Brad Kearns came through once again with a well-executed, epic and grueling series of races in Auburn, CA this weekend. This is grass roots racing at its best, and if you like a challenge, this is an essential event for your race calendar. I chose to do the World’s Toughest Half, as I use it to kick start my triathlon fitness each year (this was WTH #4 for me). It is one brutal means of kick starting your fitness, as I highly recommend being in top form before even attempting the race…that is, if you want to enjoy it : ).
My preparation this year was questionable…no real brick workouts, but a successful early start to the Colorado bike racing season and 2 running races (half-marathon and 15-miler) to get me ready to take on the WTH. I hadn’t really done any tri-specific training yet this year, so was unsure of the outcome of the day going into it, but at least I knew my running fitness was a bit better than in previous years at the start line. I knew this would most certainly be my longest workout of the year, as I typically finish in around 5 ½ hours. This year I tacked on an extra 30 minutes of training, as I rode my bike to the swim start and was running a bit behind…i.e. I actually got in a moderate workout riding to the start.
The part I was dreading most was the swim, as I had only been swimming 2 days most weeks with Masters, and had not done any open water swimming or continuous swims since Hawaii in October last year. It was a relatively small and friendly women’s field and I found some feet early on that were just the perfect speed. I cruised along, working on my form most of the time and felt great. Much to my surprise, my watch said 30 minutes as I exited the water, which is quite a speedy swim for me!
Then came the bike…always my favorite! I felt great and rode hard, passing tons of people on the beautiful tree-lined roads of Auburn. I thanked each and every volunteer and police officer at the intersections, and gave words of encouragement to any of the women that I saw on the road (which they reciprocated…a very friendly crowd). I also found myself looking around and enjoying the view much of the time. This race is grass roots, not only in how it’s run, but who attends. It’s full of happy people who simply enjoy the sport. To my amazement, my legs felt great climbing out of the Bear Creek loop (a brutal climb at mile 30ish). I hammered home to T2 with a 3:07 bike split (14th fastest split among the men!) and slapped on my running shoes and headed out on the all too familiar brutal and dusty single track trail. I noticed my feet were sliding around inside of my shoes, but elected not to tighten my laces until it was a wee bit too late. By mile 3, the big, deep sole blisters were starting. At that point, I tightened my lace locks, but the blisters progressed throughout the whole race and all I could think about the rest of the time was the blister pain and I tried to land on my heels to lessen the pain with each step. Eventually, the finish line arrived and I felt fantastic! I figured I was 2nd female overall based on who I saw in front of me, but it turns out the other gal was a duathlete, so with the lack of a women’s pro field this year, I managed to take the overall win : ). A great day in a great place!
Race results: http://auburntriathlon.com/
My preparation this year was questionable…no real brick workouts, but a successful early start to the Colorado bike racing season and 2 running races (half-marathon and 15-miler) to get me ready to take on the WTH. I hadn’t really done any tri-specific training yet this year, so was unsure of the outcome of the day going into it, but at least I knew my running fitness was a bit better than in previous years at the start line. I knew this would most certainly be my longest workout of the year, as I typically finish in around 5 ½ hours. This year I tacked on an extra 30 minutes of training, as I rode my bike to the swim start and was running a bit behind…i.e. I actually got in a moderate workout riding to the start.
The part I was dreading most was the swim, as I had only been swimming 2 days most weeks with Masters, and had not done any open water swimming or continuous swims since Hawaii in October last year. It was a relatively small and friendly women’s field and I found some feet early on that were just the perfect speed. I cruised along, working on my form most of the time and felt great. Much to my surprise, my watch said 30 minutes as I exited the water, which is quite a speedy swim for me!
Then came the bike…always my favorite! I felt great and rode hard, passing tons of people on the beautiful tree-lined roads of Auburn. I thanked each and every volunteer and police officer at the intersections, and gave words of encouragement to any of the women that I saw on the road (which they reciprocated…a very friendly crowd). I also found myself looking around and enjoying the view much of the time. This race is grass roots, not only in how it’s run, but who attends. It’s full of happy people who simply enjoy the sport. To my amazement, my legs felt great climbing out of the Bear Creek loop (a brutal climb at mile 30ish). I hammered home to T2 with a 3:07 bike split (14th fastest split among the men!) and slapped on my running shoes and headed out on the all too familiar brutal and dusty single track trail. I noticed my feet were sliding around inside of my shoes, but elected not to tighten my laces until it was a wee bit too late. By mile 3, the big, deep sole blisters were starting. At that point, I tightened my lace locks, but the blisters progressed throughout the whole race and all I could think about the rest of the time was the blister pain and I tried to land on my heels to lessen the pain with each step. Eventually, the finish line arrived and I felt fantastic! I figured I was 2nd female overall based on who I saw in front of me, but it turns out the other gal was a duathlete, so with the lack of a women’s pro field this year, I managed to take the overall win : ). A great day in a great place!
Race results: http://auburntriathlon.com/
