Lessons Learned During a Memorial Day 5K

I thought it would be a good idea to try out my racing legs again so I decided to run the Wellaware Run for Kids 5K after work this morning. The website said it was a "challenging course" but I thought to myself it would be fun and maybe I could better my time and break 34 minutes. Through the experience I learned a few things about myself and racing in general....

1. It's a lot harder to race when it's hot!

• The temperature was about 81 degrees with 75% humidity when we started and most of the course was run on pavement with little to no shade.
  

2. Hills suck

• The race director warned us that it was "a very hilly course so be careful and listen to your body" but even that didn't scare me. In the first mile, we had what I thought was a hill - and I ran it with no problem and even ended up with a 10:10 split which put me ahead of my expected pace. Soon after, I realized that the first mile really just had a small incline and that the true hills were ahead. My pace quickly dropped off as it seemed like it was just one hill after another, including one final long climb at about the 2.5 mile mark.
  

3. Take water when it's offered because you may not get a second chance.

• The one aid station was located about halfway through the race as we entered a loop around a little lake. I decided to do my loop first then grab the water on my way up the big hill past the aid station. Unfortunately, by the time I ended my loop - they were out of cups and the poor volunteer just kept apologizing to everyone going by.

4. There's no shame in a quick walk break.

• Even though it was hot and challenging, I really did a good job of keeping my pace manageable. I was determined to run the whole thing and for most of the race that seemed a definite possibility. Unfortunately I was starting to lose it on the last climb at about the 2.75 mile mark, I made it up about halfway then had to walk for about 30 seconds. After that little break, I pushed on through to the end, but later I was beating myself up about walking. In retrospect, I need to realize that I wasn't going to break any records had I not taken that walk break and that there's just no shame in it.
  

5. Sometimes the "official" time is a gift from Santa

• By my watch and the clock at the finish, I was right at 35:08 which is about 20 seconds better than my last 5K. Not as good as I would have liked, but impressive given how difficult the course was compared to my last race. I just checked the "official" results on the website and they have me at 34:11??!!?!? I would love to claim that time but there's no way it's accurate. I guess they decided that for my excellent effort I deserved a one minute gift? I'm not quite sure but I'll stick with my real time.
  

Training in Hades

This week reminds me why I hate the Midwest! When it starts to hit the mid 90s and the humidity makes you sweat just thinking about going outside I wonder "why did I leave Colorado?" The heat is forcing me to rethink my training because it's not going to be wise to train in the late afternoons when I wake up, except of course for swimming. Today for example I really needed to ride, but I was exhausted when I got home from work at 8 a.m., the walking dead kindof exhausted. When I got up at 4 p.m. it was ridiculously hot, the kind that makes me grumpy and irritable, and since it's a holiday weekend the rec center closed early so there's no other option but to either skip a workout or brave the heat. And I'm sorry to say it, but I'm weak so no workout today.

Tomorrow morning after work I'm going to run a 5K and it will likely already be in the mid to high 80s at 9 a.m. so I'll be forced to run in the heat. I guess I better get used to it because sadly races aren't done in the air conditioning.

"Nice Cadence"

Truth be told, I'm still afraid of my road bike.
It's light, has skinny tires, and requires me to be near the general vicinity of motor vehicles and if you haven't driven through Missouri ... just trust me, Missouri drivers can be scary!! So instead of training on my road bike this weekend like a good triathlete would do, I took my old trusty Kona mountain bike on the trail. I had a great ride - which why wouldn't it be great? The trail is 10 feet wide and flat given that it's an old railroad grade and requires the technical abilities of a 3 year old with training wheels. It was, however, my longest ride to date which is an accomplishment.

I hit the local MKT trail which then connects to the KATY trail and I cycled to the town of Rocheport and back. It was a fabulous day to be outdoors and there were lots of people on the trail to keep me company including several troops of Boy Scouts that I was able to pass ... and sadly that's what it takes to make me feel fast. I was surprised by how friendly everyone was, when I'd call out to a walker that I was passing (and I don't yell because when I'm running and someone yells loudly "ON YOUR LEFT!" it scares the bejesus out of me every time) they'd say "Thanks" or "Have a great ride." When I got to Rocheport, I got a quick bite at the Trailside Cafe and I visited with the Boy Scout leaders ... they were doing 20 and 40 mile rides and were from the Kansas City area ... and met a guy three weeks into a solo bike tour across the states.

To make a long story short, on my way bike a "real" biker was passing me and called out encouragingly, "Nice cadence, keep it up!" I'm not really sure exactly what he meant by that ... I mean it sounded like a compliment. But the rest of my ride back I was obsessed with my cadence, thinking to myself, you're slow but DAMN you have a great cadence!! Though I don't have a cyclometer on that bike, I do know that I tend to cycle with a high cadence (>100) I don't know if that's wise or stupid or if it makes me slower, it's just the way I ride. But in either case, some random dude made me feel like maybe I am a real cycler!!

Woo Hoo!! New Wheels!!

So my cousin Travis got himself a fancy new tri-bike and I am now the proud owner of the road bike he raced on last year!! It's a 2005 Raleigh Supercourse and I will admit to being a complete bike idiot but the Raleigh online catalog states it has an "Atomic 13 SL butted aluminum frame with vibration damping carbon fiber seat stays, Kinesis carbon fork, Shimano Ultegra and 105 components and a Truvativ Elita ISIS drive triple crankset." all which means nothing to me. All I know that it is red and pretty :)

I have christened her "Lola" because in my opinion all bikes should be named... quit laughing! It's my bike and I can name it if I want!

Luckily he showed me how to shift it or I would have probably spent a week looking for something to push on and tooling around in one gear saying "F@*k" a lot. I put some plain old pedals and toe clips on it because I'm just not ready for the pain and torture that will come with clipless pedals and bike shoes. I know they'll make me stronger and faster, but I am envisioning MANY MANY falls in my future because I'm not the most graceful person when walking, let alone when physically clipped into a 2 wheeled instrument. I didn't get a chance to take her on a maiden voyage today because it was pretty overcast and dark by the time I got back from the bike shop with the pedals - and I didn't think getting hit by a car would be a good way to start my road bike career!!

My first race is done ... now what??

So I've been riding the high of my first race all week long - and it's been great! Lots of friends and co-workers are kind enough to inquire about my race and to indulge me in my stories recanting my "great" achievement. The problem is that I have more races - longer, more challenging races - on my schedule and there's just no time for sitting on my butt. This week I've definitely fallen off the training wagon but I still have the weekend to make up for it.

I've added a race to my schedule, the Wolf Creek Sprint Tri in June. It will be a good opportunity to do an open water swim in a smaller event and prepare me for the circus that the Danskin is likely to be. Also my cousin is doing this race so it will be a family event. If I have any hopes of competing the distance, however, I better get back on my training plan! I have no fears of coming in last, but I do want to perform to the best of my ability. I'm currently up to running 2.75miles at a time so hopefully in a month's time a 5K run will be manageable after a 10 mile bike ride. As for the swim... I'm pretty buoyant so I'll make it through! My bike may be the only one left in transition when I'm done, but at least I have no fears of drowning!!!

Report from my 1st Triathlon!!

Well I did it! I completed my first triathlon and it was an amazing experience!! First off, I need to thank my fan club - Mom, Ted, Travis and Micaela for showing up and cheering me on. I was worried about how I would look (i.e. like a complete idiot) so I was kindof embarrassed about having anyone I knew there, but in the end I was so thankful for their support!

To start off my report, some background ... it was the 3rd annual Dew U Try the Tri in Springfield, IL. A really small supersprint distance catering to the newbies out there like me. The swim was a 150 meter swim (3 laps) in a really narrow health club pool, a 5 mile out and back bike ride, and a 1.3 mile run through a park. From my training times, my goal was to do the whole race in under an hour. I was figuring 4 1/2 to 5 minutes for the swim, 30 minutes bike, 15 minute run and the transitions were a wild card, but I assumed I could do them in less than 10 minutes hence the 60 minute goal.

Race morning was pretty chilly, and the temp was 48 degrees when I arrived at about 7 a.m.. There were 79 people signed up for the race and looking around the transition area there was a big mix of participants ... some very fit looking folks with fancy bikes, quite a few kids (the youngest was 9!!) a few plus sized people and a lot of people who looked kindof like me - not in too bad a shape but obviously inexperienced in the multisport world. Given that the race was small, it wasn’t too stressful setting up my transition, and the racks were alphabetically labeled so it was easy to figure out where to put my stuff. As I was setting up my space I noticed that most of the bikes around me were road bikes, but I wasn’t going to worry about that. I got body marked (do they really need to write my age on the back of my calf?? Like I want to know that I’m being passed by a 14 year old or 70 year old during the race!!) and then I went for a quick 5 minute jog to warm up. It was still a little chilly outside, but I stripped down to my race outfit which consisted of my DeSoto tri shorts and my Zoot tank top, then I grabbed my swim cap and goggles and headed inside. Some people were warming up in the pool, but I didn’t bother. I was nervous enough about the swimming and I had already accepted than I was going to look like a complete spazz in the water. After the pre-race talk we grouped up according to our swim times. Having practiced my 150 meter swim twice, I knew I was about 4:45 so I lined up in the last group which was labeled “4:45 - 5 minutes.” Then we all formed a big line that wrapped around the pool and got ready for the start.

SWIM: We entered the pool in 15 second intervals with the superfast “real swimmers” going first. It was a 3 lane pool so each racer went down and back, crossed under the lane rope, went down and back etc. through all three lanes for a total of 3 laps. The lanes were super narrow so swimmers were hitting each other as they were going in opposite directions and passing was impossible. I was near the end of the line and there were about 10 swimmers behind me. I thought it would take forever for my turn to start, but it actually went pretty fast and it was exciting watching all the swimmers ahead of me. I was going through the swim in my mind as I waited, I just kept thinking, “relax, long slow strokes, breathe easy, if you freak out breast stoke - recover and dig back in.” It turned out my worries were not needed because I ROCKED the swim! It felt effortless, I was breathing great and the only problem was the slow woman in front of me forcing me to TREAD WATER near the end of my first lap. The guy behind me had to stop too and I was pretty irritated because I was swimming so well. At the wall she let me and the guy pass and I motored on and left the guy behind in my wake. At the end of my second lap I caught another swimmer who let me pass so I was able to swim my third lap with no obstacle. I was able to freestyle the whole thing except for the times I had to slow down/stop for those in front of me - woo hoo!! I had never done that before!! Of course, I was glad to be done because I’m not sure I could have swam another lap!

T1 - Pretty smooth transition. Out of the building, swim cap and goggles off with a quick walk to my spot. Threw on the bike helmet -debated for a nanosecond about throwing on a jacket due to the chill, but opted against it because it didn't match my shorts and it was kindof bulky. I threw on my shades and attempted to dry feet - note to self, have a small hand towel in transition because all my gear was sitting on my beach towel to keep it off the asphalt so I couldn’t really get the towel around my feet - oh well, feet are dry enough... throw on my socks, slip on shoes, tie laces - yes, lace locks would have been quicker, grab race number belt and get bike off rack. Look around, notice there aren’t many bikes around, and also see some people returning from the bike course already and starting their run! Yikes!! ... brief period of thinking I suck then realize they started their race 15 minutes before me so I’m doing fine. Quick walk/slow jog with my bike to the bike start .... Mount my bike and see my Mom shooting pictures and hear my stepdad jokingly say, “Don’t fall” as I’m thinking to myself over and over, get feet into pedals, start to pedal and for god’s sake Don’t Fall!!

BIKE - Start my bike and my heart rate is way too high (not wearing my heart rate monitor but I can still tell) so I gear down and spin trying to take it down a notch. Course is an out and back on the road, relatively flat except for two overpasses. My legs feel great and the sun is starting to really come out so I’m not feeling cold. I get passed pretty early by an older guy, 59 according to his calf, but he encouragingly calls out, “good job, keep it up!” Several folks coming back the other direction are also giving encouragement. I pass 2 people before the turn around and follow the older guy’s example and encourage them as I pass. At the turnaround I look at my watch and see that I have BLAZED through the first half, much faster than expected - then as I start in the other direction and feel the headwind blowing directly into me I realize why I made such good time the first half! I manage to pass 2 more people on the way back, of course one was a kid riding what appeared to be a 3 speed, and one was a woman my mom’s age riding a cruiser so I can’t honestly claim that I was a speed demon on the bike. I get passed myself by the guy who started right behind me in the pool, he's pretty fast on his bike. As I’m nearing the end I realize that I am breathing pretty hard and my heart is pounding .... Egads! I still have to run after this! So I force myself to slow down the last 1/2 mile. I pull into the transition area and see that my fan club has grown to include my cousin Travis and his wife Micaela - all cheering ... thanks guys!!

T2 - Easy transition since I already have my running shoes on. Hang up bike, try not to knock all the other expensive bikes off as I do this which proves to take more time than it should. Pull off helmet, flip race number to front and take off. Immediately start to jog in the transition area .... gotta look strong for my spectators!!

RUN: I am ridiculously out of breath about 100 yards from the transition, I take a left turn through a field and am briefly out of sight from spectators so I take the time to walk. I walk about 30 seconds, come out of the field and start running again, but very slowly. Head into the park, sun is shining, weather is fabulous and I am seriously hurting. In training, I can run 2 miles after biking pretty easily, but I have clearly used up too much too soon. I’m getting a side stitch before the half way point, and again I take a quick 30 second walk break (again out of sight because I was behind a little hill). Start running again and decide to run or shuffle or whatever the rest of the way NO MATTER WHAT! I hear my stepdad yelling for me across the park and just keep running, side stitch is now on both sides but I just keep breathing through it. About 1/4 mile to go and Micalea is there cheering me on, Mom taking pictures, stepdad encouraging me to lengthen my stride, my cousin Travis tells me to “finish strong.” Finish line in sight - surely I won’t die before I get there! Breathing is totally out of control, pain in sides increasing and then thank goodness! the finish! By my watch, just a little over 40 minutes for my time ... Damn! I ROCK!! Nice volunteer hands me a medal - I didn’t realize I would get a medal, how fun, it’s like a toy surprise!!

My family comes over to congratulate me, I head over to the post-race food and grab a donut, frosted sugar cookie and gatorade which has to be the finishing meal of champions ... screw the bananas and muffins. Then we hang out for the awards and door prizes. They had some really great prizes for such a small race - bike computer, aerobars, Rudy Project sunglasses, spa gift certificates, running and bike store gift certificates but I didn’t win any of them - boo :( I did however get a surprise of my own by winning 2nd place in my age group!!! And I won’t let the fact that there were only 2 of us in any way diminish my accomplishment :)

So to summarize: fabulous swim! strong bike ... maybe a little too strong. Disappointing run with 2 walk breaks but a great learning experience on the importance of pacing your whole race. All in all, a fabulous first race and a reminder that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to!

Official Race Times
Swim 3:51
Bike *22:33 (pace 13.3 mph)
Run *13:23 (pace 10:17 mile)
Overall race time 39:45
Overall ranking 58/79
Ranking among women 21/35

*The splits for the bike and run somehow included transitions so are not wholly accurate. Per my watch I had 21 minutes for the bike (~14.3 mph) and 13:40 for the run.

Who is this girl?

I was looking in the mirror tonight and I had one of those, "Who am I?" moments. I mean seriously, if you would have told me a year ago that I would be running, lifting weights, and working out four to five times a week I would have thought you were high. I've lost at least one, maybe two clothing sizes (who really knows when all I wear is scrubs and fitness clothes?) and I haven't bought any cute tops to celebrate. Instead, I spend all my money on cool running singlets, triathlon shorts, running shoes, and sports bras. It's like I became Sporty Spice overnight, and it's a little bizarre. I find myself filling my week with workouts and planning around when the pool is open or when it would be best to ride. It's kindof strange when I realize how different my life has become, and though it's a good thing, it's just very unexpected.

So my first triathlon is this weekend!! I'm doing the Dew U Try-the-Tri supersprint in Springfield, IL (my old hometown). I don't think I'll have any problems with the bike and run, because I've done a few bricks like my training plan called for and I know I can make the distance without a problem. The swim though is a different thing. It's only a 150m indoor swim and I know I can swim that far without drowning, but that's about all I know. I've neglected my swim training horribly, and my freestyle is so atrocious that it's a struggle to make it 25m. My plan is to just breaststoke it if I have to and put myself near the end of the line for starting. It sucks because that will put me near dead last for the whole race and I'll likely be leaving T1 when some racers are finishing. I'm also obsessing over what a total nerd I'm going to look like in the pool. I need to just put it aside, not give a shit if I finish last, and just do my race. I'm not looking to compete, I'm just looking for the experience at this point. I KNOW that I need to swim more and hopefully this experience will just help reinforce that.

At least I'll get to try out all of my recently acquired gear!! Now I just need to go over my list and make sure I have everything....



Helmet ... check











Goggles ... check












Transition bag .... check

I think we've got it all :) Now on to the race!