Off to The Races

I waited a little longer to get started into the racing scene this year, but the racing hasn't really stopped since it started - 4 straight weeks in a row.  It'll be nice to do a little training next weekend.  The season started with my first ever trail race which was soon followed by some road races and team competition.  Time and time again this year it seem's I've been reminded of the wonderful weather that I'm missing in Georgia.  Every time it seems to warm up no sooner do we get hit with some wintry mix.  I can't say the weather has helped me get out the door and get down to training, hoping this helps come mid summer as I was starting to feel a bit burned out last year with starting my training in January.   The 4 races this so far this year have had some ups and downs, learning points and frustration points but all and all I can't be unhappy with it.

How has your 2013 season started off?

This year kicked off with a 5.5 mile Backyard Burn at Hemlock Overlook in Virginia.  I started running some trails late in 2012 but often get frustrated with the slower pace and started running sans watch and just hitting the trails for good times with friends.  I surprised myself at the BYB with a podium finish and learning a whole lot about trail running races.  When they say single track, they really mean single track.  If someone mentions they aren't very good at running downhill, they really probably are not very good at running downhill.  So far this year I've continually gone out on runs too hard, too fast so I told myself I wouldn't do that at BYB.  That left me stuck behind quite the group on some tough single track near the beginning of the course.  As the group spread out and some climbing started I was able to pass some people and finally get into a rhythm around mile 3.  Overall it was a fun race with a podium finish, 3rd in the 20-29 age group.  I'll definitely do some more early and late season trail racing in the future.

The week after BYB was St. Patrick's Day 8k here in DC.  I've run this course once, in December 2011 and had one of my best races ever on it.  I was looking forward to a chance to get yet another PR on this course and see all the craziness St. Patrick's Day themed runs seem to bring about.  I didn't use my Garmin at all -- I took off WAY to hard and fizzled out quite quickly.  By way too hard my first mile was about 1 min faster than goal race pace :/ whoops.  It was a great day with some warm weather followed by a great brunch.  No PR for me, but overall not a horrible day and a lesson learned in pacing.

Did you do any new/different races to kick off the season?

Just 5 short days later was my first long test of the season.  The Rock and Roll USA 1/2 Marathon.  I've only run 2 other free standing 1/2 marathons previously - the Publix Georgia 1/2 in 2011 and 2012 over the same weekend in March.  In 2011 I was happy with my result - it wasn't fantastic but it was under 2 hours and that was my goal.  2012 was a bit disappointing as it was within a minute of the same time as 2011, but my racing strategy was pretty horrible - I went out hard and tried to see how long I could hold on.  Not a great idea on the hills of Atlanta.  I had learned my lesson for 2013 at previous 1/2 marathons and the 8k the weekend before.  I picked a goal pace and tried to stick with it.  I was a little faster than goal pace for the first 10k of the run and slowed down a bit around mile 10 before picking it up again for the finish.  I PR'd my 1/2 marathon by more than 5 minutes ( I can't be too unhappy with that) but my "1/2 marathon" PR remains as my first 1/2 of the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon - I would like to smash that...someday soon.  Looking at the results and where I am at this time of year I should be happy and ahead of where I was this time last year, but I'm still lacking the speed I feel I had when I was still playing college soccer.


Are you having any early season struggle/frustrations?

This weekend was Tri Mania in DC and we had some friendly team competition - a trail-ish 5k and a computrainer 10k.  It was fun, I was sore from a brick the previous day and there was some tough and strong competition.  It was a good atmosphere to pick up some more motivation for the season and check out the local tri scene - but really I can only take so much tri talk and spandex in a short amount of time.

I've been looking at training plans and considering coaching options - as doing a lot of training (too much at times last year) and pure grit have seemed to hit a plateau.  As the weather warms and I'm able to get outside more I'm going to lock down a more normal training schedule and hopefully work smart - and hard :)

One Last Tri: Rec Deeds for Special Needs

The tri season ended with my only true sprint triathlon of the season on October.  A small and very well put together race outside of Baltimore.  Proceeds benefited Recreation Deeds for Special Needs, a non-profit Friends and Family organization established to provide camp scholarships, adaptive equipment, training and volunteer support to people with disabilities.

Rec Deeds was the day after the grueling Osprey Triathlon.  Luckily Osprey hadn't taken too much out of me and I felt pretty fresh going into this race.  The small venue and great volunteers/staff made this race one to put in the books again.

Pre-Race

Adam and I got some prime parking about 100 yards from transition - but really there's not a bad parking spot in the park.  We quickly picked up our packets and got our bib numbers.  We didn't have to deal with any helmet or bike numbers so setup didn't take too long.  Bike racking was first come first served.  We both got pretty good racking spots near the end of rows considering we weren't super early.  After setting up transition we got into our wetsuits and headed to the Chesapeake Bay for a warm up swim.  Not so fast, that water was freezing!  There was no way I was going to swim and then get out for 15 minutes until I started the race.  I opted for some knee deep wading and tried to stay warm.

THE SWIM - 400yd - 9:03

The men started the race 4 minutes before the women.  As I stood on the beach watching and cheering I could see the men mostly running through the water.  A few would take a couple stokes but then quickly revert back to the water run.  Then one guy stands up and yells, "shit it's cold!"  Yes, that was Adam, I knew it and then and he admitted to it later.  Great thanks for the warning, but it can't really be that bad.

Soon enough it was the ladies turn to enter the water.  The gun fired and we were off.  I ran into the water, attempted to dolphin dive a couple times and completely lost my breath.  The water was ridiculously cold!  My original swim plan was to go all out for 400yds - new swim plan was to take it easy and breathe.  My goggles soon fogged up and I couldn't see where I was going.  I followed the mass in front of me and prayed they stayed on course.  Soon enough we made a turn, followed by another and I saw the beach straight ahead.  I couldn't have been more relieved.

T1 - 1:24

I exited the water as I began removing my wetsuit.  Once at my bike I pulled the wetsuit off, slid on arm warmers, helmet and bike shoes and took off.  Little did I know I passed most of the women in transition.

THE BIKE - 12 miles - 33:22
 
I started out slow on the bike.  I was trying to pull up my arm warmers to keep me warm for the 12 mile ride.  Once the arm warmers were up and in place I started to drop the hammer.  My legs were freezing and what felt like dropping the hammer really wasn't all that fast.  I caught a couple women early on in the bike and  chicked more dudes than I could count.  I saw Adam once going the other direction - that was exciting, but I knew at that point there would be no catching him.  The bike course was mostly flat with some rollers through a neighborhood.  I continued to push through the bike, passing as many people as I could.  I passed the 1st place female as we headed into transition.  

T2 - 0:44

I knew I needed to get out of T2 before the other girl if I wanted to stand a chance.  I'd rather her chase me than the other way around.  We eyed each other down as we both ran toward the exit of transition.

THE RUN - 5k - 23:46

Well she was a speed demon - passed me about 1/4 mile into the run and completely dropped me by mile 1.  I knew at that point I just needed to run my own race.  I saw her on a couple of the small out and backs and she wasn't too far ahead, but I wasn't making up any ground either.  The cool weather seemed perfect for the run once the feeling returned to my toes.  The run was a simple out and back.  I saw Adam with less than a 1/2 mile to go running toward me.  I could finally feel my toes and I think I was running slightly downhill.  I felt great!  He pushed me in to the small but festive finish line.  

OVERALL FINISH TIME - 1:08:20 - 2nd Overall Female



POST RACE

We quickly put on warm clothes and then packed up our transition areas as others finished.  This race brought our a lot of newbies and it was great to see their excitement as they came across the finish line.  We had some snacks and cheered everyone on before the awards started.  At a race this small you can figure it out but on the course but it was still exciting.  We both got plaques for 2nd Place Overall (Male and Female).

Since the race was short and we had a hotel nearby from the night before we were able to head back and shower before going out to walk around Baltimore for the afternoon.  It was one for the first afternoons that we were able to just hang out and not have to worry about being anywhere or doing anything at a certain time.  We checked out the inner harbor, watched the Ravens from an outdoor bar on the water, and had some delicious gelato before heading back to DC.

Adam getting his plaque - the only pic I have from the race.

RACE THOUGHTS

I would/will go back to this race if it fits into my schedule.  It was well organized and proceeds went to a good cause.  The water and weather conditions were not ideal for any PRs but I think with some smarted decisions and preparation I could improve my times in all 3 disciplines of this race.  Here's to hoping it fits into the 2013 schedule!

The Future Is Bright

"Call the man

Who deals in love beyond repair

He can heal the world

Of hearts in need of care

Shine a light ahead

When the next step is unclear

Call the man

He's needed here "

July 27th, 2011 was the day my dad was struck while riding his bike by a driver looking in his backseat.  I still can't believe I stood in a funeral home over a year ago at my own dad's funeral - - I was supposed to be home in just 1 week to spend a long weekend with him, he still has to see me race, see me graduate as a doctor, walk me down the aisle, and oh so much more.

Since that day I've had times when I've wanted to throw my arms up call my dad and know he'd have all the answers or know the right thing to say.  I've moved more than a few times in the past year - into a storage unit, down to Georgia, back to DC, to a new apartment in DC, etc.  In the past my dad has always been a huge helper when I've moved, whether into my first dorm or first apartment in DC he was there carrying mattresses and hanging curtains.  When I had to move my DC stuff into a storage unit I was overwhelmed.  It took 2 days of hauling car loads to the storage unit and then unloading the car and filling the storage unit.  I couldn't take it anymore, I had to finish so I would be ready to fly to Arizona the next day and be moved out of my apartment completely -- so I called on my dad to help me, to give me some energy to finish what seemed like in insurmountable task.

I've called on my dad many other times throughout the past year +.  One of those times being the last 2.2 miles of my Ironman.  The first 24 miles of the run I had energy, I had support, I had friends on the course.  As my energy drained and the finish line drew near I didn't want to walk.  I wanted to speed up, but 110 miles into a race, it's hard to just speed up.  At mile 24 my main run support headed to the finish line to be there when I came through - so I did the only thing I could think of at the time.  I asked my dad to carry me on Angelwings (the name of his sailboat) the last 2.2 miles. 

When the next step isn't clear and the tears come I know there will be a way.  As my dad said in an email the morning of the accident, "The Future Is Bright."  My mom has moved to Arizona for a year to go to film school - with of course the ultimate goal being to produce a film.  The film will be a documentary on safety for cyclists, distracted drivers, and most importantly saving lives.  The "Sorry mate, I didn't see you" excuse should not be plausible for taking a human life or severely injuring someone and it all to often is.  There is a long list of people who have been killed or severely injured while cycling and following the rules of the road - some were even targeted by the drivers.  Names you might recognize affected by this include:  Bradley Wiggins (2012 TdF Champion) - Hit November 2012, Sarah McLarty (Pro Triathlete) - Father killed 2011, Levi Leipenheimer (Pro Cyclist) - Hit, Bob Breedelove - Killed during RAAM.  This is only a small sampling of more notable people who have been in this type of accident.  This happens everyday all across America.  As driver's we all need to be more aware and share the road.  

In order to produce this documentary my mom is starting a fundraising project.  Below is a guest post from her and a link to the official fundraising page.  

End Distracted Driving Now-Save Lives!

My husband was killed July 27, 2011 by a distracted driver!

     Hello, My name is Judith Finneren.  My husband of almost 37 years was killed by a distracted driver July 27, 2011, while riding his bicycle.  We have 2 children, ages 25 and 30, whom I had to call the night the accident happened, and tell them what happened to their father.  I never want to hear that gut wrenching scream of pain from my daughters voice again and the dead silence of my son!

     My campaign is extremely important to me, so that not one other family has to experience the pain, loss and tragedy we did!  As I am creating this documentary film, I am also healing the pain of loss and helping to make the world a safer place for bicyclists.  As a contributor to my campaign, you will be part of helping my family heal the pain of loss, while increasing awareness and making the world a safer place for bicyclists.

     I need $5,000 to help produce this documentary film.  The money will be used to travel to various locations, such as Michigan, where the accident occurred, and Washington D.C. where several safe bike paths exist.  Interviews will take place with several organizations that work towards ending distracted driving and increasing bike safety.  Interviews with families of people killed while bicycling and injured bicyclists will be shown in the film.  I will need to pay a production crew with lights, camera and sound to travel.  Food, lodging and travel expenses would be funded by your contributions.  This film will touch your heart and soul!  It is a human interest story.  It is real.  It happened to my family.  

     If I do not reach my entire goal, the funds I do receive will help create the film anyway.  I may not be able to do all I want to in the film if all funds are not received, but it will still be created, produced, touch peoples lives and make a difference!  You may not be able to contribute financially and that is okay.  Please get the word out and share, make noise about this campaign-you will be touched and changed, and so will the world! 

Show your support and help make this dream a reality.