This past weekend, Kirsten and I made the trek to Penticton for a little 2-man, 3-day training camp of sorts. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip but was a good one none the less.
The journey started as we boarded the 8am ferry on Friday morning. The drive up to Penticton went fairly quick and was somewhat uneventful (especially since I actually made the correct turn off to Hope and didn’t get us "lost" like last year). When we arrived in Penticton we headed down to Lake Okanagan for a swim as the Penticton pool is closed until spring of 2011. We got many strange glances from passersby as we suited up in our wetsuits on the beach. The water wasn’t as cold as we had expected, but was extremely rough (possibly the reason for the curious looks?). The little waves seemed to pick you up and throw you back down into the water without too much difficulty. Since we were just supposed to be loosening up after the drive, and splashing through the waves was doing nothing for our swim technique, we opted to cut our swim short and get on with our scheduled 30 minute easy run. We ran around the Lakeshore Drive and Main Street area, taking in that final stretch of the IMC course - much like we will be doing two and a half months from now! Then it was off to Doug and Di’s house to relax for the evening before turning in for the night.
Saturday was a big day! We got up fairly early, packed up our gear and headed down to a very calm (but also very cold) Skaha Lake for an easy swim before hitting the road on our bikes. Probably the main reason for our trip to Penticton was to ride the IMC bike course and get familiar with the route (and in particular the climbs). About 15-20km into the bike I realized I had forgotten my road id. Not a huge deal as I had my driver’s license with me, but I didn’t have any sort of medic alert saying that I am on anticoagulants, so we made our first stop at the Oasis Gas Bar in Oliver so I could borrow a pen and write my “situation” on my arm. I didn’t expect anything to go wrong, but if for some reason both Kirsten and I got taken out, I wanted to have some sort of warning to emergency personnel.
From there, we carried on to Osoyoos. I found the ride from Penticton to Osoyoos took longer than I expected, not because we were riding slow or anything like that, but mainly because I think I was just “waiting” for Richter Pass. We made a quick pit-stop in Osoyoos to refill our water and Gatorade before it was finally time to climb!
The climb actually went by fairly easily. So much so, that when Kirsten and I made it to the top and stopped to regroup, we weren’t sure if we were really at the summit. Now, I should note, it’s not that Richter’s isn’t a tough pass, but with the way the hill climbs, then levels, then climbs some more, it really didn’t feel as bad as expected.
We made our descent down the other side and started the next leg of the trek toward Keremeos and the next great climb to Yellow Lake. This stretch was a bit tough for me from a mental standpoint. Not only was it hot, and my feet were swollen and achy (although, not as bad as Kirsten’s), but more so because of that whole “waiting” game again. It’s like I just wanted to be at the climb. I just wanted to be done… and I knew once we were up and over Yellow Lake, the end would be near.
We chugged along, making another short pit stop in Keremeos for more water and Gatorade, before beginning the final big ascent. I found the Yellow Lake climb to be a bit tougher than Richter’s. I’m not sure why Yellow Lake doesn’t get the same recognition as Richter’s, but it is a toughie. The best sight was the sign near the top of the hill that showed the lane’s merging in 200m. To me, that could only mean one thing… no passing lane = downhill! We stopped quickly at the top for Kirsten to dip her feet in the lake and give them some relief from the heat and the swelling before zipping down the hills back into Penticton.
Once back in town, we quickly swapped our shoes and headed out for an easy 15min run off the bike. My legs hate running off the bike and today was no exception. Thankfully, this time it was only for 15 minutes and not 5 hours. I’ve got a bit of work to do before August.
After a long day of training, it was great to relax over a nice big dinner that Di had prepared for us. We soaked our legs in the pool and visited for a bit before turning in for the night. I think we were actually in bed before it was even fully dark out!
Sunday morning again started early. We got dropped off in OK Falls and ran the 13km (or so) stretch from the marathon turn around point back to Skaha Lake. My legs were heavy and my calf was not cooperating with me for the first 35mins or so, but I eventually found a nice rhythm and was able to keep up with Kirsten (mind you, she was probably taking it easy for me anyway). It was really good to see that portion of the run course, as it is definitely hilly coming out of OK Falls.
Once done, we iced our legs in the lake for a bit, threw on some compression socks and before I knew it, the weekend was done and we were back in the car and on our way home - a successful and confidence inspiring training weekend in the books.
*Side Note: Richter Pass was named in association with nearby Richter Mountain, which was named for Francis Xavier Richter, an early cattle rancher and orchardist in the area who settled in the region during the days of the Colony of British Columbia, originally working for the Hudson's Bay Company post in Keremeos, taking care of their packhorses.
**Next up: more bike shopping + the Victoria New Balance Triathlon (sprint for me, half IM for Kirsten) on Sunday at Elk Lake.
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