White Lake Fall 2015 Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Since the triathlon on Sunday, I have neither been in the pool nor pounded the pavement by foot or by bike. Instead, I’ve been struggling with a pesky cold. My daughter was home sick from school on Tuesday so the back-to-school bug got both of us. I am working on resting and drinking some green juice to get back on track.

Since this triathlon wasn’t too far, we didn’t have to leave until after lunch on Saturday to get to the hotel for check-in, have dinner, and pick up my race packet. I had made a reservation a few months back so we could stay in the town closer to the race. This worked out much better in so many ways.

The drive was through pretty countryside and there wasn’t a lot of traffic so we made good time. We checked into the hotel, chilled out for a little while, then went to dinner. I had found an Italian restaurant online that looked promising. We stopped at a grocery store so I could buy bagels for my pre-race breakfast and then found the restaurant. It was before 5pm, but the place was busy, both with locals and race people. Dinner was good, Bill choosing a calzone and me the chicken parmigiana. We filled up and then took our heavy selves back into the car to get to packet pick-up.

The ride took less than 10 minutes, I grabbed my t-shirt/race numbers and then took a moment to enjoy the view by the lake. The pre-race meeting was taking place, but I’ve heard it enough times that I’m comfortable skipping. We drove back to the hotel and I was so happy to lay on the bed and read. It was luxurious! Bill watched football and I did not care; I was not grading papers, cleaning, doing laundry, planning presentations, or cooking. I took a melatonin about 9 and then went to bed, sleeping well the first half of the night, but tossing and turning later on. Another plus of staying at this new motel was that it was quiet – no one partying until 4 in the morning.

Wake up time was 6am and I felt awake; I just didn’t feel 100%. I had told Bill that my throat was sore the last 2 days and I felt run-down. It wasn’t any better today. Following my angry mood, I asked myself, “Do you have cancer?” I said No and told myself to get ready. I had my bagel and peanut butter and then we got on the road. The plan was to get to the race by 7am and we rolled up at just that time.

Unfortunately, they closed the parking lot before we got there. Bill pulled over and I grabbed my bike and gear as quickly as I could. Not quick enough as a police officer started walking towards us. I hurried up, closed the door, and didn’t make eye contact with the officer. All good. 😉

I got my bike to transition, got body marked and my timing chip, then used the port-o-potty a couple few times. Bill and I found each other, then sat at the starting area until it was time for me to get in the water. Bill got my pre-race pic (a little dark), I hugged him, and then walked to the pier.

The race started at 8am, we cheered on the open athletes and then I jumped in the water. My wave started at 8:10. I like it when I don’t have to wait a long time (go open-water swims!) and can pee right before a race (go open-water swims!). With my cap and goggles on, I chatted with a couple women and then it was time to start. I was feeling confident about the swim because I’ve put a lot of effort into my swimming lately. It was a non-wetsuit swim and I was okay with that because a. I didn’t want to spend money renting one and b. I feel uncomfortable in it/don’t like to fight to get it off in transition.

Here’s our group in the water with the neon-green caps:

I was happy not to get kicked/hit too much during the swim. I felt like I was moving at a good pace…one that I could maintain and not burn up all my energy before getting on the bike. I gulped down some water because things got a little choppy right before the second turn buoy. I adjusted by turning my head more when breathing and finished up, climbing up the ladder and looking at my watch. I was really hoping for 18.5 minutes, but saw 21.5 minutes. What?!? I must have been swimming zig-zags. 😦 I took off my cap and goggles and started chuggling along the 300 yards to get to the transition area. My wonderful blog photographer/sherpa/cheering section got this shot of me coming in.

I was huffing and puffing and tried not to waste time in transition. Oh, I forgot to tell you about my awesome spot in transition. I was Bib #20 and my spot was right next to the bike out/bike in, with my bike facing out. Woohoo! Bill always sneaks up on me and gets a transition picture. I don’t think they are ever flattering. 😉 But look at that focus!

I left just as 4 or 5 others were leaving so there was a mini traffic jam at the bike mount line. I went off to the side and jumped on, telling myself to focus on getting the legs moving.

I was happy to be on the bike and it was a beautiful day for it so I focused on trying to enjoy the ride. I was pretty winded during the ride, but my pace was great…until I hit the road along the race side of the lake. The wind hit me and I slowed down significantly. That was hard going and I had another loop to do. I geared down a little and spun faster and that helped some.

I was certainly happy to get on the next road and have the wind more with me than against. As always, my butt got tired first. I kept adjusting how I was sitting on the seat and that helped. 14 miles done and only a 5K to run now.

I dismounted the bike, racked it, and took off to start the run. I know that the beginning always feels rough and I told myself to work through it. Yesterday, I decided to do 5 minute run/1 minute walk intervals. I was not happy with the pace, but I was proud that I stuck with these intervals for the entire run. I was moving so slowly. When I tried to speed up, I stared wheezing. Where did that come from? I don’t remember that happening before. I stuck it out and tried to cheer on as many people as I could. I knew at this point that I would be far off from my race goals, yet I also wanted to finish the best I could. I had my last walk interval and then got close to the end. There were some race volunteers cheering and one of the young ladies told me that she loved my tri top. She said to the others, “She is going to finish in style.” So cute! I took the turn and tried to kick it into high gear, but just didn’t have it in me. I was wheezing and was so happy to stop running. I got my water and hobbled over to Bill, trying to catch my breath. It wasn’t pretty. I told him that this was the worst I had felt at the end of a race.

I chugged the water, then went to see race results. I ended in 6th place out of 10 in the Athena category. I found out that the 10th woman was disqualified and am curious why that happened. I grabbed a soda, piece of pizza, and a couple of cookies. I knew that taking in some food would be a good idea. My whole body was sore and my chest ached. This was also a new experience for me after a race. After eating, Bill and I packed up and I had to walk my bike back to the car.

We drove home and I was so happy to take a shower. After a nap, we went out to eat dinner with my parents and daughter. My body felt tired, but fine. It was a nice evening out after the race.

Here are my official times (I put my goal times in parentheses):

750m swim = 21:36 (18:30)
T1 = 2:54 (3:30)
14mile bike = 53:28 (51:30)
T2 = 1:04 (1:00)
3.1 mile run = 41:05 (38:00)

Total time = 2:00:06 (1:52:30)

Am I happy with my time? No, I am not. Am I happy with my effort during the race? Yes, I am, because I gave everything I had. As slow as that race was, it’s what I had that day. I finished the 5 triathlons that I signed up for in the North Carolina Triathlon Series this year. I accomplished a goal and although I wish my times were better, I am proud that I did it. I’ll be making a decision about next year by the end of this year. I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing at least one or two triathlons. 😉

UNC Wellness Super Sprint Triathlon Race Report

I’m sad to remind you that I haven’t yet written my race report of the UNC Wellness Super Sprint Tri that was on August 2nd. August 2nd! Life happened and here I am. Let’s remedy this and move on. Unfortunately, I don’t have many pictures from that day because I went by myself. My daughter and I were leaving for the beach later that day and it was easier to go by myself…that way I kept it low-key and pretty low-stress, too.

I woke up pretty early and only ate a little before leaving as I packed the night before. I had made up oatmeal with some walnuts, blueberries, raisins, and chia seeds the night before and just heated it up that morning. I was out the door quickly, making sure I had enough air in the bike tires.

I got to Chapel Hill and found a parking spot not too far away, hauling my bike and gear to the UNC Wellness Center. Check-in was a breeze, taking only minutes, and then I went to set up my transition area. Here is my spot all ready to go:

I decided to try something new this time (following a suggestion from a fellow blogger’s friend) and licked some Shot Bloks, then put them on my bike for the bike portion. The two people next to me were watching and raised their eyebrows. I told them I was trying something new (instead of carrying them in a bag and having to open/close/hang onto the bag) and would let them know how it went. This is triathlon…there is no embarrassment…and usually no judgment. 😉

I took a pre-race selfie. Who knew taking a selfie was so difficult with a real camera? This was the best I could do:

Then I grabbed my peanut butter bagel and went to sit down and conserve energy. I ended up chatting with a woman who was racing with her husband. I’m an introvert, but I love to watch people at a triathlon and talk to new people, learning their stories. We talked about open-water swim starts and I explained that I like them better. Your group starts together and you don’t have to worry as much about having fast people behind you/slow people in front of you in the small confines of a lap pool. Today was a pool swim and I was hoping that I seeded myself in a good place.

Before long, the race started and we watched the super-fast athletes running out of the pool into transition. I used the port-o-potty a few times – there is always my nervous pee right before the race. Soon it was time to line up. I figured once we got in to the pool, there would still be a wait, but that was not the case. We lined up and I was in the water within a few minutes. Wow, that happened fast! I was chatting with the lady behind me and told her to pass if I wasn’t fast enough. They signaled me and off I went. The swim felt good and I only got passed by the lady immediately behind me. Yay!

I got out of the pool and ran into transition, getting out of there before the lady who passed me on the swim. I might be a slow runner, but I’m darn fast at transitions. 😉 The course has a short, but steep hill towards the beginning and it always cuts into my confidence a little. I sound like I’ve been on this course often, but I still remember my first triathlon, the Ramblin’ Rose, that I finished in October, 2013. The bike course is exactly the same, a 9-mile loop of rolling hills. Gotta love Chapel Hill.

I drank some of my water with Nuun and then picked a Shot Blok off the bike to eat. Haha! I think one fell off at some point, but two stayed on for me to eat and that worked well. I will probably try this again in the future. It was certainly easier than fooling with a bag of them. I did my best going up the hills, trying not to lose all of my momentum. I used my weight to my advantage and flew down the hills. Wheee! The lady from the swim passed me on the bike and I kept her in my sights for awhile, but she lost me going up a long hill. We encouraged each other and I did the same when anyone passed me. Happily, not many passed and I felt good about the bike.

I got back to transition and did my best to have a smooth transition. Did I feel like I was ready for a 5K? No, not at all, but I was doing this. I started out with the intention of running 5 minutes and walking 1 minute intervals. I got out of transition, felt like poo, and saw a lady in front of me walking. That was all I needed to talk myself into walking, as well. UGH! I’ve got to work on my mental game. I stuck with my rule of not walking down a hill or on a flat. With the rolling hills, there was plenty of running and walking. It worked pretty well and I was pleasantly surprised when I could hear the finish line cheering. I ran it in and then grabbed some oranges, half a banana, and water.

Another triathlon completed, fourth of this year. Yay! I didn’t hang around long, but did manage to get another crappy selfie after the race to prove that I was there and finished. Nothing says tri like a bright red face. Next time I’ll work out the shadow problem.

Here are my official times (I put my goal times in parentheses):

250 yard swim = 6:15 (6:30)
T1 = 1:20 (2:00)
9 mile bike = 39:43 (38:00)
T2 = 0:55 (1:00)
3.1 mile run = 39:26 (38:00)
Total time = 1:27:36 (1:25:30)

I was so close to my goals and I love to see that! I’m very happy with my swimming and running. I really want to see improvement in my run, though, and you all know that. I whine enough about my current lack of love for running.

I have one more planned triathlon this season and that is the White Lake Fall Sprint Triathlon on September 13th. I’m excited because I love the open-water lake swim and flat bike/run courses. I’m not excited because I haven’t been doing much running lately. I’ll do what I can between now and then.

2015 White Lake Spring Sprint Triathlon Race Report

It’s the end of the week and I’ve gotten to the bottom of my to-do list. Whew! Now I can fill you in on the triathlon I completed Sunday. Our daughter and dog stayed with my sister and brother-in-law on Saturday while my husband and I drove to Clinton to the “lovely” Days Inn that is right next to a Smithfield plant. Luckily, the wind was blowing away from the hotel this time. I should really learn to book a hotel early so we don’t have to stay there.

We checked in and then drove to the Italian restaurant we went to last year. My husband wasn’t as entranced by the food this time, but I still enjoyed my eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti. We went back to the hotel and I was exhausted from the long day (college graduation ceremony, bridal shower, and drive to Clinton) so I took a melatonin and went to sleep. The rowdy neighbors quieted down and I was hopeful that it would be a good night. Unfortunately, I kept waking up and only got a few hours of sleep. That’s what happens sometimes before a race.

I woke up a little before 5am and got ready. My husband drove while I ate a bagel with peanut butter. It was dark and the moon was still out, then the sun started to rise. Beautiful! We made it to the race site close to 6 and I got my packet, set up transition, and marked up with race numbers. It was colder than I thought it might be. Here I am before getting my wetsuit on. The sun was coming up across the lake.

I somehow managed to get my wetsuit on (with help from my husband) and wandered down to the dock after the national anthem was played. The race started at 7am and I was scheduled for 7:15. I jumped in the lake about 7:10 and it was COLD! I jumped around a little and chatted with some other ladies in my wave.

They started us right on time and off I went. I immediately felt like my chest was being squeezed and that I couldn’t get a breath. This was not what I was ready for…or used to in any of my other triathlons. I’m not sure if it was the cold water or the very tight wetsuit. I had doubts about whether I could keep going. I quickly threw out the idea of switching to backstroke or sidestroke. I also didn’t want to give up so I started to exhale very forcefully in the water and this helped. I felt okay so I continued my mantra of “just keep swimming.”

I only got kicked/swatted a couple of times and then found my own swim space. I thought my pace was fine and even tried to speed up the last leg of the swim. I climbed up the ladder, looked down at my watch, and said “What?” I was a little over 3 minutes slower than last year. I was disappointed and reminded myself to focus on what was next. I ran to transition, seeing my husband and trying to give him a smile.

Once in transition, it took me awhile to get off my wetsuit and I had to hold onto the bike rack because of my after-swim dizziness. Here’s an awkward photo of me in the process of getting the wetsuit off. Nice job, photographer sweetie. 😉

I got ready and ran out with my bike as quickly as I could. Away I went, dripping and a little chilly. My legs felt good and I found a good rhythm early on. I started drinking some water and had a Clif Shot blok. The first loop (7 miles) went by quickly and I still feel good, then started to fatigue on the second loop. It seemed like the wind picked up, but I think I was searching for reasons why I was slowing down. 😦 My butt was sore and I was wondering how the run would be.

I got back into transition and had a quick turnover to get out on the run. Here I am trying to work up another smile for my husband/photographer.

My mantra for the run was “Don’t think. Just run.” I didn’t care about my pace; I just wanted to continue running and not stop to walk like at my last triathlon. I slowly took a Gu during the first mile of the run. I cheered others on and focused on just running. I didn’t have my Garmin on the run so I tried to gauge my pace based on breathing/effort level. I got some water at the first water stop, drinking a little and dumping the rest on my head. The first mile of the run is mostly shady and then it’s sunny for the next mile. I got to the turnaround and continued my mantra. I was so happy that I ran the entire way. This is what I had today and I had nothing left at the end except for a short sprint to the finish line. The spectators cheered and I cheered.

I grabbed a water and sat at the same spot I did last year, waiting for my husband to find me. He did and then I got a Dr. Pepper and a couple of snacks. Those mini cupcakes tasted SOOO GOOD!

I checked out the results and saw that I had finished 5th out of 11 in my Athena category. I was disappointed, but that was better than last place at the Granite Falls triathlon. I was also slower than last year’s times so no PR.

Here are my official times (I put my goal times in parentheses):

750 yard swim = 22:26 (18:30)
T1 = 3:21 (3:30)
10mile bike = 52:53 (50:00)
T2 = 1:17 (1:00)
3.1 mile run = 38:18 (36:00)
Total time = 1:58:12 (1:49:00)

After my initial disappointment, I was thinking in my head how to get better. This is why I love triathlon! It challenges me and makes me want to do better. 🙂 I have big plans for my triathlons coming up. I also have at least 2 months to trim down and speed up. Stay tuned!

Granite Falls Sprint Triathlon Race Report

I am happy to say that I have some pictures for this triathlon as my husband and daughter work up early to be my cheering squad/photographers during the race. Much better to see some visuals, right? I had my usual bagel with peanut butter and banana before leaving the house. We got to the race site and I set up my transition area, got my timing chip, and a volunteer covered me in Sharpie with my race numbers. Then it was time to wait. My husband and daughter know to bring chairs now when they are spectating. Here’s a silly selfie before I went in to start the swim:

It was a pool swim so I was scheduled to start 45 minutes after the start of the triathlon. I figured that it would take longer than planned so I didn’t rush…had a Gu about 8:30 and then another bathroom break. I was surprised to find out that they were on time and getting the next swimmer in every 15 seconds so I went to the pool deck and it was my turn to line up. Wow! It was probably best that I was surprised because I didn’t have too long to feel nervous. 😉

Our group jumped into the pool. It was cold, but I figured that I would be thankful for that when swimming. I also thought that something else was off…it didn’t dawn on me until someone made a joke about being more buoyant in salt water. Oh! It was a saltwater pool and I didn’t know that ahead of time. My husband got a picture of me from outside and across the pool (that’s why it is blurry). Can you tell that I was chilly?

Not a long wait and it was time to go. I set my watch and started swimming. I have decided that I like open water swims much better than pool swims. It’s hard to schedule people in the pool from fastest to slowest. My estimate was a little off and there were some people behind me that were faster than estimated. I’m fine when people want to pass me and I intentionally swim on the edge so people can do so. The problem was that people passed at awkward times and when I write “passed” I mean swim OVER me, kicking me in the process. I inhaled some saltwater a couple of times from incidents like this. I’m not sure it’s a trend, but only men swam over me…no women. I finished up and ran up the steps to the transition area.

Transition was fast and then I was on my bike and chugging up the first hill. I drove the bike course yesterday after packet pickup because I didn’t believe the course description. Yeah, “a few minor hills.” So not true! Some were okay and then others I was in the granny gear praying that I wouldn’t have to get off the bike and walk. I was struggling on a couple of those hills and kept trying to tell myself to enjoy the ride. I was able to on the flats and downhills. 😉 I didn’t usually get passed, except for going up the major hills.

I never got my Garmin to locate a satellite so I have no data for the bike or run, just overall times. There were no major hills the last 2 miles and I tried to spin more and get my legs ready for the run. It was a slight hill into transition and I dropped off my bike and waved at my husband and daughter while starting the run.

I knew I wouldn’t feel great coming off the bike, but it usually gets better within a half mile. This was not like that. I struggled to get my breathing and heart rate under control. The first hill I hit, I had to walk. What the…? I tried to tell myself to “embrace the suck” and start running again. It DID NOT WORK. Then every time I started running I felt like I was going to throw up. I ended up walking up hills and running down. I was so disappointed. I tried not to give up and am just happy that I could even run down hills at that point. I had to run up the same hill as I did at the end of the bike and I dreaded it. Here is a picture of me doing my best to finish at something more than a fast walk. UGH!

That was it; I was done. I grabbed a drink and sat down on the curb, hoping I didn’t throw up. I told my husband that we didn’t need to stay for awards as there was no way I had placed. This sucked because there were only 4 in my category and the top 3 get awards. Today was not my day. I know that not every race will be a PR; I just didn’t want it to feel like my first triathlon again.

I packed up my stuff and we left to meet friends for lunch. We have a pretty consistent trend of going to Lilly’s pizza in Raleigh after races in the area. Yum! It was nice to hang out and unwind after the race. Our friend ran the Tar Heel 4-miler the day before and placed in her age group. She is an awesome runner! In celebration, we split a hard pear cider. That was pretty tasty. 🙂

After lunch, we dropped our daughter off for a playdate and I went home to take a nap. Sleep is good. Unfortunately, I woke up feeling nauseous and haven’t felt right since. Not sure what’s going on, but it feels like how I felt last fall. That lasted about 3 weeks so I am hoping this gets better quicker.

I’ve got my next triathlon a week from Sunday and then I’ve got a long break until my next one in August. I’m not sure that I’ll be racing Granite Falls again next year. It’s nice that it is close to home, but I am no fan of the hills. I know, I’ll work on it and we’ll see for next year.

Here are my official times:

300 yard swim = 7:44
T1 = 1:05
10mile bike = 45:41
T2 = 0:39
3.1 mile run = 40:37
Total time = 1:35:44

Azalea Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Hi There,

I posted on Friday evening and described the first part of my trip to Wilmington so I’ll pick up from there. I was very tired when I went to sleep and took a melatonin, hoping it would help me stay asleep. That didn’t work out, though; I slept well for about 4 hours, then kept waking up multiple times during the rest of the night. I got up a little before 7am and decided to get ready. I ate half a bagel with peanut butter and a banana at the hotel continental breakfast. This is pretty much my go-to breakfast before a race. I packed up and put my bike back on the rack. I brought it into the hotel and got some weird looks the night before, but I don’t trust my bike outside.

I had no trouble finding close parking, getting there just as the race was starting. I parked and the gentleman next to me asked if I went to the swim clinic in Cary the weekend before. I looked at him blankly before putting it together and then wished him a good race. The huge parking lot and I park next to him!

I took my bike and gear over to the transition area, shivering as I went as it was brisk at that point. I grabbed my run number and went in to the gym to get my time chip and get marked up. I decided to walk in to the pool to see the layout of the race. The fast group was starting off and I watched for awhile, then went outside to drop off my clothes and set up my transition area. On the way out, I ran into the wife of a classmate of mine from grade school through high school. I sent her a facebook message last week because I saw her name on the participant list and couldn’t believe that she was coming down from PA to do the race. I met her sister and we chatted for a little bit. It is the first triathlon for the both of them and we discussed excitement/nerves. They went to get ready and I went outside.

After making sure transition was ready, I decided to bring in a bagel and peanut butter I brought as I knew it would take some time until I started the race. I was glad I did because I was getting hungry. I sat in the gym and had my snack, watching people and talking with some others. I went back to the pool and watched progress, thinking that it was taking longer to get everyone in the pool than planned. We were told that there would be a volunteer or two to help us line up, but I didn’t see that and I also didn’t hear any announcements. It was rather disorganized and up to us to keep an eye on progress.

I met back up with my classmate’s wife, Tania, and her sister on one of my many trips to the bathroom and we discussed the swim start and lack of organization. I grabbed my Gu and saw that my group was beginning to line up so I hurriedly sucked down the Gu, had a little more water, and then got in line. We had some nervous chatter and then it was almost our turn. I had waited so long and then it was here. Yikes! I put on my goggles and swim cap, turned on my stopwatch, and jumped in the pool.

I took it easy in the pool, reminding myself of what was ahead. I felt okay, but was a little nervous when I got passed by 2-3 people. I thought I had estimated my time well. Oh well, this will happen. I was consistent and tried to smoothly switch from lane to lane, getting a good breath at the changes. I sped up the last lap and then was up the ladder and down the stairwell to cross over the timing mat. I estimated my time for swimming 300 yards, but didn’t count on having to go down a stairwell, too, in that time. I’m learning that every race is different so be prepared.

I took off my swim cap and ran to the transition area, doing my best to hustle and be efficient in transition. I got my socks/shoes on (got a little wobbly), sunglasses, and helmet, then grabbed my bike and ran to the mount line. I decided on skipping my jacket because it had warmed up and was sunny. This was a great decision! My garmin wasn’t cooperating so I didn’t collect all of the bike data, missing about the first 2/3 mile. I found a good rhythm and did my best to stay focused. A couple of people passed me along the 9 mile bike course, but not many and I was happy to see this. I was shooting for around 30 minutes and was a little over 2 minutes off. I did slow down some at the end of the bike and know that I will work on my endurance between this triathlon and the next.

I jumped off the bike and hurried into transition, taking off my helmet and grabbing my run number. Off I went! I had a nice position in transition and this helped me during the transitions.

Of course, my legs felt heavy and awkward right after the bike. Unfortunately, my back also hurt and I was worried how this would affect my run. I took it easy at the beginning and the pain went away after the first mile. I was definitely not speedy, though. I wanted to push the run, but don’t think I followed through with my strategy. I was consistent and did my best to cheer others on around me. My back started to feel rough again towards the end and I was ready to be done. The second half of the run went by quickly (even though my pace didn’t get better) and I was at the last turn. I had enough to take it in strong and had a big smile on my face. It was weird not having my family there to cheer for me. A volunteer took my timing chip and then I went in search of a drink.

I chose a Dr. Pepper and snagged a piece of pizza to refuel. I went back to the finish line and waited for Tania and her sister so I could cheer them on. Tania finished first and rocked her first triathlon! We talked some and then cheered on her sister. I looked up my results and then had to leave. Tania’s sister lives in Wilmington and I mentioned the YMCA triathlon in the fall, telling her that I would be interested in racing if she was. 😉

I placed 6th out of 10 in the Athena category. I really wanted to finish in 1 hour 15 minutes, but my official time was 1 hour 21 minutes 19 seconds. I was disappointed, but had to remind myself that I was hurting just weeks ago and not even sure I could race. I also put this into perspective by reminding myself that my first triathlon in October, 2013 was 1 hour 20 minutes, but it was only 250 yards of swimming and 2 miles of running after the 9 mile bike ride. I added 50 yards of swimming and another 1.1 miles of running in almost the same time. That is progress, darnit!

Here are my official times:

300 yard swim = 7:46
T1 = 2:40
9 mile bike = 32:27
T2 = 1:04
3.1 (garmin says 3.2) mile run = 37:23
Total time = 1:21:19

I was first for both transition times in my category so I know that I’ve got this part down. 🙂 I am also happy with my bike time for the first time out. I think I could have pushed the swim some more and will work on this for the next triathlon, as well as getting faster again on the run. The run really knocked me down. I know what I have to work on and I was trying to see this first triathlon of the season as just that…to measure where I’m at. Now I’m ready to train and plan for the next one that is in April. This is why I love triathlon…there’s always room for improvement!

The good news is that I made it back to Raleigh in time to see my daughter’s awards ceremony for North Carolina’s Odyssey of the Mind. The smile on her face was worth the rush and not stopping for food.

Love Rox 10K Race Report Part II

Hi There!

If you missed Part I of my race report, you can catch up here. I usually have difficulty the first night sleeping in a hotel, but the bed was so comfortable (and I was so tired) that I slept well most of the night before the race. We slept until almost 7 and then woke up to see about the weather. We looked out the window and saw grey skies, but no rain, and the temperature was supposed to be around 40 degrees by race time. My friend and I looked at each other and decided to go for it. We both got ready, ate half of a stale bagel with peanut butter at the continental breakfast, and packed up to go.

We didn’t know how busy things were going to be in downtown Richmond. The race start was at the convention center and we knew there was lots of parking…we just didn’t know if we’d have to look around for available parking. We weren’t super early, but we still got to park right next to the convention center. Score! We paid for parking and sat in the warm car, watching other race participants around us. We decided to hit the restroom so we walked to the convention center. It was no longer raining/sleeting like yesterday afternoon, but there were still slippery/slushy spots on the road and sidewalks. I got to the crosswalk and yelled out “Oh, Shit!” as my right leg flew out from under me and I fell down on my left knee. My friend looked back at me with fright. I laughed, got up, and kept going. It hurt and I knew that I probably scraped myself up, but it wasn’t going to stop me that morning.

In the bathroom I saw that the fall had ripped off some skin so I sprayed some Neosporin on it (yes, I am often that prepared on trips) and geared up. We waited in the convention center and commented on how genius this set-up is for a race in the winter. The starting line was right out the door and we waited until about 5 minutes before race time before going outside.

There were about 4 waves during the 10K and we didn’t start right at 9:30 so I probably began about 9:45-9:50 after cheering my friend on during the previous wave. I had decided to run with music so I cranked up the tunes and off I went. The first part of the course was through downtown and then down to the canal walk…a nice long downhill. I had never spent much time in Richmond so it was great to see some of the sights. We ran along the canal walk and parts were slushy/icy so I tried to be very careful. No need to fall more than once in one day, right? 😉

I was a little discouraged when a tall gentleman passed me doing a speedwalk, but I talked myself through it. I reminded myself that I wasn’t even sure that I could race today so anything was better than nothing. Slow and steady is progress and forward movement! I got passed, I passed others, but just kept moving forward. The canal walk was nice and I bet it is much more pleasant during spring and summer weather.

There were race volunteers and police everywhere along the course. We had cones along the course giving us a lane to run in, when not on the canal walk. We crossed over a bridge and then some gradual inclines began. I chugged along, listening to my music and trying to give kudos to others along the way. There was a hill that I detested, but did not stop my version of running. It felt great to reach the top at that point. Then came a short flat and the ramp to the major bridge was up ahead. Oh, yay (insert sarcasm heavy here)! More slogging and chugging along. I was trying to intentionally pass some people here and sped up for a bit.

After the bridge came another incline and then I saw the speedy half-marathoners start to pass me. Holy Crap they were fast! They had to run two laps of the 10K and then another small section to make up the difference. I cheered them on like a crazy person. It was at this point that I was too warm with my two shirts on. I was shocked earlier in the run because the sun was out and it was probably close to 50. So much for the forecast. I did the dance of trying to get my top shirt off and my iPod off and then back on. In the process, I had to plug my ear buds back in and I guess I used too much force because I broke off the end of the cord. Not cool! I put the ear buds in my belt pocket, hoping they might be saved later. I wrapped the shirt around my waist and tried to pick up my pace, sad that I had no more music to zone out to. This was probably my slowest mile, looking at my Garmin results. A lady came up to me and while passing, asked if I wanted my shirt. What? I looked down and of course my shirt had fallen off. I reluctantly backtracked (only because the shirt had my race bib on it) and then got going again.

Forgot to mention that there were a few aid stations and I kept running through all of them, but grabbed a gel at the first station and then gatorade at the next two. I had a Gu before the race so I chose to stick with the gatorade and save the gel for another time. Free is free…and it was chocolate flavored.

By the end of mile 5, I was almost psychologically done. This was my slowest mile and was a lot of uphill. I will say that we passed a war memorial close to here and it was beautiful. I will have to go back to see it close up and take some pictures. I got to mile 6 and was excited, but then kept running and not seeing the finish line. WTH?!? I asked one volunteer where the finish line was and she said “Just up ahead.” Yeah, well, I still had a ways to go. I turned a corner and said “Finally!” I hauled it to the finish line, cheered myself through, got my medal, some water, a small granola bar, and half a banana, then sat down heavily. Whew!

It was at this time that a lady came up to me smiling. I was happy for her and she seemed excited. She proceeded to tell me that she picks someone to follow at every race…stopping when they stop, running when they run. She said to me, “You never stopped!” She thanked me and gave me a huge hug. That meant the world to me!! I didn’t have an awesome time or PR, but I ran and didn’t stop, as slow as I was. My Garmin also reports that I ran 6.64 miles at an average pace of 12:13 minutes per mile. Don’t they know that a 10K is supposed to be 6.2 miles? They had mentioned that some changes had to be made to the course because of construction and that the 10K course was a little long, but I didn’t think it would be that much of a difference. Yes, I’m whining, but that is almost an extra half mile.

I went back to the finish line to wait for my friend who ran the half-marathon. I saw her coming and cheered her on. She did fantastic! We grabbed our clothes and it felt so good to use some baby wipes and change into real clothes in the convention center bathroom.

This was an interesting race in that you could get a discounted ticket to a wine expo that was happening at the convention center the same weekend. We skipped the post-race party/food and went to the wine expo when it opened at noon. They gave us a free wine glass and then we could go to any booth for a wine or food sample. We were overwhelmed because there were so many choices! We found a couple of familiar wineries and tried some new ones, too. I was very selective because I was driving us back to Raleigh afterwards. We tried a chocolate wine and it was yummy! After a few samples, we saw food and we were ready for sustenance. We both chose a beef brisket sandwich, smothered it with barbecue sauce, with a side of homemade chips. It hit the spot.

After, we decided to head out for our trip home. We may have nibbled on chocolate during the ride. We scheduled to meet up with our families at a favorite pizza place in Raleigh and had a wonderful meal, thanking our husbands for the girls weekend we got to enjoy. What a fun race and weekend; I am so glad we did it!

Again, I have no pictures from the race/trip, but here is me in my race shirt with my cute medal the following week.

We’ll have to see if I do this race again. I really wish it was my first half-marathon, but I know I’ll get another chance.

Love Rox 10K Race Report Part I

I will start this post by saying that I have absolutely no pictures from this trip to Richmond, VA, and the race. I don’t have a smart phone and didn’t want to carry around my camera. I went with my friend, who ran the half-marathon, so she couldn’t take any pictures of me at the race.

We started out on Saturday morning, leaving a little early, because Richmond was calling for some freezing rain/sleet in the afternoon. We wanted to make sure we didn’t run into any problems. We got there and went to packet pick-up and then had a lovely lunch at Chipotle. We were able to check in to the hotel early and then looked at possible afternoon/evening activities.

We decided to drive to a lovely area of Richmond (Carytown) and shopped at a chocolate store. INCREDIBLE! Just smelling the aroma upon first walking in the store was worth the hassle of finding parking in the sleet. I will say that I was overwhelmed by all of the choices. Somehow, my friend and I both left only spending a couple of bucks. Not sure how that happened and I regretted it later when I tasted the double-dipped chocolate peanuts and chocolate-covered pretzel. Yum!

I definitely want to go back to Carytown because it looked like a fun place to explore, with so many quaint shops and restaurants. From there, we went to see Kingsman: The Secret Service. It was so over-the-top…and hysterical. My parents went to see it the week after and my Mom walked out half-way through, but Dad enjoyed it and we had some good chuckles about specific parts.

We may have inhaled some popcorn during the movie and we weren’t sure we would need dinner afterwards. We went back to the hotel and chilled out some. My friend told me that her husband encouraged her to enjoy the weekend and run the race only if she wanted to. I agreed and said that we could make a game-day decision, depending on the weather. The forecast said that it was supposed to be cold and rainy all morning. That did not sound fun.

We ended up grabbing some fast food late that evening and then decided on a double-feature day by watching The Fault in our Stars on HBO at the hotel. Talk about a drastic change in movie types. It was a very good movie and I will be reading the book soon, but we should have watched that first, then gone to see the comedy. 😉

Just in case we decided to run the race in the morning, we went to bed early. I was exhausted and knew that I would need a full night’s sleep.

Did we run? I’ll fill you in soon so check back tomorrow. Yes, I am doing this…still have to get some grading done tonight. Talk to you soon!

2015 Commitment Day 5K Race Report

Happy New Year!

Like last year, I ran the Commitment Day 5K again this morning. The beauty is that the race is only 5 minutes from our house and it’s a great family-friendly atmosphere. Last year my brother-in-law and I both ran the race. This year, my husband agreed to run with me. I was a little concerned because he hasn’t been running that much lately, but he did great and we ran a solid race.

Here we are before the race:

My husband was very proud of his shirt choice for the race, saying that this race was all about fun. Our support staff, photographers, and cheerleaders were our daughter and my mother-in-law, who is visiting for the week. It was a cold morning so I knew that running would feel good…at least until I was warmed up. 😉

We showed my daughter and mother-in-law where to wait to see us at mile 2 and then at the end, then we walked up to the race start. A quick stop at the bathroom and it was time to line up. This is a gun start so I encouraged my husband to join me closer to the front of the pack rather than the back. Some quick announcements and we were off. The start of the race is a slight incline and then most of the course is flat or downhill. Woohoo!

We started with a good pace, maybe a little quick and found a good rhythm. It’s great to see the range of runners at this race, especially the little ones. I would love to have my daughter join us in the future. Our first mile was a little over 10 minutes and I was excited to see that. I was also happy to see that volunteers had written encouraging words and sayings on the road/trail in chalk. This is what the commitment day race is all about.

We were coming up on the end of the second mile and saw our cheerleaders on the corner. I was feeling a little tired and our second mile was a little slower, although our overall time was still good. Here we are crossing the street to the lake. Of course she caught me while I was sticking my tongue out at her.

I grabbed a cup of water just to get a sip as my throat was dry and then we started the portion around the lake. We were told that there was some black ice on the course in some parts. I wasn’t too worried about it…then we hit the first patch and had to walk so we didn’t fall. We picked back up…and then hit the next patch. Unfortunately, the whole section that didn’t have sun on it yet was difficult. We probably had to walk 5-6 times. The last part was sunny so we could run consistently again. Until we hit the black ice, I estimated that we could finish well and I could earn a PR. Our third mile was pretty slow so I wasn’t sure about the PR anymore.

We had just a little bit left and my husband encouraged us to speed up. I wasn’t sure I had it in me…then I saw my daughter and knew that it was time to kick it in. Here is an action shot my daughter captured:

Don’t we look speedy? 😉 There was another tenth of a mile and we pushed it all the way. We grabbed some orange slices and water, then met up with my daughter and mother-in-law. They got our sweaty-and-happy-to-be-done after shot:

Besides having to slow down for the black ice, I was happy with our pace. I saw official results this evening and I made a PR by 17 seconds. Ha! I will take it.

I had bribed our daughter with doughnuts if she got pictures of us during the race so you know that we went there next to make good on that. I also enjoyed a couple afterwards.

I’ll be posting a recap of 2014 and my new goals for 2015 soon. Cheers!

Monster Dash 5K Race Report (yes, it’s late)

So, the Monster Dash 5K was on my birthday, October 26th. This was during my blog hiatus and I still want the race to be documented so you are going to hear about it a little late. The Monster Dash was my first ever 5K back in 2008. I wasn’t even able to run the whole race and was so sore afterwards. Here’s a picture of my sisters and I at the race dressed as the Pierce Tri-Angels after Charlie’s Angels (loved that show).

I also had to add this picture of my daughter with her sign for me. Can’t believe she was that little once! If you look close, you can see that she has my sweatbands on her wrists. 😉

I had been doing the Couch-to-5K training plan like I did again almost 2 years ago, but for some reason (probably mental) I didn’t get through it. I did one more 5K in April (again, not my best effort because I was fighting some back/sciatic nerve issues). That was it for my running until January, 2013.

This is some rambling to explain that the Monster Dash is an important race to me. I went back last year and ran with my sisters and brother-in-law. It was a great PR! Here we are dressed as the Pink Ladies (from Grease, in case you are that young).

The race is usually near my birthday and this year it was on my day so I decided to make it the family celebration. It was just me that ran, but then we met up at Lilly’s for some fantastic pizza and coca-cola chocolate cake (based on the cake from Cracker Barrel) that my husband made. Yum!

My parents were visiting and we were celebrating more than just my birthday. My Mom’s birthday is three days before mine and my younger niece’s is on November 1st. It was a great week. The day of the race, I was not feeling well. My younger sister was going to run with me and she was also sick and decided not to run. I considered skipping the race and then I opened up my birthday gift from my husband and daughter. There was no backing out after this awesome gift. I totally cried.

My daughter colored the pictures and put “Go, Mom, Go.” (reminiscent of her “Go, Mommy, Go” sign from above) Then they added pictures from my races and triathlons, along with a sticker of a bike and my treasured sea animals in the lower corner. They even added a picture of my husband in his muddy obstacle race. Love it! I knew I would have to run my race that day.

My parents considered skipping the race and meeting us after for pizza and cake and I was in full support of this decision because of the waiting involved. I even suggested that I go to the race alone and then meet up with everyone later, but it ended up that my husband, daughter, Mom, and Dad all piled in the car with me to go to the race. I got there just in time to walk a little with my Mom to warm up, use the port-a-potty, and eat my Gu. Here I am with my family…and the pre-race Gu.

Then it was time to line up. I love to see the different costumes at this race. Last year there were a lot of Minions running. This year I didn’t see a clear trend. My favorite group costume was two ladies wearing a slip over their running shorts with the word “Freudian” pinned on them. Psychology humor for the win! We had our count down and away we went. What I dislike about this race is that it starts off with a hill so besides doing the weaving in and out of people that always happens at the beginning of a race, my lungs were also burning and I was swearing inside my head.

I told myself to go slow and steady…to just try to find a rhythm. I felt better after about 5 minutes and tried to take in the sights around me, laughing with others and thanking volunteers. It was a pretty day, but warmer than I expected. At the half-way mark, I grabbed some water to drink and then dumped some on my head. I was struggling up a slight incline and was running next to an older gentleman who everyone seemed to know. They all cheered him (Bill) on. I took some of those positive vibes and got moving. I kept my slow and steady pace and then sped up going down the hill at the end. My husband snagged this picture of me at the end and I was smiling! It was totally because I was almost done, by the way. 😉

I high-fived my family and then sped towards the finish. I grabbed a water and found my family. I was definitely fine if they didn’t want to come, but it turned out that it was very important to me to have them there. This is the first time that my parents watched me race and I was so happy to share this important part of my life with them! I didn’t hit a PR. Considering how I felt that morning, I was not surprised, and vowed to do better at next year’s Monster Dash. This might be one race that I end up doing every year as it is not just sentimental but fun and family friendly.

Okay, I thought that this was going to be a short post. Oops…guess I had more to say than I thought.

Have a great weekend!

Ridgewood 8K Turkey Trot Race Report

I didn’t have a very detailed race plan for the turkey trot. I told my husband to expect me anywhere between 58 minutes and 1 hour 2 minutes. My runs have been getting better, but I still have a ways to go to get back to my earlier fitness level.

I can’t say that I was looking forward to this race…because it’s only been in the last couple of weeks that I’ve run more than 3 miles. My brother-in-law also warned me about the hills on the course. If you haven’t read many of my blog posts, you may not know about my dislike hatred of hills. I ran some hills in my neighborhood last week and had a good pace so I was hopeful that I could at least keep running the entire race. That was pretty much my only race goal…to keep running, even if it was slow.

I slept well Wednesday night and woke up to hear a light rain hitting the windows. My first thought was “crap.” I knew it was going to be cold this morning, but I didn’t want to run in the rain, too. I ate half of a bagel with peanut butter because I do better with something in my stomach and then we hit the road. Fortunately, it is only a 10-15 minute car ride to the shopping center for the 8am race. My daughter was staying over at her cousin’s so it was just my husband and I, then we met my brother-in-law at the race.

My husband was a complete whiner about how cold it was. I think it helped my nerves as I was more ticked off at him for whining than feeling anxious about the race. You’ll see from my pictures that I had an unusual outfit on as I chose comfort over fashion. I find that my compression calf sleeves really help on longer runs so I wore them and capris, along with a long-sleeved technical shirt. I debated starting with my fleece, but chose to leave it with my husband so I didn’t have to fool with it along the way. It certainly helped me want to run at the start. 😉

We met up with my brother-in-law just a few minutes before the race start and took a before picture.

After, we both ate our Gu’s and found our pace start. I didn’t know how it would be separated so I planned to look for the 11:00-12:00 minute/mile group. The pace groups were pretty broad and I lined up at the start of the 11:00+ minute/mile group. They were playing some peppy music and I jumped around to try to get warm. I felt like someone was watching me and looked over to see my husband trying to get a candid shot. I caught him and this is what he ended up with. It was a reflex. 😉

The race started and I did my best to find a comfortable pace, weaving in and out of the crowd. It stopped drizzling by now and although it was still cold, the running quickly warmed me up. I had a good first mile and remembered my brother-in-law telling me that it’s okay to start out fast on this race because the end won’t be so fast. My second mile was okay, too, and then I saw our first hill coming up. It was a gradual, but long hill. I shortened my stride and hunkered down for the climb. I did my best to yell my thanks to volunteers and say Happy Thanksgiving to the residents out in their yards cheering us on. That was nice to see so many out there in the cold morning.

I did okay on the third mile, too. We had our steepest hill and I was glad to see that it was shorter. Another couple rolling hills and we were back on Ridge Road, on our way up to the finish (still with about 1.75 miles to go). It was at this point that a lot of people were walking. I told myself that I could run as slowly as I needed to, but to keep running. I did walk at the second water station so I could drink and it was hard to get started again after throwing away my water cup.

The fourth mile was my longest and a little was due to my water break…the rest because of the uphill. I ended up running alongside a tall guy for most of Ridge Road. I wish I had his long legs, then I would have covered more ground. I saw the flag signifying one more mile to go. I was feeling okay and kept my breathing consistent with the gradual incline. I kept telling myself to speed up…ugh…it didn’t work. Then I saw my brother-in-law close to the turn into the parking lot and finish. He told me that it was time to kick it into high gear. If it was my husband telling me this, I would have told me to stuff it. Surprisingly, it helped when my brother-in-law told me and I found a little more energy to finish strong. My husband got a picture close to the finisher’s chute. I gave him a smile and high-five. Again, as I’ve already stated, I chose comfort over fashion for this race. No comments necessary. 😉

I rounded the corner and boogied until the finish line. I was happy to finish strong…and ecstatic to be done!! My official time was 58:07. I didn’t beat my first 8K time and that is okay. I felt good about my race and proved that I can conquer those hills. I grabbed some water and finally found some scraps of bagels. This is one of the downsides of being a slow runner in a sold-out race.

My brother-in-law had a fantastic time and was pleased with his pace. Here we are after the race. I can’t help my maniacal smile; I was excited to be finished and on my way to Thanksgiving dinner.

I ate a banana when I got home and drank some more water. Our Thanksgiving meal with family was lovely and then I went home for a nap. AWESOME! I wasn’t very sore and my legs weren’t twitching like they normally do. I think wearing the compression sleeves was a good choice. I’m still feeling good today and went to a cycling class this morning for some active recovery.

I would definitely run this race again…or find another Turkey Trot. I’m hoping it can be a family tradition at some point.  🙂