Grizzlyman!! What an Adventure! ~~Part One

 Many of you know that alongside training for Ironman, I have been training for my first adventure race.  Trying to wrap my mind around two very different types of training has been interesting to say the least.  Going from long miles on the road bike, to short but intense mountain bike climbs and single track.  Long runs, to shorter, steep, rocky, trail runs.  Not to mention all of the other training involved in two different kinds of racing.  So the day finally arrived.  Here’s how it went down.  My first adventure race.

We packed up Wednesday and Thursday night.  Going over and over the contents of our packs.  We were going to use a 3-pack system, dropping off backpacks as the race progressed. First run pack, kayak pack, and bike pack.  So I was packing 3 packs and a duffle of clothes for post race.  I think I may have gone over the packs 50 times.  Concentrating on what I would need for each leg.  Plus getting together my “Race Essential” bag, which are a few small items that are required to be on you at all times. 

Race Map/Passport (provided – one per racer), Compass, Headlamp with EXTRA batteries, Water carrying capacity of at least 64 oz. (can be combined between containers) Emergency Space Blanket, Fire starter (i.e. magnesium block w/striking flint; chemically-treated fire sticks, etc. Matches in waterproof container, Whistle (emergency type: pealess Oar/paddle/flipper powered watercraft Wetsuit or Drysuit, Type I, II, or III PFD, Bicycling helmet, Mountain Bike, Bicycling helmet.>  

We drove over to Missoula, MT and checked in for the race.  We then received our maps showing us how the race was going to run.  Up until this time, we had no idea what our race was going to look like.  We knew we would be running, white water kayaking on the Blackfoot River, mountain biking and doing orienteering and navigation, but didn’t know how long, how far, and in what type of order. Our boundaries were 50 thousand acres of Montana wilderness.  (Not a typo, 50 thousand acres) Can you imagine?  This was a hard pill for this Type-A gal to swallow.  NOT KNOWING!!! We took the kayaks over, blew them up, and staged our dry bags/and one pack. This pack was different from the first packs we would have.  Having things we would want coming from the run to the boat, and eventually onto the bike.  Wet/dry suits, paddle jackets, seal skin socks, helmets, and paddles.  We then took the bikes, dropped them at transition, which was a few miles from the kayaks, along with our transition tub with another pack, clothes, and towels, anything we would need for getting out of the water and onto the bike.   Also, once we dropped the kayaks…they were moved to an undisclosed location.  Another gulp!

 Later that night, we had a race meeting and they gave everyone their passports.  These are the cards that you have to stamp at every checkpoint.  We had 13 checkpoints and 2 bonus checkpoints.  (Checkpoints are spread out all over and miles apart.  They are not always visible from the roads, trails etc, and you have to navigate your way to them with compasses.)  We THEN could plot our courses.  We knew we were going to run 1^st and then white water kayak, after that the teams would spread out for the biking portion in any direction they saw fit.  We had a great dinner that night, plotted our courses and headed to bed to TRY and sleep.  HA!

Checkpoint 

Map after we plotted out course in the Lubrecht 

Coming from the Triathlon world this was so foreign to me.  Usually having ONE transition area, you know where you are coming and where you are going.  Not really the case here.  I lay in bed wondering how this was all going to work out.  Feeling kind of out of control, and nervous, about what the day was going to bring.  But trying to embrace the new challenge, the amazing experience, and allow myself to be ok, with that feeling of not being in control.

6am the next morning we were up and at’em.  Grabbing gear, getting ankles taped up, ATTEMPTING to eat some breakfast.  We headed to the START with our main pack full of our essentials and enough food, hydration, supplements etc. for the WHOLE day.  We could not leave food in the transition areas overnight, due to the bears wandering though who would find all these treats very satisfying. Gulp.  Also in the packs, extra jackets, gloves, socks, anything you “think” may come in handy for any weather.  Because we were climbing some pretty good-sized mountain peaks, you never know what you will encounter.  Luckily our weather was gorgeous, but there was also a lot of snow, ice, and mud on several of the trails, roads, etc. Also along for the ride, Yaktrax, trail gators, trekking poles which we would use on the first leg, 70 oz of H2O, and anything else we could think of, but not too much to make our packs overly heavy. 

When we lined up, and that shot gun blasted (yes, we were in Montana) I had no idea, the day I would be in for.  The amazing adventure I would have, the panic I would face, and the pain, agony, sweat, tears, joy, and accomplishment I would obtain during these next 10 hours of racing.

…continued 

Birthday of Champions!!!

Of all the ways I thought I would spend my fortieth birthday when I was younger, the way it actually played out, was never in those thoughts. I was thinking a big fat NYC shopping trip, maybe some Broadway, or an amazing Vegas vacation, maybe a Caribbean beach bash, or a trip to the Eiffel tower. It’s funny when I was younger and looking ahead to forty, the person I was in those thoughts, also, is not the person I actually am today. Forty seemed old. Forty seemed FAR away. I saw myself in my big beach hat, giant sunglasses, on a beach cruiser. Gray haired, and feeling a little bitter that my youth had passed me by too quickly. HA!! I am happy to report, that forty is not even close to being “old” I am nowhere close to gray-haired, and I am in the prime of feeling youthful. I may not be a “youth” but can probably run circles around a lot of them.
April 2nd, 2010 started with a gorgeous drive over to Missoula Montana. A quick trip into REI, and off on an 18-mile mountain bike ride. Followed up by a quick run up the “M” hill (about 1 ¼ miles) then off into the Lubrecht Experimental Forest outside of Missoula. It was dark when we arrived at the campsite, so donning our headlamps, we set up camp. Tents, Thermo-rests, sleeping bags, and campfire. I could hear the roar of the river just next to us, but the night sky in the middle of nowhere, Montana was so incredibly dark, you couldn’t see a foot ahead of you, let alone, down the riverbank. The four of us gathered around the campfire, started up our jet-boils, for a wonderful birthday dinner. On the menu for the evening, Chicken Polynesian for Greg, Forever Young Mac and Cheese for Dave, Leonardo de Fettuccine for Jeni, and Pasta Primavera for me. All ready in 8 minutes. On the dessert menu was the great Raspberry Crumble for four. And of course a round of hot cocoa’s with Buttershots. MMM!! We said “Cheers” and laughed about the falling snow, and wondered if there was a better way of ringing in the big 4-0?? No way!

                                                        Dave, Jeni & I

Morning broke, and it was cold. Not that typical, roll out of the sleeping bag cold of a camping trip, but COLD. It had snowed though the whole night, with a little hail at the end towards the early morning. I couldn’t wait to get out of the tent to see the river. But then, the thought quickly crossed my mind, that within an hour, I would be IN the river. White water kayaking. Something I had never done. I looked out at the water. Had it been any other day, this river would have looked so beautiful. And it was. Breathtaking. From the bank. I looked up and down, scanning what was lying before me. Huge boulders, white water, “sleeper” rocks just under the waters surface, that at any given instance could send me sailing right into it’s icy depths. It looked angry. I was nervous. We ate a quick breakfast, had some MUCH needed coffee (thank you Starbucks Via) and loaded the kayaks to the put in spot along the river, a few miles from camp. At this point I was starting to have that adrenaline rush through my body. Nervous, and jittery. Shaking from the cold, and the nerves, and really needing a “potty break” but wasn’t willing to climb out of the partial warmth of my wet suit. 

                                               YEP, that's me, freezing my watootzy off!

 So, off we went. Jeni and I carried our kayak to the riverbank, while she gave me a little schooling. My mind was reeling. Thinking, if we flip, make sure I keep hold of the paddle, feet first and on my back. Don’t get stuck in a swirling “eddy” and if need be, hold my breath, sink under the water, and let the rushing current pull me out of drowning danger. The guys put in first, and just seeing Greg and Dave leaving into the water made my stomach flip-flop. Then we were off. Pushing off the shore into the Blackfoot River. Here I am, sitting in a kayak, and I was breathing as if I was at mile 25 of a marathon. Heavy, panting breaths. Heart pounding out of my chest. “Calm down, Paula” “Don’t think about the bad, enjoy the experience.” I tell you, the first part of curling, cold rapids that we hit, I thought I was going to pass out. All I could think about was flipping that kayak over into that cold water. I was in the front, and trying my hardest to see where we were heading, and what we were getting into, while water was rushing all around, and splashing into my face. Jeni was so good at calming me down, and things got a little less stressful after a few minutes. Still, though, I was just into surviving these few miles. It is amazing the force of water. It is fierce. You have to be on your toes, at all times. Watching, carefully what is up ahead of you. Not a lot of margin for error. That water can carry you anywhere it wants. And it was our job to not allow that to happen. Every time we would hit some calm water after the rapids, I would have to start my heart back up, and remind myself to start breathing again. 

                                      Put in for our kayaks on the Blackfoot River

We girls did great! And after a couple of miles I got the hang of things, and then was able to take in some scenery. The Blackfoot River is stunning. The riverbanks at this point still frozen with ice and snow were something out of a movie scene. We finished our paddle at about 3 miles and hiked the kayaks up the bank back to camp.

                         Jeni & I smiling at this point and singing, "Fat Bottomed Girls!"

 My legs felt so wobbly. I was obviously holding them tight in the boat. I felt like I could barely walk or stand. I was happy to be ashore, but loved (eventually) the “rush “of the river. Definitely a wonderful thing for this adrenaline junkie. The thrill of going down that river was intense.
The rest of our day was spent mountain biking, trekking some fabulously steep mountain ranges, running, and navigation.

 The weather was all over this day. And the saying of, “If you don’t like the weather in western Montana, wait five minutes” held true. We had sun, rain, snow, wind, and pounding hail with a head wind on the last part of the mountain bike. By the time we got back to camp, we were thoroughly spent. Bodies were worn. Greg and I broke camp that night and headed home, making a stop in Missoula for Easter goodies. I am sure we looked like zombie bikers, as we hunted for candy in Target.
That night I slept like a baby in my down comforter. Warm. The demanding workouts, plus the mental “fear factor” of being in that river all drained away from me. I woke up Easter morning feeling refreshed, happy and grateful for a healthy body, a strong beating heart, wonderful friends, an amazing family, the beautiful part of the country we live in, the endless adventure in my life, and laughing about a birthday I am sure I will never forget!!!