Mother Nature vs. ME (watch out Mike Tyson!)

It’s crazy how much power Mother Nature has. She really is very temperamental and unpredictable. And even if you have an idea of what to expect, thanks to our weather reporters, somehow we still think we can beat her.

I have had some run-ins with Mother Nature over the years. She ruined my beautiful outdoor wedding by the river 4 years ago and has made me late for work numerous times. She has made traveling difficult and scary at times. But every time, I have found a way to fight back. When the weather is bad in Reno, I usually miss the predictable weather of Southern California.

Last Saturday I planned on heading up to Donner Lake. I had been planning that day for probably 2 months. My plan was to do a mock run on my Donner Sprint Triathlon to get an idea of how ready I was. 5k race, open water swim clinic, and a 6-mile ride up Donner Pass Rd. I was excited and nervous.

I woke up at 6am and prepared for my 5k Race. I had some breakfast and warmed up with 1-mile jog on the treadmill. I left feeling ready for anything – boy did I get it! My 5k race took place at the bottom of what is known as “Windy Hill”. Saturday, that route earned its name. The first two miles were easy, but as I rounded a corner into my third mile the wind hit my face. 30-40 mph winds were fighting me all through that last mile. Thank goodness I wasn’t the only one struggling. I passed many people who were giving up and walking because the wind was so strong. And although I did slow down, it was hard work, and I still finished the race and ran the entire way – no walking. Those two pieces are always my goal. Finish and DON’T WALK.

Once finished, I drove up to Donner Lake in Truckee. The sun quickly disappeared behind the clouds the closer I got to the Lake. Right over the lake was a huge dark cloud. I parked the car on the road and started to walk down the ½ mile down to the lake. 54 degrees of wind and rain began to fall on my head as I made my way down to the shore. Once I finally found my group, I put my wetsuit on and ran towards the 55 degree water. Wetsuits are a great thing, but they don’t really do anything for your feet or your head. Within minutes, I lost feeling in both.

What a great swim clinic! I learned some new techniques, swam in the lake for a good 30 minutes, and felt so strong. Of course, I was swimming with some newbies who were all so impressed with my limited experience that, I have to admit, did go to my head a little bit. So as we took our last lap out to the buoy and back, I was feeling pretty tough. But the water got more and more choppy the further out into the water I got. I got about 10 feet from the buoy, lifted my head to site and breath when a little wave hit me square in the face. The shock of the cold water in my face and in my lungs was enough to stop me short of the buoy so I could catch my breath. I flipped right onto my back and headed back for shore. Such a bummer. Once I caught my breath I was able to swim back and finish with some dignity. I got the wetsuit off and proceed to hike back up to the road in my wet triathlon suit in the 54 degree wind and rain. Not my smartest move because I was very cold. But, I got it done and it felt really good to get out in the open water. I do have some more work ahead of me, but that was why I was there. To find out how ready I am.

So on to my bike ride. I got back in the car, cranked up the heater and drove to the other side of the lake. As I got closer to Donner Pass Rd, the road became more and more wet. The rain was coming down a little harder and I realized – there is no way this is going to happen. First of all, I am a chicken. When I ride down that hill, I typically use my brakes A LOT. Many people tell me that I should just let go and ride the 40 mph on my bike down the hill. “Lean into the turns” they say and “let the brakes go”. NO THANKS. So when I saw how wet the road was, there was no way I was going to risk riding down that hill on my bike. I was very sad, but I turned around and headed home.

As I drove home, I started to think “wait a minute, why would I let that stop me from doing my ride?” I realized that even though I can’t ride on Donner, I could certainly get back to Reno and ride on another road that was almost as challenging. So, I headed to Rattlesnake Mountain. I pulled up and got my bike off the rack; put it on the ground, and the wind was blowing so hard it promptly blew my bike right over. Not even thinking that hard gust of wind was a sign of what I could run into on the ride, I threw on my helmet, jumped on my bike and headed up the mountain (which is really kind of a hill). I made it up the hill fairly quickly and as I rounded a turn over a water reservoir, a gust of wind came through and nearly knocked me off my bike. I have to admit, it made me pretty nervous. I quickly adjusted my speed and balance to be able to handle the wind that had just become my mortal enemy. There was no way for me to just stop and go back, I had to finish my ride at that point. So I carefully and quickly rode the route and on that last hill, I turned against the wind. I really hate that. So with all of my might I peddled as hard as I could to get up that last hill, against the wind, at a mere 5mph. As I got to the top, one more gust of wind pushed me back and I nearly had to put my foot down but I yelled back at that stupid wind saying “Mother Nature, you are a *****, but you are not going to beat me!”

Needless to say, I did make it to the bottom safely. As disappointed as I was that the day didn’t go as well as I had hoped, I did feel pretty good about the fact that if I can get through all of those environmental conditions, I will probably do okay at the triathlon simply because my determination will get me to the end no matter what the obstacles. My time may not be the best and I may not finish in first place, but I have the will to get me to the finish line. I felt pretty good about that.

Experiences like this really make me feel ready to conquer the world, which is why I do it. Someone asked me once “what drives you?” As I thought about it, it’s the goal. I made a goal on Saturday to finish. No matter what happened, I was going to hit my goal. Time doesn’t matter, obstacles don’t matter. Both have an impact on how I finish, but the drive that keeps me forging ahead regardless of the challenge is that I must finish because it is my goal.

The moral of this story – set goals and don’t let anything or anyone stop you from hitting them. The feeling you get from that alone is AMAZING.

P.S. I am going back up to Donner on Sunday to swim again and attempt to ride my bike up the pass again. Let’s hope Mother Nature isn’t PMSing that day!