Race Report...I blame SoWal

Several months ago I posted about the upcoming Coosa River Challenge and asked if anyone wanted to train with me. NO ONE stepped up so really I have to blame SoWal for my performance Saturday. :idontno:
I loaded up my kayak and bike, shoes and shorts and powerbars and headed to Wetumpka, Alabama on Friday for the Challenge, a 3-6 hour adventure race.
In 2004 I completed it in less than 3.5 hours and nearly won the co-ed division if not for a canoe incident that was entirely my partner's fault (I swear ask anyone). This year I had a new partner but I had not been training in over a year and was definitely not as ready as I should be. I met my partner at 6:30 Saturday morning and we were off to the race and I don't really feel very good. I have not been able to eat anything since lunch the day before. Not a good way to start an endurance race.
The gun goes off and we start running through the woods. After 1.5 miles of running moutain bike trails I start feeling pretty yucky so we walk and run the other 2.5 miles to the transition. There we discover we are about 6 from last place UNBELIEVABLE. We will shine on the bikes though, right. I felt better on my bike at first but we got behind this one team who would not let us by. The guy was wobbling all over the narrow trail, running into trees, getting stuck on the uphills. We suffered by having to stop and start many times. We finally got past them but after 1/4 mile I hit another wall and had to get off the bike and sit down. After a few minutes the wobbly guy passed us and he laughed out loud...not very sportsman like, imo. :bicycle:

We passed and were passed by the same four teams on and off over the rest of the 7mile mtn. bike course. We stopped and helped others, told jokes while we rested (my partner was fit and ready but oh so very patient this whole time). We got ahead of all of them and were finally doing well, pulling up the last incredibly steep and rocky hill when BAM, partner's chain broke. He had a chain tool and fixed it, but we were back to next to last again. :angry:
One mile left, BAM, I shouldered a tree...dang that hurt. We limped on in to the transition area and dropped our bikes, refilled our water and took a lot of time changing out of bike shoes and into running shoes. By now I am really sick, I can not eat a power bar or Gu or a banana. :puke:I water down some gatorade and get a couple of ounces down and we head down the dirt road for the mile "run" to the river and the rock scramble. Here we scramble down big boulders and up and down along the edge of the Coosa River, we draw to see which of us is going to climb one rock face and then rappel down the other side. I tell my partner that if I draw for it, I'm not going to do it, we will take the penalty. He wants to do it so we agree he will go either way. Luckily he drew it so he grabs a rope and starts climbing, I jump into the river and start swimming for our kayak.
I figure once we start paddling I'll feel better but not so much. The cool water did feel great though.
We get in the kayak and start the 7 mile paddle. Half way down the river, pull into Dead Beaver Island, grab our paddles, climb up a mud face, hike across to the mud pit. In past years this was just a pit of muddy water covered by a net that we climbed through. This year, they were more maniacal and put 4 barrels with the ends off in it. Each racer had to climb through two barrels. The only way was to lay on your back, just your nose sticking out of the water and push your way through. Who knows what kinds of critters are crawling inside my skull right now.
Back down the island, through a creek, up a mud hill and back down another to our kayak, through several rapids down the river. Get out at school island, grab your paddles, run to stop one, put together a toddler wooden puzzle (not easy at this point), run down trail, put togther some word cards, farther down, draw a magnadoodle, keep going, shoot a bow and arrow at a target and answer a division problem. PADDLE PADDLE PADDLE...I see the finish line but NNOOOOO:blink: first we have to beach our kayak across the river, grab paddles, swim 20 yards across the current to a locke, climb 17-20 feet up, throw the paddle, jump off the locke, swim back to the kayak, don't drift away, get into the kayak and paddle across the river, get out and run to the finish.

6 HOURS :cry: but we did finish and a few teams finished after us. At points laying in the woods next to my bike I thought that quitting seemed like the best approach but I hung in there and my partner had a great attitude the ENTIRE time, just happy to be out doing his favorite things with his best friend.

Happily:confused: I did discover that I am truly sick and not just truly out of shape. I think we lost at least 1.5-2 hours just from the nausea. So yesterday and today I am in bed with medicine and chicken soup.
When I get better training starts for next year. Who wants to train with me...come on, don't let this happen again next year.