On Saturday morning, there were two trail running events: a 5k and a half-marathon. I participated in the half-marathon, which was the most hellish half I have done!

Rocky Hill Ranch is named Rocky Hill Ranch for a reason!  It was — (um, yeah) –  rocky and hilly!

Well folks, you know how you are supposed to train for the conditions in which you will run?  Let me be your poster child for this lesson!  The half-marathon distance is no problem for me, but the off-road part killed me. I haven’t done an off-road race since last fall, I think, and I don’t often train on trails (“real” trails that is — the hike and bike trails here in Austin don’t count), and that really jumped up and bit me on the arse.

By mile 8, my calves were cramping up — a lot — and I had to walk a good portion of the last few miles.  And the last few miles turned out to be some of the most brutal miles.  In fact, one of my camping neighbors came over after the race and said, “Hey, what did you think of The Wall?” And I was thinking: “Huh? The Wall?”  I didn’t know what he was talking about!   I do remember hobbling down and up a segment labeled “The Grind” and hoping that my calves wouldn’t seize up and send me toppling into the ditch.  (They post a big sign to let you know about the impending doom right before it happens.) Anyway… I thought when he was talking about The Wall, he meant The Grind, but it turns out there is another huge down and up called The Wall shortly after The Grind, but I have to be honest:  I have no recollection of The Wall.  None whatsoever. 

In spite of all that, I managed to shuffle back to the finish line to complete the race.  I think I have to call this my worst running race ever — or at least among the worst races ever — along with 1) the time I ran a marathon with peroneal tendinitis (tolerable until mile 9, then really bad) and 2) the time my IT band flared up at mile 4 of the 20k Decker Challenge.  Ouch.   At least this time, it’s nothing a good ice bath and some massage can’t resolve.

On Saturday, there was also the bike toss competition!  This is a Dirty Du tradition, in which participants throw an old junker mountain bike for distance.  I believe the winning toss was around 30 feet.  Here are a couple of photos from the prelims.

On Sunday was the main event:  the Dirty Du, and its little sister, the Sprint Du! Here is a short quicktime (.mp4) video of the race start, as the participants begin the first 5k run. Dirty Du Race Start

The Dirty Du website describes the duathlon course as follows: “The Dirty Du course is a 5K trail run, followed by a 12 mile mountain bike ride, followed by a 5K trail run. The run is off road and technical. It has several hills, some steep, with lots of rocks. The bike is 80% single track and 20% Jeep trails.”  (The sprint is about half the distance of the regular race.)

The half-marathon run route on Sat was the same as the bike course plus an additional mile or so spur to get it up to 13.1, so I got a really good look at this bike course.  What they don’t tell you is that it seems to be about 90% uphill.  Not sure how, but it seemed that way at least. I would also say it was way more single track than jeep roads, more like 90/10 or 95/5.

(And supposedly there is a place on the bike route that they call The Wall, but that’s just hearsay.  <ha!>)

Here is a short video clip near the beginning of the bike course:  Dirty Du Cycling video clip These cyclists were huffing and puffing already, with a really long way to go.  I tip my hat to all who completed this tough race.

Anyway, it was a fun weekend, in spite of my own not-so-stellar racing day.  It’s probably good now and then to have a really bad race so that when the good ones come along, they are oh, so much sweeter.  At a minimum, it reinforces lessons that we already know but of which we sometimes need to be reminded.

If you are looking for a fun camping weekend for the whole family, where you can try an off-road du or an off-road run, this is a great option held around this time each year.  Just make sure you spend a lot of time off-road before you get here.

We encountered a minor catastrophe after we had already made it to NH (or at least we were close, perhaps still in MA).  (Cue Holiday Road again.) On I-495, at approximately the Mile 78 marker, there was a series of major dips in the road (boom, boom, and boom!) at which point I looked in the rear view mirror to see one of the bikes’ front wheels bounce off of the bike and off to the side of the road. After dropping the requisite F-bomb, I quickly pulled over and looked for it, but it was nowhere to be found and frankly it was too dangerous for me to be looking for it, so I quickly abandoned the attempt. (Luckily we both race 700c wheels and were racing different days, so on race weekend we just took turns using the surviving wheel and figured we would worry about replacement when we got back to Austin.)

Ahhh, New Hampshire.  Of course the weather was heavenly for us Texans escaping the inferno of a summer we’ve been having.  Waterville Valley is a ski resort area in the White Mountain National Forest, and so the temperatures were even a bit cooler up there in the higher elevations (and yet the elevation was not high enough to cause any trouble for us sea-level dwellers, thankfully).  The lows were in the upper 50s (that’s downright chilly for July from my perspective) and the highs were in the 70s.  Like I said: Heaven.  I was actually concerned about it being too cool, so I had packed arm warmers and a long sleeved shirt just in case I needed it on race day.

The triathlon was not just one event, but a whole weekend of activities: the Black Fly Triathlon Festival.  On Friday night, there was a 4-mile cycling time trial.  On Saturday, there was an “international distance” race in the morning, a kids’ tri, and a 5k run.  Finally, on Sunday, there was a sprint tri.  There was an additional category for those who choose to compete in the bike time trial and both triathlons:  the “Lord of the Flies!”  Both of the triathlons had a quarter-mile swim due to the small size of the pond, which was situated at the center of the resort’s Town Square.  Also because of the small venue, the swims were done as time trial starts, at 3-second intervals, rather than having mass wave starts.  The water was about 68 deg, so wetsuit-legal.  The international distance bike route was about 21 miles and the sprint distance was about 15.  Both routes involved bombing down the mountain road toward the nearest town, and then having to climb back up.  The international run course was 5 miles, with the sprint 3 miles; both of these runs were on roads in the ski resort, mostly flat or rolling, but with a couple of steep hills thrown in for good measure.

One of the aspects of this race that I really liked was how family friendly the event was.  I met several families who were taking turns racing, one parent on one day, and then the other on another day, and their child in the kids’ race.  There were also couples in which one was doing Lord of the Flies, and the other was doing his or her very first triathlon.  Additionally, our room  at the Golden Eagle Lodge — which was situated approximately a 1-min walk from the race transition area (awesome!) — was part of a package deal that included pretty much all the resort had to offer without additional fees:  mountain bike rentals, kayak or paddleboat rentals, ski lift tickets, access to the tennis and fitness centers, and of course hiking in the woods, swimming in the pond and playing at the beach!  There was plenty to keep everyone of all ages happy.  There were s’mores by the campfire, an outdoor family movie one evening, and fireworks, too.  There was also a charity “rubber ducky race” in a stream, which was fun for kids and adults alike.  Overall, great venue and a terrific weekend.

As noted earlier, I raced the sprint race on Sunday.  The race itself was really well-organized, which is always a plus in my book. In fact, there is not anything that I would change about the race or its execution.  It gets a perfect score.  Endorfun Sports had put on the Longhorn 70.3 triathlon here in Austin when I raced that one a couple of years ago, so I knew they would put on a good race, and I was not disappointed.

At 68 degrees, the swim water was a perfect temperature for a wetsuit swim, and a pleasant change from the 80-something degree bath water swims we typically get here in central Texas throughout the summer tri season.  Some of the veterans said that a couple of years ago the water was 55 degrees, so I was thankful to not be faced with that kind of cold water! I liked the time trial start, and thought it worked well.  We lined up in the order of our bib numbers, and were sent off in 3-second intervals.

The bike ride, as I mentioned before, involved going down the mountain road that leads up to the resort.  It took me twice as long to get back up the mountain.   It was so beautiful, though, climbing through the White Mountain National Forest. Again, a pleasant change in scenery from the brown Texas plains.

The run was out and back along the resort roads, sunny in parts, and shady in others.  The steep hills came on either side of a pretty brook that the runners crossed over shortly before the turnaround.  I quite enjoyed the run!  Some race volunteers saw my Jack and Adam’s tri top, recognized the logo and gave me a big ol’ Texas-sized holler, which I appreciated at that late point in the run.  We finished up back at the Town Center, where each racer received a cold, wet race towel.  I enjoyed the towel, although throughout the race I can’t say I ever really felt that hot (and I didn’t need those arm warmers, either).  I was so delighted to be racing a triathlon in 70 degree weather!  Did I mention I was in heaven?

Here is a great youtube slide show from the weekend (put together by someone else), showing photos from all of the happenings throughout the Festival:

Click here to view the embedded video.

After the Black Fly weekend, we took about 5 days to get back to Austin, spending a morning at Hershey Chocolate World (where we made our own chocolate bars) and portion of a day at Mammoth Cave, KY.  We did have to haul ass the rest of the time to get back home, as it is indeed a really long way from Waterville Valley, NH, back to Austin, TX, but audiobooks (e.g., Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, and Roald Dahl’s The Witches), old recordings of Bill Cosby, and a long music playlist got us through.

However, we encountered another minor catastrophe (…Holiday Road…) as we rolled into Nashville one late afternoon on our way back to Texas.  This time it was a flat tire.  Luckily, not only do I know how to change a flat on my bike, but I am also quite capable when it comes to changing a car tire.  There was a nice guy who worked for the TN state transportation department who showed up to help just as I was pulling the wheel off, and he gave me some key info about there being some tire repair places located not too far away.  We were lucky that we were just minutes from downtown Nashville, and so we only had to drive about 10 min on the sorry excuse for a spare tire (remember when spares were full-sized?) to get to a tire repair place.  This short distance was a blessing because with the heavy load in the trunk and being lower to the ground with the small spare tire, every time I hit the slightest dip, my receiver hitch holding the bike rack would scrape the concrete, which made me worry constantly about the bikes.  We were lucky enough to get to Firestone 20 minutes before closing time.  I got some good customer service (I am pleased to report) from the Firestone guy, who hooked me up with a new rear tire.  (Actually, I ended up having him put a new one on the other side, too, so it was two new rear tires.)  So, in the end, we counted our blessings that the whole tire problem ended up delaying us only about an hour.  We found a Whole Foods to get some dinner, spent the night, and made it back to Texas the next day.  And as much fun as vacation is, as you all know there’s no place like home!

Desiree has had numerous podium finishes over the past several years, with her most recent being a win yesterday at the Austin Livestrong Marathon!

2010 results
Wildflower Half- 2nd place
Statesman Capital 10k- 1st place 35:05
European 70.3 Champs, Wiesbaden- 2nd place
Augusta 70.3- 3rd place
Eagleman 70.3 – 4th place
Racine 70.3- 3rd place
Galveston 70.3- 4th place
TriStar Estonia 111- 1st place
Savageman Tri- 1st place

2009 results
NYC Marathon, 10th place, 2:39:30
Statesman Capital 10k, 1st place 34:56
Eagelman 70.3, 3rd place
Rhode Island 70.3, 2nd place
Austin Triathlon, 1st place
Augusta 70.3, 3rd place

2008 Results
Ironman South Africa 70.3, East London- 1st Place
US Olympic Marathon Trials 2:48:11
Boise 70.3- 2nd Place
Eagleman 70.3- 2nd place
Timberman 70.3- 1st place

2007 Results
AT&T Marathon, Austin, Texas- 2nd place 2:40:28 (personal best)
3m Half Marathon, Austin, Texas- 3rd place 1:14:07 (personal best)
Pucon, 70.3 4th place
St. Croix 70.3- 5th place
Eagleman 70.3- 4th place
Buffalo Springs 70.3- 5th place
Ironman Austria- 7th place
Timberman 70.3- 1st place

2006 Results
Ironman World Championships Kona, HI, 2nd place
Buffalo Springs 70.3, 2nd place
Eagleman 70.3, 3rd place
Capital of Texas Triathlon, 1st place
Baja 70.3, 2nd place
Ironman Arizona, 4th place
Ford California 70.3, 2nd place

2005 Results
Eagleman Half Ironman, 2nd place
Capital of Texas Triathlon, 1st place
Memphis in May Triathlon, 3rd place
Ironman Arizona, 2nd place
Ralph’s Half Ironman, 2nd place

2004 Results
Treasure Island Triathon, 1st place
Varallo World Cup Duathlon, 5th place
Mason World Cup Duathlon, 1st place
Eagleman Triathlon, 2nd place
Memphis in May Triathlon, 3rd place
Capital of Texas Triathlon, 1st place
Powerman Alabama, 1st place

Join our subscriber-only section at placidathlete.com today for an introductory price of only $3 for your first three-month subscription period!   (After that, it’s just $9.95 per quarter to renew and have access to new content available only to subscribers!)  Join today to obtain access to articles, workouts, drills, training plans, tools, and other resources!

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Ladies, this women-only weekend is the best way to get started on your training for a spring or summer triathlon.

Early bird pricing is available through the end of this month.  On Feb 1, the price goes up!

There is still space in the clinic, but you need to act now to reserve your spot at the lower price!

Here’s what we have planned for you:

Friday evening, Feb 25, 7-9 PM:

Welcome Reception/Talk and Q&A with World Class Professional Triathlete and Marathoner, Desiree Ficker

Saturday, Feb 26, 8 AM-5:45 PM:

Bike skills session

Educational Session on Triathlon Basics:   gear, rules, nutrition and hydration, planning, and more!

Nutrition talk and grocery store “how to shop” tour with Meredith Terranova, RD (nutrition expert and ultra-endurance athlete!)

Run skills session

Instruction on self-massage and recovery techniques, with pro triathlete and massage therapist Terra Castro

Sunday, Feb 27, 8:30 AM-3:30 PM:

Swim stroke clinic

Bike maintenance session with a mechanic from Jack and Adam’s Bike Shop

Educational session on Mental Aspects of Training and Racing (a.k.a. How to Stay Placid!)

Instruction on core strength and injury prevention exercises

Instruction on how to set up your triathlon transition area

Transition practice and mini-duathlon

Details are on the Jump-start clinic page.

We will cover a lot of ground in this weekend, with sessions on bike maintenance, core strength and injury prevention, nutrition, and triathlon basics (gear, rules, mental aspects, planning, and more)!  And, yes, we will swim, bike, and run!

Terra Castro, a professional triathlete and massage therapist, will give a talk on recovery and self-massage techniques for triathletes!

Terra Castro

About Terra Castro:

Inspired by her grandfather, Terra started competing in Triathlon in 1997 and has since grown from an elite Junior duathlete/triathlete on Team USA to a professional Ironman triathlete. An excellent cyclist, Terra’s progression to becoming a top-five finisher in Ironman distance races has been consistent and steady. In other words, she gets faster every year. Away from competition, Castro works as a massage therapist for University of Texas women’s sports. Check out her blog,  www.terracastro.blogspot.com.  Terra is also on twitter: @terracastro

I wasn’t fully recovered from the Fat Ass Trail Race last Sunday, so it was not my fastest time at the trot.  In fact, I was passed by Pocahontas at about 2.5 miles!  And it was sort of a good news/bad news thing when mile marker #4 showed up at approximately 3.5 miles: either I was running a 6-min mile or the course was going to be short.  Alas, it was the latter.  I wasn’t wearing my GPS watch, but I’m guessing the race was about a half-mile short overall.  I ran it in about 48 min.

Here are some pics.  In the first one I was trying to get a photo of the turkeys who were dancing around at the start line before the race.  Later, I noticed that Governor Rick Perry is to the left of the screen texting on his cell phone.  The next two are random Trotters with cute head-gear.  We saw lots of turkeys on heads, lots of Native American costumes, but no pilgrims.  The final pic is looking down toward the finishing chute (kind of hard to tell with all the people) with the Austin skyline in the background.

The Starting Line

This morning I participated in the first race in the Rogue Running Fat Ass Trail Series: The Shore. It was held in the woods at the shore of Lake Bastrop about 30 min east of Austin.  There were two races, an 18k and a 10k.  The 18k folks took off at 7:30 AM, and the rest of us started at 8.  These local trail races are always a treat because they are very small, so there are no parking hassles and very little pre-race stress.  Just show up and run through the woods.  Nice.

The route was pretty flat, with only one very short and steep down and up, and a few slight rollers.  The trail was a bit twisty and turny, but wide (double track) and not particularly rough, other than the occasional rogue 3″-diameter tree stump (covert tripping device) scattered throughout the pine trees where the forest had been cleared to make the trail.  I almost took a dive once but managed to save myself before the fall was completed.  Whew!

It took me awhile to get really warmed up and so the second half of the race felt better.  I also was suffering from a bit of asthma from the cool air this morning, but that also got better as I went along. I felt pretty good and was satisfied with my run.

The surprise at the end of the race was that they kept trying to give me awards.  First, it was the overall female award.  (Wha???) Then, the overall female Master’s award.   But, I told them, there was NO WAY I won that race!  I may be Placid, but I am not Fast. Turns out that for some reason they had a time recorded for me of 43 min for 10k.   Uh, thanks, but no.  Too bad, because the trophy was a golden toilet paper holder with toilet paper with a “Fat Ass” sticker holding the paper down.  Finally, a trophy that is useful –  but, alas, I had to give it up to someone else more deserving.

One of our Placid Athlete team members achieved a Personal Record in the 10k.  Way to go!  More PRs to come!