Belews Lake International Race Recap

I didn't think this race all the way through when I signed up.  I just knew I wanted to get some good open water racing experience in at least once this season before collegiate national championships.  I left Friday afternoon right after finishing my internship on the long drive to Greensboro, NC.  I am not positively sure spending 6 hours in the car 12 hours before your race starts is not a good plan, but I had to do what I had to do.  I treated my self to dinner at Olive Garden when I was about 30 minutes from my hotel.  Though the Garden was packed I sat myself at the bar and got served immediately.  I continued onto my hotel (affordable thanks to USAT discount) satisfied with my meal but feeling stiff car legs and beginning to have doubts about this idea.

SATURDAY AM PRE-RACE

I woke up at 5:00 had Red Berries with banana and almond milk before reloading up the car and heading out to the race site in Stokesdale, NC.  Once at the site I went through packet pick-up, chip pick-up, and TA set up before taking a few minutes to look over the maps of the race course.  I had been so busy completing my internship and all the paperwork to go with it during the week leading up to the race that I didn't have a chance to look over the course before hand.  A triangle swim, a two loop bike, and a Lollipop 2 loop run.  Interesting.  Elevation - I had no clue.  The air temperature was cold about 50* most of the morning so I spent a good amount of time just trying to stay warm.

THE SWIM - 33:40
With the unusual style of an open water time trial start I had to wait 33:40 into the race before I started the swim.  This means I stood in my wetsuit, barefoot, and cold for about 35 minutes.  I chose not to do a swim warm-up as I would have had to get out of the water at 7:50 and stand around soaking wet for 44 minutes.  The water temperature was 66* - warmer than the air which felt nice when first getting in but once into the swim it began to feel cold.  I started next to another lady - as 2 athletes began every 10 seconds.  I did not like the time trial start approach.  I felt like I was swimming by myself the entire time, well I kind of was. I did not have a pack to try and keep up with.  Just me and the open water.  My sighting for the first 800 m was good.  I stayed tight to the bouy's and wasted no time or energy going off course.  The last 700m is a different story.  The bouy's were not in a direct line to the finish so it was in one's best interest to sight the finish and swim a straight line to the finish rather than hug the bouy's.  I caught myself swimming off course 2x - basically perpendicular to the course.  This could be a reason for the dismal time but I know that I need to push myself in the water.  I have the fitness, I need to be comfortable with a strong effort and get my time down to 27ish mintues.  Nothing great but enough not to keep me off the podium as most races.  Had I hit even 29 minutes in this swim I would have podiumed.    Interesting that my swim took 33:40 and I started 33:40 into the race - I hope there wasn't a timing mishap.

T1 - 2:30
I chose to wear my wetsuit in this swim.  The westuit came off easily for the most part, except my right ankle. I had to sit down to get the darn thing off the right ankle - it had gotten all folded over itself as I was trying to pull it off apparently.  This was the first time I ever had to sit down.  Other than that transition went smoothly. No wetsuit and I could probably know 1:00 off this transition time.

THE BIKE - 27 miles - 1:20:41
Just a bit longer than your standard Olympic distance course.  I did not know what to expect with the bike course as I had no time to drive the course.  Well mounting the bike was on an incline and the course started with a steep short climb.  You then continued to climb a long and steady ascent for the first 5-7 miles.  I didn't like this either - it felt so slow and it was hard to get the legs going.  After getting the legs spinning I finally found my rhythm around mile 10.  The back side of the loop was some rolling hills but on back, gritty, rough pavement.  The time trial start and the two loop bike made it really hard to judge where you were in relation to the competition.  I chose not to put my magnet on my race wheel and try racing without knowing my pace. Never again.  I like to know.  On loop one during a speedy section a man passed me on the left and just as he let me know he was passing there was a pothole in front of me.  I couldn't go around the pothole thanks to the passer and going off road didn't sound great either so I took the pothole like a champ and said some silent prayers that everything stayed in working order.  During the 2nd loop I chose to participate in the water bottle hand off for some pre IM practice.  It went smoothly and I put a little more water in my aerobottle.  I only rode with 1/2 a bottle of Gu Brew in my X-wing and water in my aerobottle to decrease necessary weight.  This was my best event of the day.  Considering the course and all the other factors I am proud of the bike.

T2 - 1:25
T2 went smooth for the most part.  The bike racks that were used were midget sized and even my midget bike would not fit under the bar so re-racking was a little difficult.

THE RUN - 10k - 52:29
Considering the less than optimal lead up to this race and the course this time wasn't bad.  5th in my AG which surprised because I felt like I was sucking it up.  The course was very hilly, painfully hilly.  Long steady climbs, steep climbs, and an odd setup which mentally was not cool.  Each time you passed the turn around point you had to collect a little rubber bracelet.  No one ever really checked that you had received 2 of the bracelets - people could have easily cheated.  One a nice course and in an A race this time needs to be below 47:00, but I am fully confident that it will be.  The aid stations were stocked with water and heed at about every mile.  Knowing what mile you were on was not easy there were signs every where stating mile 2, 3, 4, 5 and some weird mile sign with duct tape on it at some point between mile 2 and 3.  That one through me off because I thought I was at mile 3 when I passed it, but then later I passed another mile 3 sign.  Who knows.  At least the last 1/2 mile was all down hill into the finishing chute.  That felt good.

FINISH TIME: 2:50:43

POST RACE THOUGHTS

My initial thought was "wow, that was absolutely horrible".  I took some time to look over everything and all in all it wasn't that bad.  The swim needs to be better, the bike was good, and the run is fine for now.  There were no steller run times - I'd say all about 4-5 minutes slower the optimal due to the course.  I missed the podium by less than 4 minutes in my first race the more competitive 25-29 age group.  I am going to work on my swimming every day this week leading up to Collegiate National Championships and at least get comfortable pushing myself and "racing" the 1500m swim instead of just swimming comfortably.  I compared my time to my Luray Intl time from last year and saw that I bested that time by about 4 minutes on a similar style and distance course (and I took 1st at Luray).  Though Luray's run was not as harsh.  I stuck around for awards and ate some recovery food before subjecting myself to a 5 hour drive.  I am looking forward to Collegiate National Championships.  It will be a good experience with great competition and an awesome course to see what I can do on.

 Triathlon Saturday.  Duathlon Sunday.  Marathon Monday.  I'm not partaking in the marathon but other than that what a weekend to kick off multisport season.

Did you have any races this weekend?  How did they go?

Setting up for Success

I have been reading, picking brains, preparing, and working on an Annual Training Plan for 2012.  I have had many people ask me whether or not I am going to get a coach.  I've given the idea minimal thought up until now. 2012 brings new challenges - the IM distance, a new age group, working full time, and a flat out new routine.  Change is great, but all these changes feel like they are coming down the pipeline in one follow swoop.  In January I will embark on my training season, I will begin my final internship of PT school, I will no longer be in the "baby" age group, and I will be moving to Georgia for a few months.  The question weighing on my mind now is would a coach offer stability and consistency throughout a crazy year or add to the craziness?

Growing up I've always had a coach, even more than one coach for soccer.  Club coach, ODP coach, school coach, trainer, etc and I am grateful for each and every coach I had from U6 through college.  When I dove into the world of triathlon it was an individual adventure and the thought of having a coach didn't cross my mind.  Triathlon was somewhere to focus my time and energy, an escape from the city, an escape from the school work, and a time to be a peace and feel in control.  Why until now have I thought that I could do this on my own?  I may be able to develop a great training plan, break barriers and push myself to achieve some of my goals but I know from experience I can perform better than I thought possible when I am in the right atmosphere.

As I have blogged about a bit before I am currently writing out an Annual Training Plan for 2012.  I have all my weekly hours decided upon and my 'Big Day's' scheduled.  The day by day workouts when left up to me could quickly plateau into what is comfortable.  I am trying to avoid feeling 'comfortable' with workouts and many other aspects of life.  Is progress really being made if you feel 'comfortable'?  Since the HIM and MCM I've continued to train - not at the same volume or intensity I was training at but I never took more than 1 solid day off.  I am a firm believer in active recovery, but I noticed that I was becoming run down mentally and physically.  This weekend I cut myself a break - I took off to NYC for 3 nights with a few good friends, had a ball, went for a swim, and mentally checked out of training mode.  The great company and fun adventure were a well needed break for the body, mind, and soul.  I knew I couldn't keep chuggin' away until January and expect to feel fresh just because it was the start of a new cycle,  I needed to set myself up for success.

While developing the training plan and completing multiple goal based assignments for school I have been able to really think about what I want from triathlon, my career and life in general.  I have had the opportunity to speak with those who have been where I want to be, those who are also taking the journey to where I want to be and those who just share the same passion for triathlon.  I have the opportunity in January to work for a clinic that could indeed be in my dream setting, I'll have the opportunity to work with other PT's that compete in triathlon, and good thing I'll have the opportunity to train in warm weather :).  As the dream, goal, and possibilities have flowed through my mind I contemplate the realistic-ness of them.  They say if there's a will there's a way, but is there a cieling that could end up in my way?  In my life outside of triathlon I've considered working full time, working part time, settling down soon or not, getting a dog or not among other thoughts.  All of these thoughts have led me to ponder the effectiveness of getting a coach and where I see my life in the next few years.

What would/should I look for in a coach?

I know right off the bat I would want to incorporate my goals into a working relationship with the coach.  I have an education in kinesiology and physical therapy so a knowledge base of performance is there.  I know without a doubt I would want the coach to get to know me and not throw a general workout at me.  I would want a coach to look at my past race results and training to see where I've come from and help me get to where I am going.  I would probably need a coach that would be patient and/or helpful in teaching me how to use some of the technology i.e. the Garmin +HR monitor that I've used about once, training peaks, etc.  I've trained by feel for the most part up until now.  I've made mistakes and learned from them - such as expecting myself to be better then next day than I was today every single time I train.  I would want a coach that share's the philosophy in developing weaknesses and making my strengths my strengths.  I would want a coach that is a teacher, not a dictator.  If I have the faith in someone to coach me, to help me achieve my dreams, then I want them to share there knowledge with me, work with me to break barriers.

Personal Barriers to Coaching
I also know from past experiences that I have to have a great amount of respect for the coach and need to feel as though the coach believes in me.  Some of my worst performances were when I felt like a coach did not believe in my skill but instead was playing me because they felt they had to.  This may have all been mental and me taking myself out of the game but nonetheless I know the best performances were when the coach recognized my abilities and appreciated them for what they were.  I know that when I don't have a good amount of respect for my coach I am less coachable.  I don't want to listen to people who haven't been when I want to be or at least gotten other athletes to where I want to be.  A window into my mind looks something like this, "if my bike splits are consistently better than yours, why should I listen to what you're saying, I am obviously doing this better than you."  I know this may not be right, there are many valid points to be made about technique, handling, tactics, etc even if I am faster.  So bottom line I would want a coach that has been or has produced athletes at the level I want to be at.

Pros of the Self-Coach Method
My training plan, is just that, my training plan.  Any alterations and adjustments are mine and mine alone.  I know that if I don't get where I want to be it is all on my shoulders, no fingers to point and no one else to blame.  I know my body and I know it well, no one else will feel how I feel after a training session or race no matter how well and how may adjectives I use to describe it.  Flat out, as far as I know, it's cheaper.  I can adjust my swim, bike, run workouts whenever and however I feel to fit into life.

Logistics of Finding a Coach

The most basic of problems - I have no clue where to start.  I am on a student loan budget - I'm not quite sure if this is good or bad, but it is what it is.  How does the triathlon coaching market work?  Do I find a coach in DC, do I find a coach in Georgia?  Does it matter where the coach lives?  How much could I expect to pay, what if I am not getting the results that we set up to achieve?  Would the coach be willing to take any responsibility for the lack of production?  How do I find a coach that wants to coach me - based on my past and my goals and doesn't just want another athlete to put in their file?  Will coaches drop you if you aren't performing up to par?

All of these questions and probably more, but a good start.  If you have any experience with finding a triathlon coach or are a coach yourself or support the self-coach method leave your 2 cents ;)  The best way to learn is to talk and listen to those who have gone through exactly what you are going through.  I know I haven't outright stated my goals, where I see myself in 4 years, etc.  If you really want to know send me a message.  In the meantime offer up any advice, good or bad, to help me set myself up for success.

Marry Me...

I am knee deep in a full marathon taper.   I’ve cut my mileage by 2/3 and am remaining aware that I am running to stay fresh and remain mentally in check for the big day.  I’ve yet to cut back on the amount of swimming or cycling I’ve been doing.  I will ride a bit on the trainer tomorrow and go to master’s swim tomorrow evening.  The question remains, do I go to master’s on Friday evening, where in the awesomeness that is Master’s swimming I will probably be forced to kick anywhere from 500-1000m.

How do you taper you cycling and swimming for marathons or ½ marathons?

Over the past year I’d like to think I’ve become quite good at tapering for the triathlon.  I didn’t do any real experiments to see if perhaps I could have done a little more or less and performed better but my method lead to some solid podium finishes and PRs throughout the entire season.  Tapering for only the run seems more difficult though.  I love my “me time” to workout and especially my swimming and cycling as it is a welcome break from running.  Over the past week I’ve realized taking a break from these activities is more difficult than I’d imagined.  I don’t like feeling like I’m sitting, being sedentary, or not doing anything.  Working out, whether it is on my own or with a group is one place where my mind feels at peace.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Since my dad’s passing I’ve raced 6 times.  5 of those 6 times I have finished on the podium.  I never would have expected such results at the beginning of the season but I run and I tri with Dad at every race now.  Do I feel pressure for the marathon?  Yes, a little, but that is all pressure I have put on myself.  I keep reminding myself that running is not “my sport” it’s only 1/3 of “my sport” and a whole different experience after crushing a 25 or 56 mile bike.

On Sunday, October 30^th I will run my first Marathon.  26.2 miles full of runners, fans, bands, supporters, and pure energy.  I will give everything I have and finish the marathon the best way I know how.  Thanking the heavens for the opportunity to run, for the strength to train, the guidance to stay on track, and the love and support of family and friends.   My soreness a sacrifice to my savior.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” –Pre

My main focus this year was triathlon - training and racing 70.3 as well as multiple Olympic Distance races.  I will run the Marine Corps marathon for the experience and for the confidence of knowing what 26.2 feels like.  I know 26.2 will feel completely different after a 112 mile bike but knowing I’ve been there before will help me through the training and racing of 140.6.  As daunting as the task seems I can’t wait to begin official training – that being said I still need an official training program. 

Do you have any suggestions or previous IronMan experience I should know about before I start to train?

Worrying takes away today’s strength, not tomorrow’s sorrows.

Giant Acorn International Race Recap

This was a somewhat local race to DC - allowing me to wait to the last minute to register and no need for a hotel or extensive travel plans.  The late start time even allowed for a normal amount of sleep the night before.  This race was 6 short days after Augusta 70.3.  I spent the time recovering my legs in hopes to be able to race and PR at the Giant Acorn.  The weeks training consisted of elliptical with almost no resistance and swimming.  By Wednesday I knew my legs would be able to race on Saturday so I registered online just in time before the race sold out.  I worked out a ride with some DC Tri friends and focused the last couple days on getting my legs and body as ready as it could possibly be.  I had set a goal of finishing Nation's under 2:30 but with the canceled swim my 1:56 was under 2:30 but missing the swim portion.  I am confident that I would have still finished under 2:30 but I wanted to prove it at Giant Acorn.

Race Morning
  After having the breakfast of champions, Special K Red Berries with frozen banana, my ride was soon to be here so I double checked my bag and headed outside.  I was lucky enough to have curbside pickup from the DC Tri crew.  We quickly loaded my bike on the roof rack, thank goodness because my bike is so tiny that it doesn't fit on all trunk racks, and hit the road for the Lake Anna Marina in Bumpass, VA.  It was overcast, slightly raining throughout the drive and cold.  I spent most of the drive mentally dealing with the fact that I was going to race in the cold air.  I came to the conclusion that the faster I biked and ran the sooner I could get out of the coldness and it would probably feel good during the run anyways.  Race start was at 10:00 so we planned on arriving at 9:00 to give ourselves in hour for packet pick-up, transition set-up and warm-up.

Pre Race
As planned we arrived around 9:00 with what we thought would be plenty of time to pull ourselves together.  We soon realized we were mistaken - either 90% of the athlete's arrived at 9:00am or the race was not prepared to handle packet pickup in the AM.  The line was out of control.  We waited in line for 40 minutes, transition closed at 9:45.  I had to run to the car get my bike and gear and set up transition in 5 minutes!  Yikes.  I was in go mode.  Luckliy it seems some athlete's decided not to show due to the cooler conditions so transition was not as packed as it might have been.  I created an organized mess around my bike before getting into my wetsuit.  As I got into my wetsuit I realized I had left my awesome red swim cap in the car.  No big deal I went back to packet pickup and got another red cap, much easier than heading to the car.  I got body marked, donned "DAD" (no time for black armband) on my left arm and took some deep breaths for a few minutes before the starting gun of the first wave.  As I took in the crowd and the course I noticed that there seemed to be an unusually large amount of females in my age group.  Come to find out it was the Collegiate Regional Championships.

THE SWIM - 1500m - 31:48
The water was choppy - I'm used to pretty flat water and there were a huge amount of people in my start wave.  I found myself a nice starting position toward the inside of the course in front of most of the crowd which may or may not have been a good decision.  I got pummeled the first 400m of the course - both by waves and other athletes.  Many athlete's were swimming off course and having difficulty sighting.  Definitely not a good race to draft unless you were keeping track of where you were headed.  The swim was hard, I battled waves and athlete's the entire distance.  Overall I was happy with my swim time, I expected worse given the conditions.  I will continue to get better at the swim.

T1 - 2:58
Not my fastest T1 time but I had to get the wetsuit off and deal with my organized mess when I got to my bike rack.

THE BIKE -   - 1:09:53
The air felt cold on the arms at first - now I know why people get arm warmers.  The rest of me was ok a little chilly but I warmed up quickly.  Shortly into the bike I went to take some water and realized that in my rush of the morning I had not dumped my water into my aero bottle while setting up in transition.  Luckily I had a bottle of Heed in my bottle cage and dumped that into the aero bottle.  At least I had Heed and PowerGels - I needed whatever I could get to push my legs to a PR.  The bike course was 2 loops of rolling hills.  It was fun - none of the climbs were outrageous and there were some long downhills.  The course never really felt crowded but was definitely much busier as I came around on my 2nd loop.  I took 3 gels during this bike to help prepare myself for the run.  I would have like to have a bit better bike time, my average speed was 21.34 MPH, looking for this to be about 22 MPH and above on flat courses.  My legs started to feel the previous weekend's 70.3 effort near the end of the ride.

T2 - 2:03
Nothing too exciting here, back to the organized mess.  Got into my run shoes and grabbed the race # belt before heading out to the run course.

THE RUN - 10 - 50:23
The run course was 2 loops of 3.1 miles.  I was not cold at all - the cooler air felt nice for a change.  It was on the run course that I saw the massive group of girls in my age group coming back towards me while I was heading out on loop 1.  I thought I had done well enough on the bike and positioned myself in front of those in my age group - little did I know the collegiate's were way out in front.  My legs were feeling tired so I just passed people 1 by 1 during the run to keep me mentally in the game.  I was realizing that I probably wouldn't break 2:30 but still could PR so I was pushing as much as I could.  I took advantage of water and Heed at every opportunity.  A small section of the run course was through a wooded trail and I loved it - trails always make me run faster!  The run was not close to my 10k PR but good enough considering my legs were pretty beat.

OVERALL - 2:37:02
A new International Distance PR for me.  I was happy with that but a bit disappointed about not breaking 2:30.  There will be many more chances and many more races more conducive to such a goal.  With the amount of girls who had finished in front of me I figured I probably didn't place.  I asked some of the timing people of the collegiate's were in the age group divisions or if they had their own division and was told they would be in the Age Group divisions.  I met up with the DC Tri crew, put on some warmer clothes and got back on the road.  Come to find out - I won my AG!  Wish I would have known at the race site but no big deal.

Post Race Thoughts
I don't like being rushed before the race, now I really am sure of this.  I will always be at races much too early rather than rushing around.  This seemed to be the most unorganized Set-Up events race I have done.  I was happy to finish the season with a PR - my body and mind were ready for a break.  My focus now shifts to the marathon that is only a couple of short weeks away.  I have been developing goals for next year, putting together the 2012 race schedule and seeking out Ironman Training plans.

The Italian Stallion

There is new member of the race team in town!  In previous posts I had mentioned how I was beginning to look at tri bikes and comparing the costs and specs of the bikes that might work for me.  My dad was my go to man for bike advice and compared the bikes I was considering and always put in his 2 cents - I'm not going to lie he seemed quite excited about the addition of a Tri Bike.

I had been considering a tri bike for a few months.  I wanted to seem improvements in my swimming and running before making the big purchase.  With my PR 10k at Stumpy Creek and my PR Swim at Rockett's Landing I felt good about getting a tri bike.  My intentions all along with the tri bike were to win more races, qualify for bigger races, and all in all improve.  Coming off the win in Luray I knew it was time for the tri bike.  The Trek 1000 had been good to me - even got me many top 2 bike splits and top 3 finishes this year, but with The Nation's Triathlon around the corner I felt ready to commit to a tri bike - yes it is a commitment, especially when you make $0.

Do you ride a tri bike or road bike?  If you have both how much time do you spend on each?

I have seen and heard such statements that a tri bike will help decrease your run time due to the different geometry and position of your legs, it's more aero, it's lighter, faster, better, etc.  I never realized how different they were than when I started test riding them.  I felt fast and efficient, I loved it.  I had also heard buying a tri bike is worse than buying a car - I'm still not sure if this is true but all of a sudden I loved 2 bikes and I couldn't decide which one to get.

After going out to Bonzai Sports with my brother after the infamous DC earthquake I settled on a bike.  The staff at Bonzai was great, super helpful, 0 pressure, and flexible.  In a previous blogpost I had mentioned that I had my eyes on the Women's Quintano Roo CD0.1 - I tried it out and even the small was a bit big for me.  I tried a few other bikes and it came down to the Felt B16 and the Cervelo P2.  The Cervelo P2 and the QR were both highly recommended by my dad - the Cervelo taking the top spot and QR up there because of the women's specific design.

INTROCUDING...

THE ITALIAN STALLION

And for those of you who know me make sure to pronounce it "I"talian because we all know I do, whether it's right or wrong.

I absolutely love this bike.  The staff at Bonzai were awesome and spent a little over 2 hours working with me during the fitting and adding accessories and such.  This bike is fast and awesome.  I love riding the Hains Point loop for hours on this bike, it really doesn't ever feel hard.

Where do you like to get in a good hard ride at?

My biggest concern for my bike right now is getting it to Augusta for the Augusta 70.3 in just over a week.  Currently my plan is to send it down with a DC Tri Club member who is planning on driving while I fly, but if anything changes I will be having to ship my bike which I am not to fond of or pack it up and take it on the plane with me.

How do you travel to races with your bike when you don't drive?  Any advice on packing/shipping?


Do you have anymore races coming up this year?  What are you training for?

Stumpy Creek International Race Recap

The Stumpy Creek International Tri was located in Mooresville, NC.   A good point between DC and Atlanta for Ryan and I to meet up - and for Ryan to get his first taste of an International Distance Tri!  The drive from DC to Mooresville was absolutely gorgeous along 81 and 77 and no traffic issues.  I am thankful I decided on this route in lieu of 95.  I hear 95 can be a mess during beach season.

Pre-Race: Friday Evening

A Saturday race meant a busy Friday - traveling, packet pickup, dinner, and getting everything together for the race in time for an early bed time.  Packet pick-up was not crowded at all and easy to find.  Ryan and I were a bit surprised that we couldn't see the water or transition from packet pick-up/finish-line.  Though, we were on pristine soccer fields, so I felt right at home :).   After getting our packets and scoping out transition we set out to find dinner.  I prefer simple Olive Garden with unruly amount of salad and pasta with marinara for pre-race dinners on the road.  No Olive Garden in the area so we found a local Italian joint which turned out to be quite good.  We stopped across the street at Dick's and picked up a bike rack for my car since I'd been needing one and then headed back to the hotel to get everything set for Saturday morning and get some rest.

Pre-Race: Saturday AM

Transition set and ready.  Treks hanging out.

Alarms went off rather early at 4:35 AM.  I had my usual breakfast of Special K Red Berried with banana and Almond Milk.  Got into race gear, loaded the bikes onto the car and set off for the race site - it was pouring rain!  We were determined to be early enough to have time to get in a warm-up swim.  Last month at Tri Latta parking was a hot mess and we ended up having just enough time to set everything up before transition closed - no time for a warm up.  We weren't going to let that happen again so we got to the race site super early!  We arrived around 5:45, luckily the rain had stopped, and started setting up transition, picking up timing chips and taking care of business.  Ryan and I were on the same bike rack, which was interesting.  The weather was....cold!  It was about 64 on race morning quite a shock since DC had been hovering close to 100 in the days leading up to the race.  The water temp was about 86 degrees so it felt very warm compared to the air.  We had more than enough time to get in a warm up swim.  This was good for Ryan - who's race started only 3 minutes after the first wave - at 7:03.  My race, on the other hand didn't start until 7:15, which meant I froze once I got out of the water and waited to get back in.

THE SWIM - 1500m

I was determined to do well in this.  My swim at Tri Latta was sub-par and I knew I was capable of better.  I took that energy to go better and put it into my swim at last weekend's training tri with the DC Tri Club.  I had had a great swim the weekend before this race and was hoping to ride the wave on into this race.  While waiting in the coral to enter the water I learned a few girls were college swimmers at Davidson and Columbia - great.  I bet they're better at swimming than a college soccer player...

I lined up on the inside just to the left of the buoy's, this start position workout out well.  I had a decent start, but I need to get more comfortable fighting through the first 100-200m instead of conceding to avoid being hit, kicked and swam over.  I was relaxed in the water and my breathing was going well.  I guess I was too relaxed though, because my final time was surprisingly horrible.  On a good note I did pass one of the college swimmers around 1200m, that's really the only good thing to come of this swim.  And the fire relit inside me to swim my butt off next weekend.  The final time was 3 minutes worse than my swim time at Nation's last year - and I know I am a better swimmer now than I was then.

Final Swim Time: 37:26

Beautiful Lake Norman.

T1

T1 went well.  I felt great running out of the water, understandably so because apparently I didn't push myself very hard during the swim.

T1 Time: 1:26

The Bike - 27 Miles

The course was adjusted a couple weeks prior to the race and turned out to be slightly longer than your average International Distance Tri course would be.  It was a fun course with many hills and little traffic.  I took 2 PowerGels on the ride and felt good the whole time.  My Trek Road bike holds up pretty well to the Tri Bikes - but I am looking to get on a Tri bike soon.  Gorgeous mountain and nature views on a pretty shaded course.  The weather stayed at an overcast 64 throughout the ride.  My legs felt strong throughout the ride.

Final Bike Time: 1:25:33

T2

A little snafu during T2 slowed me down a bit, so I woulda/shoulda been about 30 seconds faster.  As I was bringing my bike in to re-rack two bikes that had already been re-racked across from each other in my row were practically touching - ie not enough room to fit a person, let alone a bike through.  I proceeded to knock into the bikes as did a runner coming out of  T2.  After getting by we both stopped to pick up the bikes before continuing on.  Other than this snafu T2 went well.

Final T2 Time: 1:50

THE RUN - 10K

This bike has been on my mind.
  Any reviews, thoughts, advice?

By far the best part of this race and my race.  I set a a new PR for the 10K.  The course was a 2-loop hilly course.  The weather stayed at 64 and there was heed, water, and cold sponges along the run course.  I passed Ryan about 1/2 way through the run, around the same time Rascal Flatts was playing over the speakers which made me happy and probably run faster.  The 2-loop course allowed me to scope out the course and know where to push myself during the 2nd loop.  I concentrated on picking off people 1 by 1 during the run.  It worked to an extent.  At the end of the run I caught a glimpse of someone I recognized as being in my age group.  I kicked up my speed to try and catch her - I gained on her but ran out of room and I finished 18 seconds behind her.  

Final 10k Time: 48:34

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Every race offers a new insight to my training, my mentality and areas of improvement.  Mentally I think I am in a good place for the bike and the run.  I am able to push myself during these two disciplines and generally finish in the top 3 in my age group (I was 3rd in the bike and 2nd on the run for this race).  Yes, I once again lost this race in the swim.  I am not comfortable pushing myself in the water.  I can swim fast enough to achieve a respectable time - such as last weeks 7:48 400M at the Training Tri.  I know I have the endurance to swim hard for 30 minutes.,  It's time to put it all together.  Sunday, at Mid-Atlantic Club Championships/Rockett's Landing it well be better.  I think I've made some gains mentally in regards to the swim since Saturday.  I am proud of the run.  It will be hard to be this time next weekend with the weather predicted to be about 100.  I will build on it use it as a confidence booster.

Mooresville, NC

A great little town.  Nice movie theater where we saw Harry Potter 7.2 Saturday afternoon.  Relaxed at a dueling piano bar on Saturday night lakeside.  State park in the area as well.  We left mid-morning in Sunday to get back in time to prepare for our busy weeks.  I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a challenging International Distance event at an affordable price.  The post-race festivities weren't much to write home about but we had a good time.

On Another Note - I few have inquired about the ultimate goal in regards to triathlon.  Trust me I've got them, I will share/post soon about these.  Everything is coming together quite nicely.

"Those who think only sunshine brings happiness haven't learned to dance in the rain."

Training to Tri or Trying to Train?

Is the race you're hoping for the race you've been training for?

After the DC Tri Club Training Tri this morning I know I am on track for my upcoming races.  I can confidently say that with the addition of the my new swim workouts from the DC Tri Club I am specifically training to tri and not just trying to train.  I had realized after my first couple races that my swimming just wasn't coming along as I had planned.  After taking a day to blame everything and everyone else I took a look at what I was doing.  I realized that I wasn't challenging my body to meet new challenges and get faster.  I was comfortable getting in the pool every morning and doing the same workout I had done the previous week.  All too often we become comfortable in situations and stop pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones.

The training tri was a great opportunity to push myself outside my comfort zone.  A pool swim with time trial start allowed me to focus on my stroke, my breathing, and pushing myself throughout the entire swim.  The thrill of catching the person that started 15s ahead of me was motivation too.  With no pressure I had the opportunity to push myself in each discipline harder than I've really pushed myself before.  I wanted to see what I could do on the bike and see how my legs handled the run after a hard bike.  The training tri was sprint distance so I knew the pain wouldn't last too long and that my body should be able to go hard throughout the entire race.

I surprised myself and pushed myself beyond limits I wasn't expecting I could.  The motivation of having a group of 100 people training together for the same purpose and cheering and pushing you (whether they know it or not) is a great atmosphere.  At official races their is a similar atmosphere of camaraderie among triathletes but within it exists even more so.  Having the opportunity to meet so many  other triathletes in the area and exchange info so we can start training together was great.  After the race we had a barbecue, yes at 10am, but the conversation, food and friendships was great.  Hearing stories of how others began their multisport lifestyle and why they enjoy it, also hearing that other people are called "crazy" by friends and family is something everyone needs once in awhile.

If you have never trained with a group, even just every so often it can help take you from trying to train to training to tri.  Official word has come through that I got my final internship placement at PT Solutions in Acworth, GA at the Acworth East location.  I am most excited for this placement because they have a Multisport team, host clinics, and co-host a race series in Georgia.  The weather will be great for outdoor training in the "winter".  It will be hard to leave DC and the DC Tri Club and my "usual" routes but alas change is necessary to make us grow and push us out of our comfort zone.

Mne Nravit'sya Triatlon

Triathlon is more than swim, bike, run.  It's a way of life, a community of friends, and for some a full time job.  Washington DC triathlon took place this past weekend and featured a field of more than 3,000 competitors, from 433 cities, 43 states and 11 countries, including 41 professional triathletes.  A couple months ago I decided  not to race this weekend and instead volunteer for the race and use it as a chance to meet some awesome people. 

Left everything on the course...

I change my mind everyday, more like every minute, about joining the DC Tri Club or another multisport club in the area.  So I figured this would be a great chance to meet folks in the clubs and see what they have to say.  A few weeks ago I noticed DC Tri Club was liking for people willing to host a homestay for a Pro.  Sure, why not, I have a small apartment but it's conveniently close to the start line and transition area.  Pro's signed up and pro's dropped out and it looked as though I wouldn't be hosting.  Last week, admist my 1st week of full time clinicals at the hospital I received an email that another pro had signed up and was interested in a homestay.  So began my weekend.

Stanislav on the Run
DC Tri 2011

I was greeted by a young Russian athlete after work on Friday.  Stanislav Krylov is pretty awesome.  Stan, for short, if you're bad at Russian.  We were able to spend some time hanging out together, trying not to talk about tri's, but how could I not talk about it at all.  The best person to learn from is the person who has made it to where you want to be.  He of course thought the DC Metro system was easy compared to other subway systems and he was just fine getting around on his own, thank goodness because I was busy volunteering Saturday and Sunday for the race.  I may have worried once or twice that he got lost, but all was well.


Do you know how to speak Russian or any other foreign language?   

Volunteering on the Bike Course

Volunteering was awesome too.  I heart tri life.  I had the opportunity to meet and talk to DC Tri Club members, The Bike Rack multisport team members, 1st timers, old timers and everyone in between.  It's amazing seeing the opportunity that triathlon gives people to commit themselves to health and fitness.  I can't wait to be working in a clinic that sponsor's a multisport team and hosts triathlons for my 3rd internship.  It pretty much sounds like a dream job right now.  Saturday I spent some quality time writing on people with permanent marker while doing squats for about 4 hours - aka "Body Marking".  Sunday I was supposed to work the finish line but while walking along the course to get there I got called in to yell "Sharp Turn" to athletes on the bike course (and witness a couple over the handlebars crashes).  Besides losing my voice it was an awesome job because I got to stand on the course while everyone went by, including the pros.  




Did you race or volunteer this weekend?  How did it go?

Stanislav on the Bike

The DC Tri started the Pro race at 9:00 am - giving almost all the age groupers a chance to finish, clear the course and become spectators.  It was awesome seeing them race down America's Main Street toward the Capital and of course being able to see the ol' hostee (that'd be Stan) rock out.  He had come off a good performance at the Eagleman 70.3 the previous week and looking to take home some prize money this week as well as part of the 5i50 Series.


Triathlon can be more of a race against yourself than a race against your other competitor's.  You have to push through the pain, the soreness, and the tiredness of your last performance (especially if it was only 1 week before) and contend with other athletes.  May your best be better than his best.  Stanislav may not have had the race of his life, but it was very exciting to watch him and all the other pro's compete. The weekend was pretty much motivation to train hard, race hard, and oh yeah join a team/club.


Are you a member of a tri club/team?  What motivated you to join?

Stanislav Finishing

I was having a hard time accepting that I wasn't racing and almost signed up at the last minute for than a few times.  I'm so glad a watched from the outside, was able to volunteer and host.  I wouldn't have changed it for anything.  There are plenty of other races I will get to race in, and there's probably no need to get in the Potomac > 2x/year.  Hosting was awesome and I would do it again in a heart beat if I was asked.  I can only hope that the hostee is awesome and will teach me a new language, make dinner, not get lost, and race his a$$ off.  And oh yeah, teach me some joke meaning of triathlon...

Live Timing and a Race Repeat

Live Timing through SetUpEvents will be up and running for Tri Latta on Saturday morning!  Feel free to follow me as I keep my eye on the prize!  I will be really trying to improve my time from last year and get on the podium in my age group.  This is the 1st time I'll be doing a triathlon that I am familiar with the course, great things are yet to come!

Have you ever raced the same triathlon course 2x?  Did you feel like you had any advantage?

Ryan and I are meeting in NC this evening to relax and get read for the race.  What a great race-cation before starting my full-time clinicals.  Please follow our races on the SetUpEvents Website for Tri Latta.  Click on the Live Timing button on the right side of the page.  Follow Finneren and/or Gartin.  My race will start at 6:46 AM while Ryan's will start at 6:38 AM.

We've yet to place any bets on who finishes first or higher in their age group but I'm sure those will be placed tonight.  As competitive as we may get sometimes, it's all in fun and pushing each other to do better.

Do you have friendly competition with those close to you that you race with?

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Love this little Pup!  She's s/p Day 1 from ACL Surgery!

Breaking Barriers

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - Christopher Robin to Pooh

In order to achieve something we've never had we must be willing to do something we've never done.  I have been hitting new pace's in my races and targeting new distances in my long runs.  I have been improving in my speed work slightly week to week but last week I finished feeling like I knew that I was capable of more.  I had to remember that, yes, my legs and body are capable but I need to tell my mind that it's capable! 


Have you been breaking barriers in your training or in any other part of  your life?

Today was awesome, I destroyed barriers that my mind had set in front of me, both in the pool and on the track.  What a great feeling of confidence and accomplishment this gave me. Every new stride and every increase in a workout brings the Augusta 70.3 closer and closer to reality.  The anticipation is building and I am so excited to get tri season underway!  Break down new walls, set new PRs and hopefully place (win!) in my age group at a couple races. The schedule still needs to be completed for July and August, but I am confident that challenging, competitive, exciting races shall be added.


What race are you most looking forward to this season?

New wetsuit and a scary face!

Don't let your mind hold you back from pushing harder in your training.  Remember you are stronger than you seem!  Sometimes it takes another person running or swimming in the lane next to us to bring out out competitive edge and push the pace.  As my swim and run have been improving I really want to start improving my cycling - this is probably where my biggest mental block is.  I do not like riding into the wind, at all.  


Do you have any bike workouts or ideas to push yourself on the bike?

Proud.

What have you done today to make you feel proud?  Yes, I know cliche from Biggest Loser but I am 'erked' that it is no longer the theme song.  Who doesn't like being able to look back on their day and be proud of what they accomplished?  I saw a quote recently that I really liked.  "To go to bed with satisfaction, you have to wake up with determination."  So true.

Today was the day of the ever famous Cherry Blossom 10-miler in Washington, D.C.  Unbeknownset to many, this was my first 10-mile race.  So yes, of course I PR'd!  I also had multiple friends from school run, with a few of them PRing and my brother amazed us all turning in a time of 1:14:42.  I was also very proud of my PR of 1:24:13 - yes, this time was good enough to move me up a start wave for next year!  Thank goodness, with so many people this race is notorious for having a slow start.  The less people in front of me, the less-slow the start? I kept a solid pace the entire race.  I shouldn't knock the slow start, I think it help reign me in and keep my pace at 8:26/mile.  And I couldn't be happier for my wonderful friends who also completed the Cherry Blossom 10-miler - Jack, Sarah, Cristin, Ashley, Anique, Kim, and Mindy.

As I lined up to start the race I overheard the two women in front of me talking about how crazy their husband's are because they wake up every morning at 6 to run.  Of course following this came "Oh, he's just Crazy."  I though to myself, well the you'd think I'm crazy too - or better yet just read my Incredible Machine Post.  It's a satisfaction, something to be proud of when people say you're crazy for following your dreams.

The night before the race I found some motivation in watching the Spirit of The Marathon (free on Hulu) and A Shot at Glory: Triathlon Laura Bennet (also free on Hulu).  Both were pretty awesome and tell some great stories - and, yes, I am sure these athletes are also used to being called crazy.  I know a couple people who have recently decided to run marathons without training for them, at all.  Now, that I might call crazy.  Completing the marathon is something to be proud of, but not being able to walk at all for more than a week after?  Respecting your body and making healthy decisions - I'm not quite sure this fits the bill.  It may be mental for them and better if they have less time to think about the task at hand.  I'm not sure what the motivation is to do such a thing, but it's not something I would recommend.  Respect the Distance.

What have you done today, to make you feel proud?


Oh and P.S. - Tri Season is here!  Next Race = Kinetic Sprint Tri 5/15/11!

Have you ever run a race without training for it, if so how did it go?

Respect the Distance

'08 W-League
Michigan Hawks vs. Chicago Gaels

One of the most difficult things for me to remember is that not everyone has been an athlete their entire life.  Not everyone has a tried and true re cooperation plan for a mildly sprained ankle and most definitely not everyone  has had time for trial and error to see what works best for their body!

I have been blessed with having had all sorts of opportunities to see what works best for my body in terms of fitness, resting, peaking, injury, motivation, and recovery.  The methods I have come up with are what work best for me - and they may not work at all for you or anyone else, but you need to find what you can enjoy, accomplish and commit to for your body.

Do you have a training plan?  How often do you train?  Do you have any home remedies to common injuries?

I recently confirmed a few more races on my schedule and it has got me and a few others itching for racing season to hit us!  I'll be setting my sights on the ATL 1/2 Marathon (3/20), the Augusta 70.3 Half-Ironman (9/25), and the Marine Corps Marathon (10/30) to round out the season.  3 new distances = 3 new PR's!

Rest at the Beach with your dog!
East Tawas, MI

With these distance events as well as all the smaller races filling out my season I am well aware of the risk of an overuse injury or over-training.  I will be listening to my body very closely this year and when it's screaming FATIGUE I will rest, re cooperate, and become re invigorated!

What are the highlights of your race calendar this year?





Common problems I see with those who are new to training include the following:

• Too Much, Too Soon:  Running, Cycling, Swimming etc.  too far or for too long without proper training.  The body needs time to adapt, work up to your goals don't just go out and try to run 13.1 miles on your first training run.  A good rule of thumb is to increase your mileage about 10% every week.
• Injured vs. Hurt vs. Sore?: You can play hurt, but you can't play injured.  If you are training hard you are going to be sore, your muscles will ache, you will have to dig deep and, yes, at times it will even hurt.  You need to know when it's an injury though - when it's time to pack it up at the first onset of symptoms, get ice, and figure out a cross-training plan. (A PT would be a great person to help you with this)
• SuperMan Syndrome:  During the build phase when fitness is improving and you are seeing the gains you are making it can be hard to take proper recovery time.  Days off and proper sleep are when the body actually gets stronger and you improve - so take proper time off!  Feeling like you can do anything and everything is good - but you will lose out to over training if you don't rest!
• Committing to a Training Plan:  It is hard to wake up at 5 or 6am every morning and get a training session in.  It's also hard to come home from work, lace up the shoes and run out the door.  You'll feel better if you do it - thanks to the endorphin hit!  Get rid of the night time chocolate/ice cream and take up a late afternoon/early evening work out!  Take the time to write out a training plan for yourself, your goals, and your dreams.  Stick to your training plan for 3 weeks and excellence will become habit.

Whatever your racing/training/fitness goals are this year Respect the Distance!  Give your body time to adapt to the demands you are putting on it to avoid an overuse injury or over-training.  70.3/26.2 miles is not an easily traveled smooth freeway - there will be bumps and turns along the way.  Listen to your body, rest when needed and train your mind to know what your body is capable of.

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and 
something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” ~Lance Armstrong

R&R is HaRd

It has always been so easy for me to tell others to take a day off or to take a day of active rest.  But to tell myself that it's ok to rest, not a chance!  Ever since college, on my "off day" I would go easy by just running 10 120's or doing the 300m shuttle run test.  Not quite an off day but a much shorter day than any other spent getting fit.  Now my off day's are either spent playing 80 minutes of soccer or doing a "light" 5.5 mile run - through the National Zoo ( basically a hill workout).

I must admit I've been getting better at scheduling in and allowing the R&R to happen in my training schedule.  I saw the benefits a few years ago during summer workouts in college and have been mimicking the same idea of building and peaking both in a micro-cycle and macro-cycle.  Now that I am training for 3 sports - swimming, cycling, and running I struggle with the idea of taking a complete day off.  I'll think well I'll just swim - that's impact free or I'll just ride easy because I haven't been on the bike in a couple days.  I am allowing myself to cross-train on Friday mornings - using the elliptical and to take Monday evening off to have a relaxing evening with friends after being in class from 9am to 7pm.

What do you do on your days off?  What's your favorite way to Cross-train?

Last weekend was my big R&R weekend that I had scheduled into my training plan.  Naturally I pushed myself extra hard for the 5 days leading up to Thursday - what would be my first complete day off in 2011.  By Tuesday evening I was exhausted I had to pack, finish a presentation, and complete an assignment - as well as do a speed workout and hit the gym.  I listened to my body and took Tuesday afternoon off - and typed a nice FATIGUE into my training log.  I was filled with exercise guilt at first but let it go as I knew I was doing the right thing for my body.  Wednesday's workouts were awesome.  I killed my speed workout and hit the pool hard on Wednesday morning!  It felt great to feel fresh and re-invigorated by just allowing myself that afternoon off.

The real challenge came as I was in New Orleans Wednesday evening through Sunday morning.  This was the scheduled R&R time.  The time between switching my training from a base program to more of a build program.  Thursday was busy - the first day of conference and plenty of walking to and from the Convention Center as well as down Bourbon St.   Friday morning I was aching more a good sweat, so naturally I hit up the gym for 60:00 solid minutes on the elliptical.  The hotel gym was packed - so luckily I was forced to use the elliptical.  Time off could have easily turned into a long run had a snagged a treadmill.  Saturday was once again busy and filled with walking all over downtown and exploring.

Do you schedule R&R to over vacations or do you workout through your vacation time?

Taking time off is a fine and precise line between allowing my body to rest and recover and keeping my insanity.  Yes, occasionally I need a mental and physical break from training but exercise is my release and my go to - my daily constant.  Without some form of daily workout my entire temperament can change!

Now that I am back into the swing of things and training hard I am so grateful for the time off!  I have been feeling great when I go to workout and I know my body needs the rest time to repair and become stronger.  Without rest all this training would just be making me more tired and weaker.  One of my most cherished and simple types of rest is my nightly sleep - 8.5 hrs/night!  What a good chance for your body to re-cooperate and be stronger than it was the day before!

Do you struggle to actually take time off?  How much sleep do you get at night?


Why would you ever expect a hard workout to feel easy?  You must be willing to do something you've never done to achieve something you've never had.