Syracuse 70.3-
Syracuse 70.3 Ironman Recap June 22, 2014 Jamesville Beach, Syracuse, NY
Finally, my long overdue recap of the biggest race I’ve ever done. What took me so long? Mostly, life continued on right after the race, as if I didn’t complete 70.3 miles at all. I’m on vacation this week from work and finally have a chance to write about my race experience. In a way, having 3 weeks pass has given me time to reflect on the whole experience, including race day and the recovery after wards. So, if you’re contemplating doing one of these events, and you’re wondering if you can handle the training, finish the race and survive the recovery, this is the blog to read.
Saturday, June 21st: Bike racking and athlete check-in day. I was super-excited and nervous to see where my bike would be in transition and scope out the other athletes in this event. I mean, I’m just an unknown, somebody’s mom, with a goal of finishing this thing. There were “real” athletes in this race, pros from all over the world that were looking to place and take spots in the World championship. It was exciting to be racing even in the same race as athletes of that caliper, even though I would be trailing far behind them time-wise. I got my bib number, #1551. It felt good, the same number forwards and backwards. That must be good luck, right?? I met a couple of other women in my age group that looked like average Joes like me, so that made me feel a bit better. As I was standing in line to check in, several athletes that had already earned world spots were whisked past us average Joes and got to skip the line. I was a bit annoyed, but then again, they earned that right. I got my packet, bibs, swim cap and timing chip and the nicest drawstring backpack I’ve ever gotten as race swag. I guess a $250 entry fee gets you something! I listened to the race meeting, which was “mandatory” (yet nobody made sure you went) and then checked out transition. My bike was racked on the end of row, right smack in the middle of transition. Easy to find, which made me happy. I saw where I would run in from the swim, which was a long 0.3 mile run from the water to transition. And I saw the “bike out/in” location as well. I knew the rest of the course like the back of my hand, since I trained on it. I saw tons of people swimming, running and biking. The day before the race and they were working out?? It was a rest day for me, waiting for the big event in the morning. I started to doubt myself a bit, thinking I should be doing something, but I had finished my training the day before and nothing I would do the day before the race was going to help me the next day. So, I checked out the Ironman store, picked out a couple items, like a shirt with all the registered athlete’s names on the back, and headed home. The kids were totally bored at this point. Plus, we had a graduation party to attend. Real life always inserting itself….
Sunday June 22nd: RACE DAY! I had worried about the weather for race day for weeks. Would it be really hot, like last year’s race was? Would it rain or thunderstorm and they would pull racers off the course before the finish?? I trained in all sorts of weather on this course. I did long rides in 40 degrees temps, long runs in heat and humidity, a big “brick” workout under the blazing sun. A long run in the driving rain. Swam with 20 mph winds whipping the water around me. Race day weather: was perfect. No wind. Clouds and sun. Temps in the 50’s at the start. Water temp: 68 degrees. Not even a chance of rain. Absolutely no excuses due to weather. As happy as I was to hear that, it also meant I couldn’t blame not finishing on the weather.
I was up at 4am and ready to go. Living so close to the race was a nice advantage. My mom was in town to manage the kids, all of which were going to watch me do this race. I actually had a huge cheering section. Jeff made t-shirts for everyone to wear and the kids had signs and cowbells to ring to cheer me and the other athletes on. We made food and packed coolers to hopefully keep them fed for the long day ahead. We scouted out a good spot under a tree in the park that was right on the run course, but also close to the finish line. Jeff named it “Base Camp Echo One”. We went to the park early, to avoid traffic and get our spot secured. I also was going to make sure all bathroom issues were more than taken care of before the race started and that I could get a swim warm up in (my mistake at Keuka Intermediate Tri 2 weeks earlier). I was so nervous, I had a hard time eating something. I actually left the house without eating and realized in on my way to the park. We stopped at Wegmans’ and grabbed some yogurt for me. I wanted to get some calories in for sure before the start.
Once at the park, I helped Jeff get all of the gear to our pre-determined “base camp” and then I went to set up in transition. I got body marked on my way in and set my stuff up the way I always do. Nothing really different for this race, other than I made sure to bring actual food into transition with me in case I got hungry in between events. I had a banana and a nutrigrain bar, both were “safe” and I knew my stomach could handle them. Luckily, there were some Porta-Potties inside transition because my plan was to pee before the run. Oh, and eat a banana while doing so. I got all set up and as usual, I felt weird leaving transition because I knew the next time I would be back was during the race.
I went down to the beach and got my wetsuit on. The warm up swim area was tiny and packed with people but I wanted to get a few laps in before the actual race. I was warming up here when the elite men were finishing their swim leg of the race. I saw the leader come out of the water and the clock said 24 minutes….wow.
Next came the waiting to start. I found my wave (orange caps for F40-44, which I thought was another good luck sign since I’m an SU alum). My older boys waited with me on the beach. They were watching the other waves of racers go off about every 5 minutes and saw how far out the first turn buoy was. Aidan questioned me: “You have to swim THAT far out?” Yep. And then turn and then come back. He started to get worried for me…
Waiting in the water to start, the start buoy was far enough out that I couldn’t even touch. I was treading water at the start! There was another woman in my group that was literally freaking out. She was racing alone and was doubting her choice to do so. I tried to reassure her, yet I was nervous myself. It wasn’t her first 70.3, but I was mine. I had to focus. I didn’t want a repeat swim start from Keuka. I positioned myself in the back and next to the buoys, which was surprisingly free of other swimmers. The wave really spread out to the left and we all had plenty of space.
Finally, the gun went off. My plan was to be conservative on the swim. Goal time of 45:00. Steady, and keep moving. Keep my breathing under control. No freak outs…I went buoy by buoy. They had numbers on them and I just kept looking for the next one. I got to the first turn buoy and I seemed to be about in the middle of the swim pack. My Garmin said 19:30 for the first half mile. Not bad for me! I turned and kept on moving. It was a much shorter distance to the last turn buoy. This is where traffic started to back up. I was now swimming with lots of people from other waves, men that started way before me and women that were in the wave behind me that had caught up. It got crowded, but I was actually able to draft off several swimmers in this part. That saved on the amount of sighting I had to do and kept me swimming straight. I could hear the crowds getting louder and just pushed forward. I wasn’t tired, but I was ready to be out of the water. I swam until my hand touched the bottom before standing up. I saw my boys and my husband right on the edge of the water cheering me on. I glanced at my watch: 44:57 for the swim. Right on track!
I decided to take advantage of the wetsuit strippers, since I never had this option in any of the smaller races I was in before. I was so happy with my swim time, that I forgot to unzip the top of my wetsuit. I have a sleeveless wetsuit, though, so it was ok. I laid down, and it was off me in 2 seconds, a girl on each side just pulling it off in one motion. Then I ran to my bike. The hard part, or so I thought, was about to begin…
I was on my bike and going. I saw my husband again on the road just outside the park cheering me on. My kids were holding up signs and yelling “Go Mom!” I found out later that they were photographed for the local paper and were featured as part of the race recap on Syracuse.com. They were famous!
I knew I had only about 2 miles before the 12 miles of constant climbing of hills would begin. I was not nervous, more determined, since I knew these hills so well. I hit the first hill, geered down and sat up to grind it out. I saw people already off their bikes on this hill, which amazed me. I passed several riders and was passed by some very strong, younger-looking men riders myself. I stayed in my own head and rode my own way. Once I hit Sweet Road, I knew I had about 7 more miles of hills to go. I took them one at a time and by the time I hit Gates Rd (my unofficial halfway up the hills point), I was feeling confident. It was going well! I was sailing up these hills. Yes, I just used the word “sailing” and “hills” in the same sentence. I hit the “White House Hill” and knew that after that, there were a couple more smaller hills and the hard part was done. I got up and over and then attacked the down hill that followed. From this point on, my plan was to just kill it the best I could. I knew there were 2 more significant hills to come, but the rest was flat or smaller rollers and I wanted to make up the time I always lose in the first 12 miles. I hit the biggest hill at the 20 mile mark and this was a surprise for many riders. I knew it was coming, geered appropriately and had no issues, but I saw people fall off their bikes trying to get up it, others walking their bikes, those like me just grinding it out and then those strong younger men sailing up it. I was so glad I knew this course so well!
The rest of the bike sailed by. I hit all of my usual landmarks, one after the other and knew I was well ahead of the time I planned for this part of the race. I ate when I planned to and even managed to grab, peel, and eat a banana just past Deruyter Lake, because I was hungry. I found during training that real food worked better for me than a lot of gels or liquid calories. Bananas were my friend.
The next thing I knew, I was turning onto Apulia Rd for the final 7 miles. I really kicked it in at this point, but tried to balance it out with some spinning to get the built up lactic acid out of my legs before the run. I started thinking about the run. Oh my God, I still had a half marathon to run!! Still, I was flying high knowing my bike time was better than I could ever have imagined. As I got back near the park, the run and bike courses overlap, which created a lot of traffic and single file riding. It slowed everyone down since there was no passing for the last 2 miles of the race. I saw my husband again at the top of what we named “Blue House Hill” and he shouted out my time. “You’re just over 3 hours”. What??? I had planned 3:30-3:40 for this part. My official time was 3:14. I had blazed it!
Transition 2 also went well. Off the bike, shoes on, grabbed the banana (I was quite hungry at this point) and ran to the Porta-Potties. One was open, by some miracle, and I was in and out quickly. On to the run…
I saw my mom and kids again as I headed out of the park on the run. The first part of the run was through a grass field with a pretty steep, short hill to get out on the road. I felt good at first and my first mile was an 8:55 pace. There were tons of people on the run, going both directions, since this was a 2 loop course. I could tell who was finishing their last loop (they were pushing hard) and those that still had another loop to go (they looked less energetic). My legs felt like rubber and were numb from the hips down. I knew that they would feel like this right after the bike, but after a couple miles in, they weren’t falling under me like they usually do after transition. The temperature had gone up, but it still wasn’t hot. I saw the pace of my second mile and knew that my plans of a 2:05 half marathon time were not happening. I was 4 ½ hours into the race at this point and I was tired, hungry and getting sore. This was clearly going to be the hardest part for me. I hit the first hill and felt my calves wanting to cramp. I walked to prevent them from totally seizing up. Change of plans: I would walk to hills. Ok, so a bit longer time. I was going to finish no matter what and I knew I had time in the bank from the bike. I could still finish this in 6:30. I made a deal with myself that I would walk the hills, walk through aid stations, but run if neither of these conditions existed. It seemed like a good deal. Most people around me were just walking and not running at all anymore. It almost gave me permission to alter my race strategy. I was told by a friend that did Lake Placid 140.6 that you “survive the run”. The run is my strong part, though and I didn’t believe her. Now I did. This was the endurance part of this race. It separates the average age groupers from the elites. Age groupers walk/run, elites race all 3 parts. I’m an age grouper and I felt it at this point.
Back into the park, I saw my family again at “Base Camp Echo One’ still cheering me on. I managed to say to them “next time you see me, I’ll be done”! I think they were as happy as I was to hear that! I rounded the turnaround and headed back out for loop 2. Races that repeat the same course again really mess with my head. I’d rather see new scenery!! Knowing the hills I needed to repeat was not helping me plow ahead.
The second loop was the same, walking the hills and aid stations, running in between. My paces got slower and slower. I didn’t care what my time was at this point, I just wanted to be done. Everyone was walking and a few even asked me how I was still running? I was still seeing people coming in on the bike, which amazed me. I saw older women, younger men, and everyone in between just walking the course to get it done. I plugged ahead. I had my family waiting for me.
Back in the park again, I saw my step father, Doug, in the grassy field part. He was standing by himself and he cheered me on, “you’re almost done, keep going, keep going!” I told him “I’m starving!” He said “I’ll bring you a burger at the finish line!” That gave me enough energy to keep moving. I saw the final aid station ahead and had told myself that once I was back in the park, I was running to the end. But that aid station just begged me to walk one last time, although I didn’t take any water. I saw a sign “last chance trash” and said to myself that when I hit that sign, I run. I run as fast as I can to the end, which was maybe a quarter of a mile. I started running again. I saw my kids one last time at the picnic spot, and I tried to kick it in for the last part through the finishing shoot. As soon as I did, both feet cramped up inside my shoes and I was running on my toe knuckles. I kept going, but it was awkward. I felt like I was flying, but I knew I wasn’t. I had imagined how I would feel at the end of this race for the last several months and then it was there, the finish. I crossed the line as they announced my name. I finished in 6:30:05. I beat my expected time by at least 30 minutes, despite the run/walk half marathon at the end. I got my medal and a hat and saw my husband. I started to cry a little and as he said “you did it!” I said “I never want to do that again!”
Fast forward 3 weeks to now:
I took the day off work after the race, but didn’t really get to relax. I had a 90 minute post-race spots massage the next day that probably helped me recover better than anything else. I was sore for only 2 days and then felt amazing. I did easy work outs for the remainder of the week and ran 7.3 miles a week post-race. I then promptly got a bad head cold, which knocked me down more than the race did, for the next week. I’m sure it was my body unable to fight anything off and being depleted after the race that caused me to get sick. In a way, it was probably good, because it forced me to rest a bit longer. Yesterday, I did a 30 mile ride at 17.1 mph, followed by a 2 mile run with an average pace of 8:02. My next triathlon is a week from today and I ran 15k today at sub-9 minute pace without a lot of effort. My husband is now training for a marathon himself. If someone asked me today “would you do another 70.3?”, my heart and body would say “yes, absolutely!”; my head and husband would say no. Clearly, the hardest part of this whole experience for me was fitting in proper training around the full time job, 4 kids and their needs and being a wife. If I had a different lifestyle, I would totally do this and even contemplate a full Ironman, but with everything else I have to juggle, I am happy to stay “somebody’s mom”, “Jeff’s wife” and hold down a full time job and train for shorter events. I checked a big thing off my “bucket list” and I can’t wait to brag someday to my grandkids that “Grandma did a Half Ironman!”
An Olympic Distance-
Keuka Lake Olympic Distance Triathlon- June 8, 2014
I planned to do this triathlon 2 weeks from the Half Iron Man way back when I signed up for the 70.3. I mean, I had never done more than sprint distance, so I figured I should try Olympic distance before I went longer, right?? This race landed on the end of Week 10 of training, a final long workout at the end of my final build week, right before I tapered. I had a tough double workout of 2500 yard swim followed by a 13 mile run scheduled on the Wednesday before this race, as well as a 45 mile bike the day before the race. Usually, I schedule a rest day right before a race, but I was considering this “training” not racing, since I still needed a long brick and an open water swim to round out my build week. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan…
Race morning was perfect. No heat, no humidity, no rain. Keuka Lake, which is known to be a rough lake at times, was like a mirror. It was going to be a good day! Jeff joined me this year at the race. He was doing the duathlon, his third one. It was fun having him in transition with me, although a different section. He’s usually talking to me over a fence! We got body marked, racked our bikes and listened to the pre-race meeting instructions. I was a bit nervous, but mostly just excited to try this race.
The Olympic distance athletes were the first 3 waves. All the women went at once, because we were a small group. The water was 69 degrees, so not cold at all. It was my first race using a wetsuit, too. I lined myself up in my usual spot, in the back of the group and lined up with the first turn buoy. A usually “safe” place for me, I’m a slower swimmer and I want to avoid the group chaos, especially at the start.
The gun went off and I dove right in. I swam a short distance easily and after just a few minutes, I found I swam right through the group and was at the mid-front of the pack. I was like a washing machine in this spot! Arms, legs, feet, were everywhere! Every time I put my face in the water, I saw a body part. I turned my head to the right to breathe and there were waves in my face. I went to the left, more waves. I started to panic. And then I couldn’t catch my breath and could no longer put my face in to swim. I flipped on my back and mostly floated, trying to catch my breath. I let people swim around me. I flipped over and tried to swim again, no luck, I still couldn’t breathe. So, back on my back, more floating, staring at the sky. I contemplated swimming to a kayak, but that felt like giving up to me. More people swam past me and only a few were behind me at this point. I flipped back over figured I was either gonna do this or quit. So I started to swim again. I got to the first turn buoy finally and then got to work. I swam the remainder of the distance with no issues at all. I caught up with the back of the group and even exited the water ahead of several groups. In all, the swim took me only 35 minutes to do 1500 meters, despite my freak out all the way to the first buoy.
Transition was up a steep flight of stairs and we were not allowed to even touch our wetsuits at all until up the stairs. Once in transition, the wetsuit came off easily, which was something I was worried about using one for the first times. I saw Jeff heading out on his bike as I was changing into my shoes. I felt like the race was finally starting for me now.
Out on the bike, I passed lots of people. I was flying through the first part of the course and I felt strong. After all, it was only going to be about 25 miles, I’m used to doing twice that. Easy peasy! I flew down the hill towards the first turn around and saw Jeff on his bike climbing back up the hill. The Olympic course would turn part way up that hill and head out for the extra miles, some of which were uphill. But I’ve been doing hills, too, so no problem! I was feeling great. I started climbing the hill and then I heard this noise….a rubbing noise. I hate hearing weird noises when I’m on my bike!! I thought one of my breaks was rubbing, so I tested them out (going uphill, mind you). Nope, the rubbing continued. I looked behind me and saw my spare tube had fallen out of the holder and was wrapped around my back wheel! I don’t even know how my wheel was still rotating, it was so tangled on there. I had to stop, get off my bike and untangle it. I was really mad! I got it untangled and thought about throwing it into the field I was standing next to, but then realized I might need it. So, I folded it back up and stuffed it back into the holder and hoped to God it wasn’t going to pop out again. I got back on my bike in the middle of this hill and finished out the ride. The reported “moderate climb” was just that, moderate. I saw women from my race walking their bikes up the hill, stopped on the side of the road, etc. I just grinded it out. I’ve ridden worse for training for sure. Halfway up, a woman passed me, and said “I forgot how I hate this ride”. I said “it’s my first time on this course”. We then played the game of she passed me, I passed her for the rest of the ride. It got a bit competitive. I was really racing to stay ahead of her or pass her again. I was thinking I should be saving my legs for the run, but it was just too much fun. She passed me at the end of the course and finished just ahead of me. Time: 1 hr 31 minutes, 16.2 mph, not what I was hoping for…
T2 was quick, shoes on and ready to go. Except I really needed to pee. If it were just a 3 mile run, no problem, but 10k? I needed a pit stop. The porta potties were just over the timing mats, so my pit stop time got added to my run pace. But, it was a necessity. And then I was off. A short way down the course, I passed the Bike Woman. I blazed past her on the run and never saw her again. I passed 3 other women in my age group on the run, too. Gotta love that our ages are emblazoned on our calves for all to see! There weren’t many runners still on the course by the time I hit the turn around and started back. I felt like I was the last person on the course. I was trucking right along, sub-9 minute paces for all miles, except the water stop mile where I did walk through that stop (9:02 for that mile). Once I got back to towards the finish line, I could hear people again and I crossed the finish line by myself with the announcer saying my name. Official race time-3:09:53. My first Olympic distance triathlon was in the books! It’s a PR, because it’s my only one! And with multiple mishaps along the way, I felt happy to have finished it. It was the perfect practice run for the 70.3 that’s just over a week away now!
Conquering the Mountain Goat-
Training for a Half Iron Man, 4 kids and Full time job!
When I got the idea to sign up for a half iron man, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had done 5 sprint tri's and was ready for the next challenge. A friend of mine had been asking me about doing a 70.3 for a couple years. I always said "No way! That's sheer craziness!" But was it? He asked me again around the holidays, said he wanted to do the Syracuse 70.3 because it's such a challenging course, encouraged me to give it a try. So, I signed up, on New Year's Eve. And started looking at training plans....
Fast forward to March. The training plan I found was for the "time poor" person that wants to just finish a 70.3, That would be me. I have limited time to train, based on my full time job (I work four 10 hour shifts/week at a hospital as a clinical nurse specialist. My hours are 6am-4:30pm 4 days/week), my 4 full-time kids ages 14,12,9 & 8 and a house to manage as well. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I had to squeeze out time to train for a 70.3?? Sure, why not?!? Bring it on!
I picked a plan that would have me ramp up and be ready in 12 weeks. I started a base of swim-bike-run in January, getting 1-2 bike sessions (max time 1 1/2 hours each), 1 swim of 2200 yds and my usual 3 runs/week. Once I was 12 weeks out, I started a brick once/week, added on another swim session, a long bike and kept up the 3 runs. I started training hills for the run in February, since my favorite running race is wicked hilly, 10 miles long, and in early May.
And here I am now: 1 week out from the Mountain Goat 10 mile road race, 7 weeks out from the Syracuse Half Iron Man. Both races boast big hills. Both races are right here in my back yard, which means I have the advantage of training on both courses. I've been riding the hills, running the hills and waiting for the temps outside to climb and warm some open water so I can try out my new wetsuit. The Mountain Goat used to scare the pants off me, but doesn't anymore. This 70.3? It's still scaring the pants off me, but I'm trying to wrap my brain around the concept that this is all about ENDURANCE. My goals: main goal-to finish it. Hope goal: do it in the 7 hour range. Dream goal: do it under 7 hours. With 7 weeks to go in training, I know I'm going to finish it. I'm working towards my hope goal. And the hills don't seem as bad as I first thought:)
Empire State Half Marathon Recap-A new PR and a day of firsts!
2013 Empire State Half Marathon recap: A new PR and some first time events!
I was worried about the weather…it was windy. And rainy…and cold the day before the race. But, race day morning came without a cloud in the sky. The wind was still kicking, which actually cause about a 10 degree windchill factor and a “real feel” temp of 32 degrees. BRR! We haven’t run in temps like this since last winter. But, the weather is what it is, always uncontrollable. We made some race morning wardrobe adjustments to include a tank top layer under my long sleeved shirt and ¾ length running pants, and a long sleeved shirt for Jeff. We packed up and off we went. It’s so nice that this race is right in our home town.
We purposely parked in a lot that was about a half a mile from the starting line. This gave us a good distance to warm up with a bunch of our clothes on still, and then we could strip in the car and run to the start line. I think we ran about a mile and a half to warm up and get our blood moving. After a couple of “selfie” pics, we stripped down to our race clothes and jogged to the start line about 10 minutes before the gun. It was really cold and windy! Once at the start, it felt warmer being in the crowd. Amazing how a crowd of a couple thousand sweaty people can act like a furnace!
We picked a spot sort of near the front, but not right on the line. The gun sounded and we were off! Race strategy was this: first half keep the pace around 9:00/mile then sub-9 for the second half. We trained this way and hoped it would translate into a new PR for me. The 1st “first” of the day: Jeff wore the watch. That meant I was blind to our pace, going completely on perceived exertion. He was running the race with me, not at his usual pace, but I was dictating how fast we went based on feeling rather than numbers. Anyone who knows me would know how hard that is for me. I always use my watch, always!! But, I listened to Jeff and decided to try this one a different way. I was hoping they would yell out splits at every mileJ
From the start, we head down a parkway and the wind was coming almost head-on. 15-20 mph, from the northwest for the whole first half. I found a good pace by about mile 2, I was pretty sure mile 1 was too fast (it was when I looked at the watch after-8:12!) Then, I tried to position myself in a pseudo-drafting position next to Jeff, who towers over me by a good foot. It actually worked! The miles started ticking off with my only idea of how we were doing being the updated Jeff yelled out at each mile “yep, we’re on pace”. Around mile 3-4, we encountered a couple of runners that each of us named in our heads. The first was “Prancer”. This guy had to be 6 ft 3 inches tall and weigh 250 lbs easy! He passed us basically bouncing off the balls of his feet, as light as a feather. He had quite the running style! It became a bit distracting, so we passed him. Next, “Clompy” came near, I swear he was breathing in my left ear. His feet were the total opposite of “Prancer’s”, hitting the ground really hard with each step. The cadence he was running at was impressive, though, and I think it helped me get my pace up! Eventually, he fell behind us as well. Mile 5 came along and I gu’d. I had to wait a bit to get some water to wash it down, that wasn’t until 5.5 miles. Then, a bit of potential disaster started…the dreaded feeling of some GI distress hit me…
At first, I ignored it. I was not about to let my stomach ruin this race for me!! Then, I couldn’t ignore it anymore and I started scanning for a port-a-potty. I couldn’t even believe I was thinking of stopping!! I tried to ignore it awhile longer. Then, I was basically obsessing, NEEDING to stop and soon!! We got to the halfway mark turn around and I knew I couldn’t wait another 6.5 miles…I yelled to Jeff, who was a little ahead of me since I was busy obsessing about my stomach. “Jeff”, I yelled. He didn’t hear. “Jeff!” I yelled a little louder…still no response. “JEFF!!!” Ok, he turned finally. I told him my needs. He knew of a place to stop, but it was past 7 miles. Ok, I guess I’d have to wait. I tried not to slow down, but it was really hard! I passed my friend from work and waved “hi” even though I felt like I was going to explode. Finally, we saw the port-a-potty. They were for some construction being done on the route, but I did NOT CARE! 1st #2: I have NEVER stopped during a race of any sort to go to the bathroom! I apologized through the plastic door the whole time to Jeff. In and out in 1:39, it was necessary and the best I could do. I figured I blew my chance at a PR right there in the john…
Out and back on the trail, I felt tons better. Now to finish this thing. The wind was more at our backs now, but not completely. Jeff started to get ahead of me quite a bit, 200, 300, up to 400 meters. I tried keeping up, then just knew I couldn’t. I would speed past a person, then fall into a pace, then speed past. One woman and I did this over and over. She said “I’ll be your grey hound, you be my rabbit”. So for a mile and a half or so, we passed each other back and forth. Then she went past me one last time and I didn’t catch her. She caught up to Jeff and passed him. I was still behind. It was starting to get tougher now, closing in on 10 miles. I gu’d again, got some water and knew we had 5k to go…
Back out on the parkway, my legs started feeling the race. First, my left hip, then knee, then down to my ankle. The slant of the road was making it worse. I tried to run down the center line for a bit, for the flattest plane. It worked for a little bit, but by 11 miles, my right hip was starting to bug me. I ran in the dirt on the side of the road for a while, which reminded me of my trail runs during training. I actually increased my pace a bit. Then the dirt was gone and back on the slant of the road I had to go. I felt myself slowing. Jeff was about 100 meters ahead of me. I couldn’t catch up. 12 miles came and I decided that based on the bathroom break and how much I felt I slowed in the recent mile or so, my PR was a dream gone by the wayside. I readjusted my mind to hoping I’d be in under 2 hours. I tried to kick in some more speed and it just wasn’t there. Then I saw the marathon marker for 26 miles and knew there was 0.2 to go. I pulled from deep inside and gave whatever I had left in that last 0.2 miles. As we entered the finishing chute, I was squinting to see the clock. Not a single person on the course was yelling out any splits, I was still totally in the dark as to what time I was going to get. Finally it came into view and I saw 1:53! NO WAY! I crossed the finish line at 1:53:40 on the clock, which was gun time. I was handed my medal by my undergraduate alma mater’s mascot, “Otto the Orange”. And I almost started to cry when I realized I cut nearly 5 minutes off my PR from last year, over 10 minutes off my first half marathon time only 2 years ago. I truly never thought I’d do it, and even with that damn bathroom break, I did it! Official chip time-1:53:35; 8:41 pace/mile F40-44 #25/134. Overall 400/1385 and a new PR!
Iron Girl 2013-Oneida Shores,NY
I signed up for this event this year because a friend of mine was doing her first triathlon and I wanted to be there for her. This was my second Iron Girl event, my first triathlon ever was this same event 2 years ago. Coincidentally, it was also the same day as my first wedding anniversary with my husband, Jeff. He must really love me to get up at 4am on a Sunday and our anniversary to cart me to a triathlon!! And that’s what he did.
We rack our bikes the night before this event, which makes setting up transition easy in the wee hours of race morning. Jeff had shown me and my friend how to change our tires if we got a flat the day before, then we racked our bikes, so I didn’t ride my bike after messing around with the tire. Big mistake…
The weather was chilly on race morning, but it was supposed to warm up before the start. The water temp was 75 degrees, wet suit legal, but I still don’t own one. I noticed very few participants were using them, actually. The first time I did this race, I was in the minority for sure without one. Not this time. This is my least favorite venue for the swim, the water is chocked full of seaweed. The good part of the swim: it’s short, only 600 meters, and you can touch most of the way around the course. A great beginner swim course for sure and I’m still considering myself a beginner swim racer. There were 1500 women signed up for this event, so 2 waves in my age range. I donned my lovely lime green swim cap and waited for my wave to be called. At 7:25 am we were off and swimming. It was frantic chaos, women swimming everywhere. One tried to drown me by swimming over the top of me and I had to basically throw her off my back! I got scratched, kicked and punched, and I was unable to really start swimming freestyle with my face in the water until almost the second buoy because of the chaos. I finally found a rhythm, but I was breathing every stroke, which I usually don’t. Too much adrenaline from the fight at the beginning I’m sure. I plodded on and settled in on the way back to shore. And just like that, the swim was done. Now my race begins…600m swim time: 15:54
Transition 1: Run from the beach, across a grassy area, and onto the pavement of transition. It’s a fairly long run, especially barefoot. I found my bike easily thanks to someone a couple bikes down from me that put colorful duct tape arrows pointing to her bike. I switched gear and headed out to the mount line…T1 time: 3:14
I mounted my bike and was off. Going down the road that leads out of the park, my bike started making a God-awful sound. My front wheel was basically rubbing continuously with my brakes on the right side. I really didn’t know what to do, other than swear at myself for messing around with my bike the day before a race, stupid!! I ended up having to stop only a quarter of a mile into the race and release the front brakes off my wheel. Did I still have front breaks to use? I really didn’t know, but I reasoned I still have back breaks, so I hopped on and got going finally. The sound stopped, my wheel was moving freely, but shortly down the road I noticed a constant vibration in my handlebars. Now what?!? I looked to see if my wheel was flat, it wasn’t, so I kept going. The vibration was obnoxious and I couldn’t figure out what the problem was? It felt like I was riding with 1 square wheel. I worried for a couple miles that my tire would burst, or fall off, or who knows what?? Then I decided to quit worrying about it and just race. If it happened, it happened. I tuned out the vibrations and got into race mode. I flew past tons of women, mostly in the first and second wave age groups, but then I started overtaking my own age group. Having your age on your calf is an amazing incentive to race up and pass someone! I lost count of how many in my age group I passed. I was only passed by 3 women in the age group behind me, and they were just flying. I gelled at the 10 mile mark. The miles fell away and my tire hung in there. I managed to do the bike in an hour, even with my technical difficulties. Bike time 30k: 1:00:32…
Transition 2: I was glad to be off the vibrating bike and still felt great. A quick change of shoes and off to the run. T2 time: 1:29
5k left to navigate and I was done. My legs felt like they weren’t attached to my body, but I raced out of transition and onto the course. I mostly ran through the older age group waves at this point, and heard people in the crowd saying things like “here comes one that still has some energy”, or “hey, slow down, you’re gonna get a speeding ticket” Huh? I just kept running. First mile split: 8:09 on my watch. Fast for me. I pushed on, passing tons of women, and countless in my age group. Second mile split: 8:03, even faster! That gave me huge confidence. I was passed by 2 women the entire 5k and both were in the age group below me. I could hear the crowd at the end and it made me go faster. I was almost there and saw one more woman, her calf age the same as mine and I had to take her. I sprinted to the finish line and beat her by my big toe, I think. Run time 5k: 25:15
Delta Lake Triathlon
Delta Lake Sprint Triathlon July 21, 2013.
After more than a week of 90+ degree temperatures, the weather was perfect for race day. With temps in the 60’s and clear skies, it was a perfect morning for a race.
We got to the park with plenty of time to get transition set up and get my body markings. I fell in love with Delta Lake last year because the lake is super-clear, the water temp is warm enough to ditch a wetsuit and the race itself is not too big. They made improvements this year and separated out transition by dividing the sprint and intermediate distance participants instead of having everyone mixed together. I picked a spot almost in the middle of transition, near a big tree, so I could find my spot easily.
As usual, I was nervous about the swim portion. Race officials had said the water would be too warm for wetsuits (USAT rules state that there can be NO wetsuits at all if the water temp exceeds 84 degrees F). I was happy about this, because I still have not been brave enough to attempt dealing with a wetsuit for a race. I felt like it would level the field somewhat if nobody could wear wetsuits. As I was setting up transition, they made an announcement that the water temp had dropped enough overnight after some heavy rains that wetsuits would be allowed. Crap. I vowed to get one for next year….
I found a couple of friends that were also doing the sprint distance and we hung out until our wave was called. Both had wetsuits, but I noticed a large number of both men and women that did not use them for this race, more than ever before. I didn’t feel so left out!
We filed into the warm water and waited. That is by far the worst part of any race, waiting to start! Finally they counted us down and we were off. 750 meter swim…My nemesis. I took off too fast and had no rhythm at all with my breathing. I quickly found a place in someone’s wake and planned to stay there as long as I could to swim easier. This worked for a few minutes, then the woman decided to flip onto her back for a break and kicked boatloads of water right in my face. I got a full nasal rinsing and swallowed a couple mouthfuls before I caught my breath and did a little breaststroke-just keep moving forward was all I could think of. As soon as I could, I got back into freestyle and pressed on. I fight every time with myself: breathe every stroke? Or breathe my usual every 4th? I still don’t know which is better, but since I was already out of breath, I went with every stroke and just keep moving. The first buoy was a zillion miles away, but once I reached it and rounded it, I had my rhythm down. Once I was headed back to shore, the sun was coming up and I was completely blind. I do remember this from last year’s race. My goggles were fogged, too. I pressed on and every so often I cleared the fog to be sure I wasn’t drifting too far off course. I finally made it to the final buoy near shore and stood up, thinking “I’m DONE!” The water was still waist-high, I should’ve kept swimming, but too late now. I got to shore as fast as I could-first part done and NOW I can start this race!! Swim time: 23:47 (3:30 minutes slower than last yearL
Transition 1: I ran from the beach to transition excited to do the 2 parts I love. T1 time: 1:32 and I was off on my bike…
Bike Course: I know with a slow swim, I have tons of time to make up on the bike. I blasted past both men and women the whole way. I would come up on a woman, check out her “calf” age and when I saw she was in my age group, I checked off another spot ahead. I counted 3 women I passed on the bike in my age group. Even being so far behind with my slow swim, I caught up with the middle of the pack on the bike. This course isn’t flat, but it doesn’t have huge hills either, with a good blend of uphill and down. With only 12 miles on the bike, I didn’t have a lot of time to get ahead, so I did my best. I felt fantastic physically on the bike. Gu was at 4.5 miles in, when I started to feel low on fuel and it kicked in at just the right time. I hoped it would carry me through the run, too. Bike time: 40:55 18 mph average. Over a minute FASTER than last year…
Transition 2: I looked for the big tree and found my spot easily. There was an official right next to my spot checking something out?? They were being strict about re-racking bikes in the same spots and with the back wheel in. I almost ran the guy over trying to get my bike back in. T2 time: 1:12 and I was off on the run…
The run course: is 1.5 loops, which can be a little confusing, but I knew it from last year. Part goes through the woods on a narrow trail with lots of roots and rocks. Once off this section, I felt like I was flying on the pavement. First mile was 8:12! I was flying, for me anyways…I felt great and I only had 2 miles to go so I kept up the pace the best I could. I passed tons of people on the run again, picking off women in my age group again, another 3. The first loop finishes right next to the finish line, which is so tempting to just run through the arches! It’s like a tease! But back out I went for the last part. Second mile still in the 8 minute range. And I still felt great! I blasted through the final mile for a run time of 25:14, 30 seconds faster than last yearJ
Total time: 1:32:40…9 seconds slower than last year, thanks to a slow swim. I vow to figure out what I am doing wrong that I swim so slow and to master the use of a wetsuit to give me any advantage I can!
The big question: Do I attempt the intermediate distance next year?
Sunset Spectacular 5k
Nags Head, NC-
For those of you who think a run in the sand would be fun and enjoyable, let me tell you, it was one of the hardest runs we've ever done. Many challenges arose on race day. The weather for race day was 94 degrees with a real feel over 100 degrees, this was at 6:30pm I need to add. The second obstactle to the race was a 27mph head wind for the first half of the out and back 5k. We elected to run in sneakers along the shore on the wet packed sand. This would prove to be a poor choice.
At the start we knew with the wind not to waste ourselves in the first half. The first half was very slow for both of us. Adding to the wind was the fact that sand was being blasted into our legs with the near 30 mph winds. The sand blasting actually hurt at times. Both of us found it a great struggle to even keep up a respectable pace compared to what we are capable of. Both of us pulled way back, much more than we are used to in such a short race. Footing was at a premium. What you thought was packed sand would give way under your ankles. Pools of warm water were also an obstacle which made for very heavy shoes right off the bat. It really felt like trudging through mud, which I guess it basically was. It was basically get through the first half and see what happens at the turn.
At the turn, I decided to stop for water, Michele chose to keep going. As I rounded the turn, I felt a huge burst of speed and basically just pounded through the last half of the race, mosstly through mud like water. I managed to pass several runners in the last half, both with sneakers and barefoot. I didn't notice much of a difference between those who ran barefoot and those who ran in sneakers. Michele didn't feel as much of the wind advantage as I did. Michele is a small woman and the heavy shoes really proved to be a burden for her. She stayed with the same group of women troughout the last half of the race and like myself, got outkicked by those who were barefoot. The last 50 yards of the race was in loose, dry sand which made a final kick at the end virtually impossible while wearing sneakers.
I salvaged a 19th place finish of the over 300 hundred runners who participated, 3rd place in age group. Michele finished the race with a very good 64th place finish and 6th in her age group. Both of us finished almost 6 minutes slower than we are used to in a road 5k. The heat didn't prove to be as much of an obstacle as the course conditions. Neither one of us felt dehydrated or overheated. This was the first race we've ever drank beer after. I don't think either one of us expected it to be as hard as it was. I'm still feeling the soreness in my ankles five days later. My advice, run barefoot and expect to be exhausted at the end.
Corporate Challenge
June 18th was the Corporate Challenge in Syracuse, NY. 7,600 runners and walkers turned out for the day. I ran this race solo as Michele had an end of school year band concert to attend. The course is a flat 3.5 mile out and back road course that is run on a four lane road. There ended up being a tailwind for the first half of the race which headed south. At the turn around I was fearing what would be hitting us in the face. Fortunately, I was given a competitive bib by my registration prediction time of 25 minutes for the 3.5 miles. This is the first time I have run this race. I attempted to run it in 2012 but the heat index was over 100 degrees and they cancelled the race and made it into a 2 mile fun run which wasn't really that fun.
I started out the day rather tired but got some energy as the day went on. I arrived at the race about 1 1/2 hrs too early, which was ok, I avoided heavy traffic. I just milled around and took in the sites of Onondaga Lake. Competitive runners were called to the start at 6:15pm for a 6:25pm start. With the sound of the horn, we were off. I don't wear a watch anymore so I settled in for what I thought was a decent pace, not overdoing it too much. Mile one came along and I felt pretty good. My first mile was 6:10, way too fast. I dialed my pace back a bit and at the turn, which was 1.75 miles, and was clocked at 11:05, so I slowed somewhat. This is when I started getting crampy and legs started feeling heavy. I muttled through and ended with a finish time of 23:57. My goal was under 24, so, mission accomplished. Our team had 5 runners under 27 minutes so we should be near the top 5 in total of 290 companies that participated. Not my best race this year, but the year is young, and heck, I came in under my goal, so I should stop complaining.
Paige's Butterfly Run 5k-June 8th, 2013
I went into today not expecting anything special. Earlier in the week I had a fight with my stomach and it fought back. It was nothing that caused me to be bed ridden, but it did slow me down a little. Then came Friday night, the night of the cough. The two little ones had colds earlier in the week and now Michele has a bit of pink eye. I ended up with a cough and had to get up and take some cough medicine, which surprisingly, actually worked. So, I was able to have a fairly good sleep.
I woke up today feeling fairly well rested but just didn't feel like it was going to be a good day. I figured I'd have a ho-hum kinda race. The sky was gray again and it was misting out. I ran through the neighborhood doing some quick sprints and stretches and still felt kind of blah. I tried a new pre-race supplement called ENERGYbits. They are a tablet form of spirulina algae. These amazing little tablets are 100% organic. Look for a future review here on the website and at www.energybits.com. ENERGYbits are good for many other uses including sleep, hunger and general health.
At the line- Approached the line at about 8:50am which was 10 minutes before the start. This is where I take in all the pre-race rituals that other people have. My ritual being, stand there and wait for the gun. Generally, the busiest boulevard in Syracuse, it was eerily calm and quiet except for the gun. And we are off! My goal at the start was to immediately assume my desired race pace. I let the few elite runners go out and attack the course, I laid back and settled into my pace. Many of the runners who have the elaborate race outfits and shiny flourescent shoes began to pass by me, however in the other direction behind me. Other than a feeling of my head being stuffed up and having to concentrate on mouth breathing, I felt like I was hardly breathing at all. Everything felt good. Legs were under me and I didn't have to strain to get air. At this point I decided to kick it up a notch. The first mile seemed to flash by and as I passed the mark there were no split times being read out loud which they said would be done. I was okay with that because I felt good. I stopped wearing watches about a year ago and found myself running races faster without them. It was all psychological I'm sure. As I hit 2 miles I did hear our split at 13:05. Okay, I was moving pretty good. "Keep this up and I will have a good race," I thought to myself. Just about at that point, I noticed a runner who I always get beat by, running right next to me and not able to pass me. We ran the whole last mile together and he got by me just at the end finishing only seconds ahead of me. We both had passed numerous runners on our final kick but I'm getting closer to beating him. Nothing like a little friendly competition, right? So I crossed the finish line and headed right to my car as 3 of the kids had lacrosse practice. I chugged down a honey Core Power as my post race ritual and went to practice.
About 3 hours later, after locking my keys in my car at lacrosse practice, I decided to look up the results. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had finished 44/1650 overall and 2/68 in my age group. Another top 3 age group, this is getting to be routine but not boring, LOL! So, from what started as a ho-hum, blah day, turned out to be a pretty successful race. Next up is the Chase Corporate Challenge 3.5 mile race at Onondaga Lake Park. See you there.
Keuka Lake Duathlon-June 2, 2013
My first Duathlon-I didn't know what to expect. I've done 3 sprint triathlons before, but never a run-bike-run. The distances (5k run-22k bike-5k run) were completely doable distances for me, so why not give it a whirl? I love a challenge anyways. And, no matter what my time ended up being, it would be a PR since it was a first.
The day started off early-up at 4:30 am. This race was close to my hometown, just one Finger Lake over from where I grew up. I stayed at my Mom's house the night before and she came along that morning as my own personal cheering section and photographer. I woke up that morning to thunderstorms and winds, although it was very warm out. I started watching the radar and hoped it would clear out before race time.
When we got to Keuka College, it was packed with people even so early in the morning. I went and picked up my packet it felt weird to only get a bib and bike number and no cap. I kept feeling like I forgot something! I got my body markings and was ready to set up.
I set up in transition and then watched the Intermediate triathlon athletes start. I was never so happy to NOT be getting in that water that was only 66 degrees!
I did a little warm up lap around to get the blood moving and then took my spot on the starting line. It was a small group of women lined up, some doing their first multi-sport event ever, some doing their first duathlon, others were veterans. I moved up near the front and decided on a strategy of trying to hit at least tempo pace for the first 5k, blast it out on the bike and then see what I had left for the second 5k. I always need a plan, after allJ
The gun went off and so did I. I was behind the leader and ran in second place for a whole, whopping 0.25 miles and then backed off the pace, because I didn't want to use every ounce of energy up in the first part of the race. I let a few women pass me and settled in to 5th place overall and stayed there. I knew there was 1 woman ahead of me in my age group, because of the lovely way our age is displayed in marker on our right calves. I was happy being in 2nd place for my age group after the first third of the race though. 5k time: 26:01 8:24 pace.
Transition one: it had started raining. My bike shoes were soaked! Oh, well, on to the bike. T1 time: 1:58.
The bike: it poured rain, hard at times. The bike out was into a head wind and there were times I felt like I was barely moving. The course was long, rolling hills, nothing steep, but not flat at all. I was passed by some amazing-looking, expensive bikes. I was on the bike course as the sprint tri men's group was also on the course. Boy, did I feel small...I saw one of the women I started the race with and passed her. Her "calf age"-48. Good, not in my age group. She passed me after another couple miles. I passed her again. Then, a different woman in the du passed me. I saw her "calf age": 42. So, I knew she was ahead of me. For the life of me, I could not catch her! Before I knew it, the 22k bike turnaround was ahead and I flew back with the wind at my back. Bike Time: 48:36 17.25mph.
Transition 2: Legs were rubber, but I only had 5k to go. I racked my bike and changed my shoes back to sneakers. T2 time: 1:35, much faster.
5k number 2: Oh, that familiar feeling of going from bike to run where I can't feel my legs from the knees down. The woman I passed on the bike caught up to me early in the run. She was chatty, nice, but I was kinda busy trying to run! She kept up with me, though. Mile 1: 8:47. Ok, not bad for feeling like I had no legs. I felt fine, and just kept plugging along. "Chatty Cathy" continued her banter, which was a decent distraction. Her Garmin had died, so I was cluing her in on our distance and pace. I figured, hey, she isn't in my age group, so if she beats me, who cares? Mile 2: 8:37. Better! "Chatty" said "Whoa, that's fast!" My legs started to have feeling right around this point. "Chatty" asked me how I was doing? I felt fine. She then introduced herself with her real name and I gave her mine. She was nice, but I needed to concentrate. 1 mile to go...when we got to the turn off heading back to the start/finish, "Chatty" started coaching me, telling me to kick it in, picture the end, whatever I needed to do. It wasn't helping me, but she sped up. With 0.25 miles to go, she took off and finished ahead of me. I had nothing left, no kick, it was all I could do to keep pace. I was ready to be done and the finish line was a beautiful thing! 5k Number 2: 27.32 pace 8:53. I did it. Time was 1:45:42, F#9/33, 3rd place age group finish.