"Last Triathlon of 2010"

...or... "the triathlon that almost killed my love for triathlons"




YWCA Womens Sprint Triathlon
Minneapolis, MN
August 15th, 2010
I did this race with my sister, and friends J and A.



Night Before/Pre-Race:



The night before the race, we ate out at Bucca Di Beppo in Eden Prairie, MN. Sometimes I am leary about eating pasta the night before a race, but we selected wisely and I ate just enough to feel comfortable.

I went to bed pretty early, close to 9pm, but struggled to get a good night's sleep. I fell asleep around 930pm, woke at 11pm, 3:10am, and then again at 4am. The alarm went off at 4:40am and I know that I didn't sleep much between then and 3am, but I felt ready to go. J and her hubby picked my sister and I up at 5:30am, and then met up with A.

We arrived at Lake Nokomis around 6am to find our spot and set up transition. With the high number of participants, the transition are became pretty snug. We had heard that close to 1,200 women were participating in this event and over half of them were first timers! How awesome is that?!

After getting bodymarked, timing chips, and checking the out the water, the transition area closed at 730am. Our wave (15 out of 18) wasn't expected to start until 842am so we had quite a bit of time to stand around on the beach.

If I remember correctly, I ate half of a clif bar at about 715am and then took my first gu at about 820am.

(please note the smile)

The Swim:
500 Yds - 15:24


In past triathlons, I never took the time to get aquainted with the water prior to jumping for the swim and in past swims there has been a going trend that my heart rate will jump through the roof when starting the swim. Other bloggers have mentioned getting used to the water prior to the start of the swim and that is what I planned to do for this race. About 20 minutes before our wave started, I spent a few minutes "warming up" in the water. The water was already 80 degrees and probably the warmest water I have ever swam in before.

Before we new it, our wave was on the shore line waiting for the countdown. The plan was to stay to the back and on the outside of the group. Everything started out just fine and I was feeling pretty strong. After we took our first turn, things started to go down hill. My breathing was off, probably too shallow, and I started to feel a pinch in the middle of my back every time I would breath in. At this point, there were multiple times where I would have to roll over on my back and catch my breath. When on my back, I would take a deep breath and my breathing reminded me of how one breathes while bawling their eyes out. You know what I am talking about?

So, needless to say, the rest of the swim was horrible and I was ready to call it quits. I had a bad attitude at this point that stuck with me through pretty much the rest of the triathlon and I wanted to be done.


Transition 1:
4:17

I reached the shoreline and it took everything in me to run/walk through the sand and into transition. The distance from the water to our transition area was the longest transition I have ever done.

I felt like the swim took everything out of me and I could barely manage to do much more than walk through most of the transition. Isn't it written all over my face?

I was hoping that if I took my time getting ready to ride that my heart rate would come down a bit and my breathing would become more regular. Once I was ready, I grabbed my bike and took off. But, I will admit, I struggled to get on my bike at first. It was rediculous.





The Bike:

15 miles - 57:07 (15.76 mph average)

I was so happy to be out of the water but knew I needed to take it easy to start, which was quite easy because it nearly seemed impossible to go more than 13mph at the start of the bike. geez.

The course was relatively flat, but there was some wind that never seemed to be at my back, no matter which direction I was going. In fact, there were a couple wind gusts that almost knocked me over while passing another girl over a bridge. I think if I would have fallen at that point I would have been done. For reals.

After about ten or 15 minutes of riding, I was able to pick up some speed, despite the fact that I felt like I was having breathing issues anytime I really picked up the pace or climbed any "hills". I saw 18-19mph quite a few times, but nothing to get me above a 16mph average. But, given the conditions, I will take what I have.

Usually, prior to the last few miles of the bike, I have gotten into a habit of taking a gu to get me through the run. However, this time, I wasn't feeling too good and was afraid I would puke if I took one.

As I was approaching the transition area, I saw my family and was happy to be done with the ride. Getting off the bike was much easier than getting on less than an hour earlier.

Transition 2:

2:34

Once entering the transition area, I didn't have far to go before reaching my area. I threw my bike on the rack, ripped off the helmet and bike shoes, threw on my tennies and visor and was off. It all seemed to happen so fast at the time, but when I think about two and a half minutes, that's a lot of time for the little amount of things I did. As much as I wasn't looking forward to the run, I was so glad to be off the bike and 2/3 done with this race.

The Run:

5K - 40:54 - 13:11/mile average

Like I said before, I had a pretty bad attitude and really just wanted to be done at this point. I don't think anything would have changed my attitude at this point. However, as soon as I left the transition area, I saw my family and was so happy to be running.

I found my running legs right away, but still struggled to get any good air. Breathing was still really shallow and my lungs just hurt. J and I ended up doing a lot of run/walk intervals and looking back I know I walked a lot more than I needed. We did do a lot of talking and became distracted at times.

Despite what I thought was a bad race all around, this picture makes me happy. My brother-in-law snapped this as I was starting the run... and I am smiling.

As I neared the finish line, all I wanted to do was finish in under 2 hours. According to my watch, I was cutting it close. I kept telling J, "leave it all out on the course"... and that's exactly what I felt like I was doing. The last tenth of a mile I picked up the pace and sprinted across the finish line with my Dad's words "Finish Strong" running through my head over and over again. It felt so good to be done! And done I was.

Results:

Bib#: 859

Division: 30-34

Overall place: 688

Division Place: 111 out of 142

Swim 500 Yds: 15:24

T1: 4:17

Bike 15 miles: 57:07

T2: 2:34

Run 3.1 miles: 40:54

Overall: 2:00:13

Post Race & After Thoughts:

After the race we were handed dog tags and water. There was a huge tent set up with a wonderful array of food: wraps, bananas, clementines, cookies, chips, watermelon wedges, nutrigrain bars, candy, etc.

I know my "training" wasn't ideal the last month leading up to this race, especially with a week of while on vacay. Looking back it seems like I was just putting in the workouts, but wasn't really following any sort of schedule or plan. That irritates me.

Does anyone else deal with such breathing issues? After talking with my mom about it a couple times, I wonder if there's anything in the water that irritates my allergies and affects my breathing. Sounds weird, but I just don't know what to do. I wish I had the ability to do more open water swims, but there isn't much for lakes that I know of around here.

This race was set up so well. There were tons and tons of volunteers that were amazing. I have had a week to think about this race and it bugs me know almost as much as it bugged me when I crossed the finish line. I was just so frustrated and still am. The idea of doing this race again next year has crossed my mind a handful of times. I feel like I have a fight to pick with it and want to do better.

Here's a picture of us after the race. Yes, another smile, but I think I was so happy to be done and just ready to go. Three of us are wearing our race shirts, which happened to be very nice technical tees. Love it!

Average Jo Triathlon: A Race Report

Average Jo Sprint Triathlon

Perham, MN

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

Pre-race:

As usual, I left most of my packing for this triathlon until the day before the race. Fortunately, I was only missing one thing but was able run to Scheel's to get it before the store closed Friday evening. I advise everyone to start putting their things together a couple days before-hand or create a list of things you need. Do as I say, not as I do.

My triathlete buddy, Jill, and I, are lucky enough to have a wonderful Tri Sherpa: her fiance. He borrowed his parents van and we packed up the big things (aka bikes) Friday night. Everything else I was bringing was going into my bag and checked a half dozen times from there on out.

I love my sleep and knew that I needed at least a good 7 hours the night before sleep. If I could have gotten 8, I would have taken it, but considering I was getting up at 4am, I knew getting 8 hours of sleep probably wasn't going to happen. The evening got away from me and before I knew it, I was crawling into bed around 915pm. After getting in and out of bed a handful of times to check my bag for an item or two, the last time I looked at the clock it was 10pm.

4am came way too fast, especially with only 6 hours of sleep, but there's nothing like a quick rinse in the shower to shake the sleep away. I left my house around 440am and was at Jill's finance's house before 5am. The drive to Perham didn't take as long as we thought it would. We probably could have left around 6am and got there with plenty of time to pick up registration stuff and set up our transition. Live and learn.

I made note in my previous post that I was looking forward to watching the sunrise on our drive, but it was hard to witness a such a beautiful thing through the thick fog. I couldn't believe how foggy it was. Of the swim, bike, and run, I was more worried about swimming in this fog than anything. A part of me thought that they wouldn't allow us to swim in such conditions for safety purposes.

But, about 20 minutes before the start of the race the fog let up completely. The temps were still in the high 60's - a bit chilly with all the moisture in the air. The one thing I was really thankful for was the overcast skies, since the humidity was above 90%.

Like I said earlier, we had plenty of time to set up our transition area. This wasn't my first triathlon, but when I was setting up my things and trying to organize them, I had to keep going through the transitions in my head to make sure I had everything where I wanted it to be.I felt so disorganized for some reason, but I had everything I needed. (My bike - Rabbit - is pictured on the left)

The transition area was set up where you would come in from the swim on one side, and leave on the bike on the opposite side. Then, when you come back on your bike, you would leave on the run through that same entrance/exit. We decided to set up our stuff near the bike/run exit/entrance. Where do you like to set up your things in transition?

After watching others set up their transition, and talking with some others I knew, it was go time! What a better way to note how I felt just before the start of a race then to pose like a dork for a picture! Just for you guys...

The Swim: 1/3 mile
There were 3 waves with approximately 60-75 people in each wave. Not a lot of people participating, but not too few. Jill and I were in the 2nd wave. Once the first wave took off, the 2nd wave was able to get in the water. It was a lot colder than I thought it was going to be and instantly my heart rate went up. Any suggestions to help with this would greatly be appreciated.

Three minutes after the 1st wave took off, it was time for us to go. The swim was set up where you go out to the 2nd buoy and then come back on the other side, going clockwise. The water level was so low along the beach that you could stand in it the entire distance of the swim. It came up to just below my chest. I found myself taking advantage of this quite often, but did a lot of tarzan swimming - that is the free style with my head above the water.

I find that the more and more I do open water swims, the more comfortable I become. I just wish there were more lakes closer to where I live. As of right now, my practice open water swims consist of the 3 triathlons I have done and that's it.

I couldn't believe how many people were wearing wetsuits. I know that there are benefits to wearing one, such as warmth and boyancy, but I didn't think they would be necessary given the conditions and distance we were swimming. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong or missing any other benefits to wearing a wetsuit.

T1: The first transition went pretty well. I still kind of feel a little disorganized when going through transition. I feel like I haven't figured out the right order to put things on. I try to put my helmet on first, just so I don't forget to put it on, then the gloves, socks, cycling shoes, and then take off. How is T1 for you?

The Bike: 12 miles

Coming out of transition, we are greated with a decline in a dirt road to the county road that we were going to be riding 12 miles on. The first and last tenth of a mile was on this dirt road and I didn't like it one bit. The dirt was soft and I felt unstable and wasn't able to fully clip into my bike until reaching the county road.

As for the rest of the ride, it consisted of a large square route around the lake. I started out pretty strong, but struggled to get my heart rate down. I averaged about 16-16.8mph the first half of the ride but slowed down immensely due to hill after hill. These hills weren't too terribly steep, but they just seemed to drag on. Whatever goes up, must come down, but I swear there were more inclines then declines in this route.

The last half of the route I was still struggling to get my heart rate down and new I needed to before tackling the run. I just couldn't seem to catch my breath. It almost seemed as if I wasn't getting enough oxygen. Do you ever have that feeling that no matter how hard you breathe in, it's not enough? It was weird.

If I thought going down the gravel road was hard in the beginning of the ride, going back up was even more challenging. I was afraid I was going to lose balance and worried I wasn't going to be able clip out of my bike. But, luckily all worked out fine and I didn't fall.

T2: If I thought I felt disorganized in T1, I don't know what you would call T2. I finished the bike about 20-30 seconds before Jill, but for some reason she was ready to run before me. I remember her saying "Can't you put it on while you're running?" - referring to my visor. I just couldn't get my poop in a group.

The Run: 3.8 miles

The following picture was taken not even a tenth of a mile into our run. This was just coming out of transition - right after a large hill up and a large hill down. I was afraid of what was ahead of me.

At first I was griping about the distance. I mean, who maps out a 3.8 mile run for a sprint triathlon? But, once I got going and realized it was a black-top path all around the golf course in beauitful Minnesota, I stopped griping.

My legs felt so strong still and ready to kick some butt. My knees didn't bother me one bit. However, I could not, for the life of me, get my heart rate and breathing under control. I did so much walking/running that I wanted to cry out of frustration. I think at one point I was timing my run/walk intervals at run 1:30/walk :30. It was very frustrating, but the path was so gorgeous that I just tried to focus on that.

When I reached the 3 mile mark I was feeling pretty good. I was in a groove with my running, even though it involved quite a bit of walking. I was bound and determined to pick up the pace, even though I was still doing a lot of walking. There was a really nasty climb just 100 yards before the finish line, but I finished strong with a full out sprint.

I quickly grabbed a bottled water and half a banana while waiting for Jill to finish. Unfortunately, her knee gave out about a half mile from the finish line and she had to walk most of that last half mile. But, she finished strong.

We chit-chatted with a few people we knew, packed up our stuff, and were on our merry way. Looking back, it's seems like it all happens so fast. It's hard to soak it all in right then and there!

Overall Thoughts:

• They claim this race is for the "Average Jo" - those who are just getting into triathlons. I hope that they also inform those Average Jo's that this course is full of nasty hills. I wouldn't suggest this race to anyone looking to do their first triathlon, that's for sure.
• Everything was well organized for the most part. They had tons of volunteers and enough water stations along the course. Another port-a-potty to add to the two they had would have probably been nice.
• If they could figure out a better way to get from transition to the bike route asside from the dirt road, that would be great.
• Will I do this race again? Probably not. But, it's truly nothing against this race. I just think that I will have more fun trying different races.
  
  

Overall Stats:
Swim: 1/3 mile - 7:43
T1: 2:47
Bike: 12 miles - 45:51
T2: ??? approximately 1:45 - they didn't have this information and I know it was added into the run, not the bike
Run: 51:16 (more like 49:30)
TOTAL: 1:47:35

Time to Reflect - A Triathlon Race Report

WARNING: Long post ahead.

Detroit Lakes - YoungLife Sprint Triathlon

Finish Time - 1:39:32

Jill and I before the race.
(It was windy)

The last couple of weeks leading up to the YoungLife Triathlon were filled with mixed thoughts and feelings. I had just spent almost a week in NYC and came back with no real desire to train for this event. I kept up with my workouts, few and far between, but I just wasn't feeling it.

This was going to be my 2nd triathlon of 2009 and last one of the season. I knew I had to change my attitude and have fun. By the time this weekend hit, and with some positive comments and encouragement from friend and fellow bloggers, I was really starting to look forward to the trip to Detroit Lakes.


The Day Before:
It was decided that we would drive to DL the morning of, rather than spending $100+ on a hotel room Friday night. Everything was packed up Friday afternoon and we packed our friend's van that evening. We were ready to roll and all I needed was a good night's rest. However, I was worried that the thunderstorms rolling in around at 9pm, mixed with the usual pre-race nerves, were going to keep me awake. That was not the case. There were no nervous feelings when the head hit the pillow that night. I slept like a rock.

What did Wes say? "What you are is a veteran now... save the excitement for the morning the race."

And that is just what I did.


Pre-Race:
After a 430am wake-up, we were on the road at about 515am and to DL by 615. Was I nervous on the drive down? No. But, as soon as we pulled into the City Park area, and I saw the size of the transition area and a half a dozen hard core triathletes, I was starting to get the nervous bug. I even made the comment, "If I don't enjoy this race, I will seriously question if I ever do one of these again." Probably a little extreme and not the best attitude going into a race, but that's how I felt. However, not for long.

We took our time setting up our transition area. There were things I remembered to do from the last triathlon, as well as things I wanted to do differently. You know, it's a learning experience, and if I was happy about anything I was glad to be doing another triathlon this summer for that reason.

630am they started doing body marking. I was not impressed with my body marking, and when I asked for the smiley face on the back of my calf, the girl did a horrible job. Not a big deal, however, it was now that I was getting really excited.

By this point I had eaten half a banana and part of a peanut butter sandwhich. At 730 I took my Chocolate Outrage Gu (yum yum), and drank a lot of water. A bathroom break before the race was taken at this point, but looking back now, I think I drank way to much water this morning!

This event was broken into heats, depending on male female, two age groups (29 and under, 30 and older) and whether or not you were doing the Sprint or the Olympic.


The Race:

The Swim:
500M - out and back
9:09
1:49/100M
The water was very shallow and at almost any point in the swim you could touch the bottom. The sun was starting to peak from behind the clouds, but it didn't last for too long. There were a few waves on the lake, but nothing horrible. To be honest, I was expecting worse, considering there were white caps last year. As I turned around the bouy I got splashed by a wave and it caught me off guard, but didn't slow me down.

In comparison to July's Prairie Rose Triathlon - 1000M - 31:00 - 3:06/100M - definitely an improvement!

Looking back at my tri in July and comparing the swim to this one, I was very impressed. Yes, it was half the distance, but I felt so much stronger on the swim this time around. Maybe it was because I kind of knew what to expect this time around. Maybe it was due to all the swim team practices I participated in.


T1: 3:52
I felt super pokey during this transition and kept telling myself to hurry up. I don't know what took me so long. I had my tri suit on. All I had to do was throw on my socks, shoes, helmet, gloves, and grab my gu. I struggled with my socks as water kept running down my legs and kept my feet wet. Does anyone have any solutions to this? I think this is what slowed me down the most!


The Bike:
11.7 miles
46:07
15.22mph
The brochure said it was going to be a 10 mile loop around the lake, but they had to add a little bit on for some reason or another. I was okay with that.

I hopped on my bike as I crossed the mat and felt strong. I held back on the bike a bit last time and wanted to put more into it this time around. The course was pretty flat, with an occasional rolling hill here and there. During the first 2-6 miles, my bike kept making a sound like it was shifting gears and every time I looked down, it was still on the middle spoke in the back. I was afraid to shift gears after that, but then it was fine for the 2nd half of the ride.

The temperature was in the low 70's but I could tell the humidity was pretty high. The sun was no longer present and the wind was starting to pick up. By the time I finished the bike, the wind was getting pretty bad and it was starting to sprinkle.

However, I just could not get my heart rate down. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but I knew it was high. I felt like I was breathing so heavy and at times I wasn't even going very fast. Any ideas on what would I would have needed to do to help bring my heart rate down?

At about the 8.5 mile marker, I took in another gu, TriBerry. This was before I remembered that the race course was going to be longer than 10 miles. I had also finished 1 of my 20oz bottles of water.

In comparison to July's Prairie Rose Triathlon - 12.4M - 52:40 - 14.13mph- definitely an improvement! I wanted to break the 15mph average and that is just what I did!

T2:
2:33
I had to walk/run my bike quite a long ways to get through transition, and that is pretty hard uncomfortable given I was wearing my clipless shoes. This transition did go a bit smoother. I kicked off my cycling shoes, grabbed my running shoes, lost the helmet and glove, and threw on my visor while running out of transition. It still could have been faster, but I'll take it.

The Run:
3.1 miles
37:52
12:12mph
Oh boy, where do I start? I didn't realize this until after the race, but a good portion of the run included the grassy area I spent a lot of time walking though. Looking back now, I remember that the timing mat was before that, not after. Oops.

At this point the wind had really picked up and it was starting to sprinkle. I am sure the temperature had dropped a few degrees but it felt good to me. My face was overheating and I knew I needed to cool off a bit. The route was a flat out and back.

Run, walk, run, walk, run, walk. This seemed to be the pattern here. The transition from the bike wasn't horrible, but my right knee wasn't great either. It wasn't bad, but it felt uncomfortable. Add on the fact that I was having this side stitch feeling in the middle of my back every time I took deep breathes, and the fact that I had to go potty really bad and I struggled imensely through this run.

It was starting to rain about 1/4 of a mile in and by the time I reached the turn-around point, it was pouring. I have never run in rain, let alone rain like that, and I must admit I kind of liked it! However, it didn't help the fact that I still had to use the bathroom, but I refused to use the port-a-potty. I didn't want to mess with my drenched wet suit in a dark port-a-potty. I couldn't afford to lose anymore time on my run. Looking back now, choosing to not take a bathroom break was probably my worst decision.

I still grumble when I think of this run. It just irritates me to no end.

In comparison to July's Prairie Rose Triathlon - 3.1 miles - 34:00 (approximately) - 10:58/mi- not as good! GRR. However, I believe that the last tri 5K was shorter than they said it was, but there's nothing I can do about that.



After thoughts:
Given all the ups and downs before and during the race, I look back and can still say that I was very happy I did this race and look forward to doing it again next year. It was organized really well.

We had our wonderful Sherpa in tow, wearing his Sherpa shirt that we made for him personally. Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, we didn't get as many pictures as last time. But, he was still a great sport and supporter. Plus, I think he secretly really enjoys his roll as Sherpa!

We didn't stick around for awards afterwards. It was going to be a while to wait for them, and I am pretty sure I didn't win anything. It started to down pour again and we wanted to get out of our wet clothes. Plus, we were excited to do grab beer and pizza at one of the best pizza places in the lakes area.... Zorbaz!

One of the things that I really want to remember for next time is where to set up transition. When I went in before the race I was overwhelmed with all the racks and couldn't remember what I needed to remember when it comes to transition areas. But, looking back, I would like to think it would be smarter to set up transition closer to the bike entrance. This way, I wouldn't have to run/walk as far with my clipless shoes on. That is not very fun or comfortable.

I would also like take better note of where I am coming in and going out for each transition, as well as where the timing mats are placed. We walked through prior to race, but it was so overwhelming and I guess I didn't take it all in!

Overall, I am not very sore today. Good thing. My neck and shoulders are a bit tight, as well as my right calf but for all given reasons. I was riding with my shoulders pretty high during the bike, and I am sure my calf was overcompensating for my knee on the run. I did do a lot of stretching, yoga moves, and foam rolling yesterday afternoon. I should have iced my knee but I just wasn't thinking clearly. I need to get a massage in this week. I meant to call and schedule one last week for tomorrow, but kept putting it off and forgetting. Now I am kicking myself in the butt for that!


Here's the official resuts from the race website:
bib number: 355
age: 28
gender: F
location: Fargo, ND
overall place: 189 out of 215
division place: 34 out of 41
gender place: 89 out of 111
time: 1:39:32
swim: 9:09
trn1: 3:52
bike: 46:07
trn2: 2:33
run: 37:52

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The next post will consist of some revisions and more thoughts I have on training and what-not. I was going to post that in this post, but I am afraid I have gotten rather lengthly on this race post as it is. Thanks again for all of your support, encouragement and well wishes! I couldn't have done this without all of you out there!

First Triathlon... completed!

Prairie Rose State Games Triathlon
July 11, 2009
Distances:
Swim - 1000M
Bike - 12.4 miles
Run - 3.1 miles

Background:

The Prairie Rose State Games is a multi-sport festival for amateur athletes in North Dakota. The games encourage participation for all ages and skill levels participating in 28 events. The games take place yearly and alternate between 4 locations; Bismarck, Fargo, Minot, and Grand Forks. This year, it was anticipated to have over 4000 athletes and their families participating in Grand Forks.

The mission of the Prairie Rose State Games is to foster amateur sports competition within the State of North Dakota by providing multi-sport educational programs to promote knowledge of physical fitness and sports, improve sportsman like competition and provide participation opportunity and recognition for amateur athletes and the general public.

The Day Before:

I wasn't doing this race on my own. Jill (a friend of mine whom I have been doing a lot of training with as well) and I, were doing this one together! Her BF was going to be our Tri Sherpa. I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into!

We left Fargo early Friday afternoon, making the 1 hour trip north to Grand Forks. Most of the sports were taking place within Grand Forks, but our triathlon was taking place at the Larimore Park, just 30 miles or so west of Grand Forks. We wanted to get up there early enough to check out the location and mentally prepare ourselves for the race.

When we got to the park, nothing was set up and the person that was working at the time knew little about the race. We were able to look at a couple maps for the bike and run, but still were unsure exactly as to where the swim was going to start and how it was going to look. This caused a bit more anxiety... but not enough to ruin my appetite.

We headed back to Grand Forks and grabbed a bite to eat at one of my favorite pubs, Bonzers. The turkey sandwich and Bud Light Scooner with olives sure hit the spot. Being there brought back many fun college memories!


Afterwards, we headed back to my Aunt's house and ended up watching the replay of Stage 7 of the Tour de France.... climbing through The Pyrenees. Little did we know, watching this was going to be great motivation for the next morning.

I was showered and in bed by 10pm. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep from the time my head hit the pillow. But, I did wake at 3am and tossed and turned until 445 when my alarm went off.


Pre-race:

Alarm went off at 445 and I felt pretty rested. Our plan was to leave the house by 530 and I felt like I was running in circles with getting things ready, not knowing exactly how to use my time wisely. I did choke down a piece of peanut butter toast and half a banana, barely. I drank a glass of water and proceeded to fill my water bottles. I had one bottle with water, and another with G2 watered down. I also took along my nalgene bottle filled to the top with ice and then some water. I didn't want to be short, and you never know what the race is going to provide. Bags were packed and we were ready to hit the road. Remember, it was a 30 minute drive to the location of the race. It was 49 degrees when we left.... brr.

We got there by 615 and were one of the first ones to show up. We checked in, got our body marking done, and I asked for a smiley face on my right calf... kind of a shout out to another great triathlete blogger, Steve!

From there we took the time to set up our transition, arranging and re-arranging.

There were about 50 others participating in this event. We actually got to talking to another lady that looked familiar, and it turned out she is on the swim team with us. Then, it was the waiting game. I was ready to get this show on the road! At 700, a half hour before the race started, I took my Triberry Gu and drank 8oz of water. At 725 they gathered us in and discussed some of the rules. Before we knew it, it's was go time! It had warmed up to about 55 degrees by this time.

The Swim:
1000M - out and back
31:00
3:06/100M

Prior to this race, I have been participating on the adult swim team for the past 5 weeks. I felt pretty strong in this area, having done drills twice as long as this distance at practice. At 730 exactly, they did a 10 second countdown we were off. The swim was out and back, with two buoys, one as a marker, and the second as the turn-around point. We were swimming directly into the rising sun. We found out later, that many of us started to drift too far to the right, which didn't surprise me at all.

The water temperature was decent. Not much warmer than the outdoor pool temp. But, It didn't take long before I started feeling overwhelmed with the swim; leading quickly into a full-on panic attack. I began to hyperventilate and before I knew it, I had to roll over onto my back. It took everything in me to concentrate on taking deep breaths and getting my breathing back to normal, or somewhat normal. When I did, I couldn't for the life of my swim with my head under the water. I couldn't see 2 inches in front of me, as the water was full of algae and weeds. It was horrible.

Only about 200M in and I was ready to call it quits. It was horrible. But, I had to keep reminding myself to calm down, and just do the swim, even if I had to roll over every so often to catch my breath. About 500M in, I started to feel like I was getting in a grove, but I was still struggling with putting my face completely under water.
My overall time in the water, 31 minutes, was a huge disappointment for me. It was almost 10 minutes longer than I was hoping for. But, quitting would have been a bigger disappointment. I still had the bike and run to do, so I had to focus on that.

(picture taken after triathlon)

T1:

(Approximately 2-3 minutes)

I felt that this transition went pretty smooth. Going with the one-piece trisuit was probably the best idea I had for this race. I attempted to use my shammy to dry off as much as possible, but a lot of water from the suit had dripped down my legs, causing my socks to get pretty wet.


The Bike:
12.4 miles
52:40
14.13mph
When I got on the bike, I was still pretty shook-up from the swim. I had a hard time getting my balance and getting on my bike. And it didn't help that we had to climb that nasty hill to get out of the park.

The first 10-15 minutes I was just trying to take in a lot of fluids and get my heart rate back down. I am pretty sure I was going only about 10-11mph during this time.

About 20 minutes in, I started to feel more comfortable and was ready to increase my speed. There were a few hills we had to climb, but coming back down them sure helped with my average speed. One hill I noticed I was going 34mph on the way down. Unfortunately, the last hill was super brutal, and it didn't help that this was the same hill we had to run down and back up again as part of the 5K.

However, going down a big hill, I lost my Gu that was taped to my bike. But, Jill was kind enough to share hers with me when we had about a mile left of the bike. It was at this point in the race that I was actually starting to feel hungry, like for real food.

I was pretty pleased with my overall bike time, but was hoping for a little bit faster. Next time!


T2:

(Approximately another 2-3 minutes)

The race director was yelling at me to get off my bike before passing a certain line, but that certain line was at the bottom of a very steep hill. Besides the fact that I had to dodge a big truck pulling a boat, I was thankful to be able to get off the bike in one piece. I didn't care what she was yelling. I kicked off my cycling shoes, grabbed my running shoes and visor and was on my way.


The Run:
3.1 miles
34:00 (approximately)
10:58/mile avg.

Once again we had to climb that hill to get out of the park. My legs felt pretty good transitioning from the bike to the run. I stayed with Jill, and we ran most of the way, only walking a couple times. Like I said, there were a couple nasty hills that we had to not only climb up, but go back down.

Our Sherpa, who did a wonderful job taking pictures actually ran the last 1/2 mile or so with us. What a great sport, huh?!

Surprisingly, this felt like my strongest area of the race. I don't know if it had to do with the fact that I was almost finished and ecstatic, or if I was just really ready for it. Best of all, there were no knee issues, what-so-ever!


After thoughts:

I was so happy to be finished when all was said in done. Good thing we packed a banana for after the race because there was no after race fuel to be found! We stuck around for awards. I know that there wasn't that many people participating, but I did end up taking 4th in my age division! Jill took 2nd in hers!

I feel like I did a pretty good job with nutrition before, during, and after the race. I wasn't very sore expect for some minor tightness in my left calf.

During our run, Jill and I decided to sign up for our next triathlon: The Detroit Lakes Sprint Triathlon, August 15, 2009! Only 5 weeks away! Time to get to business and do some better training in the next 5 weeks!

Ramblings of a Triathlete

Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon
Maple Grove, MN - 3/30/08

In the past few weeks I have battled not only a nasty cold but severe allergies and flu-like symptoms; all hindering not only my motivation but my drive as well. Both left me feeling constantly tired and weak. I was juggling not only this triathlon training but trying to build long runs for my half marathon training. I averaged maybe 1 swim session and possibly 2 bike sessions each week in March. I wasn't sure if I was ready, both mentally and physically. There is nothing worse than not feeling ready prior to participating in something you have never done before. Luckily, I wasn't doing this race alone. I was fortunate enough to not only participate in my first triathlon with someone I know, but I was able to do some training with her as well. I think we both enjoyed being able to do our first triathlon together.

We headed to the Twin Cities area on Friday immediately after school. Upon arriving in Chanhassen, where my sister and brother-in-law live, we were greeted with not only them and a couple friends, but with a wonderful home-cooked meal! We enjoyed grilled chicken, salad, twice baked potatoes and possibly a few glasses of wine ... as well as sharing stories and playing a crazy game or two of Catch Phrase.

Sis, Bro-in-law, muah

I was still struggling with my allergies, which I felt was possibly turning into more of a head cold. I went to bed at a reasonable time, only to be awoken by my sister hovering over my bed, asking if I would like to join her for a 60 minute spin class. God, that was one of the hardest decisions of my life... rest so I feel good for my tri, or get up and enjoy a good spin session at Lifetime. Unfortunately I chose the rest and slept another 2 hours. The afternoon was filled with some mild shopping, relaxing with a movie, and then a nice dinner at the Macaroni Grill... and drawing on the table. I loved my meal, but enjoyed sharing dessert with my sister more... Tiramisu.
Saturday evening was spent unpacking and repacking for the tri. I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed. It was after 10 when I crawled into bed, only to lay there for almost an hour before falling asleep. 6:30am came very fast, but I was thankful that I was participating in Wave 8, starting at 9am, rather than Wave 1 that started at 6:40am. We grabbed a light breakfast of yogurt. That was all I was able to stomach at the time. I guess you could say the nerves were really starting to kick in. We were dressed and packed, ready to go at 7:15. We took off, heading to Maple Grove, which was about a half hour drive from my sis' place. We only needed to be there 30-45 minutes ahead of time so we were more than early. But, I was okay with that.

Upon arriving, my nerves began to disappear. However, we had plenty of time to kill and little to do. So I spent about 40 minutes hanging out in the locker room listening to music. Before we knew it, it was 10 to 9 and we were heading to the pool.

The Swim: 10 minutes
There were 10 people per Wave. My friend and I were in the same Wave, and luckily we were able to choose a lane to share. We were given swim caps, I was wearing blue, and she was wearing lime green. This was to help the person at the end of our lane keep track of our lengths. We were given a couple minutes to swim a bit and warm up. That was nice. The lady in charge told us she was going to blow her whistle at the 5 minute marker 3 times letting us know we were half way done. Then she would blow it when 1 minute was left; informing us to kick it up a notch. I was just afraid I wasn't going to hear any of the whistles.

Just like running, I had to remind myself to not take off too fast too soon. Thankfully, both people on either side of me were going at a reasonable pace and I did my best to keep up with them. By the time I heard the 5 minute marker whistle blow, I lost count of my lengths and just focused on swimming the 10 minutes. Then, all of a sudden the 1 minute marker went off and I booked it, getting in another length and a half!

Transition 1: 10 minutes
We had 10 minutes to get out of the pool, grab our towels, hear from the lane lady how many lengths we did, and book it to the locker room to change. Nothing like trying to hurry out of a wet suit and back in to dry clothes.

The bike: 30 minutes
Getting situated on the spin bike was the worst. They are a little different from our bikes at the Y and I felt like I just couldn't get things situated right. My seat felt as if it was too far forward, thus, it felt like I was sitting funny on the seat. The tension on the bike was fixed, and I felt as if it was a bit more tighter than I expected. My legs felt a little weak about halfway through and I was afraid to push it too hard. I didn't want the transition to the bike to be too difficult. But, 30 minutes went by pretty fast.

Transition 2: 5 minutes
This was the shortest of the transitions, but felt the longest. There's nothing like rushing to the treadmills, to just stand there and wait a few minutes. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

The Run: 20 minutes
I have been running, consistently, for almost 2 years now. This was supposed to be my easiest leg of the triathlon. I was ready for this. Wasn't I? As much as I wanted to start out at a reasonable pace, I new that I only had 20 minutes and that is not much time... for a slow runner. Not too long into the run and I had to take a walk break. I was extremely hot and felt nauseous. I couldn't get myself to cool down. I didn't have that problem on the bike because we had fans blowing on us. Not the case on the treadmill. I was just so damn hot. I had to take a lot more walk breaks than I ever anticipated. But, I finished, and I didn't pass out.

We left the treadmills and headed straight for our complimentary smoothies and bananas. Delish. They were also offering chair massages but I was too hungry to sit around and wait in line for one. I was impressed with how well things were set up and how smoothly things went. The volunteers working the triathlon were great and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable. Anyone who is looking to do their first triathlon, I highly recommend trying one at one of the Lifetime Fitness locations. I am so ready to do another one!

I knew my individual results when I left the gym that day. I didn't know my ranking in comparison to the other participants, but I don't think that I needed to know that. I had goals set in mind, and even though I didn't meet them to a T, I am pleased with my accomplishments. I had worked hard for this. I look forward to doing better and finishing stronger next time. There will be a next time! Fo Sho! I want to say thanks to all you wonderful supporters (both family and friends) out there who read and comment on my blog! You have been quite the inspiration! Love it!

The Results

Swim: 17.5 lengths
Bike: 11.4 miles
Run: 1.55 miles

...my drawing at the Macaroni Grill...