Weekend Race Report: March in Okarche Duathlon + Native Lands Classic

Two, count 'em, TWO wonderful race reports from this weekend! Duathlon: March in Okarche 2015 5k-16 mi-5k The annual March i...

Two, count 'em, TWO wonderful race reports from this weekend!

Duathlon: March in Okarche 2015


5k-16 mi-5k


The annual March in Okarche marks the season opener for the Tri-OKC duathlon race series in Oklahoma; this year, it served dual-purpose as the State Championship race, too. The course is fairly flat and winds through the town of Okarche, while the bike leg heads out on a long stretch of open highway. Since Okarche is located in the flat plains Kingfisher county, this means that the race can be fast, but is open to some brutal winds.

In fact, last year's race became infamously known as the "Death March in Okarche" for its merciless weather conditions: high humidity, searing temps above 90 degrees, and gusting winds at 30 mph made everyone feel like they were running on fumes. It also happened to be my first duathlon, and it was the single hardest event I had ever completed since my first ultra run... So of course I was hooked! (It reigned as the single hardest event until I rode the absolutely epic Wild Horse Century last fall - it is now ensconced firmly in second place.)

Me last year - oh how little I knew! (Still do.)
Fortunately, the weather gods smiled down on us this year and we had near-perfect racing conditions: overcast skies, cool temps in the high 50s to low 60s, plus a light wind from the southwest of only maybe 10 mph. This meant that unlike last year, my disc wheel would not prove to be a burden (for more, check out my teammate's blogpost). 

The fact that this was the state championship race actually caught me by surprise, since last year's event had only occurred a few short months prior in October. I assumed that would again be the case this year. Alas, I was not championship race ready yet! I knew I would have to push aside any state champ goals for this year and just run the race that I had trained for. My "A" game race isn't until later this year in June, and my goal is to steadily build for that. So no overall podium spots, no scrambling for a new race plan, just doing what I came do in this season opener.

Pre-race Jitters

I have been steadily focusing on improving my warmup this season. Adding in extra easy running, plus strides and pace building blocks has greatly helped to improved my workout sessions. So I set up my transition area in plenty of time to head out for my warmup 30 minutes before the pre-race meeting, knowing I would have an extra 10 minutes after to finish shaking out my legs. As I ran, I felt... okay. 

Doubts in the back of my head began to surface: "you're not recovered," "you've been building too much!," "you only practiced this warmup once outside - too much treadmill!" I wasn't sure what to think, except to remember the mantra "trust in your training," and hope that my efforts would prove better than what I felt. 

I headed to the line, post-meeting and post-warmup, ready for the race to start. Greeted a few friends from Tulsa, notably Keith Kelley, a fellow Tulsa Wheelmen, and several folks from the Air Assurance and IsoCentric teams (all from the cycling world), and waited for the gun. 

Heck, if nothing else, this race would have to better than last year!

The Race

First 5k
I set out on the run at my tempo pace. I wanted to be conservative here, knowing I wasn't at my peak fitness yet, and still a bit unsure of the level of fatigue in my legs (I did need to power through 16 miles on the bike and then another 5k). I nailed my target pace, eventually passing by the one-and-only Steve Schlegel on the course, telling him that he was "doing great!" since he took the time to yell it to virtually every other runner he spied.

(Seriously, this guy is an awesome dude and no slouch. Yet he still took the time to shout messages of encouragement at every person he knew. Being the owner of Schlegel Bicycles in Oklahoma City, that's a lot! And even though I passed him here, he actually shouted "you're doing great!" back at me while he passed me on the bike course. I was so startled by this - he was the only person who ever passed me - but I'm honestly proud of him. He nailed it at sub 40:00 at won the master's men - go Steve!). 

Transition
I kicked at the end of the leg and headed fast into transition, happy that my bike was all the way at the other end by the exit. This boded well for me, since 1) it meant that I could run hard until I reached my bike, and 2) since I'm still using my regular road shoes, I have to put them on my feet and then run/waddle out of transition. The bike being almost at the exit helps minimize time spent waddling in awkward cleated shoes. I mounted the bike and tore off, accelerating past a handful of riders before settling into a natural pace... Side note: My recorded transition times were in the 50s range, so not stellar, but considering I usually have 60+ seconds, I was happy-ish. People with 20s transitions - you're not human.

Bike Leg
Now I am particularly proud of this bike leg for several reasons:

1) This marks the first time I ever actually truly used the power meter to my advantage during a race. I'm a little old school. I love to train with power and am endlessly analyzing my data. However, when racing I prefer to simply let the race be recorded and pace myself by feel. I think I tend to over-think things when it comes down to it. This time though, for whatever reason, I found it almost natural to constantly check my power throughout the race. It even helped me. The numbers were good - right in my sweet spot. When I turned around after the first 8 miles I hit the lap button and monitored the power for my second half, still staying in the sweet spot region, and making a deal with myself that I would put everything I could into this second half (second run leg be dammed - it still wouldn't be as bad as last year!). Which brings me to my next point...

2) I actually negative split it! I had had trouble doing this in my previous du's, so I was incredibly happy to see this race tactic back on display! In addition, I was doing so well that I was quickly catching up to the women's race leaders, continuing to pass athletes until the moment I hopped off the bike at the line. By the end of the bike leg, I was probably the third or fourth female back from the lead...

Transition
I headed back into transition (thank goodness for that awesome bike spot), threw on my kicks, paused an extra moment to take another swig of water, and ran down the rows of mostly empty bike racks...

Second 5k
It was to my amazement that I looked down at my watch to discover that I was almost at the speed of my first leg. Huzzah! Fatigue was catching up; I felt like I had almost burned out my quads on the bike, so I was thrilled to find my legs were indeed still functioning. I kept checking the watch and checking my pace, focusing on a fellow in the near distance. As I hit the turnaround point for the 5k, I heard heavy breathing from my left and turned to see a chick start passing me by. "Damn!" I thought, but yelled encouragingly at her anyway "Way to go! Wish I could hold that pace!" Luckily, she only got about 100 meters or so in front of me before I began reeling her back in. We actually stayed pretty neck and neck throughout much of the last mile. Right up until the final 400 m.

I went to kick, but at the same time so did she, and she kicked hard. Like a real runner. I tried to respond, to get my legs to speed back up to sub-7:00, but they were utterly and completely spent. The best I could manage was 7:09 or something like that. She beat me by squarely, ultimately placing me back into fifth overall podium-wise (I believe).

Fin
Still, I was incredibly happy. My hip flexors were killing me (in fact, I think that's the first thing I mentioned when I started texting my coach and teammates), but I ran a really stinkin' good race for me, and I was so, so proud of what I did that day.

And as it turns out I did podium, at least in my age-group! 

Second place AG after Katrina? I'll take it!
Funny story... They began announcing the various AG winners and I listened as they rattled off list of 25-29 year old women. I blanched when I heard the names. I couldn't believe it - none of those had women beaten me! What the heck was going on here?! I hurriedly went off to the race results to find out... only after reading them to realize that I was officially now in the 30-34 year old age group (!) Oh my. I had forgotten that I had gotten older.



Adventure Race: Native Lands Classic 2015


100 miles of wild Oklahoma scenery


The very next day, I set off bright and early (well, early anyway, the sun was nowhere to be found), headed to Tulsa for the first annual Native Lands Classic, a half-road, half-pavement, so-called "gentleman's race" hosted by Tanner Culbreath and Prairie Artisan Ales. 

The gentleman's race was inspired by the rides of Rapha and the spring cycling classics of Europe. It's intended to be unsanctioned, inspired, and to push the limits of traditional road races. It has a penchant for veering off onto gravel roads and inspiring plenty of "Jolly good!" and "I say there," sentiments, as well as hefty amounts of good manners and good will. Okay, I made up some of that, but it seems to be the general gist of things. Teams of riders have staggered stage times, and race through a challenging mix of gravel and road in a largely self-supported effort to reach that finish line. This is the kind of event that I simply call an "adventure race."

At Native Lands, the men's teams were comprised of 5 members and the women's teams of 4. There was also a large gathering of solo riders, who were given a head start of 20 minutes or so to complete the course. These solo riders included the fearless Robin Farina, who not only bucked the so-called "women's" course in favor of the men's, but absolutely crushed it, and was the very first person to cross the line! BAM. (I've had the good fortune to not only meet her on several occasions, but to get to train with her for a weekend. She is the real deal. Down to earth. Thoughtful. Super hard working and very driven. I am always humbled every time I see her, even more so that she remembers me.) 

For the record, I was very not-pleased to discover that the men's and women's teams had different routes, especially more so since I originally signed up for a 100+ mile race, which gave no signs of changing things up for the sexes. The men were challenged to complete 120 miles of road, while the women weren't even given a full century, and had to complete only 94 miles. That being said, I still had an absolute blast and would do this race again in a heartbeat. But I do hope that in the future the women are given at least a 100 mi route. If you wanted to make the race more appealing to those who might be intimated by a full century, might I suggest a 100k option instead, open to riders of both sexes?

My usual buddies who would do this type of thing with me (ahem Kirsten! Sarah!) were both out of town. In fact, almost none of my fellow female Wheelmen, save Tori, could make it to this event at all. So I did the best thing I could think of, and started messaging my friend Laurel of Air Assurance. We ended up joining forces with them, half Wheelmen, half Air Assurance, to end up with a strong team of ladies we called 3P (short for PPP - or Pussy Powered Pedals!). She brought along her teammate Lauren, whom I eventually realized I had already met at a Wednesday night ride years ago (!). Lauren still retained that same wonderfully bright, positive attitude and was a terrific sport throughout. I am ecstatic to see her riding on a team now, and I can't wait to race with her (against her?) again. Laurel I've known since we did the Twilight Crit together in Enid two years ago - she's a class act. If you see her at a race you should seriously say hi. She'll probably offer you some great beer and even better smiles. Tori I've known since that fateful training camp with Robin, back when I was on Bicycles of Tulsa, my first amateur cycling team. We have never actually been on the same team until now, so I've only ever seen her at the occasional race, but she's riding stronger than ever and she has so much to be proud of (and lucky, she's a junior, so she's got a long career ahead of her, too). 

Our team - me, Tori, Laurel, and Lauren - ready to rock and roll.
There was one other women's team registered that day, the fun ladies of IsoCentric. This included Esther (I've known her for what, two years now?), Jamie (whom I originally met at the Wild Horse Century - she was doing the double like it was no big thang), Theresa (one of the nicest ladies ever, and fierce competitor in the du!), and Lori (I really only just met her). Incidentally, Jamie, Theresa, and Lori had all just completed the March in Okarche Duathlon the day, before, too! They absolutely deserve some strong commendations for heading out for a 100 mi race the day after another grueling race. Baller, ladies. Baller.

Team Iso - ready to kill it.
The ladies of Iso had a 5 minute head start. The morning started out cool. I had on an extra jacket for layering, which I knew I could remove and place in the designated drop bin about halfway through the course (hence the pink in the above photo). Poor Laurel had volunteered to be our water mule, and on the first climb the weight of all those bottles became wildly apparent. We slowed and made sure we held a steady pace, but one where we could all stick together. Maybe within the first 5 or so miles we caught and passed the Iso girls and continued on until about mile 20, when we paused for a nature break. The Iso girls caught and passed us there, but after mile 20 the route veered off into gravel territory and we very quickly caught them again, resuming our game of cat and mouse. Along the long stretch of gravel route, before we reached the gear drop, we had the misfortune to get two flats, both of them belonging to poor Tori! However, she was a champ and changed them both fairly quickly, and fortunately enough for us, we spotted no sign of Iso during those breaks.

Tori's mad flat changing skillz just got even better

Much to my delight, the delays allowed the District boys from Stillwater to catch up to us! The passed as we changed our second flat, but at the gear dump we caught back up and got to ride into the town of Hominy together for the single, mid-ride gas station stop.

The boys of District at the first checkpoint - aren't they simply adorable!?
Power socks! For extra POW!
There's that Laurel smile.

Rollin' together post-gear dump. Men vs Women. Mano vs Womano. Blue vs Green.
Plus pavement!

Also this happened... I don't even ?

We spent a bit re-hydrating and re-fueling at the gas station before resuming our merry jaunt. Well, maybe not "jaunt"... it was a race after all. As we pulled out of gas station the Iso girls rolled in. They were not so far behind after all, so we made sure we kept a really tight pace throughout the second half.

At this point, I would dearly love to be able to show you pictures of the roads and the wide open spaces we rode though. Or to somehow get you to better understand what it was like navigating our road bikes and our skinny tires through gravel, rock, sand, and even mud and water. But I can't. We didn't stop for photos and I'm not talented enough to race and record on my iPhone at once. But it was truly amazing. The sun was shining brightly at this point. Our spirits were high. As a team we were jelling nicely, and laughing, singing, telling raunchy jokes and stories, encouraging, discovering Laurel's native roots (lol) and merits of tingly vs non-tingly balls and whether or not it was a good idea for pussies. And sometimes, trying our best not to think of all the free food and beer awaiting us at the finish! We cried on the long, unending climbs uphill, we took joy in the feeling of being free and fast as we descended. At one point, I hit a bump on a descent and most of my nutrition flew out of borrowed bento box, along with my race punch card. Laurel, being the sweetheart that she is, offered to go back, to climb back, to retrieve my things since my legs were spent from the previous days' racing, and only getting worse. She managed to find my punch card and one of my rice cakes, which I am still endlessly grateful for, because at mile 70 I really would have been hurting if I hadn't had it.

Mile 60 and still all smiles!
The entire second half of the race we stopped only briefly twice. Once to retrieve my food/race card and one more time to allow Laurel to knock mud out of her brakes and tires. As we gained on the last quarter of the race, eventually, we began to all tire. The talking and chatting and laughter began to wane giving way to solemn grit and determination as we faced utter exhaustion near completion of our journey.

At about mile 75 we came upon an unexpected surprise. Some volunteers had set up a race tent and had snacks and water and music and smiles to share with us! They were amazing, and I will never forget how revitalized they made us all feel. We were almost there! Only around 20 miles left to go!

The final 20 found us back on paved roads. Hoorah! No more gravel, we thought. It had been fun, and real, and all thing adventurous, but we were happy to see smooth road once again and hoped for an easy ride in. It was not to be so. Tanner had one more surprise for us, that was in the form of the giant climb of Black Dog Hill. While the name did conjure up the familiar Led Zepplin song with its rockin' beat in my mind, it was not enough to help overcome the fatigue in my legs. Our legs, I should say. We suffered through in silence, as a team, from start to finish, climbing what felt absolutely brutal at this point. Not to mention that the calm winds from the race's start had progressed into something a lot more substantial, and were now bearing down on us in the form of a strong headwind. I knew I was just about at my limit. The duathlon the day before coupled with the this day's long race had forced me dig deep throughout the entire day, and I was nearing total depletion. But I wasn't the only one. I could tell Laurel was getting tired, although she was being a champ and taking on the headwind to protect us. Tori, poor thing, was really hurting, as this was the longest ride she had ever done. I was proud of her. She didn't say anything, she never asked to ease up, she kept on going, hanging on to a wheel and never letting up. Even Laura, who seemed to have boundless energy, was definitely tiring, but she might have been in the best shape out of us 4.

No worries though. We soon found ourselves off the Black Dog climb and subsequent rollers and into the flatter part of Tulsa city proper, ticking off the remaining few miles one... by one... by one.

Laurel led the way at this point, knowing exactly how to get us back to Prairie and to the finish line without having to consult a Garmin, map, or sheet of paper.







As we rolled in we were exalted! We whooped and hollered, amazed to find the smatter of riders already sitting there smiling, drinking beers, and sharing stores (this included Ms. Robin). But most importantly we gave each other high fives and hugs on an incredible job well done. We were utterly spent, and almost delirious from the effort and the natural high of crossing that finish line ahead of the other team. We celebrated with all the delicious beer, food, and catering provided by the wonderful volunteers at Prairie Ales and the McNellies group.

And we were rewarded for our efforts with some really boss red flasks and coffee. Lots of coffee! From DoubleShot. Pure stroke of genius, Tanner, genius.







I'm an amateur duathlete and cyclist in Oklahoma. I cycle for the Tulsa Wheelmen and am on the Schlegel-Trek Oklahoma Elite (STOKE) multisport team. My sponsors are in OKC and . You should help me support them support me by clicking on their names and checking them both out! Seriously, they are legit.

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