Race Report: Great Floridian Endurance Festival

This was Jason's day, but by the end of the night he made it ours. You can read Jason's recap at http://leapfromthelion.blogspot.com/2012/10/great-floridian-triathlon-race-report.html I'm going to use his same structure so you can see the parallel from both of our perspectives.

Matching Medals
commemorate our special day

A Little Background

At last year's race

I remember spectating this race last year when Jason did the shorter distance and Stephanie the 15K. Jason was training for the Breast Cancer Marathon, his second, because he knew he wanted to do a full Ironman (running isn't his favorite sport). The race was a lot of fun to watch, and with a huge registration discount I encouraged him to signed up for the full already. My reasoning was that he had done his first half in Clermont, so why not do his first full there too. I knew it would be tough, but I loved the race's slogan, "tougher than iron," because that really does describe him. As I often say, "he knows how to suffer." I contemplated doing the 15K to give me something to do since I knew I'd be sitting around for many many hours and because Stephanie spoke so highly of it. Once we decided we were moving to San Francisco, and Jason had to forfeit the other races in the sprint tri series, we transferred some of that credit to my 15K registration and I convinced some of my running group to do the race or come cheer on Jason.

Race Prep

Packet Pick-Up on Friday

With the move to San Francisco, Jason made all kinds of excuses as to why he wasn't getting in his training. The longer he waited, the more overwhelming it became to get back into a routine and he considered not doing it. I wanted to be supportive either way, but I knew he would kick himself if he didn't see this through. Initially we were flying back for the race because we had already shelled out the pricey registration fee, but it quickly became apparent that we would be paying more than that to fly back and ship his bike. With the closest ironman distance race several months away, he finally decided he wanted to see this through in 2012 and not let all the training go to waste, and I knew it would be better to do his first back home where he would have the support of his family and friends. He eventually got back into a routine and got in some solid training in the hills of San Francisco and Marin county. It was awesome being part of every step of this journey with him, from helping him put together a new training plan, to following along on Cyclemeter when he went for those super long bike rides and runs, to the post-workout milkshakes :)

Before we knew it, it was race week. We flew into Orlando late Wednesday night and promptly went to sleep. Our biggest concern was if the bike would arrive intact, so we didn't make any plans for Thursday or Friday in case putting it back together took longer or if he had to make alternate arrangements for the race. Thankfully the box arrived unharmed as did the bike. He spent Thursday putting it together and fine tuning it, then we headed to Clermont Friday to pick up packets and rack his bike. Now the concerns turned to the water temperature of the lake and if the swim would be wetsuit legal. Signs were not good as the temps were in the low 80s, but by some miracle strong winds cooled down the lake for a 76º reading on race morning.

Race Day

We woke up way too early at 4 am, ate breakfast and were on the road by 5 am. There wasn't too much for him to setup, but we wanted a good parking spot so I could easily go back and forth to the car throughout the day. He got body marked, set up transition, then we heard the good news about the water temp and he got downright giddy. I knew I'd have plenty of time to watch him finish the swim and then get ready for my race, so I just focused on easing his nerves and capturing the moment.

The Swim

After Swim Lap 1

It was finally time to suit up. I have to admit I was a little disappointed Jason wouldn't be racing in his tiny speedo ;) but I know the wetsuit would make things way easier. I wished him luck, kissed him goodbye, and he went off to warm up. I snapped a few photos, then went to the pier to get a good spot to see him coming out of the water. He finished the first lap pretty quickly, but seemed a bit disoriented as he completely missed the water station right in front of him and walked way further than he needed to get back in the water for lap 2. He finally found his way and started lap 2.

While I waited for him to finish the 2nd lap, Chris showed up. We got caught up on running group and he shared his recent ironman spectating experience. It was nice having someone who had been through this keeping me company. Before long, Jason was out of the water and I was screaming like a crazy groupie, leaping off the pier and sprinting to try to catch a shot of the strippers getting off his wetsuit and him running in his tiny speedo. I failed miserably, but the race photographers delivered! While he was in the changing tent, Chris reminded me that I still had many more hours of spectating and my own race to run so I should take it easy on the sprinting lol

The Bike / My 15K

I saw him head out on the bike and then was able to focus a bit on my own race. As I was told later, I was really scattered. Knowing that I was going to miss him finishing the first lap of the bike because I would just be starting my 15K, I kept telling everyone who was there to spectate (Shannon, Stephanie's boyfriend Steve and his parents) that they could watch me start but then rush over to the bike special needs area because he would be coming in shortly after. I sounded like a broken record as I kept saying it to anyone who would listen. I really wanted to make sure he had someone there to cheer him on and capture the moment when I couldn't. I am so grateful so many were there.

Sole Mates Galloway Group

Everyone from my running group had arrived and it was time to warm up. We took it easy and just enjoyed catching up. We took a zillion photos, then it was go time. It felt so good to be running with them again and doing a race where people I knew were taking photos and cheering for us. I really missed that. We started with 90s/30s intervals and had a blast chatting and enjoying the gorgeous course for the first 3 miles. I knew we had started too fast, but I was a bundle of energy and wanted to suck it all in. I even answered my phone when Sean called and told him I was running and would call him when I finished. Then the wheels fell off. The shade was gone, the hills had really started, and my stomach began to cramp. I took a walk break when the rest of the group kept going and I was never able to catch back up to them. The hills really weren't too much of a problem, but the heat really got to me and I felt like my stomach was going to explode. I slowed way down and contemplated that I may not be able to finish this race, but I dug deep and got through it. I'm really glad I did and got to experience a little bit of the pain that awaited Jason.

All smiles after lap 2 from our cheers

I didn't really have time to be disappointed because I knew Jason would be finishing his 2nd bike loop soon and I was not about to miss it. Besides, this was his day and I was not about to complain about my little 15K when he was out there suffering far more for far longer. I grabbed some food, found my parents, and then rallied everyone that would listen to come see him with me and take photos. Knowing it would be hard to get a good shot in the few seconds when he zoomed by, and because my camera was still in the car, I asked everyone with a camera or smart phone to take a photo while I kept a look out and cheered him on. When we saw him, everyone screamed and snapped photos. Shortly after, Jason sent me this text message: "You guys are awesome. Tell everyone thank you!"

Some of our signs

Now I had time to relax a bit. I downloaded Shannon's photos to my laptop, changed and ate some snacks while my parents returned with my lunch, and Sean and I entertained ourselves making some signs for when Jason returned. We found a spot in the shade and discussed strategy for the next part. I finally realized how tired I was from the 15K but I had no time for that. I got a few messages from Jason 30 minutes later complaining about cramping and saw his bike speed decreasing. I knew things were not going as planned if he had time to text me, because he is usually too focused to waste time on that. I did my best to tell him what he needed to hear and keep him going.

The Run

Run Start

My parents returned just moments before he finished the bike with my grilled cheese and a milkshake, but I was too pre-occupied with making sure I didn't miss Jason starting the run to enjoy it. I ate a few fries, grabbed the milkshake and went to wait for him to come out of transition. That's when Laura arrived and saw me frazzled. He took forever in the changing tent and I started to worry that I had missed him. He finally came out about 10 minutes later, and it is incredible to see the difference between his other races. He is usually rushing out of transition with a face of determination, but this time he was walking and taking his time and looked spent. He finally crossed the mat and started running. I took a few photos and asked how he was feeling. He was understandably tired and feeling the effort from the last 8 hours; he said this would be the worse marathon ever.

The run is 3 loops with 2 out and backs, so we got to see him 6 times. I love that because I could see him perk up and quicken his step just a little bit every time he saw us and our ridiculous signs. Sometime during the first lap, we are guessing around mile 3, he texted: "Ugh I got nothing. I'm doing 1 and 2s right now" Again, I texted back words of support and encouragement and then rallied Facebook to start posting funny motivational comments to keep his mind off the pain. And boy did they deliver! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed. It kept us entertained too!

I had some time to catch up with Laura between laps, and Sean was great at tracking where he was and how long we had before we'd see him again so we could time our trips to the car, go find food and use the restroom. Sometime during the 2nd loop, Jason texted again about his calves cramping up and he said "This sucks." I told him, "Yeah well it's an ironman. No one said it would be fun :)" That seemed to make him laugh and help him dig deep. Sean and I were worried about him, so we walked a little further to see him sooner, but when he came through he was running with someone else and looking much better, so we just let him be.

Finish Line - Look at the smile!

It knew he was in pain, but he never failed to smile for us so I knew he'd be ok. He just had to dig deep. He finally passed us one last time for the final out and back, so we packed up our stuff and took it the car, then met back at the finish line to wait for him. It was dark now and the field was really spread out so every athlete had the finishing shoot to themselves and they held the "tape" for everyone to "break." I wanted to cheer for him and see him finish through my own eyes instead of behind a camera, so I gave my camera to his sister to capture the moment. I told everyone when we saw him we had to scream like we had never screamed before. We finally saw him coming down the finishing shoot and started screaming our heads off. He was clearly hurting, but he was digging as deep as he could to finish strong. I was so proud! I thought I would cry when I saw him finish, or that he would, but I think we were both too tired and relieved that it was over to cry.

After the Race

I met him behind the finishing shoot after he got his medal and gave him a hug and kiss. He was limping, but wasn't really hurt. He was just done, but still smiling. God how I love that smile :) The rest is a bit of a blur, but I'll do my best. We kept offering him a seat, but he wasn't sure that was a good idea. We joked that he could lay down on the ground, so he did and pretended he had passed out.

He then sat up and reached for my hands. I thought he needed help getting up, but he stayed down on one knee and started saying how I'm such an amazing girl. I still didn't really have an idea of what he was doing. I thought he was just hanging on to me because he couldn't get up and thanking me for being there for him through all of this, which he did. He acknowledged the role I played in him even doing this race and make it across the finish line and the positive influence I've had on his life in general. He told me he loved me and then said, "Will you marry him?". I just smiled and said yeah. I hugged him as he kneeled on the ground and then I finally helped him to his feet as we kissed and hugged some more.

I never thought this day would come, but it was absolutely perfect and worth the wait. It felt so organic. I am really glad I did the 15K so we have these matching medals as our engagement bling, and because I was able to experience a little bit of the pain he suffered during those grueling 14 hours. I am so touched that he chose to share the spotlight of his greatest achievement with me by proposing. I was absolutely perfect. He is the most selfless person I know, and I am the luckiest girl for having him.

Wrap-Up

The next few days in Orlando where a whirlwind of celebrating and catching up with friends before we headed back to San Francisco. I am glad we left this for after the race so we were able to share all the good news. I want to thank everyone who came to Clermont to support him, and those who met us for dinner on short notice on Monday to celebrate. I know we missed seeing many of you, but we'll be back in January and hope to see you then.

When he finished the race, he said he never wanted to do that again and that it would be a while before he swam, biked or ran again. We all knew he was lying. He was fine and walking normal within 2 days. He biked to work yesterday and is already considering the next one. It's not a matter of if, but when because the training is a big commitment and he wants to enjoying exercise without giving up his life, but I know it's only a matter of time before he gives it another try. So stay tuned! :)

PS - I am sure there are many questions about the engagement/wedding, and I'll try to post more about that later. For now, let's celebrate Jason's incredible accomplishment.

Race Report: Gator Half Ironman Triathlon

(This is a guest post from Jason Buckner)

I finished my second half ironman triathlon today and I did it over an hour and a half faster than my first! My first one was in Clermont so the hills don't make this a very fair comparison, but I was much better prepared for this one. My swim time was 33 minutes, the bike was 2:52, and the run was 2:03 for a grand total of 5:35:04 with transitions. I felt strong for most of the race, but I felt like I undertrained for the bike ride. For the first time, I can say that I enjoyed the run more than the bike. Overall I enjoyed the race, but the way it was run left much to be desired.

Setting Up

The day started early. We were up at 5:00, packed up all of my gear in the car, and were on the road by 5:45. The park was only about 15 minutes away and we were allowed in the transition area at 6:00. We got to the park and I set up my transition area. Instead of the bike hangers I've always seen at triathlons, they used slotted wooden stands that you put your wheel into.

Unfortunately, they didn't mark the stands so there was no consistency in how the bikes were being set up. At some of the better races I've been to, they make sure the bikes alternate back and forth so you don't have two bikes butted up against each other. They also didn't group the stands so it was very difficult to find your bike. Once again, most other triathlons will put numbers on the stands like 1-50, 51-100, etc. so you have an idea of where you're supposed to rack your bike. This lackadaisical transition area pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day.

After setting up my transition area, I put my wetsuit on and they did a pre-race meeting at 7:00. At the meeting, the announcer went over the basics, but when one lady asked him a question about the course, he responded with "you should have read your maps". Unacceptable. While I agree that people should look over the course ahead of time, when you're in the middle of the race, your brain is not functioning and good signage is absolutely necessary.

Swim

We got in the water around 7:15. It felt much warmer than I was expecting. It could have been the wetsuit doing its job, but it certainly didn't feel like the 68 degrees that they said it was going to be. The course was set up in a big rectangle around the lake. Two large buoys on one side and two smaller buoys on the other. The buoys were fairly close to shore, which meant the group was packed in a pretty tight area. This made it very difficult to spread out and get some breathing room.

We started at 7:35 and, as expected, it was a madhouse. I was being kicked and slapped nonstop and I couldn't get out of the crowd to avoid it. Another pretty major issue I had was a near panic attack halfway down the first side of the course. This was my first open water swim with the wetsuit and it felt like it was choking me and that I couldn't get enough air. I basically had to stop and convince myself that I knew I was going to be okay and just to take it slow and remember my training. I almost considered taking the top off of my suit off, but that would've been even more difficult.

After I rounded the first buoy, my breathing calmed down and I was finally able to get in my groove. Also just after the first corner, I sensed the sun just coming up over the horizon, which brought a sense of happiness and calm to me. The rest of the swim went really well and I finished in around 33 minutes. The way we had to get out of the water was a pretty steep incline instead of a ramp, which made exiting the water rather difficult. On to the bike.

Bike

My transition to the bike was definitely slower than usual because of the wetsuit, but it went smoothly. I got out on the course and, after the first mile or two, got into a nice groove. In the first mile, I dropped one of my water bottles, but that didn't bother me much. I just had to make my other one last to mile 20, where the first water stop was. As usual, my legs really didn't warm up for at least two miles so they were really aching from pushing hard.

The bike course was really open and flat, which was nice, but it also meant there were not many trees to block the wind. As the day went on, the wind got stronger and changed directions so we had a headwind on the way out and on the way back. Not fun! For the first 15 miles or so, I was playing leap frog with this group of women until this really fast rider passed us and they got in his draft and I never saw them again. There weren't any course officials so people were drafting.

The course was poorly marked. They used these tiny arrow signs that I nearly missed several times. When you're moving fast and your brain is not functioning at 100%, you need large, unmistakable signs that you can see from far away. Fortunately it was almost all right hand turns so we could rely on that.

It was a very rural course on 55 and 65mph roads and I got some really close fast buzzes. I eventually moved into the lane and just controlled it. I don't like doing that during triathlons because you're supposed to leave the left for passing, but I got sick of close calls.

I started to lose my momentum around mile 30, but was still able to maintain a pretty fast pace. At around mile 40, my legs were screaming at me and by mile 50 I was almost in tears from the pain and the headwind. "How in the world did we have headwinds in every direction?" I kept asking myself. I did a lot of focused breathing out there just to keep my mind and body in check.

Run

Finally I got back to transition and I was almost in a stupor at this point. I had to slowly walk down the aisles of bikes to find my transition area, since they didn't mark the locations of the numbers. Kitzzy had to point my spot out to me and I racked my bike. I kept thinking to myself how happy I was to be off the bike and I had a renewed sense of vigor that I had finally moved on to the run.

That vigor turned to irritation when the chip anklets (a velcro strap) started bouncing around at every step and pretty much rubbed my ankle raw. I tried to ignore it, but it was kind of hard to when every step I took reminded me of it.

The course was okay. About half of it was through an industrial park and the other half was around a lake, which allowed the wind to really kick up. There was a decent amount of water stops, but some of the younger volunteers were being kind of snarky, which annoyed me. After my first lap, they completely abandoned one of the crucial water stops that we passed four times so the runners were left to fend for themselves. I did not appreciate that at all.

I had some really good momentum almost the entire time on the run and cheered on runners as they passed. I even started pacing with this other guy and we actually had a nice long conversation. Turns out he lives not far from me, in Baldwin Park. Unlike my first half ironman, I ran the entire time, except through the water stops. I walked through them and took the opportunity to eat a Shot Block or two.

Conclusion

While I did much better than at my Clermont Half, I did not feel better. I think my bike ride put me in a bad place and the way the race was run put such a negative spin on the whole day. I'm proud of my accomplishment, but the way I'm feeling right now, I may just stick with Olympic-distance and shorter for the foreseeable future. I don't have the same sense of excitement as I did when I finished Clermont and I definitely won't be doing this race again. Maybe in a day or two I'll reflect some more on today and change my mind about doing another Half (or even go for a Full), but right now I'm just not feeling it.

Triathlon, We Need to Talk (aka Race Report: 2010 CF Tri #1)

Dear Triathlon,

We need to talk. I'm sure you've sensed that things have not been the same between us for some time now. As you may recall, I was hesitant to get involved with you last year, but once I got a taste I couldn't get enough. We started spending more time together, and it almost cost me my relationship with running. I came to my senses just in time to give it a real go with running, and we were very happy. But you just couldn't take a hint and lured me back into the pool.

Even though I was still spending plenty of time with running, he turned on the charm for fear of losing me to you again, and I couldn't leave. I still thought I could make it work with both of you, but today's encounter made me realize that my heart truly lies with running, and I'll never feel the same way about you. I loved the times we've had together, and I never would have realized how much I love running if it weren't for you, but I think it's time that I stop seeing other races and commit to running.

I hope we can still be friends and hang out from time to time for fun, but that's all we'll ever be. I know you'll find someone who can truly appreciate it you.

Sincerely,

Kitzzy

*****

So I as you can see, things did not go as planned today. However, I'm oddly at peace with it. I met only one of my goals, I finished and had fun, but a comedy of errors netted me the slowest time ever and an epiphany :) Official results are not in yet, so I'll update this post with that info later. So let's take it from the top.

Pre-Race
I woke up before the alarm, and got the last of our gear together (mostly hydration since we packed our transition bags last night). Jason secured the bikes to the back of dad's truck, and we were on our way before 6 a.m. Comedy of errors #1 happened on the ride there as the exit we needed to take was closed for construction (or we missed the detour sign) and we had to make an illegal u-turn or go 20+ miles out of our way. We made it there in plenty of time, found parking, got our packets, and set up transition before heading to the beach.

Swim
I thought I was being silly thinking it would take me 15 minutes to "swim" a 1/4 mile, but in fact it took me almost 18! It was a beach start, with at least 50 yards of running in the water before we could swim. Once I finally started something that resembled not drowning, my garmin wrist strap (without the watch) started coming loose (#2). I was already far enough that I could not touch the bottom, so I had to somehow tread water while trying to fasten it. I quickly gave up that idea and shoved it in my bra. For the rest of the swim I worried it would float away and be lost forever. I managed to hang on to it, but my concern grew when my top unzipped (#3). It's really difficult to zip up your top and not drown. My "swim" stroke was all over the place. I tried breast stroke, something akin to side stroke, backstroke/float, doggy paddle, and freestyle but only breathing on the left side. I am just happy that I kept moving forward and did not need an assist from the kayaks or hang on to a buoy.

Bike
I took my sweet time getting to transition while putting on my garmin wrist strap. When I got there, I realized that I forgot to unbuckle my cycling shoes (#4). I got all my gear on and headed to the mount line. I tried to mount too soon (#5), but they didn't care since there was no one else around. Of course, I could not clip-in (#6) and the start is on a fraking hill! ugh!

I start riding up the hill with only one foot clipped in. Yeah, that worked as well as you would imagined (which means not at all) and I almost fell off my bike (#7). I  managed to recover in time to unclip and get upright before hitting the ground. So now I am off my bike straddling it as I walk up the few feet left on the hill (#8). As I try to mount my bike again, my gu (which was taped to the bike) falls on the ground (#9). The nice volunteer handed it to me and I was on my way, but my confidence is already shattered due to this stellar start.

I managed to clip in on both feet just before the first turn up ANOTHER hill. Frak me! I already knew I was not going to meet my time goal for the race, let alone on the bike. I had a hard time getting my heart rate down, catching my breath, and my arms hurt for some reason (oh yeah my "swim"). I gave it my best shot and was averaging around 14 mph for a bit, even passing people for a while, but then the hills began and my speed plummeted.

The course was 2 extra miles from last year. That doesn't seem like a lot, but those 2 miles had ALL the hills. Frak me! I went nuts on all the downhills not touching the breaks (max speed of 30 mph) to try to make up some time, but I might as well have walked up the hills because I was riding THAT slow. But I was determined to finish this thing without getting off my bike once -- and I succeeded -- mainly because I didn't want to trying to clip-in again. So forget 15-16 mph, I was lucky to average 13+ mph. I finished 10.4 miles in 47 minutes @ 13.3 mph.

Run
The bike dismount went well. As I was walking to rack my bike, I thought I'd multi-task and move my garmin from the bike to my wrist, and I dropped it on the ground! (#10). Grabbed it and finally get it to snap in place after a few tries. I finally made it to my spot, racked my bike and switched shoes. Of course, I had trouble getting on my running shoes (#11) but I did the best I could, grabbed my water bottle, hat and race belt, and began walking towards the run course while trying to fasten on the race belt which was proving more difficult than anticipated because my hands were full with the damn water bottle (#12). As I grab for my second gu, I too dropped that on the ground (#13), but I swallowed it and chased it with water and was on my way before long.

I tried running, but I didn't have it in me, so seeing an upcoming hill was excuse enough for me to walk and ease into it. I practically walked the entire first mile and then some. I alternated small bouts of running with walking until the first turn around, then I got my second wind and started running slowly. I ran most of the 2nd half of the race with the occasional walk break. I saw Jason just after mile 2 and took the opportunity to get rid of my water bottle.  I had less than a mile to go, so I tried to run most of it, then sprint to the finish. Garmin says that my "run" took 41:26.

Post-Race
I saw the clock read just after 2 hours, so I knew I at least finished in under 2 hours (my worse case scenario goal) since I was in a later wave. I was glad to finish, and I knew at that moment that I was done with triathlons (at least for this season). I was not upset at all; I was relieved and at peace. I gave it one last shot and it confirmed that running is the only one for me. I had already registered for the 3 race package, but I'm going to try to switch them to 5Ks instead. That way I can run and still come support and take pics of Jason.

So that's the story of how me and triathlon broke up. I may see him occasional someday, but we just have bad timing right now. If it's meant to be, we'll find each other again someday :)

Official Results by Gender (out of 168 females)

• overall place: 153
• overall time: 1:54:01
• swim place:  157   
• swim time: 17:32  
• t1 place: 131
• t1 time:  4:08
• bike place:  145   
• bike time: 48:03  
• bike speed: 12.5 (based on 10m, but I biked 10.4)
• overall place after bike:  151 
• t2 place:  137
• t2 time:  2:47  
• run place: 143
• run time:   41:32 
• run pace: 13:23 
• ag place: dfl (out of 20) 

2010 CF Sprint Tri #1 Predictions

Tomorrow is my first triathlon of the season. I still haven't been swimming, but I am looking forward to it. I had a solid brick workout on Sunday, which helped get me excited about it and led me to believe I won't suck so bad LOL. Let's just hope I don't drown and that it reignites my passion for the sport so I can get back in the pool. If not, I'll just get through these 3 races and then go back to focusing on my running :)

My goals for this race are mainly to finish and have fun! =) I'd love to finish in under 1:30, but I think 1:40 is more realistic unless I can really push hard on the bike and still have enough left for a decent run. Last year I finished in 1:29, but this year the bike is 2 miles longer.

Below are some predictions/hopes for each leg:

• Swim: 15 minutes - I am really hoping this is a gross overestimation and I'll manage something closer to last year's 12:19, but I haven't been swimming lately. Hopefully the work I did earlier in the summer will come back to me, but I am not expecting much here. 
• Bike: 15-16 mph (40m) - I think 15 mph is very doable if I push hard; last year I averaged 14.8 mph. I rode 11 miles on Sunday @ 16 mph average, but that was on a very flat route. This triathlon is in Clermont with rolling hills, so that will be a little more challenging.
• Run: 11:30 - 12 min/mile (36m) - I'm aiming high here, but I won't be surprised if I'm slower. On Sunday, the run portion of my brick was 12:24 min/mile for 2 miles. Last year my average was 12:50, but I was being cautious and not pushing myself because of a foot injury. This pace is doable, but I'll have to dig deep. Hopefully I don't destroy my legs on the bike too much, and I can still at least manage to average 12 min/mile. I'll probably use walk breaks to make this happen.
• Transitions: 5 minutes - This is consistent with my times last year, and I hope I can at least manage the same this time. It will also depend on how far transition is from the beach, and where my spot is.
• T1: rinse and dry feet, put on socks, shoes, helmet and camelbak. I'll eat a gu roctane as I get on the bike or walk to the mount line. I'm wearing my camelbak instead of messing with water bottles. Reaching for and replacing water bottles in their cages always slows me down more than the few seconds I'll spend putting on the camelbak. I'm debating whether to wear a headband under my helmet, but I think I can suffer through 10 miles without one. Same goes for gloves.
• T2: remove helmet, move garmin to wrist, change shoes, grab water bottle, hat, and racing belt and put them on as I walk out of transition. I'll eat another gu roctane (stored in my racing belt) as I start the run. 

I think that covers everything. What am I missing? Anyone else racing this weekend? What are your plans/goals?

Should I Tri?

Training for and completing the marathon reignited my love for running, and I don't ever want to stop. I'm getting faster and my endurance is outstanding. I could run for hours, and I do, and I LOVE it! I feel so powerful when I run, and it helps keep me sane. This is why on an almost daily basis I go back and forth on whether I want to train for triathlons this season or just focus on my running.

Last season my running suffered because I was too focus on swimming and biking and barely ran more than 2-3 miles the entire season; I don't want that to happen again. In fact, I can't let it happen. I'll be training for a fall marathon, probably the Space Coast Marathon during Thanksgiving weekend, so I need to keep up with my running to be able to run 12 miles at the start of the training in June.

On the one hand, I enjoy the additional challenge of a triathlon, the great community that goes with it, and the benefits of cross training. I know that I'll get the bug when I see others, like Jason, start participating in triathlons. There also aren't many road races in Florida until the fall, other than 5Ks, so I'd be running with no goal in mind other than maintenance and I always do better when I'm training for a specific race.

On the other hand, I really want to work on improving my running speed, so that means I can't jeopardize any of my running workouts because of swimming or biking. I also want to keep up with core and strength training and I'm having a hard time finding the time to fit it all in without risking overtraining, injury or burn out. I guess the best thing to do is to focus on my running, bike and swim for cross training as best I can, and if I'm ready when the time comes sign up for a tri to mix thing sup. We'll see.

Race Report: OUC Downtown Orlando Triathlon Relay (1:47:43)

On yet another whim, I signed up for a triathlon relay this past weekend with my girls and had SO much fun! It was just what I needed to get out of the funk after the Trek didn't go as planned. This is the relay we were going to do initially, but we thought it'd be too soon after the trek. We were wrong! I'm now also addicted to triathlon relays :) Here we are, "MK^2 Impulse," before the start of the race. Can you guess who did which leg? ;)

Also at the race:

 Kyle (owner of Kyly'e Bike Shop) and Kristi
It was his first tri and her 2nd



Jason and David aka "Spontaneous Combustion"
doing a 2-man relay, who placed 2nd in their division!



and Giles, who helped me get the confidence in my swimming to give this crazy sport a try.

Pre-Race

The race start was at Lake Underhill Park, 3.2 miles from our apartment. Since I'm training for a marathon at the end of February, and the training plan called for 10 miles that day, we ran to the race start at an easy pace to get some extra miles. Combined with the race distance and a 1 mile walk home, I got in a total of 8 miles.

We got body marked and I found the girls. The relay wave was last, starting at 8 am, so we had a lot of time to kill. When we registered on Thursday, we all put shirt sizes that were too big because we kept thinking how small the shirts we got at the Trek were. But we forgot that the Trek was a women's race with women specific shirts, and these tech shirts were probably unisex. We were bummed that they were so big, but we brought them with us in hopes of exchanging them for smaller ones if they had any leftover. They DID! And that made my day because I love this race's logo and wanted to be able to wear the shirt. I was more excited about this race than the Trek :) (Maybe because I didn't have to swim =P)

The Race is On!

We headed to the start and watched the other waves take off, then finally Kelly and Jason were on their way. Since I did the run, I was able to take pictures of everyone during the swim and see them finish. Between legs, the other relay members were herded to a tent to wait for our turn. This amused me, but it gave us a great vantage point to watch the other triathletes and cheer them on. Jason and I were both doing the run leg, so it was cool we got to hang out in the tent for a bit while David came back from the bike.

My Turn to Shine! 
Run = 3.86 mi in 41:29 @ 10:44 pace

The run felt amazing! My left calf and hamstring were a little tight while I waited for MaryLynn to finish the bike leg, but I took off like a bat out of hell after we did the hand off. The first 2 minutes was at a 8:46 min/mile pace. I clearly started too fast, and I ended up with positive splits, but I pushed myself hard and far exceeding my expectations (I figured I'd average at best 11:30 min/mile).

I ran using 2:1 intervals, but pushed hard during the running segments, running most of them at a 9-10 min/mile pace. During the 2nd half, the intervals turned into run 2 minutes hard, walk 30 seconds, jog 30 seconds, then push hard for 2 minutes, then repeat. It certainly helped that it was overcast the entire time, even if it was still pretty humid. I also hydrated well and ate a gel during the run. I think that helped keep me going.

As I ran past the 3 mile mark near the Howard MS track at Summerlin, I saw the girls walking to the finish line and cheering me on. That brought a smile to my face and gave me the extra motivation I needed to push hard to the finish. They ran with me for a few seconds, and then I took off. As I rounded the last corner before the one to the finish line, I started to pick up the pace a bit more as I saw Jason cheering me on and running with me on the side walk. Alicia and Giles were at the last corner, and I dug deep, even deeper than at the Trek, and finished with an amazing sprint.

They held the tape for me to "break" as I finished. That was a really nice touch. I felt really strong and very pleased with my performance.  My official time was 40:47 @ 10:28 min / mile -- not sure how that makes sense, but I'll take it. Maybe the course was long. I started my watch after the hand off while still in transition. This is close to the pace of my 5K PR, so that's impressive. I finished 414 / 507 overall and 13 / 15 in our division.

Official Team Results

• rank = 460 / 507 overall; 12 / 15 in division
• time: 1:47:43
• swim rank = 482 / 507 overall ;14 / 15 in division
• swim time = 16:13
• t1 = 1:11
• bike rank = 485 / 507 overall ;11 / 15 in division
• bike time = 48:36 @ 14.4 mph
• t2 = 0:58
• run rank = 414 / 507 overall; 13 / 15 in division
• run time = 40:47 @ 10:28 min/mil

Final Thoughts

I'm really impressed with this race and plan to do it again next year, either by myself or as a relay. Relays are awesome because you get to compete while still cheering on all your friends, and you can push yourself a little bit harder when you focus on one sport and because you don't want to let your team down. It's truly the best of both worlds. The impulsiveness of signing up for this at the last minute also added to the excitement and took the pressure off. We just wanted to have fun, and that we sure did! I can't wait for the next one in October -- unless we find another sooner ;) Great job team MK^2!

View More Photos on Flickr

PS - While waiting for Kelly to finish the swim, MaryLynn said someone recognized me and told her she followed my blog. That's so neat! If it was you, comment and let me know. I'd love to know which one of my readers was also at this Tri!

Race Report: Trek Women's Spring Tri (2:13:40)

I finished my first full sprint triathlon on Sunday, 9.6.09 in 2:13:40, and I'm a little underwhelmed, but I had a blast with all the girls before, during, and after. I finished 796 / 936 overall and 84 / 96 in my age group. Here's the recap.

Saturday: Kids Run, Expo, and Pre-Race Dinner

We drove to Disney's Ft. Wilderness early Saturday morning to see Isa run her first race: 100 yard dash. She was adorable! We killed some time after the kid's race at the playground, then went to the expo to get our race packets, race shirt, and shop! Sports Beans was one of the sponsors, so I got many samples of my favorite running nutrition in their new resealable package. I bought a new tri top and got the girls matching bondi bands that say "tri like a girl" for us to wear at our triathlon relay.

After the expo, we checked into our cabin, I racked my bike, then went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch with Lisa and Joe. We chilled in our cabin for a bit after lunch until dinner time. I also had to do a bit of laundry because I put some hershey kisses in my goodie bag that melted while we were at lunch covering the entire contents in gooey chocolate, including my race shirt and new tri top. Chris and David finally got back to the cabin from working the expo all day, then we headed to Giordanno's for the pre-race dinner. We had a blast catching up with friends and eating yummy food, and of course posting for quirky photos =P

Race Morning

Jason and I caught the shuttle to transition area and found MaryLynn on the bus. We got to the transition area just as Kelly was getting there, and got to work. After we setup our areas, we finished body marking each other and headed to the beach.

We quickly found Jason and Joe, and eventually saw the rest of the girls. I was not nervous about this race all week, or even this weekend, until we got to the beach and I saw the buoys. It looked SO LONG! We took some pre-race shots at the dock, where our camera men were stationed, then headed to the beach.  While waiting at the beach, my mom and grandma found me and we took some more pics. It was great to see them there and helped calmed my nerves a bit, but not much. I was still freaking out about how far the swim looked.

Swim = 1/2 mile (880 yds) in 35:00 - 877 / 936

The swim took a little longer than I predicted, but I made it in one piece! I was freaking out while waiting for our wave to start, but once I got in the water I was fine and just kept swimming. I stopped a lot to tread water and see where I was going, switching to breast stroke and side stroke from time to time, but I never stopped completely to hold onto a swim noodle or kayak. It was a little humbling to see everyone I knew in the next wave past me, and before long I was swimming in a sea of blue and purple caps (my wave was orange), but I didn't care. Now I have an official time of 35:36 to beat next time :)

T1 - 00:04:16

We had a long run to the transition area after the swim, and I probably spent too much time putting on socks, shoes, and gloves. I was also a bit flustered and tired from the swim.

Bike = 12.13 mi in 52:00 @ 14.1 mph - 773 / 936

I'm really disappointed in my bike performance. This is my slowest pace in a race. I seem to get slower on the bike with every race I do. I intended to push hard on the bike to make up for the swim, but no matter what I could no go any faster and the hills didn't help. I'd like to blame this on the crowded field, or that I was too tired from the swim and maybe I kicked too much, but the truth is that I did not train properly on the bike the last few months. I commuted to work on my explorer bike, but didn't push myself and rarely did any speed work. I'm going to train specifically for the distance next time and do some drills to improve my speed/power. I'll probably also start wearing the camelbak for longer races as I think I'm wasting too much time reaching down for the water bottle. I think I use it as an excuse to take a break and it makes me lose momentum and takes a little time to get back up to speed. My official bike time  was 53:15, but  that includes 1/4 mile or more run to mount line.

T2 - 00:02:27

Not much to say here. I ran my bike to the back of the transition area, raked it, took off helmet, switched shoes, then grabbed hat and racing belt as I ran out of the transition area. I almost forgot to switch my watch from the bike to my wrist.

Run =  3.15 mi in  38 @ 12:03 min/mile - 620 / 936

The run went much better than I expected. I fumbled with my watch and never set up the intervals, but that worked out in my favor. I started running using 3:1 for maybe the first mile, but I felt good and reduced the walk breaks to every half mile or less -- usually just at the water stops. After the last water stop, I pushed it to catch up to Kelly and I seemed to find my stride so ran it all the way to the finish line trying to get to a sub-12 min/mile avg pace. Cheryl was there at the 3 mile mark and ran with me to end pushing me to dig deep for a strong finish. Thanks Cheryl!!

My Negative Splits pace:

mile 1 - 12:56
mile 2 - 12:23
mile 3 - 11:21
finish (.15) - 8:42!! 

Final Thoughts

So it wasn't the race I was hoping for, and I was a little down about it on Monday, but I need to remind myself that a few months ago I thought a triathlon wasn't even an option for me. I could barely swim and the thought of even getting in a lake terrified me. Being able to complete this was a huge accomplishment, and it certainly will not be the last one. I'm completely addicted! The best part is that I got to share it with a great group of women, and I've met new friends along the way. Here is just a few of them. Thanks ladies and Jason for all your support, and for believing in me. I could not have done it with each and every one of you.

View more race photos

Race Report: Central Florida Sprint Tri #3 (1:29:01)

I signed up for this race on a whim this morning. Jason registered last week, and Friday morning I began considering joining him, but wanted to wait to see how I felt this morning before committing. I decided to go for it to get some experience swimming in a lake in a race environment. I took some pressure off myself by treating it as just another brick workout -- a very expensive one -- and I think that made the race much more enjoyable. I'm thrilled that I finished in under 1:30.

Official Stats:

• swim = 12:19 - 15/16 in AG
• T1 = 3:09 - 8/16 in AG
• bike = 33:47 - 14/16 in AG
• T2 = 1:55 - 14/16 in AG
• run = 37:53 - 15/16 in AG
• total time = 1:29:01
• gender place: 124 / 149
• age group place = 16 / 16

The times and distances listed below are from my Garmin since the official results are based on the advertised distanced (instead of the actual distances I ran/biked) and include mounting and dismounting.

Pre-Race
Since I did same day registration, I got last month's shirt. It's a shame that they only had a medium because I really love the design. I think I'm going to finally use my sewing machine to make it shorter so I can wear it. The goodie bag also included a cool license plate cover that we've already put to use. I'll post pics later. After registering, I began my typical pre-race freak out and questioning what the hell I was doing. I got all my gear and headed to the transition area to find I had a great spot at the end of the rack and right in front of the entrance. They were really serious about the rules in this race, down to where and in which direction you racked your bike. We got a rules sheet in our packet describing all the penalties, and race officials were circling the transition area checking bike racks and that the bar ends were plugged. It was a little intimidating to say the least. While setting up my transition area, I met another member of the Trek Tri Meetup group. Registering for the Trek Tri is the best decision I've made, because I've met so many great ladies.

Swim = 400 yards in 12:19
This was my first real lake swim in a race environment, and I did not freak out like I thought I would. I did get tired pretty quickly, which makes me a little nervous about having to swim twice this much at the Trek in just 3 short weeks. I stayed in the back and avoided getting kicked, slapped or run over -- others were not so fortune -- and was 3rd to last out of the water in my wave. Several from the next wave caught up to me before I was done, but I'm ok with that. The swim for me is all about survival. I only turned over on my back 2-3 times, and my time was pretty close to what I predicted.

T1 = 3:09

We had to run a bit from the beach to the transition area, so I think that's where most of this time is coming from. I decided to try not rinsing out my feet and just wiping them on the towel. It worked ok, but I'm not sure I'll do that again. The transition area was on grass, so I had blades of grass and some sand stuck to my feet. The more I do this, the less stuff I bring. This time I decided not to wear cycling gloves and that worked out ok.

Bike = 8.10 miles in 32:49 @ 14.8 mph

The timing mat was at the exit of the transition area before we were allowed to mount. I started my Garmin after I mounted and began riding, so that's why the time from the official results is longer. We had to tackle a big hill at the very start of the bike course, and I saw several people off their bikes walking up the hill. Even though I was taking it easy in this race, I wanted to push on the bike and at least average 15 mph. The hills were not as bad as I expected, nor as frequent, but they were certainly a challenge. I tried to make up whatever time I could on the downhills and flat portions. At the end of the first 7 miles, I had an average of 15.3 mph, but then we had to climb one huge hill. I didn't have enough left to tackle it and my average plummeted. I passed at least 5 people, maybe more, but I lost track. 

T2 = 1:55

I racked my bike and quickly switched shoes, took off my helmet, then grab my hat and racing belt as I began to exist the transition area. 

Run = 2.95 miles in 37:53 @ 12:50 min/mile

I had a pain-free run on Thursday, but I was not taking any chances of re-injuring the foot, so I ran/walked using 2:1 intervals. This worked out well because 2 minutes was about all I could run without running out of breath or feeling exhausted. The run began with a hill, which I walked then ran downhill. The course had 2 out and back portions, and cruelly passed by the finish line just after mile 1. I think I drank too much water because I felt a bit sluggish, but I kept drinking every chance I got since it was so hot. I was hoping to average closer to 12, but I didn't feel like pushing myself more. I just wanted to enjoy this race and take it all in. I began cutting the walk breaks short after the 2 mile mark, and substituting 30s of walking with a slow jog, then I ran the last 1/2 mile to the finish line. 

Post-Race
This was another race with a great post-race spread: bananas, chips, cookies, soda, and hot dogs. I really wish I had done the other 2 races in this series so I had something to compare it to, but I was just not ready then. I'll probably do the entire series next year. I am totally hooked on tris! :)

Race Report: Faces of Courage Reverse Triathlon (1:33:12)

This is the first triathlon for which I registered. I was lured in by the pool swim, and at the time I thought this would be the closest I'd ever get to doing a tri because of my fear of swimming in open water. This is the same reason why I tried a duathlon. I've quickly come to realized that it's easier to get used to swimming in open water and doing a real triathlon, because the easy way out in trying to avoid it (reverse tri with pool swim or duathlon) were not so easy after all.

Official Stats:

• run = 36:34 - 9/10 in AG
• T1 = 1:46 - 4/10 in AG
• bike = 43:47 - 7/10 in AG
• run + bike total = 1:22:07 - 7/10 in AG
• T2 = 5:14 - 9/10 in AG
• swim = 5:53 - 8/10 in AG
• total time = 1:33:12
• overall place = 141/159
• age group place = 7/10

The times and distances listed below are from my Garmin since the official results are based on the advertised distanced (instead of the actual distances I ran/biked) and include mounting and dismounting.

Run = 3.14 miles in 36:35 @ 11:39 min/mile
I took it easy on the run and ran/walked using 2:1 intervals in hopes to keep the foot pain at bay. It still reared is ugly head, but the walking helped. Almost everyone in my wave passed me during the run, as well as most of the next wave (women over 40 are fast!), but I wasn't going to risk further injury to the foot. The course was beautiful, winding through a nearby neighborhood. Not surprisingly, I finished the run 9 of 10 in my age group.

T1 = 1:46
As you can see from the photo above, I already had my cycling gloves on during the run, so I just had to swap my hat for my helmet, switch shoes, then grab my bike and go. I had the 4th fastest transition in my age group.

Bike = 10.5 miles in 43:12 @ 14.6 mph
The bike was rough, and I am sad I didn't even average 15 mph, let alone maintain my previous race pace. For some reason, I had trouble catching my breath for the first few miles. I think the run took a lot out of me since I had not been able to run more than 1-2 miles in the past few weeks due to the foot pain. As I struggled to get through it, I remembered MaryLynn's goal of passing 5 people, so I set out to do that just for her :) I passed 7, including 1 guy! =D The bike course was also through a nearby neighborhood (a different one) and mostly flat. Even with the slow pace, I made up some time on the bike and climbed to 7th in my age group.

T2 = 5:14
It makes me laugh that my transition from the bike to swim took me almost as long as the swim itself. I was pretty tired when I finished the bike so I was moving a bit slowly. That still would have netted me a fairly fast transition though, were it not for the fact that I started running towards the pool the wrong way.  Silly me, I ran towards the pool, but they wanted us to exit transition the same way we exited for the bike and run all the way around. I would estimate it was about 1/4 mile.

Swim = 200 yards in 05:53

I was exhausted when I got in the pool, but the water felt so good. I even passed one other swimmer! The pool was at most 5 feet deep, so I could stand up whenever I wanted, and I did a few times but not many. I didn't care for the course -- swimming down one lane, then up the next for a total of 8 lengths. Getting under that rope to switch lanes every length really disrupted my rhythm. Now I have an official baseline for my swimming, but I am sure I can do this a little faster when I don't spend 1 hr and 22 min running and biking. I finished the swim 8th out of 10 in my age group, but still hanged onto my 7th overall age group place.

View more photos on Flickr

Post Race
The post-race spread was the best I've seen yet: grilled burgers and hot dogs! I was feeling a bit ill when I got out of the water, so I didn't take full advantage. I felt better once I ate and we were in the car waiting to get out of the parking lot, but it was too late. After we checked out of the hotel, we feasted on lunch at Applebee's and I had a well-earned huge mudslide :) Even though I think this may be more difficult than a real triathlon, I'll probably do this race again next year. It's a nice change from the normal triathlons and I enjoyed the course.

Race Report: Lake Louisa Sprint Tri (55:44)

I did it! I completed my first sub-sprint triathlon yesterday in 55:44 and came in 83 out of 105 overall.  I didn't drown and met all my goals! w00t!

But the best part is that I got to share this awesome experience with Kelly and MaryLynn.  I think it's awesome how take turns freaking out so there is always at least one to talk the others off the ledge :)  We make a great team, and we're considering doing a triathlon relay together real soon!

Due to the low water level in the lake, this really should have been called a duathlon with a water run =P This was a very small, low key race; I'd say it was the tri equivalent of a fun run. We didn't even have numbers, so no bibs or body markings :( But what we did have was tons of fun and a great workout. I am already hooked and in search of my next full sprint tri!

Pre-race

Jason and I woke up at 4 am, had the car loaded, and were on our way to Clermont before 5 am. As we approached the park, MaryLynn called saying it was pitch black with no one around, and she did not know where to go, so she waited for us at the guard house. We made the trek together into the park to find the transition area. It was a LONG way and very dark. We finally found them and began unloading our stuff. We got there before 6 and had our pick of bike racks, so all 3 of us had our bikes next to each other.

Swim + T1 = 10 minutes (estimate)
What swim? They were not kidding about the water level on the lake being low. We couldn't really swim and just walked/jogged most of the way, though I did try swimming a bit to get a taste of what it would be like swimming when there is no visibility. I am not even sure this was 1/4 mile as the marker--an inflatable alligator--was upon us before we knew it.

Bike = 6.7 miles in 25:51 @ 15.6 mph
I pushed hard and was making good time, even beating my average pace from last time, but then I hit the hills and I lost a lot of time. I did manage to pass quite a few people, including some men! After the last turn around, it finally dawned on me to get into a high gear and peddle on the downhills and use that momentum to go up the next hill. That worked and managed to get my average pace back up to 15.6 mph but it was too late to make up much more time. Clearly, I need to do some hill training before the next one. Overall, I'm pleased with my performance on the bike course. Here is a graph of the hills:

Run = 1.5 in 17:56 @ 11:43 min/mile
The run went much better than at the duathlon and I ran the whole time! I was tired but determined to gut it out for the short 1.5 mile run. I took it easy for the first half and simply shuffled along and slowed my pace when I felt the need to walk. After the initial minute or so at 9-10 pace, I settled into a 12ish pace. After the turn around, I tried to pick up speed a bit and managed to average under 12, but I didn't have enough in me for much more than that.

Post-race
They gave us a popsicle stick with a number as we finished. That corresponded to our standing and we could match it to our official time on a piece of paper. I came in 83/105, which means I beat 22 people! We were exhausted, but thrilled at what we had accomplished. MaryLynn had to head back home, but the rest of us went to Cracker Barrel for a much deserved breakfast feast!

View more photos on Flickr

1st Triathlon Predictions

I can hardly believe that I will be participating in a triathlon tomorrow morning! Remember when I thought I wasn't a runner? Yeah, I though I was even less of a swimmer. Not only have I learned to swim with my head in the water in just 5 short weeks--and 13 swim sessions--I am actually enjoying it.

Tomorrow I will conquer my fear of open water! I am terrified, but I think I am finally more excited than scared =) My inaugural tri race is the Lake Louisa Sprint Tri #4: 1/4 mile swim, 7 mile bike, 1.5 mile run.

My main goals for this race are 1) don't drown :P  2) finish with a smile on my face ... in an upright position ... doing something that resembles a running motion =D I know I shouldn't have a time goal for my first tri, but it would be awesome if I could finish at or under 1 hour. This may be tight, but 1:05 - 1:10 is totally doable.

I think I stand a chance of meeting the 1 hour time goal, or coming real close, if 1) I don't completely freak out in the water, 2) if I can push hard on the bike, 3) but not too hard that I can't run. Here is the breakdown of how I see each leg playing out:

• swim: This is the leg that concerns me most, but I have a feeling (I'm hoping) the adrenaline will kick in, and I will surprise myself. Everyone says the lake is shallow and I can stand up, but I really want to try to swim as much as possible--even if "swimming" means doggy paddling   or rolling over on my back to catch my breath :) Once I exit the water, and the swim is behind me, I'll be on top of the world and the rest will come naturally. I'm allocating this leg 20 minutes--what I hope is a gross overestimation. 

• bike: I averaged 15.5 mph on the bike for 13.4 miles at the duathlon (after running 2.5 miles), so I am hoping I can push it to 16-17 for these 7 miles, especially since I won't have to slow down to round a corner every 1/2 a mile. This would mean 25-28 minutes on the bike.

• run: I'd like to run the entire 1.5 miles, but I may have to walk a bit if I push too hard on the bike. I'll just try to start slow and pick up the pace as I go. I think I can gut it out for such a short distance and just slow down instead of walking if I need to. My estimate for the run is 16-19 minutes.

So yeah, 1 hour will be really tight, especially once we throw in an additional 5 minutes for the transitions. No matter how it turns out, I'm going to give it my all and have fun!

Mock Tri Turned Aquabike

I think I overdid it this week, and I am paying dearly for it now. Ow! :( Let's recap:

• Sun - biked 45 mile to Wekiva
• Mon - are you kidding? NOTHING!
• Actually, that's not true, swam 100 m and biked 1.7 miles -- see, nothing ;)
• Tue - swam 500 yds + ran/walked 3 miles (easy)
• Wed - 30 min kickboxing
• Thu - 6 workout madness: run, swim, bike, swim, bike, yoga
• Fri - are you kidding? NOTHING! For real this time!
• Sat - ran 5 miles + played kickball for 1 hour
• Sun - swam 500 yds + biked 5.45 miles

I'm dead now! *thunk*

So today I planned to do a mock tri in preparation for my first (sub)spring triathlon next Saturday at Lake Louisa: 1/4 mile swim, 7 mile bike (on hills), 1.5 mile run. Things did not go quite as planned. I failed miserable at swimming 9 consecutive laps. Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I kept loosing my rhythm and messing up my breathing. I had to pause at the wall a few times and several times I stopped mid-length to tread water or get on my back and catch my breath. I think I can do better when I am not so tired and don't have the wall there as a crutch, but I will probably freak out at being in a lake and surrounded by all those people instead =P 

After the swim, MaryLynn and I went for what was supposed to be a 7 mile bike ride. I was hurting from the beginning. Let it be known that I shall never again underestimate the exhaustive power of childhood sports (kickball). We rode from Cady Way park and turned around at the end of the trail (before you cross the street to go to Cross Seminole Trail) for a total of 5.45 miles. MaryLynn forgot one of her running shoes, so that was a good enough excuse for me to skip the run too ;) I was really beat and now everything hurts and my skin is burning/radiating heat. 

Needless to say, tomorrow WILL be a rest day :) 

Below is my plan for the rest of the week. All workouts should be done at an easy pace OR optional ;)

• Mon - REST! And possibly some relaxing yoga
• Tue - Run/Swim at Cady Way before work
• Wed - Bike - to/from work or on trail after work
• Thu - Lucky's Lake to get the freaking out over with AND/OR run/swim after work (maybe) OR REST/YOGA
• Fri - REST! YOGA!
• Sat - RACE DAY!!

Whose idea was it for me to do a triathlon in the first place? And whose idea was it to do it next weekend? Ack! =)

Swim Meetup Workout #2: 1050 yards!

Kelly and I attended our second swim workout with Andy's tri meetup group tonight and had an amazing time. I swam a total of 1050 yards! This is twice as many yards as I swam last week and with a much better stroke! While most of this was not consecutive, I did much better at maintaining a proper stroke/breathing rhythm for longer and needed less rest between laps/lengths. Is there such a thing as swimmer's high? If so, I got it! I was so pump that I could not shut up on the ride home and at the dinner.

The workout:

• warm up: 350 = 7 x 50
  we were at the pool about 30 minutes before everyone else (because we did not run due to the weather), so we did most of these on our own at an easy pace and with plenty of rest
• drill set: 200 = 4 sets of 2 x 25
  each set was a different drill to work on technique
• main set: 350 = 4 sets of 2 x 25 + 50
  the 50s were supposed to be a consistent medium to fast pace, while the 2 x 25 were supposed to get increasingly faster with each set. I have no sense of pace while I swim (and there was no lap clock) so I just focused on surviving each lap. Kelly and I skipped a set of 2 x 25 to recover.
• sprint relay: 100 = 4 x 25
  There were 6 of us, so we had 2 relay teams of 3. One person started at one of the pool and the other 2 at the other end. We swam 25 yards hard when the other person reached our end. The faster we swam, the less rest that person had. lol. I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
• cool down: 50
  I was too exhausted to do anything else.

Improvements:

• pull buoy - I swam with a pull buoy the whole time. This really helps me focus on improving my stroke without worrying about my legs and keeping my body up. Without the pull buoy, my butt dips too far down and its a struggle to stay afloat. I need to add the legs and work on my kick eventually, but one thing at a time :)
• nose plug - My main problem with swimming with my head in the water is that I almost always end up with water up my nose when I put my head back in the water after coming up for air. That sends me into a mini panic and completely throws off my rhythm. I still panic every so often and flail about, but with the nose plug I don't inhale water, which minimizes these episodes. I am sure I look like a total dork, but it is totally worth it.
• keep my head down - I used to swim with my head completely above the water, because I didn't know how to breath otherwise, which wasted a lot of energy. I didn't realize how much until I started swimming with my head in the water. That simple change has made all the difference, and I can really feel myself gliding through the water.
• exhale under water - While I get this breathing thing down, I tried holding my breath for as many strokes as I could while blowing air through my mouth under water (I think I was practically swimming with my mouth open most of the time lol). Somehow this helps me keep a good rhythm and make it easier to get air when I came up to breath. At first I could go 2-3 (or more) strokes but eventually I had to breath every other streak.

I am sure there are other things, but I am too tired to remember. My left shoulder is hurting a bit. I hope I don't have a repeat of the shoulder issues I had before because I am really starting to get the hang of this.

Swimming with Kelly and this group is very motivating. Had I been doing this on my own, I would have probably quit after 200 yards. Andy, the meet up organizer and couch, is awesome. He does a great job adjusting the workouts to our different skill levels, yet I still feel part of the group.

I can't wait for next week's workout! Kelly and I are going to swim on our on Tuesdays and do a repeat of his Thursday workouts from the previous week. The possibility of me doing a real triathlon, specifically the Trek Women Triathlon on September 6, is looking better and better :)

PS: We did some bad math and thought we swam 1550 at one point, but that was just wishful thinking in our delirious swimmer's high state. As Kelly put it, "swimming and doing math is like drinking and driving" lol. This is why I like training with Andy and doing drills, because I can just go home and recall the drills to figure out how far we swam.

Morning Brick Workout

I woke up at 6 am this morning and did a short brick workout instead of my usual Tuesday morning run. My first duathlon is in less than 2 weeks and I still don't have the bike-run transition down. My running has suffered since I upped my bike millage because I can't seem to find the time (or sometimes the energy) to fit in the long runs, but I usually manage to get 2 mid-week runs in of 2-3 miles. I will definitely have to shift gears and reduce my bike millage in September if I want to run a half marathon this fall.

The Bike - 5 miles in 19:36 @ 15.3 mph

I rode my usual 5 mile loop: Livingston to Maguire/Crystal Lake to South to Robinson and back. I hate this loop! Just when I get up to speed, I come up to a red light, which turns green as soon as I finish stopping. It completely throws off my rhythm. Then about 1.5 miles in, I came upon a huge group of runners on the bike lane 3-4 abreast. They got out of my way before I hit them, but not before I had to slow down considerably.

Once I turned onto South St, just after 2 miles, I hit very few lights and really got moving. I was spinning fast and at a high cadence. I reached a max speed of 22.3 with a 95 cadence, and that was NOT downhill (but maybe I had a tailwind?). I'm so excited! I didn't maintain this for too long, but I was consistently riding 16+ mph w/a cadence of 85+ rpm unless I had to slow down for a light or coast for a quick break. Even though this was a short ride, I gave it all I had.

full stats:

• cadence: 85 / 105 rpm
• speed: 15.3 / 22.3 mph
• hear rate: 158 / 178 bpm
• mile splits (mph): 13.4 - 14.5 - 17.9 - 17.4 - 14.5

Transition - 2:19


I got off the back across the street from my apartment and walked it in just as I will in the race. I quickly removed my camelbak (I plan to wear it for the ride since I am not coordinated enough to grab my water bottle and replace it the cage without slowing down considerably or swerving), exchanges my helmet for my hat, switched shoes, took a zip of water and was off. I quickly learned that I can't run with my iphone in the back pockets of the cycling jersey, so I had to hold it the entire run. At least I learned this now and not on race day :)


The Run - 1 mile in 11:28

The run was rough as always and I only managed a mile. I walked for a few second after 1/2 a mile in hopes of running at least 1.5 miles, but I was exhausted and drenched from the humidity and exertion on the bike. My biggest problem transitioning from bike to run is not the legs; I just have a heard time catching my breath and getting into a good breathing rhythm. It's also uncomfortable because you are suddenly covered in sweat that the wind during the bike kept at bay.

I pushed really hard on the bike, and that was only for 5 miles with some breaks due to the lights (though these breaks may have worked against me by throwing off my rhythm), so I am a bit concerned about running 2.5 miles after riding hard non-stop for 13.4 miles. I still plan to push as hard as I can during the bike portion at the race because I won't make up the time running. Even if I have to walk part of the run and average closer to a 12 min/mile pace, I won't lose as much time as if I average less than 15 mph on the bike and I may still be able to finish in under 2 hours (though that may not include transition time).

full stats:

• pace: 11:28 / 7:44 (for about 5 seconds at the start lol)
• hear rate: 163 / 170
• 1/4 mile splits (pace): 10:26 - 11:38 - 12:07 - 11:33

The Swim - what swim?


I was supposed to go for a swim tonight with Kelly and Lisa, but mother nature would have none of that. A huge thunderstorm scrubbed our plans, but we shall hopefully resume on Thursday. Florida certainly doesn't make it easy to train for a tri :(