Tri the Lake Sprint triathlon RR - Kicking A$$ Big Time

Stats:

Time: 1:15:22 (I think, results not officially posted); 3rd woman overall, 1st AG 30-39.

Splits (unofficial, only total time was given, these are based on my own timing, so could be a bit off).

400m swim: 8:03 (2:00/100m)
12.94 m bike: 42:12, 18.58 MPH
3.15 m run: 20:10, 6:30 pace

T1 and T2: 2ish....did not time them.


Here we go:

Swim: I was bummed that we could not swim prerace. Not sure why, and some people got in the water anyway, but I was going to play it by the rules. The trouble with that was that I typically need to swim for 10 min before getting into a groove. So I was a bit pissed, but what can you do?

My goals for the swim were: 1) do not drawn, 2) do not go hypoxic, 3) swim 9 min, 4) overreaching here - swim 8 min.

I guess I met my goals?
The water was murky and the moment I put my head in, I felt I did not have enough air. My mantra was "It's OK, it's OK". I am used to swimming in clear water and the murkiness freaked me out a bit. So I switched from crawl to side stroke for a while, but eventually got into the groove. I never really panicked, but I am so glad the water is clear for my half in Vermont.
I was super happy with my time, got out of the water, ran toward my bike, took my wetsuit off (easily!), ate a gel, drank some water, and then realized I was dizzy and out of breath. So I took a few deep breath while I put my shoes, gloves and helmet on, and reminded myself that I'd settle on the bike. I was 5th woman out of water, I think???

Bike: 13 miles
The bike was 4 loops around the lake. I decided the hell with it, I will not look at cadence, and only look at pace, and try to go into a higher gear. My goal for the bike was 17MPH. The goal was so low because I knew that the loops would require lots of sharp turns including going over 3 speed bumps 4 times. But, as soon as I started pedaling, my speed went higher, so I said, the hell with it. I did slow down a lot when cornering, but I was OK with that. I did not want to get hurt. This was not my A race anyway. My HR was probably very high when I got on the bike, and kept telling myself that in a few minutes I'd feel better. I did.

The race was not closed to traffic, and I had the luck to have to stop for a few seconds (felt like a lot, but I bet it was not) because of a bus who stopped in front of 3 bikers, and a car who got stopped by the volunteers fairly close to the side of the bus. Four of us had to go in between the bus and the car. I have a big, men's bike, and I was sure I would not fit. I did, hew:)

I had a lot of fun on the bike. I got passed by a few men, and no women. This was good, but also bad, because I had no women to chase (that I knew off, more later). With about .1 to go, this woman gets in front of me and then slows down trying to undo her shoes. Hm, no, and I passed her back, ran to transition, and panicked a bit while putting my Nike Frees on and figuring out where everything was. The woman left the transition before me. Darn.

Run: 3.1
My goal for the run was a 7min/mile pace. I used Jesse's tri calculator and it told me I'd run 21:37. I wanted to beat that time. Also, I did not do any track work for this race. I am in base training for my Fall marathon, so little speed for me these days. I also wanted to run by feel. I planned to check the Garmin, but wanted to run without music, while listening to my breathing and my self talk. I think this is the way for me, for the future.

I passed the woman who left the bike transition very quickly. Legs felt heavy, but breathing was fine. It was warm, but not hot. I did not know the pace I was running. I was also convinced I was first woman. Since no other women were on my tail, I did not push the pace. I did pass lots of men on the course. At one point I was told I was second woman. Second woman, where is the first woman? I could not see her. I checked my watch, I was close to 2 miles averaging 6:40. I was pleased with the pace. Should I pick up the pace? Nah, she is way ahead, you can't catch her. You don't want to burn out. But, you should try? So I decided to pick up the pace in a controlled manner, that is, gradual. With .5 miles to go I saw here far in the distance. I pushed harder. I knew I would not pass her, but wanted to try. I got closer and closer to her. At some point she looked behind, I think someone told her I was on her tail. Anyhow, I pushed hard but finished about 10 sec behind her (?) I needed 250meters to get her. I was OK with that. Chris was not. He was pissed at himself for not checking and telling me that I was in fact close to her. Seriously Chris? After waking up at 5am with me, making me strong coffee, taking pictures and watching Petru all morning? No, you did plenty!

The truth is, I could have pushed harder on the run. I did not even get nauseous like I normally do. I think I could have pushed harder on the bike, too. But, I am very pleased overall. I did better than I anticipated. By the way, I ended up 3rd woman overall; the first woman finished in 1:09 something, and the second finished after me, but ended up before me because she was older and in the third wave (I was second wave).

Here are the pics:




I felt pretty sexy in my Splish sparkly suit!!!














Why is that guy sitting in a chair in front of me?














Starting the bike, I am the one in a basing suit only - worked great!














































Finishing the run! Overstriding, of course!














Getting my award (1st AG, they only awarded 1st overall). Yes, I did change my outfit!












While I raced, someone had a lot of donuts.... Looks like fun was had by all (including Chris, who got the afternoon to himself:)

9 miler and 3 4-leaf clovers

Wednesdays are arguably the busiest days for me. I get to work at 6:30am, busy busy with clinic until 2pm. Then I rush home to fit in a 8-10 mile run and a 90 min bike ride before getting Petru from school. We also get our farm share on Wednesdays which means I deal with the veggies before collapsing on the couch.

My schedule is such that I end up running in the hottest part of the day. Yesterday I was hoping for some rain, but it did not happen. My schedule called for 9 miles with the last 15 min moderate, but since I have no idea what moderate is for me, and bc I have a Garmin vanity issue, I messed up the run and ended up running the middle 5 miles progressively harder; I had the sense to take the last few easy. The easy miles allowed me to see these:


And pick them up. And stuff them into my bra.
I have a 4 leaf clover issue. I find them. I don't look for them, I just see them. I collect them. My eye is trained since I use to actively look for them when I was a kid.

Running back home with the clovers in my bra, dripping sweat all over the bike pass, I thought about the Mary and Michelle who are racing for Kona slots this weekend, and about my little sprint tri this weekend. I thought about all the hard work and passion and time that gets put into the triathlon, and the uncertainty of each outcome, the many many things that can come up, the drive and fluidity necessary to end up having a good race (regardless of outcome). Man, I love this sport!

Ah, OW swimming...

We celebrated Father's Day with donuts, bagels and coffee* and lots of father-son time**, 1:45 min to be exact while I OW swam at Walden. Fun was had by all though Petru did complain a bit that while we have Mother's Day and Father's Day, why not Kid's Day?

When I set out to swim I did not know how long I'd go for. I decided to swim across while keeping the R side of the pond in site, for safety. There were lots of swimmers at Walden early this morning. I oscillated from feeling part of the club to feeling self conscious of my stroke. But after about 10 min I grew comfortable into my swimmer skin. I felt one with the water, sighting every 10-15 strokes, and taking a break here in there to clear my goggles (hrr!!). About 30 min in, I saw large fish swimming below me. It was absolutely amazing.

I ended up swimming across, and then some, before I returned to see the boys and take Petru in the deep end for some mother-son playtime. He just discovered goggles and is now walking with them on or around his neck all day long.

If someone had told me last year that I would be swimming freely, alone, across Walden Pond, I would have dismissed them immediately. But 3-4 swims/week since October, lots of U-tube videos, books and bloggie advice, the wetsuit, and here I am, actually enjoying myself in the water! Oh, the possibilities....

* this was what Petru said daddy would want
** this is what Chris said he would want for father's day

swimming video

Last weekend Chris took a video of me swimming in Lake Dunmore. I was swimming relaxed, but it looks so slow to me. I have no clue how my form is. Thoughts?




Thanks so much to all who answered my tri questions! So, so helpful! Looks like I have lot of work ( and purchases) ahead! Thanks again!!!

Questions, questions

1) I keep reading about how important nutrition is during longer races including a HIM. So far, my longest bike ride was 53 miles, and I consumed a whopping 150sh calories during it. I felt absolutely fine during the ride - I ride slow - and did not get hungry or weak. Obviously, I am going to need more during the race, given the fact that I will need to run 13.1 miles after, and the course is pretty tough. I am thinking about trying to drink something besides water and nuun, perhaps something with a bit of protein? What works for you and what does not? How many calories are you taking in on the bike during a HIM? How much liquid do you consume?

2) What is the longest run off the bike you do for a HIM?

3) Any tips about getting the wetsuit off quickly? I have no problems with the arms, but my ankles and feet get stuck and it takes me forever to take them out of the suit!

4) I plan to wear bike shorts for the HIM (I'll race the sprint in a swim suit, but I need the bike shorts for the long ride), but I plan to change into regular shorts after. Ever seen people changing fully (no underwear) during transitions? I don't have an issue with this, I want to be comfortable, but am wondering if others have done this as well?

Thank You!!!!

Vermont Journey HIM - course preview

Ah, it's good to be away!!!

We had an awesome time in Vermont, of course!

The start of our trip was a bit shaky, as Petru had a fever on Wednesday and I almost cancelled our trip. But Petru is my son indeed, and he gets sick for 24 h and then is all full of energy the next day! We dropped him of on Thursday evening, and left on Friday morning. Freedom!!! Hurray! Well, we did talk about Petru non stop the first 30 min (why does this always happen?) but then we made a pact not to. And it worked, sort of.

We arrived at the Branbury Park around 3pm, changed clothes, and started riding this:








Yes, 56 miles of bliss... Well, we only rode 40 miles. Chris has a hybrid and he was pooped. I felt great, except for that last tough climb when I rode 8MPH. This course is tough. It starts out nice and easy, with little rollers, and then, boom, a huge steep downhill. On the bike, I need time to develop mental confidence. I am uneasy on the downhills, and braked a lot on that steep downhill. I will not do that during the race. That downhill becomes a tough uphill on the way back, right at the end of the course, when you are supposed to ride easy and let your legs get ready for the run. Overall, I did not like the bike course. It is on busy roads, with lots of noise and not much scenery. I rode nice and easy - a little over 15MPH, with average cadence 91. Not too bad but I hope to do better during the race. We swam a bit in the beautiful Lake Dunmore, headed to our hotel and vegged out until dinner time. Lovely! We had a nice dinner, listened to some music, and walked the town. Perfect!



Here I am after the bikeride, ready for a nap!











Saturday we woke up to rain. We waited it out but by 10am I was ready to go for my 16 easy miles. I was going to run the course, 13.1, and then Chris would run with me 3 more miles. I started out from the park, and conquered this








out and back beauty! I loved the course. Yes, lots of hills, but such pretty scenery. You run about 4 miles on the road (with very few cars, and lots of animals - I saw pigs in the middle of the road) and then go on a dirt road for about 2.5 miles, then come back. None of the hills are really bad, but I did take the run easy, so I am sure I'll feel different about the course come race day.

So I decided to run this course by feel, and see where I am at. I did not pay attention to the Garmin, and was pleasantly surprised. As you know, I've been running slow due to my tailbone pain, and I thought I lost my speed. I did not. I would be thrilled to run this pace at the HIM! Thrilled!

I had a great time on this run. The rain stopped after a couple of miles, the temps were nice, and I felt great. Chris met me back at the park and we ran 3 more miles together. We ran slower because his legs were trashed from the bike. Next, we swam again, of course, got some lunch and hang out before dinner and a movie. I got really excited when I saw that The Replacements were going to play at a coffeehouse later that night, but learned that they were not The Replacements I thought they were (Chris got a laugh out of this one).

Sunday it was swim day! I did my first swim with my wetsuit. WOW! How come I did not know this? The wetsuit is amazing. I am surprised wetsuits are allowed. I was floating in the water. I did not need to kick, it was like I was swimming with a pull buoy. I was thrilled! I can certainly do the swim with a wetsuit (water temps are 70 in August, wetsuits are legal). My arms killed after the swim, but I felt very comfortable in the water!









Here I am, super excited after the swim!










Then, sadly, we had to come back...

Here are a few more pics. The camera is filled with traffic signs pics which I took for Petru. He is obsessed with them and I seriously think he could pass the written part of the driving test today! Scary!

Here we are waiting for our food, goofing off...












































































Bad pic, I took it, so our faces are distorted. It's the only one with both, so it is going in!Chris looks super tired - this was taken after the drive and bikeride:)
Great trip. My batteries are recharged. I am full of energy and fresh! And probably a few lbs heavier - the food in Middleburry is so good!!!

Happy

No, I did not get a PR, I did not race, I did not have a breakthrough workout! But I ran pain free!

Those who read this blog (thank you!) may remember that exactly 15 days ago I slipped on the bathroom floor while in a frenzy, trying to make sure I get to Petru's school before 6pm in a decent shape (aka not wet, naked, completely disheveled - well, fail with the last one, but they know me so who cares). Anyhow, I guess I bruised my tailbone and boy did it hurt. It hurt to sit, it hurt to stand, it hurt to walk, it hurt to bike, it hurt after swims, and it killed during runs. After getting past the frustration of getting injured so stupidly, I decided that although practicing mindfulness might be a tad too much for me, perhaps I need to make a mental note not to full around with the bathroom (or as Chris put it, "What's your take on doing one thing at a time, you know multitasking means less productivity!" me: "I don't believe that").

So I decided that I am stronger than the pain and darn it will not stop me. Before you yell that I should listen to my body (oh, how I hate that expression), I know a bit and some about pain and this type of pain did not mean damage. There was nothing broken, or torn. So I had to make pain background for a while, I hoped a short while.

Things went fine with swimming and biking, but running really made my tailbone scream. I gave up on speed, and ran slow - like a little under 9 min mile slow (only bc I am so Garmin vain that I don't want to have 9 min mile runs on it). This went on for 2 weeks. I did not talk about it, I did not write much about it on the blog - why make it a bigger issue - and tried not to focus on when would the pain go away. And then it did. Yesterday's 8 miler went fine, today's 10 miler went super. No pain. NO PAIN! 10 beautiful, early morning, rainy miles of bliss. Just me and Bob Dylan and Liz Phair. I needed that!

And the timing could not have been better. Chris and I are off to the mother of hills land, Vermont, sans Petru (thanks grandma Margaret) for a long weekend of swim/bike/run the course of the Vermont Half Journey. Oh, and we'll also have an early celebration of 10 years of marriage - if we have time:)

Learning...and banjo playing

This weekend I was reminded why I love training and racing.

I've followed many people racing Honu, Mooseman, Kansas and Rev3! Some had great races, some had fast races, some had good luck, others had loads of bad luck, and others did not make it to the starting line. Everyone had a story, some of which I am yet to read. Everyone fought so hard, whether a beginner or a seasoned triathlete. It was very emotional and amazing.

So what's the lesson?

In training and racing there are no guarantees. As an athlete you cannot focus only on PRing/winning an AG, or having a good race. If you do so, you are bound to be disappointed because no matter what, if you race long enough, chances are you are going to have bad races in spite of spotless training. So you need to be prepared for that, and ready to embrace it when it comes your way. And you need another reason to race and to train. You need to love training and racing for what they are, not what they may bring to you. Because you really are the same person/athlete, whether you win your AG or get a flat tire/cramp/injury/bad day and you don't. You need to be able to enjoy the failures along with the wins. You need to embrace the "chance" element that comes with racing. And life, because life and training/racing are so very similar. This is hard, very hard!!! Of course it is!

In spite of my desire to be glued to the computer and see how everyone's race was going, I managed a 30 mile faster (for me) ride, 2 swims (1.5 and 1 mile) and a 14 mile slow run (still not 100% after my fall). And yesterday the three of us went to Harvard Square where I had tears in my eyes watching my little street musician "play" with the street musician I used to listen to 10-12 years ago when I lived in the square....Some things don't change! And my little guy just enjoys "playing" his banjo, whether you clap when he is done, or you just walk by...

Traithloning and running

I am a runner at heart, and a runner through background. Although I have only been racing for about 2 years, I have been running on and off since my early 20s. I know running. I understand it. I line up in a race knowing I can hold my own.

When I started training for the half ironman last month, I was pretty ignorant about what training for a triathlon means and the progress I can make. I thought that I can swim a lot, bike a lot, and get speedy quickly, as I did with running. What I forgot, though, was that I have years of running (slow, sporadic, but running nonetheless) under my belt, but little biking and swimming background (like, none!!!). I did not swim as a child. Kids in Romania did not take swimming lessons. We played on the street instead. I did ride a bike as a kid, but only when I could sneak it from my brother. When I moved to the US, I had a bike that I used to get to Harvard Square, a 10 min ride one way. When I met Chris, he was using his bike commuting all around Boston (no helmet, I made him buy one a month ago!) and I was impressed. Our first bike trip involved me falling off the bike while blowing kisses his way, infatuation does that to you, you know! So the point is that it will take me years of swimming and biking to get faster. And I need to get comfortable with being slow, like really slow, both in the water and on the bike. I also need to get used to having a slow run after the bike, because even though I'll start doing bricks shortly, my legs will need time to get used to running off the bike.

But you know what, I actually like this. There is something nice about toeing the line with the expectation to just finish, work hard, and have fun. I could not do this in running. And all this training, I really enjoy it. Those few (but more and more frequent) moments when I get in a groove and feel one with the water, or when I go fast down a big hill and hit speed I can only hit downhill now. Pretty amazing, really! Plus, I love to have goals, and as a beginner, I can only get faster, and typically progress is quicker for beginners, so all is good. Oh, and lets not forget what swimming did to my arms. They may not be like hers, but this girl with chronically skinny arms, is very, very pleased:) I feel strong, I feel fit, I feel healthy! Now if I can get rid of this, my summer of training would really be perfect!

May stats and others

RUN: 154 miles
BIKE: 400 miles - low, but a record for me
SWIM: 14.25 miles - low for triathlon, but I am so slow that swimming is time consuming for me:)

Managed to do coreX2/week and arms/planks 2X/week.

#####
I am still having fun with triathlon training, but "he" gets on my nerves sometimes.

Like today, when for no apparent reason, I could barely swim 50 yards, and my easy 5 mile run was sooo unpleasant. Grr. I am getting used to having tough workouts. I've been putting in a lot of miles of swim/bike/run, and my body is still getting used to it all.

No 5K for me this Sunday. I feel like my coccyx is going to separate in 2 when I pick up the pace. Not a pleasant feeling, so no 5K. It is getting better, though:)

I decided to use one of Hudson's marathon plans for my fall marathons. I am tired of the FIRST plan, and I want to do more mileage after my half iron. It will be an experiment and I am excited.

This months I will be starting to do some open water swimming at Walden. Chris and Petru will be in the kayak ready to save me if I start panicking. I need to practice getting on my back if I get tired, as I know the first 400m or so are going to be tough.

I am learning more and more about how important warming up is. I need about 5 miles or running, 10 of biking and .5 of swimming before I am ready to pick up the pace/get on pace.

I have been reading a ton on triathlon training. It seems that there is some consensus about biking and running, but not about swimming (focusing on form and drills vs putting in the miles and form will improve vs doing intervals to get faster vs doing long swims at race pace and increasing the distance up to the race event distance or even longer).

Probably the best advice on racing your first half ironman came from Gordo and you can read it here: http://www.coachgordo.com/gtips/race_strategy/pacing_your_first_half_ironman.html