Teva Mountain Games 2012

The Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado are an outdoor sportsman's paradise!  They have everything from kayaking, fly fishing, rock climbing, trail running, to slack lining and more!

Can't complain about racing with this view!

This year I competed in the spectator favorite, Mud Run, and the road bike time trial.  last year I had to fight for the win in the Mud Run but this year ran easily to finish in first.  The mud this year was a strange concoction that felt more like lotion and wasn't very dark or messy compared to the thick mess we ran through last year.  But, they did put streamers over the pit forcing you to crawl through it.

Cruising in the mud run, it was much colder this year  than last year

Mud soaked hair, and mud in my eyes

The crowd actually boo'ed me on the first lap for not getting muddy enough, despite being far out in front! I banged up my knees pretty bad on the next two laps - ouch!

Clean up in the freezing creek!

I didn't really know what I was getting myself into with the road bike time trail.  I knew it was only 10 miles, but that we would be climbing almost 2000ft in that distance, and ending at an altitude near 10,000 ft.  Not only was it challenging for me to climb for that distance, but the lack of oxygen in the air compared to Atlanta was quite evident!  Also, we had three categories to chose to race in:  Open, Masters, and Beginners.  I don't qualify for masters and thought I was above the beginner level.  Little did I know that that put me in the professional category with all the pro-women cyclists!

Profile of the climb (green) My heart rate in red, and Speed in blue.

About the start the time trial

I didn't place well against those fast ladies, 33 out of 34, taking me 46 mins to get up the mountain, where most of the top women were at or even below 40 mins.  However, I would have been 3rd in the beginner category, so maybe that's where I should have been racing.  The first half of the race, I didn't really feel like it was uphill, but once I hit the WALL (about 20 mins in) , it was all I could do to concentrate on my breathing and keep pedaling to get up the hill!  It was a great experience, all the girls were so sweet and supportive on the course.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I look forward to giving it another try next year!

The agonizing climb up Vail pass

Again, making a mistake here with my form on the bike, pointing my toes like a ballerina, more power with the foot flat, heal down.

And if you thought I had a busy weekend, Charles did the Ultimate Mountain Challenge!  This involves completing 4 events in 2 days:  A down river kayak sprint, mountain bike race, 7.5 mile trail run, and the 10 mile road bike time trial I did - all at ~9000 feet!

                

Charles in the 4 events, making it look easy 

The most exciting part of his weekend was the kayaking race.  It was only his 2nd time in a kayak, and the water was about 45 or 50 degrees.  After several spills in the water I think I was having as much of a heart attack as he was, but he can do that underwater exit pretty well!  There was excitement around the Mountain bike race as well when a thunderstorm rolled in minutes before the race started and we had to duck under a staircase with other athletes to wait it out.  It proved to be some good cuddle time to stay warm and the first time either of us sat down to relax in two days.

Several other buddies made the trip to Vail and fared well in their respective events, Gaby in the 13.8 mile Half Marathon ;) , Chuck in the Mountain bike race and Doggy 5k with his best friend Levi (3rd place OA!)  and, Laurie F. and Lindsey M. in the 7.5 mile (uphill) trail run.  Great job everyone, looking forward to next year!

Chuck in the Mountain Bike race and 3rd place doggy 5k winner, Levi!

The boys after the MTB race.

kayak, paddle, life jacket, 3 bikes, 4 wheel sets, 10 pairs of shoes, towels, 3 helmets, bike pump, bag of goodies, beer, - and that's just some of the gear required to bring to Teva Mountain Games

And it takes just a little gear to go to the Teva Mt Games, we somehow fit it all in the car, good thing the man drives a Subaru!  (official sponsor of my team this year, Endurance Concepts).