Monday, April 26, 2010
1st Race of 2010- Collegiate Nationals Race Day Recap
Upon arrival in Lubbock, Texas it was cold, rainy and windy. Unfortunately the conditions didn’t change much while I was there and race day was a very cold and wet one!
Race morning, I woke up at 6a.m. and ate some breakfast. I arrived at the race site at 7:30a.m. and got body marked. Next up, I set up my transition area and scoped out the layout of swim in, bike out, bike in and run out. I was done by 8a.m. and ready for my pre-race warm up. With the cold and rainy conditions, I knew it was best to have a separate pair of warm up running shoes, so my race shoes could stay as dry as possible. I slipped into a pair of my running shoes and went for a 12 minute warm-up run which included two pick-ups in the middle. The ground was totally flooded and my feet got soaked. I’m so glad I warmed up in my trainers and kept by racing flats in a dry bag in transition.
After the run I went to the bathroom one last time and then it was time to put my wetsuit on. The time was about 8:30a.m and with the race starting at 9a.m., I felt like I was in good shape. While lubing up with body glide, I took my time and really worked to put the wetsuit on effectively. I felt like I got it on better than I ever have so far. I took my time to work the wetsuit up one leg at a time and it felt snug and tight. I was ready! I then started the walk to the beach around 8:45a.m. I think this is where I made my first mistake of the day though. I walked over to swim start barefoot and then stood on the cold sand for about 20 minutes waiting for my wave to begin. In retrospect, this was a TERRIBLE idea. My feet just got so cold! If I ever anticipate race conditions like this again, I will take sandals and leave them on the beach, along with some socks. I know my feet get cold very easily, even in the summer, so I wish I would have thought ahead on this one. Unfortunately my feet killed from the start of the swim.
Well, the gun was about to go off, so I lined up in the first row, right in the middle. The buoy was straight ahead. However, I realized after the start that the lead pack of girls lined up on the far right. So actually, I got trampled on when they abruptly cut over as a pack making a straight shot for the first buoy. I was kicked in the eye within the first 100m and then subsequently dunked several times thereafter. I didn’t panic, but I did swallow massive amounts of water. I then took about 6 to 7 breastrokes followed by 3 to 4 head up freestyle strokes to catch my breath and get the water out. Regrettably, the lead pack was now about 30 yards in front and I lost complete contact. Suddenly, instead of my plans on drafting with the lead pack, I was the one pulling a group drafting off my feet. Several girls were riding in my wake as I worked to chase ahead and try to catch the leaders. In my attempt to close the pack, I used up some energy but was still doing okay. After the second buoy, I noticed my shoulders felt really heavy and that water was collecting on my back. What a way to find out that my new wetsuit is too big. Well, finally I turned the last buoy and actually was able to make up some ground. The draft lane had swung out wide with the waves, but I was able to just go straight in and cut the tangent. Overall on the swim, I never got into a good rhythm but I did stay strong. The water temperature was freezing; I think only 48 or 50 degrees. The swim was actually cut in ½ and ended up appreciating that.
With my rough start; the swim just didn’t go as hoped but I did learn a lot. First, I learned I should have lined up on the outside so I wouldn’t have been trampled. Also, I know realize, if I can’t get out fast enough, in these bigger races there will still be lots of other people whom I can swim with. But for the most success, I now I need to figure out where the lead pack will be coming from and start with them.
Okay, now out of the water and into T1…I didn’t have any problem getting the wetsuit off, but my feet were freezing at this point. I managed to move rather quickly, grab my bike and head out. I started off in the small ring to climb the initial, steep hill. I did get out of the saddle about halfway up the steep grade. Immediately upon standing, I felt dizzy from the cold. I almost felt as if I was going to topple over. This was the first time ever in a race I thought about stopping, right then and there...but I pushed on. I worked hard to stay mentally strong and it did get a little better mentally as I was crushing girls going up the hills out of the park. I know I can climb, however, I do need to work at my ability to push in the flats as the girls I passed in the hills often passed me back on the straight-aways.
Well, as I pushed on, I made the turn out of the park and hit a very strong headwind. I couldn’t get much over 15.5 mph. Another turn brought on a strong and steady crosswind as I pushed on flat stretch of road. I was able to get up to about 18 to 19 mph for this portion and then the turn back into Ransom Canyon, which finally brought in a tailwind. It was powerful and I ended up driving strong in big ring going about 27 mph on the flat portion. I even hit 42 mph as I zoomed down the big hill. I did chicken out as I ascended the next hill and I dropped down into small ring. Still, I was able to once again catch several girls as I stood and climbed out of saddle. ½ way through the bike, cold and numb, I made it to the turnaround and then it was another descent down a big hill. I popped into the big chain ring and pedaled forcefully, hitting 24 mph, gaining momentum heading into the climb that I descend at 42 mph. Mentally, this one was the worst climb of the ride because of the powerful headwind and the long ascent. I did push up it and once I reached the top, I was back into a vicious crosswind. My speed varied throughout the ride, but at times I was able to ride steady around 21 mph in big ring. I worked to stay focused and finally I was back in the park. The last climb was brutal, but once again, I passed 2 to 3 girls on the climb and came into T2 glad to be done with the bike.
In general, I am disappointed in myself for not being able to stay focused throughout the ride. There is no excuse for my mind thinking of anything else other than racing, but with my feet totally numb as early as mile 8 on the bike, I feel like I lost my racing mentality and instead my mind shifted to survival mode. All I could do was think about finishing. I know I will work on this.
So, once off the bike, I was into T2. I was so happy to make it safely back to transition without injury and without flat. With the strong wind, water logged course and cold temperatures; I was relieved to be off the bike. By T2, my feet were so cold that I could not get my running shoes on. By this point, I could not feel my hands or my feet so it was challenging to even get my shoes on. I had to physically pick up my feet up with my hands and shove them into my shoes.
Finally I was onto the run. As I started the run, my feet were so numb that it produced a unique sensation with ever step. After 3 or 4 minutes I began feeling some tingling in my feet and I actually started getting excited to even feel my feet. Unfortunately, that was about as good as it would get. Even though, with the lack of feeling in my feet, I was moving at a pretty good clip. I came through the 2 mile marker at 15:00 flat so I was pretty much ok with that considering the weather and the day I was having. I felt comfortable with the pace, but worried as in my head I had already bagged the plan of killing the run. I was cold, it was windy, I lost my killer instinct and just wanted to finish at this point. And it didn’t get easier. Shortly after the two mile mark, the numbness in my right leg started to travel up to my calf and by mile 3; I reached the turnaround, but now was numb all the way up to my knee. The last three miles were tough. I felt like I was running on a peg leg. It was a shock every time my right leg made impact on my stride. I could not feel the foot striking the ground. My focus shifted completely to just finishing the race. I didn’t feel like I slowed down at all, but never really got into a rhythm. I did stop looking at mile markers and was shocked that my "10k" run took me as long as it did. Thankfully, after the race, we confirmed the run course was about a ½ mile long, so I was happy to know I didn’t slow down all that much.
Once I crossed the finish line, I was glad to be done. I actually went straight to the medical tent to get a calf massage and ice for my right leg. I only stayed there for about 15 minutes. As soon as I could feel them touching my leg below my knee, I figured I was good enough to get out of medical. My right calf felt like it was bruised badly when I was finally able to feel them massaging it. I was hoping I wasn’t injured and glad I took time for the massage and ice. While in medical I also drank Gatorade and worked to get hydrated. Then, it was time to really refuel and I hit the athlete food area. I struggled to walk around, which is uncharacteristic of me after races, especially Olympic Distance Triathlons. I actually felt more like I had just run a hard half marathon rather than a triathlon. My body was pretty beat up. Due to the cold temps and my compartment syndrome, I was really feeling this race.
I took it easy the rest of the day and was glad to get some sleep at night. However, in the middle of the night, I must have finally regained complete feeling in my right foot, because I woke up in excruciating "skin" pain at about 4a.m. Due to the numbness that I experience with my compartment syndrome, I don’t always notice when I have bad cuts, scrapes, gashes, or bruises. Well, I had failed to see the HUGE skin burn that was bleeding badly under my right ankle bone. It was about 2 to 3 inches in length and about an inch in width. This indicates to me that it took 16+ hours for me to regain complete nerve sensation in my leg! This concerns me. Especially since I was in the hot tub several hours after the race and normally I would have felt a skin burn this bad. I don’t remember being phased at all when I got in the hot tub around 4 p.m. or when I took a shower either.
On top of cold and tough conditions, my compartment syndrome made this race much more challenging. I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do next. Years ago, when I had surgery on my left leg, I was informed that the right leg was bad enough to have surgery as well. However, it is not recommended to do both legs at once. So, I opted for the left leg only at the time. I was promised a speedier recovery and it enabled me to continue to pursue athletic success. In hindsight, I think a huge factor in my performance Saturday was due to the cold conditions and how my compartment syndrome reacted. My leg swelled, just like every one else’s does in the cold, but it was just compounded with the compartment syndrome. My legs became so tight and swollen, that I lost feeling. I did learn that if I race in similar conditions again, and I experience a similar effect, or even if I have trouble in better racing conditions, I think I need to strongly consider having surgery on my right leg. I’ve been thinking perhaps I should have the Fasciotomy next winter. I knew that at some point if I continued doing sports, I would need to do the right leg, so maybe now is the time to get it done?
As I look back, I can honestly say, I’m so glad I did this race! It was totally different experience than the triathlons I have been racing in. I really loved being in a race big race with steep competition. The race was big and busy. There were always people around. I wish that the conditions would have been better, but I know I have learned a lot already. My experience will help me improve this season and beyond. I really loved traveling and hanging out with other triathletes for the week. It was an amazing change of pace from what I experience on a daily basis here at home. I didn’t take any work with me either, so I was able to relax while I was down in Texas. It was fun to share stories, good fun and great times with other college aged, ambitious triathletes. Overall, my trip and my race was a positive experience and I am happy that I did it.
Bis Bald
-Darcy
Posted by Coach Darcy on 04/26/10 at 01:51 PM
Coach and Athlete Darcy Wagner •
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Its been a long and rewarding year of coaching both cross country and swimming, but I can finally take a moment to breathe after this weekend. I think I have been coaching non stop since last March. The longest break that I took was the three days off for my sisters wedding in August. Coaching is so rewarding, but can really start to take a toll on you!! The swim team I am helping to coach finished the season at the state championships this past weekend, and although not everyone swam as well as they had hoped, I was still extremely proud of all of them. I know that in looking forward they learned some valuable lessons and will come back hungrier and more experienced next year. I had a fantastic group of athletes and couldn’t have asked for a better group to spend so many hours coaching 
Once the emotional drain of coaching wears off, I know that I will miss seeing them everyday. 
The kids quickly had to shave down and get to bed so we could be up and going to the pool in the morning. The meet is a fantastic opportunity for those high school swimmers who were not selected for the Varsity lineup in the upcoming sectional and district swim meets. For several of the swimmers that I coach, it was their first ever championship meet and they were extremely nervous. I, on the other hand, was extremely pumped up for them. I had seen their progress all season and was confident that they would be dropping a lot of time due to an effective taper. A few of the girls only knew freestyle--without rotary breathing-- at the beginning of the year; so, to see them compete in a championship meet at the end of the year was so exciting.
