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October 28, 2008

Best of the US!

What an awesome experience. Sunday night, after the race, a bunch of us got together to eat dinner at a Mexican resturant in downtown Tempe. And as we all sat there, outside, on a warm, beautiful night, eating great food and having so much fun, talking about the race or just about life, I thought "what a great way to end a race" and then "what a great way to end a season." We had all just been racing each other tooth and nail and now here we all were joking and laughing and creating great friendships! What a sport! And what a blessing. I am really thankful to Jerry and Trudy McNeil for creating the Best of the US and putting so much hard work into making it such a success.

Beautiful Tempe the day before the race. Great place for a triathlon! And site of IM Arizona among other races.

So...onto the actual race!

The swim. Two words - short and brutal! At least it wasn't long and brutal! :)

Start of the swim.

Despite my skeptism, the water really was cold enough to be wetsuit legal (68 degrees race morning!). The BOUS was the first wave to go off so we all got in the water about 10 minutes before the start and warmed up and then lined up. And then OFF we went! And then mass craziness. Then lots of kicking. Then the first buoy where I thought I was going to die. Then before I knew it I was desperately grabbing at the railing to the steps to get out of the water!

This swim was a lot like NYC for me. Because we started with the men and just for the fact that it's a championship type race where there are a lot of people of similiar ability and so the swim never spead out, unless of course you are one of those super swimmers up front doing your own thing.

But I can't complain because I literally felt like I just started and there we were making the last turn! That never happens for me in the swim, trust me. :) And when I got out of the water and saw on my watch that it was just a hair over 12 minutes, I realized that the reason it felt so short was because IT WAS short. :) We were all guessing it was closer to 800 meters.

This was towards the end of the swim where we are a little more spread out.

Now onto the bike. I always look forward to the bike and this was going to be a great, fast and flat course. Or so I thought! :)

I got off to a great start and O was telling me I was in the top 15. Top 15 already? Wow!! I figured I would be someone in the 30s coming out of the water so I was excited at my prospects of biking myself into the top 10 and then holding onto that position on the run. At BOUS the top 10 get awards and that was my main goal. Get on that podium!

I passed some girls immediately and then I started to catch and ride around some of women that I knew would be key players in the podium race. And if I didn't recognize them by face it helped that our bike numbers had our home states on them for easy identification! :)

Regardless, just a quick word about the bike course - it was flat and fast as could be although there were multiple (and the course was 2 loops so multiply everything by 2) quick little out and backs where you would turn, go down a road for a block or two and then do a 180 degree hairpin turn to come back down the road.

Well it became obvious very quickly that pack formation and drafting (about 99.9% of which was unintentional and unavoidable) was going to be an issue because in addition to the flatness and the 180 degree turns that bunched everyone up, the course was very narrow throughout the whole race making it hard to get around anyone. Like Clearwater but with many more turns. AHHH!!

Anyway, I truly feel like we were all doing our best to avoid each other and just trying to make the best of the situation while still racing hard.

But then, confusion about WHERE we were going on the course started to set in. Because you see, there were so many cones and so many out and backs it all started to look the same. Now I pride myself on knowing the course well. We always drive the bike course and I study the maps and I felt like I knew where I was going relatively well. BUT, when someone places doubt in your head (like "are you sure we are going the right way?") you start to think "maybe I don't know where I'm going?" Anyway, we had a few of these situations where someone started to go the wrong way, a few hesitated, we corrected ourselves, etc...

Well it was one such occasion where my little crash occurred. We rode out over one of the many bridges and at the end we made a hairpin U-turn to come right back over the bridge. As we were riding back down the other side of the bridge I can vaguely hear someone yelling "turn around, turn around, we were supposed to go straight!" I sit up (AGAIN!) and turn around and notice about 5 or 6 people slowing and starting to turn around and everyone was yelling and there was confusion. Here we go again... So I start to slow and turn my bike ever so slightly when I hear someone behind me yelling "NO, NO, NO!" and then the slow motion of "oh, my gosh - we are going to crash!!!!" It was Kirsten from TN.

I had enough time to move my bike just enough so she hit my back wheel from the side (instead of me) but not enough time to steady myself for the impact. I just sort of toppled over though (because I already had one foot clipped out) whereas she went down pretty hard. I FELT SO BAD. She was sort of in shock just sitting there and I just kept saying "are you okay, are you okay." Oh my. Not the kind of thing you want to happen in the middle of a race!

We both scrabled to our feet and clipped in and rode off. And I just kept thinking "that did not just happen!" But it did, and as I learned, sometimes things happen in races that you just have to put behind you!

Kirsten rode off hard and so did I but the trouble is, I was just working so hard and people kept passing me! All those girls that I had worked so hard to catch on the bike where just riding away. I kept thinking "come on, get back into this" but no amount of coaxing and positive talk was working. Until it finally occured to me, about 2 miles later, that when Kirsten and I tangled, and my back wheel was hit, my brake probably moved and was rubbing on my wheel. Once it occured to me, I started praying that really was the problem!

So I looked around, pulled over (right where O was standing by the way!), clipped out and sure enough, my back brake was DEFINITELY rubbing my wheel. Problem solved!

I was so happy to have it fixed and finally riding back to the speed I thought I should be going! And with my head now back in the game it was time to make up some of my lost time.

Around this time we started the 2nd loop and this time I knew where I was going. Now though, we were starting to encounter all the people from the half ironman that were on their first loop. I stayed very focused though and just rode as hard as I could. The 2nd loop had much less drama. I got off my bike still convinced that I could finish in the top 10.

Off on the run and I can hear Jerry McNeil on the microphone saying "Beth Shutt, one of the best runners in the field...". I had to laugh. I never consider myself one of the best runners because I never have the fastest run split. I know it's my background but still, I'm not one of those people that routinely runs 37-38 minute 10K splits! Still though, today I had to believe I was one of the best runners if I wanted to achieve my goals! I was so determined to be in that top 10!

I saw O about 1/2 mile into the run and he told me I was in 13th place. I could see 12th place right in front of me but then there was a group of girls in front of 12th that I knew I HAD to catch. Unfortunately I could see who was in the pack (or guess who was in there) and I knew they were all good runners!

I caught the girl immediately in front of me and then set about the long, arduous task of trying to get that next group. They started to split up a little themselves and as I got closer I could see Cindi B was in there. So my mantra became "catch Cindi B, you can do this, catch Cindi B, you can do this, catch Cindi B, you can do this..." I was lucky enough to meet Cindi in Dallas and I knew she was a great runner and I knew if I could just focus my energy on pulling her in, she would help me achieve that top 10 result that I so desperately wanted.

Around 3 to 4 miles in (don't know for sure because they didn't have mile markers) I finally passed 10th place so that I was now in 10th place myself! I still didn't catch Cindi but we had passed a few others and I was holding onto that last spot! I also passed O around this time (he was literally ALL over the course and cheering for everyone so multiple people asked me "how does he get to so many different spots?" :) and he confirmed that I was in 10th.

Trouble is, I knew Sue H was somewhere behind me and it wouldn't be long before she caught me, moving be back to 11th. Now this wasn't negative thinking, it was just realistic thinking! Because Sue H IS the best runner in the field. She IS the one who routinely runs 36-38 minute 10Ks. And I knew she would be coming at some point. Sue, by the way, also ran for Penn State (we were never teammates though as we ran at separate times) so we had a few laughs about our old coach after the race. :)

Regardless, right around the time I got into 10th place, sure enough, Sue came sprinting right by. Dang.

So back to the "catch Cindi B, you can do this, catch Cindi B, you can do this, catch Cindi B, you can do this..." because Cindi was still in front of me.

I never did catch Cindi. And after the race she told me she was determined not to let me catch her! But, I did finally catch 10th place. And then, with less than a half mile to go, with O yelling at me that this was my last race and COME ON, you CAN CATCH ONE MORE, I also caught another girl to move into 9th place. I was hurting so badly. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on. But thankfully that finish line came into view and I was DONE!

Towards the end of the run as you can tell by my stellar knee lift. :)

800 meter swim, 31-32 mile bike and 6.55 mile run and I was DONE. (race distances were a tad bit off the advertised 1000 meter swim, 27 mi bike :).

And I was so happy. It was a tough race against tough competition but that's how we like it isn't it? Makes it much more satisfying to know you gave as much as you possibly could.

We all stood around for a while and chatted and I saw my teammate Kristel and no less than THREE people told me I look like Elizabeth when I run. I took it as a huge compliment. :)

And then I found O and his parents and aunt who had come to watch and we celebrated! And I found my PA teammate Rick at JUST about the time when I heard Rick and I had finished 3rd in the team competition!! THANK YOU RICK! (he finished 4th in the men's race so I was the dud on the team! :) And then I saw Vinnie's wife and she told me Vinnie had won! Vinnie is from Morgantown, WV and we had met way back at the first race of the season, St. Anthony's, as we were on the same flight from Pittsburgh to Tampa and we both shared our distaste for swimming... :) What a great day.

Before the awards O and I did a little cooldown jog (where I threw up 3 times because my stomach was NOT HAPPY at how hard I was running at the end and then at how much water I guzzled at the finish line... :) and I have to admit, I started to wonder "what if we hadn't had all those mishaps on the bike...what if Kirsten and I hadn't crashed...what if my brake wasn't rubbing..." But I quickly dismissed those thoughts. Because it's all part of racing. And that's just how it goes. I was so lucky to have been able to keep going. To finish the race. That neither Kirsten nor I was truly hurt. She finished 5th! And was a true class act. I apologized to her after the race and she told me "don't worry one bit - sometimes things happen - that's what racing is." I learned a lot of Kirsten this weekend.

I ended up getting 8th place because Shannon, one of the girls ahead of me, was given a 3 minute penalty on the bike that moved her down to 10th and several of us up one spot.

Trudy presenting me my beautiful award - it's a picture frame and they will be sending us "action" photos from the race to put in it!

Team PA with our 3rd place awards. What we lack in height we make up for in heart! (I'm 5'4" so I'm guessing Rick is 5'5"? :)

So that's my story! From start to finish it was such an awesome experience. It was great to have O and his parents and aunt out there to cheer me on (and thanks to my mother in law for all the great pics!). And great to be a part of such a great race. I'm always so sad when a season is over but I couldn't have been more blessed to have this experience be my last race! And to end on a high note!

Big thanks to everyone for all their good luck wishes and notes of congratulations! You guys really are the best!

Posted by beth at October 28, 2008 7:39 AM

Comments

congrats on an awesome race! way to represent PA and not give up even when things went awry. you're amazing ! and can now spend all of your weekends watching PSU and the stillers!

Posted by: kari at October 28, 2008 10:52 AM

Great photos! What a great story - and race!
You're an animal, Beth! :)

Posted by: Andrea at October 28, 2008 11:34 AM

Beth, What a great race report. I felt like I was riding along on all of those tight turns with you. I am glad that no one was hurt in the crash. Congratulations on ending the season with such a great race!

Posted by: Danielle "Pedergraham" at October 28, 2008 12:09 PM

Great race and report Beth!! The photos are awesome as well- You look so fast and strong. There's certainly something special about BOUS, and I'm so happy you found it.

Congrats on the Team award. I love those Waterford crystal awards. Trudy and Jerry take great pride in making it a top notch event.

Celebrate-Its OFF SEASON!

Posted by: Cathy Y at October 28, 2008 12:47 PM

Congratulations Beth! You are one tough competitor!

Posted by: alili at October 28, 2008 2:04 PM

BETH!
What a great way to end your 2008 season! BOUS is a great race and you did PA proud! Sorry to hear about the crash and I am so glad that you and the other gal are ok!!! Great pics and RR - enjoy your R&R now! WOW! :) TOP 10 at BOUS is amazing - great job!

Posted by: Jennifer Harrison at October 28, 2008 4:47 PM

WOW, beth!
everything about you blows me away ... your talent, your grace, everything. you're such a winner and i appreciate being able to read about your experiences.
you inspire me to race harder and live kinder.
: ) cat.

Posted by: cat at October 28, 2008 5:02 PM

Congratulations, Beth! Way to represent PA! Great pictures! So glad you're little bike crash didn't hurt anyone, and so happy you fixed your brake! Enjoy some time off!

Posted by: mira at October 28, 2008 5:27 PM

Great job Beth!!!! What an awesome season you have had. That bike course sounds crazy!!

Posted by: barb at October 28, 2008 6:09 PM

Isn't there some quote that says something like "never ever ever ever give up"? I think you rocking a bike crash, fixing your bike, and finishing #8 pretty much personifies that quote!!

Um..and can we talk about how you diagnosed and FIXED your own bike!! HOLLER!!!

Posted by: Audrey at October 28, 2008 6:25 PM

Congrats on the race! Glad no one was hurt in the crash and that you made it through strong to the finish despite the brake rub issue. Great season, now you get to enjoy some time off!!!

Give Your PA teamate 5'7'' or 5'8'' at least ...

Posted by: maija at October 28, 2008 6:45 PM

i hope you're resting up now!

I can't believe you crashed and had a mechanical and did that good

Posted by: Kelly at October 28, 2008 7:12 PM

Wow! What a great day Beth! You put up such a fight and kept going even when the chips were falling in a different place than you wanted! That is so impressive and such a good lesson to learn in racing. Sounds like you had such a great time and a top ten finish is amazing at a race like this!! So proud of you!!

Posted by: Kim at October 29, 2008 9:32 AM

Great job Beth! BOUS is one of the tougher races to do top 10 at!

Chris

Posted by: Christian at October 29, 2008 10:38 AM

Hi! I've just discovered your blog. It's a truly amazing story. I really enjoyed reading it. Very inspiring!

Posted by: Ulyana at October 29, 2008 7:42 PM

This is the most fun read ever ever ever!
Love the thinking out loud (thanks for sharing that), the ups and downs and you hung tuff... what a great lesson and so true that keepin' on just makes for a better result!

Beth I am so happy for your season, what a great ending! And that bike photo of you is SOOOOOO good! I LOVE it, you should take the leg photo on the top of your blog off and put your bike photo, it is hot!

Enjoy your off season!

Posted by: bree at October 30, 2008 8:48 AM

way to go Beth!

Posted by: corrado giambalvo at October 30, 2008 12:21 PM