Bowl of Berries

It’s funny how things can change in a year.  With a full year of training and triathlons under my belt I was excited to see what I could do this year at the Triangle Triathlon.  A year of training, a year of confidence building, better gear and a better mindset.  I went into this race not scared of the swim, I knew I could do it.  The hills on the bike course are like second nature to me.  And on the run, I knew to expect the dead legs and the heat.  I told myself to put it all out there and see what I could do.  Though I may not have collapsed at the finish line I certainly feel like I made some major strides.

The day started with a 4:30am wake up call, breakfast of the usual bagel and iced coffee, Scottie packed the car…you know the usual routine. This race is notorious for terrible parking so we wanted to get there early to park inside the park. We also picked up Scottie’s Mom who drove in from Sanford and parked in satellite parking…she was a trooper and our #1 cheerleader!

We parked, took the “shuttle” to the race site and set up. I felt like transition set up was too easy. White Lake required a crap load of extra stuff and this was super simplified. I kept walking over to make sure I had everything, I need to just keep a list in my bag so as to not second guess myself.

Once we set up and got marked up, we walked to the swim start before most  of the other competitors did and got in a good warm up swim. I WAS going to have a good swim so I knew I needed to warm up. The water was like 90 degrees no lie! But super calm so I had no complaints. Got in a short swim then hit the porta potty for the last time before the waiting game began. Luckily I raced age group this year as opposed to novice so I was in wave 7 as opposed to 12 so the wait wasn’t as bad.

For the swim start I stayed near the back of my wave to kinda ease my way into the swim. I am still trying to determine the source of my past panic attacks so I wanted to get myself settled in before I really got going. Seemed to work. I started breathing on the right side then quickly switched to bilateral breathing when I started getting a weird pain in my chest, I think from taking really big breaths, changing the breathing really helped. This swim was over before I knew it and when I saw my estimated time I was super excited. I took like 7 minutes off my time from last year lol!

The run from the water to transition is seriously the longest run ever!!! I wish I would have timed that run. Got to the bike, rinsed the feet since they were covered in grass, threw on the socks and shoes and was off.

Once out of the park I immediately went into aero, the new saddle was awesome! I actually stayed aero as much as possible because sitting back on the Adamo is a bit rough on the butt bone but I think I need to just get used to it, nothing compared to the other pain I was having.

Last year since I was the last swim wave and with my slow ass swim I biked most of the race alone so it was pretty fun to ride with people. Even if it meant dealing with the old guys that were jackasses as usual. Hate that!  The 50+ men always start just after my age group so I always get passed by them, which is fine but they tend to be kinda rude about it.  I also got passed by a pack of 60 year old men climbing up a huge hill with an immediate turn at the top, that made things interesting.

The problem with this short distance is that I could never find a good spot to get water, I didn’t bring the aero bottle which I immediately regretted. I felt like I was in constant race mode and couldn’t fiddle with the bottles. I did get some gel in me with about 5 miles left which helped.

Overall I felt really great on the bike, there is always room for improvement but I am really happy with my progress.

I will mention they changed the course a bit, to keep up from riding on 55 too long they added one turn on a pretty desolate road, I didn’t mind this but I knew some people weren’t happy. Oh and I also almost got hit by a dump truck on Avent Ferry. There was zero police patrol on this one section and tons of traffic, I was trying to pass someone and this dump truck slams on his brakes, that would have hurt.

I was sorta discombobulated in T2 and took off a sock and didn’t mean to so had to put a wet sock back on, otherwise smooth sailing in the transition area.

The run was actually not as slow as I felt I took a big gulp of electrolytes at T2 to get some liquid in me, started running and immediately had a cramp in my side. Boo! Legs felt super heavy but I just trotted along to loosen up. Legs started feeling much better about .5 mile in but still had cramps. Took water at each station to help, I have found this annoying side stitch seems to be related to lack of hydration for me, so at least I know how to remedy it. At this point the clouds started to part and the sun was blazing. This run has very little shade for the most part so I was baking, luckily it is a short run! This is also a really gravely run course which means you really have to concentrate on your footing or you can easily twist an ankle.

Before I knew it someone said we were at mile 3 and almost done! I am so not used to running short distances, but I guess that’s a good thing mentally! I passed a girl in my age group but she passed me back with just a few yards left boo.  I didn’t make a difference as I ended up 13 out of 29, still in the top half!

I saw Scottie and his Mom at the finish but I needed water and sugar asap. Grabbed  hose water (bleck) and some pink lemonade. The lemonade was so good I downed another cup. I needed the sugar big time. I did find it weird that they didn’t have HEED or Gatorade at the finish or on the run. I found Scottie, his Mom and some friends then walked to get a fig newton and a peach, they had pizza this year but I wasn’t ready for that as well as some pork, I guess a new sponsor?

BTW- someone from the local paper was taking pictures and I snuck into one of the shots.

Overall I felt really good after this race. Last year I felt like I was going to pass out, this year I felt a bit woozy but the sugar helped instantly.  I cut 20 minutes off my time from last year and I would have to chop another 20 off to even get close to a podium spot in my age group.  Though after this race I may take a break from Setup events, I think they are getting lazy and starting to cut corners so I think next year I will focus on FS Series races or some races outside of the area.  We shall see!

Group shot post race!

This is what happens when I have to stay at work until 8:30pm:

Yeah uh, I don’t drink soda.  Like ever, well maybe if it’s mixed with some Crown Royal but really I don’t drink it.  It’s the High Fructose Corn Syrup thing and the fact that it was practically banned from anyone’s diet who ran high school cross country at Kempsville High School.  I just don’t drink it.

But I am going a bit stir crazy.  I have a client in Singapore and their 8am is my 8pm so I have to bite the bullet for the next month and have these calls later in the day, wait it’s practically nighttime!  Primetime TV starts at 8!  So the soda is keeping me sane and filling me up since it’s um…dinnertime too.  I am thankful the sun is still out, it would be very creepy to be alone in this large building.

The good news is that I broke up the long day with a lunchtime run at the gym.  No way in hell I am running at noon outside unless I want to seriously melt, it’s been in the 100’s here which means with humidity it’s like 150 degrees.  Welcome to the South!  Luckily the gym’s A/C system is finally working so I was able to run a pretty pleasant 4 miles.  I would LOVE to have run longer but I am tapering for a sprint tri this weekend, normally I wouldn’t think to taper much before a sprint but I kinda wanna rock this race.  I did this race last year with a 1986 road bike, little to no nutrition and a major fear of open water, let’s hope I can cut some time this year otherwise I will look pretty silly coming in at the back of the pack with my beautiful tri bike

Speaking of frivolous tri accessories purchases, I should have my new transition bag and tri shorts sitting on my front door step when I get home…or it should be otherwise Sports Basement will be on my S list for not delivering on time!  My thought is that I will be spending a decent amount of money the next year on travel and other training expenses related to the planned 2011 Ironman so I should buy stuff now to help spread out the cost…yeah that’s why I have 2 boxes and clif bars, close to 100 gel packets, and enough sports bras to delay laundry for 2 weeks.  That’s what I keep telling myself.

Seems it only took one strong week of training to really get me back into the game.

Only 2 weeks until Triangle so I have been working on speed.  Yesterday I was able t ride the course with some friends.  We biked there did the course and back for about 44 miles in total.  I should also mention I was with 3 guys, one being Scottie ofcourse.   All three are really great cyclists so I was nervous about holding them back but they stopped for me at turns so I could catch up. :)  But I was able to hang with them for a while and really push myself.  as I told our friend Bill, I won’t get any better unless I push myself and this is the best way to do that!

The goal of the day was not only to bike the course and remember where  the hills were but also to work on my aero position.  I tucked in more often (yey!) even on a few downhills (awesome!) but one thing I discovered is that my saddle sucks!  For me at least.  It just doesn’t work well when I ride in aero.  So I am looking for a new saddle.  Scottie has an Adamo Road saddle which I have sat on before and that seems to conform to me a bit better but he mentioned it being a bit wide.  I have also heard good things about the Cobb V-Flow Max saddle but I think I like the “openness” of the Adamo since the tip of the saddle seems to be what bothers me the most.  Not sure, maybe I should try both?

Then today I woke up and was out the door just after 8am to embark on a 10 mile run.  It was already 85 degrees but it felt much hotter thanks to the humidity!  I planned originally to do 14 miles but I thought it would be wiser to just do 10 and not sweat to death.  The run went really well considering I was a bit sore from yesterday but I think if anything the run loosened me up a bit.

The great thing about the early run is that I could really relax the rest of the day.  And what better way to relax then watch Ironman Coeur d’Alene on the computer All.Day.Long.  Our friends Jon and Janelle are racing so we are tracking their progress and watching the live stream.  I have such race envy!  I cant wait until people are tracking me during an Ironman

While watching the stream I also did a bit of shopping online; finally decided on a transition bag (the TYR bag in black and charcoal) also bought another pair of tri shorts, a bottle cage and some more running sock.  Hopefully all will be delivered before the race!  I also have another pair of Sauconys coming tomorrow, with two marathons on the calendar I will need them!

So as I sit here in a race shirt, with two Cervelos in the living room with a set of race wheels as “wall art” and an Ironman on TV I guess you could say triathlons are consuming me right now!  I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I have started increasing the number of days I run since looking at my marathon plan and realizing I would be running 5 days a week.   I currently run 3 days a week, 2 mid distance days of about 6 miles and one long run on the weekend.

This week I decided to add in some shorter runs, one brick run and a short fast run.  Wednesday I decided to pack up my running gear to run after work on the flat Morrisville roads.  There were some crazy storms that came through around 4:30 but luckily they cleared right up in time for the run.  Nice and muggy, though the air temp felt cooler.

I started slower, as usual, but then I started just pushing it as hard as I could.  I felt like I was back in high school running a cross country race!  I looked down to see a pace of 7:30!  Holy smokes!  Ofcourse I felt like I was going to die but I knew it was only temporary.  I turned around and headed back trying to keep the pace up.  My stomach started to revolt a bit but I just kept breathing steady and pumping my arms.  Sweat was dripping everywhere, I forgot my visor and sunglasses-grrr!

Then the Garmin beeped at 3 miles and I kicked it in race-style for the last .1.  I was so excited to look down and see this:

(That’s a 7:49 per mile pace )

Yes I wear my regular watch too and yes I have to wear a sweatband to keep the Garmin from rolling around…I have small bones And apparently I can’t take a clear picture.

I dried off a bit and stretched before making my way home.  I was going to run by a new yogurt place on the way home (Scottie was at an after work social) but I remembered I picked up this beauty from Southern Season:

That would be local, full fat chocolate milk…yes please!  Best recovery drink ever.  I only had about half though so I can savor it over a few days.

I am so pleased with my speed so far.  With Triangle just 2 weeks away I figured it is best to get some speedwork in since this is a sprint race…this may be harder for me then a long race!  I am such a slow and steady person, I really like longer distances because I can get in my groove and just settle and “enjoy the ride.”  But none of that!  I need to hammer is for Triangle and see what I can really do!

I know most people hate Mondays and for the most part I am one of those people.  But one thing I do love about Mondays is that it is a fresh start of sorts.   Back on track.  Last week I was a bit slack in the workout department and then my parents were in town this weekend which meant more food and booze then I am used to consuming in a 48 hour period (though always worth it!) So tomorrow I am back on track, healthy meals and regular workouts with INTENSITY!  I found myself kinda gliding through the workouts just to get them done but I don’t think I got much benefit from them, so this week, I gotta kick it up.

I have a sprint tri in 3 weeks. This marks the one year anniversary of my first tri.  Ok I actually did one a few weeks before but I really consider Triangle to be my first big tri.  So I really want to bring it!  I want to see how I compare on the same course one year later.  I know I have no problem doing the distance but I want to be FAST!

I am also 3 months away from my next half Ironman, Augusta 70.3.  This takes place on my birthday weekend so ofcourse I wanna be awesome!

After that it’s about 6 weeks until the Richmond Marathon and oh yeah I just signed up for the Shamrock marathon in March where I am trying to BQ (Boston Qualify.)  Yeah I have a lot of work to do.  But this is what I thrive off of.  I love a challange and I love creating and following a plan…yes I am a nerd like that…I love to train!

So Happy Monday!

-Cleaning out closets is one of the most cathartic things ever
-Dinner made by someone else is always better
-I am much happier getting up and out early to complete my workouts
-I am a sucky swimmer
-When riding full speed on a bike, keep your mouth closed, when a bug flies in and hits your tongue, it hurts like hell!

I have such a guilty conscience.  I feel guilty for missing a workout, guilty for missing a Sunday night call to my Mom and recently I started feeling guilty about….eating meat.  Something about driving to the beach two weekends in a row and passing chicken houses and smelling pig farms just totally turned me off to it.  I hate the way they are crammed into such tight quarters and don’t get me started on the way they are uh…handled.  I had dabbled with the idea of giving up meat and 2 weeks ago I decided, no more meat from animals with legs.

Ofcourse I really didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want it to be a big deal.  I would stick to fish, shrimp, tofu and beans. I think Scottie caught on when I cooked barbeque tofu for me and a pork chop for him one night (which I severely overcooked, not on purpose either.)

Then on the way back from the beach on Memorial Day I got the worst headache.  This headache lingered for a whole week.  I didn’t know what it was because I rarely get headaches but this thing could not go away.  I was popping advils like they were skittles and nothing was working.  Then Scottie had a heart to heart with me…ok actually he basically called me a dumbass for not eating meat.  With as much as I workout and as much as I weigh right now he essentially said I would wither away.  Then I realized, maybe I needed the meat in my life.  As guilty as I feel for eating it at times, I need it.  But I still love the animals!  I will stick to organic or local meat and that will ease my mind.

To celebrate, we had burgers for dinner last night and today the headache is gone

Did you celebrate today?

I sure did, 7 miles after work in the heavy humidity in 58 mins 11 seconds, that’s 8:18 min. mile pace….wooohooo!

I won’t leave you all in suspense any longer.

Sunday morning Scottie and I set out for a 50 mile ride around the island.  I was so excited to ride because I had a bike fit done Wednesday and got my new bike jersey on Friday

The sun was shining and quite warm but I was not going to let the impending heat deter us.  We turned right onto the main road and Scottie let me take the lead.  I think he was testing to see how fast I could go.  So I set the pace at 23 miles per hour.  I was loving it!  I hadn’t dropped down into aero because there were a  fair amount of cars going by and with the wind I wasn’t quite ready to settle in yet.

That was a good thing becase a mere 2.68 miles later a truck pulls out of a gas station, trying to take a left and drives about halfway into the lane I am riding in.  Now there is a shoulder on the road so I stayed in this lane the whole time but he had jut so far out I slammed on my brakes, screamed and swerved to miss becoming a hood ornament.  Again, I am so glad I wasn’t in aero or I would not have been able to react fast enough.  I hear Scottie’s brakes screech and feel him hit my back tire, I turn around to see him flying through the air.

I stop just past the car and fumble out of my pedals, just barely getting out before I topple over and then run behind the car to see Scottie laying on his back on the side of the car.  The traffic has already stopped and piled up and there is a group of cyclists gathered around.  The guy is still sitting in his car and I start cussing like a sailor, I looked at him straight in the eye as he pulled away.  Yep, the jackass didn’t even check to see if everyone was ok, he pulled away.  I wish I was in the right frame of mind to get his license plate but I was still in shock.

By the time I focused on Scottie again he had begun to get up and dust himself off.  His bike was in the bushes, water bottles covered in dirt and strewn on the ground , it was a scary sight.  Luckily there was a fire truck among the stopped traffic so they pulled over to check him out.  He had a bloody abrasion on his shoulder and a bunch of smaller scraps.  His head hit the ground but we couldn’t see that the helmet cracked, regardless it is still time for a new one now. The fire department asked if we wanted to file a report but without a license plate it wouldn’t do much good.

At this point I was still shaking and I started to feel nauseous.  He said he could ride back but I was in not shape to ride and I don’t think he was either.  So we called the beach house to have someone pick us up.

Needless to say, it could have been much worse.  I think Scottie has enough experience riding to know how to react to situations like this which is why he walked away without any major damage to himself or the bike.  The bike I should say just needs a new piece on the derailler and ofcourse a new helmet for the noggin.  Lots of lessons learned.

And if you want to read his account of it here ya go.

That’s what we have been  doing this weekend, bumming at the beach. The dogs love the beach and will therefore sleep for days afterwards yey!

I have much to write about but not much time, stay tuned for June’s training schedule, a new eating plan and oh yeah…a bit of a bike accident this weekend- everyone is ok though!