September 16 and 17 was the Tsali Challenge.  This event is a triathlon that takes place on the shores of Lake Fontana on the Tsali trails.  The Challenge includes a 3 mile lake paddle, a 5 mile trail run, and a 12 mile mountain bike ride.  So you ask the question, did I participate?  Well, the answer to that is "no, I did not", but I was there to support some friends that signed up for the race.  Team Dirty Tutu was representin' at Tsali!

What is Team Dirty Tutu you might ask?  Well, we are a group of girls that have an interest in racing but want the races we enter to be fun.  What better fun than to race in a tutu.  I mean can you really take yourself too seriously racing in a tutu?  It all boils down to the real reason we are out there, to   have fun.  Many people enter races and the seriousness of timing and transitions just takes the fun out of the whole event.  The tutu was introduced to water all that down and keep the race what it is, fun. 

The Dirty Tutus raced both days.  Jenn Beck raced in the solo portion on Saturday and had an awesome day.  I mean, I don't think I could have completed all 3 stages and be alive.  She did it all in grand tutu fashion.  On Sunday, Team Dirty Tutu raced in the relay portion of the Challenge.  The following is her race report for the Challenge.

Tsali Challenge Solo Race Report (3 mile paddle, 4.5 mile trail run, 12 mile mountain bike)

I'm not sure which was stronger for this race-my determination to finish feeling strong with no regard to time OR my concern that little to no training was going to prevent that goal. The month prior to the Tsali Challenge had been filled with plenty of challenges in itself. I had a  bike accident that kept me from any physical activity for awhile, a week of rain during the worst drought in NC history, and work conference that took me to coastal plains where my biggest climb was an Intercoastal bridge. I decided that my one abbreviated run through on the course with Tanya a few weeks prior would have to suffice for training. Besides, I have never trained for any of the races that I've participated in so why start now?!?! (Please note this lack of competitive edge made me an ideal team member for Dirty Tutus)

I did decide to take a different approach from other events and actually think about hydration/nutrition. I ate carb heavy meals two days prior to the event and consumed lots of water. On Saturday morning, I woke up (or really just got up considering my nerves had me awake for most of night) and ate a bagel with avocado and cheese with a small cup of coffee. I began to get a little frantic with finding race stuff and getting to check-in on time. I wish I had taken Becca's lead from Night Train and really had everything packed ready for race day. The registration was huge frustration-especially with officials attempting to handicap boats. About thirty minutes before the event, I ate a banana and drank a small bottle of HEED. I loaded into my kayak and patiently waited for race official to call for tier 3 boats. As soon as he blew the horn, I took off and was determined not to be the last one in my heat and tried to stay with another guy. Eventually, he passed me, and some folks from other heats (faster boats) passed me too. I got a little frantic thinking I was going to finish dead last. I have been multiple times before in other races, but I wanted to avoid it now. I decided to calm down and pace myself. I repeated the mantra "Breathe. Have fun" silently with each paddle stroke. Left stroke Breathe. Right stroke Have fun. A rhythm was found as I was rounding the first tip of the island. I saw a woman in front of me and decided to try to pass her. After a few minutes, I passed her and set my sights on another woman. I continued to do this for a few folks until I came upon Tanya. We joked for a few seconds and then I took off. I knew she would catch me quick like on the run. I rounded the island and couldn't help but think the paddle leg felt a lot shorter than what I did two years ago, but I wasn't about to complain. I realized that Tanya and I had only paddled thirty minutes on our training run knowing it would be more like an hour paddle on race day, but I was coming in closer to training time. I got on to shore where Mariah greeted me with another small bottle of HEED and my iPod. I started the slow jog up the road expecting the dead legs that everyone complains about but felt nothing. Perhaps I didn't paddle hard enough?

I got onto the trail, selected my music, and decided to find my running pace. Tanya passed me within a few minutes. That girl can fly! I quickly fell in behind a girl from Florida, and she was laughing about the race description of "flat to rolling hills" from lowlanders perspective. I knew I could keep up with her or even pass her but wanted to conserve energy. My fear of bonking was big. At one point, I was running, feeling good, and realized "Im going to be able to finish this race. You are doing this!" For personal reasons, this was a huge success and best part of the race. I grinned big, slowed down to run with girl from Florida, and enjoy this day. We hit the road, and I started to transition into mental bike mode even though I still had a mile of running left. I went through the course in my head, where I wanted to walk third creek crossing, be careful on sketchy drop off area, etc. We finished the run course together and shook hands.

Monica was there to help me transition on to my bike. Im not sure how long it took but it seemed effortless. Shoes and iPod off. Riding shoes, helmet, and Camelbak on. Passed off bottle of HEED knowing I had Perpetuem in my Camelbak. Grabbed Mojo bar and slipped into shirt pocket for calories. Not long into the ride there was a pack of us riding together. Girl from Florida and two other guys. Passed a couple folks with flats. We eventually passed one guy that wasnt comfortable being clipped in going over roots and rocks. I maintained feeling strong but wasn't ready to break away yet. That was until we got to the hill. This hill has been milestone in my short biking career. My first year of riding had me walking the entire thing-teared up out of frustration and exhaustion. On our training run, I was able to bike to top, granted winded as hell, but I was there. I started to grind it out being mindful of  my lines. If I lost momentum and fell, the sharp rocks could end my race day. I got to the top, saw a girl stopped catching her breath, looked behind me and saw my pack struggling, and decided it was time to have fun. I took off and pedaled hard and was amazed that I was leaving people. I wasn't going to be last! Most importantly, I still felt good. I caught up with one man and took his lead when he dismounted for another steep climb. We could hike a bike the half mile as quick-if not quicker-than pedaling. I got back on after awhile and recognized where I was on the course. Again, the amazement that I was going to finish happy, strong, and proud washed over me. I flew past him down the gravel road scared to look at my watch. While I told everyone my goal was to merely finish strong, what I really wanted was sub 4 hr finish based on 2006 Women's results. I saw the beacon of the upcoming finish line in the form of Forest Service sign announcing gate. Then I heard them, the best cheerleaders in the world, hollering for me. I crossed the finish line completely ecstatic. I completed the race STRONG and in 2 hr 47 minutes. The most beautiful friends a girl could have were there at finish to help me celebrate.

After the race, I chugged some milk (I know it sounds gross, but its my favorite post recovery drink. Julie remembered and brought cold milk to me at finish line) with chocolate Luna recovery shake mix. Julie helped me stretch my back and Mariah assisted with leg drain. I felt great the remainder of the day-never bonked post race which is a first!!! Man, did that first beer taste good. My post race meal was chips with humus, salsa, pimento cheese, and fresh veggies. I have a hard time eating after a race, and it gave me enough energy to play with Maeve and cook dinner over fire.

So things I learned and want to do again at future races:

• Repeat calming mantra when anxieties edge into mind.
• Remember to have fun. Interact and talk to fellow participants.
• Repeat my hydration/nutrition.
• Hug and thank friends a thousand times for their support.

Things I want to change:

• I need to have a bag that is packed for race day with everything in it-labeled in ziplocs-to prevent race day panic.
• Wear gloves on paddle leg.
• Train harder with running.

Tsali Challenge Relay Race Report (Jenn 3 mile paddle, Monica 4.5 mile trail run, Julie 12 mile mountain bike)

Well, the morning started off in typical Team Dirty Tutu fashion. I swear we are a pretty modern day version of Three Stoogies. Julie's bike was giving her issues after having it tuned up prior to the race. The Kona wasn't shifting and kept dropping chain which didn't bode well for Julie. Folks looked at it the night before the race, but it just wasn't shifting smoothly. Monica unpacked her bag only to realize she had two left running shoes (I have to say they were similar in color and easy to mix up, hell, I did it training a few weeks back). But this was a Monica-ed moment for sure. Fortunately, Mariah had some shoes that were only half size too small to lend to Monica.  I was pretty sore from paddling the day before. We had some handicaps to face for sure.

We received some chuckles and good comments on the tutus. A little more attention than expected, but who cares!?!  I found out the paddle leg was lengthened by a mile for the relay event. I did pretty much the same as solo event except I started with mantra, talked to more folks along the way, and passed lots more people. As I approached the shore, I could see Monica's tutu running down the hill. We passed off the #10 armband, and she was off.  A tutu-ed Angela and Stephen were kind enough to carry my boat up to the car. We then all made our way to transition. Rebecca and Nanta showed up sporting a tutu. Monica came in looking strong, and I was so very proud of her. This past spring she ran her first 10K ever and keeps getting faster/stronger every day. She passed off the armband to Julie, and she was off. I was nervous about her bike. My last Tsali relay event resulted in broken a chain. Fortunately, she didn't have that bad of mechanical issues but did have to contend with was some dropped chains and one nasty fall. She too came in strong, and it was great to see my regular biking buddy finish her leg of race with a big smile on her face. Of course, powerhouse Julie got the best quote of the day from some dude on trail, "It sucks to get passed by a tutu". Other Tutus were there-Rebecca, Angela, and Tanya-to cheer us on and of course we posed for team photo. In true Dirty Tutu fashion, we went back to camp, drank beer with lunch, packed up, headed back to Asheville to attend a festival. There's always lots to do when you wear a tutu.

Oh, and Team Dirty Tutu took 4th place for Women's Relay! Aye-aye.