crisis all in stride. With our bikes settled in for the night, we hopped back in the car and made our way to Corner Brook .
Our friend John, a.k.a. run_longer, had graciously opened his home to us, and having not seen him since the 2006 Cabot Trail Relay, I was anxious to get re-acquainted. Awesome guy, awesome host, awesome family! He really did everything in his power to make our trip to the Rock enjoyable; from the tour of the town, to the tour of the local bike shop and river path, to the support on the course and the wonderful meals - John you're a true friend and I miss you already! Q and lonerunner were also in town for the race. Lisa was there to do her first 70.3, and Q was there for the beer and ice cream...and to play camera man. They joined us for dinner on Saturday night, and we shared lots of stories about Cabot Trail and other running\racing events. I must apologize to John's wife, Darlene, how boring we runners are with nothing to talk about, but running stories! After a great meal, and a couple glasses more than my usual one of red wine , we said good-bye to Q and LR until the next morning and headed to bed.
As this 70.3 thing is becoming old hack, pre-race jitters are few and far between....or maybe I have the wine to thank for that. We'd agreed on an earlier than usual rise. It was a 20 minute drive to Pasedena and we would be facing parking restrictions. We headed out the door before 6:30 which would give us a good hour to get things set up in transitions before the race started. Plenty of time to prep our bikes and get our T bags to the rack. We even had time to get into the water for a little warm-up swim before the race started. The swim is a beach mass start. This meant I got to stand and swim beside Brian. My absolute favourite way to start a race!
They played our National Anthem which was a little emotional; it always is for me. Then they blew the horn and we were off. The water is shallow for a good 200 metres. It was truly a running start, and when you can no longer lift your knees out of the water, you dive - hoping the people in front of you are using the same approach. The water was warm and beautiful golden colour (just like Keith's beer!), and for the most part the swim went rather smoothly. I had one bit of panic where I had to stop and tread water, and Brian waited patiently while I collected myself. This was a clockwise loop which makes sighting extra difficult for me since I breathe on my left. I put all my trust in Brian and just made sure I could see him on every stroke. We exited the water together - probably running a little sooner than we should have since by the time we made it to the beach, my legs felt dead.
Swim time: 45:59
They had strippers at the entrance to transition. I had trouble making eye contact with one, but finally did and fell to the ground while they tugged at my wet suit. Suit off, hat and goggles in hand, I b-line it for my bike...except I'm not suppose to head to my bike! I skipped the step of grabbing my Swim-to-Bike bag and changing in the tent! With a little bit of light cursing, I ducked under the bike racks, grabbed my T1 bag and headed to the change tent. All that carfuffle, and I still managed to make it out of the tent before the people who were already inside it. I waited at my bike for Brian (we were racked side by side) and we made our way out of transition together. The plan was to at least start the ride together. The bike course is an out and back that you do 1 3/4 times. There is a 4 km climb at the turnaround where we figured, due to my having to carry less weight than Brian, I'd pull away from him, and then for the exact same reason, he'd catch me again on the descent. Only it didn't work out quite that way.
I rode ahead and when I looked back, I couldn't see Brian anywhere. I spun it out for a bit, thinking he may have dropped a chain, but when he still didn't come into sight, I decided it was time to ride my own race. The course runs all along the Trans Canada Hwy. It makes for a beautiful roll, and not a very technical bike. Some may think that is boring, but I loved it! The scenery is still breath-taking. What a beautiful province; I really could not get enough of it. I played leap frog with a couple of girls - they'd smoke by me on the descents and I'd catch them on the climbs. On the big decent I saw John cheering us on, looking very styling in his TTW vest, and I saw Brian on his climb. I was relieved to see that he was alright and was riding well. After the turnaround, I passed the girls I was playing leap frog with and never saw them again. I picked up a new girl on the second loop - this one was in my age group. We chatted a little as we passed each other. The day was getting hot, and we were both starting to feel it. I mentioned to her that I hoped there was shade on the run. She told me she'd heard it was supposed to be flat. Then, when we approached Pasedena, we started to see runners on the highway and we both noted that the run was neither shaded nor flat! This was going to be a challenge.
Bike Time: 3:06:49
As you entered transition, they had volunteers grabbing your bike, so for a minute, you got to feel a little bit like a pro as you tossed your bike and ran. I grabbed my Bike-to-Run bag and ran into the change tent. I accepted the volunteer's offer of sunscreen and exchanged my bike shoes for my Zoots as she hovered over me with her spray bottle. Again, I beat everyone who was already in the tent, out of transition. I grabbed gatorade and water at the exit and made my way to the run course. As predicted, it was unbelievabley hot. We'd find out later that it was a sweltering 32 degrees.
With no shade and very little wind, I was completely reliant on the aid station sponges to cool myself off. In the discipline that I'm my strongest, I felt my weakest. I struggled to maintain any kind of pace. I played "When the Saints Come Marching In" in my head just to try and keep some rhythm. I felt completely beaten, and the only kick I could get was from the sips of Pepsi I'd take at the aid station. Luckily Pepsi was available at each one. Some of the stations gave me a full can which I didn't quite understand; maybe I should have carried it with me. After the first loop - which I was thoroughly disappointed that you had to run all the way to the finish, see it and then take the right lane instead of the left to head back out for another 10k - I saw that I was very close to coming into under the 6 hour mark.
I didn't really have any goals going into the Newfoundland 70.3. I'd raced pretty hard in Vineman, and we would have 2 more races in 2 week-ends so finishing time wasn't so much of an issue, but when 6 hours was that close, I knew I'd feel better finishing under 6 than over. So, I pushed myself. I pushed through the aches and the pains and the heat, and the unbelievable strong sense to walk. I saw Brian 3 times on the run, and as always that gave me a boost in my step. I saw him for the last time with about 1k to go; we stopped quickly and he told me how beaten up he was and that he'd be at least another 2 hours. I figured it was more like an hour 15 min, but still that was a long time to be out there and my heart went out to him. The final stretch of the run is through a trail in the woods.
You can hear the music and the noise of the finish. You can't help, but push yourself towards it, knowing that in a few moments, it would all be over. I rounded the last corner, and saw the official clock - 5:58 and change. A man was ahead of me and his daughters ran out to join him. I slowed my pace so that they could get a good bit in front of me, and have their finishing moment. I was safely under 6 hours, and I was satisfied. When I crossed the line, the announcer said my name, my city, and continued to summarize Brian's and my story, and why we were here. That made it all worthwhile.
Run Time: 2:01:06
I headed straight to the water that I'd been dreaming about the whole run. The shore was filled with finishers, seated in the water, taking obvious relief from the heat. I saw my friend Tina and her husband, and joined them. They'd both had great races. I'd seen Tina on the bike and the run and she looked strong every time. We then went to check the unofficial results and we saw that Tina placed 2nd in her AG! Which meant she had a spot at Clearwater if she wanted it. I looked at my results and it said I placed 7th. That sounded about right to me. We then parted ways - they were heading back to their cottage to hang out with their kids and I made my way to Q who was waiting at the end of the chute for Lisa and Brian. We hung out and chatted until they came in. As I had thought, Brian was in well before the 2 hours he'd said. I was elated to see him finish, and anxious to talk to him since I'd missed our usual mid-race chat. We cheered Lisa in to her first 70.3 finish! She smiled the whole way down the chute.
We then made our way back to our car, threw in our bikes and drove to Corner Brook. The plan was to shower at John's, hopefully have a beer or two before we headed to the Awards Ceremony.
With 2 of our friends having podium finishes, we wanted to be sure we didn't miss it. They ran through the pro awards; Ottawa's own Cynthia Wilson was 2nd. Then they announced the Age Group winners, starting with the youngest. When they hit F35-39 I wasn't really paying attention, since Tina's AG was F40-44.
When I heard my name, it took a minute to hit me, and then I was in disbelief. They had it wrong, and I told them that. I didn't even want to get on stage because I was so convinced they weren't right. They insisted they were and showed me the results sheet. I figured they’d misplaced the first page. I had placed 3rd. I got a very cool piece of the Rock - literally, and a chance to take a roll down spot to Clearwater . The girl who placed 1st had gone last year and didn't want it. So, when they asked me if I wanted to go to Clearwater , I said "Hell Ya!". Brian was sitting front and centre and I couldn't take my eyes off him. ONE OF THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS of this venture. I couldn't wait to get off the stage and hug him! I'm going to Clearwater . I still can't believe it! And I can't stop smiling about it!!!!
Final Numbers: Time: 5:58:59 AG: 3/13 Overall: 119/249
In looking at my results, I noticed that the girl who came in 4th was only 3.5 minutes behind me. Our bike times were within 10 seconds of each other and our run times were within 50 seconds (both in my favour); yet she was over 7 minutes faster in the swim! That tells me that this "podium finish" was won and lost in transition...
Newfoundland 70.3 Pics....
A cancelled flight is NEVER fun!!! Hello Halifax!
Blues built....ready to go!
...they look much nicer OUT of the water!
Heather....checkin out the temp.
The TRI version of Screeched in .....members of the local TriClub!
Blues built....ready to go!
...they look much nicer OUT of the water!
Heather....checkin out the temp.
The TRI version of Screeched in .....members of the local TriClub!
Newfoundland 70.3 Pics..
Our home-stay host John!!!!
Heather checkin in VIP style
Ugh.... the weigh in!!!
...see you in a few hours!!!!
Award for strangest item in our schwag-bag....a loaf of bread!
Heather checkin in VIP style
Ugh.... the weigh in!!!
...see you in a few hours!!!!
Award for strangest item in our schwag-bag....a loaf of bread!
Newfoundland 70.3 Pics!!!
Race day......a very SMALL transition area!
Heather packin her bags!
As we boarded AirCan, some athletes traveled in style!
Ottawa here we come....for a few days!!!!
Heather packin her bags!
As we boarded AirCan, some athletes traveled in style!
Ottawa here we come....for a few days!!!!
Monday, July 28, 2008
A Grt Day in Newfoundland!
Newfoundland delivered her best for us yesterday. It was a beautiful day with a slight wind from the west and lots of sunshine. Heather raced very well placing 7th in her age group.....or so she thought!!! At the awards banquet, we were all surprised to find out that she had actually placed THIRD in her age group!
The bonus to that was with TWO slots available for Clearwater, the woman who placed first PASSED!!! So........Heather got a roll down spot!!!!!!
The perfect fit to that was that one of Heather's training partners from the OAC, who came down with her family to race ALSO got a place to Clearwater!! Congratulations Tina!!
Let the party begin!!
Heading out for the drive to Deer Lake to catch the flight home.
We will drop in some race reports before we head to Europe on Thursday night......
TTW had a GREAT day in Newfoundland!!!!
The bonus to that was with TWO slots available for Clearwater, the woman who placed first PASSED!!! So........Heather got a roll down spot!!!!!!
The perfect fit to that was that one of Heather's training partners from the OAC, who came down with her family to race ALSO got a place to Clearwater!! Congratulations Tina!!
Let the party begin!!
Heading out for the drive to Deer Lake to catch the flight home.
We will drop in some race reports before we head to Europe on Thursday night......
TTW had a GREAT day in Newfoundland!!!!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Hello from the Rock!
They say, alls well that ends well and I guess you can say that's true for us. Air Canada set us up in Halifax for the night, bought us dinner and breakfast the next morning and sent us off to Deer Lake. We arrived, safe and sound with our bikes, just after 9:30 AM NF time. They even gave us each a $100 voucher.
Friends of ours graciously extended an invite to stay with them in their home in Corner Brook for the week-end which is just about 20 minutes away from race site. A quick call to them to let them know we were on the rock, and were headed to Pasedena to check-in, build the bikes, and take a test ride.
We received a great welcome from the admin folks behind Newfoundland 70.3. Their organization was superb, and with each of us receiving a loaf of bread at check-in, we're thinking this is a pretty good bang for your registration fee buck! We even have our own personal membership card for the Newfoundland Triathlon Club. Pretty special!
So, we've tested our bikes; we have a few things we'll need to take care of tomorrow, but nothing major. We bumped into a few friends, Tina and Ron as they went through their own check-in\registration rituals. Saw a couple pros: Craig Alexander, Mirinda Carfrae (who had apparently lost all her stuff .... it does happen to the pros too!) and Ottawa's own Cynthia Wilson. Pretty cool.
Now we're settled in at John and Darlene's and have been promised a special Newfoundland meal of BBQ Fresh Cod and mash potatoes. We're still looking for chips, dressing and gravy...maybe we'll come across that tomorrow as our post-race recovery meal.
We'll post again after the race!!
Heather & Brian
Friends of ours graciously extended an invite to stay with them in their home in Corner Brook for the week-end which is just about 20 minutes away from race site. A quick call to them to let them know we were on the rock, and were headed to Pasedena to check-in, build the bikes, and take a test ride.
We received a great welcome from the admin folks behind Newfoundland 70.3. Their organization was superb, and with each of us receiving a loaf of bread at check-in, we're thinking this is a pretty good bang for your registration fee buck! We even have our own personal membership card for the Newfoundland Triathlon Club. Pretty special!
So, we've tested our bikes; we have a few things we'll need to take care of tomorrow, but nothing major. We bumped into a few friends, Tina and Ron as they went through their own check-in\registration rituals. Saw a couple pros: Craig Alexander, Mirinda Carfrae (who had apparently lost all her stuff .... it does happen to the pros too!) and Ottawa's own Cynthia Wilson. Pretty cool.
Now we're settled in at John and Darlene's and have been promised a special Newfoundland meal of BBQ Fresh Cod and mash potatoes. We're still looking for chips, dressing and gravy...maybe we'll come across that tomorrow as our post-race recovery meal.
We'll post again after the race!!
Heather & Brian
Friday, July 25, 2008
Still in the FAX!
We landed a couple of hours ago in Halifax and have just learned that our flight has been CANCELED!!!
So, off to the hotel we go soon. We are booked on the replacement flight for 7:45 am tomorrow.
We plan to arrive in Deer Lake by 9:30ish....so cross your fingers for us.
Ugh!!!!
Brian and Heather
So, off to the hotel we go soon. We are booked on the replacement flight for 7:45 am tomorrow.
We plan to arrive in Deer Lake by 9:30ish....so cross your fingers for us.
Ugh!!!!
Brian and Heather
...on the road again!
Willie Nelson said it best...."like a band of gypsies, we go down the highway....".
It is off to race number 9 in Cornerbrook Newfoundland in a few hours. We have only been back home here for about 3 days!!!!
This will be a fun race, as there will be at least 3 or 4 other trigeeks that we know racing this weekend.It is our only Canadian stop on this tour, so we plan to make the most of it.
Enjoy your weekend, and check in later....we will drop a line once we get settled in.
SMILES!!!!!
Brian and Heather
It is off to race number 9 in Cornerbrook Newfoundland in a few hours. We have only been back home here for about 3 days!!!!
This will be a fun race, as there will be at least 3 or 4 other trigeeks that we know racing this weekend.It is our only Canadian stop on this tour, so we plan to make the most of it.
Enjoy your weekend, and check in later....we will drop a line once we get settled in.
SMILES!!!!!
Brian and Heather
Vineman 70.3 Race Report
Wow…half way there…..when we started this whole TTW venture, this day seemed like it was years away.
But, July 20th came and went with a good dose of drama and excitement that seemed fitting for the half way mark….you know, to keep us honest!
We headed out to the airport on Friday for #8 and a flight schedule of “Ottawa-Toronto-San Francisco”. We were able to hang out with a good friend of ours, local triathlete Tina Pippy who was working that day. Once checked in, we were surprised by another friend of ours working as well who was able to upgrade us to Business Class for the Ottawa-Toronto leg.
In Toronto, the bad signs began, as my carry-on was pulled for inspection. This is not the first time, yet this screener was adamant that there was something funny looking in my carry on. Since we have done this “airport screening” thing a few times, Brian asked the guy if he was looking for a pair of triangle shaped metal things that are inside a pair of shoes (the usual culprit) ….his reply….”We’ll see!!!” Shocked, Brian told the now TWO people looking in his bag, that if they were indeed looking for something like that, it would be his cycling pedals that are tucked into the white cycling shoes. Their reply…”It could be, but we will find out for sure!!!” Ugh….why bother to try and help!
The flight to the West coast was nice and uneventful. We arrived at around 10:30pm local time and were looking forward to our room. We then were advised that one of our 3 checked bags didn’t arrive and was still in Toronto. The man was nice enough to go all the way down to the baggage area and tell us whether it was one bike, two bikes or our “toiletries and clothes”. Both bikes were there….we would just need to wear these clothes for another day!!! Wheuff!
We made our way to our hotel in down town San Fran to realize, that hotel chains lend their names to places without consultation !!! We pulled into this “chain” hotel to be put in a room that was not fit for anything but being rented by the hour!!! With new tooth paste/brush in hand we crashed and pondered changing our reservation for Sunday after the race….this was to be home for another night!
First thing Saturday morning, we checked out and headed to the water front, as we had a few hours to kill before we had to return to the Airport to retrieve our lost bag. San Francisco has always been one of Heathers favourite cities. It's not the weather (it was a cool 59 degrees when we landed! Heather could have worn her winter jacket!), it's not the Golden Gate Bridge, although that is spectacular - what a cool thing to drive on!, it's a little bit about the architecture and the cityscape - the SF hills are every bit as steep as they seem - but it's mostly because of Fisherman's Wharf and the sea lions who call it home. We even got to have breakfast at Joannies Dinner (Joannie from Happy Days!).
After we retrieved our bag from the airport, we made a bee-line for Santa Rosa which was where we were staying for the race. After checkin into our hotel there, we headed to the race site which was yet another 20 min down the road!!
As we approached the venue that held the registration, kit pick up and expo, we decided to get checked in and make contact with the race organizers that knew we were competing. Once we had our race kits, we walked the transition. We were told that the California rep for BLUE was there. We chatted with him for a while and he introduced us to one of his pro riders whose hubby was a TC surviour as well…..we shared some stories for sure!!!
After that, we happened upon a promo tent where Craig Alexander was signing schwag. We thought we would say hey, since we had chatted with him in St. Croix and had exchanged a couple of emails. As we approached the table (no one else was in line!) he saw our TTW vests, immediately recognizing us and making us feel very welcome he and his friends. He even signed a TTW visor (we are both sponsored by Headsweats) which we will auction off at some point.
THIS is where the drama begins. We head to the parking lot to build up the bikes. With Heathers’ built, Brian began on his, immediately noticing that the wheel is sure not fitting in as well as it always does. After a very close inspection, he saw that the derailleur hanger is bent along with a badly bent derailleur! Damage control begins! We go back to see Devon from BLUE. He puts us onto a mechanic on site, who happens to work on BLUE bikes. He thought there is nothing he can do onsite and his shop is over 40 miles away. Brian then sought out Amy (race management) and told her of the situation. She immediately contacted a bike shop about 20 min away that would either try to fix it, find a demo bike B could use, or sell him a bike, which, crazy as it sounds, beats a DNS any day!!!
We tossed the rides into our rental and bombed it to NORCAL Cycle shop, where the 18yr old wonder kid delicately bent the hanger into place, replaced the derailleur with a new shimano part, and got my BLUE back to tip top shape!!! He did say, as we left there, “I hope it holds out tomorrow!!!” Ugh!After a couple of “nerve calming” cervezas, we headed out for our pre-race meal to put together our race plan for the next day.
The Swim:
Race morning brought cool temps and a 30 min drive to the race start. To be clear, this race, logistically, was the worst we had seen. The swim start/swim end and bike start (where we would park our car in the AM) was 15 miles from the race end. At the end of the day, we would need to take a shuttle back to the swim start, with out bikes, to get the car, just to drive it BACK to the race end to get the bikes….confused yet?
Brian's wave was set to start at 6:54 AM with Heathers 40min later. We left in what we thought would be ample time, but once we got there, everything felt really rushed. To save time, we had body marked ourselves in the usual spots before we'd left our hotel. As we walked through the body marking area on our way to transition, we noticed that they also seemed to putting numbers on participant's hands and right thigh. Not wanting to risk any kind of penalties, we thought we should probably follow suit. We're still not exactly sure what the purpose of having the bib # on our hands was - we were told so they could be seen on the bike, but when ya ride, we’re pretty sure WE were the only one that had the right view point to be able to read the hand numbers. We surmised that it was for the swim
This was a river swim which Brian had done before in Carleton Place, Ontario for a half iron there, so it was not new. After a few delays, Brian wracked his bike as did Heather in transition which was set up in a make-shift rock covered parking lot and made my way to the swim. We were told that the swim “at some points would be only 4 ft deep”. We both had goggle issues during the swim. Once we noticed that some guys were RUNNING parts of the swim, it allowed us to fix the goggle issue easily!
The finish of the swim came sooner than both of us expected. As always, Heather was happy to exit - only 8 more swim starts to go. Whewf!
The Ride:
What a ride…! The country side in Northern Cali is SWEET. The course was a lone loop ride with a good number of hills with one “big one” at the 72km mark. These hills were rolling hills with a good amount of aero possible. Brian rode for a while with a guy who had done a ton of races for CAF, and had rigged up a speaker for his ipod that was mounted in his rear too pouch. He had a great selection of Snoop playin, including “Gin ‘n Juice”, one of my faves. They chatted for a while and told him that he had just received a card for the “loud” music...but was more than happy to give IM 4 min of his time in a penalty box then not have his tunes. This guy was alllll about havin fun and making a difference! Most of the course was beautiful though, with undulating hills winding through the many vineyards of the Russian River Valley. What evil temptation those vineyards are! The movie Sideways kept playing over and over in my head, and it kept me company for most of the ride. What a great flick.
Heather saw one crash. A girl was lying on a stretcher with a neck brace and appeared to be out cold. She reminded myself of how lucky I was to escape serious injury in Austria. She wished for her to be ok.
The Run:
Not knowing the run course at all, we knew not what to expect. Brian has been having issues with his feet going numb on the bike. Have ruled any relation to my orthotic, and suppose it may be cleat placement. None the less, he started his run first on numb feet…its like trying to open a beer when your arm has “fallen asleep”….try it some day! By mile 1.5, they started to “thaw” out. But his left foot was SUPER sore in the toe box area of his shoes. By mile 2, the pain was stupid and he knew he needed to stop and see what it was (far too early for a blister!). As B pulled his shoe from his foot, out fell a GU gel that he had put in his shoe for the run!!!! It did not pop (thank fully) but the edges sure did a number on his pinky toe!!! STOOPID!!!!
Heather headed out on her run next. She knows she has been an avid supporter of Newtons, but she had been eyeing these Zoots for awhile now, and after having tight calves in Lake Stevens, she thought she'd give them a shot. She was told that she could wear them without socks since they were virtually seamless. Bonus! Of course when she told that to Brian the night before he warned her that she'd get blisters, and she TOTALLY “foofooed” him.
Blisters. There are no seams!!!! Ha!
By mile 4, she started to feel a little rubbing. By mile 7 she thought it was going to be a bit of a factor in her run. By mile 10 her feet were hurting so badly she wondered how she was going to pull of another 5k. The only thing that kept her cadence up and kept her focused was knowing that there was the chance that Brian was waiting for her. On the out of the out and back, she had figured that if she was going to catch Brian on the run, she could not see him before the 6 mile mark. That would mean that he would be just a mile ahead of her, and if she made up a minute a mile, we could finish together.
Brian’s average per mile was 10:10 and held that to the end. At the 12 mile marker, Brianlooked back and Heather was within sight so he pulled to the side momentarily and waited to thoroughly enjoy the last mile together, even though neither of us had big smiles by this time of the day.
With heads held high, side by side, we crossed the finish line together to 2 TTW PB’s!!! We were also reminded that we were half way through this odyssey.
After taking a moment to ourselves (as we do after each race) we shared some war stories over a fabulous food spread at race site. We then walked bike-less about 750m to the busses that were to take us back to the swim start. We saw, however, that they were letting people take their bikes…SWEET! So, a 180 back to the transition zone to grab our rides. Walked the 750m again to the busses only to be told that they should not have been allowing the bikes and would not allow any more. So, we decided Brian would leave the bikes with Heather and take the bus to the swim start, grab the car and return. 1.5 hrs later, the bikes were packed, we were beat and we still needed to drive to San Francisco.
We had cancelled that nasty hotel and chose to stay closer to the pier. After a huge sushi dinner, TriTheWorld said BYE to San Francisco and called it a night.
This was the “half way” race for Heather and me…..eight 70.3 races under our belts in less than 4 months…yet we are as stoked and as pumped as we were in Oceanside at race one!!!
We have 3 more in 3 weekends, so perhaps the spring in my step may not be there by the end of Germany, but we are off this weekend to Newfoundland 70.3, brought to you by Meroni & Sons International, proud sponsors of TTW!
Ride safely!
Brian and Heather
But, July 20th came and went with a good dose of drama and excitement that seemed fitting for the half way mark….you know, to keep us honest!
We headed out to the airport on Friday for #8 and a flight schedule of “Ottawa-Toronto-San Francisco”. We were able to hang out with a good friend of ours, local triathlete Tina Pippy who was working that day. Once checked in, we were surprised by another friend of ours working as well who was able to upgrade us to Business Class for the Ottawa-Toronto leg.
In Toronto, the bad signs began, as my carry-on was pulled for inspection. This is not the first time, yet this screener was adamant that there was something funny looking in my carry on. Since we have done this “airport screening” thing a few times, Brian asked the guy if he was looking for a pair of triangle shaped metal things that are inside a pair of shoes (the usual culprit) ….his reply….”We’ll see!!!” Shocked, Brian told the now TWO people looking in his bag, that if they were indeed looking for something like that, it would be his cycling pedals that are tucked into the white cycling shoes. Their reply…”It could be, but we will find out for sure!!!” Ugh….why bother to try and help!
The flight to the West coast was nice and uneventful. We arrived at around 10:30pm local time and were looking forward to our room. We then were advised that one of our 3 checked bags didn’t arrive and was still in Toronto. The man was nice enough to go all the way down to the baggage area and tell us whether it was one bike, two bikes or our “toiletries and clothes”. Both bikes were there….we would just need to wear these clothes for another day!!! Wheuff!
We made our way to our hotel in down town San Fran to realize, that hotel chains lend their names to places without consultation !!! We pulled into this “chain” hotel to be put in a room that was not fit for anything but being rented by the hour!!! With new tooth paste/brush in hand we crashed and pondered changing our reservation for Sunday after the race….this was to be home for another night!
First thing Saturday morning, we checked out and headed to the water front, as we had a few hours to kill before we had to return to the Airport to retrieve our lost bag. San Francisco has always been one of Heathers favourite cities. It's not the weather (it was a cool 59 degrees when we landed! Heather could have worn her winter jacket!), it's not the Golden Gate Bridge, although that is spectacular - what a cool thing to drive on!, it's a little bit about the architecture and the cityscape - the SF hills are every bit as steep as they seem - but it's mostly because of Fisherman's Wharf and the sea lions who call it home. We even got to have breakfast at Joannies Dinner (Joannie from Happy Days!).
After we retrieved our bag from the airport, we made a bee-line for Santa Rosa which was where we were staying for the race. After checkin into our hotel there, we headed to the race site which was yet another 20 min down the road!!
As we approached the venue that held the registration, kit pick up and expo, we decided to get checked in and make contact with the race organizers that knew we were competing. Once we had our race kits, we walked the transition. We were told that the California rep for BLUE was there. We chatted with him for a while and he introduced us to one of his pro riders whose hubby was a TC surviour as well…..we shared some stories for sure!!!
After that, we happened upon a promo tent where Craig Alexander was signing schwag. We thought we would say hey, since we had chatted with him in St. Croix and had exchanged a couple of emails. As we approached the table (no one else was in line!) he saw our TTW vests, immediately recognizing us and making us feel very welcome he and his friends. He even signed a TTW visor (we are both sponsored by Headsweats) which we will auction off at some point.
THIS is where the drama begins. We head to the parking lot to build up the bikes. With Heathers’ built, Brian began on his, immediately noticing that the wheel is sure not fitting in as well as it always does. After a very close inspection, he saw that the derailleur hanger is bent along with a badly bent derailleur! Damage control begins! We go back to see Devon from BLUE. He puts us onto a mechanic on site, who happens to work on BLUE bikes. He thought there is nothing he can do onsite and his shop is over 40 miles away. Brian then sought out Amy (race management) and told her of the situation. She immediately contacted a bike shop about 20 min away that would either try to fix it, find a demo bike B could use, or sell him a bike, which, crazy as it sounds, beats a DNS any day!!!
We tossed the rides into our rental and bombed it to NORCAL Cycle shop, where the 18yr old wonder kid delicately bent the hanger into place, replaced the derailleur with a new shimano part, and got my BLUE back to tip top shape!!! He did say, as we left there, “I hope it holds out tomorrow!!!” Ugh!After a couple of “nerve calming” cervezas, we headed out for our pre-race meal to put together our race plan for the next day.
The Swim:
Race morning brought cool temps and a 30 min drive to the race start. To be clear, this race, logistically, was the worst we had seen. The swim start/swim end and bike start (where we would park our car in the AM) was 15 miles from the race end. At the end of the day, we would need to take a shuttle back to the swim start, with out bikes, to get the car, just to drive it BACK to the race end to get the bikes….confused yet?
Brian's wave was set to start at 6:54 AM with Heathers 40min later. We left in what we thought would be ample time, but once we got there, everything felt really rushed. To save time, we had body marked ourselves in the usual spots before we'd left our hotel. As we walked through the body marking area on our way to transition, we noticed that they also seemed to putting numbers on participant's hands and right thigh. Not wanting to risk any kind of penalties, we thought we should probably follow suit. We're still not exactly sure what the purpose of having the bib # on our hands was - we were told so they could be seen on the bike, but when ya ride, we’re pretty sure WE were the only one that had the right view point to be able to read the hand numbers. We surmised that it was for the swim
This was a river swim which Brian had done before in Carleton Place, Ontario for a half iron there, so it was not new. After a few delays, Brian wracked his bike as did Heather in transition which was set up in a make-shift rock covered parking lot and made my way to the swim. We were told that the swim “at some points would be only 4 ft deep”. We both had goggle issues during the swim. Once we noticed that some guys were RUNNING parts of the swim, it allowed us to fix the goggle issue easily!
The finish of the swim came sooner than both of us expected. As always, Heather was happy to exit - only 8 more swim starts to go. Whewf!
The Ride:
What a ride…! The country side in Northern Cali is SWEET. The course was a lone loop ride with a good number of hills with one “big one” at the 72km mark. These hills were rolling hills with a good amount of aero possible. Brian rode for a while with a guy who had done a ton of races for CAF, and had rigged up a speaker for his ipod that was mounted in his rear too pouch. He had a great selection of Snoop playin, including “Gin ‘n Juice”, one of my faves. They chatted for a while and told him that he had just received a card for the “loud” music...but was more than happy to give IM 4 min of his time in a penalty box then not have his tunes. This guy was alllll about havin fun and making a difference! Most of the course was beautiful though, with undulating hills winding through the many vineyards of the Russian River Valley. What evil temptation those vineyards are! The movie Sideways kept playing over and over in my head, and it kept me company for most of the ride. What a great flick.
Heather saw one crash. A girl was lying on a stretcher with a neck brace and appeared to be out cold. She reminded myself of how lucky I was to escape serious injury in Austria. She wished for her to be ok.
The Run:
Not knowing the run course at all, we knew not what to expect. Brian has been having issues with his feet going numb on the bike. Have ruled any relation to my orthotic, and suppose it may be cleat placement. None the less, he started his run first on numb feet…its like trying to open a beer when your arm has “fallen asleep”….try it some day! By mile 1.5, they started to “thaw” out. But his left foot was SUPER sore in the toe box area of his shoes. By mile 2, the pain was stupid and he knew he needed to stop and see what it was (far too early for a blister!). As B pulled his shoe from his foot, out fell a GU gel that he had put in his shoe for the run!!!! It did not pop (thank fully) but the edges sure did a number on his pinky toe!!! STOOPID!!!!
Heather headed out on her run next. She knows she has been an avid supporter of Newtons, but she had been eyeing these Zoots for awhile now, and after having tight calves in Lake Stevens, she thought she'd give them a shot. She was told that she could wear them without socks since they were virtually seamless. Bonus! Of course when she told that to Brian the night before he warned her that she'd get blisters, and she TOTALLY “foofooed” him.
Blisters. There are no seams!!!! Ha!
By mile 4, she started to feel a little rubbing. By mile 7 she thought it was going to be a bit of a factor in her run. By mile 10 her feet were hurting so badly she wondered how she was going to pull of another 5k. The only thing that kept her cadence up and kept her focused was knowing that there was the chance that Brian was waiting for her. On the out of the out and back, she had figured that if she was going to catch Brian on the run, she could not see him before the 6 mile mark. That would mean that he would be just a mile ahead of her, and if she made up a minute a mile, we could finish together.
Brian’s average per mile was 10:10 and held that to the end. At the 12 mile marker, Brianlooked back and Heather was within sight so he pulled to the side momentarily and waited to thoroughly enjoy the last mile together, even though neither of us had big smiles by this time of the day.
With heads held high, side by side, we crossed the finish line together to 2 TTW PB’s!!! We were also reminded that we were half way through this odyssey.
After taking a moment to ourselves (as we do after each race) we shared some war stories over a fabulous food spread at race site. We then walked bike-less about 750m to the busses that were to take us back to the swim start. We saw, however, that they were letting people take their bikes…SWEET! So, a 180 back to the transition zone to grab our rides. Walked the 750m again to the busses only to be told that they should not have been allowing the bikes and would not allow any more. So, we decided Brian would leave the bikes with Heather and take the bus to the swim start, grab the car and return. 1.5 hrs later, the bikes were packed, we were beat and we still needed to drive to San Francisco.
We had cancelled that nasty hotel and chose to stay closer to the pier. After a huge sushi dinner, TriTheWorld said BYE to San Francisco and called it a night.
This was the “half way” race for Heather and me…..eight 70.3 races under our belts in less than 4 months…yet we are as stoked and as pumped as we were in Oceanside at race one!!!
We have 3 more in 3 weekends, so perhaps the spring in my step may not be there by the end of Germany, but we are off this weekend to Newfoundland 70.3, brought to you by Meroni & Sons International, proud sponsors of TTW!
Ride safely!
Brian and Heather
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Photos from Vineman 70.3 III
...transition at the swim start...yes, that's gravel!
It ws a busy Tzone!
On the way to the airport..8 down, 8 to go!
...what a view!
It ws a busy Tzone!
On the way to the airport..8 down, 8 to go!
...what a view!
Photos of Vineman 70.3..II
...on the way to Santa Rosa
...keeping you informed!!
...signed by Craig Alexander!
..heading to the start line....chilly!!!
...keeping you informed!!
...signed by Craig Alexander!
..heading to the start line....chilly!!!
Photos from Vineman 70.3
Our very own Police Escort!
The fog sets in San Fran!
..a couple of our buddies!
The Pier
Headin over the Golden Gate Bridge!
The fog sets in San Fran!
..a couple of our buddies!
The Pier
Headin over the Golden Gate Bridge!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
HALF WAY THERE!!!!!! 8 DOWN, 8 TO GO!!!
Here we sit in our hotel in San Fran STOKED at the great day TTW had!
Two PB's for this TriTheWorld tour, 8 races behind us, and we are both safe and sound....what more do ya want!!!!
Anyway, this will be very short and sweet as we are DONE.....the hills, the sun, the running around (ugh.... what a backwards race site THIS was!!!)
So... off for a bite and off to bed....since we need to be at the airport by 8am!!!
Brian and Heather!
Two PB's for this TriTheWorld tour, 8 races behind us, and we are both safe and sound....what more do ya want!!!!
Anyway, this will be very short and sweet as we are DONE.....the hills, the sun, the running around (ugh.... what a backwards race site THIS was!!!)
So... off for a bite and off to bed....since we need to be at the airport by 8am!!!
Brian and Heather!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Welcome to California (again)!
Where do we start? It's been a long day and a long trip, and we haven't even raced yet! Despite the trip starting off fantastically with running into friends at the airport, and having one of them generously upgrade us to Business Class for our Ottawa - Toronto leg, we seem to have a black cloud hanging over us...
1. Brian was held up at security in Toronto while they went through his carry-on piece by piece.
2. We and our bikes arrived in San Francisco last night, but our luggage (which has all our casual clothes, toiletries, etc) didn't.
3. We put our bikes together in the parking lot of Windsor High School - the site of T2 and the finish, to realize that the derailer and hanger on Brian's bike was completely bent.
4. Well, there isn't a 4 and we're hoping it stays that way. They do after all, say that bad things come in threes, but it wouldn't hurt if there was a little finger-crossing going on :)
We arrived in San Francisco late last night. Our flight was very smooth with no delays - the upgrade to Business class was greatly appreciated. What a treat to be at the front of the plane and to have all that cushy room! The G&Ts didn't hurt either ;)
Since we travelled through Toronto, we had to pick up our luggage there before going through customs. We had a tight connection as it was and were a bit anxious that the bikes wouldn't make it. As it turns out, they did, but our other luggage didn't. Good thing we had planned to stay in San Fran last night as we were able to go back to the airport to get our bag before we headed north to Windsor to check-in. Before we headed out of town, we took the time to go to Fisherman's Wharf and watch the sea lions in action....if lying on the docks, with an occasional scratch and shift in position can be called action. I don't think it's much wonder how they get to be so big.
The drive north was absolutely beautiful. What started out as a foggy, 59 degree day, turned into a sunny 85+ degree day. We're both a little worried that we may run into the same conditions tomorrow, as the weather forecast hadn't prepared us for that. We both always travel with sleeves though, so we should be OK.
Race check-in went well. No hiccups. We got to talk to the Blue reps from the northern California area, and chatted briefly with Craig Alexander...kind of nice that he recognizes us without us having to remind him of who we are. He told us he'd cheer us on tomorrow, but we suspect his race will be well over before we make it into T1....
The problems didn't start until we started putting the bikes together and Brian realized that his derailer didn't line up the way it should. We took the bike over to the Blue rep and he sent us over to the mechanic on site hoping he could work some magic. His first assessment was that the hanger was bent, and while he could try to straighten it, he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't snap on him. He suggested, to be safe, that he try to readjust the derailer so that Brian could at least get his bike to shift into some of the gears. Unfortunately, once he started working on the Blue, he surmised that the derailer was bent and otherwise defunked. Barring some miracle, this meant that Brian would not be able to ride.
It's not over until the fat lady sings, or so they say, and Brian headed straight to the Race Registration Director, Amy, and she referred us to the local bike shop (which happens to be right across from our hotel). She even called them and told them we were on our way. Good karma...
By this point is was 4:45 and we knew that timing would be tight. While Brian packed the bikes into the car, Heather ran with their Bike to Run stuff (shoes and visors) and set them up in T2.
A little side track, but I should explain the race setup. Vineman is like no other race we have done to date. Swim start, T1 and T2 are all in different locations, and instead of leaving your bikes behind the day before, you leave only your shoes. You bring the bikes with you on race day morning, set up T1 and then get shuttled to the swim start - this could make for a long morning if the weather is cool.
Once we got all packed, we left (high-tailed it!) for the bike shop. They had been expecting us and impressively attended to Brian's bike right away. They concurred with the original assessment, and immediately got to work, exchanging his defunked derailer with a brand new one. They were able to successfully straighten Brian's hanger, and with a little oil and small adjustments, his Blue was looking good and ready for tomorrow. A Big Thank You to the boys at Norcal for their awesome work!
Now, we're checked into the hotel and are looking forward to cleaning up and headed out for our pre-race meal. With his Blue being all fixed up, Brian's tummy has settled and sickness has turned into hunger pains.
For those who wish to follow along tomorrow, Brian's number is 338 and his wave goes off at 6:54 AM. Heather's number is 1183, and will be in the water 40 minutes later at 7:34 AM.
We head back to San Fran after our race and have been told that our hotel has Internet so we hope to get a post-race blog in before we head home.
cheers,
Heather & Brian
1. Brian was held up at security in Toronto while they went through his carry-on piece by piece.
2. We and our bikes arrived in San Francisco last night, but our luggage (which has all our casual clothes, toiletries, etc) didn't.
3. We put our bikes together in the parking lot of Windsor High School - the site of T2 and the finish, to realize that the derailer and hanger on Brian's bike was completely bent.
4. Well, there isn't a 4 and we're hoping it stays that way. They do after all, say that bad things come in threes, but it wouldn't hurt if there was a little finger-crossing going on :)
We arrived in San Francisco late last night. Our flight was very smooth with no delays - the upgrade to Business class was greatly appreciated. What a treat to be at the front of the plane and to have all that cushy room! The G&Ts didn't hurt either ;)
Since we travelled through Toronto, we had to pick up our luggage there before going through customs. We had a tight connection as it was and were a bit anxious that the bikes wouldn't make it. As it turns out, they did, but our other luggage didn't. Good thing we had planned to stay in San Fran last night as we were able to go back to the airport to get our bag before we headed north to Windsor to check-in. Before we headed out of town, we took the time to go to Fisherman's Wharf and watch the sea lions in action....if lying on the docks, with an occasional scratch and shift in position can be called action. I don't think it's much wonder how they get to be so big.
The drive north was absolutely beautiful. What started out as a foggy, 59 degree day, turned into a sunny 85+ degree day. We're both a little worried that we may run into the same conditions tomorrow, as the weather forecast hadn't prepared us for that. We both always travel with sleeves though, so we should be OK.
Race check-in went well. No hiccups. We got to talk to the Blue reps from the northern California area, and chatted briefly with Craig Alexander...kind of nice that he recognizes us without us having to remind him of who we are. He told us he'd cheer us on tomorrow, but we suspect his race will be well over before we make it into T1....
The problems didn't start until we started putting the bikes together and Brian realized that his derailer didn't line up the way it should. We took the bike over to the Blue rep and he sent us over to the mechanic on site hoping he could work some magic. His first assessment was that the hanger was bent, and while he could try to straighten it, he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't snap on him. He suggested, to be safe, that he try to readjust the derailer so that Brian could at least get his bike to shift into some of the gears. Unfortunately, once he started working on the Blue, he surmised that the derailer was bent and otherwise defunked. Barring some miracle, this meant that Brian would not be able to ride.
It's not over until the fat lady sings, or so they say, and Brian headed straight to the Race Registration Director, Amy, and she referred us to the local bike shop (which happens to be right across from our hotel). She even called them and told them we were on our way. Good karma...
By this point is was 4:45 and we knew that timing would be tight. While Brian packed the bikes into the car, Heather ran with their Bike to Run stuff (shoes and visors) and set them up in T2.
A little side track, but I should explain the race setup. Vineman is like no other race we have done to date. Swim start, T1 and T2 are all in different locations, and instead of leaving your bikes behind the day before, you leave only your shoes. You bring the bikes with you on race day morning, set up T1 and then get shuttled to the swim start - this could make for a long morning if the weather is cool.
Once we got all packed, we left (high-tailed it!) for the bike shop. They had been expecting us and impressively attended to Brian's bike right away. They concurred with the original assessment, and immediately got to work, exchanging his defunked derailer with a brand new one. They were able to successfully straighten Brian's hanger, and with a little oil and small adjustments, his Blue was looking good and ready for tomorrow. A Big Thank You to the boys at Norcal for their awesome work!
Now, we're checked into the hotel and are looking forward to cleaning up and headed out for our pre-race meal. With his Blue being all fixed up, Brian's tummy has settled and sickness has turned into hunger pains.
For those who wish to follow along tomorrow, Brian's number is 338 and his wave goes off at 6:54 AM. Heather's number is 1183, and will be in the water 40 minutes later at 7:34 AM.
We head back to San Fran after our race and have been told that our hotel has Internet so we hope to get a post-race blog in before we head home.
cheers,
Heather & Brian
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report
Lake Stevens 70.3 was to be our 7th 70.3 since we started the Tri The World tour.
We both certainly took advantage of the 3 weeks off to rest our bodies and mentally prepare ourselves for the rest of the journey.
We filled our time with media engagements, visits to see Paul Phillips at Westboro Massage and Duane Smith over at Westboro Chiro (thanks boys!!), a bit of training but mostly our regular jobs!
We flew out on Thursday evening after a ride to the Airport kindly provided again by the PackedApps Team Van. We were scheduled to fly Ottawa-Chicago-Seattle. As what seems to be a pattern, we were held up in Chicago for several hours, leaving us to find our hotel in downtown Seattle by 2am (5am Ottawa time)!!! Yet again, we find ourselves arriving to our destination with no meal to be ad before we retired for the night.
With the next day being July 4th, Independence Day, we had a scheduled day off. We enjoyed Seattle after a late sleep in. We saw the Pikes Market and the aquarium, along with the fireworks ending the day.
In the AM, we packed up and headed 45 min north towards Lake Stevens. The host hotel and registration was in Everett, WA. We went immediately to registration where we happened upon Sister Madonna Buder….simply amazing. With yet another pre-race meeting complete, we headed to Denny’s for the first meal of the day! We then drove on another 20 min to the race site in Lake Stevens.
We then parked and started the process of building the bikes. We have done this in parking lots, fields, hotel rooms and now, on the side of the road. As we have mentioned, we have seen no other BLUE bikes and only one other set of Spinergy wheels, so we seem to draw quite a bit of attention when ever we build them….yet another great op to spread the TTW message! As we were doing this, we bumped into some friends of ours and chatted for a bit, solidifying plans for our pre-race meal.
We were all checked in and bikes set on the racks, we head off to drive the course. We have always liked to do that when possible to know what the day ahead brings.
We had a great meal with our friends and chatted about the day ahead.
We rose early and headed back to Lake Stevens. With the cloud cover looming, we thought we may see rain! The lake was calm, so THAT was a great sign for both of us, and the rain held out all day!
The Swim:
With what we would now consider nice and warm water, Brian headed off on the swim first with Heather following 15 minutes later. There was a line in the water just like in Placid, so no doubt, sighting was MUCH easier than usual. The body contact was intense with defensive measures necessary! We both swam well and both pleased with our times.
We headed off on a ride course that many had touted as a tough bike course with big hills. We assume they had not expected US to be there with the 70.3 experience we have had this year…hahaha! We both felt that this course was very similar to a lap of Placid so used the down hills as momentum for the ups. We BOTH wanted a turnaround from our experience in the UK. Mission accomplished as we were both happy with the rides. They were incident free and within our anticipated times.
The run course was a two lap course with an out and back section built into it. We hopped to see each on the run as usual and it was just over the mile mark when we hooked up. This is by far, our FAVE part of the race. Heather and I chat for our usual mid-race debrief and share some smiles and stories. She headed off to complete yet another stellar run. I followed a tad bit later being pleased with my run for sure as I felt like it was well managed. By managed, I mean well executed and we were able to chat with others about our quest.
We were both happy with race number 7. It went as planned and I believe gave both of us the mental strength to conquer the upcoming stretch.
We leave this weekend back to the west coast to Sonoma County California. We then return first thing Monday and back on the plane Friday to Newfoundland, our only Canadian stop. The following week we head back to Europe for two races….so yes, that means FOUR 70.3`s in FOUR weekends….!
Wish us luck!
We both certainly took advantage of the 3 weeks off to rest our bodies and mentally prepare ourselves for the rest of the journey.
We filled our time with media engagements, visits to see Paul Phillips at Westboro Massage and Duane Smith over at Westboro Chiro (thanks boys!!), a bit of training but mostly our regular jobs!
We flew out on Thursday evening after a ride to the Airport kindly provided again by the PackedApps Team Van. We were scheduled to fly Ottawa-Chicago-Seattle. As what seems to be a pattern, we were held up in Chicago for several hours, leaving us to find our hotel in downtown Seattle by 2am (5am Ottawa time)!!! Yet again, we find ourselves arriving to our destination with no meal to be ad before we retired for the night.
With the next day being July 4th, Independence Day, we had a scheduled day off. We enjoyed Seattle after a late sleep in. We saw the Pikes Market and the aquarium, along with the fireworks ending the day.
In the AM, we packed up and headed 45 min north towards Lake Stevens. The host hotel and registration was in Everett, WA. We went immediately to registration where we happened upon Sister Madonna Buder….simply amazing. With yet another pre-race meeting complete, we headed to Denny’s for the first meal of the day! We then drove on another 20 min to the race site in Lake Stevens.
We then parked and started the process of building the bikes. We have done this in parking lots, fields, hotel rooms and now, on the side of the road. As we have mentioned, we have seen no other BLUE bikes and only one other set of Spinergy wheels, so we seem to draw quite a bit of attention when ever we build them….yet another great op to spread the TTW message! As we were doing this, we bumped into some friends of ours and chatted for a bit, solidifying plans for our pre-race meal.
We were all checked in and bikes set on the racks, we head off to drive the course. We have always liked to do that when possible to know what the day ahead brings.
We had a great meal with our friends and chatted about the day ahead.
We rose early and headed back to Lake Stevens. With the cloud cover looming, we thought we may see rain! The lake was calm, so THAT was a great sign for both of us, and the rain held out all day!
The Swim:
With what we would now consider nice and warm water, Brian headed off on the swim first with Heather following 15 minutes later. There was a line in the water just like in Placid, so no doubt, sighting was MUCH easier than usual. The body contact was intense with defensive measures necessary! We both swam well and both pleased with our times.
We headed off on a ride course that many had touted as a tough bike course with big hills. We assume they had not expected US to be there with the 70.3 experience we have had this year…hahaha! We both felt that this course was very similar to a lap of Placid so used the down hills as momentum for the ups. We BOTH wanted a turnaround from our experience in the UK. Mission accomplished as we were both happy with the rides. They were incident free and within our anticipated times.
The run course was a two lap course with an out and back section built into it. We hopped to see each on the run as usual and it was just over the mile mark when we hooked up. This is by far, our FAVE part of the race. Heather and I chat for our usual mid-race debrief and share some smiles and stories. She headed off to complete yet another stellar run. I followed a tad bit later being pleased with my run for sure as I felt like it was well managed. By managed, I mean well executed and we were able to chat with others about our quest.
We were both happy with race number 7. It went as planned and I believe gave both of us the mental strength to conquer the upcoming stretch.
We leave this weekend back to the west coast to Sonoma County California. We then return first thing Monday and back on the plane Friday to Newfoundland, our only Canadian stop. The following week we head back to Europe for two races….so yes, that means FOUR 70.3`s in FOUR weekends….!
Wish us luck!
Pics from Lake Stevens 70.3/Seattle
Heather and a local down at the Pikes Market
....the waterfront of Seattle.
...THE orriginal 'buckies!!!!
Hmmmm....add these to your next Chilli!!!
....the waterfront of Seattle.
...THE orriginal 'buckies!!!!
Hmmmm....add these to your next Chilli!!!
Pics from Lake Stevens 70.3
Transition emptying out...another day done!
....well, they certainly had the right flag out!
..one of the tightest transitions we have seen!
...the lake was calm....but those clouds!!!
...parked on the street, ready to build the bikes!
....well, they certainly had the right flag out!
..one of the tightest transitions we have seen!
...the lake was calm....but those clouds!!!
...parked on the street, ready to build the bikes!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
7 down, 9 to go!!!
We are back in our hotel room, showered and are enjoying a celebratory Stella. With another successful race in the books, we are both very happy with our results.
We had originally thought that Lake Stevens would be another mass start, but found out yesterday that we had been assigned waves. Brian's wave went out at 6h41 and Heather's followed 15 minutes behind at 6h56. The water was a pleasant 72 degrees which meant wet suits were legal, but we didn't have to freeze - 2 very big pluses. The course, much like Lake Placid had a rope that ran under the buoys, and we both managed to hug the line the whole way. With no sighting issues, we managed to pull off a couple of stellar swims (by our measures), and exited the water feeling calm and refreshed.
The bike course was two loops with an added 6k "to and from" from transition. Similar to Lake Placid, it was filled with rolling hills, and boasted a couple of good climbs, but nothing that had compared to our previous races. The riding surface wasn't the greatest, but it helped to make you more appreciative of the newly paved sections where you could get a better roll. We were both happy with our rides, Brian a little extra happy as he managed to hold Heather off for the whole ride...
As we've managed to do in most of our races, we met up with each other on the run and got to spend just under a mile with each other, as we chatted about our individual days. With Brian having to take a pit stop, we parted ways at around the 2 mile mark, knowing we'd have a couple of more opportunities to see each other before the finish. The run was a 2 loop figure 8 with a scrunched up bottom - meaning the bottom of the loop was really an out and back. There were a couple of good hills which helped to break up the run, giving your legs a chance to use different muscles. We both saw Sister Madonna Buder on the course, and it's quite something to come upon her and look down on her leg and see 78 - her age. Very inspirational!
The only disappointment (and not really a disappointment, more of a point of notice) with this race was the aid stations. They offered water and Gatorade at all, oranges and powerbars at some. That was it. Note that there wasn't any coke, and when we asked for it, they look at us like we were crazy. We don't think it ended up being a factor, but when you spend the last half of your ride thinking about that nice, warm, flat cup of coke, it's a bit of a downer to realize there isn't any being offered!
To sum it up, it was a great day. Pizza and chips at the finish made up for the absence of the coke, Starbucks on the drive made it just a little better, and well, Stella in the room....what coke?
Now, it's time to relax a little before we start to think about where we'll grab a bite to eat.
cheers,
Heather & Brian
We had originally thought that Lake Stevens would be another mass start, but found out yesterday that we had been assigned waves. Brian's wave went out at 6h41 and Heather's followed 15 minutes behind at 6h56. The water was a pleasant 72 degrees which meant wet suits were legal, but we didn't have to freeze - 2 very big pluses. The course, much like Lake Placid had a rope that ran under the buoys, and we both managed to hug the line the whole way. With no sighting issues, we managed to pull off a couple of stellar swims (by our measures), and exited the water feeling calm and refreshed.
The bike course was two loops with an added 6k "to and from" from transition. Similar to Lake Placid, it was filled with rolling hills, and boasted a couple of good climbs, but nothing that had compared to our previous races. The riding surface wasn't the greatest, but it helped to make you more appreciative of the newly paved sections where you could get a better roll. We were both happy with our rides, Brian a little extra happy as he managed to hold Heather off for the whole ride...
As we've managed to do in most of our races, we met up with each other on the run and got to spend just under a mile with each other, as we chatted about our individual days. With Brian having to take a pit stop, we parted ways at around the 2 mile mark, knowing we'd have a couple of more opportunities to see each other before the finish. The run was a 2 loop figure 8 with a scrunched up bottom - meaning the bottom of the loop was really an out and back. There were a couple of good hills which helped to break up the run, giving your legs a chance to use different muscles. We both saw Sister Madonna Buder on the course, and it's quite something to come upon her and look down on her leg and see 78 - her age. Very inspirational!
The only disappointment (and not really a disappointment, more of a point of notice) with this race was the aid stations. They offered water and Gatorade at all, oranges and powerbars at some. That was it. Note that there wasn't any coke, and when we asked for it, they look at us like we were crazy. We don't think it ended up being a factor, but when you spend the last half of your ride thinking about that nice, warm, flat cup of coke, it's a bit of a downer to realize there isn't any being offered!
To sum it up, it was a great day. Pizza and chips at the finish made up for the absence of the coke, Starbucks on the drive made it just a little better, and well, Stella in the room....what coke?
Now, it's time to relax a little before we start to think about where we'll grab a bite to eat.
cheers,
Heather & Brian
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Ready.....set....
With two bellies full of pasta, we are just set to call it a night.
We left Seattle at noon and got to the Holiday in Everett in less than an hour. The place was crawlin with tri-geeks as this was the host hotel for the race.
The mandatory meeting was LONG and could not have been done soon enough. We got our race kits after the meeting and headed over to the only restaurant in sight.....Denny's!
We had not eaten yet today other than a latte so we were both hungry.
We then hopped in the rental and drove to the race site which was only about 20 min away. We unpacked the bikes from our road side parking space and did a short but good ride. We hen got to transition and claimed our spots on the racks and went on to drive the bike course. It seems to be a challenging enough course, but luckily nothing like some of the really tough ones we have seen this year. Its technical and hilly, but if ridden smart, it should be ok.
There has been some wind over the past day or so, so the swim maybe a long part of the day!
Once we got back to the hotel, we bumped into Jeff, Heather and Nathan, cyber friends of ours through runningmania.com and grabbed a enjoyable pre-race meal.
Off to neverland for a few hours before the 4am wake up call.
See y'all after the race!
Brian & Heather
PS: We got to see Sister Madona Buder at the race sign up....one unbelievable athlete...Google her!!!!
We left Seattle at noon and got to the Holiday in Everett in less than an hour. The place was crawlin with tri-geeks as this was the host hotel for the race.
The mandatory meeting was LONG and could not have been done soon enough. We got our race kits after the meeting and headed over to the only restaurant in sight.....Denny's!
We had not eaten yet today other than a latte so we were both hungry.
We then hopped in the rental and drove to the race site which was only about 20 min away. We unpacked the bikes from our road side parking space and did a short but good ride. We hen got to transition and claimed our spots on the racks and went on to drive the bike course. It seems to be a challenging enough course, but luckily nothing like some of the really tough ones we have seen this year. Its technical and hilly, but if ridden smart, it should be ok.
There has been some wind over the past day or so, so the swim maybe a long part of the day!
Once we got back to the hotel, we bumped into Jeff, Heather and Nathan, cyber friends of ours through runningmania.com and grabbed a enjoyable pre-race meal.
Off to neverland for a few hours before the 4am wake up call.
See y'all after the race!
Brian & Heather
PS: We got to see Sister Madona Buder at the race sign up....one unbelievable athlete...Google her!!!!
Friday, July 04, 2008
Welcome to Seattle!
After another long day of travel, we arrived safe and sound with our bikes in Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks!
Yesterday was hectic as we had an early morning interview with A-Channel's Kurt Stoodley. Kurt has been actively interested in our venture, and it was nice to meet with him and talk about how things have been going since our first interview back in February.
We went straight from the studio to work, worked a full day then headed to the airport for our 17h00 flight. Our scheduled 3 hour lay-over in Chicago turned into a 4.5 hour lay-over due to crew delays, and we did not reach the comforts of our hotel room until 1h30 Friday, or 4h30 our time. We must have been spoiled by our intercontinental flights because we were not prepared for the limited service offered by UA on a 4 hour flight. We received 1 drink, and both of us had yet to eat since lunch! Needless to say, we went to bed a tad hungry. In the future we'll have to be sure that we pack nutrition bars into our carry-on luggage.
It's July 4th, and we do not head up to Everett (the host town of the Lake Stevens 70.3) until tomorrow so we have a bit of time to "vacation". We've already enjoyed a Starbuck's latte and are now looking forward to taking in some of the sights and festivities.
We'll drop a note tomorrow once we've checked in and have more details about Sunday.
Happy Independence Day!
Heather & Brian
Yesterday was hectic as we had an early morning interview with A-Channel's Kurt Stoodley. Kurt has been actively interested in our venture, and it was nice to meet with him and talk about how things have been going since our first interview back in February.
We went straight from the studio to work, worked a full day then headed to the airport for our 17h00 flight. Our scheduled 3 hour lay-over in Chicago turned into a 4.5 hour lay-over due to crew delays, and we did not reach the comforts of our hotel room until 1h30 Friday, or 4h30 our time. We must have been spoiled by our intercontinental flights because we were not prepared for the limited service offered by UA on a 4 hour flight. We received 1 drink, and both of us had yet to eat since lunch! Needless to say, we went to bed a tad hungry. In the future we'll have to be sure that we pack nutrition bars into our carry-on luggage.
It's July 4th, and we do not head up to Everett (the host town of the Lake Stevens 70.3) until tomorrow so we have a bit of time to "vacation". We've already enjoyed a Starbuck's latte and are now looking forward to taking in some of the sights and festivities.
We'll drop a note tomorrow once we've checked in and have more details about Sunday.
Happy Independence Day!
Heather & Brian
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