Friday, March 5, Kevin and I embarked on a weekend trip to Death Valley National Park for the Death Valley Double Century.  We were fortunate to have a break in the winter weather and traveled into the Sierras and over Kingsbury Grade to travel down 395 through Mono and Inyo Counties.  The sights on that drive are stunning.  Mono Lake has an eerie beauty covered in ice and surrounded by snow.  Much of the drive is over 7000 feet in elevation with rugged mountains covered in a heavy blanket of snow towering above the highway. 

As we drove through the town of Lone Pine, we both got our first sight of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states at 14,491 feet.  The sky was clear and the views were amazing.  It’s just a two-hour drive from Lone Pine to Furnace Creek in Death Valley, most of it across rugged desert within the National Park boundaries.  As if enjoying one of the most beautiful drives in California wasn’t enough, Kevin and I had hours to ourselves talking about anything and nothing without the many daily interruptions at home.

We arrived at the event host hotel, Furnace Creek Ranch, with plenty of time to eat dinner, check-in for the ride, and go through our pre-ride preparations before having an early night.  Even though it was a strange bed and the night before a big event, I slept well.  Furnace Creek really is the middle of nowhere with all the accompanying silence and darkness you can only enjoy away from towns and cities.  The black sky glittering with stars is a rare and amazing sight for me living with so much light pollution in Sacramento.

Saturday morning the ride started in waves of 50 riders beginning at 6:00am, and we were up and ready to go with one of the first waves of cyclists.  The beginning of a double century is so different from the other types of events I’ve done.  The sun usually isn’t up and most riders roll out slowly, a long warm-up starts the ride.  After about 10 miles, I felt warmed-up, and we were rolling easily along the gentle slopes of the eastern side of Death Valley as the sun rose.

Early in the ride we passed through Badwater Basin, the lowest spot in the United States, 282 feet below sea level, less than 24 hours after driving past Mt. Whitney the day before.  Telescope Peak, bounding the valley on the west, reaches over 11,000 feet above the reflective water pooled in the basin.  It was impossible to get a sense of scale or distance in Death Valley because the contrasts are enormous with almost no vegetation every exposed rock is visible. 

There was little traffic on the road as it visibly stretched ahead for endless miles, other riders looked like ants dotting the way.  It seemed as though a rainbow of ribbons had been laid across the colorful desert mountains, and the tumbling process of erosion was visible everywhere.  One rock formation looked like a melted banana split.

The ride to the second aid station at 45 miles was fast and easy.  It quickly got more challenging from that aid station at the southeast edge of Death Valley as we began the big climb of the day.  The hard work began with a 5-mile climb to Jubilee Pass at just over 1200 feet.  This was the turn around point for the century ride.

I hit this early climb harder than I should have considering the work still before us.  Kevin was waiting at the top for me and we paused a minute to admire the view of Death Valley spread out below us.  From Jubilee Pass we had a short, steep descent before the endless grind to Salsbury Pass at 3315 feet.  I’ve never ridden anything like it, 12 miles uphill with no respite.

After a couple of miles, I realized there was no way I could continue to ride at the speed I had been going.  My heart rate was at the limit, and I’d been there as long as I could stand with the mountain still looming miles above us.  Stressed and afraid that I couldn’t make it, I told Kevin I had to stop and rest.   

While we waited for my heart rate to drop back to a more comfortable level, Kevin told me this climb was like a Death Ride climb, which is far outside my experience as a cyclist.  The two double centuries I’ve done were in the Coast Range with more forgiving climbs that bear little resemblance to this beast of a mountain that I found myself halfway up.  I was quickly learning that distance and elevation gain were not the only barometers of ride difficulty.

When I was ready to begin again, Kevin stayed right with me, setting a slower pace that kept me from self-destructing on our continued ascent.  It took about 2 hours to ride the 17-mile climb to the top of Salsbury Pass.  It was a brutal experience and we spent a few minutes at the top taking photos and commiserating with other cyclist about the painful task we had just completed.

We remounted our bikes for the 1800-foot descent to the 75-mile checkpoint at Shoshone.  I found I couldn’t enjoy this part of the ride because I spent the whole time thinking about the fact that I had to ride back up every mile we were riding down.  After a rest in Shoshone we headed back to tackle to mountain from the east this time.

Kevin did a great job setting a pace I could manage all the way back up the mountain.  When I felt as though I couldn’t continue the relentless ascent, I asked Kevin what elevation we had reached (his Garmin bike computer has so much great data, I need one).  We were over 2800 feet with just a few hundred more to go, and I knew I could do it.

Now it was time for the payoff, the longest climb I’ve ever done on a bike was finally accompanied by the longest descent I’ve ever done.  Kevin advised me to keep my legs spinning so my muscles wouldn’t get cold or tight.  With little traffic on the road, I was comfortable taking the lane and enjoyed the descent.  The ride that took 2 hours one way was completed in 30 minutes on the downhill trip, and we were finally at the 103-mile rest.

As we continued our progress back the way we had passed hours earlier, I found my mental attitude becoming increasingly poor.  I had put so much of myself into getting over that mountain that I was physically and emotionally drained.  I finally told Kevin I was not enjoying the ride, neither was he. 

I really struggle with the idea of not finishing an event and had to that point only two DNF’s (did not finish) in my life, I remember them both vividly.  We talked about why we were both so averse to a DNF.  I hate to not finish something I’ve started, but this was supposed to be something we were doing for fun.  It wasn’t a job; we weren’t accountable to anyone else.  We agreed to end the ride at the 150-mile aid station that also happened to be the start and finish of the ride.

Pressure off, we continued to ride to the lunch break at Badwater, Kevin towing me and a couple of other riders down the road.  Wind and rain showers began to kick up as we continued our journey back to the hotel at Furnace Creek at a leisurely pace.  It was amazing how difficult the gentle rollers of the morning were on the return trip with a headwind and fatigue setting in.  The rock formations we passed developed an otherworldly golden glow in the low light of sunset.

Just after only the second stop sign on the entire ride, we arrived at the Furnace Creek check in to be greeted by about a dozen riders and their family members milling around.  An Adventure Corp staff members called to us to come check in with her if we were finishing, to which I replied that I was happy to check in with her but clearly coming from the wrong direction to be finishing. 

We found out that they give credit in the results to riders who complete 150 miles, so instead of DNF’s, Kevin and I are both listed as 150-mile finishers.  Just in case I still had any doubts as to whether riding a century and a half instead of the intended double century was a good idea, when I went to get back on my bike to ride to our hotel room, I had a flat tire.  Kevin and I put an end to our long day with pizza and beer.

Last fall when looking into goal events, I decided I wanted to do the Solvang Spring Double Century.  I was definitely inspired by Kevin completing many doubles over the last few years and knew that Solvang would be a good first double.  Kevin and I decided to do Solvang together.  I set-up a training plan that started with lots of weekend cycling miles the first weekend of January and increased from there.  When we successfully completed our 150-mile training ride at the end of February, I knew I would be ready for my first double century.

Besides the obvious benefit of my getting to draft behind Kevin for hundreds of training miles, Kevin and I really had a great time riding together every weekend.  It became our strange version of a standing date.  Every Saturday we had a long ride with a lunch stop along the way, Subway, Quizno’s, Clarksburg Market, and South Pine Café all became regular lunch stops.  We rode regardless of the weather and mostly lucked out with the rain.  Training for Solvang turned out to be one of the best things we’ve ever done as a couple.

We drove down to Solvang Friday afternoon before the ride and stayed at the event host hotel in Buellton.  Saturday morning we woke at 5:20 and hit the road a little after 6:00am.  It was my first time riding in the dark with a headlight, but the first miles were through town and fairly well lit.  The weather was cool, but not cold.

I was feeling nervous and anxious about the task before me, but thought I had my nerves under control.  That was until I got a massive cramp in my left thigh about 20 miles into the ride.  I don’t usually get cramps and was so upset wondering how on earth I was going to finish 200 miles when I couldn’t ride after 20.   I got off my bike and spent a few minutes stretching until my leg muscles relaxed.

I hopped on the bike again and tried to slowly spin it out until I got my rhythm back.  The first big climb of the day was just around the corner on Foxen Canyon Road, and I was worried about my leg continuing to cramp.  Foxen Canyon Road in the spring is one of the most beautiful sights around.  Rolling, lush green hills, wildflowers, lovely farms and wineries, and very little traffic.  We really started climbing pretty quickly and my legs felt great.  I settled into a good rhythm, and Kevin and I maintained a conversation while riding up the first part of the climb before it got more difficult and I had to really concentrate on riding.

As I crested the hill and began the descent I felt absolutely exhilarated!  I went from terrible self-doubt to knowing I could do it within the span of 10 miles.  I felt like I was flying down the mountain and looked down at my bike computer to do a speed check, 40 mph, the fastest I’ve ever gone on my bike.  After the steep descent ended, we continued to ride slightly downhill for a few miles with a tailwind we were effortlessly spinning along at 22 mph.

We were quick to refuel and use the porta-potties at the first rest stop before continuing on the way.  The longest stretch of the ride was the 45 miles between the first stop and the second stop.  We rode through farms near Santa Maria, before taking a highway 101 frontage road to Arroyo Grande and cutting through the hills to San Luis Obispo.  From the second rest stop we rode through San Luis Obispo onto Highway 1 and out the Morro Bay.  There is a “not so secret” checkpoint just past the halfway mark in Morro Bay where you get your number marked.  From there we rode along some beautiful miles of coastline in Morro Bay.

I felt so happy there, riding along the Pacific Ocean with a big stupid grin on my face.  Eventually we turned inland and headed to the lunch stop back in San Luis Obispo.  We spent about 30 minutes there eating Subway sandwiches, Oreos and drinking Coke.  We sat down on the grass and Kevin had to pull me back up again to get going.

From lunch we continued south reaching frontage roads along 101 in Pismo Beach.  From there we traveled along highway 1 through coastal towns and then inland toward Guadalupe.  At 136 miles there was a nasty little climb up Mesa View Drive that almost did me in because my front derailleur wasn’t working right, and I couldn’t shift into my small chain ring.  I was forced to stop on the climb, I absolutely hate stopping up any incline let alone ½ mile up a fairly steep hill.  Kevin got my chain into the small chain ring, but I didn’t want him to give me a push to get going again.  Instead I rode back down the hill turned around and started again.

Fortunately the aid stations were closer together in the second half of the ride because I felt like I was running on empty by the time we reached the stop at 147 miles.  Kevin did a little mechanical work on my bike and I ate bananas, red vines, and peanut butter crackers.  Repaired and refueled, we continued toward the last stop of the day before the hardest climb of the day.

We rode on Highway 1 again, but this time it was on the freeway near Vandenberg AFB, what an odd experience!  We were gradually climbing uphill most of the way, and as we progressed along the view of the central coast mountain range became more and more spectacular.   It didn’t take long before we reached the last aid station at 177 miles.  We were almost there, with only the longest, hardest climb standing between me and the finish of my first double century.

I think we spent more time there than Kevin wanted because sunset was fast approaching and we wanted to be out of the mountains before dark; but I needed a few minutes to get up my nerve for that tough climb.  The 1500-foot climb started almost immediately out of the aid station and continues at varying grades for about 3 miles, sometimes winding sometimes switchbacks.  At one point the road got so steep I had to ride back and forth across the road to keep going and wasn’t sure I was going to make it.  The feeling of accomplishment I had at the top of that mountain is hard to describe, but a picture is worth a thousand words and the look on my face in this photo says it all.

The descent was tricky because the road is absolutely horrible with cracks and potholes everywhere and the light was fading fast.  We made it down and finished the ride uneventfully.   I’ve never felt such full body exhaustion in my life!  I spent 11 hours 58 minutes in the saddle and total time with rests was about 14 hours.  We enjoyed a much earned post ride meal of pizza and Beck’s.

There were definitely a few things I learned through this endeavor.   Core strength is so important.  I started doing Diane Cressey’s boot camp for women three mornings a week last October and my core strength and muscle tone are much better now.  She did so much to help me prepare for the double, including looking over my bike training plan and tailoring a core strength plan to complement my double century goal.  I’m sure her program contributed to my newly found mountain climbing skills.

Planet Ultra served lots of “real” food on the ride along side the Hammer drinks and gel.  I used the hydration products but skipped the gel, choosing nuts, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, even red vines near the end, and found that my digestive system was much happier with real food than the formulated performance products I typically use for long training and events.

I wrote this report last summer, but we didn’t have the site up yet.

I picked Vineman 70.3 as my first ½ Ironman after doing the Full
Vineman Aquabike last summer. Vineman is a fantastic race
organization, the races are well organized and supported, and the
volunteers are fantastic. After having lived with Vineman 70.3 as my
ultimate goal for the 2008 triathlon season since the end of the 2007
season, it feels strange to be writing this report.

When I entered the race last winter, I didn’t realize that my 8-year
old son was going to be dealing with an ultimate competition of his
own, the NorCal Swim League Championships. It was his first season on
swim team, and he’s taken to it like a fish. My parents, the swim
team veterans from my childhood, did Championships duty for Shane so
that I could race Vineman. After watching Shane’s preliminary 25 free
on Saturday morning, Kevin and I headed to Sonoma County with the
older two boys.

We arrived at Windsor High School at 3:00pm for the athlete check-in
and race expo. Most the athletes had already come and gone so the
crowd was small. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the 5:00pm pre-race meeting.
The USATriathlon official responsible for explaining the intricacies
of the combination of USAT rules with Ironman rules made the talk as
interesting as anyone could. He got a few snickers from the audience
as he reminded us all that our friends think we’re crazy and it was a
bit humbling to be told that most of the volunteers think we’re heroes.

After the pre-race meeting, we headed to Flavor in downtown Santa Rosa
for dinner. It was a fantastic meal with lots of good prerace menu
options. There were many other Vineman competitors dining there as
well, we all had on yellow athlete wristbands making us easily
identifiable. We arrived back at our budget hotel in Santa Rosa at
8:00pm, giving me enough time to sort out my swim/bike transition gear
before hitting the sack at 9:00. I slept well and had no problem
waking at 5:00am Sunday morning.

We were out of the hotel room before 6:00am, my mostly uneaten bowl of
oatmeal in hand, and on the way the Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville.
Even bringing it along for the car ride, I still couldn’t eat more
than a few bites of my breakfast. We arrived in Guerneville with
plenty of time for body marking and setting up T1. My swim wave
start, women 35-39, was at 7:34am.

I got in the water as soon as my wave was allowed, did a small warm-up
and positioned myself at the front line of the start wave. The
countdown seemed to last forever, but when we finally got the horn to
go, I shot off the front with a small pack of fast swimmers, and we
had plenty of room to swim until we started catching the wave in front
of us. Even when I had to start weaving around the slower swimmers
from the previous wave, it was still smooth going. My swim was solid
at 29:06, but it would have been good to be under 29 minutes.

I jogged into T1 and immediately got confused about the location of my
bike. I even have a crazy looking yellow saddle that should have made
it easy to locate. It seemed like forever, but I’m sure was only a
few seconds before I got my bearings. I had the shakes while I was
trying to pull off my wetsuit and get my helmet on. Faced with
pulling my socks onto sandy feet, I realized I forgot an extra bottle
of water to rinse off my feet. I was in T1 longer than I would have
liked, 4:49, but eventually made it out of there and onto the road.

I decided to run my bike up the short climb out of T1 and was glad I
did as I ran around a couple of riders struggling to get into their
pedals. Kevin and the boys were there cheering me on my way. When my
bike computer showed me the time and a bunch of zeros, I realized the
sensor wasn’t working because my front wheel was on backwards. I
thought briefly about stopping to fix it, but didn’t want to take the
time. I worried a bit because I wanted to make sure I rode an average
of 18 mph so that I would have some energy saved for the run, and
without a computer I was relying only on how I felt.

The bike was fantastic. I know the course well and remembered all the
little tricky places. No lost water bottles for me or being caught
out in the wrong gear. I was a little nervous about grabbing Power
Bars and Gatorade while riding through the aid stations, but I had no
problems. I called out what I was looking for and a volunteer would
step up for the handoff.

I did have a scary moment at the second aid station, mile 29, when a
guy came out of the penalty tent right in front of me and crashed. I
looked over the front of my bike at disk wheel and white carbon fiber
frame and thought for sure that I was going to go right over the top
of him. I somehow managed to swerve around and keep on going, whew!
It was very scary, and I remember thinking some people obviously
belong in the penalty tent.

I am starting to really enjoy hill climbing and powered up Chalk Hill
Road without a hitch, "Yeah Baby!" I felt like Superwoman when I
reached the top and flew down the descent. Coming into Windsor, I saw
a Sac Tri Club jersey a couple of riders ahead and decided to ride up
and say. It was Ronnie; we shared the normal supportive chit chat and
then separated to finish the last couple miles into T2. My bike time
was 3:07:21, which works out to 18 mph for the 56 mile ride. Who
needs a computer?!

When I scoped out T2 at Windsor High School on Saturday afternoon, I
thought it seemed like a long run from the bike dismount line to the
racks, but on race day it went quickly. I easily found my running
shoes and hat, courtesy of another competitor’s yellow smiley face
balloon. I took my socks off to get the residual sand from T1 out
before running and then slipped them back on. I wanted to use the
toilet, but didn’t want to wait in line, so I thought I would get the
next one. T2 time 4:37.

I headed out onto the run course feeling strong. Although I wasn’t
great in either transition area, all those bike/run transition
workouts obviously helped my legs get used to the change in activity.
I felt smooth and settled into my normal running pace, just over 10
minute miles. There was a steady flow of people running out with me,
but not too many finishing yet. I mentally divided the run into
one-mile increments to the next aid station. Each aid station I
arrived at had a line for the toilet, and I still didn’t want to wait
around. Finally at mile 4, the toilets were empty and no one was
waiting. The only catch was pulling my sweaty tri shorts back up, ugh!

As I kept on running one mile at a time, I was glad for the trail run
series I did this spring because I felt strong up all the short hills
on the course. I got to the top of one hill and was amazed at the
sight of the huge mass of runners going both directions on the road.
I saw a couple of other local athletes on the course and cheered them
on. A couple of the guys from Sac Tri Club passed me; their
encouragement along the way was fantastic. I made it to the turn
around at La Crema winery no problem and enjoyed the music being
played at that aid station. I was starting to wonder why KC hadn’t
caught me yet, when I felt a tap on my shoulder and there she was.

I was doing great on the run up to mile 9 when my body decided to
stage a rebellion. I was very low energy and felt sick. I started
doing run/walk intervals for about two miles and that really slowed
down my pace. Finally at mile 11, I started feeling better and
finished the run strong.

It felt amazing to run back toward the finish line. I’ve never had so
many people cheering me on, and I felt a little overwhelmed when I
realized I had done it. The announcer said my name as I ran down the
finishing stretch, and I raised my arms to signify my own personal
victory. My run time was 2:27:25 and total time was 6:13:19, my
average heart rate over the entire race was 161. My best estimate
goal going in was 6 ½ to 7 hours, and I was thrilled to be faster.

Kevin and the boys were there to meet me at the finish chute with even
more good news. Shane had an amazing best time in the 25 butterfly
prelims that morning and was the first seed for finals. I got my post
race meal, and had a chance to talk with some of the other athletes.
I took a very public cold shower at the baseball field, and then we
headed back to the swim championships. We made it in time to see
Shane swim the free relay, but missed his butterfly victory in the
finals with another best time. What a fantastic weekend!

In true Denison fashion we decided to finish off the Bike and Triathlon season in spectacular fashion with one of our busiest periods of racing yet this year.   First off was race 4 of the 5 week Wednesday evening races of the Fall Flash Series at the Prairie City SVRA.  I raced fairly well, and felt really strong, during the first couple laps it felt like the rest of the experts were holding something back.  Keeping in mind the MTB stage race (see below), I pretty much shut it down on the fourth lap.  I still finished in 5th place in the Single Speed Expert category, as I had the week before, but I was much closer to the front. I had raced more conservatively, knowing that I had a busy weekend ahead. 

With Wednesday’s night race behind me I turned my attention to an event that had captured my interest from the moment I first read about it, the Folsom Cyclebration MTB Time Trial.  The idea of a MTB time trial really appealed to me, and the fact that it was being run on a trail I used as a regular lunchtime ride while I was at my previous employer made me think it was an event that I could really do well in.  The course was pretty flat, so I a big would be called for.  I’d been running a 34x16 setup at Prairie City and that was my steepest gear so I stuck with it.  In retrospect, I could have gone even bigger, live and learn I guess.  I started as the second SS Expert, and was able to catch the person in front of me pretty quickly. I  took the tricky "Rabbit Hole" course option slowly but cleanly, rode hard and managed to finish in 18:01, which seemed like a pretty decent time.  The next guy up, however, came in at 17:51, then the guy after him was 17:41.   I sat in third until the very end, when a late entry pulled out a 16:34 and blew out everyone.  Ah well no podium, but it was still a blast being able to ride those trails so quickly. 

The next day was the Saturday and Team Denison was splitting up to attend different events.  Kyle and Shane were doing the TBF Kids Series Championship, and I would be attending stage 2 of the Cyclebration MTB Stage Race at Granite Bay.  Since I was entered in the Expert Single Speed category, I would be doing four laps of the 7+ mile course.   The weather was warm but not too hot and I was feeling pretty good so I was hoping for a good result.  I started the race and was somewhere around 3rd or 4th place when I took a wrong turn and had to backtrack to get back on course.   I rode the rest of the first lap pretty cleanly and fairly aggressively and managed to pass back up all those who passed me up when I made my navigation error, the leaders, however were long gone.  I spent the next 2 laps working hard to maintain my position, but towards the end of lap 3 I started feeling a bit bonked and was getting worried because my water bottles were getting a bit low.  Lap four turned into a sufferfest when my legs started cramping up and I had to get off the bike a couple times.   On the second and worst of the cramping episodes, they guy riding behind me saw my legs cramping up and said something like "Oh… your legs!", both of my hamstrings had contracted into two quivering tennis ball sided masses on my legs and there was nothing I could do but stand there biting my bike seat.   I managed to recover enough to finish the lap and ended up 5th of 6 on the day and 4th of 5 for the stage race.   Not the best result but it was an adventure.

Kyle and Shane both raced pretty well Saturday.  Though I didn’t get to see the race myself, Shane swam well as usual, but still hasn’t figured out how to ride quickly and was last after the bike.  A good run let him close much of the gap, and he finished the race in a pretty respectable 36:04.  Kyle had a fairly solid all around performance, with a decent swim, a good bike, and an excellent run.  Kyle’s efforts were good enough to earn him 5th place.

The next weekend, the 20th and 21st, was also a busy one with Shane swimming Saturday and Sunday and John running a cross country race on Saturday.  Shane’s freestyle looked pretty good in warm-ups, and sure enough he had a best time in the 50 free.   His butterfly seems to have lost a step since championships, but it was still good enough to earn him 6th place overall.

John is still figuring out cross country racing and is starting to work his way up the pack.  Its pretty encouraging and I think that with some practice and a lot of effort he could turn into a pretty solid performer.  It’s a long season and it will be interesting to watch him develop, hopefully one of these weeks I’ll be able to make it out to a race so I can see him run for myself.

It’s been a really busy time of the year for Team Denison.  We’re starting to wind down now finally for some much needed recovery time.  John and Shane are still racing but the rest of us are already starting on our off season training plans and what our plans for next year will be.  Stephanie is going to be doing the California International Marathon this year and I’m considering it too.   Watch this space and see what happens.

Another hot one, though not double points hot.  Big Rick said it was 99 degrees, but it didn’t feel quite that bad to me.   Kyle and I took a warm-up lap and we were generally  having a good time, but when we were taking the big descent for the day I crashed pretty hard.  I got a nice case of road rash on my right arm and hip and knocked my handlebars sideways. Kyle called the course for the day the "Prairie City Special" because it had a bit of everything.

After my crash I rode pretty conservatively and didn’t have that great of a result, maybe 4th or 5th place.   Anyway, it was still a fun ride and as usual I’ll be back for more fun on the 10th.