Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not. -- Tokugawa Ieyasu
Under 60 days to IMLOU! Holey crap. I'm getting very nervous, but the one thing that heartens me is the advice that IMLOU veterans keep giving on the Facebook group page...slow and steady. Finish the swim. Take it easy on the bike - don't charge the hills, don't hammer it, zone 2 is your best friend. And then slow and steady through the run. Do that, and you can finish like a boss. The bonus is that slow and steady is what I do best. :-)
I had a really crappy run on Tuesday and have been feeling pretty darn stressed about my training -- I didn't do my nutrition right (big surprise - that seems to be the thing for me...) and I got calf cramps. That was my fault - I was trying to go without calf sleeves, but it seems like that is not an option for me right now. Today I went out for a short, easy hour run (per plan) and it was fine. My speed was fine, especially given that it was an easy run...and I made sure I felt easy...and with the calf sleeves, I was all good.
Less than sixty days. I need to get my nutrition dialed in - that has to be the main focus over the next month or so. But slow and steady does it - and that's good enough for me.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Get on Your Bikes and Ride!
Life is like riding a bicycle: you don't fall off unless you stop pedaling. -- Claude Pepper
Normal people do normal things for their birthdays. They go out for fancy dinners. They ask for jewelry. They may even take a trip. So, I'm kind of normal. My family took me out to dinner a couple times. I asked for a fancy new watch. And I went on a 3-day tour of Virginia. What's not normal is that my watch is a Garmin 910xt and I spent those 3 days perched on my bike. As far as dinner, it was a necessity because I was camping! Camping! In a tent! And can I just say it was a fantastic birthday - my husband rocks for managing the house while I did this, bringing the girls down to eat with me both nights, and doing the laundry while I was gone. (Oh, and not laughing too hard when I said I wanted to go to bed at 9pm last night.)
This weekend I took part in Bike Virginia 2014. I did the Weekend Escape and rode the longest and hilliest routes available each day -- 28 on Friday, 104 on Saturday, and 89 on Sunday -- although I'm really bad at starting my fancy new watch when I leave aid stations, so I never actually registered those numbers on my wrist. But anyway, I rode the whole loops, so I'm taking credit for the posted numbers.
Friday:
I drove down to Pocohontas State Park, the site of the event, on Friday morning, hoping to set up my tent and go for my ride as soon as the course opened up at noon. Unfortunately, I did not expect the crazy lines at registration or how long it would take to get camp set up, so I didn't actually hit the road until closer to 1p. I was only worried because I planned to meet up with the family to swim in the river that night with my masters group and I didn't want to be scrambled (any more than usual). Anyway, after I registered, I set up my campsite for the next 2 nights.
Some people were concerned about me camping alone...but seriously, there were like 500 tents in Tent City, so it was like camping with 1000 or so of my newest friends.
Anyway, after I set up and ate some leftovers I brought for lunch, I headed out on my bike for day 1 - 28 miles, almost 1400 feet of climbing. It was interesting seeing so many different types of bikes and bikers. There were people on fancy roadies, some tri bikes, recumbents (damn those look weird), tandems, mountain bikes, junky old fixies, you name it, it was out there. To be fair, most people had good road bikes, but still, it was cool. Also, you have never seen so much lycra. Ever. Even at a triathlon. It was crazy. Plus lots of little old men who like to walk around shirtless in bike shorts or bike bibs. Eww. But anyway, what can you do. (This was in camp, not on the ride...)
So each day had one "premium" rest area. The first day, since it was short, only had one rest stop at all...but they were making fresh funnel cakes. OMG so good. I can't remember the last time I ate a funnel cake. I should eat them more often. Well, maybe not, because then they wouldn't taste so good maybe?
The ride went well; I rode hard because I didn't know how much of the ride for Saturday I'd get in - the weather looked to be a complete washout - thunderstorms and all. The bike safety lecture at check-in was even concerned and told us what to do if we got caught out on the road during lightning. (FYI - go find a farmer and ask if you can stand in his garage...y'know, in case you wanted to know.) There were some good rolling hills around Lake Chesdin, but otherwise it was a fairly easy ride.
After the ride, I went back to the campsite and had my bike looked at. Baby had been on the trainer all winter and she wasn't shifting well. The wrenches fixed her (mostly, although I'm still not thrilled with the front derailleur adjustment - at least the rear works well now) and then I got my stuff together to meet the family.
The plan was to meet up with the Masters group to swim in the river and then do dinner. I still had a couple hours, so I went to Starbucks and got my free birthday drink and tried to read a book, but realized the book I had picked up from the library was one I had already read on my iPad...I usually remember book covers, but don't pay as much attention when I read on screen. So that kind of sucked, but I wasted time and then met the family.
The swim went really well - I did 3 out-and-back loops and my sighting was much better this time - darker goggles. Did 0.84 miles in 42 minutes. Plus it was my first real non-wetsuit swim of the season, and I felt good about it...which is good, since Muncie and Louisville are not going to be wetsuit legal (unless something very weird happens, like Hell freezes over.)
Then the family took me for Mexican where hubby and I split a very large margarita. It was a great birthday.
After I got back to the campsite, I got ready for bed and then tried to get to sleep. Around 11p or so, there was lightning which made me kind of nervous so I decamped to my car and slept in the trunk of the SUV for the night. Not comfortable, but better than sleeping through the storm.
Saturday:
Saturday was the big day - over 100 miles, a lot of hills, and it was supposed to be crappy weather. Well, two out of three ain't bad, right? So says Mr. Loaf, Meat Loaf.
Thankfully, the part that I missed out on was the crappy weather. I got the miles and I got the hills, which was part of the point - I was using this as training for IMLou after all. Problem was, because I was looking at it as a training ride, I was pretty disappointed in myself. It was slow - and I was only keeping ride time, not total time, because I stopped my watch at each aid station. Of course, this caused me to occasionally (or often?) forget to restart my watch...I only counted 92 miles of the ride on my fancy pants watch. :( Oh well.
Anyway, by the end of the ride, my back hurt. My brain hurt. My feelings hurt. Surprisingly, my hind end didn't hurt - so that was a bonus, considering I'd have to get back on my bike on Sunday morning. The ride was very pretty - lots of farm country, historic areas - including one rest area at Sailor's Creek Battlefield - where Lee lost shortly before heading to Appomattox Courthouse to surrender. A few of the costumed docents were out and about at the rest area. (Check out the ominous clouds in the background.)
Anyway, this lady was awesome - she was taking pictures of all of us in our lycra and spandex. In her right hand behind her back she has an iPhone that she was sure to hide before I took my picture!
The premium rest area for Saturday was at Amelia Courthouse. That was nice, but the food was tomato sandwiches. Ick. This may have been why I didn't eat enough on Saturday (which caused a really tough ride). Now, it's not their fault -- I am a grown up and I should have eaten better. But ewww. And I even like tomatoes! A lot!
After I finished my ride, I went to get lunch. This was one real bummer - for some reason, even though I came in while there was still a hour left of lunch, they had already run out of fruit. So I ate the loaded baked potato and salad, but I was still hungry. I bought myself an ice cream cone and tried to get a Coke, because you know what I think of Coke when I'm training...but they only had diet Sprite. Geez people, you're killing me here!
I called hubby when I finished and so he and the girls came down to meet me at the campground. We went down to Tent City and had a few beers while I relaxed and so they could take in the atmosphere. Really, it sounds weird, but it is really cool to be around that many tents and bikers. I did point out that the age trend was much older than me - but I still had a great time. Also, yes, I was by myself. I like to ride by myself and I like to be in my head for 6-7 hours + at a time. I know that sounds weird - including to my family - but I'm OK with it. The only problem is that I have been listening to the Billy Joel channel on SiriusXM and so I was doing a lot of singing of Billy Joel songs all three days. And I made up a lot of words. :) Because who really knows what he is saying during "We Didn't Start the Fire" anyway.
After I got cleaned up - SHOWERS ON SEMI-TRUCKS rock - the family took me out for dinner again. This time I had a choice between Jamaican and Italian. Normally I'm more adventurous (and anti-pasta - not to be confused with antipasto) but after the long ride, not eating enough, and the missing fruit at lunch, I wanted noodles and more noodles. And that's what I ate.
Family took me back to campground and this time, since there was no weather, I slept in my tent all night. And now I know that the generator for the shower truck comes back on at 5 am. And NOONE should be allowed to bring a baby to Tent City. That is all. :)
Sunday:
I was planning all along on doing the long route on Sunday -- 89 hilly miles...but then I started to waffle after Saturday. Could I even do that far? (I hoped so.) Was I an idiot? (Obviously.) It would mean over 220 miles of biking over 3 days. Seriously. I started the day with the same plan - I'm going to do 89, but if I'm really struggling at the decision point (rest area 2), I could change my mind. Plus, I didn't have any time goals in mind - the point was really to relax and enjoy the ride and see if I could do it. When I got to the decision point at 34 miles, I was actually feeling good. I had been eating all morning (ate some Powerbar chews every 10 miles or so, in addition to the food at rest area 1) and what could it hurt. Plus there was good food at rest area 2 - NACHOS! At 9:30 AM! Bam!
And so I headed out on the long option. And it was good. Plus, I got to see this awesome Confederate soldier cemetery at mile 53 or so.
Now, there's one thing I got to say here. There is a local sprint triathlon that goes in the area where we rode yesterday and right before the turn-around point of that race, there is a BEYOTCH of a hill. I've done the race a couple times and only once have I made it up that damn hill. After the rest area at the Confederate cemetery, we turned a corner and I knew exactly where I was...and I knew that hill was coming...and I was dreading it. By the time I got to the base of the hill, I was probably going about 5 miles an hour and I said screw it. I got off my bike and walked up the stupid hill. And it didn't bother me one bit. I had nothing to prove on Sunday - and I had 30 more miles to go and I wasn't going to blow it all on that hill. So there.
And then I finished and it was awesome. I ate some more pasta at the lunch. Went home and had pie and ice cream with the family. And beer. More beer.
I am so excited and proud of myself. Now back to my regularly scheduled training. Which happens to be a dropback week. Thank goodness.
Normal people do normal things for their birthdays. They go out for fancy dinners. They ask for jewelry. They may even take a trip. So, I'm kind of normal. My family took me out to dinner a couple times. I asked for a fancy new watch. And I went on a 3-day tour of Virginia. What's not normal is that my watch is a Garmin 910xt and I spent those 3 days perched on my bike. As far as dinner, it was a necessity because I was camping! Camping! In a tent! And can I just say it was a fantastic birthday - my husband rocks for managing the house while I did this, bringing the girls down to eat with me both nights, and doing the laundry while I was gone. (Oh, and not laughing too hard when I said I wanted to go to bed at 9pm last night.)
This weekend I took part in Bike Virginia 2014. I did the Weekend Escape and rode the longest and hilliest routes available each day -- 28 on Friday, 104 on Saturday, and 89 on Sunday -- although I'm really bad at starting my fancy new watch when I leave aid stations, so I never actually registered those numbers on my wrist. But anyway, I rode the whole loops, so I'm taking credit for the posted numbers.
Friday:
I drove down to Pocohontas State Park, the site of the event, on Friday morning, hoping to set up my tent and go for my ride as soon as the course opened up at noon. Unfortunately, I did not expect the crazy lines at registration or how long it would take to get camp set up, so I didn't actually hit the road until closer to 1p. I was only worried because I planned to meet up with the family to swim in the river that night with my masters group and I didn't want to be scrambled (any more than usual). Anyway, after I registered, I set up my campsite for the next 2 nights.
Some people were concerned about me camping alone...but seriously, there were like 500 tents in Tent City, so it was like camping with 1000 or so of my newest friends.
Anyway, after I set up and ate some leftovers I brought for lunch, I headed out on my bike for day 1 - 28 miles, almost 1400 feet of climbing. It was interesting seeing so many different types of bikes and bikers. There were people on fancy roadies, some tri bikes, recumbents (damn those look weird), tandems, mountain bikes, junky old fixies, you name it, it was out there. To be fair, most people had good road bikes, but still, it was cool. Also, you have never seen so much lycra. Ever. Even at a triathlon. It was crazy. Plus lots of little old men who like to walk around shirtless in bike shorts or bike bibs. Eww. But anyway, what can you do. (This was in camp, not on the ride...)
So each day had one "premium" rest area. The first day, since it was short, only had one rest stop at all...but they were making fresh funnel cakes. OMG so good. I can't remember the last time I ate a funnel cake. I should eat them more often. Well, maybe not, because then they wouldn't taste so good maybe?
The ride went well; I rode hard because I didn't know how much of the ride for Saturday I'd get in - the weather looked to be a complete washout - thunderstorms and all. The bike safety lecture at check-in was even concerned and told us what to do if we got caught out on the road during lightning. (FYI - go find a farmer and ask if you can stand in his garage...y'know, in case you wanted to know.) There were some good rolling hills around Lake Chesdin, but otherwise it was a fairly easy ride.
After the ride, I went back to the campsite and had my bike looked at. Baby had been on the trainer all winter and she wasn't shifting well. The wrenches fixed her (mostly, although I'm still not thrilled with the front derailleur adjustment - at least the rear works well now) and then I got my stuff together to meet the family.
The plan was to meet up with the Masters group to swim in the river and then do dinner. I still had a couple hours, so I went to Starbucks and got my free birthday drink and tried to read a book, but realized the book I had picked up from the library was one I had already read on my iPad...I usually remember book covers, but don't pay as much attention when I read on screen. So that kind of sucked, but I wasted time and then met the family.
The swim went really well - I did 3 out-and-back loops and my sighting was much better this time - darker goggles. Did 0.84 miles in 42 minutes. Plus it was my first real non-wetsuit swim of the season, and I felt good about it...which is good, since Muncie and Louisville are not going to be wetsuit legal (unless something very weird happens, like Hell freezes over.)
Then the family took me for Mexican where hubby and I split a very large margarita. It was a great birthday.
After I got back to the campsite, I got ready for bed and then tried to get to sleep. Around 11p or so, there was lightning which made me kind of nervous so I decamped to my car and slept in the trunk of the SUV for the night. Not comfortable, but better than sleeping through the storm.
Saturday:
Saturday was the big day - over 100 miles, a lot of hills, and it was supposed to be crappy weather. Well, two out of three ain't bad, right? So says Mr. Loaf, Meat Loaf.
Thankfully, the part that I missed out on was the crappy weather. I got the miles and I got the hills, which was part of the point - I was using this as training for IMLou after all. Problem was, because I was looking at it as a training ride, I was pretty disappointed in myself. It was slow - and I was only keeping ride time, not total time, because I stopped my watch at each aid station. Of course, this caused me to occasionally (or often?) forget to restart my watch...I only counted 92 miles of the ride on my fancy pants watch. :( Oh well.
Anyway, by the end of the ride, my back hurt. My brain hurt. My feelings hurt. Surprisingly, my hind end didn't hurt - so that was a bonus, considering I'd have to get back on my bike on Sunday morning. The ride was very pretty - lots of farm country, historic areas - including one rest area at Sailor's Creek Battlefield - where Lee lost shortly before heading to Appomattox Courthouse to surrender. A few of the costumed docents were out and about at the rest area. (Check out the ominous clouds in the background.)
Anyway, this lady was awesome - she was taking pictures of all of us in our lycra and spandex. In her right hand behind her back she has an iPhone that she was sure to hide before I took my picture!
The premium rest area for Saturday was at Amelia Courthouse. That was nice, but the food was tomato sandwiches. Ick. This may have been why I didn't eat enough on Saturday (which caused a really tough ride). Now, it's not their fault -- I am a grown up and I should have eaten better. But ewww. And I even like tomatoes! A lot!
After I finished my ride, I went to get lunch. This was one real bummer - for some reason, even though I came in while there was still a hour left of lunch, they had already run out of fruit. So I ate the loaded baked potato and salad, but I was still hungry. I bought myself an ice cream cone and tried to get a Coke, because you know what I think of Coke when I'm training...but they only had diet Sprite. Geez people, you're killing me here!
I called hubby when I finished and so he and the girls came down to meet me at the campground. We went down to Tent City and had a few beers while I relaxed and so they could take in the atmosphere. Really, it sounds weird, but it is really cool to be around that many tents and bikers. I did point out that the age trend was much older than me - but I still had a great time. Also, yes, I was by myself. I like to ride by myself and I like to be in my head for 6-7 hours + at a time. I know that sounds weird - including to my family - but I'm OK with it. The only problem is that I have been listening to the Billy Joel channel on SiriusXM and so I was doing a lot of singing of Billy Joel songs all three days. And I made up a lot of words. :) Because who really knows what he is saying during "We Didn't Start the Fire" anyway.
After I got cleaned up - SHOWERS ON SEMI-TRUCKS rock - the family took me out for dinner again. This time I had a choice between Jamaican and Italian. Normally I'm more adventurous (and anti-pasta - not to be confused with antipasto) but after the long ride, not eating enough, and the missing fruit at lunch, I wanted noodles and more noodles. And that's what I ate.
Family took me back to campground and this time, since there was no weather, I slept in my tent all night. And now I know that the generator for the shower truck comes back on at 5 am. And NOONE should be allowed to bring a baby to Tent City. That is all. :)
Sunday:
I was planning all along on doing the long route on Sunday -- 89 hilly miles...but then I started to waffle after Saturday. Could I even do that far? (I hoped so.) Was I an idiot? (Obviously.) It would mean over 220 miles of biking over 3 days. Seriously. I started the day with the same plan - I'm going to do 89, but if I'm really struggling at the decision point (rest area 2), I could change my mind. Plus, I didn't have any time goals in mind - the point was really to relax and enjoy the ride and see if I could do it. When I got to the decision point at 34 miles, I was actually feeling good. I had been eating all morning (ate some Powerbar chews every 10 miles or so, in addition to the food at rest area 1) and what could it hurt. Plus there was good food at rest area 2 - NACHOS! At 9:30 AM! Bam!
And so I headed out on the long option. And it was good. Plus, I got to see this awesome Confederate soldier cemetery at mile 53 or so.
Now, there's one thing I got to say here. There is a local sprint triathlon that goes in the area where we rode yesterday and right before the turn-around point of that race, there is a BEYOTCH of a hill. I've done the race a couple times and only once have I made it up that damn hill. After the rest area at the Confederate cemetery, we turned a corner and I knew exactly where I was...and I knew that hill was coming...and I was dreading it. By the time I got to the base of the hill, I was probably going about 5 miles an hour and I said screw it. I got off my bike and walked up the stupid hill. And it didn't bother me one bit. I had nothing to prove on Sunday - and I had 30 more miles to go and I wasn't going to blow it all on that hill. So there.
And then I finished and it was awesome. I ate some more pasta at the lunch. Went home and had pie and ice cream with the family. And beer. More beer.
I am so excited and proud of myself. Now back to my regularly scheduled training. Which happens to be a dropback week. Thank goodness.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Holy Sweat
I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat. -- Michael Jordan
Summer is here. Finally. And it is flippin' hot. This week is supposed to be in the mid- to high-90s all week long. Problem is, I'm not quite acclimated yet. Yesterday's run was painful. Today's bike ride was a sweat fiesta and I had to end it early - couldn't keep my heart rate in the proper zone no matter what I tried. I may jump on the trainer tonight to get the rest of my minutes in...but geesh. This is great training for Louisville - if I can figure out how to get more comfortable with it.
So last week KILLED me. Catching the head cold on top of my Raleigh-immuno-suppressed condition completely dropped me. I was completely on the couch for a few days - then I went on a business trip, tried for some training, got tired & sick. Then I went to a race with the family - Hubby's first HIM! - where all of us were sick and got no sleep. Finally 2 weeks later, I'm starting to feel human most of the time. So here I am, a little behind in my training and trying like mad to acclimate to the new weather pattern. Sweaty.
Summer is here. Finally. And it is flippin' hot. This week is supposed to be in the mid- to high-90s all week long. Problem is, I'm not quite acclimated yet. Yesterday's run was painful. Today's bike ride was a sweat fiesta and I had to end it early - couldn't keep my heart rate in the proper zone no matter what I tried. I may jump on the trainer tonight to get the rest of my minutes in...but geesh. This is great training for Louisville - if I can figure out how to get more comfortable with it.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Sick
There is one consolation in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before. -- Henry David Thoreau
'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes. -- Henry David Thoreau
Well, I guess these quotes should make me feel better, right? I am VERY sick right now. Started as a chest cold which has taken residence in my head. I am NOT good at being sick, especially when I look at my training plan and see what I am supposed to be doing this week. Last week was a down-week in my training plan (following a build and Raleigh) - this week is supposed to the beginning of a build period again...and I am crashed out on the couch. :( I tried to ride the trainer yesterday, but made it about 11 minutes before I needed to stop.
That being said, I had a couple of surprisingly good workouts last week before falling apart on Saturday. On Wednesday I had a good solid trainer ride building endurance. On Thursday I ran for my employer as part of the Corporate 4-Miler. I laid it out there and had a really good run - I wasn't expecting much given that I was recovering from Raleigh, but I figured a short hard run would be good for me - and it was, especially for my confidence. I was really disappointed in my Raleigh run...I was worried maybe my run mojo was completely gone. But no - it was just the mess of the 70.3. I can still run. And run fast (for me). On Friday I had a nice little recovery run in the middle of the day (good for starting to build my heat tolerance) and then a great OWS on Friday night. We did the normal Friday night distance workout - up the river for a certain period of time, then back down river. I made it further up the river than I ever did last year - cool for me. I still had issues with sighting - the sun was crazy once I got about 13 minutes up river. Next time we're out there I need to test out the smoke goggles...'cause it freaks me out to not see at all.
Anyway. I know I need to follow & trust my training to get through IMLOU. I also know that I need to get healthy before I can train. Now I just need to figure out how to reconcile those two competing interests. :(
'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes. -- Henry David Thoreau
Well, I guess these quotes should make me feel better, right? I am VERY sick right now. Started as a chest cold which has taken residence in my head. I am NOT good at being sick, especially when I look at my training plan and see what I am supposed to be doing this week. Last week was a down-week in my training plan (following a build and Raleigh) - this week is supposed to the beginning of a build period again...and I am crashed out on the couch. :( I tried to ride the trainer yesterday, but made it about 11 minutes before I needed to stop.
That being said, I had a couple of surprisingly good workouts last week before falling apart on Saturday. On Wednesday I had a good solid trainer ride building endurance. On Thursday I ran for my employer as part of the Corporate 4-Miler. I laid it out there and had a really good run - I wasn't expecting much given that I was recovering from Raleigh, but I figured a short hard run would be good for me - and it was, especially for my confidence. I was really disappointed in my Raleigh run...I was worried maybe my run mojo was completely gone. But no - it was just the mess of the 70.3. I can still run. And run fast (for me). On Friday I had a nice little recovery run in the middle of the day (good for starting to build my heat tolerance) and then a great OWS on Friday night. We did the normal Friday night distance workout - up the river for a certain period of time, then back down river. I made it further up the river than I ever did last year - cool for me. I still had issues with sighting - the sun was crazy once I got about 13 minutes up river. Next time we're out there I need to test out the smoke goggles...'cause it freaks me out to not see at all.
Anyway. I know I need to follow & trust my training to get through IMLOU. I also know that I need to get healthy before I can train. Now I just need to figure out how to reconcile those two competing interests. :(
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Raleigh 70.3 - Race Report (EPIC)
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says "I'm possible"! -- Audrey Hepburn
Bottom line - I didn't meet my BIG goal of sub-7:00, I'm not sure I finished with a smile (pictures later), but I finished and after thinking about it, I'm pretty happy. Also, I know what I need to work on for IMLOU - and that's what matters, right? And I'm on top of the world, 'ay!
On to the gory details...
Pre-race details:
We drove down to Raleigh on Friday night because there was an "Iron Kids" race on Saturday morning before the expo opened. Here's a picture of the girls after the race with their medals:
It was supposed to be a mile race, but given their times, there's no way it was that distance. That being said, my oldest KILLED it - she was the first girl in, laying on the heat at the very end to pass another girl. She was also only behind 4 or so boys. She's amazing...too bad she doesn't like racing. The little one did great too - she could have run a shorter race, but she ran the longer one and did just fine. So proud of my girls.
After the race, we went to the expo. Since it had just opened and every other parent was headed that way too, I waited in line forever, but once I got into the process, check in went very smoothly. I will say, top-to-bottom, WTC is a class act. I understand why people shell out the big bucks for their races - more on the awesomeness as I go on. Then I headed over to the athlete briefing - very thorough, concise, clear...I was feeling good. Also, because I'm a bit sappy - I loved this:
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. :)
After the briefing, etc., we got some lunch and headed out to the lake to check in my bike and do a little practice swim. Bike check in was a madhouse, but again, even given the number of people it went smoothly. One thing that made me a little nuts was this busy-body woman that was coming around telling people to deflate their tires. Last year it was so hot that tires kept popping overnight. It made me nervous because I wasn't going to have my own pump in the morning...they wouldn't transport with our morning bags and husband didn't want to carry a pump all day - totally get that. I did deflate my tires some, but then spent the rest of the night obsessing about it. You know, that's how I roll.
After that, we went for a little swimmy swim on the other side of the lake - they weren't letting us swim at the race site. Mostly I laid around and let the girls play, but I did get in the water and it was OK.
Then we drove the course. Holy hillacious. Elevation graphs are meaningless on paper. (And yes, I know LOU will be worse. I know.) Got some pizza, got some beer, went back to get some sleep, didn't, woke up a hundred times and then it was time to go!
Race morning:
I've never done a 2-transition race before. Hubby dropped me off at T2 in the morning where I set out my running stuff and then I hopped a bus to swim start/T1 where we had left my bike the night before. As the bus pulls into the parking lot, the body markers starting CHEERING for us. It was flipping awesome. I felt like a rock star and I hadn't done anything yet. And then they announced wetsuit legal and I felt even more like a rock star. And then I took my bike to the mech tent to reinflate my tires, where I failed miserably...managing to completely deflate my front before giving up entirely and letting a wrench do it for me. Yes, I am that incompetent. But at least I knew it was done right.
And then the long waiting. Because you know I was on bus # 2 down to the water but not swimming until forever after the start...wave 13 (lucky....) of 21. Ate a couple uncrustables, drank some gatorade, and waited for the family to arrive.
Swim:
Here's my starting wave. I'm in here somewhere. Really. :)
They read. They wear capes and look down the street to find out if I'm coming. They chase me around the course taking unflattering pictures and telling me to suck it up. (OK, he didn't actually say that - that's what my brain was saying...but hubby was in the vicinity at the time.) They are the best.
So, yeah, that's me rocking the neon calf sleeves. Remember, calf sleeves are the new sexy - and I had no problems at all with calf cramps. That's a win. (It looks like there are a lot of people behind me...don't be fooled - I think I'm on lap one and they're on lap two).
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Trisuits are so flattering...said noone ever. That being said, I'm thinking a little less junk-in-the-trunk would suit me better for LOU, so I need to be a little more careful about what I eat and drink the next couple months.
Here I am after the race with two of my three favorite cheerleaders. There is nothing better than hearing them all tell me how proud they are. Thanks, crew! I love you.
Bottom line - I didn't meet my BIG goal of sub-7:00, I'm not sure I finished with a smile (pictures later), but I finished and after thinking about it, I'm pretty happy. Also, I know what I need to work on for IMLOU - and that's what matters, right? And I'm on top of the world, 'ay!
I've tried to cut these corners, try to take the easy way out, I kept on falling short of something
I coulda gave up then but then again I couldn't have 'cause I've traveled all this way for something
I take it in but don't look down
'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay, I'm on top of the world, 'ay
Waiting on this for a while now, Paying my dues to the dirt
I've been waiting to smile, 'ay, been holding it in for a while, 'ay
Take you with me if I can, Been dreaming of this since a child, I'm on top of the world.
Waiting on this for a while now, Paying my dues to the dirt
I've been waiting to smile, 'ay, been holding it in for a while, 'ay
Take you with me if I can, Been dreaming of this since a child, I'm on top of the world.
I figured I'd put this song in your head, because I was totally singing it to myself during the race on Sunday. Sometimes because I believed it, sometimes because I was willing it true...y'know - it was that kind of day.
Next bottom line: I didn't beat my time from Patriot's last fall, but I improved on the swim (yeah me) and the bike (which was 2 miles shorter but much more challenging). I fell apart on the run -- I think because I gave too much on the bike and because I didn't follow my nutrition plan. Yes, I'm a dumb ass.
Here's a comparison of the races by the numbers:
Here's a comparison of the races by the numbers:
| LEG | 2013 Patriots | 2014 Raleigh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swim | 53:36 | 50:09 | |
| T1 | 6:08 | 5:13 | |
| Bike | 3:36:54 | 3:35:11 | |
| T2 | 2:24 | 3:52 | |
| Run | 2:42:38 | 2:51:04 | |
| TOTAL | 7:21:37 | 7:25:29 |
On to the gory details...
Pre-race details:
We drove down to Raleigh on Friday night because there was an "Iron Kids" race on Saturday morning before the expo opened. Here's a picture of the girls after the race with their medals:
After the race, we went to the expo. Since it had just opened and every other parent was headed that way too, I waited in line forever, but once I got into the process, check in went very smoothly. I will say, top-to-bottom, WTC is a class act. I understand why people shell out the big bucks for their races - more on the awesomeness as I go on. Then I headed over to the athlete briefing - very thorough, concise, clear...I was feeling good. Also, because I'm a bit sappy - I loved this:
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. :)
After the briefing, etc., we got some lunch and headed out to the lake to check in my bike and do a little practice swim. Bike check in was a madhouse, but again, even given the number of people it went smoothly. One thing that made me a little nuts was this busy-body woman that was coming around telling people to deflate their tires. Last year it was so hot that tires kept popping overnight. It made me nervous because I wasn't going to have my own pump in the morning...they wouldn't transport with our morning bags and husband didn't want to carry a pump all day - totally get that. I did deflate my tires some, but then spent the rest of the night obsessing about it. You know, that's how I roll.
After that, we went for a little swimmy swim on the other side of the lake - they weren't letting us swim at the race site. Mostly I laid around and let the girls play, but I did get in the water and it was OK.
Then we drove the course. Holy hillacious. Elevation graphs are meaningless on paper. (And yes, I know LOU will be worse. I know.) Got some pizza, got some beer, went back to get some sleep, didn't, woke up a hundred times and then it was time to go!
Race morning:
I've never done a 2-transition race before. Hubby dropped me off at T2 in the morning where I set out my running stuff and then I hopped a bus to swim start/T1 where we had left my bike the night before. As the bus pulls into the parking lot, the body markers starting CHEERING for us. It was flipping awesome. I felt like a rock star and I hadn't done anything yet. And then they announced wetsuit legal and I felt even more like a rock star. And then I took my bike to the mech tent to reinflate my tires, where I failed miserably...managing to completely deflate my front before giving up entirely and letting a wrench do it for me. Yes, I am that incompetent. But at least I knew it was done right.
And then the long waiting. Because you know I was on bus # 2 down to the water but not swimming until forever after the start...wave 13 (lucky....) of 21. Ate a couple uncrustables, drank some gatorade, and waited for the family to arrive.
Swim:
Here I am, looking darn elvin in my swim cap, no? Yes, I really do swim with my ears out - although I'm reconsidering that decision now. I had water in my ears the rest of the race and that's a little discombobulating.
So the way the swim worked is that a wave went off every 4 minutes. It was 600 something out to the first turn, 750 to the second turn, and nearly 600 down to the finish line. It was clockwise, which is good because I breathe right - but I had some problems sighting on the way out. Also, at some point the wave(s) behind me caught me and swam over me, but that didn't cause me as much stress as you might have thought given my skittishness with the swim. Really it was the sighting that threw me. So much so that I freaked because I couldn't find the red turn buoy.
Do a little experiment with me. Put your right hand out straight in front of you, parallel to the ground. Now bend your elbow up. See how your hand is like a foot or so from your face? So I was looking for the turn buoy when the kayaker at the corner asked me if I was OK. I said yeah, I was just having a hard time seeing the turn buoy. He said look to 2 o'clock. And there, about as far in front of me as your hand is from your face right now, was the red buoy. Yeah, I need to work on that sighting thing.
After I made the turn, the sun situation was better and I was able to sight much better on the across and back legs of the swim. And remarkably, looking at the Garmin data for my swim, I was pretty much spot-on course. Sweet - considering. Also sweet was the fact that I beat last year's swim time by over 3 minutes. I didn't realize it until I was out of the water - I was sure I was dead last in the water and way over an hour, but as I came up the ramp on my way to the wetsuit strippers, I looked down & saw my time & did a little happy dance. :) (Thanks again, POW!)
T1 to Bike:
Another thumbs up to WTC - the wetsuit strippers were awesome. They were pretty aggressive - basically pulled me off the course & started unzipping and yanking and all sorts of things. They had a little drama getting my suit over my watch, but after they were done, they even stood me back upright and sent me on my way. Loved it.
Got all my swim stuff packed into the transport bag, bike stuff on, and headed out. Mistake # 1 - I forgot to shove some food in my mouth...I was so anxious to get out there.
Here I am (in a fuzzy picture) exiting T1 at the sunscreen line. Mistake #2 - sunscreen UNDER my trisuit in the morning. I am horribly burnt where my trisuit slipped during the day and didn't get sprayed. Ooops.
Bike:
I'm telling you - the bike was really flipping hard. WTC's guide says something like 1250 climb, but my Garmin says double that. I believe my Garmin. :)
And can I just point out that 36.1 mph max speed. That was me going down a big hill yelling "Holey crap! Holey crap! Holey crap!" the whole way.
So more props for WTC -see that difference between moving time and time - my little 3 minute break? Yeah, that was a potty stop. I'm not a podium contender, so yellow socks are not really on my radar. Ewww. Anyway, I pulled up to aid station 3 and there were volunteers in front of the portas. I wanted to park there so I yelled "bathroom, bathroom" and this guy comes flying over, holds my bike for me to get off. I start to take my bike to rack it and he says "No, I got it - go, go." So I went, came back - figured as long as I was there I'd refill my hydration bottle without getting sports drink all over my body and bike, and he held my bike while I did that too...then he watched for traffic behind me as I got back on and told me when to take off. So awesome.
And yes, I realize that without the 3-minute potty stop, I would have been closer to beating Patriots...but you gotta do what you gotta do.
So the bike course was hilly and it seemed like there was a consistent headwind as we headed east to Raleigh from the beach. But I rode strong, passed folks on the climbs even, and felt really good until about mile 50 or so. At that point I was SO over the climbing. Good news - I was very comfortable on the bike and in aero. Bad news - there was a cruel up hill into T2. I had it in granny (or what constitutes granny with my compact crank set) and I could barely make it up the hill. In fact, I dismounted way before the line because it was going to be less painful to walk my bike in than to ride it 10 more feet up the hill.
Mistake #3 - NOT FOLLOWING NUTRITION. On my 50+ mile practice rides, I had been working on uncrustables, gu, and yogurt covered pretzels...along with gatorade. All of that. Problem is that on the race, I wasn't as comfortable eating as I am when I'm by myself. First - no bikers around so if I get a little wiggly, no harm no foul. Second - I actually usually eat my uncrustable at the turnaround, standing on the edge of the road. Third - I usually enjoy my yogurt pretzels. Well, during the race I never got my uncrustable out even. I ate 2 gus. I drank my gatorade + a refill of sports drink and water. And I tried to eat pretzels, but they were drying my mouth out too much, so I gave up on them. So -- again -- not nearly enough fuel to sustain my efforts and it showed on the run. I need to really truly get my nutrition nailed down because it's a serious flaw.
Mistake #4 - pushing the hilly course. I was curious to see what I could do. To be honest, after driving the course on Saturday, I was a little petrified of the hills...so when I got out there, I really worked them. And maybe I gave a little too much. I wasn't "hammering" the hills, like everyone warns you about, but I wasn't taking them leisurely either...and that's probably a fine line I need to work on drawing. I want to put in a good performance on the bike - it's the longest leg and the place where I can make the best time (it's my best leg as far as vis-a-vis other competitors too)...but not if it shuts down my run like it did.
T2 to Run:
So here I am coming into T2. There's a smile on my face. It could be because I was finally not on my bike. It could be because I thought I could still meet my time goal (although hubby explained later how it was not really possible). Most likely, the smile is because I was flipping delirious. And I was.
I found my racking space and my run bag, but the two beyotches that were on either side of me had racked their bikes so close together, I couldn't squeeze mine in. I didn't want a penalty for misracking, so I stood there for a while until my brain worked a little bit and I racked my bike by a single brake. I hoped it would still be standing when I got done.
The other problem was that in T2, I was a little lost. Like mentally. I'm assuming it was the exertion + no eating combination. I don't usually get loopy (at least when there's no wine involved), so that's all I can think. I wasn't really sure what I was doing or who I was and I did NOT feel well at all. But I headed out on the run course, because once you get to T2, it'd kind of suck not to finish, y'know. I'm a sucker for medals.
Leaving T2, since I was all discombobulated, I forwent the sunscreen ladies. Mistake #5.
Cheerleader Interlude:
So, you wonder what my cheerleaders do while I'm out on the course? Wait, obvs.
Run:
Once out on the run, I realized I felt really crappy - a little light-headed, a little sick to my stomach...so I started just running when I could, walking when I couldn't, and eating/drinking at every aid station. Pretzels. Sports drink. Water. Bananas. Oranges. Cola. You name it, I shoved it in...and it started to help - which is why I think that one BIG problem is that I screwed up my bike nutrition. I negative split the 13.1 miles (barely). I'm bummed that I was so freaking slow on the run, but honestly, I gave it all I had and that's all I could do. Lessons to be learned - but also proud of myself, because I did NOT feel like heading out for 13 miles when I left T2. I wanted to curl up and cry instead. So I should be/am proud - not of my time, and not of my stupidity, but of my persistence.
And here I am crossing the finish line! YEAH ME! Hey now, I'm a rock star. (Don't ask me about the cats...it made me laugh...)
Here I am after the race with two of my three favorite cheerleaders. There is nothing better than hearing them all tell me how proud they are. Thanks, crew! I love you.
So I think I have pretty much figured out what I need to work on between now and IMLOU...and I'm still looking to go sub-7 at Muncie...the bike is flat and fast and I WILL have my nutrition dialed in. Yes, ma'am. That' is priority number one for now. That and recovering quickly from Raleigh and getting back to business.
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