Showing my Nuun love March 12, 2013

I have some fun news for this year’s racing season.  You may see me sporting a Nuun logo and you’ll see me drinking Nuun to hydrate (as I usually am).  I was selected as a Nuun Ambassador for 2013.

 

No doubt if you’ve been reading this blog (or gone for a run with me in person), you’ve heard me talk about Nuun as a great way to hydrate for training, but also just for daily life.

Here are some of my favorite things about Nuun:

• It’s a great way to get electrolytes without adding a bunch of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or other unknown chemicals.
• It’s travel/airline friendly.  No liquids and very compact packaging!
• You can use it during the day, not just for athletes competing!
• Lots of GREAT flavors.
• The main part of the tube is recyclable!
• Tablets are scored to easily break it up for smaller water bottles.
• You can add it to any other liquids to give an added flavor and electrolyte boost, like iced tea.
• In a pinch I’ve heard you can chew up a tablet to beat cramps/dehydration.
• You can find it in every running/biking store and sometimes in other stores around town. Or you can easily purchase online.

So, if you haven’t had a chance to try Nuun, pick up a tube and give it a try.  I love it and have been using it for years now.

BiT month 2 March 5, 2013

Here’s the latest update on Body in Training. A little late to posting, but this is for February’s posting.  I’m up a little bit of weight and body fat, but nothing significant.  Also, it snowed the entire day I took this picture.  Brrrrr!  (hence the boots, hat, and mittens)  But unfortunately none of the snow really stuck to the ground.  And as you can see, Diva Kitty got a little bit of a romp outside.  Hopefully soon, I’ll also figure out how to get my resting heart rate and include that in the future BiT posts too.

Diva Kitty inspecting the snow covered grass.

Left shoulder blade starting to even out. And little bit of tricep action coming out.

Height: 63.5″
Weight: 135.6lbs
Blood Pressure: 129/81
BMI: 23.6
Body Fat: 20.8%
Fat weight: 28.2lbs
Lean (fat-free) weight: 107.4lbs
Total Body Water: 36.63 Liters, or 59.5%

Body in Training January 22, 2013

At the end of last year’s training season, I could not believe the transformation I could see on myself in just 4 short months.  It made me wish I had taken before and after photos so I could really measure the change.  So I decided I’d do that this year, the year of my first Half Ironman.

This month marks the first week of real training (i.e., paying money for spoon-fed ass-kicking workouts from a coach) for me.  So this entry will mark my baseline from where I start.  While I hate having my picture taken with a fury of a thousand hells, sometimes visual examples are best.  But for those of you (like me) who require more concrete data, I have also some numbers for you chew on.  My employer offers a service that takes a few health measurements, so I will obtain those as I go along too.

It’s about 30-something degrees during this photo shoot. Hence the awkward smile and puffy hat.

Sigh, left scapula still ‘scooped’ out from PTS.

Height: 63.5″
Weight: 135lbs
Blood Pressure: 128/78
BMI: 23.5
Body Fat: 20.3%
Fat weight: 27lbs
Lean (fat-free) weight: 108lbs
Total Body Water: 37.13 Liters, or 59.8%

At the end of last season, I loved how fit I was but I started to get a little too thin in some areas.  Since this year’s training will last at least twice as long as last season, I had one goal and that was put on a little bit of weight in the off season so I had something to lose.  Normally this is not an issue for me, and I managed to put on about 5 extra pounds and added a little extra fluff to my mid-section.

It is very important to note that this series of posts is not about losing weight.  In fact, if it’s anything like last season, I may remain the exact same weight, but things like blood pressure or body fat may change, and more importantly my shape and muscles may change.  I am a perfectly happy, healthy individual and do not feel the need to change anything.

Vote for my slogan! January 15, 2013

UPDATE:  I am tied for 1st place for the slogan contest.  BodyGlide has reopened voting until Friday.  Please go vote for my slogan below to help break the tie!

 

I love BodyGlide.  I’ve definitely talked about it here a bit.  So when I saw they were having a Slogan Contest, I knew I had to come up with a catchy saying.   I mean I wear the stuff enough (nearly every day), so I should be able to put my sass to good use very familiar with it.  I put down the first thing that came to mind….and it was selected as one of 5 finalists!!  What lurks in my mind when it comes to BodyGlide?

“Haste Makes Chafe”

That’s what.  Seriously, if you’re too hasty before a workout or race and skip this step, you’ll reap the benefits of chafing, usually in terribly uncomfortable places.

So here’s my plea, they are voting on the 5 finalists this week.  Voting opened today and you can vote once a day for the week. That’s 7 times you can vote and help me win, and get this catchy little slogan on a T-shirt!

Just click on the slogan above to vote, or on this sentence.

Vote now, and vote often (every day this week)!

Thank you!!

Note: Voting link may not work from a mobile device.

Sally’s 2012 January 1, 2013

I love reading everyone’s year-in-review.  But I never feel that I have anything particularly interesting to share myself.  However looking back at where I’ve come since January 1, 2012, my year reads like the elevation profile of the 11.2 mile run through Percy Warner Park.

January
On New Year’s day I wake up with pain in my left shoulder.  It becomes very severe over the next few days and I begin many painful and expensive tests to diagnose it.  I eventually lose most of the strength and mobility in the arm altogether.  It is not for several months (see below) before we are able to diagnose the mystery condition.  But I take my first Caribbean vacation to Jamaica with my good friend Sara.  It is fantastic and just what we needed to thaw the dreary winter grays.  I also start training to Hoop the Half Marathon again.

February
I take a trip to Chicago to visit the city and see friends.  I begin planning my race calendar for the year.  But 2/3 of the way through the month I became very ill and take a brief stay in the hospital.  This sets me back physically and race and training-wise.  I eventually end up having to miss out on 4 different races this month and the next month due to illness and recovery.  I also support a friend during a difficult trial and witness that sometimes the judicial system doesn’t always work out the way it’s supposed to.

March
I miss out on the Triple Crown races due to the previous month’s recovery and post my first DNS ever, unfortunately it’s a 3-for-1.  I come up with an Athletic Bucket List and start working towards a plan to check off the items.  I tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and hit 7 distilleries in 2 days.  I attend an Olympic soccer qualifying tournament game.

April
I apply for the Nuun Hood To Coast team, though I don’t get picked, I still make a funny video.  I post some really high mileage with our hoop walking.  And eventually complete the Hooping the Half Marathon.  Many thanks to everyone who donates to the cause.  I finally really start training again in all 3 sports.  I also have my first swim lesson and find out that my self-taught freestyle form really isn’t that bad.  I also meet my Coach for the first time in a different swim lesson.  I witness my amazing friend Kira become ordained as an Episcopal priest.

May
I do my first open water swim ever, which also happens to be my first wetsuit swim ever.  I manage to survive both.  I compete in my first triathlon of the season and learn an important lesson of mental tenacity.  I have another minor surgery unrelated to my two previous medical issues earlier in the year.  I get a new fitting on my tri bike.

June
I make another trip to Chicago for a wedding and to visit friends.  I begin training with my Coach.  I go through a little bit of heartbreak.  I revise my race schedule for the year and really buckle down and distract myself with training.  I compete in the Du Run Run duathlon again and walk away with my first podium finish!  I also finally get back to the doctor for my left arm, and get a diagnosis of Parsonage Turner Syndrome.  I compete in the Muddy Buddy with a friend and have a great time, and once again somehow manage to never really get muddy in a mud event.  It’s a special talent.  I witness more heartbreak at the loss of a friend.  I also go to see Tenacious D with Sara and we have a lot of rocking out silliness.

July
I do a LOT of running, biking, swimming during the hot month, and put down more mileage than I ever imagined.  I compete in my first Olympic distance triathlon.  And I go to the Forecastle Festival after my race and get to see my favorite band play.  I volunteer at a major triathlon in my city and really get a chance to give back for all the racing that I do.  I run in a cape for beer.

August
My Coach comes to town and I get in another swim session.  I work on riding the course for my next big race, but the course keeps changing and I learn my lesson on some hills.  I get up way too early (even for me) to watch the Olympics for marathon and triathlon.  I compete in a Women’s super sprint tri and get misdirected on the course by a volunteer.  They throw out the run times and I end up with a podium finish, but maybe not the one I planned.  I begin physical therapy for my arm and shoulder.

September
I compete in my second Olympic Triathlon, in a torrential downpour.  This is my last tri of the season, but I don’t let that stop me because I sign up for my first Half Ironman race for the next year.  I attend my first Nashville Rollergirls bout and love it.  I buckle down on my running to train for my next few running races of the season.  I run my first 5k in probably 5 or 6 years, and walk away with another podium finish, once again a second place in my age group, which makes for a hat trick of podium finishes for the year.  My best friend has another baby, once again with a dramatic entrance.

October
I run in the Boston Half Marathon.  I get to visit my old friends and meet new ones, and see my best friend in a play.  I tour the Sam Adams Brewery finally.  I try Eritrean food, and of course eat lots and lots of lobstah!  I walk the Goo Goos Jog N Hog due to a painful injury.  That injury turns out to be peroneal tendonitis, and I also find out (on my 3rd Xray and MRI of the year) that I have a cyst in my heel, but the doctor doesn’t think it is affecting me.  I attend a Vanderbilt football game and watch them actually win!  I take a Motorcyle class.  I watch the Kona Ironman championships online and am amazed by the athletes.  I do the Color Run with a couple friends.

November
I make a road trip to tour the Calfkiller brewery and fall more in love with their beer.  I try to talk them into selling me a bike jersey with no luck.  I run in the Ragnar Tennessee relay race and tick off another Athletic Bucket List item.  I volunteer at the Flying Monkey Marathon and witness some truly hardcore runners.  I run the Boulevard Bolt and get another PR.  Coach comes into town again and we have a little team dinner and recap of the year and discuss the next year.

December
I start the month off with my first 12k, the 12 South Winter Warm Up, and finish the day with the 12 South Winter Warmer, one of my favorite beer fests.  Running and beer, what a perfect day!  Then I announce I’m doing something really crazy for my birthday.  I document all of my runs here, and follow it up with beers with friends.  I do one more Yazoo Barely a 4k Beer Run and earn a Yazoo Santa hat.  I find out I qualified for the USAT national championships for Olympic distance triathlon based on that Women’s race in August, which redeems the unfortunate results of that race.  I bake a monstrous cake and swear off buttercream forever.  I take a little New Year’s vacation and got to see my alma mater play in a bowl game.

2013
And what does 2013 hold?  I’ve already started working on my race schedule for next year.  Who knows what else it holds?  I’m hoping for a happy, healthy, and injury-free year.  Looking forward to ticking off more Athletic Bucket List items and maybe clawing my way to more podium finishes?  I’d also like to start trying to race more duathlons.  What are your plans and goals?

Nashvegas Olympic Tri – Race Report (and announcement) September 28, 2012

Goofy pre-race with reflective lens goggles.

This race report is bittersweet.  I get to tell you about another great race, but it also marks the end of my triathlon racing season for this year.  But it also means I get a little reprieve from countless hours of training.  (I wonder if I’ll even recognize my friends any more.)  And I also have a big announcement…but you have to wait to the end.  And NO peeking, so quit scrolling down!

I’m trying to smile, but pre-race fear shows through.

Pre-race
Mentally I was feeling pretty good about this race.  The race directors had changed the bike course a couple times, and I rode it each time, so I felt I was ready to deal with all the turns and was glad I didn’t have to tackle that hill in the old course.  Just as it was getting close to time to head down to the water, it started to sprinkle slightly.  I knew rain was in the forecast, but they thought maybe it had already moved through overnight.  I pulled out the plastic bags from my transition bag and bagged up my bike shoes/socks/helmet/watch, then bagged up my running shoes, hat, and water bottle, and finally bagged up my transition bag that held my keys and cell phone.  As I headed to the water, I realized I forgot my Cliff Shot, so I ran back into transition to grab it (and hoped I didn’t set off my chip crossing the mats).

There’s a storm coming? The current is strong? Icky things in the water? Lalala I can’t hear you.

Swim – 1mile – 36:19
The loading ramp was slippery/slimy with algae so we all scooted our butts down to the rocks and sat in the drizzling rain to wait for the swim start.  My wave was all women plus relay teams.  We took off swimming to the other side of the river.  Because of the rocks and the ramp we weren’t able to spread out and really got started in a tight wave.

I was right in the middle of the washing machine churn of arms and legs, but I kept my breath under control!!  No anaerobic freak out!!  This was a first and I was so excited!  We made the turn at the first buoy and I was trying to hang on to this one girl and draft off her, but she was a little too fast.  So I stuck with this other girl who was right beside me, until I realized she was zig zagging her way between me and someone on the far right of her.  She would bounce off me, then zag over and bounce off the other person.  Ugh, I knew I needed to get away from her, so I pushed on and was swimming by myself for a while.  That’s when the “omigod am I ever going to finish this swim/ugh a mile is a REALLY long way to swim/can I do this/no, it’s like a really really long way” thoughts set in.  Not good.  But I was able to keep it from causing a panic in the water and just swam until I caught someone on the second buoy turn.  I tried to follow a new girl, but I was really fighting swimming perpendicular to the current.  But the last buoy turn, it had really started to rain hard.  It is a surreal sensation to have your face in the warm river water, then turn to breach and get pelted in the face with cold rain water.  Soon enough though, the zig zag girl was back, ugh! She was like a booger I just couldn’t flick.  At some point she started zigging towards  the shore (and trying to take me with her), but I was sighting and saw a tree sticking out of the water. I let her pass, took off towards the middle of the water, but not before a gentle shove to remind her that she’s not paying attention.  When I started getting close to swim out point, I took off to wake up my legs and to beat out the other swimmers to the volunteers to help you out of the slippery loading dock. (Seriously they had the worst job, and in the rain!)  But I felt pretty good about the swim.  No real freakouts, I didn’t feel terrible during the swim or right after.  Maybe I’ve got this swimming thing down.  And I even managed the currents (though I’ll admit I’m not smart enough to figure out which way the current was going).

 Don’t I look happy about the rain?
Also rain makes me levitate apparently.

T1 – 2:40

I ran towards transition and by this time it was pouring rain.  I made peace with the fact that this was not going to be a PR day.  I wouldn’t even like driving my car in this weather, much less riding on skinny slick bike tires.  So I took my time in transition and mentally prepared for a tough ride.  I’m SO glad I bagged my stuff, because I had dry shoes and watch to put on.  It didn’t last long, but still.

 Just starting the ride.  In the rain.

Bike – 25miles – 1:33:12
The first part of the bike course is 7miles out on the highway and turn around for a few miles before heading off on a bunch of side country roads.  That first 7mi I was taking easy, trying to get a feel for riding in such heavy rain.  I got passed a lot but I looked down and I was doing 20mph at a few points.  I looked over and saw the bikes coming back after the turnaround and was confused.  There were a bunch of fast guys on bikes with race wheels and the crazy aero helmets and it looked like they were hardly moving.  It wasn’t really much of a hill, why were they being so puny?  I made the turnaround and immediately hit a massive headwind wall and instantly dropped 10mph from my speed.  Ugh!  I cursed and yelled and tried to talk myself into fighting this downpour and headwind for the next 5 or 6 miles until we turned off to side roads.  Unfortunately the wind and the rain didn’t change on the side roads either.  And we ran into the problem of local people driving cars, who don’t know how to drive around a cyclist!  So they would slow down to about 10mph and ride behind a cyclist, which meant we would bunch up 3-4 at a time behind the car.  I was terrified I would get a drafting penalty and these cars were causing me to lose even more speed and time, so I finally started passing cars on the left in oncoming traffic.  I had no other choice.  It was such a frustrating ride.  Too many cars, too many obstacles to slow down around, and the weather was horrendous.  I was really glad I already knew the somewhat technical course or I would have been even more frustrated trying to figure out where to go.

 Finally drying out!

T2 2:39
As I headed into T2, the rain was starting to let up.  My shoes and socks were soaked and squishy since about 5miles into the ride.  I knew my running shoes would be nice and dry in the bag, but my socks were gross and I hadn’t really prepared my feet or my shoes to go barefoot, and especially not for 6miles.  Then I remembered I had an extra pair of socks in my transition bag because Indecisive Sally couldn’t make up her mind which socks she wanted to wear when she packed the bag the night before.  Hot Damn!!  I took the extra time to get into my bagged up transition bag and get out the socks, put on my shoes and hat and I was off.

Run – 10k – 53:32
I can’t begin to tell you how good I felt running with those dry shoes and socks!  Seriously I felt like a new woman.  The rest of me was totally disgusting, but my feet were warm and dry and soft, and on the run your feet are the most important part!  The rain had stopped (which is about the only sport I don’t mind being in the rain) and the sun had come out some, but it was still really cool (low 70s) and some cloud cover so it didn’t get steamy and gross.  The run course was fairly flat and I was feeling really good.  I was going along at a good pace, but I wanted to hold back on the first couple miles to make sure I didn’t blow up and have to walk the last 2 miles.  I felt great the entire run, and didn’t need to stop and take water from the volunteers.  I had my own handheld but I hardly used it, but you never know just how good the water support is going to be.  In fact I dumped out the remainder of my water bottle on the last mile and attached it to my race belt in the back and picked up the pace to haul it in for the last 1/2 mile.  I think the run felt so good, because I had to hold back so much on the bike.  I just had so much more left in the tank.  In fact I probably could have punched it even harder, but I’m pretty happy with the run.

Total: 3:08:22

What I learned in this race:

• Always pack an extra pair of socks!  Seriously you might need them and they will make your life so much better.  (This also goes for an extra swim cap and goggles, which I already do.)
• Keep plastic bags neatly folded up and tucked in your transition bags.  I like to save the big clear plastic bags that the UPS/FedEx guys put on your boxes when they leave them on your door.  Dry cleaning bags work great too, just tie a knot in the end that is open.  Clear is best so you can see your stuff, but any trash bag will do.
• When you have a ride that you’re not able to really push on, you better push the hell out of the run because you’ll have so much more left in the tank.

So, overall I’m pretty happy with the race.  With the bad weather and terrible circumstances with the bike ride, I still had a pretty decent finish time.  I know without those issues I would have had a really good time and maybe a PR, but this year was about learning about the Oly race distance and what it takes.  For my second Oly, I’m very pleased.  I handled everything it threw at me and didn’t lose my mind or temper or breakfast.  I kept my focus (which is better than my first tri of the season 4 months earlier).

So, now that I’ve tackled the Oly distance, it’s time to take on the next big goal.  That’s right, a Half Ironman.  And for my big announcement, I’ve already signed up for my first Half Ironman for next year!  On July 13 next year, you can find me at Ironman Muncie 70.3!  That’s 70.3 miles = 1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, and 13.1 run!  I can’t wait.  But for now, tri season is over.  I still have 2 more big running races, then I have 3 months to relax before I start Ironman training in January!

Recover this! September 4, 2012

If you follow me on twitter, you’re pretty much bored of me talking about training and recovery, and training and recovery, training and…oh wait you’re bored already?  But I have actually had several people of all different levels ask me about some of my recovery methods.  While I don’t always do all of these things every single time I workout, there are a few that I swear by for various reasons, even if that reason is purely mental.  Hey, if training and racing is a mental game, why can’t recovery also be mental?  So, here are a few things I do to recover after training or racing.*

1.  Ice Baths
I have lauded the sheer misery splendor of ice baths before.  I can definitely say without a doubt that I notice a difference if I do not ice bath after a tough workout vs when I do.  Ice baths are a sometimes thing.  They are not for after every single workout.  Only the really tough ones that took a few hours and leave you really sore after.  They also should be done as soon after the workout as possible.  You can’t just wait until the next day to take your ice bath.

2.  Chocolate Milk
I’ve only recently started partaking in this one.  Within 20-30 minutes after a workout, consume low fat chocolate milk.  It has the perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates, sugar, and fat for recovery.  It has shown in studies that it beats out other carbohydrate or protein heavy “recovery” drinks for muscle repair.  It replenishes gylocogen stores in muscles and helps rehydrate you.  Blah blah, good for your body, blah blah…It also tastes really good.

3.  Compression Tights
I’ve also jumped on the compression tights/socks bandwagon.  Not only do these bondage devices tights prevent fatigue from muscle vibration while you’re running, but they also help stimulate blood flow to the muscles afterwards.  I do not always wear these after a tough workout.  In fact, it’s usually when I need a quick recovery and have some time to put them on and put my feet up.  They are also great to wear under clothes after a tough workout if you have to go straight to work or another function after.  You don’t want to wear them too long, but I have noticed that they do help me fight some of that dreaded Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

4.  The Stick/Foam Roller
These little devices can be great for working out any remaining muscle soreness.  Sometimes you just don’t have time to wait for it to work itself out.  Or it’s so bad it’s preventing you from continuing your workouts, or even worse you’ve built up such severe muscle tightness that you risk injury in your next workout.  I admit I am not as good about using these devices as I should.  I will also be honest with you, they can hurt like hell!  But if you consistently use them, it makes that initial pain go away.

5.  Stretching
This is an obvious one.  You need to know the proper stretches for your body and for your workout to do though.  I know these, but I’m terrible about doing them after a workout.  I just ran for an hour and a half or biked for 2 hours, the last thing I want to do is sit on the ground and spend some more time working out.  The price I pay for not stretching though is tighter muscles and joints with each workout.

6.  Rest day
At least once a week, you should take a rest day.  Your body just needs to fully rest and hit the reset button.  If you’re heading in towards a race, consider 2 days with one very close to the race day.  Even if you’re switching up all your different workouts and cross-training, your body still needs a day of rest.  At some point it needs the time to work on repairing and rebuilding muscles.  If nothing else, you need a mental rest from the rigor of training and racing.

So what are your favorite recovery methods?

* Note, I’m not a doctor, coach, sports medicine specialist, or even a phenomenal athlete.  Take this with a grain of salt and research everything for yourself.  If you’re not built like me or train like me, or have the same goals as me, then your recovery wouldn’t necessarily be like me either.

Girls Tri It On Race report September 2, 2012

A couple weeks ago, I raced a very short sprint triathlon that was for women only.  Women’s only triathlons hold a special place in my heart.  My very first tri was a women’s race and it instantly hooked me.  Usually I’m very conflicted about women-specific races, because if it was flipped in favor of the other gender we’d never hear the end of it.  However, it is nice for beginners to get a chance to experience the very competitive and intense sport of triathlon in a much more supportive environment.  Women competitors are just more supportive of each other before, during, and after races.  And while male triathletes are usually really great people, during competition they can be overly aggressive and unsupportive and sometimes downright jerks, which is not very appealing to women athletes until they get their feet a little more wet in the sport.  (And if you really want to see a male triathlete get jerky and aggressive, wait till you see him get chicked in one of the events!)

So, when I saw that we were getting another women’s race, I got excited and signed up.  Sure it’s pretty late in the season and such a short distance while I’m working on races that are more than 2-3x that distance, but it sounded like fun.  Plus with such a short distance I could really try to sprint my heart out and hope for a good placement in my age group, especially since it’s really geared toward beginner athletes.

Well race day didn’t quite go as planned.  I did sprint my little heart out and I did get a good age group placement.  But due to mistakes caused by volunteers, the result was a little different.  I have debated writing about this race, but I feel that it is important for any triathlete and especially beginners to read.  Everyone makes mistakes.  Being prepared is key, and even all the preparedness in the world can still cause errors.

Swim: 200m, 4:16
Pre-race, I got a quick dip in the 50m lane, hoping to alleviate some of my anaerobic race anxiety I get in the water sometimes.  It worked.  When my number was called I took off.  I worked on a slow stroke at first to make sure I was keeping my aerobic breath in check.  I worked on swimming strong and hung on to one swimmer in front of me for the short swim.  I didn’t push too hard because I knew I would really try to hammer the bike and sprint hard on the run where I was stronger.

T1: 1:43

Bike: 8k, 15:40
Two loops of a very short, fairly flat course. So I hammered as hard as I could, and tried to pass whenever I could.  One other competitor and I traded back and forth for a while until she got an advantage on me and got a little ahead.

T2: 1:12

Run: 2k (actually 1.05mi), 8:12
This is where I was planning on crushing it.  I know I’m a faster runner than most of my competitors, but especially most of my female beginner athletes.  With such a short distance there was no reason why I couldn’t sprint hard and hold a sub-8 pace or less.  The course left transition, down a street to a very short greenway walking loop, back to transition and then make a second loop of the same.  I caught up with the woman who had passed me on the bike and passed her fairly soon on the run and basically passed everyone ahead of me.  As I came around out of the walking trail, I started to head out for a second loop, but a volunteer with a flag was screaming at us and insisting we make the second loop within the walking trail instead of leaving the trail and going back to the beginning.  He was very insistent and yelling at us in an admonishing tone as I started to head out he told me “NO!” and waived into the walking trail.  For a second I second-guessed myself and followed his instructions making a second loop. And everyone followed me.  At this time I was ahead of all of the other runners and kept passing those on their first loop.  As I came out of my second loop I headed towards finish.  Just before I reached the chute, another volunteer (rightfully) tried to get me to make a second lap. I explained that I had already looped twice and was done.  We argued for a precious several seconds before I just ran on into the finish chute.  I was the first through the finish line.  I explained to the volunteers there that the course got messed up and a volunteer is sending people the wrong way.  Apparently everyone else did the same loop that I did, with the exception of about 4-6 people who were convinced by the second volunteer to make the 3rd lap.

So, because of the 4-6 outsiders in the race, the directors decided to drop everyone’s run time from the official results.  Instead of going with the majority of everyone, they just dropped the other 200+ competitors’ results.  I was furious.  The run is why I really wanted to do this race and what I was banking on for my results.  I did not sign up for the Aquabike division for a reason.  Though this was an Aquabike + T2 results.  Yes, they included the T2 results!! How bizarre!  So with that I was placed at 2nd in my Age Group.  While on the podium, the 1st place winner told me she got it by a technicality because she walked the run!  She was VERY lucky I’m not a violent person.

Official Results: 2nd in Age Group, Total 22:50

Unofficial Results: 1st in Age Group, Total 31:01

I got a very nice plaque and some Swiftwick socks.  I’m conflicted about this podium finish.  Technically it’s not a triathlon award.  But technically I would have gotten an even better award in the full triathlon results.  I will be more sure of myself the next time I race.  Though it is rare that I’m ever in the lead and would be leading people the wrong way on a course and have to make these decisions on whether the very angry sounding volunteer was right.  Then again, I do not necessarily agree with how the race directors handled the results.  I understand it, but I found it very frustrating.

Reflections on training August 14, 2012

Now that I am well over 2 months into Coach-led triathlon training, I have some thoughts on the past, present, and future of my athletic career (and personal life).

1.  Having a coach is not absolutely necessary, but I am certain that it has had a positive effect on my fitness and results.  Yes, you can get fit, train for and compete in a triathlon, and be successful without a coach.  But having her there to obsessively review every single detail of my training and racing results and push me (really hard) in the areas I need to improve has actually had the results I wanted. I am being pushed much harder than I would have done on my own (mostly out of ignorance of training methods).  And my body has made an amazing transformation in that time.  I feel so incredibly healthy and fit and strong.  I do feel it has been worth the money spent for me.

2. Training for a triathlon is hard but mostly time-consuming.  Granted I have only been training for the max distance of an Olympic triathlon, but that requires 6-7 days/week of training and several of those days are 2x/day workouts, averaging around 12-14 hours of training per week.  It’s one thing to train hard to excel at one sport, but for 3 sports is 3 times the time and effort.  I do not have a lot of time for a lot of other things that aren’t training, eating, sleeping, or my job (that pays for my little tri habit).  For right now that has been ok, because I have needed the distraction.  But if I plan to do a Half Ironman next year, I can only imagine the amount of time that will consume as well.

3.  If I do a Half Ironman next year, I need to get a roommate and a housecleaning service.  The roommate for the human interaction as I will have little time for any interaction that takes place outside my training or my home. And the housecleaning service to control the mess in the house that I have no time to clean.  (Also the extra roommate rent can help pay for the housecleaning).

4.  I am close to experiencing burn out with training.  While some of this burn out comes from coinciding outside personal life sources, it does make make me realize that I may have a limit to the amount of time that I can go 110% in training without a break.  Next year I need to set up my race schedule to give me plenty of breaks, maybe even a real vacation, and also look at the timing of my goal Half Ironman and back up from there on when I start the serious training so I don’t burn out too soon before the race.

5.  My body and mind are much stronger than I even imagined.  The level of mental toughness and physical pain I have been able to push through in training or during a race is beyond what even I thought I could be capable of.  I have had to overcome a lot of physical, mental, and emotional hurdles this year just to get to this point.  And it feels like I am only scraping the surface below what I thought was possible, so I know I must have even more reserves that I can tap into when I need them.

Buckhead Border Challenge Triathlon – Race Report July 17, 2012

I did it!  I finished my first Oly!!  And I gotta say it was a really good race.  I would definitely recommend the Buckhead Border Challenge Tri for beginners or anyone wanting a flat, fast race.

PRE-RACE
About a week before the race, the race director found out that the city would not allow them to close down the bridge for the run portion of the race due to construction traffic because they needed the extra arteries into the city.  The race was prompt about informing us of this last minute change and quickly got a new run course selected, approved, and uploaded to the website.

It poured buckets the day before the race so I didn’t get a chance to run or bike some of the course, but drove as much of it as possible before I went to packet pickup.  They had people from a local multisport shop on site for last minute bike checks and to purchase nutrition.  And they had 2 pre-race meetings so you could learn more about the logistics, race course, and ask any questions.  The swim was self-seeding by time, so you got to pick out your wave and swim cap at packet pickup.  Everything else I needed was in my registration bag.

Passed this on the bike course in Indiana. Really disappointed no Leslie Knope sighting.

About 11:45pm, the night before the race we got several text messages from the race that due to the heavy rains, the bacteria levels in the river were “slightly to moderately higher” than normal.  However the race would proceed as scheduled, but gave anyone the option to switch to the Duathlon if they wanted and had instructions on how to do that at check-in.

RACE DAY
Upon reading my texts about the river after my 3:30am (yes you read that right) wake up call, I sent a couple panicked texts to my Coach.  I hated to bother her at 4am, but I knew she also had a race that morning so she might be up before I had to decide what to do.  I decided I would do the full race.  It was what I trained for and the levels probably weren’t that bad if they weren’t cancelling the swim entirely.  So I made my way down to pack the car and head over to the race at 5am.  There was also a major 3-day music festival going on at the same time, so getting on an elevator with your bike in full tri gear with intoxicated music fest goers who are just coming home is surreal.

I got to the race site and the weather seemed to be looking good, though it was still dark and hard to tell.  Parking was plenty and easy to find and close to the course.  I got body marked and got my timing chip and then went to set up in transition.  First I did a quick ride on the bike to make sure everything was working properly, get a better look at road conditions, and make sure that I was in a low gear for when I first head out after the swim.  Then I set out for a quick 5 minute jog to get warmed up and burn off any nervous energy.  Bonus that this race was sponsored by a restaurant, which meant that they had the bathrooms indoors also open for use!  A real bathroom, with lights, and toilet paper, a toilet that flushes, and had a sink to wash your hands.  So luxurious!!  They also had portapotties and I think everyone else was using those because I had no wait for the indoor toilets.  Lastly, I made sure everything was all set up how I wanted it in transition, and made sure it was USAT legal (i.e., not taking up too much space).  Then I grabbed my throwaway flip flops (thanks Megmo!), my swim cap, ear plugs (yes I’m that person, but I get waterlogged ears easily!), my goggles and a Cliff Shot (mocha flavor for just before the swim), and headed to the big yellow school buses that were shuttling the Olympic swimmers to the Louisville side of the River.

SWIM – 1 mile – 32:56
We had a long delay to the start of the swim because they were waiting for EMS to get set up at the extraction point.  Yeah, I’m fine waiting for that, I’d like medical to be at the end in case I need it!  Then the buoys wouldn’t stay in place and they tried to reset them, but they kept moving and changing the swim course.  Finally they decided to just go ahead and I watched the first 2 swim waves try to figure out where to swim and had mass chaos.  By the time they got to our swim wave, we were directed to just follow the line of kayakers.  I was one of the last people off the dock and into the water and within a few seconds he sounded the horn and we were off.  I was pretty far back in the group and still was met with arms and legs and accidentally grabbing other people.  I just tried to stay afloat and get away from the mass churn of people.  Our wave was one of the largest waves (all us average to slow people!) so it took a while to find a place that I wasn’t completely entangled.  I was a little anaerobic (having trouble breathing regularly) so I side stroked partly to avoid people and to keep my head above water until I could calm my breathing.  Had to flip on my back and kick to adjust my goggles twice.  It might have only been spit in my goggles, but I sure didn’t want bacteria laden river water in my eyes just in case.

After about 200yds or so I knew it was go-time and I had to start swimming freestyle and getting in control of my breathing or I’d never finish this swim with enough gas in the tank for the rest of the race.  With calming thoughts in my head I started doing 2 stroke+breath until it got regular.  I found the heavy rains had made the visibility in the water amazing.  I could see well past my arm and even up the legs of the people in front of me, and the water was a very light green with my goggles on, the best visibility I’ve had in open water so far.  This immensely contributed to calming my nerves.  I got into a rhythm and was able to start catching up with people as the pack had thinned out.  I would ride out someone’s bubbles until I felt like I was going to start swatting at their legs, then I would go around them and find someone else.  This happened for most of the swim.  Find bubbles, ride them out, realize I am going faster, go around and find more bubbles.  Once we got to the other side of the river, we hung a left and just swam along the shore to the finish.  This portion felt like forever!  But I still passed a couple people and unfortunately had quite a bit of time by myself without any bubbles to draft off of.  I got behind one big guy and tried to follow him for a while to save energy for the last 400 meters or so, but some girl kept coming up between us and squeezing me out.  I tried to squeeze back, but eventually got frustrated and sprinted out ahead of both of them.  I knew I was close to the finish and had the energy to spare, so I made sure I sprinted enough ahead so they couldn’t get behind and draft off me either.   Once I could really see the final white buoy I started kicking hard to wake up my legs because I knew had a tough hill to run up to the transition.  I swam until my hands were grabbing sand and stood up.  Turns out it was quick sand mud that last 10-15 feet to the extraction point.  Step down, then sink up to your shin or knee.  A gross, squishy, suction-cup effect.  But they got me out of the water and I started running up the hill.

See the 2 guys on the dock, that’s where we got out of the water. And ran up this hill to transition here.

T1- 2:31
Holy crap a long steep (wet) grassy hill to run up after swimming a mile.  In fact the last super steep part, they put down kitchen mats so you had some kind of traction.  But they had girls at the top with hoses that would spray off the sink hole mud.  Transition was on a nice clean paved parking lot of the sponsoring restaurant.  It was easy to find my rack every time because it was laid out well.  Quickly put on helmet, sunglasses, shoved nutrition in my pockets, rinsed off feet and put on socks and bike shoes, turned on Garmin, grabbed gloves, and did a double check that I had everything I needed and ran to the bike out.

BIKE- 25 miles – 1:22:15 (Garmin showed it was more like 23 miles and other racers confirmed this.)
As I got on the bike I realized I was still holding my gloves…as in I wasn’t wearing them and now had to figure out how to put them on and pedal at the same time.  Oops, but I managed to get one on before the first turn and got the second (without dropping it) after I got to the straightaway portion of the rest of the bike.  Rookie move.  The bike course is crazy flat, but as you would expect in small town Indiana the roads weren’t in the best condition.  So you could go fast, but you had to be very mindful of the road and hazards ahead of you.  There are also 3 separate sets of railroad tracks that you go over, and since this is an out-and-back course with 2 laps for the Oly, you actually cross train tracks 12 times.  I made sure to slow down as I approached them, but they really weren’t bad.  The manholes and pot holes and uneven surface were worse.  Unfortunately the course was littered with people who had gotten flats.  I was terrified I would get one too, but I figure a lot of these people weren’t really watching the course carefully and hit some holes, etc.

Not much to report about the bike course since it was so flat and straight.  Interesting changes of scenery going in and out of industrial areas, residential areas, along the river, and past a ship building company.  Since there were 4 different events (Oly & Sprint tri, Oly & Sprint Du) going on and a loop course, the bike course was pretty crowded and I was always nervous I would inadvertently get a drafting penalty.  Then there were times I was riding along at 20mph and big guys would fly past me.  The bike course wasn’t closed so occasionally we would have cars that didn’t understand what was going on and I heard several riders yelling at them.  Fortunately I didn’t have any run-ins with cars, but there were a TON of USAT motorcyles on the course who would follow me over and over making me nervous and police riding along the course too.  About every 15 minutes I took sips from my water bottle and I took some Cliff Shot blocks on each turnaround.  I think this hydration/nutrition plan worked well for me, especially since I only decided to do that about 15 minutes into the bike!  Hydration and nutrition always slowed me down, because I still haven’t mastered that yet and I’m still nervous about the responsiveness of the tri bike.  But I felt good during the entire bike.  I had my last sip of hydration at about 18 miles and realized my stomach was pretty full and I wasn’t thirsty so I stopped there to keep from getting a sloshy feeling on the run.  Coming into transition was uneventful, but I managed to unclip both feet so I could come off the bike easily.

T2 – 2:05
Racked my bike, removed helmet, and changed shoes.  Clipped my race belt on.  I had already pulled my bandanna off my aero bars and tucked it into my tri shorts while on the last lap of the bike, so I didn’t have to worry about that.  I grabbed my handheld water bottle, and yanked out some of the nutrition from my pockets I wouldn’t need.  I put on my run hat, double-checked I hadn’t forgotten anything, and reset my Garmin as I was running to the Run Out.

RUN – 6.2 miles – 1:00:04 (Garmin and other racers confirmed this was over 6.5 miles.)
The run was along the Ohio River Greenway.  I love running on greenways.  Seriously love it, like a sick obsession love it.  So the change in the run course was a delight for me.  Although I wanted to cross the state border one more time during the race, this potentially offered more shade and less stubborn hills of a bridge to contest with.  Just shy of a mile, there is a “hill” that is terraced (read: EASY) and is very short.  These poor Midwesterners were walking up it and I felt sorry for them.  They better not race in Nashville any time soon.  There were plenty of water stops staged about every mile on the course.  I skipped the first one that was crowded with sprint runners and on the opposite side of the course since I just came off the bike and had a handheld.  At the second water stop, they had water, Gatorade, and cups of ice.  I took some water and dumped it on my head.  I also grabbed a cup of ice and dumped most of the ice in my sports bra* and tried to put some under my hat fairly unsuccessfully.

Not long after the water stop, I felt like I might get a side stitch, and at about 2.5 miles I suddenly realized one of the pieces of ice was skittering across the greenway in front of me.  That’s when I realized I was on the ground.  I fell.  I don’t remember tripping or anything like that.  But I ate it.  Hard.  Skinned the hell out of my right knee, bruised the inside of my left knee, and scraped the hell out of my left hand.  Dammit!  So I got up, assessed my injuries and decided I’d walk for a minute while I took some salt from my handheld.  A guy coming back on the course saw me and asked if I was ok, I said “Yeah, I think I just bruised my ego.”  He laughed and took off.  After I got the salt down and a sip from my handheld I took off running again.

I don’t think I lost much time for the fall and it didn’t hurt to start running again.  But the running made the blood pump more and trickle down my shin.   I was hoping my bloody leg would freak out my competition.  Most people seemed to ignore it.  The rest of the run went well.  Got Gatorade and ice at the water stops and finished off my handheld so I could attach it to my race belt in the back and I wouldn’t have it in my hand for the finish.  I managed to only drink fluids and take salt once during the run and didn’t end up taking or needing any sport beans or other nutrition like I usually do.

Then, with about 1/2 mile to go, my left shoulder started burning and cramping.  I was still doing an ok pace (and thought I was closer to the finish than I was) so I walked a little bit hoping it would let up.  Unfortunately the run was longer than a 10k so I still had a ways to go.  I tried running again and the pain was searing and felt like my left side of my chest was tightening up.  I think it was my PTS flaring up, because it definitely felt like nerve pain.  At about 0.3mi left to the finish (at the true 10K mark when I just wanted to be finished) a guy ran up beside me and I said something encouraging like “Looking good, keep it up,” hoping he’d go on and I could maybe walk again and audibly let out my whimpers from my burning shoulder without embarrassment.  But no, he says back “C’mon! You can’t let an old guy beat you!”  Dammit!  I slowed enough to get a quick check of the age on his calf (you can  never tell with triathletes) and it was 58, not that old, but hell he’s right.  He kept encouraging me every time I started to slow down and really helped bring me in to the finish.  And even picked up the pace and sprinted with me to the finish and shook my hand and congratulated me once we crossed.  Thank you “old guy” whoever you are!

TOTAL FINISH TIME – 2:59:49

Holy crap, I finished about 20-30 minutes faster than I expected!  I attribute a lot of that to the swim course probably being shorter than a mile due to some technical difficulties.  Though I did feel like I was passing a lot of people without much effort.  Also the bike course was super flat, fast, and easy to navigate and was short a couple miles, so that made my time seem faster.  Unfortunately the run was longer and that’s where I took the fall and fought through the shoulder issues.  But all in all I’m really pleased with this race.  I didn’t die (for any number of reasons) on the swim and felt pretty good coming out of the water.  The bike was good, and I fought through the leg burn and managed nutrition fairly well.

After I crossed the finish, retrieved my phone from my car and got my race results receipt, I was finally directed by a volunteer to “medical” which was a golf cart with a bunch of paramedics who seemed somewhat uncomfortable with blood.  But they got me cleaned up with alcohol and bandaids, that promptly fell off.**  I was able to get my stuff from transition and put it in my car because the restaurant needed to open up its parking lot for it’s Sunday brunch crowd.  They had excellent water and Gatorade in frigid ice water tubs at the finish and a huge spread of food at the finish, though it took me at least 45 minutes before I thought I could stomach a bagel or banana.

Post race spoils. Even if it’s cheap crap beer.

PROS:
I felt like there was great volunteer support throughout the race and pretty good spectator support too, especially at the finish line area.  Plenty of fluids along the course (including cups of ice on the run!) and at finish and good post-race food.  I think the race director handled any hiccups very well and quickly got the information out to the racers as soon as possible and kept us updated on any changes.  The immediate race results printed out on a receipt (that included a ticket for a free beer – another perk of a bar/restaurant as a sponsor) were fantastic!  The indoor bathroom access at the start line was a huge bonus!  Transition was laid out really well and not so spread out it took you forever to run to your rack.  The bike course was clearly marked.  The entire race seemed very well organized.  The weather was fantastic; not too hot or humid with lots of cloud cover.  Kentuckiana triathletes are a really friendly bunch.  Everyone was really nice and chatty and seemed pretty laid back which helped put me at ease.  And there was pretty sweet bling at the finish.  I’m a sucker for good swag and bling in a race!

CONS:
I didn’t see any medical at any point other than at the finish line.  I think I may have seen an ambulance drive by on the bike though I don’t know if it was race support, but I never saw any on the run.  It would have been easy to set up at any number of points along the run.  I don’t know if I would have taken advantage of them for my knee because I don’t like losing a lot of time and the bleeding wasn’t out of control, but it would have been nice to know they were there.  I was also frustrated with the distance on the run.  When we were well past the 5k mark on the run and I still couldn’t see the turnaround I was a little annoyed.  There weren’t hardly any photographers.  From the race website, it appears one of the boats must have had a photographer because they have some great shots.  And I saw one photographer on the bike course.  I didn’t see any on the run or at the finish line.  (I’d love to the see the grimace on my face as I crossed and with my bloodied shin). (NOTE the pictures above aren’t from the official race photographer, but from a guy who was on the bike course who posted them on Facebook.)

* I really feel sorry for male racers.  The sports bra is the best invention ever for holding ice and cooling you down.  It’s close to your heart and theoretically can help cool the blood pumping through your body and lower your temperature faster.  And you can dump it in and get rid of the cup quickly.  Plus it makes an awesome percussion sound as you run, and since you can’t wear headphones, it’s like having your own personal jazz drummer tapping on a high hat as you glide along. Tish, tata, tish, tata, tish…

** Note about medical: I did a better job cleaning up my wound when I got back to the hotel and applied some antibiotic ointment.  Given the bacteria levels on the swim and my infection related hospitalization earlier this year, I’m taking extra precautions.  I had some leftover antibiotics I started taking when I got home and I got a new tetanus booster today because I was overdue and we get them free at work.