I would like to break down the story of the canoe a little bit. I would love to say that it was smooth sailing and we traveled in a straight line, sang row, row, row your boat in various languages (and in rounds)…but that is what an experienced crew would write about…and well…we are the newbie crew...
Out of 48 teams, we are the second last to launch. We finally get our canoes in the water and you can barely see the other canoes in the horizon, all 46 crews are already starting to look like tiny tiny tiny little dots. As I jump into the canoe in the front, Lisa pushes our canoe gently into the water as so not to tip us and our bikes (especially in front of the cameras and media…I'm sure that’s what they were waiting to capture from us). A "fan" yells out, "hey what's your name" we say "Green Governor Beasts", she yells what our your first names, I say "Kristen" and Lisa says "Lisa", she says "ok I am cheering for you girls" which I must admit at the time of watching the whole rest of the field float away to victory made us feel a little bit better.
Side Note: There is supposed to be a current, there is no current (Frank where is this current you emailed us about?), and the wind is blowing in our faces, at some points it feels like we are going backwards which brings the morale back down.
Once on the water we start off paddling, I think we were both thinking lets just row hard and keep that other team who entered the water last way back there, we cant finishing this canoe Last, we just cant! . We start to row for about 5 minutes, and I say "Hey Lisa tell me about what it was like in the school bus coming back from the YMCA", she huffs "K, I need to get into the rhythm" I'm sure she was thinking K this isn't social hour, and was giving me the lip snarl, even though I could not see it. Ok, I should have waited a lot longer until I started trying to make boat conversation. We row in silence.
I continued to row in silence, I was really focusing on my powerful long strokes, I was rowing on the left side of the canoe, because I am left handed and Lisa is right handed. After about 10 minutes of silent concentrated rowing, the last place team comes up next to us. Team Rush. They say "hey where are you guys from?" "Cleveland" we say, then they "BOOO" they are obviously from Pittsburgh. They ask us some other questions and as we put our attention towards the conversation our boat starts to go towards the right, and we really start to zig zag. I being the more blunt member of the team yell out "HEY WE CANT TALK TO YOU" "YOU ARE MESSING US UP" "THIS IS A RACE" and put my head down and continue to paddle, they just laugh as they effortlessly pass us….and now we are in last…urhhhh!
We then approach another male team that we pass, and now we are the team with all the smiles! I climb on board and run on land for about 5 meters to get check point number 1! Yes we are feeling good! And we pass Team Rush again!
We are now in front of two teams, and we can see another co-ed team about 3 boat lengths up. We see them turn completely horizontal. I laugh to Lisa "they must be hating life" while also thinking man we have this down, how can they be so bad at steering…...we get to the same exact spot about 20 seconds later and also turn horizontal…….errgggg!!! I jump out, with my socks and shoes and push us in the right direction, there are some shallow parts and Lisa is doing a lot of steering. I try to help by paddling on the right side and she yells! "NO K I need you to row on this side" I yell "I can't see you so I don’t know what THIS side is" oh why was I so sassy. She doesn’t respond. So I got back to my side. We row in silence for a little bit again.
We come around checkpoint 2 and with teamwork we are able to spot it and paddle right up to it. We are more then half way done with the canoe and things are looking up! We are even giggling a little bit and Lisa giggling yells "Stroke Stroke Stroke"! Then I notice that there is a little water in the bottom of the boat from me jumping in and out and that’s where I had the maps, so I now have them pinched between my legs, but sometimes they slip down and down, so I have to let go of the paddle to re-adjust! Lisa yells "K you do have the maps tightly between your legs, right?!" I respond "Yes Lisa" although I am freaking a little, I know how she gets about the maps and I can see a few drops on them, I just hope she doesn’t see that when we get on shore, luckily it starts to drizzle when we get on shore, I think to myself she will never know :) (half just kidding)
We ended up doing really great docking our boat and jump out of the canoes, we are ready to hop on the bikes! We did the 6 mile canoe (with no current) in 1 hour and 38 minutes! Our goal was 2 hours!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Race Partner Birthday!
Happy
25th
Birthday
Lisa!!
(tomorrow - July 24th)
Thanks for being such a great racing partner! You are always pushing us to be stronger and faster! and I love that about you
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The WAR - Race Day
Kristen and I arrived at the Kinzua Dam Visitors Center Parking Lot right on time at 635am. The weather was overcast, maybe a little threatening looking, but wasn't too cold. Our long spandex and high socks were a great decision. We checked in with Bethann, got a couple canoe maps, 3 clue sheets and instructions to pick up some PFD's and paddles. After examining the clue sheets, K and I knew for sure the bikes were going in the canoe. Luckily, we were mentally prepared for this so it wasn't a huge shock. We do believe that a majority of the others racers did not see this coming, regardless, they were still quicker then we were with the bike to canoe transition... but at least our bike soccer socks were cooler..??
At 715am, I left for the Warren YMCA parking lot. I was to park my car there, take the school bus back and meet Kristen at 815am at the pre-race meeting. Before I left, we made sure the bikes and hydration packs were ready to go. The school bus shuttle was right on time and I met up with K just in time to catch most of the pre-race instructions from Frank. He went over all three clue sheets, general rules and what we should do in case of an emergency. We felt confident standing there. We had the correct gear, K was taking great notes and there were some teams that look ill-prepared. Combine all those factors and the pre-race jitters were melting away.
At 830am exactly (we were very impressed with the punctuality) the race started. We ran down a steep decline with our PFD's on, jersey's over top and paddles in hand. We got to the river and made an executive decision to use a canoe at the top of a short hill because it wasn't crowded next to the other canoes jumbled at the bottom of the hill. Maybe not the best decision. We got the bikes in and bungeed down and then lifted. Ugh! The canoe didn't move. OK, time to take a bike out. Kristen ran hers down to the river, then ran back up, and we lifted again. Not as heavy, but still awkward to carry. We finally made it down, launched and we were the second last canoe in the river...we could only move up, right?
I was in charge of steering and I know I didn't induce confidence from Kristen when I asked her where the rudder was on the canoe, but despite that one comment, the canoe paddling didn't go so bad. We quickly found a comfortable rhythm and we're cruising down the river. We found both CP's with ease, Kristen maneuvered us through some shallow patches (thanks for being the one to get your feet wet! you're a great partner), and we even passed two teams! I was ready for the canoe to be over after the 6 miles because although we were passing teams, it felt like we were going in slow motion. I was just imaging other teams biking already...
Our goal was to paddle 6 miles in under 2 hours and we did it in 1 hour and 40 mins. Wohoo for beating our goal! With the canoe ashore, we got our bike maps and headed out. There were only 2 other teams around us and we lost them quickly... then we got lost and couldn't find where the trail started. It took about 15 mins and a little guidance from another lost team to get us where we needed to go.
The bike was tedious. A lot of steep hills, vague trail markings, crucial compass skills, and chains falling off. The good thing was we caught up with a bunch of teams that had made some wrong navigational decisions, which was easy to do on this course. Seeing other teams around really gave us a boost in spirit. We were still in it! The bike odometer really helped us, along with moral support fromTeam Rush (Gary and Tony) and the all of our training on the hills of Bedford. We didn't have much of a chance to show off our new technical biking prowess, but there's always the next race. We finished the 21+ mile bike course in 3 hours and 21 minutes. Not so bad when we anticipated it taking us 4 hours.
The run, oh the run... where to start. Well, we started off strong and finished strong. We refueled at TA (PB sandwich) and threw off our bike gear, happily. We found the first CP with ease and once we got into a great running rhythm, we had big smiles. CP2 was tough to find, we once again met up with lost Tony & Gary and a couple other teams, but even with all the brain power, it still took us forever to find it. It was during the search for CP2 that we had our fresh orange treat and that really lifted the spirits. The rest of the run was tough, a lot of walking/running and just walking, a lot of wandering until finding the check point, but we kept going. Although it may have stopped being fun when we were searching for CP3, we didn't quit. CP4 and CP5 were fairly easy to find and from CP5 to CP5, the shortest route back was due North. We were ready to use the compass. Kristen kept that compass pointed North and we bushwhacked our way to freedom (or where we had dropped the bikes but freedom sounds better), while eating PB M&M's and dodging spider webs. I believe it was one of the high points of the race.
Upon emerging from the deep woods, we ran to our bikes and found out we weren't the last team out!! The run took us 3 hours and 6 minutes. There was at least one other team behind us, so we needed to book it on the bikes. The final bike leg could have been anywhere from 6 miles to 8 miles long - we couldn't tell, well, I forgot to set the odometer... Luckily it was mainly downhill and pretty easy navigation. We passed one team on the final bike and we were passed by another team. 45 minutes later we rode into the finish to fellow racers clapping and cheering. It was one of our proudest moments!! Our overall goal was to finish in 9 hours and we crossed the finish line in 8 hours and 55 minutes! Bethann and Frank seemed very happy that they wouldn't have to search for us in the woods, but they were also happy for us because we didn't quit and we didn't come in dead last! All the frustration and fatigue from the race melted away and all that was left was a strong feeling of personal accomplishment. We placed second in the all female team division and we couldn't wait to tell our biggest supporters...our families and friends :)
At 715am, I left for the Warren YMCA parking lot. I was to park my car there, take the school bus back and meet Kristen at 815am at the pre-race meeting. Before I left, we made sure the bikes and hydration packs were ready to go. The school bus shuttle was right on time and I met up with K just in time to catch most of the pre-race instructions from Frank. He went over all three clue sheets, general rules and what we should do in case of an emergency. We felt confident standing there. We had the correct gear, K was taking great notes and there were some teams that look ill-prepared. Combine all those factors and the pre-race jitters were melting away.
At 830am exactly (we were very impressed with the punctuality) the race started. We ran down a steep decline with our PFD's on, jersey's over top and paddles in hand. We got to the river and made an executive decision to use a canoe at the top of a short hill because it wasn't crowded next to the other canoes jumbled at the bottom of the hill. Maybe not the best decision. We got the bikes in and bungeed down and then lifted. Ugh! The canoe didn't move. OK, time to take a bike out. Kristen ran hers down to the river, then ran back up, and we lifted again. Not as heavy, but still awkward to carry. We finally made it down, launched and we were the second last canoe in the river...we could only move up, right?
I was in charge of steering and I know I didn't induce confidence from Kristen when I asked her where the rudder was on the canoe, but despite that one comment, the canoe paddling didn't go so bad. We quickly found a comfortable rhythm and we're cruising down the river. We found both CP's with ease, Kristen maneuvered us through some shallow patches (thanks for being the one to get your feet wet! you're a great partner), and we even passed two teams! I was ready for the canoe to be over after the 6 miles because although we were passing teams, it felt like we were going in slow motion. I was just imaging other teams biking already...
Our goal was to paddle 6 miles in under 2 hours and we did it in 1 hour and 40 mins. Wohoo for beating our goal! With the canoe ashore, we got our bike maps and headed out. There were only 2 other teams around us and we lost them quickly... then we got lost and couldn't find where the trail started. It took about 15 mins and a little guidance from another lost team to get us where we needed to go.
The bike was tedious. A lot of steep hills, vague trail markings, crucial compass skills, and chains falling off. The good thing was we caught up with a bunch of teams that had made some wrong navigational decisions, which was easy to do on this course. Seeing other teams around really gave us a boost in spirit. We were still in it! The bike odometer really helped us, along with moral support fromTeam Rush (Gary and Tony) and the all of our training on the hills of Bedford. We didn't have much of a chance to show off our new technical biking prowess, but there's always the next race. We finished the 21+ mile bike course in 3 hours and 21 minutes. Not so bad when we anticipated it taking us 4 hours.
The run, oh the run... where to start. Well, we started off strong and finished strong. We refueled at TA (PB sandwich) and threw off our bike gear, happily. We found the first CP with ease and once we got into a great running rhythm, we had big smiles. CP2 was tough to find, we once again met up with lost Tony & Gary and a couple other teams, but even with all the brain power, it still took us forever to find it. It was during the search for CP2 that we had our fresh orange treat and that really lifted the spirits. The rest of the run was tough, a lot of walking/running and just walking, a lot of wandering until finding the check point, but we kept going. Although it may have stopped being fun when we were searching for CP3, we didn't quit. CP4 and CP5 were fairly easy to find and from CP5 to CP5, the shortest route back was due North. We were ready to use the compass. Kristen kept that compass pointed North and we bushwhacked our way to freedom (or where we had dropped the bikes but freedom sounds better), while eating PB M&M's and dodging spider webs. I believe it was one of the high points of the race.
Upon emerging from the deep woods, we ran to our bikes and found out we weren't the last team out!! The run took us 3 hours and 6 minutes. There was at least one other team behind us, so we needed to book it on the bikes. The final bike leg could have been anywhere from 6 miles to 8 miles long - we couldn't tell, well, I forgot to set the odometer... Luckily it was mainly downhill and pretty easy navigation. We passed one team on the final bike and we were passed by another team. 45 minutes later we rode into the finish to fellow racers clapping and cheering. It was one of our proudest moments!! Our overall goal was to finish in 9 hours and we crossed the finish line in 8 hours and 55 minutes! Bethann and Frank seemed very happy that they wouldn't have to search for us in the woods, but they were also happy for us because we didn't quit and we didn't come in dead last! All the frustration and fatigue from the race melted away and all that was left was a strong feeling of personal accomplishment. We placed second in the all female team division and we couldn't wait to tell our biggest supporters...our families and friends :)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Newbies Once Again
Its usually the week before the race that we truly feel like Adventure Racing Newbies. We get an email about the race…and…well….we FREAK!!!!!!!!
For example this race we have in two days has so many elements that are completely new, confusing and CRAZY to us:
We are told this week to wear long socks for the race - ummm…doesn't that mean bushwhacking…I think so…ok…first time we will have ever seriously done that.
Ok next…Canoeing…We have done a few adventure races that have involved running, and biking, and maybe a little swimming, but never canoeing…hmm…I mean, are we going to flip, and when they say "navigation is key in the canoe" what do they mean?… Are we going to be able to seriously make a wrong turn in the canoe, or are we navigating between rocks and trees and possibly snapping turtles?? And the bungees, they would never have us really bungee our "stimulus 2008 check bikes" to a wobbly canoe…right??!
And then there is the biking element…the most we have ever biked in a race environment has been 12.5 miles…so 21 is kind of close to double that…YIKES it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to bike 12.5 miles (and we were the first female finishers), is it going to take us around 4 to bike 21 miles!!! As I'm writing this I'm getting a little nervous…oh who am I kidding now? I know we are going to rock it! Right??…4 hours isn't insanely long on a bike is it…(maybe I should go out and get those padded biking shorts...)?
Next newbie item…flat tires, we are required to bring all kinds of tools to change a flat tube/tire…if that happens…I don’t know if Lisa and I will make it out as friends, I feel like changing a tire after riding 18 miles and having 3 miles left to go could be quite…frustrating!!!
Lets see…then there is the required gear of 4 bungees…nothing I can really say about that...
Also first time we will not be together for the pre-race meeting…what will I do with out my map reading partner!?
We do love new adventures, so we are excited about this one! But since so much is so new to us our confidence is a bit shaky, I'm sure after we get started we'll be ok!
Cross your FINGERS for us!
For example this race we have in two days has so many elements that are completely new, confusing and CRAZY to us:
We are told this week to wear long socks for the race - ummm…doesn't that mean bushwhacking…I think so…ok…first time we will have ever seriously done that.
Ok next…Canoeing…We have done a few adventure races that have involved running, and biking, and maybe a little swimming, but never canoeing…hmm…I mean, are we going to flip, and when they say "navigation is key in the canoe" what do they mean?… Are we going to be able to seriously make a wrong turn in the canoe, or are we navigating between rocks and trees and possibly snapping turtles?? And the bungees, they would never have us really bungee our "stimulus 2008 check bikes" to a wobbly canoe…right??!
And then there is the biking element…the most we have ever biked in a race environment has been 12.5 miles…so 21 is kind of close to double that…YIKES it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to bike 12.5 miles (and we were the first female finishers), is it going to take us around 4 to bike 21 miles!!! As I'm writing this I'm getting a little nervous…oh who am I kidding now? I know we are going to rock it! Right??…4 hours isn't insanely long on a bike is it…(maybe I should go out and get those padded biking shorts...)?
Next newbie item…flat tires, we are required to bring all kinds of tools to change a flat tube/tire…if that happens…I don’t know if Lisa and I will make it out as friends, I feel like changing a tire after riding 18 miles and having 3 miles left to go could be quite…frustrating!!!
Lets see…then there is the required gear of 4 bungees…nothing I can really say about that...
Also first time we will not be together for the pre-race meeting…what will I do with out my map reading partner!?
We do love new adventures, so we are excited about this one! But since so much is so new to us our confidence is a bit shaky, I'm sure after we get started we'll be ok!
Cross your FINGERS for us!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Bungee = ????
Did our fears/suspicions about the possibility of having to put our bikes in the canoe come true???? This came in a race email update today:
Required per team:
Compass-one per team minimum
Map case-gallon zip loc ok
Additional gallon zip loc-second map case ok
Pen or pencil
4 short (12"-24") bungee/shock cord. Rope or strap ok
Pack or rack for carrying gear while biking
Bike repair kit including one tube-minimum-and tire levers
Seriously blog readers, do you really think they would have us paddle 6 miles with our bikes in the canoe with us? We need some expert opinions!
Required per team:
Compass-one per team minimum
Map case-gallon zip loc ok
Additional gallon zip loc-second map case ok
Pen or pencil
4 short (12"-24") bungee/shock cord. Rope or strap ok
Pack or rack for carrying gear while biking
Bike repair kit including one tube-minimum-and tire levers
Seriously blog readers, do you really think they would have us paddle 6 miles with our bikes in the canoe with us? We need some expert opinions!
This Week is Flying By
Happy Thursday!
Tonight is a 5 mile run hopefully around 5o minutes, followed by a 14 mile bike. This workout should take us about 2 hour and 15 minutes which is good training for us. Since the race is expected to be 6-8 hours! We are usually a little more tired at the end of a work week, so I am really looking forward to really pushing it tonight.
Canoe Clinic on Saturday - I cant even explain what will gone on, its a basics canoe clinic with a mandatory cap-size drill. No matter what we will have fun and we will figure out a way to take some pictures!
Looking foward to a race update soon. I feel like we dont have enough details...but maybe thats the point ;)
9 days til the RACE!
Tonight is a 5 mile run hopefully around 5o minutes, followed by a 14 mile bike. This workout should take us about 2 hour and 15 minutes which is good training for us. Since the race is expected to be 6-8 hours! We are usually a little more tired at the end of a work week, so I am really looking forward to really pushing it tonight.
Canoe Clinic on Saturday - I cant even explain what will gone on, its a basics canoe clinic with a mandatory cap-size drill. No matter what we will have fun and we will figure out a way to take some pictures!
Looking foward to a race update soon. I feel like we dont have enough details...but maybe thats the point ;)
9 days til the RACE!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
New Biking Muscles!
Hello GGB Followers!
Last nights mt bike training couldn’t have gone any better. The weather was glorious and hot, just hot enough to dry up any last bit of mud that might have accumulated during last weeks rain fest. I picked up Kristen after work, loaded the bikes and we were off!
We decided to do 4 laps (almost 12 miles), with the goal of getting faster and faster each lap. The first lap was a little shaky. We hadn’t been on the bikes, off road, since the last adventure race and we needed to get back in the groove. Luckily, there weren’t any major falls, but we did ride conservatively. 1st lap was 22:15 (or something like that). The second lap we relaxed and picked up the speed. We started sweating and taking some more chances. 2nd lap was 20:35. oh yeah! Shaving the minutes off!! The third lap was the most eventful. I finally conqured the “bridge of death” and Kristen conquered the “rocks of death”. We both moved outside our comfort zone and attempted hills that we previously thought were too steep and rocks bridges we thought were too dangerous. There might have been a minor mishap involving Kristen, a steep hill and a tree. Her bike caught on the tree and stopped, while Kristen kept going. She was a trooper though and got up, brushed the dirt off and kept going. 3rd lap was 20:22. The fourth lap was a good challenge. We were feeling some fatique and it felt good to push ourselves. We encountered other bikers on the trail and marveled at the guys who can jump their bikes over the fallen trees. We also saw another female biker on the course and she exclaimed “it’s so nice to see other girls out here!”. The feeling was mutual. The 4th lap was 20:55. We didn’t improve on our time, but our confidence was at an all time high and the smiles were big. Medina Mountain Biking Night was a huge success!
Next workout is Thursday: a 14 mile bike and 5 mile run. Less than 2 weeks until the next race – it’s go time!
Last nights mt bike training couldn’t have gone any better. The weather was glorious and hot, just hot enough to dry up any last bit of mud that might have accumulated during last weeks rain fest. I picked up Kristen after work, loaded the bikes and we were off!
We decided to do 4 laps (almost 12 miles), with the goal of getting faster and faster each lap. The first lap was a little shaky. We hadn’t been on the bikes, off road, since the last adventure race and we needed to get back in the groove. Luckily, there weren’t any major falls, but we did ride conservatively. 1st lap was 22:15 (or something like that). The second lap we relaxed and picked up the speed. We started sweating and taking some more chances. 2nd lap was 20:35. oh yeah! Shaving the minutes off!! The third lap was the most eventful. I finally conqured the “bridge of death” and Kristen conquered the “rocks of death”. We both moved outside our comfort zone and attempted hills that we previously thought were too steep and rocks bridges we thought were too dangerous. There might have been a minor mishap involving Kristen, a steep hill and a tree. Her bike caught on the tree and stopped, while Kristen kept going. She was a trooper though and got up, brushed the dirt off and kept going. 3rd lap was 20:22. The fourth lap was a good challenge. We were feeling some fatique and it felt good to push ourselves. We encountered other bikers on the trail and marveled at the guys who can jump their bikes over the fallen trees. We also saw another female biker on the course and she exclaimed “it’s so nice to see other girls out here!”. The feeling was mutual. The 4th lap was 20:55. We didn’t improve on our time, but our confidence was at an all time high and the smiles were big. Medina Mountain Biking Night was a huge success!
Next workout is Thursday: a 14 mile bike and 5 mile run. Less than 2 weeks until the next race – it’s go time!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Technical Bike Training Tonight
Tonight the plan is to get in 11 miles of technical bike riding. The course we go to is an intermediate course with a few advanced sections (some of these sections are impossible for us!) and when we are not confident to ride over the advanced sections, we quickly run our bikes through in order not to waste any time. Our best time for the 2.75 mile loop is 25:40 and we are going to work on beating that time tonight! Also we will be confident going over the bridges and rocks and will try to keep falls to a minimum since all our scrapes and cuts have finally healed from last months training and adventure race. Our biking has really improved this year, and I really think its this course that helps with our biking skills and our confidence. The more we practice the better we get! Hopefully all 4 laps around we will get faster and faster, and we will have good news to report tomorrow! Looking forward to this Monday night training session (to make up for our July 4th weekend over eating :)!)
Friday, July 3, 2009
RACE UPDATE
Bathing suits for the canoe...????? Just Kidding....Just Kidding!! We received another race update yesterday.
The distance now are:
6 mile canoe (but longer if you don't navigate correctly)
15-25 mile bike (Frank wrote in his email that the bike would be down hill, but followed that comment with this symbol ;)...which mostly likely means the bike is directly uphill!
6-7 mile run (which is a relief, its down from 9 miles in our last update)
New race start - 8:30, and since the race is 2.5 hours away...we have to figure something out!
Happy 4th of July!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
JULY TIME
July Training Schedule - 18 days til WAR (the name of the adventure race, but I'm sure its going to literally be like war, with our bikes, our canoe, and our bodies…but hopefully not each other…:)!)
Monday July 6th -
Technical Mountain Biking - 12+ miles on Cleveland Mountain Biking Association's Course
Thursday July 9th -
Endurance - 5+ miles run followed by 14+ miles on the bike. Hilly Course
Saturday July 12th -
Canoe Clinic
Race week training - TBA!
Ps. We officially have a song: I Gotta Feeling by Blacked Eyed Peas!
(such POSITIVE ENERGY!)
Monday July 6th -
Technical Mountain Biking - 12+ miles on Cleveland Mountain Biking Association's Course
Thursday July 9th -
Endurance - 5+ miles run followed by 14+ miles on the bike. Hilly Course
Saturday July 12th -
Canoe Clinic
Race week training - TBA!
Ps. We officially have a song: I Gotta Feeling by Blacked Eyed Peas!
(such POSITIVE ENERGY!)
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