Olympic Distance Tri: Take 2

Let me start this by saying I have never gone through an entire race without one negative thought creeping into my head. NEVER. Sunday was the exception.

I had so much on my mind going into this race. Back in April when I attempted this distance, the swim was cancelled due to weather and then I collapsed on the run due to poor hydration on the bike. With my first half ironman race a mere 6 weeks away, I needed Sunday to go well. I needed to know I could conquer this distance. Mentally it would have been disaster if I didn’t race or didn’t race “well”.

The weather reports leading up to the race caused the first anxious moments. 30% chance of thunderstorms in the area. Sorry Mother Nature, that’s just not going to work! I prayed, hoped, wished and thought about sacrificing a small animal to the weather God’s to ensure no rain (trust me, I didn’t harm any animals). I called Lynn on my way to the race and she let me know it was lookin’ good. YES! My fear of any portion of the race being cancelled went out the window.

SWIM

Even though my time was slower than what I wanted, I had a BLAST with the swim. I used to be so afraid of open water swim starts but not anymore. I respect the start but I don’t fear it. Every part of my body was smacked, grabbed, poked, touched, rubbed against and I didn’t let it phase me. I found a pretty clear line that kept the buoys on my right and I just relaxed and swam. Before I knew it, I was rounding the yellow buoys (watching many swim right into them) and headed to shore. I lost all my fellow sTRIver’s at the start so had no clue where anyone was. “That’s ok” I told myself. “Race YOUR race”. I started my second loop getting in just as the blue wave was on their way. Merging in water is way harder than merging on the highway. No worries though. I found another line and just swam. Next thing I knew, the swim was done. Huh? How did that happen so fast?

RUN TO TRANSITION

I wouldn’t normally give the run to T1 it’s own section but given it was red carpeted and at least .25 miles, I think it’s deserved. I told myself getting out of the water that I was running the whole way to T1 no matter what. Walking the red carpet is only acceptable if you’re wearing an evening gown and heels, not a tri suit. It wasn’t pretty but I ran the whole way and managed to keep a smile on my face even though the thought kept running through my head that people were taking pictures of me running after swimming and I sure hope I didn’t look like a whale. Vain, I know but whatever.

BIKE

Not much to say here. The bike was flat and windy. Coach G wanted me in aero more and so I did focus on that. I had some issues w/ my hydration bottle not staying put and then losing another straw. WTH? I lost one on my 62 mile ride, how in the hell did I lose another? Whatever. I’ve still got one working straw so I’ll make it work. While overall I’m happy with what I did on the bike, I know I can do better. I’ve definitely had some trouble moving past the crash I took when my bike was brand spanking new! I get more comfortable every time I ride so I’m moving in the right direction, just not moving as fast as I’d like. The way I look at it, I’ve got 6 weeks of riding left before Ironstar to build back my confidence. Seems doable to me! The good news here is my mount & dismount went smoothly and I clipped in & out with no issues. Hey, small victories baby, small victories!

RUN

I hate saying anything negative at all about this race because I REALLY was so pleased with it but…..Well, let’s just say the run wasn’t my friend on Sunday. Immediately after hopping off my bike, I was made painfully aware of the massive cramps in both calves. Seriously? I hydrated like crazy and I even switched back to the drink that had more electrolytes. Why? Why? Why? Deciding I didn’t want to sound like Nancy Kerrigan, I quit asking why and just went with it. I knew from Clear Lake the cramps wouldn’t last forever so I just needed to work through it. I spent the first 3 miles walking a LOT more than planned. I was forced to running for 2 – 3 minutes and then walking for 15 – 30 seconds. I repeated this up until mile 3 when the cramps FINALLY went away. After that, I was able to run far more normal! Even though the run time is not what I’m capable of by any means, I was beyond happy because for once, I didn’t let any negative talk in my head. I smiled, chatted with fellow runners and knew that no matter what, I was going to finish smiling. How in the world could that be a bad run? After hitting the 5 mile marker outside the stadium, I was barely able to contain my excitement. 1.2 miles left and I get to collect my medal and enjoy. In the distance I saw sTRIve green and knew it was my coach. “Where have you been?” she asked. Hmmm. I just smiled and shrugged. Coach G ran with me a bit and gave me a great pep talk. I was going to see mile 6 in just a minute and after that, she outlined how many turns I would have, where the sTRIvers would be and then, the finish. She wanted me to push it and didn’t care if I vomited. LOL. Umm, there are cameras coach! I took off running with my smile and saw the 6 mile sign. All of a sudden I hear, “I can see you. Run HARDER.”. The irritating voice continued for several more steps. Coach wasn’t about to let me slow down. A strong finish is what she wanted and that’s what I was going to deliver. I rounded the corner and saw Keith & Hannah (the best cheerleaders ever). Another corner rounded and there were the sTRIVers. YAYYYYY! At that point, I told myself to treat it like a 400 (even though I had far less left) and just sprint the rest of the way. A nice lady cheered for me and told me “way to sprint to the finish”. I crossed the finish and just smiled!

The fact I’m still this happy about finishing with a time slower than I wanted is amazing to me. And it proves to me how much I’ve grown over the past year. This was the first race that I really understood what it meant to “race your own race”. Make no mistake though, I’m expecting to PR my next Oly!

Lessons Learned:
1. I’m MUCH tougher than I give myself credit for.
2. I don’t suck at swimming any more. J
3. Need to figure out the cramping issues so I can have the run I’m meant to have!
4. I really, really LOVE racing.

I would like 62 miles with hills on the side please!

First of all, I'm sad to announce there are no pics for this post. I know, I know. What am I thinking?!?

Sunday was my longest ride to date....a whopping 62 miles of hills, hills and more hills! I really had fun on this ride...a lot of fun! I went into it w/ a few goals: (1) focus on hydrating, (2) practice shifting gears and (3) not worry about what everyone else was doing. I'm proud to say I accomplished all 3 goals and finished the ride feeling healthy, happy, ready to run (if I needed to) and SUPER hungry! A few take aways were (1) I need to get out on group rides more and (2) I need more hill training. Whoever said Texas is flat hasn't ridden in Montgomery Country!

It's race week this week and I'm starting to get excited for Sunday as this will be my "real" first Olympic distance race. My last Oly wasn't an Oly since the swim was cancelled and I passed out on the run course. Oops. I'm definitely looking for far different results this weekend. I haven't really set a goal for this race...mainly just not to pass out and to finish smiling. Sure, there is a time in my head I would like to beat but I'm not going to jinx myself by putting it to paper. :)

I'm looking forward to a fun training week! I'm sure more posts will follow!

Woo hoo!!!!

Clear Lake Triathlon Update: Yeah, better late than never!

So it occurred to me today that I had not updated you on my most recent tri which took place a week or so ago.

This was a "C" race for me so in non-triathlete language, a hard training day. Mentally, it takes a little bit to convince yourself that it's ok to race and not PR and not have AWESOME times. I should say that for most people it's hard but I found it surprisingly calming. :) For this race I planned on focusing on a few key things for each leg of the race. For the swim I was going to focus on sighting and bilateral breathing, on the bike my goal was to focus on proper hydration & getting in aero and on the run, HYDRATE & enjoy. Oh, and the times I'm quoting below are approximates as I'm not about to delay this blog any more by actually looking up the EXACT times.

I was in the first swim wave for the Sprint distance, not where my age group (A/G) usually starts. Okey doke. I get in the water and immediately realize this is a salt water swim which was shocking to me as I was convinced it was freshwater. Well, I can check one fear off my list! I decide that for the swim start, I'm not going to put myself in the back like I usually do in open water swims...oh no, up front I go. I know you faster swimmers are reading this and are getting all pissy but get over it. I needed to make sure I was comfortable getting kicked, splashed and swam over. Kudos to me b/c I felt pretty good at the start. Yay me. Now it's time to focus on sighting. I must pat myself on the back again b/c not once did I swim off course! In fact, I even found myself practicing breathing every 3rd stroke here and there. As I made the final turn and headed back to shore, I realized that this was probably the most comfortable I have ever felt in a race. I got out of the water and started running to T1 and realized I wasn't panting or breathing hard. Hmmm, sounds like someone left a whole lot of racing in the water. "C" race Jenny, "C" race. I finished the swim in 12+ minutes which was good for 7th in my A/G or top 50%. Hell yes!!!!

Heading into T1, I knew I just wanted to maintain what I typically do. With the exception of my very first triathlon where I actually tried to put on an extra sports bra while soakingwet (thanks again to Leslie Nagy for helping me out), I am pretty good in transition....until this race. I don't know why but I was jacking with my gloves trying to get them on for this sprint race. A calmer head finally prevailed and I ditched the gloves and made my way out of T1 after what I felt was an eternity. T1 time was about 1:43ish and good for 5th in my A/G. Well go girl!

I started the bike portion of the race on my brand new tri bike (still to be named). I had a lot riding on the bike (haha no pun intended). Seriously though, after my bike wreck nearly 8 weeks ago, I was a little nervous about the bike and really wanted to do well. I reminded myself this was my 1st race on a tri bike, my 1st race after falling and a "C" race. The goal for me was to get and stay in aero as long as possible. A few short miles into the race I encountered Goliath aka the Kemah Bridge. I am sure the bridge isn't as high as I thought but for someone who trains in Texas where we aren't exactly known for hills, this may as well have been a mountain.

As I approached the hill I decided I would just build up as much speed as possible and then start dropping gears like Kirstie Alley used to drop pounds. I start up the hill and felt the burn pretty quickly. Much to my surprise AND delight, I was passing ladies going up. YES. I'm pedaling my little heart out fully aware that my HR is rising as fast as this damn bridge. As I approached the top of the bridge it FINALLY hit me that I had to go down. Yes, "oh sh@t" is exactly what I said....out loud. Now out of aero, I headed down the hill and literally laughed the whole way down b/c that's what I do when I'm scared out of my mind and think I might die. I glance at my Garmin and see 26mph. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't look any more. I decide that braking is not a good idea b/c I don't want to hit them too hard and then fly over the handlebars. That would be bad. I am passed by one dude on the downhill and he was in aero and looked pretty calm. Kamikaze is what I like to call him. I make it to the bottom of the hill and decide to never look back. I would later learn that my top speed was about 29mph. On a BIKE! After that, the bike was pretty non-eventful. This was advertised as a 12.5 mile back but my Garmin doesn't like and actual mileage was between 14 & 15 miles. Does it matter, no not really. My place in my A/G remains unchanged but my mph would go up. Either way, I finish with an official 16.4mph average which I'm super happy with b/c only 2 ladies in my A/G were faster than the 16mph range and I had 5th in my A/G once again. Yes, that is good for top 1/3!!!!!! Umm, I'm pretty sure that's my best bike ever. Oh, I also stayed in aero 90% more of the race which to me was the true victory. I also achieved my goal of hydrating properly although I did finish my sports drink at mile 7ish which was not good but I'm learning. Note to self: bigger bottle next time!

After dismounting the bike, I had for T2 and know that the first thing I'm going to do is hydrate with my formerly frozen but now surely warm water bottle. The second thing I'm doing is putting on socks so I don't get another triathlon blister. Check. Check. T2 takes about 1:30 which is good for....5th in my A/G. Holy crap. I may just finish this "C" race in a nice position!

And then there was the one. Ok, I'm not going to lie. My run was dismal. Within 1 mile I had the worst cramping in my calves and decided I needed to walk. Seriously? UGH. I was so bummed but knew the cramping wasn't going anywhere. Unfortunately, walking didn't help much either. What the heck? After talking w/ my coach later, I found out that the likely culprit was not having enough electrolytes (remember I said I finished off my sports drink around mile 7?). I reminded myself this was a "C" race and not to stress out. Minute after minute, I saw folks in my A/G passing me and I was bummed. "C" race Jenny, "C" race. To be honest with you, I think I got to the point where I probably did give up on my run and probably didn't push through what I should have. Good learning opportunity if you ask me. :) I finished the run 15th in my A/G (out of 16). Totally disappointing b/c I know I'm a FAR better runner than that. C'est la vie. Have I mentioned this was a "C" race.

All in all, I was very happy with the day and was so excited to finish feeling strong. Yay me!!

There weren't too many sTRIver's out for this event. Aren was racing the Oly and did great!!! I was lucky enough to see him coming in on the bike, going out on the run and then finishing strong! Nicholas (who I had never met) was racing the sprint and he looked to have done very well in race. It was great having Keith, Hannah and the puppies out to support me....AGAIN! Hannah is the loudest cheerleader hands down. What's great about her is that she also cheers for everyone else. Love that girl! It was also great to see one of the OutRival coaches, Sherrie, at swim start. The more familiar faces the better!!!

My next race will be September 26th...an Oly. For those of you who remember, I was to have raced this distance in Galveston in April but the swim was cancelled and then I collapsed on the run course. So this will be my 1st Oly and I couldn't be more excited. It will be a "B" race and set up for my half Ironman in November (deep breath, deep breath). I'm not setting a time goal right now. Just race hard, incorporate everything I'm learning and HAVE FUN!!!! If I happen to finish in 3hrs, great! :)

Until next time!!!!!!

Blog slacking is NOT sign of training slacking!!!!!

Yes, yes. It's been awhile since I've blogged but DANG I've been busy. I'm going to make this short & sweet though b/c I don't want to bore anyone to tears and more importantly I can't remember everything that's happened since I last blogged. Getting old SUCKS!

My leg has been healing quite nicely. The swelling is gone and all that remains is super light bruising, a couple of new scars and two lumps underneath my thigh. Coach assures me it's likely just scar tissue. It's definitely nothing that is causing me pain so that's good!!!

I went to Buffalo, NY for my family reunion (Loffredo side). What a great time!!! I always love seeing my Buffalo family and was sad to leave. While there, I had an awesome time running. It wasn't only the cool temps though...for the first time in awhile, I smiled the WHOLE WAY THROUGH MY RUN! I'm sure I looked like some crazed freak to the people I passed along the way but I couldn't help it. I was out there feeling good and it reminded me of how much I love running. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE triathlons but running will always be my first love!

I had my first 50 mile ride this past weekend!!!! Woo hoo!!!! I was a little intimidated by the distance but honestly, loved the distance and had an awesome solo ride. For me, there is nothing better than getting out there and clearing my ever jumbled head!!!! I'm getting more and more confident on the bike and still totally in love with my beautiful Quintana Roo!!!! One of my favorite parts of the ride was coming up on 59....a HWY I typically drive on. I didn't get on the HWY of course, I'm not crazy! Ok, I'm not stupid. :)

So what's next? Glad you asked! I have a race this weekend!!! Clear Lake Sprint Triathlon to be exact. This sprint will cover a 500m swim, 12.5 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. It's a longer sprint than I've done in the past but I'm totally ready for it! I have an Oly next month which I'm looking forward to and then 10 weeks from now will be my first HALF IRONMAN!!!!!!

I promise I'll do better and post this weekend before and/or after my race!!!!

Where have all the updates gone?

This will be quick mainly b/c I'm on a conference call and need to focus but felt guilty I hadn't made an update in awhile.

Ok, I don't know who all reads this so for any dudes reading, I will apologize now for this! :)

I have the hardest time finding good sports bras. And of course, all my friends who train have normal sized boobs so have no issues with bras. I had done my homework and heard Moving Comfort makes a great sports bra for girls like me....you know, the ones who have to wear at least 2 at a time to keep the motion reasonable. Well, I road tested my new sports bra over the weekend and it ROCKED!!!!!! It's made well, fits well, doesn't cut off my circulation, doesn't rub where it shouldn't and is a reasonable price ($52 probably sounds pricey but when you're talking about the health & comfort of your twins, it's well worth it).

I also ordered 2 pairs of Sugoi shorts (their tri shorty's). Love, love, love 'em!!! They fit well, stay put and are comfy. They aren't great for long bike rides (say over 30miles) but that's ok. I find that it's nice to have a couple spare pairs of tri shorts to train in. I also ordered an aero Bento bag for my bike. Thanks to those purchases, I've found my new love....TEAM ESTROGEN. I can't believe I'm admitting to shopping at a store by that name. Whatev. :)

So what's next for me? I will be in Buffalo, NY for my Family Reunion and am SO looking forward not only to seeing my family but also running in cool temps. My coach told me to keep the run short but I have a feeling I will want to take advantage of the weather and view. So excited.

Until next time!!!!!

Two weeks later, still bruised but running stronger!

A week of vacation does the soul AND the workout schedule good. It's amazing how much easier it is to get in my workouts when I don't have to be bothered by work. :) Unfortunately, that's not reality so I need to just get over it.

I spent part of my vacation in Fort Worth and had some really good runs. My favorite was my long run on Friday which I got to do along the Trinity River. Two weeks post bike fall and I'm still sporting bruising, soreness, swelling and a couple of very hard spots on my left thigh. Of course, it has improved greatly and this was the first run where I wasn't limping to start with. I was even back to my old long run pace and was thrilled. I followed coaches orders and elevated and iced after and felt great! With my next race a month away, I was really wanting to start feeling back to "normal". Looks like my wish has been granted.

In other news, I'm officially signed up Ironstar Half Ironman in November. I signed up for this race 2 years ago (before I trained with a coach) and had to pull out due to a stress fracture in my left leg. Basically, I was over training on the run and wasn't giving myself enough days off and blah blah blah. Anyway, I was really disappointed but now will get to do it! This will be an important race for me as I prepare for IMTX.

So yeah, my tentative race calendar is pretty much set with the exception of officially signing up for IMTX 70.3 in Galveston (April 2011). Whew.

I'm sure I'll have more of a post later this week! Happy training! :)

Chumbawumba Said It Best

"I get knocked down but I get up again." - Chumbawumba

Despite the nasty spill I took last week, I've been able to get all my workouts in this week with some tweaks. Monday swim was cut short b/c I really couldn't kick or push off the way. I used the pull buoy a lot and just focused on form and my breathing. I lasted a little over 30min and was pleased that I worked out a day after trying to fly.

Tuesday run left a little to be desired but at least I got out there. By Wednesday, my swim was showing great improvement and even though I thought I was done 20min into the workout, I stuck it out and made it the full hour! By Saturday, I was pushing off the walls again and logged my second 2000yd+ swim of the week. YAY!!!!!

My long run Saturday was a short run at 50min. I started out hobbling a

bit and realized I was getting a lot of pain in the right knee (which to the best of my knowledge, I didn't injure). After I settled down a bit, I realized the

pain was kicking in b/c I was compensating for a hurt left leg. Once I focused on form, I was doing just fine. Knowing I would have a long ride Sunday, I knew I had to get my bike out on the road. I had ridden the bike on my trainer earlier

in the week but knew there would be no substitute for the road. I knew I needed to get the bike on the road post fall and pre long Sunday ride. I had sweaty palms before I even got the bike outside and was worried that if I didn't stop & breathe deeply, I was going to make myself fall from the nerves alone!!! Luckily, I had a VERY uneventful 25min ride and made it home without falling. You would think that would have been enough to settle my nerves but not quite.

I woke up at 6am fully expecting to feel rested and ready for my ride. Much to my disappointment, I found I was still nervous! I knew I would be on the bike for 35miles and really wanted to have a good breakfast. The smell of food was way too much for me so I settled on a PowerBar. Yeah, that wasn't happening either. Screw it. Time to head to the park to meet my team. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't in the best of moods. My nerves had clearly gotten the best of me and I wasn't 100%. I got on the bike anyway and tried my best to keep up with the group. After about 25 or 30min on the bike, the main group was pulling away and I was giving it my all but just couldn't keep up. I was annoyed too b/c when I would look at my Garmin, I was doing 16.5 - 17mph and felt like I SHOULD have been keeping up. Oh well, keep riding I thought. At this point I was 40min into my ride and decided it was time to head back. I wasn't at my planned turn around point but I didn't feel comfortable being out there alone. There were a couple folks I had passed about 15 min back and I knew they were riding a shorter distance and had already turned around. If I were to have another fall, I was going to be on my own and just didn't like the thought of that so I turned around too. I figured I could just add mileage on when I got back to The Woodlands. On my way back, I was greeted w/ a light rain. Panic sort of set in as I'm not comfortable riding in the rain at all. I talked out loud to myself and kept going. I was coming up on an intersection that I have never crossed alone and was actually terrified of. Thankfully, I had no issues there and the rain had stopped. Whew!

Not long after going through the intersection, it started to rain again and this time WAY harder than before. Argh! Why can't sunglasses come equipped with wipers?? At this point, I was close to The Woodlands....like spitting distance close but the rain was just getting harder & harder. I noticed an abandoned gas station that would offer cover and decided it was time to pull in. I really debated what to do next. Tough it out and ride the rest of the way in or call Keith to come get me and take me to my truck? I have no problem getting wet but did have a problem with the thought of another wipeout. I already had an injured leg and another fall on it probably wouldn't tickle. After a bit of deliberation, I called Keith & he agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry and he came to pick me up. I felt MUCH better after that.

I was glad to get back on the bike today but was a little disappointed in how it went. I really wanted to ride with the team as long as possible but felt pretty much abandoned! I know, stupid to say but today was the day I really needed some encouragement b/c I was really, REALLY nervous. At the end of the day, I know I did the very best I could. I did come away feeling pretty down and have been reminding myself constantly that physically, I'm not 100% and the important thing is I had a mental win!

I'm on vacation next week and am looking forward to some quality workouts. I'm still sporting a nasty bruise and some swelling on my left thigh but it is improving. Slowly but surely. Now, let's go listen to Chumbawumba. What happened to them anyway?