Deuces Wild !!

Well I just got back from the Deuces Wild 1/2 IM in Show Low AZ, and it was totally not what I was expecting.

The drive there was absolutely amazing. What should have been an easy 3 hour drive, ended up taking a good 5 hours after stopping a dozen times to take pictures and to take in the views. It was exactly as I imagined AZ would look when I moved here. I kept waiting to see the roadrunner come burning up the road in a cloud of smoke, and Wye Lee Cyotte chasing wearing a pair of rocket skates !! The pics really don't do it justice.

The race venue itself was surprisingly very similar to Muskoka or Peterborough. I really never imagined pine forests in Arizona, but what did I know. We arrived late friday afternoon, registered and checked out the venue. It really was amazing - with the exception of the lake. Although it looked pleasent and inviting, it was anything but. At a balmy 58 degrees, it was colder than Tempe Town lake at IM AZ !!! Needless to say, a prerace swim was out of the question.

After hanging around for a few hours, checking out the sponsor tent, talking with the Skins and Kuota reps, and after Chris had ripped off the local middle school kids for dinner, we headed back to our luxury hotel. Lucky for us, the inside was better than the outside - or the bar attached to it. Seedy would be a minor understatement.

We awoke early on Saturday to pack the truck, and drive to the race site. To say it was cold, is a minor understatement. Even worse, was that neither of us brought enough clothing, and as a result we froze out A$$ off. Lucky for us there wasn't a cloud in the sky and things warmed up quickly. The lake however didn't warm at all.

The mens swim went off at 6:30 am, and was soo cold I began to panic and hyperventilate the instant my face hit the water. I had to really concentrate on relaxing as I was sure I was going to have to DNF if I could calm myself down soon. I managed to get things under control for most of the swim, but had several minor episodes during the swim when I hit cold(er) spots. Needless to say, my time was a little slower than I would have liked, but i had survived, and that was most important. My feet however were completely frozen by the end and had real issues running into transition. Not to mention trying to get my wetsuit off.

The bike started with problems right from the get go. After getting up to speed, I tried to shift into my big chain ring, and nothing. I tried several times before having to get off and switch it over manually. Once rolling though, things went really smooth. I began picking off people one right after another, until the half way point, at which point I was all alone. Not really sure where I was in the race, and with no one to chase, and no one chasing me I found myself getting into a solid pace, but definately not pushing as hard as I should have. I also ended up missing 2 turns weaving my way through the neighbourhood surrounding the conservation area.

Having seen the leaders already on the run course coming into transition, I tried to rush things and ended up leaving T2 the wrong way and had to back track. Not to self - check the course out before the race !!! I began the run as quick as possible affraid I had lost too much time with all my stupid mistakes. I was trying as hard as possible to suck up the pain of my blisters on both feet I got on my last run 2 days before the race. Can anything else go wrong ?!?! Once I hit the turn around at mile 10 and I realized no one was near me - infront or behind - I decided to coast in to the finish. I crossed the line in 4:43:?? in 3rd place overall.

Overall I was happy with my race. It was a solid effort, and much better than I ever expected. And I'm glad the bike section of the race is largest, otherwise Christine who ripped up the course finishing first in the womens race would probably have beat me !!!

Next time I will have to prepare a little better, and iron out the little mistakes if I want to do better in Texas next month.