Wednesday, June 6, 2012

A Whirlwind Weekend in Penticton

Shane and I headed up to Penticton this past weekend for a mini IMC training camp of sorts.

As we headed to the ferry on Friday morning, the forecast seemed so-so. I was excited for the trip (and a long weekend), but was also not looking forward to the possibility of riding the IMC course in the rain. I know you need to be prepared for anything come race day, but I really wanted a taste of summer; I wanted that scorching heat of the Okanagan desert.

Thankfully, the rain that was called for never fully materialized and the drive up was pretty dry. We passed through a few showers and some major fog in the mountains just past Merritt, but as we pulled into Penticton and looked at the car’s dashboard thermometer a whopping 25degrees stared back at us. Oh yeah, and blue sky too!

We headed up to Doug & Di’s place and got changed into run gear for a little 30’ shakeout run. The wind was pretty constant, but the heat was nice and we were both sweating pretty good within a few minutes.

From there, it was down to the golf club to meet D & D for dinner. After a horrendous day of eating that included the ferry breakfast buffet (hello greasy potato pancakes) and a gas station smorgasbord (chips, M&M’s, Mike & Ike’s, etc. etc.) some real food was definitely a welcome addition to the gut. Salad, with real vegetables ~ oh my!

[What is it about road trips that make me think I can eat like complete crap and not pay for it later?]

As we sat eating dinner watching the wind whip the weeping willows into a frenzy, the weather forecast once again started to make me nervous. The dreaded “red screen” weather advisory flashed up on the club’s TV, saying showers and wind were on tap for Saturday.

We went to bed early, hoping for the best…

When we woke up Saturday morning, the sky actually looked pretty blue and the only clouds in the sky seemed to be of the “white fluffy” variety and not so much the “ugly grey rain” type.

We decided to forgo our swim as the lakes in Penticton were so cold that they made Thetis seem like a hot tub, and instead, got right into our day of biking the IMC course.

What can I say about the IMC course?

I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with parts of this course. The parts I think I’m going to hate, really aren’t all that bad, but the parts I tend to block out (ahem, the rollers) are what beat me up mentally.

Anyway, from the beginning I suppose.

We set out from Skaha marina (rather than riding through town) and fairly quickly settled into a nice rhythm.

The hill at McLean Creek Rd is of course the first little challenge. With legs not fully warmed up, the steep (but relatively short) climb burned the ol’ quads a little more than I would have liked and made me slightly fearful of the big beasts (aka. Richter & Yellow Lake) that lay ahead, but the sun was shining and the lovely downhill into OK Falls was a nice little reward for the initial climb.

After a quick pee stop in OK Falls we carried on through Oliver and onto Osoyoos. The time flew by and before I knew it we were stopped at the Husky refilling drink bottles and emptying our bladders in prep for Richter’s Pass.


As the climb began, Shane mentioned a slight feeling of dread in his gut, a feeling as if he was headed off to battle. He then smoothly and steadily pulled away from me and I was forced to settle into my own rhythmic pace, trying to work the climb as much as possible while reminding myself to keep the legs turning over at a steady and consistent effort.

There were a few people who had begun the climb before us, and it was nice to pick them off one by one (definite confidence boost). Shane waited for me at the top and upon my arrival, high-fiving ensued. Photos were taken and then the fun of the descent began.



Unfortunately the fun couldn’t last forever and soon we were onto the rollers. Whoever decided to call this section “rollers” was sorely mistaken. This section is not so much rollers, as it is seven(?) seriously sinister hills, complete with massive headwind and soul sucking monotony.

Umm, yeah, so I hate “the rollers” – could you tell? It’s where I had my flat in IMC 2010 and it’s the part of the course that I tend to always shove to the back of my mind in hopes that somehow it will flatten out before the next time I have to take it on. Also, why is there always ALWAYS a headwind in this section?

I found myself trying to barter with Mother Nature, at the same time cursing Shane for making it look so easy.

As we finally made it through “the rollers” and headed into Cawston and toward the out and back turn off, I commented to Shane that I was feeling a little discouraged by how great he looked and how awful I felt. He assured me he was in the same boat, and was actually really struggling at that moment too.

So, as we made the turn off for the start of the out and back, we decided to stop and eat some PB & J sandwiches we had packed for the day. I don’t know if it was the food or the brief respite from the wind, but it seemed to perk us both back up and soon we were rolling along again.

One more short break due to a flat tire on the out and back and we were finally into the last 45k and headed for Yellow Lake.


Yellow Lake is a beast of a climb. It was slow (for me that is - Shane was cruising and once again quickly pulled away from me as we climbed) and it was hard, but it was okay. My legs were turning over, and slowly by surely, I was making progress.

One thing about Yellow Lake that I love and I think is my absolute favourite sign on the IMC course (aside from the Finish Line that is) is the “Lane Ends 200m” sign as you near the top of climb. It never fails in perking me back up. You know if the lanes are merging, a downhill is imminent. I like how in that moment, you know that the big climbs are almost done! It really is one of the sweetest sights.


From Yellow Lake on it was a bit of a blur. Lots of fun descents, a couple little ups, and a bit of wind as we headed back into town. The day was almost perfect weather-wise (minus the wind) as it wasn’t too hot, but it was definitely warm enough and the rain that was in the forecast was never really seen or felt.

We did a short 15’ run off the bike and then gave our legs some much needed icing in the frigid waters of Skaha Lake before heading home to an absolutely delicious meal prepared by Di… and an early bedtime.

Sunday, of course, was long run day and we were up and at it fairly early in order to get our run done and get on the road home.

We dropped our car at the finish line of the IMC course near Okanagan Lake before being shuttled out to the run turn around in OK Falls… and then we ran.

It wasn’t fast, but the km paces that ticked by on my Garmin were very consistent and steady. The day was a little more grey than the previous one and the wind sweeping off Skaha and into our faces as we moved along East Side Rd definitely made a few moments feel like a grind, but even with the wind, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the time ticked by.

We talked, we ran, we were silent, and we ran. We passed the Cherry Lane Mall and crested the last little incline on Main Street before heading into the “City Centre”. Memories of the last time I ran down Main Street came flooding back. It got me excited and it made me nervous.

And then we were done.

Yet another big training weekend in the books. It was a great one, with a great partner - the only thing that was missing was Kirsten.


We are now 12 weeks out from IMC. This is where the real work begins. I know my legs won’t feel fresh until August and I’m pretty sure my tummy won’t stop growling until sometime in September, but, well, I love it!

2 comments:

  1. not going to lie, this makes me rethink my desire to do IMC next year, just a bit :)

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    1. From what I read, you seem pretty "f*cking legit" on the bike, so I'm sure you'd devour the IMC bike course. Nothing to worry about.

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