Wildflower Pt. 1
Yesterday was kind of awesome. I raced the Wildflower Long Course triathlon, I am basically pleased with my race - I saw improvements in every single area, including transitions - but I am pretty sure that my results weren't as good as I'd hoped they would be relative to other racers. I had a 7 hour drive home by myself yesterday after the race, so I didn't stick around for results and they don't have overall results posted on the internet yet. So, I'm not going to get all psychoanalitical on the blog just yet when I technically don't even know how I did.
INSTEAD, I'll share with you some thoughts I had during my 12ish hours of solitude yesterday (5ish hr race plus 7ish hour drive with mostly no cell reception)!
1. Highway CA-25 between Bitterwater and Hollister is pretty much the prettiest 40 miles of road I have ever driven. Right up there with Highway 1 in terms of scenery and twisty rolling fun-ness of the road, but superior in terms of how many other people are on the road. There was no one out there, on either day I drove it. It was great.
2. I missed Greg this weekend for both moral support reasons and convenience reasons (pros and their girl/boyfriends get *significantly* better treatment than thecattle amateurs), but the good news out of it all was that I spent a ton of time with one of my best friends from San Francisco, Jaffa. We had so much fun. Also after the race when he was all changed into fresh clean clothes but I was still in my sweaty soaked race kit because I'd forgotten a change of clothes, and I started to cry because I am prone to crying, anyway he gave me a big hug and let me get him all gross with sweat and tears and then he let me wear his spare t-shirt which I also got all gross with sweat and grossness, AND after that he carried my backpack for me, so his back got all sweaty in addition to his front that I had already gotten sweaty. This is the definition of a true friend.
3. I need a third hand so that I can carry visor and race belt and gels AND sunscreen out of T2. I got burnt to a fricking crisp, despite 3 applications of sunscreen in the morning. There has to be a solution.
4. Wildflower is to Triathon as Sea Otter is to Cycling. Both have a ton of people camping for the race weekend. Both have big vendor expo areas. Both make you park on top of big steep hills and race at the bottom of them so you have to trudge all the way back up the steep hill after your race with all your crap. Both have uncanny amounts of dirt and dust everywhere. Both have limited/no cell reception. Both charge you an arm and a leg for the privelege of leaving blood, sweat, and tears all over their courses. Neither gives you anything in the way of shwag or food in return, and since I am a big fan of free prizes this bothers me. Both attract tons of people, which is super cool from networking and hearing-random-friends-from-your-high-school-cheer-for-you standpoints (this seriously happened to me yesterday, I hadn't seen Suzette since 1996 and there she was shouting "Go Courtenay!" on the swim ramp?!?!?! Cool!). Both are SERIOUS MOB SCENES that foil even the best of logistical masterminds.
The only differences I can think of are that Wildflower has more shade (Sea Otter has exactly none) and that Wildflower (like all Tri-Cal races) pummels you with all kinds of religious stuff that amuses me mainly because I just don't associate racing with church. They have God rock playing over the loudspeakers, pre-race prayers, and signs about Jesus and Salvation all over the bike and run courses. They might have had scriptures on the swim buoys but since I didn't spend much time grasping/hiding behind buoys yesterday, I wouldn't know.
Anyhow, I realize that this comparison will resonate with the 3% of my readership that has been to both events... but since approximately 90% has been to one or the other of these two events, maybe now you can each get an idea of how it is for the other half?
Also, if I had to choose between the two events, I'd choose Wildflower. No question. The course is fantastic, competition is top-notch, and I met lots of cool people. I can't wait for next year! And I really can't wait until my next race in two weeks (and my next half-iron distance race, in June! Woohoo!)
OK more later!
INSTEAD, I'll share with you some thoughts I had during my 12ish hours of solitude yesterday (5ish hr race plus 7ish hour drive with mostly no cell reception)!
1. Highway CA-25 between Bitterwater and Hollister is pretty much the prettiest 40 miles of road I have ever driven. Right up there with Highway 1 in terms of scenery and twisty rolling fun-ness of the road, but superior in terms of how many other people are on the road. There was no one out there, on either day I drove it. It was great.
2. I missed Greg this weekend for both moral support reasons and convenience reasons (pros and their girl/boyfriends get *significantly* better treatment than the
3. I need a third hand so that I can carry visor and race belt and gels AND sunscreen out of T2. I got burnt to a fricking crisp, despite 3 applications of sunscreen in the morning. There has to be a solution.
4. Wildflower is to Triathon as Sea Otter is to Cycling. Both have a ton of people camping for the race weekend. Both have big vendor expo areas. Both make you park on top of big steep hills and race at the bottom of them so you have to trudge all the way back up the steep hill after your race with all your crap. Both have uncanny amounts of dirt and dust everywhere. Both have limited/no cell reception. Both charge you an arm and a leg for the privelege of leaving blood, sweat, and tears all over their courses. Neither gives you anything in the way of shwag or food in return, and since I am a big fan of free prizes this bothers me. Both attract tons of people, which is super cool from networking and hearing-random-friends-from-your-high-school-cheer-for-you standpoints (this seriously happened to me yesterday, I hadn't seen Suzette since 1996 and there she was shouting "Go Courtenay!" on the swim ramp?!?!?! Cool!). Both are SERIOUS MOB SCENES that foil even the best of logistical masterminds.
The only differences I can think of are that Wildflower has more shade (Sea Otter has exactly none) and that Wildflower (like all Tri-Cal races) pummels you with all kinds of religious stuff that amuses me mainly because I just don't associate racing with church. They have God rock playing over the loudspeakers, pre-race prayers, and signs about Jesus and Salvation all over the bike and run courses. They might have had scriptures on the swim buoys but since I didn't spend much time grasping/hiding behind buoys yesterday, I wouldn't know.
Anyhow, I realize that this comparison will resonate with the 3% of my readership that has been to both events... but since approximately 90% has been to one or the other of these two events, maybe now you can each get an idea of how it is for the other half?
Also, if I had to choose between the two events, I'd choose Wildflower. No question. The course is fantastic, competition is top-notch, and I met lots of cool people. I can't wait for next year! And I really can't wait until my next race in two weeks (and my next half-iron distance race, in June! Woohoo!)
OK more later!
Labels: enjoy the blog, random, sea otter, wildflower
posted by Courtenay at 5/04/2008
6 Comments:
Congrats! Can't wait to read your report - great job yesterday! Hey - no worries about the crying... it happens to me after races as well. Just something about the emotion and the pure exhultation of the sport.
sorry about missing greg - he missed you too (I could tell by his blog). It'll be all the more special when you see him again! :)
Hey Court,
I was sending good thoughts your way on my bike ride yesterday morning. I couldn't wait to get home today and read all about how it went.
I loved your description of WF, which I thought was spot-on. Though for me...even though I do like the course itself and seeing random people from high school (that happened to me last year!)...all those other things annoy me to no end, and it's for that reason I don't bother with it anymore.
What's funny is that I remember thinking "why the hell is all this God/Jesus stuff everywhere? I don't get it." I never realized it was a Tri-California thing (guess I never even noticed the pre-race praying...I'm often in my own world pre-race, so I'm not surprised).
Anyway, great job out there. I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself in spite of missing Greg.
Oh and re- sunblock, what brand do you use? I swear by Kinesys. I know I have the half-Mexican blood on my side to help with some skin pigment, but I still burn under that kind of sun. Still, Kinesys seems to stay on even after the swim.
GOOD JOB!!! CONGRATS!! Look forward to hearing more...
S
congrats! i'm glad it went well
your friend sounds awesome :) and maybe you need one of those super super cool belts fo getting out of T2
I actually liked sea otter alot better. i just felt a little let down by wildflower, it was so talked up and everyone kept going on and on and on about how awesome it was. but maybe thats cause i was sick and didnt finish the race so im projecting. hmmmm
About the sunscreen... Ben is sponsored by.... http://www.hicsuncare.com/ and swears as white as he is never gets a burn (as long as he remembers to put it on).
I go to races for the free schwag too and I was let down by the lack of swim cap in my registration bag, I mean no gel is one thing but NO SWIM CAP!! Or and food, seriously feed the athletes and they will come back!!
Great race! Marty and I were out there in 2001, I did the OD and he did the half. We are so not campers that we drove from San Luis Obispo each day. It was a fun time, though.
thanks for all the comments!
kelly it's funny, i liked wildflower better. i felt totally let down and FRUSTRATED by sea otter all 3 years i went. at the point the only thing i prefer about it is that i know way more bike racing people (but that will change) and everyone in the race is a way better bike handler than all the people i passed on saturday (that will only change when i am good enough to start at 8:05 rather than 9:15)
sarah, i am an expert at identifying god-rock. that actually annoys me more than anything else, i still have the stupid songs in my head. it's easier to ignore the praying and the scriptures. on the plus side, everyone involved with the organization is incredibly nice and friendly!
as for the sunscreen... jaffa says my problem was that i kept pouring water on myself on the run. i also forgot to put sunscreen on my hands which was dumb! so i am thinking this was a case of operator-error.
as for the driving back and forth, i actually didn't mind that. it's such a pleasant drive! the tromping around at the race was killing me though. bri you should come back next year and we'll not-camp together!
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