Race Report: IronMan 70.3 Austin- October 25, 2009

I did it! I did it! I did it! And yes I will do it again :)

So here is the report....

2100+ of us gathered in the pre-dawn hours with all of our gear (and there is a lot of gear) to be crazy together for eightish hours. All of us there for different reasons and goals.... all of us reaching for the same finish line. All the work that lead up to this moment was about to be put to the test. Would it be enough? Would it get us to our finish lines? My reason, My Goal for this race? This was my happy birthday to Michael! His birthday was the 28th so on the 25th I would push myself harder than I ever had for him, I would learn what I am made of.

For those who don't know what this would entail here is the low down...

1.2 mile open water swim + 56 mile Bike + 13.1 mile Run

Due to the enormous amount of people racing this race was a wave start by age group and gender, except the pros. They got to go first. That was so awesome to have almost an hour before it was my turn to start and have the chance to see the pros. They flew around that lake. We were right on the shore where they swam right past us into the finish. It took them about 17 minutes!!!!

Green caps were the pros.... purple/pink caps was my division. The swim went ok. Swimming has never been my strongest point but I did get through it close to the time I thought it would take. 48:27 and I was climbing out of the water and heading to the wetsuit strippers and onto transition #1 - this was a two transition location race.

We then headed out for a long hill filled full of head winds 56 mile bike ride. I felt pretty good heading out. The swim didn't get me too disoriented. Grabbed my bike, strapped on my helmet and out I went. I can truly say I have never felt like just quitting in the middle of a race but there were moments on the bike near the end when I learned what that feeling feels like. Every time though someone would ride up behind me and ask about my "Running for Michael" tag that I had on my back and it was just enough of a reminder of why I was out here, and I pedaled on.

I finished up the epic ride in 3:50:34, right about what I realistically thought it would take. Pulled into transition #2 racked my bike, switched my shoes, grabbed my PB&J and headed out for my run. The course was changed a few days before the race due to the drought conditions in Austin this year which made the run a 3 loop course! Could they make this any more mentally challenging? The first loop was mostly walking due to feeling like I was going to throw up. Drank a ton of water on that first loop trying to flush out my system. It seemed to work, loops 2 & 3 I felt much more capable of running - albeit not very fast. 2:54:43 I rounded that last last and into the finish line in the stadium. I have never been so happy to cross a finish line, but at the same time there were so many emotions that I carried with me across that same finish line. I had done it, but not without my little brother cheering me on, carrying me through that line through the words and encouragement of others out on the course who cheered for me when I needed it the most, when I was so close to not finishing the volunteer picking up cups on the side of the road looked up and told me "Michael is so proud of you" and I knew he was there at that moment.

7 hours 49 minutes and 28 seconds!!!

Will I do it again? ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Not next year but October 2011 I will be back out there on the road and in the water. Will you be there with me?

Worst _ Race Photo _ EVER

I just got this in the mail from the fun run I did with my family last Thanksgiving. Its called The Give 'N Gobble and it raises money and food for the local food bank. I love supporting this run, and we had a terrific time doing it together as a family. But I just couldn't help but laugh at this photo.
I want to believe I was looking for my daughter or friend and not scoping out the "competition" coming from behind. I have to remind myself to not be competitive during these true "FUN" runs. I'm such a dork. I mean seriously.

This was the other photo they sent. I LOVE this one! Isn't my daughter adorable? And athletic? And wonderful in every way? Can't you just tell all that from the photo? Look at that kick! :)
As a little side note... I was just interviewed by Sarah Bowen-Shea who is writing a piece for the New York Times about kids and triathlons. I got to tell her all about the awesome experience we had last fall as a family while participating in the family triathlon that Kelly put together with our local YMCA. I can't wait to share it with you when it comes out! I'll let you know when I see it.

And as long as I'm posting... (It has been a while) ... I am just getting over a bout of pneumonia and getting back to running after a two week break. What a rotten experience that little sickness was! I found myself in the ER one night with a fever of 106.1. I felt as if I was on death's door. Have any of you ever had to recover from it and get back into a training program? I'm a bit nervous about what my lungs will tell me tomorrow on my first run back. Wish me luck!

Lake Las Vegas Triathlon Report

My husband David and I finished the Lake Las Vegas Triathlon on August 30! It was our first triathlon (sprint) and it was AWESOME! This is pretty much straight from my journal so it's L-O-N-G.

The short version -

Basically, we both LOVED the triathlon and are already talking about the next one. David's goal was to come in under an hour and a half and he did it! He finished in 1:24:47! He rocked! Yeah, baby! I was hoping to not get a flat tire and come in under 2 hours. I finished without incident in 1:54:53. We entered the husband/wife combined time division and we came in 6th out of 12. We are so motivated to come back next year and represent a little higher on the list. :) It was really hard, but so, so awesome! We're hooked!

If you want more details, here they are -

David at 6:35am, excited to get this party started!



We stood in line for probably 20 minutes to get our timing chip anklets, our bodies marked and our spots in transition. A lady Sharpie Marker-ed 283 (my number) on my right arm and 29 S (my age and sprint) on my right calf. David was 251 and 32 S. We were lucky enough to find two spots next to each other in the transition area madness.



The race was in the Lake Las Vegas Resort, which happens to be amazing. We want to live there, specifically in one of the houses on the bridge. :) Race day was beautiful. I have been watching the temperatures in Henderson, Nevada all summer. The highs are always in the triple digits and I've been wondering why we signed up for this. Saturday happened to be "cold" (low 90's) and overcast. Perfect.



THE SWIM
The race started in waves. David was in the first wave - sprint men under 35. My wave was 3rd - sprint women under 35. Before the race began, I kept losing sight of David among all the other men wearing bright green swim caps and black biker shorts. :) It was thrilling to see him get set to go. When the announcer said "Go", I cheered and waved for David and got REALLY pumped for my turn. I knew I'd pass him coming back in as I swam out. I wouldn't see him of course, but it was nice to know he was out there somewhere ahead of me.

You can see me (6th from the left) messing with my bright yellow swim cap and pigtails.



Six minutes later I was in the water. I held it together pretty well, but I definitely panicked. There were so many people all around which made the water choppy and once I couldn't see the bottom anymore I felt really chlostrophobic. I knew the swim would be a mental challenge for me. I didn't set any records in speed or style with my face out of the water 95% of the time. Something to work on for the next race! When I got out of the water my parents and sisters were there cheering me on! I high fived them all as I ran by. The run back to the transition area took a couple minutes. It was so far to run after such a hard swim. I took my time in transition, even put on some chapstick and facial moisturizer! :) I know.

My official time to swim 500 meters and run back to transition was 15:21 and my first transition time was 2:07. David's was 11:01 and 2:19. I was faster in transition! (My one bragging point!)

THE BIKE

The bike segment turned out to be my favorite part. David's too. The bike route was 3 laps around the resort. It started with a crazy hard uphill, followed by segments of flat road and long downhills, one 90 degree turn and a shorter uphill back to the transition area. Near the end of my first lap, David caught up to me, about to start his third lap. It was so awesome to see him! He told me that just up ahead, our whole family was waiting! He raced on ahead of me and a few minutes later I saw them! All my cute kids were there with my parents, sisters and a few friends. I LOVED seeing the kids cheering and waving their "Go Mom" and "Our Mom Rocks!" posters. They had the same phrases on the reverse sides for Daddy, which I'm sure they waved just as frantically when he passed by. :) I wanted to hop off and hug them all! For sure, we had the biggest cheering section.

Halfway up the long hill the second time, I thought how glad I was that I only had to do this part one more time. It was hard! The rest of the course was challenging, but with enough downhill and flat to give me a few breaks. For future races I need to work on my downhills! I am just so cautious (read: wimpy)! People went flying down the hills as I carefully applied the breaks every few seconds. :) I need to gain some confidence! And I need a bike! Christmas! :)

Near the end of my third lap, I saw David running! He was about halfway through his 5k by then. We waved and yelled some "Yeah, baby!"s and "I love you"s to each other. I loved seeing him!!! My family was just ahead so I waved and yelled some more. Thrilling. I loved those moments.

Just before entering the transition area, I got off my bike onto my wobbly legs. I couldn't even walk! I sort of marched my bike in, swapped my helmet for my hat and headed out on my run.

My official time to bike 10.6 miles was 55:22 and my second transition time was 1:43. David's was 40:55 and 1:37.

THE RUN
The run was definitely the hardest part. After swimming and biking for over an hour, I didn't have much left for 3.1 miles! I ran/walked the first half mile or so. It started uphill, then there was a nice long downhill which would have been a good place to run, except I got cramps. Then I walked the whole way up the long hill in the desert to the first water station/turn around. I stopped to drink and stretch for just a few seconds, then I ran! I ran down the hill I had just come up, then jogged up the hill I had just walked down. I felt pretty good from there to the end, but I ran slowly the entire time. After the second water station I ran to my family. I stopped to hug and kiss all five of my babies. They were so cute! Their excitement for me was thrilling joy! I felt so happy and so proud of myself. I'm a mom of FIVE!!! And I'm a triathlete!! And they were there, watching me and cheering me on! And their Daddy had run by and high fived them all just a short time before. As I ran, olympic distance racers passed me going the other direction on their bikes. I kept thinking how I was so glad that wasn't me. I think I'll stick to the sprint distance races. :)

The finish line came out of nowhere, so I didn't have the chance to sprint it in, but it's not like I had much kick left anyway. David was there waiting for me. I was beyond happy to see him. WE DID IT! TOGETHER!!! We hugged and kissed and high fived and congratulated each other. It felt so good to be done. It felt so good to have accomplished this crazy goal together.

My official time for the 5k run was 40:23. (I could have easily shaved off that extra 23 seconds if I didn't have so many kids to kiss! Totally worth it though.) David's time was 28:56. My overall time was 1:54:53 and David's was 1:24:47.

The whole experience was amazing. It was physically and mentally challenging from the first day of training to the finish line, but I never had thoughts of giving up, ever. I just knew I would do it. I'm a changed person. I am physically stronger than I've ever been in my life. I've faced some of my fears (and am determined to overcome them!) I am more confident. I'm proud that I've shown my kids how I can work hard to accomplish a huge goal. And I've loved their excitement for me! And David and I are closer than ever. He's been my best support and biggest cheerleader. We've pushed each other and we finished this thing together. It was so hard but so worth everything we put in.

My Spudman Report

I just finished my second Olympic Tri in Burley Idaho. I did this race last year and had a lot of fun. This year my goal was to beat my time from last year which was 2 hr 40 min. I was in the 6th wave and started at 7:50. I did the swim in 18 min. The bike I did in 1 hr and 15 min. and I did the run in 52 min. My total time was 2hr and 30 min. I knocked off 10 min. I was very happy. I improved on each event this year and felt great.

I crossed the finish line and learned the sad news that a 60 year old man in my wave drowned on the swim. My heart goes out to his family. What should have been a wonderful day turned out so badly for his family. My prayers are with them.

a TRI Report!

Anyone interested in a quick re-cap of my first TRI this weekend... 

you can read it HERE!

Another try

Yesterday I gave it another try to qualify for the USAT age group nationals held here in Oregon in September. This was an odd distance triathlon; a 300 yard swim, 9 mile bike, and an 8 mile run. Obviously it favors a good runner. I was very nervous about this race because we have had absolutely no summer so far and this race was held on the back side of Mount Hood (translation snow runoff=very cold water). With a borrowed wetsuit (mine hasn't come yet) and my friend Shauna we left at 5 am. We headed up to Mt. Hood and took the Hwy and took us to the triathlon and 1/2 mile on the Hwy had to turn around. There was 2 ft of snow in the middle of the road. There was no way through this way. We had to drive down the other side of the mountain and take an alternate route. At this point we were very nervous that we weren't going to make it on time but we did. The weather was gorgeous and the scenery even more so.

We got our bikes and running gear set up and immediately put on our wetsuits. Then it was time to start. Ran into the lake and started swimming. The first minute I was breathless from the cold. It took a minute to be able to slow my breathing down to a comfortable rhythm. I got to the buoy with no problem. At the turnaround point I started panicking a little bit. I think because of the cold. I finished the swim in 6:48. I had a hard time running up the boat ramp. I was a little dizzy and light headed. My transition time was 2:05. It was nice and warm and I had no problem being warm on the bike. It was a beautiful bike ride with some rolling hills. Nothing too bad at all. It was so pretty. The meadow that were green and the trees and seeing Mt. Hood so close in the background. I finished the bike in 33:03. My second transition was 1:06. I downed a gu and headed out on the run. It followed the bike course for most of the way. The first mile I was thinking I don't really want to run. But then I got into my groove and had a so loved the run. I kept thinking "I love this" running feels so good. I enjoyed the peacefulness and the scenery. It was great. We deviated from the bike course at a very difficult hill. It was a hard climb and then at the top of the hill we ran on a gravel road for 1 1/2 miles which is also difficult to do. I was glad when we got back to the pavement. I finished the run in 1 hour 2:54. I was very happy with that. My total time was 1 hour 45:58. This was the time by my watch and not the official clock time. I don't know what that was yet.

I took second place among all the women. I'm sorry to say that I didn't qualify again. The winning woman happened to be in my age group and she beat me by about 13 minutes. Nevertheless this was a great race. I will definitely do this race next year. It was a beautiful setting with lots of fun people to race with. It was a very small race maybe 35 racers total. Afterward they fed us hamburgers and it was a lot of fun to talk to a lot of different people who enjoy the same things that you do.

I seem to have misplaced my core.

I'm in my third week (of 14) of serious triathlon training and I feel amazing! I am so motivated! I can't wait to get to the gym every day. I'm loving this so much for several reasons - it feels good to work so hard, the variety (as in not 'just' running) is so fun!, I want to do well in August, I want my 'mom tummy' to look a little less 'mom' etc. But let's be honest, one hour without kid worries is the best part. :)

So I started going to a class called 'Core Conditioning'. It turns out that I don't even have a core! :) My legs are strong-ish since I've been running fairly consistently for three months, but the rest of me is rather noodle-y. So now I have more motivation to get to the gym! I'm going to find my core!

Rocky Point Tri Report

below: about to start the swim   top right: running towards the finish line   middle: before the race trying to calm down my nerves--I'm in the middle of the group of people smiling. 


I did it! This was my fourth triathlon but I found myself very nervous a few days before the race and the intensity of this feeling only grew as I found myself walking into the ocean Saturday morning to start the swim. Would I be able to swim in the open water? I had only been training in a pool. Would I have to stop and take a break during the swim?The recent reports of shark attacks in triathlons had me wondering why I had signed up to do this. Before I started I prayed that I wouldn't be bitten by a shark, stung by a jellyfish, or stung by a stingray (after the race they announced that out of the 900+ people who participated--5 had been stung by a stingray. Luckily I wasn't one of them).  I didn't have to stop during the swim and felt good about how I did. I made my way up the sand hill to the bikes and headed off on the trail. I felt really good--averaging a pace that was faster than during my training. At mile 7, I felt something hit my leg, I looked down and saw that my water bottle holder was coming off. I grabbed the bottle before it fell, took one last chug and chucked it to the side of the road. I was coming to a downhill section that had a huge speed bump on it that I had to slow down for. There was no way I could hit the brakes with the water bottle in my hand too. I finished the biking (so I thought!) and dismounted as I saw the girl in front of me dismount. Big mistake---I was not quite to the point where I should have dismounted. It would've taken too long to get back on my bike, clip my shoes in, and get going again, so I just grabbed my bike and started running. Now it was time for the run. And boy was it hard--lots of hills. But I had my GPS watch (this was the first time I was able to use this in a race) and I had it set to show me what my pace was. I wanted to stay below a 9 minute mile. I did just that. I slowed down a little on the uphills but was able to make up for that going down. The last part of the race was in the sand to cross the finish line. I pushed as hard as I could but felt like I couldn't move in the sand. I was so happy when I finished and felt great. My goal was to be under 2 hours (I really thought I was going to get messed up by swimming in the ocean). I was ecstatic when I saw my time was 1:15:45. Not only was I way under the 2 hours but this was also a PR for me from my last tri where I got 1:19:43. I shaved off 4 minutes!! Not only that, later I found out I got 4th place in my age bracket (out of 42). Very excited. Then I found out that the person who got 3rd place only beat me by 9 seconds!! Can you believe that!?! 9 seconds! I'll get her next year...now onto the next triathlon: July 12th in Sierra Vista, AZ. 

Hawthorne Farms Sprint Tri

I PR'd and shaved off 1:48 from last years race. My total time was 1:23:59. Most of this time that I saved was on the swim. All that marathon training in the pool did pay off. My swim time last year was 9:40. This years swim was 8:53. That's 47 sec. Last year bike was 47:33 this year was 47:06 that's 27 sec. Last year run was 22:58 this year was 23:18 so I was 20 slower this year. I made up :33 seconds on the first transition and :21 seconds on the second transition. It was a fun race. I'm ready to get ready for the next one. I hope you all don't mind that I post this on our running blog. Thanks for your support.

Foxy

Do any of you TRI?

So I had a moment of complete insanity this weekend... let me set the scene...

Saturday afternoon.... taking a break from the spring cleaning going on at our house at the computer..... check the email... oh yea I have a new email (I know the little things that get me excited are kind of silly... oh i hope it isn't an upset customer.... oh good it isn't it is from Active.com.... ooohhh maybe there is a new race.... hahahaha not so much a new race but something i would normally just delete but didn't!

A lovely coupon for $10 off the registration to the Dallas Iron Girl in July. Normally the thought process goes "I don't swim real well.... don't love to bike but I can.... and I all ready know I can run so no thanks just not my thing".... and this is where my mind started loosing the tug of war. I didn't delete it! Zip forward to Sunday afternoon and I have survived teaching primary which is a test unto itself.... and that email was still there and I clicked the link and registered.

So now my question to all of you amazing ladies is do or have any of you done a TRI? The Dallas Iron Girl is a sprint so I am sure I can survive it.... after all I can run 26.2 miles i should be able to swim 500 meters bike a 20K and run a 5K but I am looking for a good training program. Do any of you know of one or have one?

Upcoming Races

I like the upcoming races tab on the blog. It's great to see on the main page what races everyone is doing so that we can cheer each other on. My question is can we put other races up there as well like a triathlon. If so sign me up. I'm doing the Hawthorne Farms Sprint Triathlon in May and the Burley Spudman in July. I know that Smith is doing Spudman as well. Anybody else ever tried a tri? Does anybody have the desire to try one? Come my fellow Oregon runners and join me for the Hawthorne Farms tri.
foxy