Half Ironman Training Update

During January I've been able to reach my target goals for training.  I'm surprisingly not as exhausted as I thought I would be - strange, right?  I am surprised how much laundry I generate - hardly any from my work clothes, but wow the WORKOUT clothes are multiplying.

So during January, I am averaging 3 days a week swimming and I can swim 1500 yards without stopping.  No, I can't do flip turns without having the coordination of an elephant in water.  I tag the side of the pool and hope I'm counting correctly.  And counting? Holy crap, my math skills suck and I know this from trying to figure out the difference between swimming laps in a pool that's 20 yards length versus 25 yards length. The good news is I signed up to be a part of the Ohio Masters Swimming group and I am excited about doing drills and having help to impove my stroke. I have A LOT of work to do.

Biking.  Phew, what an ass pain! I fortunately have "toughened" up my "seat" and can now bike on the trainer for an hour with minimal squirming. I'm like a Starbucks cup of tea, though - I feel better if there's double insulation versus just a sleeve, if you know what I mean! I'm bored out of my mind.  I have tried to watch TV, but I hate the commercials.  I can't read because I slow down to turn the page and, before I know it, I am spinning at 11-12 mph pace and that just won't help me finish.  I think I'll have to go to a spin class or maybe take 2 classes back to back to get in a good session.

Running is funny.  I am completely disarmed by the fact that I don't have a long run.  I have been running half marathons and marathons since 2006 and my mind just can't adjust to only doing 3-5 miles regularly. The training plan I'm using got Greg through the Wildflower Half Ironman, so I know it's tried and true and well-tested. I do have to admit I like my body not taking the constant pounding of running - so that part I sure can adapt to.

For strength training, I've been going to Pure Barre classes once a week for the past 3 weeks.  I'm in love with this class.  Each instructor has had slight modifications, but I love that I'm really working my core (abs, arms, legs) without wrecking my knees.

Best part of all this is I'm down 4 pounds since the New Year!

A Life Without Limits: A Great Read

What an excellent book.  While on my flight to Austin, I started reading Chrissie Wellington's A Life Without Limits: A World Champion's Journey.  It was such an easy and inspiring read that I found myself getting up early, heading down to breakfast by myself, and devouring more pages with my morning coffee.  I have tackled a handful of sprint triathlons and have always thought about training for something more challenging.  But what I liked most about this book was learning about her dedication to nonprofit work and various causes as well as her travels.  She was an accidental triathlete and ended up being one of the best in her field, while also inspiring many with her kindness.

Never, ever give up - and smile.  What a great mantra that we should all adopt.

Another Triathlete in the Family

What an amazing weekend! Bridget and I made a much too quick weekend trip down south to see my brother and his family for the weekend.  It was my brother's first triathlon - and he decided to tackle a half distance triathlon as his first venture into the sport!  There was no way I was going to miss that.  I mean, come on, you remember your first big endurance event, right? It was super special, of course.

My first marathon will always be the most special event and I was hoping that my brother would feel the same after crossing his first big finish line! And I'm pretty sure he did.

My sister-in-law, her 3 kids, me and Bridget all made the best of 8 hours in perfect weather in one of the most beautiful places in the U.S.  The older kids made signs to cheer on my brother, which he really appreciated. It was so funny to see their rendition of a medal - so doggone cute!  My sister-in-law and I were able to catch up and it felt like I was sitting in her kitchen back in Athens all over again.

And Outer Banks? He couldn't have picked a better place to make his day special. The swim portion, while it certainly looked long, was beautiful. The weather was perfect and it was as if the sun danced off of the waves. While we only got to see him mounting and dismounting his bike, he said the bike portion was gorgeous meandering through Manteo and, as every triathlete experiences at least once in a race, he learned to change a flat tire pretty quickly. The run portion was in the hottest part of the day, but he managed to excel and finish well under the time cap. So proud of him!

Just look at how beautiful OBX is in Autumn!

Racing Goals This Year

As a family, we have officially tackled 48 states. Wow. 48 states! Our two remaining states are Idaho and Hawaii. And wouldn't you know it, they are also two of the most expensive states remaining. Hawaii will be last so that we can enjoy a nice long vacation to cap off this amazing challenge. But, Idaho? It's been tricky to plan. Therefore, I will add Idaho to this year's racing schedule and leave Hawaii for 2014...maybe late 2013.

Since Cleveland has such a fantastic running community filled with great racing opportunities, I will focus more on local races for 2013.

Right now, my wish list of races for 2013 looks something like this:

January - Not ready yet. I'll be working on getting off some of that *ahem* holiday weight!

February - local 5k snowshoe race. I have snowshoes, but if you do not, they will be renting snowshoes for $10. I might also try to join Megan for the Miami University Indoor Triathlon - 20 minute swim, 20 minute bike, 20 minute run.

March - Saturday, March 16 is the St. Malachai 5-mile run. I haven't run this race in about 7 years, so it will be nice to add it to the calendar.

April - Ragnar Race in Southern California with my sister-in-law, Kim. Three legs totalling 20 miles will be fun AND exhausting!

May - Kind of leaning toward the Capital City half marathon in Columbus the first weekend in May. I've heard so many good things about this race, plus I could talk my sister into cheering me along with my girls.

June - a small race possibly in Ireland, while on vacation, maybe? Kim, can I talk you into this?!

July - Biking in Idaho. I'm thinking Meg and I will tackle the Goldilocks 40 or 60-mile ride.

August - Lorain/Lakeview Spring Triathlon with Megan.

September - Nothing scheduled.

October - The CVNP Trail Series, which meets each Tuesday during October. Such a fun event series.

November - Cleveland Turkey Trot 5-Miler on Thanksgiving Day.

December - Holiday season break.

Congratulations Meg on Your First Sprint Triathlon!

Well, she did it! Meg completed her first sprint triathlon - and with no training. My girl rocks. She sailed through the 1/4-mile swim with a time of 10:26, darn good for someone who was attempting her first open water swim. Good thing she's a high school swimmer in her "other job". I had given her some tips for transition knowing that she would finish significantly faster than me, but I couldn't believe how much of a run you had (with bare feet) between the swim exit and transition entrance. The bike portion was funny. Meg's bike is a Huffy from Target with 7-gears. Now, in spite of this cycling handicap (or as she put it: no carbon fiber!), she still managed to finish the 12.2 miles in less than an hour in 58:26. Her only cycling training was a couple rides with me through the Metroparks after getting a hot dog and ice cream at Sweetwater Landing. Way to go, Pumpkin! The second transition time was much better, although she and I both made the same mistake: knocking over the bike racks! Her run portion was her major weakness because she hates running. How is that possible with me as a mother? Oh, it is. But she never gave up and finished in 42:55. Meg completed her first sprint triathlon in under 2 hours with a time of 1:58:42. Congratulations, Megan! Best of all, she wants to do this again. Now that's my girl :)

This race for me was not meant as a "race", but to do with my daughter. But because I was in a different wave and knew she was a much faster swimmer than me, I ended up improving my bike time. My bike portion was at 15.5mph. Not bad considering I don't have clipless pedals. However, I did tell Greg that it's time for a trip to Century Cycles to get the pedals. They really do make the difference - and I want to upgrade to the Olympic distance. Hmmm...maybe even this summer.

My biggest complaint about this sprint triathlon was their management of the transition area. It was not well protected and visitors were allowed to roam and socialize. When I came back from the swim, a crowd had already gathered at the transition entrance making it tough to get through and find my rack. When I was exiting to tackle the bike portion, I had to yell "coming through." That's not cool. When I came back from the bike, a large group had my rack row blocked and I kept having to say, "Excuse Me" quite loudly to get people to move. My final gripe was part my fault. I listened to a guy in the transition area who pointed me toward the run (he was wrong-my fault for listening) and I ended up by the bathrooms with no signage and had to fight my way through the crowds.

NCN could take a cue from the Mossman Triathlon. The Connecticut race had great security for the transition area. All course markings were spot on. The volunteers kept racers and others away from the entrance/exit points and volunteers were constantly yelling to get you in the right direction. Kudos to Connecticut. Thumbs down to NCN on the transition.

Congratulations, Meg! Now it's time to find a bike with more than 7-speeds!

Oh No, She Didn't

Meg is entering the wicked world of triathlons! As of a few minutes ago, she has committed to her first sprint triathlon - best of all, we'll be racing side by side. She'll kick my arse in swimming. I will hopefully catch up to her during the bike portion. Then we will run it in together to the finish line. Afterwards, we're going to be a part of a large picnic with friends and fellow racers - can't wait! The coffee and conversation after the Sunday race will be memorable. Go Megan Go!

I'm Hooked

I just bought my first wetsuit - a 2010 Orca S3 full wetsuit, which is supposed to be ideal for the beginner triathlete. I wore Greg's Team-in-Training wetsuit this past weekend, but it's a bit big in many places and let in an avalanche of water! Plus, I felt like such a poser in TNT apparel without fundraising. I found my new wetsuit at Tri-Zone for a very reasonable price since it was last year's model (as if anyone is going to notice that I'm wearing 2010's fashion!). I figured since I have another sprint tri coming up in a couple weeks, and I would also like to work up to an Olympic triathlon distance, then it's money well spent.

Race Report: Mossman Sprint Triathlon

What a fantastic race experience. This summer is shaping up nicely! I've had a hard time figuring out what to write other than, "I can't believe I did it!"

Setting Up: So funny all the different rituals I observed from other triathletes and yet how relaxed I felt. I knew at this point (you know, morning of the race) that being a wreck would only hinder my swim performance. The biking distance was slightly less than my work commute and a 5K is such a doable distance (hopefully, I won't have lead legs). But swim...well, I needed to keep my cool if I was going to swim a half mile. I got my little space set up and decided to get the lay of the land by paying attention to the swim in/bike out/bike in/run out locations. It's helpful if I actually look like I know what I'm doing! Then I trekked down to the beach to feel how rough the sand and crushed sea shells were and to take a dip in the water. Blech! Salt Water?! I didn't think about that! Next thing I knew, it was time to line up by waves. Then I heard those damning words..."Ladies over 40, get ready!" Are you serious? I couldn't believe he announced our ages! Seriously, "Red caps, get ready" would have been just fine. Perfect even!


Swim. Nice rectangular course. Swim out to the first orange buoy, turn right and swim past three more buoys, turn right again and swim to the shore. Seems simple enough. But wtf, that first buoy seemed a mile away! I'm glad I never had to flip onto my back to calm myself (like Portland) and I managed to keep up my plan of swim 20 strokes, breast stroke to sight, repeat. The plan worked and got me safely to shore in 22:47 - an improvement of 8:03 from my half mile Portland swim!


T1: My hand is bleeding - yikes! Why won't my socks go on my wet feet?! Tell me again, which part of the helmet is the front? Argh - salt water in the mouth is disgusting! Where is my water? And gel - must fuel up. Ahhh, double latte powergel tastes so good and helps remove the salt taste. The hand - damn, still bleeding. Must have been the rough side of the third buoy marker when I made contact. Oh well, get on that bike and ride, girl! Must work on my T1 time in the future - logged in at 3:23.

Bike. Loved this course. As I was leaving transition, another girl yelled at me to hurry up and we could ride together. Cool! I've never ridden with someone else. Red rover, red rover, send Robin right over. We rode up Calf Pasture Beach Road turning onto Gregory and Saugatuck. Beautiful homes - mansions really. The weather was wonderful for a ride - clear skies and low 70s. The bike portion consisted of two loops and I could have pushed harder, but was still pleased with the results. Finished 12.5 miles in 49:41 (15.1mph).

T2. Drop off bike, get some water, pull on my hat (to hide helmet hair!) and get the H-E-double toothpicks out of there. The run was beautiful with a little over half the course along the shoreline. At first, I thought I had cement blocks attached to my feet, but then everything started feeling good because I WAS RUNNING - doing what I love to do. During the bike portion, Gina (my cycling friend)had commented that I must be from the Midwest because I was thanking all the volunteers. The volunteers were just fantastic and I noticed it even more during the run portion. Each time I thanked one, I would hear words of encouragement right back. I swear I smiled through the whole run portion because of all those wonderful volunteers. I didn't feel I was moving very fast, but I sure was hoping to finish in 30-31 minutes. Woohoo - I clocked in a 29:15 run finish.


Post-Race. Loved crossing the finish line. I even threw up my arms in victory! I had so much fun and was so happy with my swim performance that I just wanted to do the Dora dance and sing, "I did it, yeah, I did it!" Grabbed my medal, a banana, water, and went back to the finish line to cheer on Gina. Afterwards, I texted hubs and the girls the good news, loaded up the car with my mess, and headed back to the hotel to treat my girls to breakfast on the waterfront. Coffee and conversation are best post-race!

*****
Sunday afternoon, the girls and I spent a nice couple of hours at the Maritime Aquarium. It's become "our thing" - whenever we travel to a state, we always try to find a nearby Aquarium. The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk was perfect. We got to watch the divers feed the sharks as well as learn all about what's in the Long Island Sound (you don't want to know and I certainly didn't enjoy finding out!), we got up close to sea lions, saw more than 10 different frogs, enjoyed the dinosaur exhibit, laughed with the otters - just such fun! Another tradition is to always take pictures against measuring sticks. We did exactly this about a year and a half ago at the Boston Aquarium and of course here as well. Such great memories!

I Wish I Were Salmon

The rules for the Race for 50 States challenge were two-fold: 1) it had to include family either as one or all of us participating in a race or at least traveling together and 2) had to include different types of races from 5k to 50k, trail races, a century bike ride or two, and triathlon to further challenge our physical selves and to step out of our racing comfort zones while learning (and maybe enjoying) a new sport. So far, we have collectively acomplished a 5k, 10k, 10 mile trail run, half marathon, marathon, sprint triathlon, Olympic triathlon, and a half ironman. We're moving right along in reaching our goal. And with this past weekend's sprint triathlon in Portland, Oregon, we managed to check off our19th state! Now, on to the race report.

Swim. I wish I were salmon because then I could naturally swim upstream in a river. As you know, a triathlon race begins with the swim portion. Not only is this not my strength, but I started practicing 4 weeks ago on my lunch hour, with the pool facility being closed one of those weeks. Not surprisingly, I was not speedy in the water. It's hard to even begin describing all that went wrong during
my swim portion, but I will try as this also serves as a learning tool for improvement. We had to jump in the river from the marina dock and then tread water till our start time. The outside temps were 60-61. The water was 67. Can I just day brrrrrr. No wetsuit because I thought the water couldn't be much cooler than Lake Erie (mistake#1). I think I might have panicked at that point because I was so cold before getting into the water, then was shocked at how really cold I could still become. When the gun went off, you would have thought this was my first time in open water. I had to back stroke it until I could relax myself enough to attempt the freestyle stroke. Thank goodness I am no sissy and was able to pull myself together, although I swear I saw "things" swming alongside me! I managed to finish in 30:51, about 5 minutes off my goal time. Based upon the little training I had for the swim portion (9 pool sessions and 1open water practice), I didn't fare too badly for swimming 750 meters. The Transition is another story (can you say train wreck?).

T1 - I got out of the water by placing my foot onto a 2x4 and climbing out of the water using a net like a Navy Seal, only clumsier. Ran up the hill to the Transition area where I couldn't quite figure out how to put my helmet on. I could see Meg & Greg watching my confused motions wondering how long does it really take to strap on a helmet. According to my T1 time, it takes 3:59 to slip on socks, shoes, strap a helmet onto wet hair and ride off into the sunset (or Naito Pkwy).

Bike. It was hilly and challenging, yet a beautiful ride overall. I had set my goal at 1:04 and ended up with a very acceptable 1:19 for the 16.4 mile bike ride. The first 3.5 miles were uphill with an additional 1/2 mile up a very steep hill before cresting atop Terwilliger. The big learning lesson here is that I should have practiced climbing hills on my rented Fuji road bike to get a better sense of shifting gears. Learning how to ride a bike DURING a race is not the time to master your gears. Terwilliger was quite scenic with lush foliage and breath-taking views of Portland. The crowds and volunteers were wonderful. And I loved hearing my two girls yell "go mommy go" while I was rounding the corner on my bike. Not only do I judge a race by their pre- and post-race activities, but also by how family friendly it is. So even though my quads and calves were cursing me, I totally enjoyed the race and gave it my best. I also loved the ride, fit and feel of my rented Fuji Finest 2.0 road bike.

T2 - I racked my bike, took a giant gulp of HEED, ponytailed my hair, added a hat (partly for sun protection, partly to hide the poor ponytail job!) and off I went on the run. Time in T2 was 2:17.

Run. Thank goodness something my body understood. Believe it or not, I actually ran one of my faster times and probably would have broke 30 minutes if my quads hadn't locked up twice on me. I still managed to run 32:36, and was quite pleased. We ran along the banks of both sides of the Williamette River and across 2 bridges. Once again, great views of the city and a fairly enjoyable run with only a few short climbs.

Post-race. Hell yeah this will go down as one of my favorite races! I got a fantastic bamboo long-sleeve race shirt with 3 chickens - each one reading flail (swim), flap (bike) and flee (run) - triathlons are not for chickens. Loved it! At the finish line, every finisher received a stainless steel water bottle with Portland Triathlon Finisher on it. Each race participant also got gelatto from Staccato Gelatto and a delicious microbrew ale from Deschutes. The line was too long, but there was also BBQ as well. There was also a kids painting activity area and great open green spaces for families and supporters to relax and wait on their athlete.

Final Thoughts. Overall, I finished in 2:29:14 and was happy considering the training effort put forth. I would like to do another sprint triathlon sometime, but I'm not committing to one anytime soon. I was very happy that I tackled a sport that was definitely outside my comfort zone (open water swimming) and, best of all, had my favorite cheering section with me through the whole race!

Transition Dress Rehearsal

Tonight was a last minute practice of T1 and T2 for the upcoming Portland Freshwater Trust Sprint Triathlon. Learned a few keys things to change and realized that when you're trying to be fast in transition, you can often miss things. I can't exactly write crib notes on my arm for this! I have packed all the key items - goggles, extra swim cap, tri shorts, tri top for the swim; helmet, extra shirt for race number, socks/shoes, and sunglasses for bike portion; and my favorite (worn-out) running hat to finish with. I have all the little extras just in case - gu packets (lemon sublime, my favorite), bodyglide, water bottle for HEED and one for water, sunscreen, my good friend Biofreeze, bandaids, baby powder, and a Christmas Red towel so I can easily spot my corner of the woods in the triathlon pit.

I had a good swim today. At this point, I am challenging myself to finish in 2 hours...give or take a minute or two. My goal is to finish the 750m swim in 25 minutes, the 16.4 mile bike ride in 64 minutes, and the 5k run in 30 minutes.

Portland, here I come!

A Good Week of Training

I'm happy with this week's training. Sunday I logged in a 10 mile trail run. Took a break Monday (mostly so I could learn to walk again!). Tuesday was a good day for swimming logging in 1000m during lunch. Wednesday was an 8 mile bike ride for 22:30 and a 1/2 mile run at 4:20. Thursday evening was a wonderful evening of swimming with my friend Karen, who is an amazing swimmer and specializes in the phrase, "how do you feel? Ok, then give me 50 more." Friday was a much needed rest day. Today was a brick with husband - 14 mile bike ride and 2.5 mile run. Another open water swim practice is on the agenda for Sunday, then definitely a cold Corona! Exactly one week till the tri and I am nervous and excited!

Summer of Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Husband offered to take me to Portland, Oregon for a weekend trip with Kid A and Pablo Honey, of course. Most people would begin their google searches with key places to sight-see, maybe a hotel search or two, a Citysearch visit for hot restaurants or clubs, but not me. I googled 10k, half marathon and trail races. Nothing. Triathlons, yes. A sprint triathlon, yes again. I can run and I occasionally bike to/from work (25 mi r/t), but swimming requires effort (translation: practice, training). I've done a sprint triathlon before and I'm not a fan of not seeing the bottom. I kind of like seeing what's swimming next to me, no matter the mammal/amphibian form *shiver*. Regardless, I have until 7/31 to register in order to get my long-sleeve bamboo shirt - hmmm, the shirt...the things we do for the right shirt.