2010 Toyota US Open

   
 Swim: I was glad I got to watch the Olympic distance group swim, and see George safely out of the lake just before I went out.  But I had a lot of time for my nerves to get the best of me while standing around shivering and watching their swim. When I took the plunge, I panicked.  It took me a few hundred yards to talk myself out of giving up, to remind myself I knew how to swim, and to get into a good breathing/stroke rhythm.  Then I just set my goal to make it to the next buoy and then the next and then the next until I realized I was almost finished, and I had passed quite a few swimmers along the way.  I have never been so happy to get out of the water, especially since my son was cheering me on as I exited.
     T1: Very happy to see Mirijam from Master's class handing me a cup of water as I went in. Took a sip for luck, and ran to the last racks to get my bike. Peeling off the wetsuit took a little more time than anticipated, and I almost fell over the bike running out, next time I'll remember to run out with my bike on my right side.
     Bike: The bike course was pretty challenging for me, I felt like I was working as hard as I could the entire 14 miles.  I was pretty rattled b/c early on I saw two cyclists get hit by a car on the course.  I managed to regain my focus, and attack the hills as hard as I could. Nutrition was some power bar gel caps, easier to eat on the bike than the shot blocks I had at Tri-Rock, but still left me thirsty. Didn't want to drink too much on the bike b/c I didn't want to run later with a stomach full of liquid.  The course was crowded and it was near impossible to keep 3 bike lengths between me and the cyclist in front of me.  A lot of blocking going on, mostly unintentional due to the amount of people racing, but some racers just weren't paying attention, and weren't staying to the right to allow others to pass.  Got a big wave and smile from Garrett again at the end of the bike course.
    T2: Faster than T1 since I only had to rack the bike and switch out my helmet for a cap. 
     Run: The start of the run was straight uphill, and continued uphill for the first 3/4 mile, and my quads were still burning from the bike.  I was glad to have trained on the run course several times before the race, so I knew where the decline would start.  Then I just kept getting faster and faster. Finally saw George just after I hit the turnaround and gave him a big wave and smile as he began his last 5 miles.  The final mile was all downhill which made for a fast finish. I have never felt so excited to finish as race as I did this one. I had a great race.
     I finished 4th in my age group, improved my swim pace by 25 seconds per 100, and improved my run pace by 31 seconds per mile. What a great way to wrap up my first tri season !
   

2010 Tri-Rock

The 2010 Tri-Rock was my first sprint triathlon.  George and I were up early, loaded our bikes in gear into the car and drove over the the Natatorium to set up.  Just as we walked into the transition area, the floodlights turned off and it was pitch black. I was glad my husband had brought a headlamp so I could see to get set up.  Then we headed to the pool for a couple of warm up laps.  The lanes were set up so that each lap was 50 yards instead of the usual 25 that I was used to at the Y, so I was glad to swim a couple laps before the actual race to get a feel for it.   We picked up our timing chips and headed over to the pre-race meeting.  Jack ( the race director) barked some instructions our way, and I tried my best to commit them to memory. I didn't want to do anything to be disqualified. Apparently at the May race there was some confusion about where to go on the run, and some racers were disqualified. So he made it clear that we were all to pass the aid station 4 TIMES on the run.  That would help us remember which way to go.   Ok. 4 TIMES Jack. Got it. Then he directed us to line up for the swim. George and I had a quick prayer with the Tri4Him group & some members of our church before lining up inside. George was seeded way ahead of me, so I was able to watch him swim and head out the the transition. 
     I felt like it took forever to get to my number. As soon as I was in the water, I realized I had underestimated my ability as a swimmer.  I passed about 10 people in the pool, which was no easy feat.  I was trying not to get kicked by the swimmers in front of me, or collide head on with the swimmers next to me.  As I was starting my last lap, I hit arms with another swimmer, and the band for my Garmin got knocked off .  I had to swim to the end holding the band my right hand. Probably not the most efficient stroke I ever used.  I tried to get to the transition as quick as I could without slipping on the wet floor, or falling down the stairs that led to my bike.
    It took forever to get my socks on my wet feet, so next time I'll skip the socks. Got my shoes on, bike down, helmet buckled, grabbed my shot blocks and left transition. I had some technical problems using the multisport function of the Garmin, and probably lost some speed at the start trying to fiddle around with the settings. Need to practice more with the Garmin in multisport.  It was also a pain to untangle the shot blocks from the ziploc bag I had them in.  Next time I'll just lay them on the towel and throw them in my back pocket.  I saw passed several people I knew heading in from the bike as I was heading out, but somehow missed George.  I felt pretty confident on the bike, I had trained on this course several times so I knew where there were inclines and declines, and where to shift gears.  The first half was more of a decline, and I went as fast as I could.  After the turnaround point was my least favorite hill, and I was breathing hard and tired by the top.  What surprised me was that as tired as I was, I actually passed a few people going uphill. I was pretty winded by the time I was turning off the bypass, and hoped I had saved my legs enough to have a decent run.  Second transition was faster than the first since all I had to do was hang up the bike and switch out my helmet for a cap. I started the run way too fast, and was slowing myself down when I saw my husband coming in towards the finish.  We exchanged smiles and waves and I reminded myself that I was near the end.   I can honestly say it was the toughest run I've ever had. It was hot, there was no shade, and the aid station had been moved.  Instead of passing it 4 times, it was set up in a cul de sac where I would only pass it twice.  I was grateful to dump water over my head twice to help cool down, but I could have done it 2 more times.  The painful training runs on the treadmill were good preparation mentally for this run.  I was used to breaking down distance in my head and preparing myself for the next mile, and telling myself I only had a little more to go.  Standing in line for the swim I had met a lady who had a prayer list on her arm. She had broken down the race into sections, and for each section she had chosen a person to pray for while she raced. The last person on her list was herself. I passed her as she was running toward the turnaround, and felt inspired to pray for her too during the last 3/4 mile.  A few minutes later I crossed the finish line, and the first thing I saw was George's smiling face, and then he hugged me and told me how proud of me he was. There was a real sense of community with the other racers. Everywhere I looked I saw familiar faces, from church, Tri4him, master's swim class, neighbors, and friends.
    I've already started training for the next tri. I'm hooked. I loved it. I can't wait to do it again.

Triathalon

I ran America's run in April, and beat my PR by 7 minutes.  After taking a little time to rest and recover, I started thinking about my next goal.  George has been encouraging me to get involved with triathlons, and I have seen how much he loves training and competing.   I've been running now for almost 2 years, and swimming about 8 months.  So the next logical step was getting a bike.  My first ride out was with George, and I felt slow and awkward, like I might fall over at any minute or go careening into something. And shifting gears was a little like the first time I tried to drive a standard.  But the more I rode, the more comfortable I felt, and shifting gears started to go more smoothly.  So after a few weeks of just focusing on cycling I started training for a sprint triathlon.  Last week was the first week of multisport training.  It was very different than just running, and I really enjoy the variety.  Cycling has become my favorite by far, but I'm starting to enjoy the swimming again more as well. It's different to swim with a purpose other than just cross training, and for me it seems to be much more motivating to have a goal to work towards. By the end of the week I was sore and fatigued, and realize that I have a long way to go to get in triathlon shape.  My legs felt heavy and slow on the last run of the week, and I'll have to get used to how it feels to run after cycling.  I also need to take a better look at nutrition, as I felt like I was starving all week.  I had to run on the treadmill and ride my bike on the trainer a couple times, but my preference would be to train outdoors as much as I can so I can get acclimated to the summer heat and humidity again.  My first race is in August, and I can't wait !

Changes

Sometime in late February, my husband and I watched the documentary, Food Inc.  The next day we started to make changes in our diet and shopping habits.  We started eating more organic foods, and looking for options of where to purchase them.  I started reading "The Ominivore's Dilemma" by Micheal Pollan. And I found that our habits still needed further change.  Now I shop at Whole Foods, order grass fed meat from a local ranch, and my husband is planning a big vegetable garden for the Spring. I've rid the pantry of anything containing High Fructose Corn Syrup, and most everything that is highly processed.  We are all adjusting to eating better, and being healthier.  I've lost weight, my running pace has gotten faster, and I feel a lot more energetic.  The foods we eat taste so much better, and has brought back for me the joy of cooking and eating.  I'm less tempted to eat things that aren't healthy, because when I do, I feel like garbage afterward. I haven't had one seasonal allergy this spring, even when I visited my dad and his long haired cat. My weekly grocery trip has become less of a chore, and more of a chance for exploration.  Yes, our grocery bills are higher, and yes there are some things my kids love that I can't find an organic or unprocessed replacement for.  But for the most part, the change has been amazing.

Spring Training

 This week it has finally started to feel like spring.  The sun is shining, the temperatures have risen, and the rain has dried up, and I finally shook my sinus infection.  After a week of rest, I was able to swim and run on Wednesday, and run on Thursday.  During my 8 miles on Thursday, I set a pace goal for myself, and ran it pretty close to that pace.  I recently sat down with Coach Rich  to talk about my training goals for the spring.  He gave me some really good advice, and I'm going to see how following it will improve my running. Basically he said, if you want to run fast, you have to train fast.  You can expect to race faster than you train.You'll get faster by training on hills. Hills are your friend.  Don't just get out and slog it. Set a goal each time you train.  And that's what I hear in my head each time I get out and run. 

Anticipation

Anticipation: n.  expectant waiting: the feeling of looking forward, usually excitedly or eagerly, to something that is going to happen.  A lot of my training is based on that wonderful feeling of anticipation. I look forward to each run, knowing how good each one is going to feel.  And knowing how good I feel at the end, when I can see my progress, and know how fast I ran.  There's the anticipation of whether I can shave just a little bit of time off last week's pace, or feel just a little more energetic than the previous day.  I build my running playlist with songs that I anticipate listening to while I run.   And of course there is the anticipation of the relaxing soak in a warm tub to soothe my sore muscles at the end of the day.   It's the same with swimming.  I look forward to completing that first lap when I finally start to feel at ease in the water, that precise moment that the tenseness leaves my body and I finally peg my breathing, kicking and arm stroke rhythm.  There is the anticiaption of learning something new from Coach, and the confidence that's built when I finally get it right.  There's the anticipation of the races I have picked to run, the and reward for the hard work of training.  I have a whole year's worth of anticipation ahead of me. Each training run, each swim, each race is just ahead of me, and I'm looking forward to completing each and every one.