Course and Elevation Profile
This was a fun ride. Proceeds go to the children's developmental disability hospital in Norman. There was a HUGE crowd, we even started a bit late because they were trying to find parking for people. So if you choose to do this one, definitely get there early. Police escort for the ridiculously fast. There were quite a few cops out for traffic control. They weren't at every intersection, but there were quite a few and at the ones that were dearly needed.
I have to say, unfortunately, we got to see how well the emergency dispatch in Norman works. There were three wrecks. One due to a water truck wetting a road, another I missed, it happened behind me, and a third which was pretty severe around a sharp turn. The first wreck had a cop already on scene. We passed the ambulance and fire truck only a mile down the road flying in the direction of the bad wreck. So bravo to Norman for responding so quickly.
Okay, there is a reason it's called the Norman Conquest, Conquer the Hills and Conquer the Heat. There are hills, really, hills. You want to be ready for them or they will serve you your rear. I rode this course a couple times last fall and it's hard when you're starting out. Be prepared!
Rest stops were well placed. The bananas were kinda green unfortunately, but the oranges were good. Water, gatorade, no pickles though... I was kinda disappointed in that, most long rides have pickles.... They made up for it at the end. There was a wonderful spread of fantastic food, by far the best catered event I've been to.
I was going to do 68, but my buddy I was riding with decided she'd had enough so we cut it short. I'm glad I rode with her, I would have pushed and tried to see how fast I could do the 66 and probably been miserable at the end. This was a very enjoyable ride. I've ridden these hills before and whined the ears off a couple of my friends in the process. This time the hills didn't seem bad at all, I stayed in high gear for most of them. I guess Meers was good for me :) I do like the tshirt, it will be a comfy lounge around the house in the fall shirt. I will probably do this ride again.
Du Draper Twice On Road Duathlon
3:15:51.3
14 of 17 females
1 of 2 age group
55:40.7 1:26.8 1:44:09.1 1:12.0 33:22.8
Course and Elevation Profile
Course:
Run, a bit deceptive.... it's not really hilly... but the slope going out of the marina is a tiny nasty little hill.... not sure if it's the gravel that made it feel that way, but it was an unpleasant little hill, other than that just a rolling course, not flat, but I wouldn't call it hilly. 5K course, two laps for the 10K. In case you didn't catch that a stretch of the course is gravel.
Bike, speaking of nasty little hills. There was one hill that was unpleasant on the bike. I'm a wimp what can I say? Don't get me wrong it wasn't awful, but I really do not like hills. Beyond that one hill though it was not bad at all, mostly flat... ish. I hate to say flat. If you are from around here flat is Hefner, which has I think a 3 foot elevation change. That is flat, but if you are not from around the city, then I'm sure this course would be considered flat, minus that one hill. One lap for the short course, two for the long.
Pros:
Plenty of water! Three water stops on the run, so you got to hit the water stops 8 times. There was one water stop for the bike too, which was nice. Very useful, especially on a day like this!
Run course was well marked, had no problems figuring out where to go.
Food! Lots of food at the finish!
First prize was a hat :) Very cool.
Ice baths! So wonderful, exactly what I needed at the end of this!
Cons:
Bike sticker.... you want me to stick that on my bike? Seriously? And then not even have anyone around to check it when I take my bike out of transition.... seriously? It was a name tag sticker, like you wear at some lame reunion. I have scrubbed my bike for 15 minutes and I still haven't gotten all the goo off it.... not happy....
The bike course could have used a marker to tell people to go south on post. I knew where to go, but the bike ahead of me paused for some time trying to make a decision where to go. On the second lap the cop car had moved into a position that pointed people in the right direction.
Personal:
I always feel better if I know people at the event. This was one of those lucky days. A few of the OCCC crew were there. A couple people I'd met the day before at the off road race were there. One in particular, had volunteered the day before and gave me grief about my vibrams, jokingly telling me I should wear some shoes (ha... ha....). In fact every time we passed each other during the 10K he kept telling me to put on some shoes.
My knee still hurt from the trail run the day before, I picked up a light weight knee brace the night before and wore it during the entire race. I also had some pain killers before, just in case. I told my husband that a DNF was possibly in my future. I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure that didn't happen.
I wore my vibrams thinking, if my runs turn into walks, the cement is going to get very hot. I am glad I did since part of the course was gravel, not small gravel either. Large rocks and lots of them, on a slope. That was the only time I walked in the 10K was up the gravel hill, wasn't worth possibly hurting myself. The 10K is a new PR for me by two minutes and on a harder course too. The knee ached a little in the beginning, but by the time I started my second lap it had stopped complaining. I realized in the second lap that I wasn't feeling sweat around my glasses like I always do. They are cheap sunglasses, I have to constantly wipe my face or they slide off due to all the sweat. I thought maybe the overcast and the water I'd been pouring all over me must be keeping the sweat at bay.
I took an extra bit of time in transition. I unvelcroed my vibrams which I didn't need to do. I fiddles with my bike shoes longer than necessary. I just needed a breather. Off I set, across the mount line, first shoe in... clatter, clunk, click, click... wtf? I pedal up the hill wondering what all that noise from my gears was about. As I get onto the main road, it became apparent. I couldn't shift to high gear... I begged and pleaded with her. I changed from high to low on the cassette, even reached down while riding trying to push the front derailleur over... cursed at her.... nothing worked. I finally jumped off and forced the chain up, but it slipped off a couple of miles down the road.... so there I am in granny gear..... trying so hard to catch any women I could cause since I finished the run next to last of women. I did catch some, but I found the entire bike leg to be frustrating, I know I could have averaged 18. I could have taken 15 minutes off. I know I could have, there were more than a few times I just topped out and I cursed and yelled at the damn bike. By the end of the second leg though I had made peace with it, until Glen passed me..... oh hell no.... that's not gonna fly..... new goal, forget passing women, pass Glen.
Nearly to the end of the bike, I missed the water stop, the guy was trying to help the runners and I wasn't going to stop while he came back to my side of the road. It's about then that I realize, I still don't feel sweat on my face. I reached a couple fingers into my helmet and felt a a bit damp, but definitely not the normal amount I'm used to. I started to freak out a bit, I knew that was a sign of something, maybe too much salt? I had been choosing the junk drinks instead of water today since I knew it was going to be really hot by the end.
I mentioned to a few people as I went out for the last leg that I didn't think I was sweating. One said I needed more water, I complied and asked her to pour 5 or 6 cups on me. Another sent EMSA after me, which was nice, they gave me a bottle of water, but I told them I was determined to finish this race. I did a lot of walking in the last 5K, it was hot, nearly everyone was walking.... but not Glen..... I still had a goal. I poured water all over myself and set out to catch him. At the turn around he told me he'd worked too hard to catch me on the bike, so I better not pass him. There was another woman behind me, I told her we needed to catch him! Team work, we needed to work together and go beat him! She tried, but she told me in the end she just couldn't find the strength in the heat to catch either of us. My friend Charlie rode up to check on me a few times, I told him I just wanted to catch up to Glen, I had to. He of course rode ahead and warned Glen I was coming :) In the last tenth of a mile I did it! On that sorry gravel road! I did it. He told me as I passed "I told you not to do that." My response - "What can I say you should have taken off those shoes."
14 of 17 females
1 of 2 age group
55:40.7 1:26.8 1:44:09.1 1:12.0 33:22.8
Course and Elevation Profile
Course:
Run, a bit deceptive.... it's not really hilly... but the slope going out of the marina is a tiny nasty little hill.... not sure if it's the gravel that made it feel that way, but it was an unpleasant little hill, other than that just a rolling course, not flat, but I wouldn't call it hilly. 5K course, two laps for the 10K. In case you didn't catch that a stretch of the course is gravel.
Bike, speaking of nasty little hills. There was one hill that was unpleasant on the bike. I'm a wimp what can I say? Don't get me wrong it wasn't awful, but I really do not like hills. Beyond that one hill though it was not bad at all, mostly flat... ish. I hate to say flat. If you are from around here flat is Hefner, which has I think a 3 foot elevation change. That is flat, but if you are not from around the city, then I'm sure this course would be considered flat, minus that one hill. One lap for the short course, two for the long.
Pros:
Plenty of water! Three water stops on the run, so you got to hit the water stops 8 times. There was one water stop for the bike too, which was nice. Very useful, especially on a day like this!
Run course was well marked, had no problems figuring out where to go.
Food! Lots of food at the finish!
First prize was a hat :) Very cool.
Ice baths! So wonderful, exactly what I needed at the end of this!
Cons:
Bike sticker.... you want me to stick that on my bike? Seriously? And then not even have anyone around to check it when I take my bike out of transition.... seriously? It was a name tag sticker, like you wear at some lame reunion. I have scrubbed my bike for 15 minutes and I still haven't gotten all the goo off it.... not happy....
The bike course could have used a marker to tell people to go south on post. I knew where to go, but the bike ahead of me paused for some time trying to make a decision where to go. On the second lap the cop car had moved into a position that pointed people in the right direction.
Personal:
I always feel better if I know people at the event. This was one of those lucky days. A few of the OCCC crew were there. A couple people I'd met the day before at the off road race were there. One in particular, had volunteered the day before and gave me grief about my vibrams, jokingly telling me I should wear some shoes (ha... ha....). In fact every time we passed each other during the 10K he kept telling me to put on some shoes.
My knee still hurt from the trail run the day before, I picked up a light weight knee brace the night before and wore it during the entire race. I also had some pain killers before, just in case. I told my husband that a DNF was possibly in my future. I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure that didn't happen.
I wore my vibrams thinking, if my runs turn into walks, the cement is going to get very hot. I am glad I did since part of the course was gravel, not small gravel either. Large rocks and lots of them, on a slope. That was the only time I walked in the 10K was up the gravel hill, wasn't worth possibly hurting myself. The 10K is a new PR for me by two minutes and on a harder course too. The knee ached a little in the beginning, but by the time I started my second lap it had stopped complaining. I realized in the second lap that I wasn't feeling sweat around my glasses like I always do. They are cheap sunglasses, I have to constantly wipe my face or they slide off due to all the sweat. I thought maybe the overcast and the water I'd been pouring all over me must be keeping the sweat at bay.
I took an extra bit of time in transition. I unvelcroed my vibrams which I didn't need to do. I fiddles with my bike shoes longer than necessary. I just needed a breather. Off I set, across the mount line, first shoe in... clatter, clunk, click, click... wtf? I pedal up the hill wondering what all that noise from my gears was about. As I get onto the main road, it became apparent. I couldn't shift to high gear... I begged and pleaded with her. I changed from high to low on the cassette, even reached down while riding trying to push the front derailleur over... cursed at her.... nothing worked. I finally jumped off and forced the chain up, but it slipped off a couple of miles down the road.... so there I am in granny gear..... trying so hard to catch any women I could cause since I finished the run next to last of women. I did catch some, but I found the entire bike leg to be frustrating, I know I could have averaged 18. I could have taken 15 minutes off. I know I could have, there were more than a few times I just topped out and I cursed and yelled at the damn bike. By the end of the second leg though I had made peace with it, until Glen passed me..... oh hell no.... that's not gonna fly..... new goal, forget passing women, pass Glen.
Nearly to the end of the bike, I missed the water stop, the guy was trying to help the runners and I wasn't going to stop while he came back to my side of the road. It's about then that I realize, I still don't feel sweat on my face. I reached a couple fingers into my helmet and felt a a bit damp, but definitely not the normal amount I'm used to. I started to freak out a bit, I knew that was a sign of something, maybe too much salt? I had been choosing the junk drinks instead of water today since I knew it was going to be really hot by the end.
I mentioned to a few people as I went out for the last leg that I didn't think I was sweating. One said I needed more water, I complied and asked her to pour 5 or 6 cups on me. Another sent EMSA after me, which was nice, they gave me a bottle of water, but I told them I was determined to finish this race. I did a lot of walking in the last 5K, it was hot, nearly everyone was walking.... but not Glen..... I still had a goal. I poured water all over myself and set out to catch him. At the turn around he told me he'd worked too hard to catch me on the bike, so I better not pass him. There was another woman behind me, I told her we needed to catch him! Team work, we needed to work together and go beat him! She tried, but she told me in the end she just couldn't find the strength in the heat to catch either of us. My friend Charlie rode up to check on me a few times, I told him I just wanted to catch up to Glen, I had to. He of course rode ahead and warned Glen I was coming :) In the last tenth of a mile I did it! On that sorry gravel road! I did it. He told me as I passed "I told you not to do that." My response - "What can I say you should have taken off those shoes."
Du Draper Twice, Off Road Trail Duathlon
2:13.47
4th of 12 females
1st out of 6 in my age group!! Woohoo!!
4kR: 27:49.4 T1: 1:10.6 20kB: 1:13:30.2 T2: 0:51.3 4kR: 30:26.0
Course and Elevation Profile
First duathlon and first off road bike race, so take my opinion for what it's worth since I have no point of reference.
Run course, had a couple of steep inclines, but nothing too bad. There is one very rocky descent that tripped me up a bit. I did see one guy fall.
Bike course, very easy, no big obstacles, just a winding path with a couple of good straight aways, there were also a couple fun jumps but easy to avoid if you wanted to. Definately beginner friendly.
Pros:
Plenty of water stops, two on the run, and one of the three loop bike. I will not complain about water this time! Can you believe it??
Very friendly people running it.
Easy bike course, mostly easy run course.
I got a hat for winning my age group... Nice :)
Food!! Glorious food at the finish! Watermelon never tasted so good!
Cons:
Bike - They assumed everyone could follow the green arrows.... eh, I was lucky I rode this course four times in the last two weeks. There were a few places people could easily (and did) go off course. To make matters worse the trail was marked for a crit from thursday night which made things a little confusing. Next time I might even volunteer to mark it cause it needed to be marked.
Run - The run out followed the same path as the bike in... surely this could have been arranged a bit better.... Even if we ran on a non existent path it would have been better than having to dodge bikes. They even said at the prerace meeting that bikes have the right of way.... since when?? Pedestrians always have the right of way. I don't care what they say. I moved off the path for the people running up as I came in. The guy riding in as I was running out was not so polite and I had to dodge him. I feel like there was enough space that definitive paths could have been tied off to allow each their own path.
Apparently the two 5Ks were actually 4Ks. So if you are a stickler for accuracy that might be a problem for you.
Personal:
This race was a lot of fun. I'm sold I want to do a true mountain bike race :)
I was extremely happy with my bike time, especially since I stopped to adjust my seat post, stopped for an encounter with mother nature, stopped twice to be passed, and nearly crashed twice trying to pass (really need to work on that :p). I am sold on trail bike racing... I definitely want to try it again, without the run. The run was hard for me, I'd only run once in the last three weeks. And that was a mediocre run since my dog was getting overheated I walked a lot of it. I rolled my ankle on some rocks. It didn't bother me till the last half mile of the second 5K, I think I started to over compensate with the other leg which caused awful knee pain. I haven't had knee pain like that since giving up my asics a year ago. Shame on me for slacking on the running, lesson learned.
SKUNK!!! In the first lap of the bike what jumps onto the trail!! AHH!!! I came to a hard stop and gasped. Oh pleeeeaasee!! Don't spray me! That tail went up and I held my breath for a minute. I knew people were coming up behind me, so I inched forward slowly which encouraged the little bugger to run, unfortunately it ran down the trail :p I followed it for a while, maybe 20 yards down the trail it decided it'd had enough company and dashed into the brush. I yelled skunk as loud as I could to warn those behind me and moved on as fast as I could.
I could hear people talking ahead of me in the last lap, I was determined to get ahead of more women! I did it! Woohoo! I knew they'd be right behind me on the run. I started walking a lot in the last half mile when my knee started to tweak and sure enough one of them caught me, she beat me by a minute, but I managed to finish a minute ahead of two others that were in my age group. So victory among defeat. The only other two that beat me were girls, 15 and 17 cross country high school students. My body has been through far more than theirs so I don't feel bad about being beaten by them! :)
4th of 12 females
1st out of 6 in my age group!! Woohoo!!
4kR: 27:49.4 T1: 1:10.6 20kB: 1:13:30.2 T2: 0:51.3 4kR: 30:26.0
Course and Elevation Profile
First duathlon and first off road bike race, so take my opinion for what it's worth since I have no point of reference.
Run course, had a couple of steep inclines, but nothing too bad. There is one very rocky descent that tripped me up a bit. I did see one guy fall.
Bike course, very easy, no big obstacles, just a winding path with a couple of good straight aways, there were also a couple fun jumps but easy to avoid if you wanted to. Definately beginner friendly.
Pros:
Plenty of water stops, two on the run, and one of the three loop bike. I will not complain about water this time! Can you believe it??
Very friendly people running it.
Easy bike course, mostly easy run course.
I got a hat for winning my age group... Nice :)
Food!! Glorious food at the finish! Watermelon never tasted so good!
Cons:
Bike - They assumed everyone could follow the green arrows.... eh, I was lucky I rode this course four times in the last two weeks. There were a few places people could easily (and did) go off course. To make matters worse the trail was marked for a crit from thursday night which made things a little confusing. Next time I might even volunteer to mark it cause it needed to be marked.
Run - The run out followed the same path as the bike in... surely this could have been arranged a bit better.... Even if we ran on a non existent path it would have been better than having to dodge bikes. They even said at the prerace meeting that bikes have the right of way.... since when?? Pedestrians always have the right of way. I don't care what they say. I moved off the path for the people running up as I came in. The guy riding in as I was running out was not so polite and I had to dodge him. I feel like there was enough space that definitive paths could have been tied off to allow each their own path.
Apparently the two 5Ks were actually 4Ks. So if you are a stickler for accuracy that might be a problem for you.
Personal:
This race was a lot of fun. I'm sold I want to do a true mountain bike race :)
I was extremely happy with my bike time, especially since I stopped to adjust my seat post, stopped for an encounter with mother nature, stopped twice to be passed, and nearly crashed twice trying to pass (really need to work on that :p). I am sold on trail bike racing... I definitely want to try it again, without the run. The run was hard for me, I'd only run once in the last three weeks. And that was a mediocre run since my dog was getting overheated I walked a lot of it. I rolled my ankle on some rocks. It didn't bother me till the last half mile of the second 5K, I think I started to over compensate with the other leg which caused awful knee pain. I haven't had knee pain like that since giving up my asics a year ago. Shame on me for slacking on the running, lesson learned.
SKUNK!!! In the first lap of the bike what jumps onto the trail!! AHH!!! I came to a hard stop and gasped. Oh pleeeeaasee!! Don't spray me! That tail went up and I held my breath for a minute. I knew people were coming up behind me, so I inched forward slowly which encouraged the little bugger to run, unfortunately it ran down the trail :p I followed it for a while, maybe 20 yards down the trail it decided it'd had enough company and dashed into the brush. I yelled skunk as loud as I could to warn those behind me and moved on as fast as I could.
I could hear people talking ahead of me in the last lap, I was determined to get ahead of more women! I did it! Woohoo! I knew they'd be right behind me on the run. I started walking a lot in the last half mile when my knee started to tweak and sure enough one of them caught me, she beat me by a minute, but I managed to finish a minute ahead of two others that were in my age group. So victory among defeat. The only other two that beat me were girls, 15 and 17 cross country high school students. My body has been through far more than theirs so I don't feel bad about being beaten by them! :)
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