First "race" 2014!

Last weekend the Mike and I went to the Triple D snow bike/run event in eastern Iowa. Folks came from afar to enter this fantastic event. It was my third year, and worst physical conditioning,  to enter the I didn't want to wear a short sleeve race shirt as I figured thalf marathon division which takes place entirely on a former railroad bed. The Mike entered the 62 mile snow bike which is held on snowmobile and the railroad bed. There is also a half marathon ski, full marathon run & ski and then the ultra marathon and ski/sled.

Saturday on the drive we encountered the fabulous drifting snow. It was the first year I would actually experience snow on the route. Four or so inches of fresh powder fell on Saturday.  (Last year we had some icy trails and the year before was almost dry as a bone trail run). The Mike registered for this a few months ago and went ahead and registered me as well...Normally I'd have been excited but my energy levels have plummeted this past year so I wasn't as excited as I could have been.

Saturday evening was packet pick up,  chatted with other cyclists and runners, had dinner with some and went to our rooms at 9pm....we all were reminded as to how exhausting driving in wicked weather can be.

Sunday morning was the race meeting for runners and then we loaded the shuttle busses to our respective start lines. There is no support along the eay. It is an all self sufficient race. The weather Saturday was cold, windy, snowy and the weather Sunday was suppose to be in the low 30s for a heat wave, though quite a breeze was blowing at the hotel making us all worry about what we wore. 

Gear: I had on Nike fuzzy winter tights with Nike winter pants over them, my Mizuno breathe thermal shirt and, looking quite quirky, my moving comfort shirt sleeve v neck shirt over..then my cold weather jacket. I didn't want to wear a short sleeve race shirt over as I figured the cold breeze would get between the layers and get me cold.  yaktrack and short gaiters. 

We all prepped our watches and at 10:05 we were off. Most took off quite faster than myself and i was fine with that. After about .7 mile into it, my left food landed wrong on the snow and I started a walk break....off and on run for the next 3 miles there in I was NOT happy with being out there! Then the snow got either more packed or run down with snowmobiles that I was doing better running. 

I still treated this as a fun run excursion rather than a race. I was enjoying the beautiful scenery. By mile 7 my knees were not happy in addition to my left ankle. I picked up some litter amd ran woth it for a few miles to where i knew there was a trashcan. I encountered snowmobilers who slowed down for me and some who were hanging out at an intersection. By mile 10 my feet were wet and sliding around in the shoes slightly, but still warm. Mile 11 it was warming up and the snow was sticking....getting built up into a "rock at my arch, caught under the gaiter strap where it was with my yaktrack. I'd also been passed by two marathon runners,  but I could see a guy in all black that was walking and whom I was getting closer. 

Mile 12.5 I caught up to the guy. He was doing his first ever 13.1! He said last year he did a 5k, 8k, and 100 so he decided to do a half....we chatted, walked, ran, and pretty much enjoyed seeing the last former rail bridge as we came into Durango. I was happy to be at the finishline/bar. First things first of sugar replacement.  I ordered a tequila sunrise so I could have sugar and a little bit of alcohol. I haven't had a soda since December so I didn't want to pick  Jack/coke. Then I ordered  the burger and chips.....All covered under the alloted money (from race entries)  the race director put at the various finish lines for refinish food! 

The salad with avocado picture is the dinner I had at the hotel restaurant after The Mike finished  his 62 miles of snow bike. The salad was HUGE compared to what I was expecting: lettuce, bacon, egg, blue cheese, tomatoes,  and avocado. The Mike had a bowl of cheesy soup and a huge sandwich (and I was jealous  that he was eating bread)

Prizes and awards were given at 10pm. No awards for us, but I won a door prize!  I selected/picked an insulated water bottle cage container for a the Mike.    Someone present at the race has started making these and he gave a couple away.

Monday we were awake at 5:30 am, went for breakfast at the hotel and returned to the room to nap until 9:30. Hahaha.  We decided to head over to Galena Illinois as it wasn't too far away, about 30 minutes. The first stop was at the visitors' center and then we headed to Viney Vanucci's for Italian.  The Find Me Gluten Free ap reviews were mixed and I was ready for a surprise.  There were several choices on the GF menu and I chose the chicken artichoke pasta. Mike chose the glutinous gnocchi in , what he said, was an amazing sauce. As we left, I saw a small note on a pillar with photos that said Galena was used as the setting of the Minnesota town in Field of Dreams.  I'd never heard that before, but could believe it. 

The last two photos are of main street and near main street of the town. We did some browsing,  some shopping (an amazing popcorn store with hundreds of real sugar soda!), a yarn store, and inquired of Bernina machines at the quilting store. 

We decided to head home and skins a a few flurries in the air...As we headed on down the road home the flurries continued to build and we were thankful to be home by 4:30 in the daylight. The roads were quite slippery. 

Tuesday the body wasn't happy, but up u got for yoga and the body was glad for it afterwards.  

No insanity!

Time for TRIPLE D winter race!  We arrived in Dubuque Saturday evening. I was not sure of the conditions, but had gotten a report from a high school classmate in the area and the fields were pretty blown free of snow. Thus, I figured that the trail wouldn't be too bad, maybe in some spots, but overall not too snowy.

We went to the prerace meeting, picked up our race numbers and received pre-race medals (okay, they were the race medals, but we got them when we picked up our packets!). Mine had runners on it, my husband's had bicycles.  


Dedicated this race to mom, who was in the hospital and has a race of her own this past year.

We went out to eat at a great restaurant just down the street from our hotel. Fabulous food. I had called ahead and inquired about gluten free dining. When we got there, I requested a GF menu and when our waitress came to the table with bread, she told me "this isn't for you" because a) she knew I was gluten free and b) she KNEW what that meant! Exciting for sure! Mike had the  Tequila Mockingbird pizza and I had Tuscany Chicken with oven fried potatoes. YUM.

Race morning came as it always will. This was a race I entered to do with my hubby, though he was doing the 65 mile bike portion. Temps in the low 30s, but would they stay there, very little wind, but would it stay that way? I put my new Melanzana pants to the test as a base bottom layer with other pants on outside, Mizuno breath long shirt on with Melanzana hoodie. Race number, check, camel back with water, check, ifitness pack with Cytomax and a few GUs, check.

I had an omelet at the hotel restaurant, suggest passing on that next time, it just wasn't that great for the money. Drove over to the race hotel, short 5 minute drive, and waited for the news. We'd be bussed out at 9:45, ultra and marathoners would leave about earlier. About 40 of us total for the half-marathon. As people get on the bus I look at their state of dress, etc. . . some have yaktraks on like I do, others don't, many have just a single handheld bottle of hydration. I overhear several comments of "there will be water along the way, right?" uh, no, this is a self-supported race! Lots of "I've never done this before", etc.

The nature trail course as the people who were self-depricating on the bus take off quite fast. . . my conclusion, those who aren't fast like me would never fathom to enter a race like this!

DON'T do this: 

self-dep·re·cat·ing (slfdpr-ktng)

adj. Tending to undervalue oneself and one's abilities.

We should ALL be happy with where we are and where we see ourselves going. The journey to the finish is as important as the finish, maybe more so. It's where we often find our strength.

We get to the trail, in country, a few miles west of Graf and there's no race official, so we just start. 10:26:29 my watch says. And off we go. . .1 cross country skier, 1 racer with his gorgeous husky dog and lots of other people who just take off much faster than me. I'm fine with that. This is TRAINING for me, not a race. . . .and because of that, I am able to take photos along the way of the beautiful scenery, the bald eagle in a tree next to its nest, spy the innards on the trail from some other bird's snack, the nativity scene in a limestone hole (when I was thinking of my mom who was in the hospital) and the "snow birds" nest.

This was an accident photo, but it looks neat, I think.

Giant bald eagle in the tree.  The nest was quite large and in the tree next to it. There was another bald eagle. . .or at least a very giant  bird I could see from quite a ways off... on the horizon on other side of the trail

Snow birds' nest, har har har.

The nativity scene I spied.  At least one other person made the trek over to view it.  Very nice with how the sun was hitting on it. My mom was in the hospital and I wasn't able to go see her. Interesting I spied this at the same time I was thinking of her. 

Race organizer's wife who was out on the course. 

After all the scenery, the change of clothes (take off the hoodie, put on a short sleeve over Mizuno shirt. . . change race number to pants, stretching when legs started getting heavy, etc., talking to an old man on the trail who wanted to know what was going on. . . . my finish time was my worst ever for a half. . . 3:09, BUT, I've never run this far on snow before,  and I decided to enjoy the day, the race, the trail, the scenery and it wasn't  a race for me, it was just a training event :-)  I may not have run 18 miles, but it sure felt like I did!

The race ended at a bar. . .yup a bar, where you could order anything you want on the tab of the race (entry fees hard at work!!). I got a pepsi (bar food = gluten), talked to a few people who were in the race and then got a ride back with one of the volunteers to the host hotel.  First order, get a little energy in me (some pecan crackers and a chocolate milk); second, get cleaned up, lastly, get more food! I went BACK to CRUST (I said it was really good), arranged to meet a long lost friend there, got some relaxation in while I enjoyed a soda, read part of a book and, when friend D arrived, enjoyed great company over a GF pizza for me and a salad and sandwich for her. 

After chatting for over an hour, THE MIKE called. He was done with the race, a few hours ahead of what he was thinking (YEAH!) and I headed over to the host hotel with D for a meet up and greet.  We chatted more while the cyclists were finishing. One of her daughters has done a TRI and wants to do more!!! Then the awards were ready to begin and I had to say 'farewell' but not 'goodbye' to D! We agree to see each other more than every ten years, HA!  THE MIKE didn't win anything in the raffle, but I won a Balaclava! (though I always wish I had baklava when I say that)!

A little stiff and sore on Monday, felt like I had run through tires for an hour.  Worked half a day on MLK day, then off to Zumba in the evening, my third time, and I dragged a friend with me this time. She said she had fun. I thought I'd be sore aftewards but today, Tuesday, I had no stiffness. Zumba was just what I needed to get the muscles moving again!


[edited to add another photo]