Chilly Cheeks #2 will be a fun and unique race. After completing a 1.5 mile run on paths and roadways in the park, you will mount your bikes for a single lap around the 3.6-mile paved loop. Next, you will do a 2.5 mile run, then mount your bikes for 2 laps of the 3.6 mile loop. Finally, you will rack your bike and run 50 meters to the finish line.
The above course synopsis was copied directly from the website. This little gem of a race was pretty convoluted and certainly "unique" with four transitions in a two sport race.
This race today would have been pretty nice....had it not snowed about 10" on Monday, leaving the bike portion not the obstacle I feared it would be, but rather the 2nd running leg purely treacherous, which caught me off-guard and my running feet unprepared.
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But I guess that's to be expected with a race series such as this in the middle of winter in Denver; you can pretty much count on the weather being fickle so you just make the best of a situation as you can.
And I did.
As I told my friend, Jim, at the end of the race today: At least we got out there and pushed ourselves to do something we wouldn't have done had we gone out for a simple run on our own. And THAT makes it fun. He definitely agreed.
So here's a few special highlights along with some little facts I learned in DU #2:
- Super-fit tri geeks not only have 20K tri bikes, they additionally have 20K fat tire bikes.
- 20K tri bikes will spin out when going around an icy curve.
- I may, or may not, have secretly thought it was kind of funny when I saw a cocky tri-dude wipe-out.
- I definitely wished no one was seriously injured, especially when I saw not one, but two ambulances.
- My 4000 lb mountain bike ROCKED on the snow and ice. Not even one tiny slip.
- Wearing a bike helmet while running, even if it is for 1.5 miles, looks ridiculous (how many microseconds does it take to put on a helmet?).
- Wearing a male Speedo-type swimsuit bottom with cow prints on it will get you mocked at. Even if you are uber-fast and come in 3rd place overall.
- Wearing a solid colored Pepto-Bismol-pink one-piece tri suit with green and white stripped compression socks is totally stupid, male or female, but especially male. And btw, dude, you are NOT fast, you shouldn't be drawing attention to yourself so badly.
- Honey, just cuz you wear your 2008 Boston jacket, you are no faster than me (and therefore most, for that matter) in a duathlon. In fact, I beat your ass in the run AND the bike.
- Running a 7:30 min/mile pace is great on a non-icy road.
- Running a 10:00 min/mile pace on hard, footprint-crusted, ankle-turning ice is freaking incredible!
- My Brooks Launch running shoes make excellent ice skates.
- Never. Thought. I'd. Be. So. Relieved. To. Be. Done. Running. And. Riding. My. Bike.
- Made Jim swear next race we check out the trail conditions prior and wear treaded trail shoes, if similar conditions warrant it.
- My girl-bits were not screaming so loudly on the bike this round, despite not wearing any padding. I couldn't believe it. Definitely a highlight of the race.
- I think all my glute work in the gym, and that crazy Manitou Incline running over winter break, is starting to pay off slightly - I felt great on the uphill cycling sections.
- Getting off a bike and forming some semblance of a run is comical. Who put the 100 lb. weights on my quads????
- Putting in a small amount of effort on the bike can actually reap some rewards (who knew??) - I passed 9 other cyclists this race. Yes, your eyes read correctly: NINE. N.I.N.E!!! Let's recap last race: I passed zero. Zer. O.
- I still bike suck big time, especially riding on a mountain bike in a race filled with tri-dudes on bikes more expensive than my house. So passing 9 people makes you feel like a ROCK STAR!!
- Knocking 4 minutes off last month's time when running on some of the most miserable rocky, chunky ice, and having 3 additional transition zones to contend with, feels AWESOME! (I know that's an overused word, I don't really care right now - it's exactly how I felt). Let's repeat: that's 4 minutes FASTER than last month!
- Hot chocolate and hot Cup-O-Noodles was the best post-race handouts ever!
- Anyone ever get fuzzy sweatpants instead of yet another tech T at a race? I know one person who has!
3rd, and final, race in the series is February 26th. That one will be a 10-mile bike ride followed by a 4 mile run. I'm not overly excited about this, considering my legs took a long time to get moving after hopping off the bike this race. But it is what it is and I will persevere. Just like today!
61 comments:
Hi Jill,
Chilly cheeks sounds like a great event full of adventure and fun! This was entertaining to read:) Never a dull moment....you are certainly doing all sorts of crazy stuff there in Denver! Awesome! Keep up the fantastic work....you will inspire me to get on a bike yet:)
Hugs!
What an awesome recap. This had me laughing from the beginning.
And I learned a new term from Hood To Coast that those 9 people are now considered ROAD KILL!!!! Nice job on that....you are a superhero in my book!!!!
Looking forward to the next race report on how you passed 18 people and improved by 8 minutes.
Keep on keepig on!!!!!
Great job, Jill! I love that you passed bikers! I love that your mountain bike rocked! I love and am jealous of cozy sweatpants! I love that you PRd by 4 minutes! Awesome job!
And hey I ran 10 miles today - most yet and other than my very slow pace in very cold temps it went well!
Awesome! Love it that you passed nine people! :)
That sounds sort of fun and sort of treacherous. BTW my run this morning I was dying of heat. 76 degrees outside. I would have laughed out loud watching a cocky dude fall off his bike. Hopefully nobody was hurt. I definitely like the sweats for a change from the Tech shirt.
Wow, that race sounds like FUN!! I wish they had something like that where I live...
Bwahahhaa! I wish I had seen those stupid cow spot bottoms that dude had on! Why didn't you get a pic of the dude in the pink tri suit??????? That would have been classic!
Way TO GO on knocking 4 minutes off your time!
Good job out there today!
I can only imagine what Cherry Creek was like for running today. Love the sweats.
Maybe I will try one of these races next year. Just not a big fan of the cold.
You rocked it! Go Jill! Loved how you psyched the tri dudes. Funny!
Swimsuit bottoms in the snow? Huh?
This is awesome, and I am today recognizing just how awesome you are because I had my first riding in the snow experience. The only thing I could have passed in a race was the ground! Way to go, Jill!
Great race recap! And congrats to you on a great race!
I love the sweat pants, what a super idea! I am still laughing at the thought of the guy in the pink suit (oh, Pepto pink suit to be correct)!
Loved the post, Jill!
One word about this post and race, "Awesome"!
Bubble Boy
Cute name for a race. Like the sweat pants. I got a finisher sweatshirt after the Houston marathon in 2004, I still think that's cool as 'H''E' double hockey sticks.
Holy Schnike, you did a tri in that weather????? You my runner girl get the award of the year!!
Great race recap! That sounds like it was actually a blast...though chilly :)
You are hard core girl! That sounds like fun - good going beating the Boston jacket chick Yee- Ha!
+1 to Jason. Nice Roadkill! I want warm sweats for a race!!
OMG, I can't believe you biked on the snow, and not once, but twice, talk about being tough:)
I wish more races gave out sweat pants. That would be awesome.
How FUN! I love those fuzzy sweatpants, perfect for your snowy weather! 3 cheers for racing with a mountain bike, sounds safer!
So WHAT's wrong with cow print men's panties? They sound great to me.
Nice job Rock Star. As for your narrative on other people's attire..... I TOLD you that I don't want to draw attention to myself by wearing lime green. You encouraged me to buy it, but gave people crap in this post for such items. I think you were just trying to trick me so you could tease me. Nice.
Really glad to read that you knocked off 4 minutes- in the snow, no less! Woot!
Too funny:Wearing a male Speedo-type swimsuit bottom with cow prints on it will get you mocked at. Even if you are uber-fast and come in 3rd place overall.
My guess is this dude wears whatever he likes with confidence. =D
Great read tonight, Jill
Love those pants - LOVE that you overtook the tri guys talk about showing off and intimidating huh? - and LOVE that you had so much fun. How was the )(*I&^*&%^&*^ heel?
1. Sounds like you have some fashion envy going on.
2. Treksta trail shoes
3. Chris K does not need to wear funny attire to be mocked. It's a generally accepted Internet law.
This sounded like total fun. Now I am not much of a racer but it would never occur to me to ride a tri bike in such conditions but then again the only bike I have is a heavy mountain bike.
Great race and a fun read. Congrats!
That sounds awesome!
A speedo with cow prints on it? Hmmm, that one's just way to easy to mock.
Great job on the race! I love the sweat pants and from your descriptions of the runners I think I'm going to mark this on my calendar and go watch the next one! Sound hysterical!
"My 4000 pound mountain bike"-Baaahhh! Once again thanks for the numerous belly laughs I experienced while reading this post!
I have worn Brooks Launch for over a year. I LOVE them. They DO make awesome ice skates!
Congrats Jill! I'm LOVIN' those sweatpants!
Thank you for finding me again, Jill.
I figured out a little late that I could have just changed my URL. That's typical for computers and me. :/
Also, thanks for posting your run schedule. I dig seeing the details =D! You are on the comeback.
I love pretty much all of your comments, but especially the one where you were secretly happy to see cocky tri guy wipe out :)
Cute sweats!
Sounds like quite the escapade! There's much to be said for 4,000 lb bikes and the runners who ride them--very nice job staying upright in those conditions and PASSING NINE!!!
I loved reading your race report. It actually sounded like a BLAST! Great work!
That is seriously cool that they gave out sweat pants instead of shirts! Great job kickin booty! I wish you got a picture of the people wiping out!
LOVE IT!!! You rocked, and the sweatpants are fantastic. Nice work lady :)
Wow, how fun Jill! I haven't been by your blog in a while (sorry) but really enjoyed your post, so much of it sounds just like what I would write.
I went to a winter tri over the weekend and kicked myself for not doing it, but did do the 5k, and yeah, hardest 5k ever! That snow is deceivingly difficult to run or bike on. You did great!
I'd wear a helmet while running to get those fuzzy sweatpants too. What a great race premium -- and perfect for the conditions you endured. (I'd have secretly laughed at the tricked-out tri geeks too.)
Jill - those sweatpants are AWESOME!! Love 'em. Good job getting out there despite the conditions and new snow. BTW, who in their right mind schedules a duathlon series in CO during the winter?
Great job on your race!!! So funny, WHY were people wearing tri suits, there was no swimming???
I am going to sign up for the third of the series in February, I can't wait! But I do hope that the roads are clear because my mt. bike weighs 500 pounds!
You. Are. A. Rockstar!!! And PASSING NINE people - woo-hoo! Nice job getting out when it is rather miserable out. Have you noticed how gray the skies have been??? Definitely not our normal Colorado bluebird sky. Feb 26, huh? Hmmmm......
Might be fun. :-)
Hi Jill,
Um...I think that you have a bit more than "a FEW special highlights" :)))...nice job!
Just recently found your blog. Haven't made it through everything yet, but a few things of note:
I am another out-of-stater who travels to CA to do trail races, mostly PCTR the last couple of yrs. Beat has been in a few of the ones I have done; in fact, he came in right behind me on one of his undoubtedly bad days (I think it was Redwood Park in the heat in '09). I put the Pike's Peak Ascent on my Bucket List awhile back and decided that 2011 is going to be THE year. I just started my own blog and this event was the first to go on my Adventure List for 2011. So you can see why I kind of "fell over" when I came across your blog. In any case, check out my blog IF you have any more spare time, and I do hope to connect with and "join [you]" on the Barr Trail in August, as per your Manitou Springs Incline post. Have fun, Ann
Awesome! Hey 10:00/min is awesome on ice paths! Cool!
You are quite the inspiration!
I am digging those sweats.
Running in a helmet made me laugh loud.
Cup 'o noodles. Genius.
This was too funny!
sounds like quite the adventure! nice work on a cold day!!!
Every highlight deserves a comment: too funny. I like a lot the 2008 Boston jacket!
I would like to see you wearing the bike helmet while running!
Biking and running in the snow, what an experience! (mission impossible for me).
Well done and AWESOME. The 2008 BM jacket commet is awesome as well.
Too bad you did not have any additional pics - sounds like it was an interesting visual event.
It appears that the chilly cheeks was just what you needed. Again - well done.
Why you gotta hate on Miss Boston 2008? I wear my jacket even though I'm currently slow...
Nice job on du #2 and passing 9 people!
Sweet pants, but "Chilly Cheeks" should have been on the butt!
I'd choose sweatpants over a shirt any day!
nice to know that cross training does pay off, I'm still forcing myself to do it. Case in point, my time on the trainer the other day. My girl bits are still tingling.
I am glad you had fun and was able to laugh at some of the tri geeks
I LOVE your comment about the Boston jacket--SO frickin' true! Not to mention all the IM tatooed folks running around out there. And seriously, a helmet on the run? Hilarious.
Way to do it on the 400 lb. bike and in the snow. Woohoo!
Jill, This is awesome! I loved this post. Felt like I was there! :) Your comments made me laugh and be so glad that this wasn't me in this race. Brrr...and sounds hard! You are a rockstar. Funny about the Boston jacket because I would and still won't wear my Boston jacket to a race...I always feel like a big ASS...ha ha. If I do wear it, I put the hood down so you can't see the Boston marathon 2004 part.
I think it is hilarious to see cocky bikers fall. ha ha. So glad I got to read your post! You posted right as we were walking out the door to go to the beach and were away from all technology! WAy to go Jill!
Great recap! I really like that your bike handled the conditions so well. The sweatpants are the best!
You did great Jill! Loved reading this recap :) Those sweatpants are the perfect souvenir too.
Oh my gosh! Those fuzzy sweat pants are awesome! ALMOST makes me want to ride a bike...
YES!!! Hooray huge mtn bikes. Who is laughing now Mr leg shaver??!!! :)
I love races that you walk away from feeling like a champ... way to go!
Pretty sure I'm not hard core enough to rock a helmet during the run... ;)
And I would love for sweatpants to be the new tech shirt...seriously - what do you do with all those tech shirts? make a tech quilt? i don't know...
what an awesome race...
I am so excited that I get to meet the goddess of running (as you so often are referred to as) in April!
This race has been on my mind for awhile now and as soon as I knew other people were signing up I was in! Crossing my fingers and toes for no injuries before then!
Wow! What a crazy race, you go, girl!
And congratulations on the tougher crotch! ::high fives::
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