I just returned from the Wildflower Triathlon festival in Monterey County, CA– the first stop in the TriCalifornia Race Series. This was my first Wildflower (WF) experience, and going into it, I knew there were a few things I could expect:
1. It was going to be FUN. In its 25th year, WF is known as the “Woodstock of Triathlons”. The race venue turns into a big triathlon village where everyone camps because there are no towns or hotels nearby.
2. It was going to be HILLY. When the climbs are named Nasty Grade and Heart Rate Hill, that’s a good indication for a tough course!
3. There would be a strong, competitive pro field. Besides having a long history of a premier race with a good prize purse, WF was also hosting the US Elite Long Course National Championships.
In the weeks leading up to WF, I put in some solid training, which helped build my confidence going into the race. Highlights of that training include some fabulous trail running down in the mountains east of LA at Xantusia, where you go to “work your tail off” (with the Girls of SlowTwitch training weekend); the “Cherry of a Ride”, which is a century ride that loops around The Dalles and heads to Hood River, hitting most of our major climbs; and a new swim coach who has really pushed me and made me work in the pool!
When I arrived at the race venue on Thursday afternoon, I checked in and learned that I was not assigned to a cabin to stay in (as I had expected), but rather I’d be staying in a home with a couple other athletes. The bummer was this vacation home was a 15 – 20 minute drive from the race site. It didn’t take long to realize this set up wasn’t going to be so bad after all. The plush vacation home was a great place to relax in comfort leading up to the race. Friday morning, I got in my pre-race swim and bike and was back “home” by noon. That gave me 4 hours of couch time before the pre-race meeting that evening! Although it was tempting, I stayed away from the foosball, air hockey and pool table and just spent the afternoon watching quality daytime TV. Having this downtime was a treat for me, because pre-race day often gets very hectic and the day slips by quickly, leaving no time to put the feet up and relax.
Despite the nightmares of having holes in my brand new tires, I woke up on race morning feeling completely rested and ready to go! I had a decent swim, but didn’t really know what place I was sitting in coming out of the water. I just knew I had to ride like crazy on the bike, because there were fast bikers and runners who would be chasing me down. It was quite windy out on the course, but that I’m used to, training here in the Gorge. And the hills (on the bike course)…I was pleasantly surprised to find those were much bigger in my mind than in reality. I finished the bike feeling great; only one girl had passed me and I had passed a few, but still didn’t know where I was placing wise. Onto the run…there’s no other way to put it…the run course was BRUTAL! I didn’t walk, but I must say, there were some steeps that I probably could have gotten up faster if I would have walked! I did my best to “stay within myself” and just pick off one mile at a time. I had a lot of self-talk going on to help get me through it, reminding myself that it’s a privilege to be here racing at this beautiful venue with such a great field of competitors. I tried to draw energy from anywhere I could get it! The Wildflower Power was with me throughout the day… I crossed the finish line in 5th place, far exceeding my expectations. It was a great day, a podium finish and payday! I don’t do this for the money, but it’s always nice to go home with a paycheck.
WF is also famous for the post race celebration parties, but I had an early morning flight to catch, so I scooted out of there and missed all the fun. My motivation to hit the road was to get home to see Dave…he had been gone for three long weeks, rafting 226 miles down the Colorado River, through the Grand Canyon. He picked me up at the airport, and took me to an amazing celebration brunch at Salty’s, overlooking the Columbia River. Next time you’re in Portland and need to treat yourself, check out the brunch at Salty’s www.saltys.com. Besides the regular breakfast greats, their brunch is complete with king seafood, fruit to dip into the chocolate fountain and tiny little desserts (perfect for sampling all of them!). I rank it right up there with the world famous farm breakfast at The Columbia Gorge Hotel.
Thanks for reading. I’m sorry this got a bit long…there was just so much about this past weekend that I wanted to share.
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