I'm actually not nervous or anxious yet about the triathlon but it's Monday. I expect as we inch closer to the actual date the butterflies will appear. In the meantime I continue to slam whatever training I can into my schedule. I did another OWS at Del Valle on Friday. My goal was to make it to the white buoy that was pointed out to us at our first Del Valle swim. As with anything outside, the conditions had changed some. Instead of balmy summer temps with minimal wind we were hit with another cold snap and a raging head wind. It made for choppy waters. The water temp wasn't too bad and I actually got in with ease (ah the benefits of a wetsuit). The swimming was tough. I tried to control my breathing and focus on the target but all I kept noticing that was, despite my efforts, I was getting no where. The timing of my breathing perfectly matched the waves so instead of air I kept inhaling water. Wonderful. I managed to fix the problem of the lake draining into my ear by pulling my swim cap down more but now I had water draining down my throat. The head wind took it's toll on me and I opted for some breast stroke and back floating. I managed to make it to the buoy and then, after popping my head up to spot to the boat dock, floated 10 feet back to the start. I would appreciate the push home. :-) I did discover that floating on my back in choppy water results in sea sickness. I've been sea sick twice in my life thus far. Once on a shark dive at the Farllon Islands and once diving in Hawaii. Apparently it happens in local waters too. I managed to keep breakfast down but did have to sit a bit after exiting the water to regain my balance and stomach muscles. My friend asked if I wanted to do the swim again. Thanks but I think I'll pass. I'm barely prepared for 400m of swimming on any given day right now.
After beating no world record times for the 400m I got the bike ready for a spin on Mines Road. The headwinds hadn't let up so it made the bike ride a challenge as well. In two days I would be doing a century ride so I didn't want to go to hard or too long on the bike. Mostly I just wanted to get the body acquainted with the change in activity. It took some time for the legs to warm up but otherwise was just like any other ride.
Next up was the Diablo Century on Sunday. The group opted to do the metric century since Thomas was struggling with a hamstring issue, Rod was still recovering from Monday's ride and Thomas thought me doing a brick workout would give me more of a fitness boost for WF. He wanted me to go harder on the 60 mile ride and follow it with 20 minutes of running. We met some of Thomas' friends at the JCC and headed out. One of the guys was a 30 year old CAT 2 racer. His warm up pace on the flats was a push for me. At the first rest stop Thomas told me to grab someones wheel and hang on. Yeah, nice in theory but I couldn't stay on someones wheel once I grabbed it anyway plus we had the hill coming up. I was pushing hard just to keep the group in sight which was nice since I appreciated the motivation to push harder than I would on my own. Micah and Rod hung back a bit with me but once we got to the hill Micah wanted to 'bite into it'. He and Rod took off. I used other cyclists as targets and pushed until I caught up and passed them. It was a good challenging climb, relentless at times but nothing too hard. At the top we met up again and prepared for the 9 mile descent. I'll appreciate a new road bike because I don't like descending on my current Trek. I gave the boys permission to go as fast as they wanted and I'd slowly poke my way down. We met up at the stop sign at the bottom on the hill and continued on to the next rest stop. Thomas set a nice pace and the group drafted. It was a good hard push on my part without killing me.
As we came to the finish I stopped at the car to put the bike away and take off on the run. I wasn't really sure where I was so I stayed local and ran the streets around the JCC for 20 minutes. That's about how long it takes for the legs to realize we are no longer cycling and should be running. Unfortunately, that's a longer time than I'll be (hopefully) running at WF.
Outside of trying to stay calm on the swim, I haven't decided what a realistic goal is for WF. I've looked at the times from last year and expect that my bike leg will be my strongest of the three. The hard swim at Del Valle took me about 17 minutes which will leave me about 5 minutes behind the last person to leave the water last year. Lots of time to be made up. I guess I can hope for a second to last place finish then. :-) Whatever happens I hope to have fun, learn a lot, meet some new folks and just enjoy the fact that I have a body that goes along with these crazy ideas my mind comes up with.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Pushing when you don't think you can
First off, official results of the Shortest Triathlon are up http://onyourmarkevents.com/results.asp?id=2174
00:34:49 Not to bad for a first go. No where near the women's record holder of 17 minutes (how is that humanely possible!) but I'm pleased with the effort and mainly the learning experience.
Yesterday a friend and I headed out for a secret training mission on the Wildflower course. I started the day with what I think was close to a 400 meter swim. The buoy in the swim area looked a lot closer while standing in the parking lot than it did once I got to the shore. My arms were tired and I didn't freestyle the whole way but I did manage to swim it without stopping for any breaks. Fortunately the water temps were fine for swimming. Unfortunately it was HOT!
We suited up for the ride. After doing our first climb out of the beach area we both commented on how hot it was. We're still in the middle of heat stroke here in the Bay Area. We slugged along the course which is a bunch of rolling hills. No brutal climbing but pretty grueling. Rod was out in front of me. I haven't been on the bike much since the month long trip to the Philippines and I was worried about making all 56 miles. I took it easy and just kept at my "I could go all day at this pace" pace. The heat and rollers started to take their toll on us. We'd stop for brief breaks to chat and stopped at a little store for a bathroom break and to refill water bottles. I told Rod he could ride at whatever pace he wanted for training, I just needed to ride at a pace that I was comfortable with so that'd I'd complete the mileage. He mentioned he wasn't feeling well. We trucked on and on and on.... We continued to stop, suck gels and drink but the course and heat were relentless. If there wasn't a wind tossing your bike to the side it was dead still and the sun baked your skin. It was HOT!
As we made the turn onto Interlake we opted for a shade break. We were just passed mile 40 with another 16 to go. We knew we had a good climb ahead too. We continued on. With the swimming I had done the last three days my upper body was sore and I couldn't get comfortable on the bike no matter what position I was in. I kept watching the mile markers on the road and quietly counting down how many more we had to go. As I approached the bridge Rod had stopped on the other side. He had scoped out the possibility to getting down to the creek but the ranchers fencing prevented it. There was a homestead a few hundred yards away and I voted for asking for a lift. Rod seemed a bit worried we wouldn't get one. Two passengers cars passed and then a big white truck that could easily haul us and bikes. I flagged the driver down. He was a young kid back heading back to his ranch. He could get us to the junction for Lake San Antonio. We took it.
After we got dropped off at the junction I offered to ride the 12 miles back to the car while Rod sat under a tree. He thought he could make it so we headed off again. More rolling hills, a good climb...relentless. We opted to not do the entire course and head back Beach Road and take the, what we thought, route with less climbing. I knew we were close to the car and the idea of a swim in the lake sounded so refreshing. After a while things still didn't start to look familiar. I could see the lake but we were in Harris Campground which we hadn't passed on the way out. Eventually the road just ended. Physically I was done but with no options left we had to mount the bikes and find our missed turn. I knew it was a ways back as I saw the sign for the beach access but just followed Rod. Our route back involved some more climbing and we eventually hit the right road and headed back to the car. That was the most brutal 56 mile ride I've ever done. I couldn't wait to get into the water, which turned out to be too cold for a non-wetsuit swim. We relaxed on the beach, ate some fruit, drank water and then headed home.
A bit demoralizing when a ride doesn't meet your expectations but it was a lesson in just how hard riding in heat can be. We saw the thermometer in the drivers truck, it read 94!! Even with the lift we rode 56 miles which took us just over 5 hours without any long stops. On a positive note, my summer cycling tan is off to a good start.
00:34:49 Not to bad for a first go. No where near the women's record holder of 17 minutes (how is that humanely possible!) but I'm pleased with the effort and mainly the learning experience.
Yesterday a friend and I headed out for a secret training mission on the Wildflower course. I started the day with what I think was close to a 400 meter swim. The buoy in the swim area looked a lot closer while standing in the parking lot than it did once I got to the shore. My arms were tired and I didn't freestyle the whole way but I did manage to swim it without stopping for any breaks. Fortunately the water temps were fine for swimming. Unfortunately it was HOT!
We suited up for the ride. After doing our first climb out of the beach area we both commented on how hot it was. We're still in the middle of heat stroke here in the Bay Area. We slugged along the course which is a bunch of rolling hills. No brutal climbing but pretty grueling. Rod was out in front of me. I haven't been on the bike much since the month long trip to the Philippines and I was worried about making all 56 miles. I took it easy and just kept at my "I could go all day at this pace" pace. The heat and rollers started to take their toll on us. We'd stop for brief breaks to chat and stopped at a little store for a bathroom break and to refill water bottles. I told Rod he could ride at whatever pace he wanted for training, I just needed to ride at a pace that I was comfortable with so that'd I'd complete the mileage. He mentioned he wasn't feeling well. We trucked on and on and on.... We continued to stop, suck gels and drink but the course and heat were relentless. If there wasn't a wind tossing your bike to the side it was dead still and the sun baked your skin. It was HOT!
As we made the turn onto Interlake we opted for a shade break. We were just passed mile 40 with another 16 to go. We knew we had a good climb ahead too. We continued on. With the swimming I had done the last three days my upper body was sore and I couldn't get comfortable on the bike no matter what position I was in. I kept watching the mile markers on the road and quietly counting down how many more we had to go. As I approached the bridge Rod had stopped on the other side. He had scoped out the possibility to getting down to the creek but the ranchers fencing prevented it. There was a homestead a few hundred yards away and I voted for asking for a lift. Rod seemed a bit worried we wouldn't get one. Two passengers cars passed and then a big white truck that could easily haul us and bikes. I flagged the driver down. He was a young kid back heading back to his ranch. He could get us to the junction for Lake San Antonio. We took it.
After we got dropped off at the junction I offered to ride the 12 miles back to the car while Rod sat under a tree. He thought he could make it so we headed off again. More rolling hills, a good climb...relentless. We opted to not do the entire course and head back Beach Road and take the, what we thought, route with less climbing. I knew we were close to the car and the idea of a swim in the lake sounded so refreshing. After a while things still didn't start to look familiar. I could see the lake but we were in Harris Campground which we hadn't passed on the way out. Eventually the road just ended. Physically I was done but with no options left we had to mount the bikes and find our missed turn. I knew it was a ways back as I saw the sign for the beach access but just followed Rod. Our route back involved some more climbing and we eventually hit the right road and headed back to the car. That was the most brutal 56 mile ride I've ever done. I couldn't wait to get into the water, which turned out to be too cold for a non-wetsuit swim. We relaxed on the beach, ate some fruit, drank water and then headed home.
A bit demoralizing when a ride doesn't meet your expectations but it was a lesson in just how hard riding in heat can be. We saw the thermometer in the drivers truck, it read 94!! Even with the lift we rode 56 miles which took us just over 5 hours without any long stops. On a positive note, my summer cycling tan is off to a good start.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Fish swim, I don't.
Good or bad news first? My blog so it's my choice. :-) Mid day yesterday, while suffering through the Rotary District Conference, I got the news that I had come in third place in my AG at the triathlon. Official results and times aren't up yet but I heard from Mike who must have been there for the awards ceremony. Melle took first in her AG. Not too shabby for a couple newbies.
Now the bad news...coming off of yesterdays high we headed out to Lake Del Valle for an open water swim practice with the Silicon Valley Tri Club. I asked the leader how long of a swim we'd be doing. 'Just over a mile, about 40 minutes' he says calmly. I keep waiting for the punch line and I'm sure the look of terror on my face is obvious. 'But you can go as long as you're comfortable with.' I'm only slightly relieved. The last time I swam in open water was at Ally's birthday houseboat weekend which prompted this whole "I wanna do a triathlon" fantasy. It was prompted not because I easily swam across the lake and back but because I COULDN'T! There is something wrong with the wiring of people who attempt something, fail and then think they can/should sign up for crazy events to prove they can. Commit me now because I am that wrongly wired individual.
We suit up, slap a condom on our head and shove our eyes behind two clear teaspoon shaped bowls. Real athletes call these goggles. We giggle. This all feels a bit silly when the other 10 people are going to swim a mile and I'm going to prove just how fast I'll sink. The water is cool but not horrible. Even a temperature lightweight like me can get in. It helps that everyone is moaning a bit about the temperature. We float, or they float as my feet are still firmly planted on the earth where I like them to be. A moment later they are off. Melle and I just sort of look at each other questioning how far we'll go. "Until I'm tired" Melle says. I suggest she turn around before she's tired as my CPR skills are not current. We head out on our own. Swimming in a lake is nothing like swimming in a pool. There is no lane line to direct you, in fact you can't see anything but green murk. There is no side of the pool for security and there are these fish that just seem to be laughing at my every attempt to swim. It's not long before the majority of the group has dropped me. I'm starting to feel my shoulders from yesterday and realize I'm a bit more drained than I had thought. Besides, it's a big lake and a bit intimidating to be in it. I can't get my breathing right, my legs seem to think working on Sunday is a sin and I swear the lake is draining into my right ear. I stick close to the shore. I would have apologized to the fisherman but there are fish right beneath me and I don't think anything I was doing was scaring them off.
I'm tired and have no way of judging how far I've actually swam. Melle is tired. Yeah, I have a tired friend, I'm not alone in this disaster. We opt to do short laps out and back to the boat dock. If I start to drown at least a kayaker will hear my screams and come get me.
A couple arrives back in. We chat with them and ask them how far they think 200 meters is. The gentleman says 'out to the white buoy'. Melle can't see the buoy. I do and decide that I have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks. If all I have to do is swim to the buoy I'll be fine but if I have to swim to the buoy and back for a total of 400 meters (the swim distance for WF) I'll be floating belly side up like a dead fish in no time. Melle and I just giggle. What a demoralizing start to such a beautiful day. At least we know we now need to get out of the pool sometimes and get into open water. I'm guessing the two weeks is going to fly by in a blink of an eye because I am now really dreading the swim leg of this looming event. I was only partly joking when I said I was going to clear my schedule and be in the water every day this week.
Tomorrow Rod and I are driving down to Lake San Antonio so he can test ride the Long Course bike route. I'm packing my wetsuit and my estate plans so friends won't have to fight over who gets Rutzie. I need to see exactly how far this 400 meters is and just how drained it's going to leave me before I have to complete two more activities before earning bragging rights to say I've done Wildflower. Right now, if I actually complete the swim leg I'll be thrilled.
Now the bad news...coming off of yesterdays high we headed out to Lake Del Valle for an open water swim practice with the Silicon Valley Tri Club. I asked the leader how long of a swim we'd be doing. 'Just over a mile, about 40 minutes' he says calmly. I keep waiting for the punch line and I'm sure the look of terror on my face is obvious. 'But you can go as long as you're comfortable with.' I'm only slightly relieved. The last time I swam in open water was at Ally's birthday houseboat weekend which prompted this whole "I wanna do a triathlon" fantasy. It was prompted not because I easily swam across the lake and back but because I COULDN'T! There is something wrong with the wiring of people who attempt something, fail and then think they can/should sign up for crazy events to prove they can. Commit me now because I am that wrongly wired individual.
We suit up, slap a condom on our head and shove our eyes behind two clear teaspoon shaped bowls. Real athletes call these goggles. We giggle. This all feels a bit silly when the other 10 people are going to swim a mile and I'm going to prove just how fast I'll sink. The water is cool but not horrible. Even a temperature lightweight like me can get in. It helps that everyone is moaning a bit about the temperature. We float, or they float as my feet are still firmly planted on the earth where I like them to be. A moment later they are off. Melle and I just sort of look at each other questioning how far we'll go. "Until I'm tired" Melle says. I suggest she turn around before she's tired as my CPR skills are not current. We head out on our own. Swimming in a lake is nothing like swimming in a pool. There is no lane line to direct you, in fact you can't see anything but green murk. There is no side of the pool for security and there are these fish that just seem to be laughing at my every attempt to swim. It's not long before the majority of the group has dropped me. I'm starting to feel my shoulders from yesterday and realize I'm a bit more drained than I had thought. Besides, it's a big lake and a bit intimidating to be in it. I can't get my breathing right, my legs seem to think working on Sunday is a sin and I swear the lake is draining into my right ear. I stick close to the shore. I would have apologized to the fisherman but there are fish right beneath me and I don't think anything I was doing was scaring them off.
I'm tired and have no way of judging how far I've actually swam. Melle is tired. Yeah, I have a tired friend, I'm not alone in this disaster. We opt to do short laps out and back to the boat dock. If I start to drown at least a kayaker will hear my screams and come get me.
A couple arrives back in. We chat with them and ask them how far they think 200 meters is. The gentleman says 'out to the white buoy'. Melle can't see the buoy. I do and decide that I have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks. If all I have to do is swim to the buoy I'll be fine but if I have to swim to the buoy and back for a total of 400 meters (the swim distance for WF) I'll be floating belly side up like a dead fish in no time. Melle and I just giggle. What a demoralizing start to such a beautiful day. At least we know we now need to get out of the pool sometimes and get into open water. I'm guessing the two weeks is going to fly by in a blink of an eye because I am now really dreading the swim leg of this looming event. I was only partly joking when I said I was going to clear my schedule and be in the water every day this week.
Tomorrow Rod and I are driving down to Lake San Antonio so he can test ride the Long Course bike route. I'm packing my wetsuit and my estate plans so friends won't have to fight over who gets Rutzie. I need to see exactly how far this 400 meters is and just how drained it's going to leave me before I have to complete two more activities before earning bragging rights to say I've done Wildflower. Right now, if I actually complete the swim leg I'll be thrilled.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I tried my first tri!
A friend and I had dinner last night. All was good until the last of the ravioli was sitting in my belly and then that familiar feeling of 'oh this isn't going to be good' hit. It started with one little cramp, progressed to a larger one, then that grumbling sound followed by a pregnant belly look. Nope, not good. I questioned attempting the tri as I bundled up in bed and set the alarm. It was a painful and restless sleep. I wasn't anxious about the tri. I was anxious about keeping the pasta in it's in proper spot.
6AM comes earlier than necessary no matter what is on the agenda for the day. I hit the snooze button twice as the thought of 'why do we do this' circled my brain. I flopped out of bed and started pulling things together. The dog danced around me as I tied my shoes. I hate not being able to explain to her the meaning of 'not now, later'. Her look of disappointment always breaks my heart but truly, later I will take her for a walk. She never understands or cuts me any slack.
I left 10 minutes later than expected but that was due to the snooze button. Otherwise I'd be right on time. My friend calls to tell me that she's left her swim gear at the gym and we're changing our plans. Lots of shuffling, getting lost, cell phone calls and finally I find her, load the bike and we're off. Mental note - it doesn't matter if you care about the event or not, just leave yourself plenty of time to stay cool, calm and collected.
Parking was easy. We get our numbers and then I attempt to meticulously arrange my T2 spot but time is now ticking so I just sort of toss it into a nice pile and head off to the pool. No wetsuit, too far behind in time and nobody around to have a conversation with. We get instructions for the swim and I see my friend Mike with his camera. He's photographer for the day. Stop and say hi, chat a bit and then stand in the sun to keep warm. Four laps in a warm pool - no problem! Then the gun goes off for the first wave of men and OMFG! I see the term washing machine in live action. I have a big fear of drowning. My brother sat on my head preventing me from coming up from air and about killed me. I don't like being with people in water so that huge fear is now swirling in my stomach. For I minute I consider backing out but I tell myself I've done worse and if someone sits on my head I'll do exactly what I did to my brother and bite the hell out of the inside of their thigh.
Melle and I dash off to the bathroom and then I line up with a bazillion other wave 3 women in my age group. This is not going to be fun. The announcer promises that next year they will have seven waves instead of three and everyone cheers. Our gun goes off and I hang out for second to let people get in front of me. That works for about 1/2 a pool length as I start overtake them. Wait, I'm not a good swimmer this must mean I'm going to too fast but my head is in the water, my arms circling and I'm breathing like I practiced (what little of that there has been lately). The first two laps aren't bad. The third lap there are people flying in all directions going all speeds and I see feet, arms, breasts and all sorts of body parts no matter where I look. Mostly my head is in the water when it's not getting knocked by another person. Lap 4 I got that feeling of I'm going to die right here in the pool starts but fortunately I was 1/2 through the last lap and there really wasn't a way to easily swim to the finish so I dog paddle, breast stroke whatever to get to the end. Crawling out of the deep end of a pool, not so easy.
T1 - Attempting to put shirt on while wet - not so easy. Attempting to put any clothes on while wet - not so easy. Helmet first then shoes? Hell I don't know! Just get the right shoes on the right feet and go. Learned a lot from that few minutes.
I'm off on the bike. This is where I'm comfortable and a good majority of my competition are on hybrids or cruisers. I begin passing people from the start and continue to do so. My heart is racing and I'm practicing the breathing techniques my pilates instructor has taught me. It's all coming together. I feel great until I see a large tour bus turn into my path taking out a few orange cones. WTH?! This is a closed course and now a bus is going to kill me. I manage to get around the bus without a scape and things are getting back on track. I feel great I've passed the last girl in sight there's my turn. I rail the turn and am up 3 blocks when I hear "no, no, no, not that way". I look behind me and 5 girls sail past the marshall and head straight. Nice, one marshall at a junction where some people need to turn and some go straight. Not the best planning but whatever. I turn around and the marshall directs me to the right which is the opposite direction I know I should go this time. She screams, I scream. At this point I'm standing on the bike and pedaling hard. I just lost anything I gained and that competitive monster comes out. I remind myself that this was to practice my transitions and that I'm not truly over the flu. Monster doesn't care.
T2 - I find my transition spot easily and grab my running shoes. Yep, forgot to leave them untied like the SB lady suggested. Oh well, next time. I leave my cycling gloves on since I know I am behind. Grab my hat, my water bottle and I'm off. My friend Mike is there with his camera and yells, you were the fifth one in! Oh nice, I think I counted all those five when I made the wrong turn. I remind the monster that this was to practice transitions.
I take off running and immediately pass a few people. I'm sure my pace is just crazy and I try to find a nice running pace but the legs are still unsure of what I'm putting them through. It's a two mile run, I can do this in my sleep so why does this hurt so bad. Calm down, find a nice pace. My won't my hat stay on my head? I take it off and just run with it in my hand. I see the hill. There's a hill, actually an overpass but it seems like mountain at this point. I mentally beat myself up for not training harder despite traveling and being sick. I realize I am in no shape to do WF in a few weeks. The men scream motivational words as we pass in opposite directions on the overpass. I get to the top and start the descent. My right shoe lace comes untied. I stop to tie it. I begin again. My left shoe lace comes untied. Seriously!!! I stop to tie it. I continue on and see the marshall flagging a right turn. I take it only to be told that isn't the right direction and I need to go straight. OK really!!! Fortunately I don't run nearly as fast as I bike so this is only a 3 second penalty. I make the turn for the run and joke with the marshall about a bus to take me back. I finally fall into a nice pace and am pretty sure I'll finish this thing and then....have you seen the "Sex in the City" movie where Charlotte is in Mexico after she's drank the water? I begin to live that scene out. I'm not sure if it's a ravioli or oatmeal that is protesting this whole thing but my stomach bulges like a pregnant women, I cramp, I feel swirling and hear groaning. Oh man, NOT NOW! I'm not far from the finish line but I'm not feeling good. A bed sounds just about lovely right now, right here in the middle of the street and if there is a toilet attached to the bed even better. The gal I passed on the overpass does her kick at the end and passes me with 50 yards to go. I don't care. My right shoes comes untied again. Seriously, all we need is that tour bus to come along again and this day will be complete. But all I care about is keeping breakfast, dinner or whatever else is stuck in my gut down. I cross the line and get a high five from my photographer friend. I walk off by myself and drink my water. The brain talks with the stomach and let's it know this is now over and I'll be heading to a bed soon. The stomach is pleased by this and begins to calm down.
After I gain my composure, or the composure of my stomach, I head back to the finish line to cheer on the other two gals who did this with me. I'm feeling better, the stomach is no longer fighting me (though I'm sure I will eventually pay the price later and when it's least expected like during my performance at the Rotary Conference today). I have just done my first triathlon and I'm ecstatic. Melle crosses the line and I cheer her on. Despite how poorly I felt I'm so glad I pushed through this. I learned so much from this small event and I'm glad I have some knowledge of how to make Wildflower happen a tad bit easier. Yep, triathletes are a little insane but even for a small event it was pretty damn fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!
6AM comes earlier than necessary no matter what is on the agenda for the day. I hit the snooze button twice as the thought of 'why do we do this' circled my brain. I flopped out of bed and started pulling things together. The dog danced around me as I tied my shoes. I hate not being able to explain to her the meaning of 'not now, later'. Her look of disappointment always breaks my heart but truly, later I will take her for a walk. She never understands or cuts me any slack.
I left 10 minutes later than expected but that was due to the snooze button. Otherwise I'd be right on time. My friend calls to tell me that she's left her swim gear at the gym and we're changing our plans. Lots of shuffling, getting lost, cell phone calls and finally I find her, load the bike and we're off. Mental note - it doesn't matter if you care about the event or not, just leave yourself plenty of time to stay cool, calm and collected.
Parking was easy. We get our numbers and then I attempt to meticulously arrange my T2 spot but time is now ticking so I just sort of toss it into a nice pile and head off to the pool. No wetsuit, too far behind in time and nobody around to have a conversation with. We get instructions for the swim and I see my friend Mike with his camera. He's photographer for the day. Stop and say hi, chat a bit and then stand in the sun to keep warm. Four laps in a warm pool - no problem! Then the gun goes off for the first wave of men and OMFG! I see the term washing machine in live action. I have a big fear of drowning. My brother sat on my head preventing me from coming up from air and about killed me. I don't like being with people in water so that huge fear is now swirling in my stomach. For I minute I consider backing out but I tell myself I've done worse and if someone sits on my head I'll do exactly what I did to my brother and bite the hell out of the inside of their thigh.
Melle and I dash off to the bathroom and then I line up with a bazillion other wave 3 women in my age group. This is not going to be fun. The announcer promises that next year they will have seven waves instead of three and everyone cheers. Our gun goes off and I hang out for second to let people get in front of me. That works for about 1/2 a pool length as I start overtake them. Wait, I'm not a good swimmer this must mean I'm going to too fast but my head is in the water, my arms circling and I'm breathing like I practiced (what little of that there has been lately). The first two laps aren't bad. The third lap there are people flying in all directions going all speeds and I see feet, arms, breasts and all sorts of body parts no matter where I look. Mostly my head is in the water when it's not getting knocked by another person. Lap 4 I got that feeling of I'm going to die right here in the pool starts but fortunately I was 1/2 through the last lap and there really wasn't a way to easily swim to the finish so I dog paddle, breast stroke whatever to get to the end. Crawling out of the deep end of a pool, not so easy.
T1 - Attempting to put shirt on while wet - not so easy. Attempting to put any clothes on while wet - not so easy. Helmet first then shoes? Hell I don't know! Just get the right shoes on the right feet and go. Learned a lot from that few minutes.
I'm off on the bike. This is where I'm comfortable and a good majority of my competition are on hybrids or cruisers. I begin passing people from the start and continue to do so. My heart is racing and I'm practicing the breathing techniques my pilates instructor has taught me. It's all coming together. I feel great until I see a large tour bus turn into my path taking out a few orange cones. WTH?! This is a closed course and now a bus is going to kill me. I manage to get around the bus without a scape and things are getting back on track. I feel great I've passed the last girl in sight there's my turn. I rail the turn and am up 3 blocks when I hear "no, no, no, not that way". I look behind me and 5 girls sail past the marshall and head straight. Nice, one marshall at a junction where some people need to turn and some go straight. Not the best planning but whatever. I turn around and the marshall directs me to the right which is the opposite direction I know I should go this time. She screams, I scream. At this point I'm standing on the bike and pedaling hard. I just lost anything I gained and that competitive monster comes out. I remind myself that this was to practice my transitions and that I'm not truly over the flu. Monster doesn't care.
T2 - I find my transition spot easily and grab my running shoes. Yep, forgot to leave them untied like the SB lady suggested. Oh well, next time. I leave my cycling gloves on since I know I am behind. Grab my hat, my water bottle and I'm off. My friend Mike is there with his camera and yells, you were the fifth one in! Oh nice, I think I counted all those five when I made the wrong turn. I remind the monster that this was to practice transitions.
I take off running and immediately pass a few people. I'm sure my pace is just crazy and I try to find a nice running pace but the legs are still unsure of what I'm putting them through. It's a two mile run, I can do this in my sleep so why does this hurt so bad. Calm down, find a nice pace. My won't my hat stay on my head? I take it off and just run with it in my hand. I see the hill. There's a hill, actually an overpass but it seems like mountain at this point. I mentally beat myself up for not training harder despite traveling and being sick. I realize I am in no shape to do WF in a few weeks. The men scream motivational words as we pass in opposite directions on the overpass. I get to the top and start the descent. My right shoe lace comes untied. I stop to tie it. I begin again. My left shoe lace comes untied. Seriously!!! I stop to tie it. I continue on and see the marshall flagging a right turn. I take it only to be told that isn't the right direction and I need to go straight. OK really!!! Fortunately I don't run nearly as fast as I bike so this is only a 3 second penalty. I make the turn for the run and joke with the marshall about a bus to take me back. I finally fall into a nice pace and am pretty sure I'll finish this thing and then....have you seen the "Sex in the City" movie where Charlotte is in Mexico after she's drank the water? I begin to live that scene out. I'm not sure if it's a ravioli or oatmeal that is protesting this whole thing but my stomach bulges like a pregnant women, I cramp, I feel swirling and hear groaning. Oh man, NOT NOW! I'm not far from the finish line but I'm not feeling good. A bed sounds just about lovely right now, right here in the middle of the street and if there is a toilet attached to the bed even better. The gal I passed on the overpass does her kick at the end and passes me with 50 yards to go. I don't care. My right shoes comes untied again. Seriously, all we need is that tour bus to come along again and this day will be complete. But all I care about is keeping breakfast, dinner or whatever else is stuck in my gut down. I cross the line and get a high five from my photographer friend. I walk off by myself and drink my water. The brain talks with the stomach and let's it know this is now over and I'll be heading to a bed soon. The stomach is pleased by this and begins to calm down.
After I gain my composure, or the composure of my stomach, I head back to the finish line to cheer on the other two gals who did this with me. I'm feeling better, the stomach is no longer fighting me (though I'm sure I will eventually pay the price later and when it's least expected like during my performance at the Rotary Conference today). I have just done my first triathlon and I'm ecstatic. Melle crosses the line and I cheer her on. Despite how poorly I felt I'm so glad I pushed through this. I learned so much from this small event and I'm glad I have some knowledge of how to make Wildflower happen a tad bit easier. Yep, triathletes are a little insane but even for a small event it was pretty damn fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Murphy's Law
I don't get sick. I haven't had a common cold in years. Can't even tell you the last time I had the flu. I often jokingly tell friends that I'm above the common illness and injuries since they just don't happen for me but when I go, I go big (you know, like the jammed femur). I always knock on wood after saying things like just in case. I must have forgotten one time because I am sick. :-( I blamed food poisoning but a gf says several other people must have eaten bad food too then. The last time I spent all day in bed was 2004. I remember this because I had given two weeks notice at a job that I hadn't taken a sick day in all four years of employment there. During the two weeks I wasn't feeling well and called to say I would be in a few hours late. I called a few hours later and said I would be in at lunch. I called again and said it might be after lunch. I called again and my boss told me the chances of me making it in sounded pretty slim and I might just want to take the whole day off. I was more disappointed to have broken my record than actually feeling ill.
I spent all day in bed nestled in between two cats and one dog that kept throwing me the 'are we ever getting up today' - proof that laying in bed is not part of our routine. I've finally managed to eat something. So much for that long bike ride I had planned for Thursday and Friday. I'm lucky that I took the dog for a walk today. At least I'm up.
The mini-tri is tomorrow. I'll decide later today if I can actually do it. It's very, very short and I'm only using it to practice transitions but I know me...perhaps if I keep repeating to myself "this is just to practice transitions" I won't go all tits out and end up spending another day in bed.
I spent all day in bed nestled in between two cats and one dog that kept throwing me the 'are we ever getting up today' - proof that laying in bed is not part of our routine. I've finally managed to eat something. So much for that long bike ride I had planned for Thursday and Friday. I'm lucky that I took the dog for a walk today. At least I'm up.
The mini-tri is tomorrow. I'll decide later today if I can actually do it. It's very, very short and I'm only using it to practice transitions but I know me...perhaps if I keep repeating to myself "this is just to practice transitions" I won't go all tits out and end up spending another day in bed.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hip replacement?! WTF?
Welcome to my blog. I've had the addy for quite some time but never found something to write about. I could bore you with the drama I've lived through over the last three years, I guarantee you the TV mini series would have you glued to the tube, but that's mostly behind me now. My new adventure is preventing what my PT said was a 'path to a complete hip replacement'. WTF? I'm 38! He tells me I have the hips of a 65 year old. As I creep closer to that dreaded mid-life crisis number it begins, Caryn's quest to stay active while avoiding a complete hip replacement now or any time in the forseeable future. All right, I'll take off the drama queen crown. My adventure is mostly about having fun with friends and staying as active as I can for as long as I can. Let's face it, I've got some of the world's worst DNA when it comes to health.
What's on tap? This year I am officially registered for two century rides, the Death Ride (126 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing, 5 passes), Muddy Buddy, a mini tri and the Wildflower tri. I expect a few other events will end up on my calendar as well (anyone want a buddy for the Coolest 24 HR?).
A few weeks ago I completed my first event after an injury (jammed and twisted my femur into my hip socket). A beautiful cherry blossom 10 miler in DC with Genta and BJ. Running isn't as much fun as the company that runs with us! I managed to stay injury free (goal 1) and run a sub 1:30 race (goal 2). A visit to the PT confirmed I was ok physically to keep training and to ramp it up a bit.
After a trip to Sports Basement I now have rented a wetsuit for a month and bought my first tri outfit for this weekends mini tri. I got a death glare when I said I was going to try the wet suit during the pool swim this weekend. A lecture on chlorine followed but I promised her it was only a very short swim and it'd be the only time I wore it in a pool. I need the practice getting in and out of it! Fortunately she has been a triathlete for 20+ years so, after the chlorine lecture, she gave me a bunch of useful tips on transitions and gave me a thumbs up on my tri outfit. She said I looked really cute. Hmmm....bad ass or cute? I'm not sure which look suits me better. Probably cute for now until I officially earn the bad ass battle stories.
I thanked her for the latex dressing/undressing lessons and tips to which I got a 'Go all tits out and have fun!'. All tits out huh? I guess that's the feminine version of 'all balls out'. Either way I have friends joining me at the mini tri (the record holder for event has a time of 15 minutes! I did say this was a MINI tri right?!) and expect to continue to write a fabulous story of a life. From here on out you can read about my training rants and rave, race reports, mindless rambles and all sorts of other stuff. I hope you enjoy it and, if nothing else, I hope it motivates at least one person to go all tits out (or all balls out if that suits you better) and have fun time with friends doing something you love!!
What's on tap? This year I am officially registered for two century rides, the Death Ride (126 miles, 15,000 feet of climbing, 5 passes), Muddy Buddy, a mini tri and the Wildflower tri. I expect a few other events will end up on my calendar as well (anyone want a buddy for the Coolest 24 HR?).
A few weeks ago I completed my first event after an injury (jammed and twisted my femur into my hip socket). A beautiful cherry blossom 10 miler in DC with Genta and BJ. Running isn't as much fun as the company that runs with us! I managed to stay injury free (goal 1) and run a sub 1:30 race (goal 2). A visit to the PT confirmed I was ok physically to keep training and to ramp it up a bit.
After a trip to Sports Basement I now have rented a wetsuit for a month and bought my first tri outfit for this weekends mini tri. I got a death glare when I said I was going to try the wet suit during the pool swim this weekend. A lecture on chlorine followed but I promised her it was only a very short swim and it'd be the only time I wore it in a pool. I need the practice getting in and out of it! Fortunately she has been a triathlete for 20+ years so, after the chlorine lecture, she gave me a bunch of useful tips on transitions and gave me a thumbs up on my tri outfit. She said I looked really cute. Hmmm....bad ass or cute? I'm not sure which look suits me better. Probably cute for now until I officially earn the bad ass battle stories.
I thanked her for the latex dressing/undressing lessons and tips to which I got a 'Go all tits out and have fun!'. All tits out huh? I guess that's the feminine version of 'all balls out'. Either way I have friends joining me at the mini tri (the record holder for event has a time of 15 minutes! I did say this was a MINI tri right?!) and expect to continue to write a fabulous story of a life. From here on out you can read about my training rants and rave, race reports, mindless rambles and all sorts of other stuff. I hope you enjoy it and, if nothing else, I hope it motivates at least one person to go all tits out (or all balls out if that suits you better) and have fun time with friends doing something you love!!
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