Wildflower has a reputation for being a brutal race. You never know what you're going to get from year to year. Last year during the long course, athletes were faced with 90+ degree temperatures and not enough water on the course for athletes. The Olympic Distance the very next day was 30 degrees colder with crazy winds, causing white-capping waves in the swim and a challenging bike. This year the weather was great over the weekend, but the drought in California lead to a modified race course. We had a 2.2 mile run between the swim and the bike and the final run was reduced by 2.2 miles to make it even.
I personally am not super comfortable with wetsuits. I got a new one, but I only wore it once before the race, so I decided not to wear one. The water temperature was comfortable, so I just went for it. It was kind of cool that they announced last year's podium finishers before the start of each wave, but also seemed like I had to live up to that, which I knew would be difficult since I just aged up. The swim had this weird inky looking, sulfur smelling black gunk near the shore, so the entrance and exit were gross. The middle of the swim was fine, but visibility was low since there was not a lot of water and it was all stirred up. I stayed close to the buoy line and had a great swim going out, but I went off course a bit on the way back. Guess my sighting still needs some work! Overall, I had an okay swim time. I thought it was strong while I was swimming, but I must have gone further off than I though because my time was not quite what I was expecting. My swim time was 24:34.
We had to go up a crazy steep boat ramp for T1A. Our bags were all lined up to grab running shoes and sunglasses, etc. and to put our swim gear away. The run then continued up the crazy steep boat ramp. My legs felt like lead. They did not want to move. I told them they did not have a choice. I thought I was going to be ready for the alternate course, but I guess I was not ready for the swim to run transition. After the steep climb flattened out, my legs finally started to loosen up. I got water at the aid station, but for whatever reason, I couldn't drink it. I was worried briefly since that's not typically a good sign, but I was well hydrated before the start of the race, so I kept going. A majority of the 2.2 miles included running along a path in the actual lake bed. Parts of it were like sand traps as if you were running on the beach. It was tough, but I built up speed as I continued to the final steep boat ramp (where the swim usually takes place) to get to T1B.
I ran to my bike, this time making good speed. My legs were warmed up and I was ready to crush the rest of the course after a somewhat disappointing first run. I changed my shoes grabbed my Gu and my bike and left transition. Lynch Hill is the first major challenge out of transition. I was so pumped for this that I felt as if I flew up the hill like nobody's business. I got to the top, had my first Gu and hammered out the rest of the bike. This is a challenging bike course, but I never thought about the difficulty while I was riding. I was trained on hills and ready for it. The one frustrating part though was that people didn't seem to know that they were supposed to ride on the right. There were several occasions where I was going downhill at 30+ mph and had to scream "left!!!!" at people to let them know that I was trying to pass on the left hand side and to move over.My bike time was 1:26. No too shabby with those hills! Coming down Lynch Hill back to transition I knew that I only had 4 miles left until the finish. It was nice knowing that I had already completed 2.2 miles.
I threw my bike back on the rack and grabbed my running shoes. I had a pretty decent run pace for the first mile. It was relatively flat for that portion, but I knew that the hill was coming. There it was Beach Hill. I didn't see anyone else trying to run. But I did. One foot in front of the other. Just keep the feet moving. Concentrate on the turnover. The hill seemed as if it just kept going. Finally I could see the top. I was ready to go. The top of the hill meant 2 more miles. Time to turn it on. The run then went back from paved road to dirt trail. There was so much dirt kicked up from the previous runners that I had the sudden sensation that I was drowning. I couldn't breath. I wanted my albuterol. My legs and mind said go, but my lungs said no. I abdomen cramped up. The turn on didn't happen. It was all I could do to just keep my legs moving at that point. I kept going. I wanted to push myself while running downhill at Lynch, but I was just on autopilot and in pain. I came to the finish shoot, which was about 0.25 miles left. Someone tried to make a move to pass me. That's when my final effort kicked in and I was finally able to kick in a sprint to the finish. I made it. I couldn't move any further. My total 10 K run time was 54:05. It was several minutes slower than the run the year before and slower than I expected myself to go.
I have to admit, I was disappointed in my final time. I thought I had a great race and I honestly pushed myself as hard as I can go, which is all I can ask for in the end. I didn't have the run that I expected to have following my bike, but that's life. I didn't wear a watch during the race because I want to race based on how I feel, not based on the time. I don't have any gadgets with me on race day. The course was brutal and it was brutal for everyone. I did have a Wildflower PR of about 3 minutes though, so knowing that I am stronger this year is always a good thing, especially being in a faster and larger age group. I placed 7th in my age group and 21st out of all women. Not too shabby. Another Wildflower adventure is over. What do you think we'll have in store next year?
Thank you so much to my Daddy, who made sure that I was out of the sun and off my feet as much as possible before the race (even though he was doing the long course himself!) And to my coach getting me ready! And of course to all of my family and teammates and friends for the well wishes and cheering. And finally Gu Energy Labs for keeping me fueled. And congratulations to all of the finishers of the long course, Olympic distance, mountain bike and especially Wildflower squared. You conquered a grueling weekend.
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