SAVAGEman!

September 13, 2014

 

 

I had just done the Woodstock 50K the weekend before....so what was I doing at Savageman?                                                                                                                                        Well..... it's a tradition. Every year for the past 7 years I have raced Sav'man Oly-- either by myself or as part of a relay. This year I handled the run portion for Team Zulu Warriors. We had Frank swimming, Nicolas biking, and me running.

Sav'man is my favorite race venue, hands down. I love the lake -- the swim toward Thomas the Turtle and then back to the Swan Boat. The challenge of the bike course is easily matched by its beauty. And the run is rolling hillz--kind of brutal---but in the shade with a nice off-road section that takes you up a steep hill toward a fire tower.

The downside - it rained the whole time. Not a downpour, just a dreary drizzle that added an extra chill to the race. The upside - Team Zulu Warriors wasn't about to let a little rain get them down! We ignored the rain and just got 'er done!

Frank cruised through the swim and then Nicolas bagged the bike, brutal hillz and all, no problem. Notice how he's the only one smiling and looking pumped in this pic? That's right, TZW may not have podium'ed but we rocked the mental game!

And-- TZW had its own official cheer crew! Apparently, Frank's sister pioneered the Flip Chart Cheer Method - brilliant! How is it that other Z cheerers haven't thought of this? Not to mention the fact that she had our hippie-cool nicknames down!

Eventually it was time for Righteous Pony to run. Run, yes, but rein it in? For sure.  Sav'man wasn't an "A" or even a "B" race for me, but a mere "C" following a rogue "B." I needed to take this one easy. Can Lake 50K was one month away. No need to crush this thing!

You know how this story goes:  She starts running and gets carried way. The easy pace plan goes out the window as soon as she leaves transition. She thinks maybe she can PR the Sav'man run, what with all the speed work she's been doing, so why not go for it? So...go for it, she does.  She smashes her Sav'man PR and finishes with energy to spare! You can't rein in the Righteous Pony!

And that's a wrap for the Zulu Warriors! Another Sav'man in the books.